“You old fool! Your country is Moon’s ally, so of course, you’re on their side! You’re right when you said Moon wouldn’t harm you because they wouldn’t harm Panthera! We’re not Moon’s ally. Who’s to say that they won’t turn against us?!”

“That’s right! You asked why they didn’t let the meteorite kill us, and the answer is straightforward. Can it be more obvious? To rebuild the world, a lot of laborers are needed. The Moonians are going to capture us and make us work for them for free!”

“Shit! You gave me the creeps! Are they going to tie us up and treat us like cows and dogs? They’ll whip us and make us eat from the floor!”

“That’s possible! Moon is a traditional country. They’re all about obeying their superiors, being loyal, and keeping cattle in the sheds! Gosh! It’s so scary!”

…

After the influencers started sharing their views, the people divided into three groups and attacked one another.

Moon could live with the criticisms. However, those people might be heading for the ocean as they argued.

The Moonian president was putting pressure on other presidents as well.

Other countries had been accusing Moon of being a bully that never listened to their opinion.

Great!

The Moonians wouldn’t mind being called bullies one more time!

“Hello, everybody!”

The Moonian president started a video conference. His tone was very stern when he spoke to all the other presidents.

“You must follow our instructions! There can be no exceptions! You must stop your people! It’s obligatory! Tell everybody to go back to their arks. Otherwise, the consequences will be beyond your imagination! Use force if necessary. I’m not discussing it with you. I’m ordering you! If you refuse to follow the instruction, our flying soldiers will pay you a visit in the next two hours! Make the right decision!”

Koji, the Flamian president, took a deep breath. He was under a lot of pressure because Flamia was right next to Moon. Once the flying soldiers were deployed, Flamia and Woodia would be the first to be affected.

The video conference was there for the whole world to see because they all shared the same network. People from all the countries were watching this conference.

What the Moonian president said only confirmed their speculations.

“What did I tell you? Moon has resorted to force. They’ve dropped all pretenses! This is their real intention! What a bunch of hypocrites!”

“Mr. President, you can’t yield to their threat! We’ll never follow their orders! Even if they resort to armed suppression, we still won’t surrender! I mean every word! If you agree to their terms, I’ll kill myself right here and now!”

“The Moonians are finally telling the truth! Where are the people who accused us of misunderstanding Moon? Tell us now what the Moonian president meant when he made that order! We won’t let them control us! I don’t care if it’s a conspiracy! I’m going to kneel!”

“Me, too!”

“And me! I hate it when other people tell me what to do! They can’t control us!”

Many of the commentators were Flamians.

Koji hesitated. As the Flamian president, he had to be responsible for his country. Those people could throw their lives away, but he couldn’t let them do that.

However, the public opinion was shifting to the other side. Over 55% of the population was against Moon. Many Flamians weren’t all that brave. However, almost the entire world had turned against Moon, and they gained courage from the great number of “allies” they had. Even the more timid Flamians spoke up and protested.

Sasaki was one of the opposers.

“WTF?!” He was close to the ark’s gate and was infuriated by the conference. “Moon wants to control our minds?! That’s not going to happen! Bastards! I’ll never surrender!”

He then jumped out of the ark. The gate was already open. Flamia was a small country, and all of its lands had been flooded. The ark was floating in the sea, with the ocean right at their doorstep.

Some people had already dropped to their knees.

Those that had knelt at the ocean had regained their gravity and were capering around in the ark. “It’s true! Look at me! I’m back to normal! It’s true! There’s nothing to worry about!”

“Great!” Seeing those people, Sasaki made a video and posted it online, followed by a comment.

“It’s true! My people are back to normal! Look! The Moonians don’t want us to get better. They must be plotting against us! We can’t listen to them!”

He switched off his phone after that, knelt at the ocean, and said the words that he wanted to be a sea slave.

The next second, he shuddered violently as if something had been taken out of his body. Meanwhile, a streak of energy was injected into him. Then he was back to normal.

He felt heavy. The extra weight seemed to be the reason that he could walk normally. Still, he could walk as he did before.

“I’m back to normal! Are you seeing this? I’ve recovered!”

More and more videos sprang up online. All the people that knelt at the ocean had recovered. Although their presidents forbade them from doing it, many people wouldn’t listen.

Some arks even severed all links from their countries and chose to do whatever they wanted.

Sensing more and more wishing power flying into the ocean, Himmel Soan was displeased. He only needed three more minutes to build the artificial moon.

Those people couldn’t wait for even that long.

With each passing second, about 300,000 more people were kneeling at the ocean, and the number was growing!