Chapter 127: Nothing Lasts Forever (23)

Temple resting chamber.

The queen's silence lasted several minutes before she finally spoke.

"This is what my husband owes me; he ruined my magical career and made me raise nine children. He must compensate me."

"And now I want the throne."

Luosen sighed lightly: "It's a shame your third son and sixth daughter don't agree; they too are ambitious and want the throne."

The queen also sighed: "Children growing up and having their own ideas is quite normal."

Luosen then proposed his suggestion: "Why not let the old king live a few more years in a muddled state, while you continue to control Kao from behind the scenes?"

"With this decade-plus of preparation, you can fully control Kao, and even become queen directly."

"Queen?!"

The queen was startled by that word, as it far exceeded her expectations; she blurted out: "But my eldest son Lai En is already 42; I can't wait ten years."

Luosen smirked: "What's the big deal? People on Earth live into their seventies all the time."

Of course, one can't say that outright; one must consider a mother's deep love for her child.

"Your Majesty, the throne has no kinship; the current world situation is like a storm gathering. At such a time, one should choose the most capable captain."

"No matter the captain's identity, as long as they're capable. Besides, you're not an ordinary person; you're the queen."

"You are the mother of all Kao's citizens, not just the crown prince's; you ought to prioritize the welfare of all citizens."

The queen was visibly persuaded: "If you truly let the king live on in a muddled state, that would naturally be good. But what if you're deceiving me?"

Luosen produced the carefully hidden Golden Blessing Elixir from his clothing: "Your Majesty, this elixir heals the body only; it cannot save the soul."

"From your description, I guess the king's mind is already muddled, right?"

"Indeed, he's muddled—almost like a cripple."

Luosen then offered the Golden Blessing Elixir: "If you don't believe me, try a sip."

The queen exclaimed: "Won't it be poisonous? Or perhaps a soul‑puppet elixir?"

Luosen without hesitation took a small sip himself, treating it as a great tonic: "I put great effort into refining this elixir; ordinary people aren't even given it. It would be a waste if you didn't drink it."

He did want to control the soul, but that's taboo; once discovered, he'd become the target of everyone's anger.

Moreover, he lacked any relevant knowledge of the soul.

Therefore, the safest approach for now is fair trade.

His healing elixir has two uses.

One is to drink a large amount at once, about two liters.

It thoroughly restores the body to its peak, after which the body remains youthful for life; even if the soul collapses, the body stays young.

The other is to take small amounts repeatedly, making gradual adjustments.

In a trade, one naturally can't give everything away at once.

Meanwhile, seeing Luosen himself had taken a sip, the queen thought it over and also took a small mouthful.

Less than five milliliters of the elixir entering her stomach, her whole body shuddered violently, her eyes flashed with astonishing vigor, her five viscera and six bowels grew warm and comforting, she felt extremely comfortable, almost as if she had returned to her girlhood.

She gasped in astonishment: "There actually exists such a powerful healing elixir in the world!"

As queen, she had seen countless fine things, but in terms of efficacy, she had truly never seen anything this strong.

But what the mysterious Law Sage said was also correct: it indeed heals only the body, with no effect on the soul.

"Take me to see the king; I'll do my best to let him live on in a muddled state for a few more years."

"If you need it, Your Majesty, I will also bring you enough of this healing elixir to restore your body to youth."

"With your soul strength at the Five Ring Peak, as long as your body is healthy, you can easily live to 134 years. If your body can be rejuvenated, you might even break through to the Six Rings."

The queen's heart fluttered, but she soon gave a wry smile: "I couldn't possibly control Kao forever; given time, Mother Nature would certainly intervene."

After all, this is the kingdom of the Nature Alliance, which does not allow outsiders to hold sway for long, not even the queen.

"Fifteen?"

"That should be no problem."

"In fifteen or sixteen years, who knows what the world will look like? Perhaps even the Nature Alliance will no longer exist."

The queen started, then laughed: "Law Sage, you really dare to say anything!"

In fact, she felt similarly, due to the surge of new power.

Her reverence for the gods and her fear of divine power are rapidly disintegrating.

If the Nature Alliance continues its current headlong rush for another decade or so, no one knows what it will become.

But there remains a problem.

The queen's face showed a troubled expression.

"The king is guarded by the Three Great Sages; even I cannot easily let outsiders near him, let alone feed him something."

The royal household's statutes are extremely strict; protection of the king is meticulous to the point that even the queen, his wife of long standing, would be closely watched.

Regarding this, Luosen had already prepared himself: "Your Majesty, you surely have a way, right?"

The queen nodded slightly: "We must persuade the Three Sages to agree to use the elixir."

"And the only legal way to persuade the Three Sages is to convene all imperial clan members for a joint vote."

Luosen snorted: "By the time the vote is finished, the old king might already have breathed his last."

Anyone could tell with a knee‑jerk thought that the Third Prince and Sixth Princess would desperately stall for time.

The queen nodded: "Exactly, going through the proper channels, there simply isn't enough time."

"So there is a second option: bribe the Three Sages to secretly treat my husband."

Having said that, the queen instinctively shook her head: "No, no, no—I cannot take that route!"

She clenched the hem of her skirt with both hands so hard that her knuckles turned white. Luosen knew why she was so nervous.

Because the essence of this path is to usurp the royal authority of the Sieg family!

If this path succeeds, the Empress's control over the Kao royal family will suddenly increase to an astonishing degree.

Since she can bypass the clan and secretly medicate the old king, she can also kill him at any time. Once the successor king takes the throne, if he disobeys, she can also replace him at any time.

So, once this is done, the Empress will have no way to turn back.

The Empress deeply understood the gravity of this, muttering: 'This must not be done—no, truly must not be done, it will truly invite divine punishment!'

Although she kept muttering to herself, Luosen saw a blazing fire in her blue eyes.

He knew she stood at a crossroads, and thereby Kao's fate also stood at a crossroads.

As an overseas island lord, encountering this, he naturally could not stand idly by; besides, even if divine punishment truly existed, it would not reach him.

So he gave her a push.

He lightly swayed the rune gun before the Empress and gently said, 'Your Majesty, with this, what is there to fear about divine punishment?'

Ah?

Luosen whispered, 'You see, it is currently single-shot, but it can be completely modified to double-shot, triple-shot, with the setting for continuous fire.'

I believe the mages of Kao's Arcane Department surely share a similar idea, right?

The Empress's gaze fixed tightly on the rune gun.

Luosen continued, 'With this, you could build an army; why wait passively for divine punishment to fall? You could take the initiative.'

The Empress's body shuddered violently, and the fire in her eyes grew fiercer.

'But I lack confidence in persuading the Three Sages; I only have confidence in persuading two of them.'

'The Three Sages have guarded the royal family for years, with deep connections and prestige; I cannot use force against them.'

Luosen again swayed the Golden Blessing elixir, pouring 10 milliliters into the tea cup: 'With this, can we persuade them?'

The Empress stared at the elixir in the cup, like liquid gold, and nodded slightly: 'This should work.'

The Three Sages are all old, and people fear death.

'Then, Your Majesty, how long will it take for you to reply?'

The Empress thought a moment and said, 'Give me three days; I will go persuade the Three Sages. After three days, you sneak into the palace to see the king and let him live as long as possible.'

Luosen slowly shook his head: 'Your Majesty, in this resting chamber, we are alone face to face; I can guarantee my safety.'

'But once in the palace, I won't be able to do this. After I treat Your Majesty, if you change your minds and jointly attack me, imprisoning me, then my life would be over.'

The Empress glanced at Luosen, regaining some of her superiority as empress: 'Does Your Excellency the Arcane Saint also feel fear sometimes?'

Luosen spread his hands: 'Your Majesty, there are no gods in this world, only a bunch of people pretending to be divine. I have merely walked a few steps further on the arcane path.'

The Empress was somewhat curious: 'How long have you lived?'

Luosen shook his head: '82 years, making me nearly twenty years older than Your Majesty.'

The Empress's eyes showed a hint of doubt: 'But I feel you are very young, younger than me.'

Luosen naturally had prepared an explanation.

'Your Majesty reached the Fifth Ring at 23, but I had already reached the Fifth Ring at 17, and the Sixth Ring at 19, after which my body almost ceased aging.'

'And an Arcane Saint's soul can naturally exist for 200 years, allowing me to live sixty or seventy years longer than you.'

'So, whether in body or soul age, I am indeed younger than Your Majesty.'

'Oh~ reaching the Sixth Ring at 19, is that the pinnacle of arcane cultivation?'

The Empress's eyes showed deep shock; she had always thought she was a peerless genius, never expecting someone to be so much stronger than her.

After a pause, she said: 'Then, Your Excellency, what do you suggest we do?'

'You secretly bring His Majesty out of the palace and find a place safe for everyone to administer the treatment.'

The Empress was somewhat displeased: 'Doing this greatly increases the difficulty of the plan!'

Luosen bluntly spread his hands: 'This is non-negotiable; if Your Majesty disagrees, then all previous efforts are for naught.'

'If I abandon the plan to aid the Kao king, let your three children fight for power; besides, Aaron still has the Radiant Empire tied up. If Empress Zhuo Ya attacks the giant fortress, Weilan still has a chance to break free.'

Having said that, he prepared to turn and leave.

'Wait!'

The Empress called out to him: 'You've won; you decide the place, and we will send the person.'

Luosen narrowed his eyes and smiled: 'That's right.'

He added a reminder: 'Don't try any tricks on me. Before I appear, I will carefully scout; if I sense anything wrong, I will leave immediately.'

The Empress actually didn't think much: 'Don't worry, I also don't want extra trouble.'

Luosen then walked back to the Empress's side and poured another 5 milliliters of Golden Blessing: 'Take another sip; consider it my small gift to Your Majesty.'

The Empress drank it decisively; after swallowing, she felt she had become several years younger, with no noticeable side effects.

Had the elixir not been tightly gripped in Luosen's hand, she would have truly wanted to gulp it all down.

Luosen chuckled: 'If our cooperation succeeds, I will continually send elixirs to Your Majesty; regular use will keep your body perpetually young.'

The Empress felt her heart flutter upon hearing this.

Next, the two agreed on the specific secret treatment location.

After all details were discussed, Luosen gave the Empress a deep bow and turned to leave the resting chamber.

Outside the resting chamber is the side of the royal prayer hall, where one can see the statue of Mother Nature holding a holy basin, pitying all beings.

Luosen glanced at the statue and silently sighed: 'Royal authority is not eternal, nor is divine authority.'

(End of chapter)