Chapter 74
Vote (2)
There was nothing inherently wrong with valuing rules and principles.
If rules and principles didn't matter, why would laws or society exist in the first place?
People only got criticized as rigid old-fashioned hardasses or inflexible when they took it too far. The logic itself wasn't bad.
Rather than bad, it was frustrating.
The kind of personality that insists on carefully checking things that could've just been let slide.
People like that might have problems with interpersonal relationships, but socially, there was nothing wrong with them.
In fact, if that personality was paired with diligence, there was a good chance it could even lead to success.
Of course, that was assuming they had the ability to back it up.
***
Title: Head Mod, I Have a Question
Wild Grylls
I heard before that you were thinking about changing the 24-hour trade cooldown. When are you planning to do that?
Twenty-four hours is pretty long, and it's frustrating when I can't trade something when I actually need to.
└ Huh? The head mod said they were going to shorten the trade cooldown?
└ They mentioned it in passing before. No idea when they'll actually do it, though lol.
└ Wasn't that bullshit? Like, "Yeah, yeah, I'll keep it in mind," and then just moving on?
└ The head mod's never really lied before, so I'm not sure.
└ But Grylls, why do you want it shortened? So you can trade constantly?
└ Wild Grylls: That's part of it, but it's hard to trade things that aren't worth using up the whole cooldown on. I want to give people a few bites of some delicious fish, but even that's difficult.
└ This bastard's really living the good life now, lmao.
└ He gets a little used to the place and suddenly he's spoiled rotten.
└ Wild Grylls: Wanna come here? It's actually pretty livable.
└ Fuck no.
└ Come to think of it, he actually has the right to ask for this.
└ Just remove the restriction for Grylls, lol.
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: The 24-hour trade cooldown is still something I'm considering! Removing it carelessly could cause serious problems!
└ Wild Grylls: Then can't you just remove it for me?
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: No! It would be one thing to remove it for everyone, but giving special treatment to one person is unfair!
└ Wild Grylls: What about the Heavenly Demon?
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: She's a moderator! Are you planning to become a moderator too, Mr. Grylls?
└ Wild Grylls: ;;
└ Hey. Don't go down that path.
└ We can't have you turning blue too ;;
└ Could he even do moderator work after becoming one?
└ Obviously not, lol. He's too busy trying to stay alive.
└ Special treatment just for you? Not happening, lmaooo.
The head mod, Don't Abandon the Hero, had an entirely sound argument.
You couldn't give special treatment to just one person.
If you were going to remove the restriction, remove it for everyone.
And if I wanted special privileges, I should become a moderator and fulfill the responsibilities that came with it.
If I failed to fulfill those responsibilities, I should expect to get banned.
'That's harsh.'
It wasn't that I couldn't understand the logic.
But I couldn't shake the feeling of frustration.
It was like insisting that, for the sake of fairness, someone with two perfectly good legs and someone with only one functional leg should compete under exactly the same conditions in a footrace.
If I weren't trapped in the Forest of Four Seasons, I wouldn't have even made a request like this.
'I need things like this if I want to increase my chances of survival.'
The more I traded, the more inconveniences I noticed.
There was the 24-hour trade cooldown, for one.
Then there was the ridiculously short conversation window, like instant three-minute curry.
Apparently, these restrictions existed to prevent crime, but they were still incredibly inconvenient.
And then...
└ Look at Grylls' attitude, lmao. Dude just wants things easier for himself.
└ You think everyone else is sitting quietly because we're not inconvenienced too? lol.
└ I'm telling you, that bastard's selfish as hell.
└ Lmaooo.
└ Grylls is pitiful, so just let it slide.
People had always been jealous of those who received preferential treatment.
The moment I openly asked for what was essentially special treatment, anonymous users started raging and mocking me.
└ Wild Grylls: Make a registered account and verify yourselves first before you talk shit, you anonymous bastards.
Of course, that shut them down pretty quickly.
What were people who hadn't even made registered accounts doing talking about trade restrictions?
Anyone who had made a registered account had also verified the Forest of Four Seasons, so I couldn't exactly treat them carelessly.
Maybe they were thinking some benefits might eventually trickle down to them too.
And if someone actually helped me, I did intend to share some of those benefits.
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Then if there are other registered users in situations as pitiful as yours, should I remove the restriction for all of them too?!
└ Wild Grylls: Yes.
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Uh...
└ Look at this shameless bastard lmaooo.
└ This guy is fucking hilarious, lmao.
└ The head mod got stunned, lmaoooo.
└ Doesn't the head mod have a point, though? Remember that bastard who used his daughter to get donations back in the day.
└ That's different. At least Grylls has earned everyone's trust. And did you forget Grylls almost got buried because of the restriction?
└ Grylls might be worth making an exception for.
└ You never know. There'll definitely be bastards who pretend to be pitiful just to squeeze out special privileges.
The anonymous users who had been blindly shouting "No" had already been suppressed, and the rest began a healthy debate.
└ If your parents were about to die, would you still wait twenty-four hours?
└ Fucking idiot, if it's that serious then go outside and buy medicine.
└ I hope you get stuck behind a 24-hour cooldown someday and fucking die.
└ Yeah, sure~ Like that'll ever happen~
Well.
They all became docile little lambs once the Heavenly Demon intervened.
Everyone was equal before the ban hammer.
In a world without online communities, the gallery played an enormous role.
Once things seemed to calm down a little, I asked the head mod again.
Actually, let me correct myself.
It wasn't a "healthy debate."
It was a raging argument filled with every kind of insult imaginable, including attacks on people's parents.
People were throwing out extreme examples as a matter of course and even resorting to personal attacks.
The little ball I'd tossed into the air had turned into a giant meteor crashing back down.
└ Wild Grylls: Head Mod, I've already made a registered account, verified that I'm in the Forest of Four Seasons, and my immediate survival is genuinely at stake. If I ever escape the Forest of Four Seasons, you can immediately revoke the privilege. Could you at least consider it?
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Hmm...! Then does that mean anyone who enters the Forest of Four Seasons should receive the same privilege?!
└ Wild Grylls: As far as I know, you normally can't access the gallery from inside the Forest of Four Seasons...
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Ah! I forgot! How could I not remember that?!
└ Honestly, I forgot too, lmaooo.
└ Completely slipped my mind, lol.
└ Come to think of it, you can't normally access the gallery from the Forest of Four Seasons, can you? Lmao.
└ I knew something felt off ;;
...
└ Heavenly Demon: It seems the time has come to bring down the ban hammer. Who wishes to be struck first?
└ I'm sorry. I won't insult anyone's parents again.
└ Parents are greater than even the greatest heroes.
└ Look at these fucking fire-attribute filial sons suddenly showing up, lmaooo.
└ Guess they're really scared of getting banned, huh? Lmao.
They actually forgot something that important?
I was slightly dumbfounded.
Still, now that they'd remembered it, the head mod's resolve had probably started to waver.
This was my chance. I decided to push a little harder.
└ Wild Grylls: Please take pity on my unfortunate circumstances and at least remove the trade cooldown—
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Hmm! If it's you, Mr. Grylls, you probably wouldn't do anything pointless with it!
└ Wild Grylls: What exactly do you think I'm going to do...?
Rather than "pushing harder," I was basically begging.
Still, I could feel the head mod gradually coming around.
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: It's difficult for me to decide this alone, so I think we should hold a vote! I'll make it so only registered users can participate!
└ Wild Grylls: If that's what you decide, Head Mod, then sure.
└ Why can only registered users vote? Isn't that unfair too?
└ Having a registered account is literally a requirement for trading. If you're pissed about it, just make one already.
└ Fucking disgusting watching people who only know how to run their mouths, lol.
└ This is why democracy collapsed, lmaooo.
└ These idiots don't even know the difference between equality and fairness, lol.
But this was an era where kings and nobles openly existed.
Democracy felt strangely out of place.
└ Wild Grylls: What's democracy? You mean the thing where everyone is guaranteed voting rights?
└ Yeah, that's it. But almost every country that tried it collapsed except the beastfolk nation, lol.
└ Wild Grylls: Why did they collapse? Did people rebel and fail or something?
└ There was endless arguing over who should have voting rights. Like, "Should people living in the slums really get a vote too?"
└ And if you go by population, farmers are the biggest group anyway. Win over the farmers and you're basically done, lol.
└ None of that mattered because the strongest people could just crush everyone by force. Civil wars kept breaking out, so they eventually gave up on democracy.
└ Basically, nobles just couldn't stand having the same one vote as some random commoner, lmao.
└ The problem was that those people were also the ones responsible for the country's military power, so nobody could really stop them ;;
└ ???: Everyone is equal? Lmao. Fine, I'll defect to another country.
Democracy?
Was this really the same democracy I knew?
The gallery automatically translated everything, so there was a high chance that "democracy" really did mean the same thing I was familiar with.
I'd heard something like this before.
Why democracy would be difficult to introduce in a fantasy world.
On Earth, there were at least ways to overcome differences in individual strength.
That wasn't the case in this world.
The gap in personal power was simply too extreme, meaning the fundamental premise of "equality" couldn't really be established.
└ At least commoners being allowed to enter politics is already a huge achievement. That's probably as far as it'll go.
└ Wild Grylls: What about the nobles? They don't complain about commoners entering politics?
└ Politicians and nobles aren't really that different anyway. As long as they don't kick away the ladder after climbing up, it's fine, lol.
└ If a noble pisses them off enough, a farmer can just crack his skull open with a plow ;; That's probably part of why they tolerate it.
└ Just look at the elves. Imagine having the exact same one vote as those lunatics. Absolutely horrifying ;;
└ Funnily enough, the country where democracy actually settled in pretty well is Weed, lmao.
└ Wild Grylls: What's Weed?
└ The beastfolk country. What the fuck do you actually know?
└ Wild Grylls: Isn't that a little harsh toward someone from another world?
└ Quit lying. Just search it up yourself, lol.
└ Beastfolk-style democracy will blow your mind.
└ Wild Grylls: Thank you.
What the hell was "beastfolk-style democracy" that had everyone laughing like that?
At worst, I figured only nobles or certain groups would have voting rights.
'What a bizarre world.'
Well, knowing about it wouldn't help me anyway.
What I needed right now was the head mod's blessing.
Removal of the twenty-four-hour trade cooldown.
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: I posted the vote! Please check it!
Before long, the head mod left another comment saying the post was up.
Since it was posted by the head mod, it would definitely attract plenty of attention.
If this vote passed, my twenty-four-hour trade restriction would finally be lifted.
***
Title: Vote to Remove Wild Grylls' 24-Hour Trade Restriction!
Don't Abandon the Hero
Registered user Wild Grylls is currently struggling to survive in the Forest of Four Seasons!
Normally, this kind of special treatment shouldn't be given! However, Wild Grylls has verified his circumstances and has also proven himself to be highly trustworthy, so I have decided to hold a vote!
Wild Grylls has also promised to give up this privilege immediately upon escaping the Forest of Four Seasons, so please keep that in mind!
1. Approve
2. Oppose
It was concise and covered all the important points.
With wording like that, I had nothing to worry about.
The vote would remain open for one day.
I could just go do something else in the meantime.
Before that, though, I'd grown a little curious about beastfolk-style democracy.
What kind of system was it that everyone found so funny?
***
Title: Democracy Delivery Is Here
(Photo of a lion beastman tilting his head)
We didn't order anything like that.
(Photo of an angry dog beastman)
We're giving you voting rights, so please accept them.
(Photo of a lion beastman baring his teeth)
Have you dog bastards lost your minds? You wanna die?
(Photo of a dog beastman shouting)
Guys! There's someone here who says he doesn't want democracy!
(Photo of a cat beastman)
Who?
(Photo of a horse beastman)
Who?
(Photo of a deer beastman)
Who?
(Photo of the lion beastman looking dumbfounded)
"..."
This sounded less like democracy and more like imperialism.
Did they seriously force democracy onto people through sheer numbers?
One post wasn't enough to understand it, so I searched for more.
***
Title: Why Democracy Developed in Weed
Most countries have populations that are ethnically pretty similar, but these beastfolk bastards have more than ten distinct ethnic groups alone, lmao.
And even dividing them into carnivorous and herbivorous beastfolk doesn't mean shit. One kick from a deer beastman can kill a tiger beastman.
That's why democracy had no choice but to develop in such a bizarre direction.
In a way, maybe this is true equality?
└ Tiger beastman: What the fuck?
└ Lion beastman: What the fuck?
└ Leopard beastman: What the fuck?
└ Bear beastman: What the fuck?
I figured the meme basically meant that some ethnic groups had ended up disadvantaged after democracy was introduced.
Apparently, though, it was only a meme and referred more to events from long ago.
Beastfolk had short lifespans like humans, so generations turned over quickly, and nowadays they apparently lived together without too many problems.
'It's not like I need to worry about it right now anyway.'
Enough about democracy.
What actually mattered to me was the vote currently taking place in the gallery.
I really hoped it would go well.
I cautiously opened the post the head mod had made.
'I should vote too.'
Naturally, I voted in favor.
[Thank you for voting.]
But even after voting, I couldn't see the current results.
That message appeared and nothing else.
I thought voting results were usually displayed in real time, but apparently things worked differently here.
└ Why aren't the results of this vote being shown live?
└ Don't Abandon the Hero: Because this is an important matter! The results will be revealed tomorrow!
Just what the hell went on inside this kid's head?