In the palace of the imperial capital of the Star Empire, the atmosphere in Jacob’s study was rather heavy.
Prince Galle, his aged yet steady frame pacing back and forth, frowned deeply and muttered to himself from time to time, “Was it a mistake to send them there in the first place?”
Jacob remained somewhat silent, but his slightly furrowed brows revealed his concerns.
Dani lay sprawled ungracefully on the table beside Jacob, repeatedly flipping over a message paper delivered by flying eagle.
The empire was now formally at war with the Church, and the fighting was urgent, yet the content of this paper was not about the border battles. It was an urgent message from the Tidal Empire.
The brief content conveyed a great deal of information.
Ye Chui and his group had appeared in the capital of the Tidal Empire five days earlier. They had clashed with the city guards. The note described it as, “President Ye Chui and his companions summoned a strange large ship that destroyed an entire street in one go.” After that, they suddenly vanished without trace.
The next day, a dramatic change occurred in the Tidal Empire’s Apex Palace. The imperial prison was destroyed. Based on subsequent interrogations of some attendants, it was surmised that Ye Chui’s group had wrecked the prison. They rescued three major Tidal criminals. No one knew what happened next, but from scattered clues, a fight had broken out in the Apex Palace. Many palace walls were ruined, countless attendants and guards died or were injured, the Empress disappeared and was presumed dead.
A few hours later, the Emperor suddenly appeared on the streets in panic. Archbishop Siss and his entourage killed the Emperor in front of everyone.
Though there was no clear evidence, the sender of the note was a skilled agent who had been lurking in the Tidal Empire for many years. He was adept at gathering intelligence and had strong judgement. His words subtly suggested that the Archbishop Siss who killed the Emperor at that time seemed to be Ye Chui in disguise.
That very night, the foremost figure of the Tidal Empire, Fazer, returned to the capital. Early yesterday morning, he encountered Ye Chui’s group outside the Ancestral Temple. The two sides confronted each other. The note described it as, “Even I thought President Ye Chui was about to battle Fazer, yet no one expected Mr Green to knock Fazer out with a single brick.”
After that, Ye Chui’s group entered the Ancestral Temple. Soon, a puppet army surrounded it completely. What happened inside was unknown, but moments later, a sudden bizarre explosion occurred. The site of the Ancestral Temple was razed to the ground. President Ye Chui, his companions, and Fazer all disappeared without trace.
At the end of the note, the agent asked in a grave tone, “The Tidal Empire is now leaderless, the capital in chaos. If no one capable steps forward to take control, the empire may well be destroyed. If I may be so bold, my lord, did you deliberately send President Ye Chui here to cause all this trouble?”
Upon finishing the note, Prince Galle covered his face and sighed deeply. He had assured them to act secretly and properly. Was this their idea of secret action?
They seemed intent on destroying the Tidal Empire altogether.
Prince Galle knew that in the Tidal Empire, the Apex Palace and Ancestral Temple were the most sacred places. Yet both had been blown up by Ye Chui. The Tidal Empire lacked religious faith, so the Emperor and Empress embodied their beliefs. Now one dead and one missing, both clearly connected to Ye Chui. Prince Galle could not help feeling profound sympathy for the Tidal people.
Of course, he had wondered if this involved some trick, perhaps the Church framing them, but who was he kidding? No one else could plunge an empire into chaos in just three days.
“Uncle, is the sender of this note reliable?” Jacob asked softly.
“He is an old subordinate of mine. Years ago, I sent him to the Tidal Empire on business. He fell in love with a girl in the capital and stayed there. So I pulled strings to make him a city guard, serving as our contact in the Tidal Empire. He is absolutely trustworthy,” Prince Galle said gravely. “Red eagle messages take a full day to reach here. Who knows what the situation is like now.”
“The note says big brother Ye Chui and the others disappeared in the Ancestral Temple. They won’t be in danger, will they?” Dani spoke up at that moment.
“Hmph, I never worry about them. Right now, I only worry they won’t do anything too outrageous,” Prince Galle snorted coldly. His tone then grew darker. He glanced around, walked to the desk, and said to Jacob, “To oppose the Church, we must secure the Tidal Empire’s support. We cannot lose this ally under any circumstances. Jacob, you must personally write a letter now and send it to the Tidal Empire. I will arrange for my men to try delivering it to Ye Chui. Instruct him to act when the opportunity arises. The Tidal Empire must not fall into Church hands. If we cannot gain it as an ally, then seize control of it. Make him the new Emperor himself.”
“Wow, I never thought your thinking was so sinister, Prince Galle,” a familiar teasing voice suddenly echoed from all directions, startling everyone in the study.
“President?” Jacob leapt from his chair with a clatter.
“Ye Chui?” Prince Galle instinctively moved towards the window. The voice seemed to come from outside, but when he looked out, he saw nothing.
“No need to search. We are still in the Tidal Empire right now. We are using the power of the Puppet God to contact you,” Ye Chui’s voice said with a hint of amusement. Then came his voice speaking to others, “Hey, Faceless, can you project my image over there as well?” chapter_content();
“It is possible. Mr Ye Chui, stand still and do not move. I will transmit your image now,” an unfamiliar male voice replied. The pronunciation was somewhat stiff and obscure, much like Celti’s original accent.
Prince Galle and Jacob exchanged glances, realising the speaker was very likely someone from the Gods Era, or even a member of the Gods race itself.
A flash of light crossed the study, and a hazy figure appeared in the centre of the room. It was Ye Chui, facing towards the door. He waved his hand. “Hello, you can see my image, right?”
“President, how, how are you doing this? Projecting your image from so far away in the Tidal Empire?” Jacob said in surprise, walking around to face Ye Chui.
“This is the power of the Puppet God from the Gods race,” Ye Chui explained. In truth, he too was somewhat amazed by this immense power. In the control room of the Puppet God’s head, the light screens surrounding the soul magic array served as the Puppet God’s senses. They could penetrate distance limitations and detect scenes thousands of miles away, though this required a highly advanced spatial magus to manipulate spatial coordinates. It also had to be a familiar location. Places Ye Chui had never visited, or those with strict prohibitions, could not be spied upon this way.
He knew the Star Empire side must be extremely worried, so he deliberately contacted them first to relay information about the Tidal Empire.
“What exactly have you done in the Tidal Empire? I ask you, did you kill the Emperor?” Prince Galle demanded urgently, snapping out of his awe at this miraculous communication magic.
“Ah, you already know, do you? Yes, that Emperor fellow was killed by me,” Ye Chui admitted with a nod. “But he thoroughly deserved it. Things here in the Tidal Empire are a bit complicated, but rest assured, everything is under control.”
“The Tidal Empire is on the verge of collapse, and you say everything is under control?” Prince Galle said angrily.
“No problem. Their ancestor is now our ally. Everything will be fine. Besides, I have already prepared a new Emperor for them,” Ye Chui said calmly. He beckoned with his hand. “Fiorre, come here. Let me introduce you to the Emperor of the Star Empire.”
With Ye Chui’s words, the phantom of a timid girl appeared in the study. She looked towards the door and performed a somewhat restrained Tidal imperial courtesy. “Your Majesty Jacob the First, hello. I am the clan leader of the Witch clan, Fiorre.”
Though Ye Chui and Fiorre’s projections appeared there, in their view, Prince Galle and Jacob were on light screens, so eye contact was not mutual. Jacob quickly moved in front of Fiorre, placed a hand on his chest, and bowed. “Hello, Miss Fiorre, future Empress Majesty.”
These words made Fiorre’s face flush red. She hurriedly lowered her head.
Jacob then turned to Ye Chui. “Aren’t Emperors always men? How can Miss Fiorre succeed to the position?”
“Though Fiorre looks like a girl, he is actually a boy,” Ye Chui explained with a smile.
Jacob, Galle, and Dani looked at Ye Chui’s smiling face in silence, then glanced at Fiorre’s slightly protruding chest, thinking, is he blind?
Ye Chui had more important matters to discuss and did not dwell on this topic. He patted Fiorre on the head, sending her away, then continued, “Prince Galle, I had Faceless help me contact you not only to explain the situation in the Tidal Empire, but also for another important matter that needs your help to investigate. It concerns Stan Town.”
“Stan Town?” Prince Galle was stunned.
“What is it?” Ye Chui noticed the odd expression on Prince Galle’s face and asked quickly.
“Oh, nothing. Just yesterday I received an urgent report. Many merchants heading to Stan Town have mysteriously disappeared. Some who returned from there have gone mad, saying the place has become a flat plain,” Prince Galle explained. Stan Town was near the Dark Forest, on the empire’s frontier, so he paid special attention to it.
“It has really happened,” Ye Chui’s phantom face turned grim.
“What exactly is going on?” Jacob asked urgently. As Ye Chui’s adventuring companion, he knew what Stan Town meant to Ye Chui, Debbie, Resha, and the others.
“Heh heh, this time the Church has touched my reverse scale,” Ye Chui said in a coldly ruthless tone he had never used before.
The three in the study shuddered simultaneously. They had never seen Ye Chui like this.
But just as he was striking a cool pose, Debbie shoved him aside. “Enough, enough. Now it’s my turn to talk to them.”
Prince Galle and the others: “”
