"Your Majesty."
Shesha stood before the Monarch once more.
What just happened was merely an illusion; in truth, nothing had occurred. Especially not something like Lord Leviathan being swatted away by Lord Behemoth's tail—that was complete nonsense.
"This is this year's report from the Joint Meeting."
In the center of Shesha's open palm, a sea-blue memory crystal slowly floated up. This was the Empire's fourth-generation universal storage medium, formed from the mass-produced creations of the Authority of Reason.
"Anything new and interesting?"
The Monarch did not take the memory crystal.
In fact, matters concerning the operations of the Ninety-Nine Chambers and the internal affairs of the Empire were almost entirely handled by Shesha. Of the other two Pillar Gods, Xiao Zi was primarily responsible for diplomacy and oversight, while Cheche focused on exploration and external warfare.
Of course, a situation requiring the intervention of the Three Pillar Gods would have to be one that the current Regent-Consuls and the Ninety-Nine Chambers were incapable of handling. The only reason Shesha had come to the [Pillar of Earth] to submit the report this time was simply that neither Cheche nor the Monarch were in a state of slumber.
"Your Majesty's foresight is god-like."
Having spent ages in the political arena, Shesha's flattery was polished to perfection.
"At this Joint Meeting, a rather fresh, or perhaps 'rebellious,' proposal did indeed appear. Although it only received the support of four Chambers, it symbolizes the budding of certain 'rebellious' sentiments within the Empire."
"Oh?"
"Rebellious."
Lu Xing savored the word.
For the current Empire, it should be an incredibly unbelievable thing.
The Empire's territorial expansion had been extremely steady; or rather, after a full 4,000 years, it had only just begun to leave the confines of the solar system. "Cautious" would be a more fitting description.
The current solar system, including certain "underwater" layers of the Quantum Sea, had been forged into an impregnable fortress by the Empire.
While the overly stable upper structure (in terms of military power) brought certain disadvantages of conservatism, it greatly enhanced the Empire's stability. The idea of rebellion… that was perhaps too strong a word, but voices calling for "reform" were not nonexistent.
It was just that, before these troublesome issues could reach the Monarch's ears, they, along with their proponents and their plans, were all thoroughly crushed in the forgotten corners of the Empire.
"During the Joint Meeting of the Ninety-Nine Chambers."
The sea-blue memory crystal projected an image of the meeting's records into the air.
"The head of the Fifth Chamber, the young current patriarch of the Apocalypse family, Mr. Otto Apocalypse, put forth this proposal—"
"'A proposal to increase the number of Apostle and Flame-Chaser seats, to improve the path of advancement to the Empire's highest echelons.'"
"…"
The recording played at high speed, but absorbing the information was a matter of a blink for the three present.
"Hey!"
Lu Xing grabbed Cheche's tail.
Besides Little Bai, if anyone else dared to proactively touch Cheche's beloved tail, they certainly wouldn't be around to witness the consequences. Shesha getting merely knocked away was already a sign of leniency.
The Monarch had no hands, so he had directly shaped energy to grasp it. The interconversion of "energy-matter" had long been a simple feat for Lu Xing.
"Cheche, what are you doing?"
"Beating him to death."
"…"
"I concur with Lord Behemoth's suggestion."
Shesha raised a finger and gently pushed up the bridge of his glasses.
"Today he dares to covet the seats of the 'Apostles'; in the future, he will dare to desire the positions of us Three Pillar Gods, and even Your Majesty's throne."
"For a character like this—"
"There is no need."
"…?"
Lu Xing pulled Cheche back by her tail.
"He has a point."
Lu Xing explained away Shesha's confusion while using his "energy arm" to stroke Cheche's curved horns, calming her down.
"It was hard to say in the past."
"But in this last millennium, especially in the last century, quite a few promising talents have emerged in the Empire."
Shesha bowed his head, quietly listening to the Monarch's "teachings."
"Although it's not quite like the folktales say,"
"I have indeed noticed these 'new stars.' Among the current students of St. Freya, some 'Valkyries' have combat capabilities that are already touching the level of the high command in the 'Legions.'"
"Am I correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This was not a question, but a statement demanding a response.
The loyalty of the major Legions was beyond doubt, but in terms of combat strength, they hadn't seen a significant improvement in a long time. This was related to the policies enacted by the Empire and the sharp decline in the number of wars. However, it was undeniable that since the Empire abolished universal conscription 500 years ago, the gap between the Legions (the regular army) and the common populace had not only failed to widen but had, in fact, been shrinking.
"Otto likely represents the thoughts of many 'elites' in the lower echelons."
"The families…"
Among the Ninety-Nine Chambers, the executive body of the Empire's power, nearly seventy percent were of Apostle and Flame-Chaser blood (or possessed their factors). Of the remaining thirty percent, many had close ties of various kinds to those families.
"As my 'descendants,'"
"They do possess a loyalty unimaginable to ordinary people, but I fear that these overly peaceful days have also eroded the will of this 'elite class.'"
"The current patriarch of the Kaslana family,"
"I'm afraid he can't even defeat his own niece, can he?"
The Monarch pondered for a moment, but in the end, he still couldn't recall the names of those "old geezers" in the Ninety-Nine Chambers.
"…"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
"Gilfias has been stalled at the [Primordial Species] rank for a long time. Recently, he has even fallen from the level of touching the threshold of [Higher Primordial Species]."
"Hmm…"
"Has Eden returned?"
Lu Xing suddenly threw out an unrelated question.
"Yes."
"Eden returned to Imperial territory two natural months ago, but it seems she was unable to retrieve the last core fragment of the Rock Tortoise. While this doesn't affect the Rock Tortoise's strength, the loss of memory… The plan back then was a bit hasty. Stories passed down by word of mouth are clearly not enough to achieve a complete 'restoration'."
"…"
"Able to influence Eden's actions, but not stop her from leaving."
Lu Xing murmured to himself.
"Simply put,"
"The upper limit of combat power on that leaf is lower than you two."
Eden was not skilled in combat. Even Shesha, the weakest of the Three Pillar Gods, possessed the strength to "one-shot" her in a direct confrontation.
After a moment of silence, the Monarch spoke slowly:
"Very good. No Honkai energy reaction."
"Shesha!"
The formal address signified an "Imperial Decree," one that had not been issued for a long time.
"I approve Otto's proposal."
"If they wish to raise their own status, very well. In accordance with Imperial tradition, they will let their battle merits do the talking."
A golden crystal, recording the Monarch's decree, materialized from the void.
"The Legions will not participate in this operation as organized units, but their members are permitted to fight in their personal capacity."
"Inform the Ninety-Nine Chambers they have two weeks to mobilize willing civilian forces from across the entire domain. Awaken the White Whale and have him go to the 'coastal waters' to conscript a [Starship-class] beast to serve as a 'guide.' Also, tell the 'Regent-Consuls' that whoever is interested may participate… a maximum of two, with no reinforcements."
"Then,"
The perfectly round sphere emanated an aura of sanctity and majesty.
"Let it begin…"
"The Empire's expedition."