"Are you Luke?"
When he approached Elder Veyron, that deeply wrinkled face came into Luke's sight.
He even saw the way Elder Veyron's furrowed lips writhed as he spoke.
"Lisores often praise you before me."
Elder Veyron said slowly: "You know, Meteor City has many problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible."
"But right now, we're facing a very serious problem."
"Many people from the outside world treat this place as their playground for committing evil."
"I would like to ask, do you have any solutions for this?"
He didn't hesitate and simply got straight to the point.
This was a problem known to everyone in Meteor City, from the elderly to the children.
So, Luke, unsurprisingly, also gave a straightforward answer: "Kill every last one of those who come here to do evil."
"Of course I know that."
Elder Veyron's eyes were filled with indifference: "And not only me, this is the first thought of most in Meteor City as well."
"So, you should know that the answer I want to hear isn't that simple."
"Yes, I understand."
Luke nodded. While such a broad answer was correct, it was no different from no answer at all.
Everyone knew this was the approach, but the key was… How to do it!!
If Elder Veyron truly could eliminate the outsiders himself, he would have already done so.
Why would he need Luke's opinion?
The point was, he couldn't do it!!
So, what he wanted to hear was Luke's specific approach.
"I think there are two aspects to solving this problem: focusing on the present and looking to the future."
Luke smiled slightly: "As for focusing on the present, as far as I know, there are many outsiders in Meteor City right now who abduct children here to achieve their hidden agenda."
"So, the first step now is to find these individuals and give them a taste of their own medicine. They must pay the price and suffer the same fate as they did to those children."
"As for how to find those guys…"
Luke raised his head and met Elder Veyron's gaze without hesitation: "Leave that to me."
"Do you have a plan?"
Elder Veyron asked gravely.
"Yes."
Luke nodded.
"Okay, then. I want results within a week, at the very least."
"No problem."
In a few words, the two of them settled the matter.
Elder Veyron's message was simple: since you've proposed a solution, then it's up to you to implement it.
He won't question the specific methods or measures; it's entirely up to you to execute.
All he wants is the ultimate outcome of achieving his goal.
As for whether Luke's method ultimately succeeds or fails…
Success would be best, and Elder Veyron would certainly not be stingy with those who have demonstrated merit or ability.
By then, the entire Meteor City would be supporting Luke.
If it fails… that wouldn't matter much.
The problem already remained unsolvable anyway, so Luke's failure would change nothing.
Either way, Elder Veyron lost nothing.
"I now have some faith in Father Lisores's assessment of you."
Elder Veyron nodded slightly at Luke, his eyes softening slightly.
Luke had accepted the task so decisively and without any preconditions or conditions.
This style alone impressed Elder Veyron.
Of course, all of this was based on Luke's success.
A loser is worthless.
"So, what about looking to the future?"
Focusing on the present is, after all, only a temporary solution. There are too many criminals out there.
Even if they drive off one group, another wave of reckless individuals will still arrive.
The key is how to eradicate this problem.
"Actually, it's not that difficult to eradicate this."
Luke's lips curled slightly: "I once heard a saying."
"A single punch thrown prevents a hundred punches from coming."
"We must let the world know that we, in Meteor City, are not to be trifled with."
"Anyone who tries to harm us will inevitably pay a heavy price."
"Only by making those guys outside feel the pain will they stop coming our way."
A single punch thrown prevents a hundred punches from coming…
Elder Veyron pondered the meaning of this statement, finding it quite sensible.
"How should we do this?"
"To make the outsiders realize this, we must have a point that they will remember deeply…"
Luke continued: "This point can be an event or a sentence."
"It's best to use a single sentence to promote it, and then use an event to reinforce it, deepening their impression."
"As for the words…"
Luke paused, then looked up.
As Elder Veyron listened intently and Father Lisores, who remained silent, looked over, he saw:
"We accept anything you leave here, but don't try to take anything from us."
"I didn't expect you to come up with such a declaration!"
As Father Lisores led Luke out of the room, he was still slightly dazed. Especially as he muttered these words, his gaze toward Luke was particularly complex.
But beyond that complexity, there was also relief.
As expected, he hadn't misjudged him.
Luke's words also proposed a seemingly completely feasible path for Meteor City.
Perhaps it would involve considerable blood and fire, but for the people in Meteor City, this was commonplace, a daily occurrence.
As for whether such an approach would cause a backlash…
You must understand that they are the ones truly suffering!!
As Luke said: "We accept anything you leave here, but don't try to take anything from us."
If you simply want to come to Meteor City, then yes, it accepts anything.
But if you intend to do something awful to Meteor City, then don't blame them for overreacting.