Hunter of Immortals

Chapter 384: Mayoral Election Procedure

"Is it really a good idea to be announcing your intentions to run for mayor so early?"

In the game company owned by Cowboy, Adam was seated in Cowboy's chair, while Cowboy was standing beside him with his brows slightly furrowed.

"Why isn't it a good idea? I'm going to do it anyway, so why not make the declaration while the incident is still at the height of its relevance?"

What Adam was refraining from telling Cowboy was that he didn't have much time left, so he had to do everything as quickly as possible.

"I guess that's true. Right now, everyone is talking about you. Do you even know the procedure required to run for the Sandrise City mayoral election?"

"No, please enlighten me."

"The first thing that you have to know is that the mayor of Sandrise City isn't actually just a mayor. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Can you elaborate?"

"There are only three metropolises on the entire continent of North America. Due to the residual radiation from World War III, many places are completely barren and arid, and over 80% of the North American population is focused in these three metropolises. This is both to grant more convenience in terms of resource allocation and a phenomenon that's born out of necessity due to all of the uninhabitable areas of the continent."

"I'm aware of all of that."

"As a result, the population of each metropolis could exceed that of an entire nation in the past. For example, Sandrise City has a higher population than Canada from 30 years ago."

Adam nodded in response.

"Hence, the mayor of Sandrise City is referred to as a mayor, but in reality, the power and influence of Sandrise City's mayor is comparable to those of the presidents of the past."

"That is indeed an enormous amount of power, and that's exactly what I need. Tell me about the specific procedure required to run for mayor."

"The process shares some similarities with the presidential elections from a few decades ago, but there are also some differences. I'll start from the first step. Firstly, you need to be eligible to become a candidate for the Sandrise City mayoral election, and eligibility is usually acquired through the submission of an application, followed by a vote from the general public."

"Can anyone run for mayor?"

"Theoretically, yes, but in practice, it's not so easy to acquire eligibility. You need to possess an enormous amount of influence, wealth, and the backing of one of the congresses."

"Why is that?"

"A huge amount of wealth is required in order for someone to maintain influence and relevance over an extended period of time. Of course, you're very much a relevant figure in the eyes of the general public at the moment, but you have to keep in mind that the mayoral election will run for several months, and you need to be able to maintain your relevance throughout that entire duration.

“In order to do that, you need to have an actual political agenda, and it needs to be one that appeals to the majority of voters if you want to be elected."

Cowboy paused here momentarily, then continued, "Your political agenda must represent the people, as well as an area that's relevant to one of the two congresses. Only then will you be promoted and receive political donations.

“For example, our northern congress represents traditional industries, mechanical production, military manufacturing, vessel transportation, construction of infrastructure, etc."

"What about the southern congress?"

"They represent cutting-edge technology, pharmaceuticals, internet technology, artificial intelligence..."

"I see, so I have to earn the support of the leading figures in the industries under the northern congress, but what does that have to do with the general public? How do they hold any sway in those industries?"

"They don't," Cowboy replied in a forthright manner. “However, they'll factor into the equation later. Your campaign slogan, political agenda, and true objective could be three completely different things. For example, after you're elected as mayor, you can choose to support the military manufacturing industry, whereas your campaign slogan could state that you're working to ensure safety in Sandrise City and fight against crime.

“These two things have nothing to do with each other, but you can fabricate a connection between them. For example, you can say that the crime rate in Sandrise City has been on the rise, so more Mechguard units are required to maintain law and order, thereby giving you an excuse to inject more funds into the military manufacturing industry.

“In doing so, not only will you be able to fulfill your political promise, you'll also be able to satisfy your true objective. Of course, that's only something for you to think about further down the line. After securing eligibility, the next step would be to approach the upper class of Sandrise City to obtain political donations.

“After that, you use the donated funds to initiate an advertisement campaign, hold speeches, organize political debates with your competitors, hold press conferences... Of course, ultimately, your objective is to secure as many votes as possible so you can be elected as mayor.”

"Generally speaking, how many people end up securing eligibility?"

"It's usually eight people, four each from the two congresses."

"I see. On the surface, it looks like the two congresses are quite evenly matched, but according to my knowledge, the past two mayors of Sandrise City have both been from the southern congress."

"That's right. Back when World War III first concluded, the northern congress was able to hold its own, albeit with some difficulty, but recently, the northern congress has been on a steady decline," Cowboy conceded. "Due to the constant advancements in the Metaverse and AI technology and the decline of traditional industries, the southern congress has become more and more powerful and influential."

"It sounds like my chances of being elected as mayor are quite slim."

"Not necessarily. Recently, the Metaverse has been putting too much strain on the labor force, and many citizens of the city have been expressing their displeasure. They're not idiots, they know who the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes are.

“All we have to do is capitalize on this unrest and dissatisfaction, and you have some chances. Of course, I advise against doing this in the initial phase of your campaign. In the early stages, it's best to take a safer and more conservative approach."

"Alright. Would you be able to help me with this?"

"I'll definitely lend you a hand in this process. I'll help you assemble a campaign team and secure the support of as many people from the northern congress as possible. However, at the same time, I'm a businessman, not a philanthropist. If you really are elected as the mayor of Sandrise City someday, then I want to be granted more power and a position in your staff team."

"That sounds like a very reasonable request."

Adam extended a hand toward Cowboy as he spoke, and Cowboy smiled as he accepted Adam's handshake offer.

……

It didn't take long before a new candidate appeared on the election website.

The candidate had an avatar of Adam, and clicking the avatar or entering the connected Metaverse sector would allow one to see all of his information, which mostly consisted pieces of footage depicting his heroic deeds, such as his battles against heinous criminals in the psychic world, his showdown against the psychic anomaly at Mirror Lake Primary School, and his detainment of demented serial murderers.

After being framed and acquitted on multiple occasions, Adam had developed quite a positive image in the eyes of the general public. In addition to that, he was still a household name, so his candidacy application quickly received a large number of votes.

It didn't take long before he reached the top eight among all of the applicants, and all he would have to do was hold onto this position for a while to secure candidacy eligibility.

Once that happened, all he required would be the backing of the northern congress, and he would be able to officially enter the running for the mayoral election.

On this day, two special guests arrived at the veterinarian hospital before anyone from the northern congress had even paid Adam a visit. These two people weren't particularly renowned, but they were extremely feared among wealthy tycoons and powerful politicians.

"Who are you?"

In the instant that Adam caught sight of the duo, he was immediately struck by a sense of discomfort, as if he were a rabbit under the cold gaze of a hunting eagle.

This was a sensation that he had only ever felt in the presence of Hebi no Miko.

One of the two visitors was a man, and he replied, "Who we are isn't important. In the outside world, they call me Mr. One, and she is referred to as Madam Tree."

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