Chapter 890: Imperial Council

Nuosiruier's winter is extremely cold, and most of the time it is snowy.

But today, the weather is unusually clear; not a cloud in the sky, and the azure heavens shine like gems. The rising sun bathes the land, and the ice and snow from last night reflect its light, as if the whole city is wrapped in a layer of silver, lifting everyone's spirits.

Millions of residents have already risen, noticing that the number of patrol guards on the streets has multiplied several times; at every transportation hub and each important Imperial institution, squads of extraordinary soldiers from the Imperial Legion are posted, raising the city's alert level to the maximum.

A solemn atmosphere pervades among the people.

Today is the once‑every‑ten‑years Imperial Council vote to elect a new Consul.

Some of the older citizens have witnessed a few election cycles, but they cannot explain why none has ever been as weighty as today; when they meet, they merely nod and exchange a few low whispers.

9 a. m.

The bell of Fubei Deng Castle rang a resonant magical chime that echoed across Nuosiruier; nearby people looked up toward the direction of the Imperial Council and saw the God of Magic statue glowing, while the castle walls blocked the view of the Temple of Truth where the Council sits.

"It's starting."

Many people silently thought to themselves, then glanced at the person beside them.

Lei En set out from Marlinge Manor; today he did not use teleportation, but rode in a low‑key black automobile, escorted by a squad of Extreme Warriors. Amid countless reverent gazes along the road, the car arrived at Fubei Deng Castle.

The massive fortress is heavily guarded; the full twenty‑thousand Rik Guard forces are deployed, with a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps, and the Guard commander Heisketo personally leads men at the gate.

Many Imperial Councilors have already gathered on the square before the castle.

When Lei En's convoy arrived, the eyes of both the Rik Guard and the Councilors converged on him, making him the focus of the entire scene.

The car came to a halt, and Lei En stepped down from the rear seat by pushing the door open himself.

His attire today is no different from usual: a fitted mithril light armor, simple yet imposing, which cannot hide his tall, muscular frame; at his waist hangs a Legend Grade Soul‑Eating Blade as a ceremonial sword, and a blood‑red cloak drapes to his ankles, not ostentatious at all but highlighting the aura of a peak warrior.

Lei En walked around to the other side of the car and, with gentlemanly poise, opened the door.

Viola gently helped Lei En's hand as he stepped out.

She had risen early to dress meticulously, wearing light makeup, a specially tailored elegant long dress for formal occasions, and a "Crown of Green Vines" denoting her papal status; the exquisite green wreath accentuated her stunningly beautiful face, drawing the eyes of many men.

After alighting, the two walked side by side.

Heisketo stepped forward, a friendly smile on his face, and warmly greeted, "I have met Speaker Lei En, I have met Viola under the crown."

"Commander Heisketo," Lei En nodded slightly.

He glanced at the Rik Guard commander; his soul‑eye precisely read the other's thoughts—outwardly amiable but inwardly a little uneasy, with a hint of flattery.

Guard commanders are generally the Consul's confidants.

Although the position is appointed directly by the Supreme Council and bears the duty of protecting the Consul, it also implicitly involves monitoring the Consul; however, if the Consul resolutely demands a replacement, the Supreme Council will consider the opinion.

The Consul cannot appoint his own people, but he can dismiss the Guard commander.

Moreover, Heisketo is suspected of dereliction of duty in the death of former Consul Gneus, and the matter has not yet been settled.

Even if Lei En fails in his Consul campaign, a single word from him would force Heisketo to slink away.

Heisketo is well aware of this situation.

Seeing Lei En's calm expression and his unremarkable response to the greeting made Heisketo even more uneasy.

In truth, Lei En is dissatisfied with him.

But there is currently no more suitable candidate, so there is no plan to replace Heisketo yet, though that may change later.

Viola also knows Heisketo's position is unstable, but out of respect for a Saint Rank powerhouse, she lets a faint smile appear and replies, "Commander, you have labored greatly."

"Not laboring, not laboring."

Heisketo waved repeatedly, but after a glance at Viola he averted his eyes, daring not to stare lest Lei En misunderstand.

Viola sighed inwardly.

It was her first time witnessing a Saint Rank powerhouse so humble before her, yet she also realized that Heisketo's true reverence was not for her but for Lei En.

At this moment, nearby Imperial Councilors stepped forward to greet.

"Speaker Lei En."

"Lord Count."

"Your Excellency Lei En."

Various titles rang from the Councilors' mouths, but all wore smiles; some were overly eager, bordering on flattery, and while greeting they also praised Viola's beauty.

Viola is an Imperial Councilor and has attended many Imperial Council sessions.

She is familiar with these Councilors; most can be named and their backgrounds known, each a prominent figure of the Empire.

However, until today she had never seen this side of the Councilors, even before the lofty Holy Soul Wizards they were not this attentive.

Because there were so many people, Lei En could not respond to each individually.

He could only give a slight nod or call a Councilor by name to show respect. Nevertheless, those whose names were mentioned seemed to have won a prize, their faces lighting up as they returned an even warmer smile.

More Councilors remained at a distance, maintaining their composure and not crowding in.

Viola could tell they were not unwilling to greet Lei En, but were either too far away or arrived a step late, missing the prime spot.

At this moment, the Half-elf fully realized Lei En's stature.

Lei En's influence, his allure to those in power, appears to the Councilors stronger than any beauty; in such a setting, attractiveness is irrelevant.

"Councilors, we should proceed inside," Lei En said.

Immediately a Councilor shouted, "Yes, yes, Speaker Lei En is right; we must not delay the voting, everyone forward."

"Let Speaker Lei En go first," someone suggested.

"Indeed," the suggestion was instantly endorsed, "It is proper to let Speaker Lei En go first; fellow Councilors, please make way."

Lei En had no intention of doing so, but the Councilors ahead had already cleared a path.

He felt both amused and exasperated.

He never imagined that after crossing into another world, he would also enjoy the courtesy of "letting the leader go first."

At such a moment it is hard to refuse; Lei En could only express thanks, take Viola, and pass through the gate into Fubei Deng Castle. A crowd of Imperial Councilors followed behind, clustering around the two as if they were inspecting rather than voting at the Temple of Truth.

Viola felt a bit uneasy about the scene.

Lei En faced it calmly.

He had long ago realized that the humans of the Ai Lun E Si world possessed extraordinary power, yet they were not much different from the societies of previous humans. Whether ordinary folk or those whose extraordinary power stemmed from themselves, there were always countless sycophants and flatterers.

As long as one's own power is stronger, having absolute advantage, one can treat the Empire's senators as ordinary people, divide, suppress, or win them over, using all means without much scruple.

Walk to the middle of the plaza, turn right, and arrive at the Temple of Truth.

Lei En and Viola paused before the statue of the God of Magic, and as usual, silently prayed to Him three times before stepping onto the steps before the temple.

Step by step forward, entering the main hall of the temple.

The atmosphere in the Empire Council Hall was solemn; half of the hundreds of seats were already filled, and most Empire senators sat quietly in their places, or whispered with those beside them.

Suddenly a great number of footsteps came from outside the council hall's main doors, and the senators couldn't help but turn their heads, seeing Lei En.

Wha—...

Many Empire senators instinctively stood up in a wave.

Some senators did not intend to stand, but seeing everyone else rise made their staying seated too conspicuous, and fearing Lei En might notice their disrespect, they also had to stand.

The Empire Council Hall strictly forbids noise; the senators watched Lei En enter through the main doors, walk through the middle, and step down to the front row of the speaker's platform.

He did not sit down immediately, but turned and waved to the senators.

"Everyone need not be overly formal, please be seated."

Lei En's voice was soft, his tone gentle, and it reached precisely into each senator's ear, making them feel very friendly.

The Empire senators again whirled back to their seats.

Lei En himself also sat down; Viola's seat was a few rows behind him, and she could sense, without turning her head, that almost everyone, like herself, was staring at Lei En's back, with occasional low murmurs, also about Lei En.

Viola did not know how many times she had sighed.

Seven years ago, the first time she saw Lei En seemed as if it were right before her eyes; at that time he was still a plain person under twenty, not even an extraordinary one. Apart from his handsome looks and superb talent, no one paid him any heed.

Seven years later, Lei En was only one step away from standing atop the Empire's pinnacle of power.

In such a short seven years, such a massive transformation—looking across the Ai Lun E Si history, Viola could not find another example that rose as quickly as Lei En.

He has already surpassed the heroes of those epics.

He will create even more miracles in the future!

Viola's heart surged; these days she had constantly felt as unreal as a dream, and now she could finally be certain of one thing: she must firmly grasp Lei En and never let him leave her side.

Thinking so, the Half-elf gazed at Lei En's silhouette with a hint of obsession.

Empire senators kept entering the hall, taking their seats, then, like Viola, looking toward Lei En seated at the front.

A moment later, the council hall was almost fully seated.

Bang!

With the sound of a magical bell, the council hall's doors shut, no longer allowing entry or exit.

Three silhouettes were teleported onto the speaker's platform, suddenly appearing.

The one on the left looked very young, wore a dark‑red magical robe, his face expressionless; the Empire senators avoided meeting his fierce gaze—the Duke Hong Shi Kelsong*Kars.

The wizard on the right wore a heavy black robe, was tall and robust, shaved his head, and kept a sharp black goatee; his demeanor was solemn. In recent days the Empire senators had often dealt with him—the GreyEagle Duke Tim*Kenan.

Standing in the middle, the old wizard's beard and hair were snow‑white, his face gentle; his clear eyes contained wisdom far beyond ordinary people, his aura as deep as the sea. The Empire senators were not unfamiliar with him either—the Consul of Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, Master Anxiwodasi.

The Empire's three great heads have gathered!

In the vote for the former Consul, the leaders of the Supreme Council's three major factions will attend, taking turns to preside over the voting process, while the other two supervise.

Previously it was Augulevi Master who stood in the middle.

That was a symbol of status; now it is Master Anxiwodasi, reflecting the shift in the Supreme Council's structure—Mo Du faction has risen, replacing the Naiser faction, becoming the Empire's dominant force.

Tim*Kenan scanned the council hall.

Then he said, "The Empire council has 323 seats; Governor Hetes cannot attend, and three seats are vacant; the remaining 319 are all present."

Some Empire senators showed regret on their faces.

Half a month ago, during the revenge operation, four high‑ranking Empire figures died; three were revived by Lei En with a divine artifact, but Governor Tehes of Sulanye Province could not be saved; he disappeared, the Empire legion could not locate his corpse, thus could not revive him.

"Today we will elect the Empire's new Consul."

Tim*Kenan said nothing superfluous, looked at the dozen candidates in the front rows, and said, "Before voting, each candidate has one final chance to speak."

The senators were all very familiar with this procedure.

In past votes, the final speech in the council hall was extremely important, even the most crucial address, because the chance to speak before all Empire senators came only once. A candidate could overturn the situation with the final speech, change the senators' stance, and thus be elected Consul; such examples have occurred many times in Empire history.

The order of speaking also became very important; the first and the last speakers held the greatest advantage.

In the past, candidates fought fiercely for the first speaking slot, planning months ahead, undergoing multiple rounds of deals and compromises, finally fixing the speaking order.

However, this year there was little movement.

"Batura*Yunaisuta," Tim*Kenan casually named, "Now it is your turn to speak; you have fifteen minutes."

Batura stood up and replied, "Duke, I forfeit my speech."

The Empire senators all showed surprise; forfeiting a speech almost meant forfeiting the campaign, though everyone knew this vote was almost a foregone conclusion, no speech could reverse it, yet Marquis Ze Li Mu's outright forfeiture was still somewhat unexpected.

Tim*Kenan's expression did not change, as if he had known already, and said, "Otiluk, now it is your turn to speak."

"Duke, I also forfeit my speech."

Otiluk rose to answer; he had only recently been revived, and when he sat down he cast a friendly glance toward Lei En.

After that, every candidate Tim*Kenan called up also, without exception, forfeited their speech.

After the names of the dozen candidates were read, finally it was Lei En's turn; he was the last. Tim*Kenan said, "Ryan Augustus, now it is your turn to speak; you have fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Duke."

Under the gaze of the multitude, Lei En slowly rose and walked onto the speaker's platform.

He looked at the three hundred plus Empire senators seated in rows before him, his face showing confidence and solemnity, and in a calm voice said, "Everyone, remember this: serving as Consul is not my honor, but the honor of the position itself. Today, each vote you cast for me will, in the future, become the most important decision of your lives."

(End of chapter)