Chapter 263: Artifact? (13)

Anyone with eyes can see it; the unification of the Natural Alliance has already become an unquestionable fact.

Next comes the myriad worldly affairs.

These affairs are not difficult, but they are extremely tedious and fragmentary, as boundless as the vast star‑sea.

If Luosen were to handle them all himself, he would instantly become a prisoner of power.

So he would rather drop the task altogether.

Fortunately, he can unabashedly exploit Duke Luosen—oh no, now he should be called Emperor Luosen.

Thus Luosen's personal freedom is essentially unaffected.

His main focus remains the study of the elf fruit.

He has locked horns with this thing and refuses to accept not understanding it.

When he devotes himself to research, time flies.

About three months later, Zhuo Ya sent word that the Holy Elves Empire had become unusually calm, having halted the vast majority of its border harassment.

The reason is unknown for now, but the Shadow Guard is investigating.

For the entire mortal world, this is good news, allowing a quiet buildup of strength.

But for the Natural Empire it has a slight downside.

Because the Radiant Empire now has the energy to stir trouble in the Natural Empire again.

Of course this is not Zhuo Ya's wish, but small maneuvers by various interest groups within the empire.

Regarding this, even Empress Zhuo Ya cannot control it.

Because for an empire, the emperor is like the patriarch of a great family.

In such a family there are surely many disobedient "mischievous children".

If you try to micromanage everything, you'll exhaust yourself and take all the blame.

Therefore, the wisest approach is to firmly hold the overall direction of the family's development while maintaining a harmonious outward appearance.

As long as these "mischievous children" don't overstep to the point of ruining major affairs, the patriarch pretends not to have seen.

The two empires have generations of enmity, so various small border skirmishes have begun to multiply.

Annoying though they are, they're not serious matters.

Moreover, although clashes with the Radiant Empire have increased, the Natural Empire's economic exchanges with other Radiant realms are becoming ever closer.

It is worth noting that most of this trade appears to involve the Radiant Principality, but in fact those principalities are merely secondary agents, with the final goods shipped to the Radiant Empire.

For example, the luxury lightning car.

The nobles of the Radiant Empire love it to death, buying it wildly even at double the price.

A classic case of "cold politics, hot economy".

Three more months pass, winter arrives, and the temperature begins to drop.

Meanwhile, news comes from Navat.

The news is both good and bad.

The good news is that, with the aid of the Legendary Crystal, the Navat Republic's legendary power has surged explosively.

The Republic has begun a counter‑offensive against demons, successfully reclaiming large swaths of lost land and even slaying two demons.

One of them has a power level as high as Legendary 7!

There are two pieces of bad news.

The first concerns the demons.

On the Navat plane, only one demon invader remains.

It wields power up to Legendary 9 and is nicknamed "Joyful Matriarch".

The death of its companion made it extremely cautious, completely abandoning direct confrontation with Navat, retreating into the shadows, stirring trouble by exploiting human desires, and becoming exceedingly hard to deal with.

The second, however, is worldly.

As the demon threat has sharply decreased, the divisions among the Republic's major interest factions have become increasingly evident.

The once solid Republic has begun to show a very clear tendency toward division.

Currently there are three factions.

They are the Sky Faction, where Naya belongs, advocating cooperative win‑wins.

And the National Faction, where Sasmar belongs, holding that national interest is supreme and can be pursued by any means.

The last is the Holy Faction, composed of remnants of the royal family and nobility, all eager to restore the old order.

The final piece of news left Luosen full of sentiment, but not despondent.

"No external foes; making our own enemies is fine—mutual competition drives progress."

After all, it's a matter of another plane; whether via law rings or crossing the cosmic starry void, it is extremely difficult, so Luosen neither intends nor currently has the capacity to intervene excessively.

It is worth noting that data from the Star Observation Bureau and knowledge from Navat have led Luosen to confirm that all known life‑bearing planes are planets orbiting a single star.

It is wondrous, and indeed lively.

According to Luosen's calculations, the vastness is largely due to the influence of the Creation Law Ring.

Returning to the main topic.

Luosen, honoring past camaraderie, continues to maintain magical‑domain exchanges and cooperation with the Sky Faction where Naya resides.

Yet his main focus still lies in researching the elf fruit.

In the blink of an eye, another three months pass, and spring of the new year arrives.

The study of the elf fruit still yields no breakthrough.

Counting the time, he has been locked in a grind for nine months.

Luosen, feeling a bit discouraged, connects through a puppet, finds Empress Zhuo Ya, and intends to discuss his results.

Taking advantage of Zhuo Ya's free time, Luosen sent her a natural secret message: "Your Majesty, come to me, shall we chat?"

"Why are you free enough to seek me out today?"

Even though she asked that, Zhuo Ya immediately came to the hidden compartment.

"Clack!"

The door opened, then closed with another "clack."

Zhuo Ya walked in.

It was late spring, warm and even a bit hot; she wore a pale‑gold everyday robe resembling an Earth silk cheongsam.

It especially showed off her figure, with a pair of long, straight, plump legs clearly visible.

Luosen unabashedly admired her for a while, then asked, "I heard many people have been proposing to you lately?"

Zhuo Ya sat on the chair beside Luosen, crossing her legs to the side so he could admire her better, because she knew that was his favorite view.

"How's that, jealous?"

Luosen half‑jokingly said, "Zhuo Ya, don't tempt me like that; I can't help it, I'll come find you tonight."

Zhuo Ya giggled coquettishly, then shook her head seriously: "No, unless we marry, I must remain a virgin; that's the glorious royal tradition."

Luosen of course knew that, and he also knew the tradition's root purpose was to keep the descendants' "spiritual bloodline" completely pure.

This mattered because children of wayward royal women have magical talent far inferior to those of chaste women.

In this respect, Qi Ge Rui La Na and the female demon are the same.

The principle is unclear, just like the Elves' Fruit, yet it is a practical fact.

Luosen withdrew his fancy, placed his own results on the desk.

"I just made this little thing; bring me your results to see."

Zhuo Ya was prepared and quickly brought over all the results obtained by the Imperial Arts Department.

Luosen skimmed them and was instantly greatly disappointed.

"The data are much more than mine, and somewhat novel, but the results are few, not even half of mine."

"I'm at a loss."

Zhuo Ya squinted and smiled, then sighed, "Your earlier doubts seem right; the Elves' Fruit truly exceeds mortal limits of wisdom."

For the past half‑year, she poured massive resources into it, even seizing a batch of Elves' Fruit from the market as research samples. Countless geniuses spent great mental effort yet could find no clue.

Luosen, however, refused to be discouraged: "Then let's continue."

Zhuo Ya promptly warned, "I say, don't devote all your energy to this and forget to develop the Natural Empire."

"I heard you've been borrowing everywhere lately, even up to twenty years ahead; don't end up unable to repay."

Luosen knew she referred to the Imperial Citizen Bank's bond issuance, and laughed, "Don't worry, I have it under control."

The Imperial Unity Plan must get on track; the front phase alone requires an investment of 20 trillion Klei.

With that much money taken entirely from the current Imperial treasury, the nation would go bankrupt outright.

So he had the former Weilan Citizen Bank, now renamed Imperial Citizen Bank, issue medium‑ and long‑term bonds to borrow from the public.

In one go, he borrowed a full 15,000 billion Klei.

Zhuo Ya still thought Luosen's move too risky.

"With such a massive national plan, if an accident occurs midway, there may be no decades to recover, and the country could fall into chaos."

If the Natural Empire falls into disorder, their engagement would be hopeless.

Seeing Zhuo Ya's genuine worry, Luosen earnestly comforted, "The bonds reflect citizens' confidence in me; that confidence stems from ever‑advancing magical results, so nothing will go wrong."

Zhuo Ya replied immediately, "Magical development can hit bottlenecks; if we can't breakthrough, public confidence will wane."

"You're right. But I still have a huge amount of magical results not yet put into the public; injecting them would let me borrow another 30 trillion."

The remark gave Zhuo Ya a slight comfort: "Alright, may everything go smoothly."

Afterwards, Luosen took the detailed research data from the Imperial Arts Department back to his own laboratory to continue his study.

This deep dive lasted another three months, and the season turned to autumn.

Luosen employed every method he could think of, and the Imperial Medical Laboratory's mage count rose to 5,000.

Through collective effort, some new results emerged, but they were peripheral; the core issue remained unchanged.

His mind felt like glue, so he dropped everything, went alone to Swan Lake outside Swan Castle, and walked the quiet lakeside path by himself.

The early‑spring lakeside trail was vibrant and the scenery pleasant.

After walking for a while, Luosen felt his mind clear and the accumulated fatigue vanished completely.

Strolling further, he sat on the tender green grass by the lake and thought, "Seven months in, I've built a nuclear bomb, yet I still can't crack this Elves' Fruit—how odd."

The nuclear bomb was indeed built, or more precisely, about 300 kilograms of weapon‑grade enriched uranium had been refined.

For safety, these "fun toys" were stored separately, and all auxiliary equipment needed for the bomb had been completed.

When needed, he could assemble the bomb in under half an hour.

In his reverie, he suddenly sensed footsteps beside him.

Immediately after, someone sat beside him.

The person was odd, a breakthrough apparition, with an almost imperceptible power fluctuation upon appearing.

Luosen found it strange, but feeling no hostility, he made no move, not even turning his head, yet sensed the unidentified person was coming toward him.

After a moment, a slightly mocking female voice sounded beside his ear.

"Luosen Sakusen, I am an apostle you've never met; seeing your worried frown, have you encountered some difficulty?"

The voice was round and gentle, bearing a non‑human aloofness yet full of lively human spirit.

For a moment, Luosen couldn't tell what this person actually was.

The words gave him a slight shock, and he turned his head to see an elderly woman with white hair, frail and stooped, her facial wrinkles deep enough to crush a horsefly.

Are you disappointed with my appearance, thinking I should look young and beautiful?

Luosen ignored the teasing: "Great Palomeinuosi?"

"Exactly, it's me."

Luosen activated the Linking Magic Ring at millisecond speed, then quickly deactivated it, finding nothing extraordinary in the void, no powerful void creatures, and no power-linking conduits.

"Are you deceiving me?"

The old woman smiled slightly, raised a finger, and condensed a point of cyan-blue light at her fingertip.

Before Luosen could react, the cyan-blue light scattered with a "splatter" in all directions, and Luosen found himself in a strange place shrouded in thick mist.

Here, besides sensing his doppelgänger through ghostly resonance, everything else is imperceptible.

So he sat motionless, asking the strange witch still seated beside him.

"What does this mean?"

The witch smiled: "This is a Chaos Barrier, capable of preventing prying eyes."

Then she said: "You used my name to solve a trouble, so you must help me with a favor—do you agree?"

Luosen nodded: "Quite fair."

The witch continued: "I know the trouble you've recently encountered; coincidentally, the trouble you face is exactly what I most desire."

After a pause, she said: "More precisely, what I long for is called the 'Life Tree Branch,' an ordinary name, yet one of the most wondrous things in this world, a true divine artifact!"

Luosen gasped: "A divine artifact?"

"Exactly, a divine artifact."

"It is something mortals cannot comprehend, destroy, or replicate."

"No one knows its origin, nor how long it can endure."

"De Rui Tan accidentally obtained the Life Tree Branch and thus proclaimed himself Lord of Truth, complacently enjoying it for thousands of years."

"I just want to see what's so great about this thing, and also very much want to see what expression De Rui Tan will show when he loses the Life Tree Branch, haha~~"

Saying this, the old woman couldn't help but smirk.

Then she said: "I want you to disguise yourself as an Elf, infiltrate the Holy Elf Empire, find an opportunity, and steal the Life Tree Branch for me."

This news surprised Luosen greatly: "This favor is quite big—I must take enormous risks, while you only helped me a little."

"So this isn't fair."

The old woman smiled faintly, lifted her hand, and produced a black-covered magic book with no title, just a naked, extremely detailed human brain.

She pointed at her forehead: "Guess, am I a void being or a mortal?"

Luosen examined her closely, recalling his earlier observations: "You are a mortal?"

"Pa—"

The witch snapped her fingers: "Exactly, I am a mortal, a survivor of a lost high civilization."

"And this book is an Artifact Forging Manual, also a precious relic of my civilization, titled 'Legendary Grand Mage's Hat'."

"I now give it to you as payment—do you feel it's fair?"

Luosen distrusted the witch's words, feeling she was likely deceiving him.

But because she possesses more knowledge and greater power, he currently lacks the ability to expose her.

Nevertheless, this book indeed attracts him.

At the same time, he and De Rui Tan are indeed rivals.

He is also extremely interested in the so-called divine artifact 'Life Tree Branch'.

"Fair enough, but I doubt I can steal it alone."

"Don't worry, at the critical moment I will help you."

"Alright, take this book back to study, strive to raise your Legendary rank, handle all affairs of the Nature Empire, then set out for the Holy Elf Empire."

"Still quite humane."

Luosen immediately nodded: "Good, I'll start preparing now."

"Finally, I must remind you: the Lord of Truth is very perceptive; you'd better go to the Holy Elf Empire yourself, rather than use a puppet."

As the words faded, the endless cyan-blue mist and the haggard old woman vanished, leaving only a string of round, pleasant laughter in the air.

And there remained the black-covered magic book in Luosen's embrace.

Luosen flipped through the book, chuckling inwardly: "I'd be foolish to go myself."

"Never mind whether she's truly a witch; even if she is, I won't take this huge risk."

(End of Chapter)