“Who said the people of the Tidal Empire are all cowards? They dared to throw rotten eggs at the archbishop right in the street. That kind of spirit is something even the citizens of the Star Empire lack.” In the front hall of the Zenith Palace, Ye Chui grabbed his collar and sniffed it. He could still detect a faint stench. His mouth was full of complaints as he grumbled.
He was actually the luckiest. Celty, Green, Guni, and Leisha all wore bitter expressions. Green suffered the most. A rotten egg had accidentally burst on his head. He was now constantly wiping his bald scalp with a towel, his face showing utter despair.
Ye Chui could have directly summoned water magic to clean everyone up. But now he was in the role of the archbishop. He could not casually use magic. Though few people were in the front hall, Ye Chui still prioritised caution.
While adjusting his clothes, Ye Chui heard footsteps. He hurriedly signalled everyone to resume their disguises.
Entering the front hall was a follower with a face full of stubble, looking ferocious. A terrifying knife scar crossed one eye, nearly slicing his entire face and slightly distorting his features.
He had heard about Ye Chui’s group’s street encounter, so he appeared furious. “Lord Xis! Those lowly citizens are outrageous. They dared such disrespect towards you. I will immediately take men to arrest everyone on that street!”
The missionaries and followers stationed in the Tidal Empire had all lived as pirates, so their natures were extremely violent.
“No…” Ye Chui quickly refused. But then he realised he could not act too differently from the real Xis, or exposure would be easy. So he continued, “Our faith needs the support of these lowly citizens. Do not go too far. Just arrest the ringleaders. Lock them in prison first. I will deal with them later.”
His voice was slightly hoarse, imitating Bishop Xis’s tone. It was not perfect, but at first listen, no flaws stood out.
“The lord is merciful.” The scarred-face follower said respectfully at once. He suddenly lowered his voice. “I have received intelligence. Those causing trouble on the street today are a group of heretic believers. They seem to worship some river god. It was that river god who incited them to throw rotten eggs at you, my lord.”
“What!?” Ye Chui shouted with a “what the fuck” expression. Powerful aura naturally burst from him. The scarred-face could not help trembling.
“This morning, our ‘Vigilance Department’ received the report. That river god seems strange. Her believers appeared suddenly.” The scarred-face continued hurriedly, thinking Lord Xis was indeed furious. Building a sect under Church control was suicidal!
The Vigilance Department was a Church organisation established after controlling the Tidal Empire to monitor resistance forces. Celty’s mischievous river god cult had fooled participants thoroughly. But some timid citizens, uninfluenced, secretly reported the river god worship to the Vigilance Department.
Saying the river god cult appeared suddenly was accurate. It had indeed sprung up only last night…
The scarred-face continued darkly, “I will personally lead men to arrest them all later. I have investigated their every move. With one order, not one can escape!”
“Wait a moment…”
Ye Chui, Green, Leisha, Celty, and Guni all inwardly wished to drag Celty over for a thorough thrashing. This big sister… left them speechless. Ye Chui said with some sweat, “Do not rush this matter.”
The scarred-face was stunned.
Ye Chui coughed, face serious. “I need to see the Emperor. Arrange it. I have urgent important business.”
The scarred-face was clearly Bishop Xis’s confidant, showing curiosity at once. Ye Chui quickly added, “Do not ask what it is yet. After seeing the Emperor.”
“Yes, I will arrange it now.” The scarred-face dared not disobey Bishop Xis’s orders. He nodded hurriedly.
Half an hour later, led by the scarred-face, Ye Chui’s group arrived outside the main hall of the Zenith Palace.
Palace servants and guards stood at the hall doors, mixed with some followers. After the Church-triggered rebellion succeeded, most palace staff had submitted to Church authority. The Zenith Palace, once off-limits to commoners, now had all power firmly in Church hands. The servants and guards, seeing the disguised Bishop Xis, dared not block him. They actively opened the doors.
“All withdraw.” Ye Chui said coldly.
“This…” Several servants and guards showed hesitation. But seeing the scarred-face’s menacing expression, they immediately complied without refusal.
Large numbers of servants and guards retreated.
Ye Chui led the group into the hall. The main hall included the council chamber, Emperor and Empress residences, and a magnificent garden. Tidal-style towers, pavilions, and buildings were very beautiful. But over the past month or more, lacking maintenance and with late autumn approaching, it felt somewhat desolate. Fallen leaves covered the stone paths, unswept.
The Emperor and Empress had been imprisoned in the main hall. Since the Church rebellion succeeded, over a month had passed without anyone seeing them appear.
As Ye Chui stepped through the main hall doors, he instinctively smelled an uncomfortable bloody scent. The weather was overcast, so the luxuriously decorated council chamber felt dim. A man in cherry blossom robes sat dishevelled and dejected on the central throne. Seeing Ye Chui’s group enter, he seemed startled, hurriedly standing with a humble expression and approaching quickly. “Lord Xis, you, you have come…”
Seeing the man’s appearance, Ye Chui frowned. He quietly judged inwardly: This Emperor is unimpressive…
He nodded subtly. A point of white light appeared before him. It was his pad magic guide book. His right hand waved. Bang bang bang, muffled sounds rang out. Doors and windows around the council chamber suddenly closed one after another. “Act!” he ordered lowly.
He had restored his original voice.
The scarred-face’s expression changed drastically. “Lord Xis…”
“Hah!” The follower beside the scarred-face, Guni, punched his back. Crack, bones shattered. The scarred-face cried in pain, body spinning as he flew aside. Crash, he smashed many tables and chairs, already unconscious there.
The Emperor’s face filled with shock, body stiffening. “You, you all…”
“Your Majesty need not panic. We are here to rescue you.” Ye Chui removed his and his companions’ disguises, smiling. “We come from the Star Empire. You must have heard of us. The Arbitrary Magic Guild.”
“It, it is you…”
The Emperor’s face remained astonished. Yesterday, this group had turned the capital upside down. The land boat destroyed a street. Even confined here, he had heard of them.
“Bishop Xis is already under our control. Now we rescue you. The Tidal Empire’s rebellion can be quelled.” Ye Chui continued. Quelling an empire’s rebellion was not so simple, of course. Various power struggles and interest entanglements would be troublesome. But Ye Chui disliked handling such complexities. Strike the snake at its vital point. Take out the leader directly. The rest simplified. He preferred straightforward solutions.
The Emperor’s expression remained conflicted. He sat on an undamaged stool, eyes scanning Ye Chui’s group up and down, as if disbelieving such young people could achieve so much in a single day. Yesterday causing havoc, wanted by the empire. Today killing Bishop Xis and appearing before him?
He looked several years younger than himself…
“Your Majesty?” Ye Chui asked puzzled. His eyes swept the magic guide book, checking nearby dangers via the map. What surprised Ye Chui was that on the map, this Emperor appeared as a red dot…
The Emperor harboured hostility towards him?
But he was a nation’s ruler. Though imprisoned, he naturally would not easily trust others. Ye Chui thought and continued, “Your Majesty, please believe me.”
“I, I certainly believe you…” The Emperor said, eyes flickering. He stood again, asking nervously, “You truly came to save me… I mean save the Tidal Empire. Saving me and capturing Lord Xis… the archbishop is useless. Church missionaries still control the Zenith Palace. To fully rescue the empire, we need Mr Zask’s help.”
“Zask?” Ye Chui was stunned.
“The Sea Beast clan leader… He has assisted imperial affairs since my grandfather’s time. He is the most prestigious person in the empire. Only rescuing him can resolve the current situation.” The Emperor continued. “He is imprisoned in the dungeon now!”
In the Tidal Empire rebellion, among the twelve phantom beast clans, Sea Beast, Falcon Beast, and Fire Fox were jailed. Ye Chui had planned to rescue them anyway. Hearing the Emperor, Ye Chui immediately said, “Good. We will rescue Mr Zask now.”
Ye Chui then disguised as Bishop Xis again. The Emperor was disguised as the scarred-face. Debbie and the others resumed follower disguises. Leaving the main hall via a side entrance to the west, they entered the underground dungeon.
Generations of heavy criminals in the Tidal Empire were imprisoned here. The warden naturally dared not block Bishop Xis. This let them enter the dungeon easily, without incident along the way.
But Ye Chui’s heart held lingering doubts: the Emperor’s hostility towards him had not dissipated… He quietly signalled Green, Leisha, and Celty with his eyes to watch the Emperor. As for why no signal to Guni, even if he did, she certainly would not understand…
The dungeon was gloomy and damp, with a decaying stench. Black stone walls gave strong oppression.
At the deepest part were three cells, each holding one person.
“Xis, you bastard. What are you here for? Release me. I will personally strangle your neck!” An aged but ferocious voice roared. A thin arm stretched out the cell door, trying to grab Ye Chui outside.
“You must be Mr Zask?” Ye Chui asked with a smile.
Lighting was very dim here, but the three prisoners could still be discerned: one man, two women. Undoubtedly, this elder was the Zask the Emperor mentioned. The two women: one appeared forty or fifty with fiery red long hair, the other a short-haired girl. Both wore weary, powerless expressions, showing gritted-teeth hatred towards the disguised Xis.
With Ye Chui’s words, he removed the illusion disguises, smiling. “His Majesty Jacob of the Star Empire sends blessings to you all.”
“You…” Zask’s face was messy with beard, aged and filthy. Seeing Ye Chui, he froze momentarily. He soon understood Ye Chui’s group’s identity, expression softening slightly.
But then his gaze fell on the Emperor standing at the rear of the group. His expression instantly turned furious. “Brat, you dare show your face to me!”
“Why are you cursing…” Ye Chui was startled, then realised Zask’s words were aimed at the Emperor.
As Ye Chui looked at the Emperor, he heard Zask continue angrily, “The one who guided Church villains into the Tidal Empire, triggering the imperial rebellion… was the Emperor himself!”
