Chapter 33: Step Aside, I’m About to Show Off (4,000 Words—Please Keep Reading and Vote!)

The "Second American Civil War"—this phrase was coined by European journalists. Between the lines, one could detect a clear "I’m here to watch the show" mentality. Regardless of the infighting among European nations, they were remarkably unified in pulling up a chair to watch the Yankees make a spectacle of themselves.

It must be understood that while World War I left all of Europe in ruins, the American mainland remained completely untouched by the flames of war. Seizing the opportunity, America intervened in the European wreckage as a "savior," becoming the continent’s largest creditor overnight. Its economic power far exceeded that of any European nation, even the pseudo-world hegemon, Great Britain. With the collapse of traditional hegemony, "Old Europe" felt a mix of dependency and hidden resentment toward the rising United States. If there was a joke to be made at America’s expense, they were more than happy to indulge.

At first, it was just the French hyping up this American "civil war"—a war sparked by a piece of lingerie! A "Lingerie War"? It sounded like an absurd joke. But as more American reports were translated, the French realized it truly was a joke—those Yankees in the New World were clearly bored out of their minds, turning the whole country upside down over a new type of undergarment.

So, what kind of new lingerie was it? It was already on sale in France, and merchants had even labeled it as the "Fuse of the Second American Civil War," which delighted the French. Thanks to Logan’s reference to future designs, the inaugural Victoria’s Secret bra was mature and highly polished, easily accepted even by the picky aesthetic sensibilities of the French. Their agent, Pierre, while wiring money to Logan for additional orders, worked even harder to publicize the chaos happening in the New World.

More and more European journalists turned their eyes to America, and upon seeing the situation, they all roared with laughter. Good heavens, a nationwide protest over a bra! My word, a nationwide debate over a bra! Good god, a nationwide lawsuit over a bra! The "old gentlemen" of Europe finally had something to say: "America always presents an image of youth, openness, and progress, yet conservatism is the true foundation of that country!"

And yet, such a conservative lot dared to criticize Europe daily for clinging to colonial mindsets and trade barriers, shouting that "Open Door" policies and "freedom of navigation" were the modern economic standards? How laughable! Utterly ridiculous!

Victoria’s Secret bras became an instant hit in Europe, "famous before they were even sold." Logan lacked the capacity to cover the entire European market, and with demand far outstripping supply, many local clothing factories began producing modern bras by imitating the Victoria’s Secret style. While Europe’s conservative forces were no weaker than America’s, the entertainment value of the American scandal meant that not a single conservative dared to nitpick the product. The consensus across countries was praise, calling it "a benefit for women." French philosophers were even more venomous, labeling America a "child with undeveloped intelligence," possessing only "animal-like practical wisdom" and incapable of understanding the depth of progressive civilization. As for how a piece of lingerie linked to the depth of civilization—that wasn't important. What mattered was that everyone was having a good time.

As the American drama escalated, *Fifty Shades of Grey*—viewed as a flood of monsters in many parts of the U.S.—was imported into Europe, spreading with the speed of light. Conservatives jumped out to curse the Americans for their "shamelessness in writing such an indecent novel." But even as they cursed, the book sold like crazy. The "naughty" and "not-so-naughty" of Europe exploded with passion for the strange props and the locations where steamy trysts occurred in the book, rushing into bookstores, waving their banknotes to buy a copy and study it at home.

The European critical establishment was far more tolerant than their American counterparts. Without any public relations effort, the reviews poured in: "Never has a book depicted the tension between sex and love with such fascination..." "An entanglement of soul and flesh, a clash of love and hate; the author has unveiled a world so intense that one cannot stop reading..."

Europe had never lacked people with unconventional tastes, and taking advantage of this, all sorts of erotic products and strange novelties hit the market—the kind that didn't discriminate by gender. The British remarked that who said whips could only be used between a man and a woman? It could certainly work between two men! Under such a bizarre atmosphere, Richard’s name echoed throughout the world. Authors of erotica across Europe declared themselves inspired by Richard, drawing nourishment from the novel to create even more diverse works.

The massive conservative faction of Old Europe naturally had nothing good to say about this phenomenon. But it didn't matter; compared to the *nouveau riche* of the New World, they seemed positively civilized, merely grumbling without taking things to extremes. Thus, the old folks grumbled, the young folks learned to enjoy themselves, and everyone watched as the Americans "tore each other apart." A win!

All these phenomena were reported back to Logan by agents like Pierre, who demanded more stock, faster! Logan laughed as well. Fearing the world wouldn't be chaotic enough, he had the European "schadenfreude" reported word-for-word in newspapers and on the radio.

The "pure" Americans, however, couldn't find the humor. One had to understand that while Old Europe looked down on the New World, the New World found Old Europe equally insufferable.

Americans saw themselves as the saviors of Europe, yet they were blocked by a British-French alliance at the Paris Peace Conference. Domestic public opinion shifted rapidly toward isolationism: "The old powers of Europe cannot be trusted; America should focus on its own interests." It was like a scene from a play where a young man from the countryside views city folk as deceitful and cunning, filled with distrust. American elites viewed Europe as a "rotten old antique," believing their own system and values were more advanced. And now, they were being mocked by these old European antiques as "conservative"? It was a total inversion of the natural order.

It was all the fault of that small group of stubborn religious conservatives! A strange thing happened: the mockery from the Europeans actually pushed the situation toward the "pursuit of freedom and openness" and toward Logan’s side. Surely, American intellectual awareness couldn't be inferior to those old fossils in the Old World!

This, too, was part of the evidence-gathering process for Logan’s trial. Look, this is what public sentiment is!

The progress of the federal-level "National Obscenity Sales Lawsuit" had accelerated significantly. Although American judicial procedures were long and repetitive—especially for major cases that could drag on for years or even a decade—this case could not be delayed. The bans and counter-lawsuits spreading across the U.S. all stemmed from this case. America was a country of case law; only with a precedent could other cases be adjudicated.

In the process of gathering evidence, lawyers from both sides constantly filed motions demanding specific court actions. For instance, the prosecution's lawyers claimed Logan was manipulating newspapers to conduct "trial by media," arguing that potential jurors might have already been exposed to the reports, and requested the court to support their ruling without a full trial. Logan’s defense lawyers, of course, requested the court to reject this, as the Catholic Church—the plaintiff—had done plenty of "manipulating public opinion" themselves.

The Catholic Church was conservative, but they weren't stupid. Seeing Logan stir up widespread sympathy by "telling stories," they knew exactly what the public loved most. Or perhaps one could say that American courts were inherently a battle of stories. However, when it came to the stories of the protagonists, Logan’s varied "inspirational stories" absolutely crushed the stories of Reverend Edward, who claimed to be "devoting his life to the Lord and swearing to purge all evil."

"Fine," the Church thought. "Since you, Logan, have so much material, we can 'help you tell stories' from another angle."

The radio station, the Victoria’s Secret bras, and the explosion of *Fifty Shades of Grey* were double-edged swords for Logan. The Catholic Church seized on the loopholes and fabricated—no, "exposed"—many fascinating stories. For example: "Young girls who read *Fifty Shades of Grey* can kiss men at will, or even sneak out of their homes at 3:00 AM to go find men to play with..." Or: "Daughters influenced by the Victoria’s Secret parades only want to be a man’s playmate, unwilling to take on responsibilities, let alone become a mother..."

One had to admit, when orthodox parents saw such stories, what would their mood be? They would surely want to hammer Logan to death!

Logan wasn't afraid at all. Aside from his own "stories" being more gripping and having more viral value, he was also digging into the "stories" of Reverend Edward. Churches, he thought—whenever he thought of priests preaching morality and faith, he was reminded of the hellish joke: "The little boy said the priest had a horn, but the nun said the priest had a key." Reverend Edward appeared sanctimonious, but in private, did he also have some "stories that had to be told" with little boys?

This task was taken on by Donnell. He had many shady characters under his command, and sneaking into the church to uncover the priest's secrets wasn't difficult. Then, one day, when he came to report to Logan, Donnell’s expression was extremely strange.

"I assume that’s not good news," Logan said, looking at his shifting expression, a bad premonition rising.

"...Uh, not exactly. At least it should be good for your lawsuit." Donnell’s expression was bizarre, and Logan felt as if his eyeballs were twitching.

So, what exactly had happened?

"Alright," Donnell wiped his face, stiffly organizing his words to tell Logan what his subordinates had discovered.

"..."

After listening, Logan’s mind went blank for a moment. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his entire being felt unwell.

"Are you sure... this is all true?" Logan couldn't believe his ears, feeling as if he were in a hallucination, transported into a magical world.

Donnell looked uncomfortable. "I couldn't believe it either, so I sent two more men to investigate..." He recalled the scene of those two young men retching all the way back, and his own stomach churned, leaving him unable to continue.

Logan took a deep breath, pressing down on the vein throbbing on his forehead. Honestly, he had nothing left to say. He had envisioned the most beneficial "priest story" for himself, but he never in his life imagined a plot like this! He could only say that America produced masters in every generation!

"Forget it. Let’s just get the solid evidence first," Logan said weakly.

Donnell: "..." He felt it would be too inhumane to force his men to face such a shock again.

Logan realized this too, waving his hand with extreme conscience: "Forget it, I’ll find a way myself..."

Logan gritted his teeth. At this point, he could only sacrifice himself and use his second persona. As for when to release this thunderous bomb, Logan would have to think about it.

...

Amidst the sparring between both sides, the federal court case soon entered the trial phase. Both parties would present evidence and arguments before the judge and jury. This trial, currently being watched by the entire United States and at least half of Europe—a trial that might one day be written into textbooks—was no longer just being followed by *The Sun* or *Voice of Freedom*.

When Logan walked into the courtroom with his lawyer, Robert Guinness, the flashes of magnesium lamps exploded like fireworks, so blinding that one could barely keep their eyes open. This was the first time most reporters saw Logan in person.

Handsome—that was always the first impression others had of Logan. The impression was so strong that it almost made people forget his image as an "inspirational fighter." In the reports of pro-Logan media, he was a slightly handsome but exhausted fighter; in the reports of the opposition, he was a sleazy, lustful, skinny dog. But Logan’s appearance was entirely different. He had a chiseled face, an extraordinary bearing, and looking into his eyes, one could see the flames of changing the world burning within. Even if people only saw his photos, they would naturally feel a sense of respect and admiration.

How important is appearance? Just by looking at him, no one believed he was "filthy." In any case, the scales in the reporters' hearts were leaning infinitely toward Logan.

Robert Guinness was satisfied with this result, but he still whispered a reminder to Logan, "Don't be careless. Just follow the plan in court later."

Logan appeared even more relaxed than him. Although he had never been in an American court, with a royal flush in his hand, he wasn't worried about losing at all. In this courtroom under the gaze of the nation, he was merely performing on his own stage.

Not long after, Logan sat in the defendant's chair. Reverend Edward had already arrived, wearing a black church robe, his face solemn, his eyes fixed on Logan with the weight of judgment. Logan only glanced at him once and looked away, which, in Edward’s view, was a sign of Logan’s guilt.

"But I won't let you, a minion of the devil, get away with it!" Reverend Edward thought triumphantly.

Logan, for his part, felt his eyes had been tainted. "Damn it, even if just for the mental trauma I've suffered, I can't let you trash off the hook!"

Originally, Logan didn't have much hatred for this guy. The stunts he pulled now, and the ones he would pull in the future, would inevitably lead to people who hated him. Hate away; he loved watching them grit their teeth in hatred while being completely powerless. But this guy had hurt Logan too much—a blow straight to the soul!

The judge struck the gavel, and the trial officially began. After a few rounds of back-and-forth between the lawyers, Robert Guinness asked Logan about his original intention for inventing the Victoria’s Secret bra.

Logan cleared his throat, standing up slowly and firmly.

*Move aside, it’s time for me to shine!*

"Friends, today I want to say that in the present and the future, I will inevitably face various difficulties and setbacks, but I still have a dream. This dream is deeply rooted in the American dream."

"I have a dream!"