Whilst Gary contemplated finding a way to avert his coming demise, something stirred within the Immortal Sunset Empire.

This stirring was bureaucracy!

A bill was making its way up through the House of Sunset. Despite the Immortal Sunset Empire having Empire in the name, and a living Empress, The House of Sunset were the true masters of it. They were chosen from the most elite, most deceitful, and most corruptible members of society. They signed the laws, and they sold the noble titles.

This bill was one that would classify Gary as an eternal enemy of the Immortal Sunset Empire for the devastation of the city of Cal Evras. It would also place Subardos under martial law, until Gary is caught.

Ah, also the fine print of the bill states that all citizens will be subject to ubiquitous surveillance at any time in order to protect against terrorists, or ghosts, or genocidal space geckos, or whatever.

Gary had not realised that a man suspiciously in a rush to escape a city that was moments from being destroyed was not a good look.

Gary was rumoured to have orchestrated the whole event himself. The government claimed to have no leads on the actual culprits for the moment, likely due to these culprit's significant tributes to the House of Sunset, and Gary was a convenient scapegoat, as he was a nobody, that nobody would miss. I would miss you Gary.

Gary was marked a war criminal. The radio news shows rattled on and on about Gary's Associanard sympathies. They claimed it was politically motivated against the Luxurist economic system. They also claimed that Gary had done it on behalf of the Subardian rebels who were so rudely disrupting the luxurious way of life.

The Associanards believed that civilized society needed to focus its production on improving the lives of every individual.

The Luxurists believed in living in absolute luxury at all times. How do they intend to accomplish this? Well, you produce the thing, and they take the thing. They have no intention of actually paying you for it though. They have a luxurious life to lead after all! No sense in paying for anything.

Gary climbed down the volcano and made his way through the trees towards Floatingtown

Gary was interrupted by unexpected visitors.

Gary was sitting in a war tent.

Gary was no longer Gary.

Gary was now General Gary.

But not just any General Gary!

It was Revolutionary General Gary!

The Subardian Revolutionary Army has latched on to Gary as a symbol of their revolution. As an orphan hated by the empire, and persecuted with little to no evidence, Gary was viewed in a sympathetic light by many Subardians, and is what ultimately lead the scattered protestors, civil disobedience groups, and domestic terrorists into uniting, and starting a revolution. A revolution that had the Subardian Revolutionary War Council vote for Gary to be their Revolutionary General.

Revolutionary General Gary had to admit, he thought it was pretty cool that he was now a Revolutionary General.

Revolutionary General Gary had just been given an army, and an enemy to fight.

Revolutionary General Gary was having trouble not letting it go to his head.

While the Subardian Revolutionary Army did consider Revolutionary General Gary quite weak for a leader, he was well within the strength range of his troops.

Gary's war council consisted mostly of Ideal Body stages , and one Young Master stage.

This Young Master stage Subardian had helped remove the death timer in Gary's heart.

The vast majority of his soldiers were mortals, and cultivators stuck below the Young Master stage.

How were they anything more than a nuisance?

Well, they have magic laser muskets.

They're regular muskets except that they shoot lasers instead of bullets.

These muskets were quite deadly. Capable of threatening True Self experts with enough concentrated fire. A line of laser musketeers can easily mow down anyone in the Perfect Self Realm.

They weren't very popular with cultivators. They were considered a coward's weapon, but had been seeing more use as recent advancements had made them cheap to produce.

While the cultivators themselves didn't touch them, their subordinates would more and more frequently have to interact with cowardly laser musketeers.

Revolutionary General Gary had no such qualms with Laser Muskets. Revolutionary General Gary was immediately in love with the weapon, he could kill his enemies from a distance with a kick-ass laser! This had always been a dream of Revolutionary General Gary's, and now it was finally real!

Revolutionary General Gary set to work. He needed to act fast. It wouldn't be long before that bill was ratified, and a task force would be sent out to hunt Revolutionary General Gary down, and with him the revolution as well.

Revolutionary General Gary was not about to let that happen!

Revolutionary General Gary went on to force his overly enthusiastic troops to use their intimate knowledge of the landscape to build tunnels covering the whole of the island.

Then Revolutionary General Gary performed the brilliant move of assigning the Young Master stage cultivator, Oscar, as Co-Revolutionary General Oscar, and choosing to hide out the rest of the war within the labyrinthine tunnels.

Co-Revolutionary General Oscar set out to work on winning the revolution in Revolutionary General Gary's place.

Revolutionary General Gary was exercising in a cave.

He needed to do so in order to get closer to the ideal body stage. He apparently had to physically reach his ideal body, and then gather the mana, strengthening the body.

Revolutionary General Gary was not happy about this, as he would have preferred not having to put in the actual effort for his cultivation. Revolutionary General Gary had never been keen on exercise, but he would gain wicked cool magic powers out of this so why complain about it?

Revolutionary General Gary spent a couple of months exercising in various ways. He strapped bolder's to himself, climbed the volcano daily, and even took time to swim. The mana within Revolutionary General Gary made it easy for any fatigue to disappear with a single night's rest. He was nowhere near the Ideal Body stage.

Revolutionary General Gary had heard that two True Self inquisitors were coming.

They had both been from Cal Evras, and we're out for Revolutionary General Gary's blood.

This was not good for Revolutionary General Gary.