Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Without those at the round table speaking first, who would dare to voice their opinion? But then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Among the nobles standing at the back, a young man with purple hair stepped forward, knelt on one knee before the emperor on the throne, and bowed with his right hand on his chest.

"His Majesty."

His action instantly drew everyone's attention, and the Sacred Tree Hall fell silent. Everyone looked at the handsome young nobleman in his early twenties, and even those at the round table showed expressions of great interest, eager to see what he would say about Thunder Fortress's campaign against the Earth Dragon Beast.

Simply because he was Yates Payne, the most beloved youngest son of House Payne, the lords of the North. With the Third Prince Clovis absent, his words practically represented the attitude of a large portion of the Northern powers.

If Megan were here right now, she would be filled with hatred upon seeing this young man, because he was the younger brother who mocked her as an outcast of the Payne family in the dungeon back then!

"Secretary Yates Payne, do you have anything to say about this footage?"

From the throne, Emperor Haraguria's imposing voice rang out. He looked at the young man who had stepped forward, wondering what the youth would say.

Just last night, Haraguria received a secret letter from his daughter. The appearance of the Earth Dragon Beast is related to the Chosen Ones organization. They are not only plotting something big in the southern countries, but have even tainted the power of the Cruel Witch, and the Earth Dragon Beast's body has been corrupted by the Cruel Witch.

These few words aged Haragoria instantly. Having sat on the throne for so many years, how could he not know the implications of these words! The Chosen Ones organization, which he had expelled in his youth, had taken root and grown powerful in the south, even reaching the level of being able to nurture and control Heavenly Rank magical beasts, and could even summon witches! And the corpse of this Heavenly Rank magical beast would bring even greater calamity!

In the past, he could have secretly conspired with Sophie Orlando to temporarily block the news. But now, the common people on the street were getting information even faster than he, the emperor! Today, stepping into the palace, he was facing a situation rife with undercurrents, which made him feel a sense of powerlessness, as if 'the times have suddenly changed'.

Now, what will this young master of the Payne family, who has suddenly stepped forward, say? Will he incite the court officials? Or will he suggest that the capital retrieve the corpse of the Earth Dragon Beast so that they can proceed with their plans at their own pace?

Seeing that the emperor agreed to let him speak and gestured for him to rise, Yates Payne stood up with a smile and said:

"Your Majesty, I am still a young man, and I dare not speak presumptuously about such a significant matter as a Heavenly Rank magical beast. However, the uproar caused by this video has given me another idea, which I would like to offer to Your Majesty."

"Wasn't it about the Heavenly-Rank magical beast?" The nobles were all surprised, some even showing displeasure at their unfulfilled expectations. This Yates Payne! He was sent to the capital by the Payne family a month ago, becoming their new 'hostage'. They knew very little about this favored youngest son of the Payne family, and he hadn't shown any particular prominence before. His sudden appearance just now had led many to believe that the Payne family was after the Heavenly-Rank magical beast's corpse!

"Oh?" The emperor slightly raised his eyelids, his expression unreadable, and gestured for Yates to continue.

Seeing this, Yates calmly said, "Your Majesty, regardless of whether Thunder Fortress truly slayed a Celestial-rank magical beast, the appearance of this footage is far too suspicious. Although we don't know the cause and effect behind it, it serves as a reminder to the Empire..."

He slightly softened his tone, then raised his voice and said:

"That means we should take the management of magical artifacts like communication crystals seriously. This includes not only licensing the production and sale of various magical artifacts, but also controlling the dissemination of information. If necessary, we should expand the powers of the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau to strictly control information that shouldn't be circulating among the public!"

Chapter 2 Changes in the Imperial City

Yates's words immediately caused a huge uproar. The Emperor frowned deeply. With the rapid development of magical engineering in recent years, many families and merchant guilds had invested heavily and were already profiting in the market. However, this was certainly not a good sign for the imperial rule. For example, the uncontrolled spread of images of the Earth Dragon among the common people had not only stirred the ambitions of some nobles but also, initially, fueled rumors that the southern magical crystal mines had been affected, leading to massive hoarding of magical crystals within the empire and creating a significant chain reaction on the empire's economy!

It's worth noting that various magical artifacts have now entered ordinary households, and every tavern has purchased magical crystals for communication. Some nobles, even more eager to try their hand at it, have begun researching magical weapons, imitating Ryūsha of the Sochi Territory…

Currently, the empire's laws have not been amended or planned to address the emerging field of magical technology, resulting in chaotic management and numerous accidents caused by mismanagement of magical workshops. The emperor himself is aware of this, but given the empire's current economic and financial slump, he has no choice but to allow magical technology to develop unchecked within the empire. At the same time, he does not want to offend the noble and merchant classes who profit from it.

However, Yates's suggestion during this incident was not without merit. The nobles were developing magical weapons, and the empire had already established relevant departments for research and development, so they wouldn't pose a threat to military rule. But intelligence and information are different; matters with such a significant impact on the people and the outside world are indeed better kept in the hands of the rulers!

Today, an image of a single earth dragon beast can unsettle the people of the capital; what about tomorrow? If rumors of a breach in the southern defenses were to spread widely, wouldn't it cause widespread panic? And if efforts are made to stop it after it happens, there will always be losses. Therefore, the emperor silently nodded in response to Yates's words.

“Minister Yates, I have remembered your words.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Yates escape unscathed, the surrounding nobles couldn't help but feel indignant. His advice was tantamount to betraying the interests and freedom of the aristocracy to curry favor with the emperor! If magical technology and communication technology had to be subject to imperial regulation, it would be like having a collar around their necks!

However, for border vassals like the Payne family, whose territories are far in the north, the impact is minimal. This is a classic case of being far from the emperor's reach. Moreover, after the Payne family's failed attempt to support the third prince Clovis's expansion, they first bowed to the emperor's implementation of the provincial system in the north, then sent their youngest son to the capital, and now Yates has offered advice favorable to the royal family. This series of sycophantic actions is truly despised by the capital's nobles!

"Hmph! I think young master Yates is looking to take this opportunity to get revenge on the Sochi province that he failed to capture, isn't he?"

A robust nobleman, around forty years old, couldn't help but sneer twice and said to Yates:

"You should know that Sochi's various magical artifacts now occupy nearly one-third of the Empire's market share. Other miscellaneous merchant guilds and workshops funded by various individuals share the remaining two-thirds, mostly within their own territories, and this is even with insufficient production capacity. Especially communication crystal balls and various gadgets that ordinary people can afford, their products are widely available..."

In contrast to the rising power of Sochi, the Payne family of the North relies more on traditional trade. Their core business consists of various natural treasures from the snowy north and materials from deep-sea monsters. Regulations governing magical engineering have little impact on them.

The emperor then looked at the burly man and asked with great interest:

"Lord Reyes, are you acquainted with Lord Ryusha of Sochi?"

Reyes Holder, commander of the Sixth Legion of the Empire, a peak Grand Knight. If it were only this rank, he wouldn't have dared to speak in the Sacred Tree Hall in the tone he had just used. The fundamental reason was that his father, Ronan Holden, was one of the Empire's Ten Heavenly Ranks, ordered to guard and exterminate demons in the northwestern Smoke Desert for many years. Although he didn't command a large army on the front lines like Lady Sophie, his fiery personality and the arduous task he was assigned meant that the Emperor always greeted the Holder family with a smile.

When asked this by the emperor, Reyes replied in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, I have no acquaintance with that rising star of a young governor, nor have I ever had any dealings with him. However..."

"Judging from the previous footage, Governor Liuxia was also seen on the back of the Earth Dragon Beast! You must know that it's not easy for Lady Sophie to defeat a Heaven-rank magical beast. As far as I know, Governor Liuxia was previously at the peak of the Grand Master rank, and he dared to fight against a Heaven-rank magical beast alongside Lady Sophie, which can be described as making a great contribution to the Empire! But now, if someone in the Sacred Tree Hall is pretending to be acting in the best interests of the Empire but is actually seeking personal revenge, it is indeed injustice!"

Reyes glanced around and raised his voice, saying:

"Those who perform meritorious service shall be rewarded, and those who commit crimes shall be punished! This has been the principle since the founding of the empire!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"The Payne family started a territorial conflict without authorization last time, and that matter isn't over yet!"

"What did you say! That was something His Highness Clovis consulted His Majesty about! The Duke family were heretics and rebels first! Have you forgotten?!"

"quiet!"

Clang! A crisp metallic clanging sound rang out, and the distinctive sound waves instantly spread throughout the entire Sacred Tree Hall, startling everyone! Silence fell instantly.

This was not magic, but a sonic-based battle technique. And the one who released it was none other than General Alvarez, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who stood beneath the throne, wielding a two-handed greatsword, and one of the Ten Heavenly Ranks.

The mere tap of the sword sheath on the ground sent shivers down the spines of countless high-ranking officials present. The Alvarez family was renowned for its peculiar battle aura, capable of being both as fierce as ordinary battle aura and as unpredictable as magic. General Alvarez's loyal and solemn character also commanded respect from everyone…

Aside from Reyes, he remained expressionless, but narrowed his eyes as he looked at Alvarez. The two were similar in age and their career paths in the military were similar. The only difference was that Alvarez had received a promotional treasure from the royal family, becoming a Heavenly Rank warrior and then the commander of the Imperial Guard. Reyes, on the other hand, being a member of the royal family controlling his father Ronan Holden, naturally didn't have such an opportunity…

Therefore, he has remained at the peak of the Grand Knight position for many years, and his age is gradually increasing. Perhaps, only when his father passes away will the royal family grant him the opportunity for promotion, just as they did with Alvarez, so that he can continue to serve the empire.

The Otus Empire, established over three hundred years ago, was initially a collection of scattered small states. After becoming a unified empire, its inhabitants expanded dramatically, with previously almost uninhabited areas like the Sochi Plains being developed. However, this came at the cost of rapidly depleting natural resources, the disappearance of vast forests, and a swift decline in demonic populations. Large, high-ranking demons, once ubiquitous, became increasingly rare, eventually leaving only small groups that harassed villages. Even Celestial-rank demonic beasts nearly became extinct under these circumstances.

The last time a Celestial-rank magical beast was discovered was decades ago, and the resources needed to advance to the Celestial rank are no longer available. All that remains are some treasures accumulated and preserved by the royal family from the very beginning. Wilderness lands like the Northern Snowfields might still contain natural treasures that can help people advance, but with Traur's defeat of the last ice dragon, the space left for imagination is dwindling...

For a century, Autus, relying on its powerful nation, established various unequal trade relations with the backward southern continent. Treasures forcibly seized from the south were all pocketed by the royal family as a means of controlling its vassals… If it weren't for the fact that, for unknown reasons, almost no one in the royal family had advanced to the Celestial Rank, the Celestial Rank of the empire would probably belong to Autus…

For someone like Reyes, the path to advancement is becoming increasingly narrow. Even if he achieves great merit, the royal family will not allow a family to have two Heavenly Rank members.

But the unexpected appearance of the Earth Dragon Beast gave many people like Reyes an opportunity...

Among the materials produced by Celestial-Rank magical beasts, the most promising for advancement are naturally the magic core or heart. These treasures, which reliably allow one to break through to the Celestial Rank, were previously distributed solely to the royal family, and no one else could covet them.

This time, the Earth Dragon Beast appeared in Thunder Fortress, and the most likely candidates to obtain the magic core are either Lady Sophie's daughter, Olivia, or Ryūsha. However, considering Lady Sophie's advanced age and her preparation for the next Southern Guardian, and Ryūsha's exceptional appointment as Governor of Sochi, which has already been promoted beyond the norm, and his still young age, it seems unlikely that he will be able to obtain this opportunity.

But what about the other parts? Spinal cord, organs... Although these parts have a lower probability of advancement and their quality isn't top-notch, they're still better than nothing! When the last Heavenly Rank magical beast was discovered, these secondary products were generously bestowed away by the previous emperor. Even though only one Heavenly Rank beast was created, it was still enough to make people envious!

Because the probability was low, even if meritorious nobles asked for it, the emperor found it difficult to refuse. While it was an unwritten rule that the royal family held a position of power over the nobles by controlling the rewards of promotion, going too far would naturally breed resentment…

That's why Reyes said what he just said.

Those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded!

This is not about standing up for Ryukyu at all, but about speaking up for those nobles who have accumulated merits over the years but have not been rewarded for a long time due to the empire's financial constraints!

Although many remained silent out of fear of General Alvarez, others soon couldn't resist speaking out, echoing Reyes's words and initially criticizing Yates Payne and supporting Ryūsha. But then, their statements took a turn...

“The Payne family has effectively become the overlord of the North over the past few decades! Their greed and disloyalty are evident! Families like ours, who have made great contributions to the Empire, haven’t even spoken yet, but Young Master Yates is already eager to show his loyalty. His thoughts are too easy to see through!”

"If we control the magical engineering projects as you suggest, the savings that many families have invested will be lost forever! The empire's tax revenue will also be greatly affected! Young Master Yates, is your Payne family going to fill this gap?"

“Ah… but what Young Master Yates said makes sense. For the sake of the empire's stability, we should help His Majesty implement these things. It's just that this will cause consequences and losses…”

Their back-and-forth banter boiled down to a few possible meanings: either they were taking the opportunity to mention their family's achievements, or they were trying to preemptively demand some 'compensation' for things that hadn't even happened yet...

The emperor was well aware of this, but he also knew that the Otus Empire was beyond saving, and now it was even more difficult to suppress the desires of the nobles. He watched all this coldly, seemingly calculating something in his mind, but he had not yet spoken.

At this moment, the fourth prince, Elias, stood up and addressed the nobles below:

"My lords, Father surely remembers all your achievements. I understand your eagerness now that you have acquired a Heavenly Rank magical beast by chance. However, please don't forget when this happened!"

As soon as Elias stood up, the hall of the Sacred Tree immediately quieted down. The nobles all looked at him, many of whom already regarded this prince as the rightful heir, and thus fell silent.

Seeing that he had the situation under control, Elias smiled slightly and said calmly, "Gentlemen, don't forget that not long ago, something happened in the Bauhinia Kingdom in the south. As a vassal state, the new king's accession letter arrived in Arenaska much later than expected. In addition, the Duchy of Ansel, which borders them, was also cut off from us. Since you gentlemen are all familiar with magical engineering, you should know that Ansel Gel, produced by the Duchy of Ansel, is an important material in the emerging field of magical engineering! What do these events mean? Gentlemen... do you really think you don't know?"

The imperial nobles fell silent. They knew, of course, that there had never been a long-lasting peace between the Southern Continent and the Otus Empire. Now, with this slight disturbance, how could these old foxes not understand? But they also felt that this war wouldn't break out easily, at least not so quickly. Compared to their immediate interests, these concerns were naturally put aside.

Elias glanced at the assembled nobles, then turned and bowed to the emperor on the throne, saying:

"Father, your dispatch of Tipalotura to the Bauhinia Kingdom this time was precisely to test the southern kingdoms. Not only to put pressure on the Bauhinia Kingdom, but also to win over other smaller nations… but winning them over requires leverage. And right now, the best leverage, naturally, is…"

Before Elias could finish speaking, the elderly Imperial Chancellor Charles Carter coughed twice, interrupting the prince's remarks:

"Ahem, ahem! Your Highness Elias, do you mean to use the products of Celestial-Rank magical beasts to win over those smaller nations? Won't this fuel their ambitions? You see, the Bauhinia Kingdom is merely one of them who excels in magic and gained strength earlier through magical engineering, which is why they have the capital to harbor such thoughts. It's not that other countries are loyal to us. If new Celestial-Rank beasts emerge in other countries, who can guarantee they won't end up like the Bauhinia Kingdom? If they start annexing other smaller nations and form a new power in the Southern Continent, wouldn't they become a major threat to the Empire?"

His words immediately garnered support from a group of nobles, many of whom directly criticized him for not yet rewarding their own meritorious officials, saying things like, "Why are you giving the good stuff to others first?"

Amidst the outcry, Elias remained unfazed and raised his voice, saying:

"Who said I was going to give those benefits to the small countries in the south?"

"Oh? Your Highness, did you... not mean that just now?"

Charles glanced at Elias, who smiled slightly and said:

"I only said it was used as leverage to keep them in check. The sudden appearance of this Heavenly Rank magical beast and the rapid spread of its image suggest that a Southern force is behind it! Perhaps someone lacks the ability to defeat the Heavenly Rank magical beast themselves, so they are using Thunder Fortress to do so, which will then exacerbate the conflict between the Empire and the Southern Continent!"

“Or rather…” Elias glanced around at the crowd again and said coldly:

"It can also exacerbate internal conflicts within the empire!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. They understood the situation perfectly well, but now that Elias had said it, anyone who dared to contest it would be admitting they were the one causing internal conflict within the empire.

Elias's words completely brought the atmosphere in the Holy Arts Hall to a standstill. He looked at his father with a composed pride. But Emperor Harraguria merely closed his eyes slightly, offering little praise to his son.

He understood one thing: though the nobles had fallen silent, their hearts were far from at peace. They merely didn't want to be accused of stirring up internal conflict, but they were still incredibly envious of the Earth Dragon's offspring! Elias's approach was ultimately just treating the symptoms, not the root cause…

Therefore, he looked at Elias, and the fourth prince, as if he had something else to say, said:

“Ilias, you seem to have an idea. Tell me what you think we should do.”

"Yes, Father." Elias nodded slightly, then said:

“Father, I believe that the items produced by this earth dragon beast should be temporarily entrusted to Marquis Sophie Orlando for safekeeping. This will serve as a condition for my sister Tipalotura’s negotiations with the southern kingdoms, stabilizing their wavering minds and securing their support for the mission to the Bauhinia Kingdom and the Duchy of Ansel.”

"The southern countries have been rife with trouble in recent years, especially..."

Elias paused, glanced at the kind-faced Archbishop Randall opposite him, and then said:

"Especially under the instigation of some people in the Papacy, they are no longer willing to submit to us. I believe there must be a conspiracy within the Bauhinia Kingdom this time. We can use the corpse of the Earth Dragon Beast to appease the other countries first, and then wait for Tipalotura to lead the delegation into the Bauhinia capital. If we find that they really have rebellious intentions..."

Elias took a breath, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice:

"We can have the accompanying Governor of Ryukyu lead several hundred royal guards, and borrow troops from other small countries to quickly suppress the Kingdom of Bauhinia! Then, let Tipalotura, as the envoy of the suzerain state, carry out the deposition and enthronement! As far as I know, the Bauhinia princess fled due to the internal strife and is hiding in the Ryukyu governor's city of Sochi! The Bauhinia's national treasure has also disappeared. This national treasure was originally kept by a royal woman, so we can establish Princess Linor of the Bauhinia as queen."

"If we can use this opportunity to take over the Bauhinia Kingdom and the Duchy of Ansel, and intimidate the southern kingdoms, it will be extremely beneficial for us. Aside from magic cores, the probability of advancing other materials is already low, so distributing them to some of the smaller kingdoms that have helped us won't be a big deal. This move will definitely split the southern kingdoms into two parts: one part will fear and disobey the Empire, but dare not attack us; the other part will accept our benefits, and the latter will inevitably be wary of the former. At that time, these two types of countries will definitely restrain each other. This will actually benefit us..."

After listening, Haragoria asked, "What if the Bauhinia Kingdom has not committed any acts of disloyalty?"

"That...is not important!"

Upon hearing Elias's words, the Sacred Tree Hall fell into complete silence! The nobles were all stunned. They knew that the Southern Continent was becoming unstable and that the Bauhinia Kingdom was showing signs of rising to power. But no one had expected that the Fourth Prince, Elias, would devise such a ruthless scheme, intending to eliminate the Bauhinia Kingdom as a warning, regardless of its true ambitions!

He hadn't even considered the dangers of the plan! Governor Lucia was a given, but Tipalotura was his sister! If he were at the center of the coup, what if something went wrong…

At this moment, the second princess, Imogen, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. She was the eldest, a few years older than Clovis, and nearing forty. With a composed expression, she said:

“Father, if Tipalotura were to suffer any mishap, it would be disastrous. Besides, our Otus Empire is a great power. Even if a vassal state has disloyal intentions, we should still rightfully send troops to punish it. If we use materials from the Earth Dragon Beast as a reward, I believe many officials would be willing to uphold the majesty of the empire for Father…”

Imogen's words immediately garnered the support of a group of nobles. Elias's scheme was dangerous, but not without merit. But if they did that, wouldn't they, the imperial nobles, be forced to watch their chance to advance to the Celestial Rank slip away?

But Elias smiled faintly and bowed to Imogen:

“Sister Imogen, you don’t need to worry about Sister Tipalotura. As far as I know, Governor Liuxia is already at the Heavenly Rank!”

"What?!!"

"How is that possible! He's still just a teenager! He only became a senior official a year ago!"

"Then what did he rely on to break through to the Heavenly Rank? That's impossible!"

Elias's words were like a bomb dropped into the crowd, instantly igniting a discussion among the imperial nobles. Even Emperor Haraguria's eyelids twitched involuntarily, his gaze towards Elias filled with astonishment…

It seems even he was unaware of this matter. General Alvarez, standing beside him, was equally shocked.

Elias then looked at General Alvarez beside the emperor and smiled at the surprised general, saying:

"What? Lord Alvarez doesn't know? Your daughter Hefleen is in Sochi, and she was previously granted a title and land. Didn't she tell you anything?"

Alvarez remained silent, but many eyes turned to him, wondering if Liu Xia's breakthrough to the Heavenly Rank was related to General Alvarez.

If it wasn't him, then it must be related to the thirteenth princess, Tipalotura! As the emperor's most beloved daughter, it wouldn't be surprising if this mysterious princess possessed a treasure capable of breaking through to the Heavenly Rank...

However, no matter what, the fact that a boy under the age of twenty had become a Heavenly Rank cultivator was still unacceptable to everyone! For a time, even though Liu Xia had the merit of fighting against Heavenly Rank magical beasts, he inevitably attracted a lot of jealousy, and even envy and resentment!

Even Emperor Haragoria couldn't help but ask Elias:

"Ilias, do you believe what you say? And how did you learn about the Bauhinia Princess's situation in Sochi?"

To this, Elias smiled slightly and replied flawlessly:

“I learned about this from Joe Harvey of Ravenhill, who is on good terms with me.”