Chapter 651: Chapter 651: I Only Wish for Gender Equality Who hasn’t dreamed of being able to sense magic power and become a grand figure like a mage. But that’s merely a dream. Even if women only have average talent, they can sense magic power and cast one or two small spells, while men have no hope at all, reduced to being mere appendages of women. Among these tens of thousands of men on the plaza, at least ninety-nine percent have fantasized about becoming mages themselves. Fang Zhou’s words were like a bomb tossed amidst them, causing an uproar and setting off countless waves. Some people remained doubtful, but more had already desperately consumed the Nine Yang Pill in their hands; no matter true or false, they had to give it a try. The nobles and mages were enraged and frightened. They were among the profitable groups oppressing men, and once men broke free from their cages, even if it won’t topple them immediately, it would certainly result in more people coming to share the pie, reducing the oppressed group. It’s a naked game of gain or loss, even if Fang Zhou had already taken down a mage, it couldn’t scare off the anger of the others remaining. “Devil! This is a devil from hell, tempting the lambs to fall.” A religious priest pointed at Fang Zhou, shouting hoarsely in fury. And the other mages present were more direct, unanimously choosing to take action, attempting to kill this outsider who dared threaten their interests on the spot. The nobles also moved forth, preparing to deploy troops for suppression, mainly to prevent these tens of thousands of men on the plaza from running out. Fang Zhou waited until all these mages and nobles jumped out, then began to act. All these people were too weak; he could knock them out using divine sense, but to look cooler, Fang Zhou summoned the Golden Sword, shooting down the mages and nobles who had jumped out one by one. The bustling plaza was instantly stunned by Fang Zhou’s dazzling “golden rain.” Fang Zhou shouted loudly to the people below: “If you don’t leave now, the kingdom’s soldiers will come to catch you soon and send you to the gallows.” Tens of thousands of men looked at each other, then scattered with a rumble, fleeing in all directions. The events of tonight would spread with these people, spreading throughout Baao Kingdom, and even to the entire world. Fang Zhou no longer paid attention to the chaos below, leading Aya back to the residence. At midnight, the residence was surrounded by a large number of mages and soldiers, trapping them for half the night, neither daring to attack nor retreat, just encircling them mindlessly. Fang Zhou wasn’t anxious. He knew the ruling class of Baao Kingdom was currently troubled about how to deal with him. He knocked the kingdom’s strongest mages onto the ground with ease, so fighting wasn’t an option, but letting him be was impossible too; Fang Zhou’s actions severely harmed their interests, mainly ideologically unacceptable. Men have been weak for so long, if they suddenly rise, what then? ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 Even in modern society, in many countries, gender equality remains mere talk; wives have to change their names after marrying husbands, and in some goblin regions, women’s status is even lower than livestock. Such is the modern world, ancient times are even worse, mentioning gender equality to ancient people would make them think you’re an idiot or have a problem. All in all, Baao Kingdom is currently in an awkward limbo, unable to fight, unable to chase away, and unable to tolerate. As time passed, Fang Zhou’s actions on the plaza were spread by those tens of thousands of men. The entire Royal Capital began to stir, a large number of men converged towards Fang Zhou’s residence, those who hadn’t participated in the gathering, they too wanted to obtain Merlin Mage’s magic potion. The surrounding soldiers had no choice but to drive away the gathering men, leading to clashes and chaos. The disturbance continued until dawn, when large numbers of soldiers arrived to reinforce and it ended. These soldiers didn’t attack Fang Zhou’s residence, instead, they brought a message that Baao King wanted to see him. This is exactly what Fang Zhou expected; if the King hadn’t done this, Fang Zhou would have had to find another way. He and Aya left the residence, took a carriage to the Imperial Palace, and met the diligent and reform-minded Baao King. The King was a woman in her thirties, beautiful and tall, exuding a difficult-to-approach dignified aura. She frowned while scrutinizing Fang Zhou, her first words were: “Merlin Mage, what exactly are you trying to do?” If she could defeat him, this King would have wanted to kill Fang Zhou on the spot. The mages and nobles suffered heavy casualties, which was a huge blow to Baao Kingdom’s prestige and strength, tempting other covetous nations to take risks. Fang Zhou smiled faintly: “I just hope for gender equality in this world, that’s all.” The King promptly interrupted: “That’s absolutely impossible.” Whether emotionally or from a standpoint of interests, as the oppressing class, women would never agree to such a thing. “How do you know it’s impossible without trying?” Fang Zhou looked at the King: “You have no way to retreat; I will continue to spread magic potions. You can either stop me, oppose me, or cooperate with me—I’ll give you ample rewards.” It’s indeed impossible to stop Fang Zhou; just those tens of thousands of men who ran back last night, it’s impossible to find them all. The King hated him to death inside, yet she quickly calmed down: “What reward?” Compared to the entire female aristocracy, of course, the King cared more about her own country and her throne and power. If Fang Zhou had rashly sought out the King directly, she would have considered him a swindler, but after this period of challenge and last night’s events, the King believed this Merlin Mage had sufficient strength to fulfill his promise. “I’ve investigated you; though diligent and reform-minded, your throne isn’t very stable. Several grand dukes and nobles have many criticisms of your policies, and the Prime Minister isn’t aligned with you…” With each sentence Fang Zhou spoke, the King’s face turned a shade darker, eventually turning livid; these were her painful points. It’s not just criticism, it’s practically open defiance; that Prime Minister, serving three reigns, was secretly colluding, planning to establish a new monarch. Even without Fang Zhou appearing, in a few more years this country might descend into civil unrest. The King almost gritted her teeth: “So?” “I will help you sweep away all enemies, provided you support me. When all the men in Baao Kingdom have taken the magic potion, you will gain a batch of new, loyal mage talents.” The King was extremely conflicted; success would be a great joy for all, but failure would mean utter ruin, possibly losing her throne. Fang Zhou reached out and patted her shoulder, delivering the last straw to break the camel’s back. “At this point, do you think you still have a third option?”