Chapter 258: Unexpected Proposal (23)

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

A piece of news from the Radiant Empire reached the Natural Alliance.

The notice was titled 《Imperial High-Level Radiant Mage Misai Unfortunately Passed Away, Hereby Mourning》.

The notice's content was very obscure; whether the title 【Imperial High-Level Radiant Mage】 or the name Misai, both were inconspicuous.

Therefore, aside from causing a great stir in a few small circles that knew the inside story, it did not attract much attention among the alliance populace.

What truly caused a huge uproar was another covenant released together with the notice.

The covenant was jointly signed by Empress Zhuo Ya of the Radiant Empire and the not-yet-crowned Natural Emperor Luosen, titled 《Mortal Unity Covenant》.

The core of the covenant is that, when facing foreign enemies, the Natural Empire and the Radiant Empire, these two mortal nations, will always fight side by side.

With the covenant's release, the Radiant Empire simultaneously announced withdrawing sixty percent of its forces from the border Goth Province, and also withdrawing the First and Second Radiant Fleets that had been stationed near the Gilded Gold Strait.

When the covenant spread, Weilan was greatly shaken, and the entire Natural Alliance was likewise shaken.

This is like a skinny person about to fight to the death with a super strongman who has rushed to their doorstep to provoke.

The skinny person had already set up their stance, prepared to be badly beaten, even to be seriously injured, even to exchange lives for lives, but just as they were about to throw a punch, the strongman voluntarily withdrew.

Ordinary people didn't know the inside story; they only knew they didn't have to go to the battlefield to fight.

Thus, people flooded the streets, spreading the news, shouting loudly in celebration.

Especially in Aaron, destined to be the main battlefield, the populace was most excited.

And Weilan, which had been preparing for a death battle, also decorated every household with lights and banners to celebrate the covenant's conclusion.

Swan Lake Shore.

In an unremarkable lakeside villa, Luosen and Qi Ge Rui La Na were dining with Heavenly Father Divine Might and their as-yet-unmet parents-in-law in the restaurant.

These parents-in-law looked about forty-odd years old, deferential to Heavenly Father Divine Might, and extra respectful toward Luosen; at a glance they were an honest couple.

After Luosen paid his respects according to junior etiquette, he began to recount the situation in the Radiant Capital.

Heavenly Father Divine Might Otalergangse listened attentively.

After Luosen finished speaking, he swallowed the piece of braised venison in his mouth, silently took a sip of wine, then let out a long sigh.

"Fate is truly wonderful; I never expected Misai to die before me."

"I also never expected that, hiding in such a fortified imperial palace, he would still be killed by you."

Luosen looked thoughtful: "The defenses of the Radiant Imperial Palace are extremely tight; even I alone, or even leading a thousand-strong regiment, would find it hard to breach."

"The reason we succeeded was mainly due to Empress Zhuo Ya's covert help. But even so, we were still a hair's breadth from failure."

Qi Ge Rui La Na curiously asked: "Dear, how did you persuade the empress to help you?"

"One is the news of the Lord of Truth's return. Two, Misai was simply too overbearing, forcing an exceptionally talented granddaughter into servitude, which provoked a huge backlash."

Otalergangse himself had once stood at the world's peak, knowing this certainly involved many exchanges of interest.

But now the times have changed; there's too much he doesn't understand, so he simply couldn't be bothered to ask more, let alone intervene.

He sighed: "Misai this old thing is just too greedy, wanting to hoard all good things for himself; what ability do we mortals have to match that?"

"Having such an end now is wholly deserved!"

Upon this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Otalergangse then looked at Luosen: "After this, will the Radiant Empire truly join us in opposing the Lord of Truth?"

Regarding this, Luosen dared not guarantee it for now, because the restraint he was preparing for Zhuo Ya had not yet been finished.

Without a power-binding, a covenant relying solely on moral constraint is only slightly better than scrap paper.

So, he could only give a not-so-reliable answer for the time being.

"If nothing major goes wrong, at least before the Lord of Truth returns, the Radiant Empire will be our ally."

"As for how long this alliance will last, that depends on what the Lord of Truth prepares to do after returning."

"If it's a hardline confrontation strategy, then we and the Radiant Empire will grow even closer than now; but if it's a coax-and-divide strategy, then it's hard to say."

Otalergangse slowly nodded: "If it were more than five thousand years ago, the Lord of Truth would certainly confront hardline, but this time I'm not sure either."

"After all, five thousand years is enough to change any being's nature."

"But no matter how, mortal nations always pass through trials and tribulations; as long as each leader isn't a madman, when a strong enemy arrives they will invariably unite outward."

Having said that, the founder of the Natural Divine Sect completely set aside his worries and happily sipped a crystal grape wine.

"From now on, how this world will be depends entirely on the efforts of you young people; I'll rest easy retiring by this beautiful lake."

The despicable old rival having passed, the knot in his heart loosened; he no longer wanted to prolong life through sleep, just wishing to peacefully spend his final hundred years.

He then looked toward Qi Ge Rui La Na.

"I feel my great-grandson is growing; that's great, haha, very good."

Simply retiring is also rather boring, but if a few little ones keep him company, his days become much more interesting.

At the same time.

Mei Da Xilin of the Radiant Empire.

The empress's office.

In the study a small compartment was added, inside which there is a secret passage leading to the underground palace.

To outsiders, Luosen basically stays in that compartment, serving as the empress's chief guard; in fact, he spends most of his day in the underground palace.

What is he doing?

Naturally, crafting faith puppets.

The Radiant Empire's spellcraft level is quite high, with ample various spell materials, so Luosen's speed in crafting faith puppets is quite fast, and the quality is also very good.

In just half a month he produced the puppet's core; thereafter the days were basically just stockpiling materials.

The entire crafting process and subsequent maintenance are done solely by Luosen, and only he can do it.

Furthermore, according to his own words, only he can do it.

For this, he proposed the "True God" view.

He believes that a True God cannot be seen by mortals; if seen, it ceases to be divine, and mortals' awe disappears.

Without awe, faith cannot be spoken of, and without faith the sect's existence loses meaning.

Zhuo Ya could not refute his line of reasoning.

It was clear she was reluctant, but after Luosen's cajoling she finally nodded.

And this Faith Puppet is Luosen's greatest shackles on the Glorious Empire. Later, he will send a "flawed" avatar to maintain and upgrade the Glorious Puppet within the Glorious Empire.

When the "Mortal Unity Covenant" was announced, the Empress glanced at a vacant spot and entered his small cubicle.

Inside the cubicle, Luosen sat upright behind a desk, earnestly writing a forging manual titled "Fundamentals of the Faith Puppet".

This thing is the real deal; it is the biggest prerequisite for Zhuo Ya's consent to let him maintain the Faith Puppet.

Luosen saw through Zhuo Ya's thought in a glance: she merely wanted to use his Faith Puppet first while she also studied it, and once the research is clear, she would replace it locally.

At this, he chuckled inwardly: "Replacement is fine, but develop it for fifty years first."

He indeed shared the basic principles, but did not share the concrete techniques.

Between principle and technique, there is a huge gap.

His rapid progress is due to Earth's developmental experience guiding him, while the Glorious Empire must rely on its own trial and error.

Returning to the main point.

After seeing the Empress, he handed the writing task to Laifu, keeping his hands constantly moving.

Appearing to be multitasking, he said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, is there something you need?"

"I suddenly thought of an idea and want to discuss it with you."

In front of Luosen, the Empress did not hold herself stiffly like others; she leaned her back against the wall, legs propped at an angle.

"You see, your ancestor the Iron Dragon actually moved out from this land, right?"

"Hmm, and then?"

"Therefore, compared to the Natural Alliance, you are closer to us by blood, even can be said to be of the same clan, right?"

"Exactly."

"The situation now differs from before; I was my grandfather's tool, but now I am truly the Empress."

"As Empress, I cannot remain childless, so I need a husband, and you are suitable."

Luosen was rather surprised.

He looked up at the Empress and saw her cheeks slightly flushed, but her gaze was firm, clearly not the first day she entertained this idea.

He then reminded, "Your Majesty, I must tell you that during this period I have been in contact with Weilan, and the unification process of the Natural Alliance has advanced a great step."

"In at most three years, the Natural Alliance will be substantively unified, and I will be the emperor of the Natural Emperor."

The marriage of two emperors would be a world‑shaking event.

Zhuo Ya nodded, "I know, but emperors can also marry; after marriage they need not live together constantly, each can govern their own nation."

"After all, producing offspring does not require staying together all the time, does it?"

Luosen, also of noble birth and formally educated, understood Zhuo Ya's meaning.

"Sounds good, but would the Glorious family and domestic nobles agree?"

Such a major matter cannot be decided by a single person.

If it provokes widespread opposition, the Elves might seize the opportunity and cause massive turmoil.

Zhuo Ya blinked, "I will naturally spend time persuading them. The key is, do you agree?"

Luosen smiled, "Receiving Your Majesty's favor is my honor; why would I refuse?"

He is a man; marrying the Empress is a form of external conquest, with little domestic resistance, even a source of pride.

In contrast, Zhuo Ya faces resistance many orders of magnitude greater.

In fact, her proposal truly surprised Luosen.

Thus, Luosen added, "This matter is huge; we must discuss the details carefully, especially the issue of throne succession."

Zhuo Ya, clearly having thought it through, immediately said, "It's simple: the children inherit each mother's estate. Your child with Qi Ge Rui La Na inherits the Natural throne, and my child inherits the Glorious throne."

"Hmm—simple and clear, I have no issues."

After speaking, Luosen still found it somewhat unbelievable and asked, "Zhuo Ya, your idea just now was serious, right?"

He felt it was a bit too casual.

Zhuo Ya, with a serious expression, "Of course it's real; I wouldn't joke about such a matter."

"Alright, then when shall we marry?"

"In a year or two; I need time to fully control the Glorious Empire and to persuade the populace to accept my plan."

"And you also need time to unify the Natural Alliance, right?"

"Indeed," Luosen nodded.

Zhuo Ya said, "Since both I and Qi Ge Rui La Na are your wives, you cannot favor the Natural Empire entirely; you must at least maintain a superficial equality, right?"

No problem, Luosen nodded, "Of course."

Indeed, but only superficial equality.

After all, the Natural Empire is what he built through effort, essentially under his control, whereas the Glorious Empire is controlled by Zhuo Ya.

Finally, this matter is currently only a proposal.

Whether it will ultimately succeed, no one can say.

But then, if it succeeds, biologically speaking, Luosen would profit enormously.

Because the royal families of the two great human empires will all carry his blood.

In other words, his lineage will enjoy the greatest glory in the world.

For a man, this is simply the highest level of success.

While he was thinking, Zhuo Ya handed over a book: "This is for you."

"What?"

"It was found in the Shadowless Palace; it should be the elves' payment for cooperation with my grandfather, called the Eternal Life Technique."

"I have already had the Imperial Arts Department study it; they found this technique extremely profound, with no clue at all for breaking it."

"I think you must be interested in it."

Luosen took the book, flipped through a few pages, and instantly became extremely interested: "Great stuff, I really need to examine it carefully."

I'm a bit stuck writing; the next chapter will be a little late.

(End of chapter)