Chapter 817: Three Sentences Cost Fifty Million

"Teacher is the one closest to the Golden Throne!"

Anxiwodasi's expression turned shocked, and he instantly understood Lei En's meaning. If Lei En agrees to join the Supreme Council, Mo Du's faction would reliably hold six votes, and with Ouroin already close, the total would exceed half.

Thus, he would fully control the Supreme Council, thereby becoming the de facto ruler of the Empire!

He lacks the title of emperor, yet possesses imperial authority.

In an instant, Anxiwodasi thought of many things, and the image of the Golden Throne in Rike Palace floated before his eyes, a feeling indescribable rose in his heart.

He suddenly began to understand why Lei En so desired to become emperor.

But the old Wizard instantly regained composure, snorted coldly, "I was only trying to stop you from going astray; I never thought of so much."

"Doesn't teacher want to sit on the Golden Throne?" Lei En asked seriously.

"Not at all."

Anxiwodasi shook his head without hesitation and calmly said, "Power only affects the efficiency of my pursuit of magical truth."

"I prefer to sit in the Empire as Mo Du faction leader; even if I control the Supreme Council, I will not decide everything alone. I will fully respect the opinions of other Holy Soul Wizards, and any proposal beneficial to the Empire I will set aside faction bias and support," he solemnly declared his stance.

Isn't that collective responsibility!

Collective responsibility actually means collective non-responsibility; when problems arise, no one can be held accountable.

Lei En shook his head inwardly, his Soul Eye confirming that teacher's words were all true; teacher indeed had no interest whatsoever in becoming emperor.

"Teacher, see, this is the difference between us," Lei En smiled and said, "You wish to stay away from power, even dislike it, yet you must accept it. I like power, so I will strive to seize it and hold it in my own hands."

He paused, stared into Anxiwodasi's eyes, and whispered:

"Power is a sharp sword; if you don't grip it firmly, it will fall into the wrong hands and cause a great mistake."

Anxiwodasi frowned, "Do you think I am the wrong person?"

"Of course not, but I'm not the most suitable either," Lei En quickly explained, not intending to offend teacher, "It's just that teacher's ambition lies elsewhere, unable to unleash this sword's greatest power."

Anxiwodasi offered no rebuttal, effectively conceding.

Lei En's face showed confidence, his tone rising a few steps, "Teacher, I consider myself the sword's most suitable master. I am confident that leading the Empire to unprecedented heights will benefit all its people; they will enjoy a better life, a safer environment, more advanced technology, and stronger national power…"

"I will create the strongest Empire in Ai Lun E Si's history!"

Anxiwodasi did not doubt this ambition; Lei En indeed possessed the ability.

He persuaded, "You can govern the Empire without becoming emperor; Mo Du and I will fully support you, never holding you back."

"It's different, teacher."

This was Lei En's second time saying this today, earnestly stating, "Many things I must do require absolute power to push forward; as long as the Supreme Council exists even a day, I cannot let go to act."

"Perhaps Mo Du can control the Supreme Council now, but the future is uncertain."

"If a newly appointed Holy Soul Wizard, even just one, joins the Supreme Council and sides with the other two factions, teacher will lose control."

"Ouroin Master could also change his mind; after all, for over a thousand years he has adhered to Master Kainan's balance theory."

"Also, several Holy Soul Wizards of Mo Du are not that reliable. Duke Hong Shi's ambition is no smaller than mine; he will not accept suppression and will surely use all means to turn Mo Du members, as Duke Silver Star's sudden betrayal was a great lesson."

"These are all unstable factors."

"And I need a very stable imperial structure, lasting at least twenty, thirty, even a hundred years, so those grand blueprints can be realized."

Lei En concluded, "Therefore I must overthrow the Supreme Council and, in the emperor's name, seize the Empire's supreme power! If my grand plan for the Empire succeeds, that day the Golden Throne will be the reward I deserve for these achievements."

Anxiwodasi, after listening, remained silent for a long time.

He rose and stood again by the window, overlooking Fu Kong Cheng and Mo Du, and after a while said, "These reasons cannot persuade me to support you. Your ambition must not destroy the Empire's millennia-long stable situation, causing many innocent lives to be lost."

Lei En also walked over.

He faced Anxiwodasi's profile, with no trace of defeat in his eyes, but a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, as if seeing the dawn of victory, and said, "Teacher, I don't need your support."

Anxiwodasi turned his head to look, his eyes showing confusion.

Lei En continued, "All I ask of teacher is one thing: do not oppose. Neither support nor oppose, nor participate; just act as if you know nothing."

Anxiwodasi shook his head, but Lei En stopped him, "Teacher, please hear me out."

The real meaning of that sentence is: hear my offer!

Lei En was suddenly summoned by the Supreme Council, caught off guard by Anxiwodasi, but after the meeting ended, during the few minutes waiting for teacher to emerge, he had already devised a counterplan, now ready to reveal it all.

"If teacher agrees not to intervene and lets me execute my plan, then I will assume all remaining debts of Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, and I promise to repay them within twenty years," Lei En presented the first condition.

Anxiwodasi raised an eyebrow, "Fu Kong Cheng now owes roughly fifty million Gold Shields; can you still repay it?"

Lei En was well aware of Weizelan's debt situation.

Originally the debt totaled nearly one hundred million Gold Shields; previously, after assisting Ai Mi Li Si's restoration, they received rewards and discounted loot of about forty-five million Gold Shields. In the past three years, Weizelan cut costs, the reduced number of Wizards had not been fully replenished, expenses were low, Fu Kong Cheng had a slight surplus, so a few hundred thousand Gold Shields were repaid.

Even so, the remaining fifty million Gold Shields is an astronomical figure.

As the number of Wizards increases, expenditures rise yearly; future annual repayments become smaller, turning surplus into deficit, and the debt may rise again.

This has been a persistent headache for Anxiwodasi.

Fifty million Gold Shields could build half a Fu Kong Cheng, and Lei En's guarantee to repay it in twenty years made him a bit incredulous.

However, Lei En wore a relaxed expression and laughed, "Teacher, I'm now so poor I only have money left."

He also wasn't sure how much money he had.

Just the Mosuobulai raid yielded thirty million Gold Shields, he extorted five hundred thousand from the dwarf king, monthly sales of Sunlight Blood to blood elves brought in over a hundred thousand, and investments from years ago in motorcycles, Camera, and record companies yielded increasing dividends.

There were also tax revenues from the Gra Morgan territories; the Augustus Principality introduced mechanical technology, causing a productivity boom, crazily mining mithril and various ores; a bullet production line in cooperation with the Mechanical Guild; and the hyper-speed elixir researched by his student Sparrow Hawk also succeeded...

Half a plane contains the massive wealth collected by Korstted, which hasn't been tallied yet.

Most importantly, a Fu Kong Cheng must be sold immediately!

Even though Lei En is already spending money frantically, Getan's construction costs flow away like water, and Thundercast Celestial Soldiers forge weapons and gear daily, consuming vast materials.

Yet the money never runs out; it only increases.

Moreover, Aibolaken's underground treasure remains unexcavated; this relic of the most splendid Second Era elven city may hold incalculable wealth.

Repaying fifty million Gold Shields in twenty years is downright easy.

From his current perspective, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem!

Lei En's wealthy and imposing demeanor instantly stunned Anxiwodasi.

Even though he is a world‑renowned Holy Soul Wizard who has lived for over a thousand years, he has never seen anyone as extravagantly wealthy as Lei En, who would pay fifty million Gold Shields just for a single sentence.

If the debt of Weizelan can be cleared within twenty years…

Anxiwodasi's resolve wavered.

Lei En keenly sensed the shift, chuckled inwardly, and pressed on: "Teacher, repaying the debt is only my first promise. If I succeed in ascending the Golden Throne, within half a year I will confer upon you the title of Duke and a fief."

"This fief will serve as an economic source for Weizelan, supporting the expenses of the Weizelan Wizards."

"Moreover, if the teacher finds it troublesome to govern the land, I can manage it myself without any compensation; should the fief become deficient, I will personally cover it. The teacher only needs to do two things each year—audit the accounts and collect revenue—nothing else requires concern. How does that sound?"

Anxiwodasi finally was moved.

Settling the debt and providing a fief as an economic base means Weizelan's development will have no further worries; he won't have to do anything, he controls the Fu Kong Cheng and won't fear it being seized, allowing him to focus on magical research. These two promises are as satisfying as having a pie placed directly into one's mouth.

He finally understood Lei En's earlier remark: everyone has a weakness and a price.

Even a Holy Soul Wizard is no exception.

Even knowing that Lei En is exploiting his weakness and offering a bribe, Anxiwodasi couldn't help but daydream: if he were to agree…

The old wizard remained silent, his expression unchanged.

But Lei En's soul eye saw the teacher's emotions in fierce turmoil, and the aged face clearly bore two words: "So tempting!"

After a while, Anxiwodasi asked softly: "Lei En, can you guarantee that no innocent people will be harmed during the process of claiming the throne?"

"Cannot."

Lei En shook his head. "This is a top‑down seizure of power; I can only promise to limit the impact mainly to the transcendent beings, not to initiate war or harm Empire civilians."

He knew the teacher was already inclined to agree.

A few empty words could deceive the teacher into consenting, but he chose to speak plainly: once the struggle reaches a life‑or‑death stage, it is no longer under his control.

Anxiwodasi looked at Lei En earnestly and sighed, "You are very frank; you didn't deceive me with falsehoods."

"I have never deceived the teacher—never did in the past, not now, and never will in the future." Lei En replied solemnly, "The teacher can always trust me."

Anxiwodasi couldn't help but be moved: "I hope you remember what you said today."

Lei En was overjoyed.

Those words meant the teacher had agreed.

Sure enough, Anxiwodasi said calmly, "Do whatever you wish; as long as you do not harm Weizelan's interests, I will strictly observe the 'no support, no opposition, no participation' agreement, and I will not disclose our conversation to anyone. You must fulfill those two promises and must not harm innocent people."

"Yes, teacher." Lei En nodded solemnly.

In reality, the teacher's lack of opposition is the greatest support for him.

Otherwise, as soon as the teacher gives a single order, without a vote from the Mo Du faction's Empire councilors, he could not become Consul, and the plan to become emperor would collapse at the first step.

Anxiwodasi was also well aware of this, sighed inwardly, feeling guilty.

This deal with Lei En contradicted his principles, but Lei En's terms were so favorable that he could not resist the lure of profit and was bought.

Human hearts!

Anxiwodasi, mocking himself internally, looked at Lei En—who always respected him greatly—and couldn't help reminding him: "Lei En, if one day you become the ruler of the Empire and wield supreme power, you must never let it corrupt you. You yourself said power is a sharp sword; you should be the master holding the sword, not the one being controlled by it and becoming its slave."

"Remember the teacher's teachings." Lei En said gravely.

"You may return." Anxiwodasi waved his hand; his face showed a hint of fatigue, "The council has been going on all night; I'm a bit tired and need rest."

Lei En knew he was not physically exhausted, but mentally weary.

"Then I won't disturb the teacher's rest." With that, Lei En saluted and took his leave.

Anxiwodasi sensed Lei En teleport back to Gramo‑Gon Castle; from his position by the window he could see the Gramo‑Gon domain. He stared absentmindedly at the castle below and the pyramid‑shaped Fu Kong Cheng that had descended to the ground, his gaze complex, unmoving for a long while.

Lei En teleported directly to his study and let out a sigh.

He truly hadn't expected the teacher to anticipate his plan; just after seizing the Fu Kong Cheng, a sudden attack occurred.

Fortunately his reaction was swift and his resources ample; he had previously considered how to win the teacher's support, which allowed him to pass smoothly.

As long as the teacher does not intervene, the next steps will be much easier.

Lei En sat in his study, pondering repeatedly.

Just now, from argument to compromise with the teacher, the deal was sealed without ever mentioning the most crucial factor: the deity.

Will the Empire's three gods be willing to see him claim the throne?

Clearly the teacher misunderstood. During the siege of Augulevi Master, the God of Magic displayed favor before the Holy Soul Wizards, leading the teacher to believe he had received the goddess's tacit approval.

In fact, he had not.

Nevertheless Lei En was not worried.

Although the Empire is ruled by three co‑equal gods, it is essentially a wizard's realm; securing the God of Magic's support is sufficient.

Provided it does not threaten the church or its believers, the Earth Mother and the God of Justice are indifferent to changes in the Empire's polity and possess no say.

Indeed, the God of Justice even welcomes the Empire having an emperor.

The full title of the God of Justice is 'God of Justice and Order'; a nation under an emperor aligns more closely with the 'order' divine office, facilitating the spread of faith and the growth of believers.

As for how to court the God of Magic and win its recognition, Lei En had long devised a plan and a rationale, testing it in the Augustus Duchy. The deity merely seeks believers and the power of faith, and nothing else.

When the time comes, employing a two‑pronged approach, he is over eighty percent confident he can persuade the God of Magic.

While pondering, footsteps rose outside the door.

The study door was gently knocked, and a somewhat hurried voice from Viola came through: "Lei En, are you inside?"

(End of chapter)