Chapter 903: A New Official Takes Office

Since the Supreme Council was founded and created the Consul position, nearly 1,200 years have passed, and the forty‑four Consuls before Lei En all lived in He Palace after taking office.

By tradition, the outgoing Consul accompanies the new Consul into He Palace, familiarizes them with the residence, tours the various cabinet departments, and introduces senior administrators besides the ministers, symbolizing that He Palace has officially changed its master.

However, Ge Niu Si was assassinated, and He Palace is temporarily overseen by the GreyEagle Duke.

When Lei En arrived at He Palace, he did not see TimKainanMaster; only Ou Ti Lu Ke stood in for the Master, leading all He Palace officials to welcome the Consul.

"Welcome the Consul!"

Ou Ti Lu Ke stood at the front of the crowd and led the salute to Lei En.

The permanent He Palace administrators, the Empire's core civil servants, number over a thousand; they line up by department, each dressed in proper formal attire, performing the salute carefully while scrutinizing the new Consul, their eyes filled with awe.

He Palace officials understand the Empire's political structure far better than ordinary people.

Everyone present knows that the new Consul differs from Ge Niu Si and from every previous Consul; his strength and authority have reached an unprecedented peak for a Consul, named Consul but in fact the ruler of the Empire!

"No need for excessive ceremony, everyone."

Lei En dismounted from his golden‑scaled Pegasus, responded calmly, his eyes flicking rapidly over the He Palace officials. Anyone who met his gaze either held their head high or smiled, striving to leave a good impression on the Consul.

"For the next ten years, He Palace and Empire affairs will rely on your hard work."

Lei En's demeanor was modest; he gave a brief speech as usual, nothing novel—just reassuring the He Palace officials that they need not worry, that a change of Consul will not affect their positions, and that they should calmly assist the new cabinet ministers and fulfill their duties.

"Everyone, return to your stations," Lei En said without filler. "In the coming days I will tour each department and converse with you all."

"Yes, Consul."

The He Palace officials dispersed.

Ou Ti Lu Ke stepped forward, glanced at Guard Commander He Si Ke Tuo standing beside Lei En, and whispered, "Consul, the Master is still angry, so I will handle the handover with you."

He also attended the inauguration ceremony and witnessed the entire process.

After the ceremony, the Master erupted in fury, abandoned He Palace affairs, and returned directly to Long Pi Si. From the perspective of the Balance faction and the Master, he was also displeased with the Mo Du faction and Lei En's approach, but having owed Lei En a life and having a good relationship after being revived, he had to step in.

"Just call me Lei En as before."

Lei En regarded Ou Ti Lu Ke, the empire‑wide legendary wizard, highly and did not harbor hostility over their positions, saying, "Much obliged, Master."

"It's a trivial matter."

Ou Ti Lu Ke shook his head helplessly, "I'll give you a tour of He Palace, then hand over the Master's recent duties to you."

"A tour isn't necessary," Lei En said, being familiar with He Palace; the formality could be skipped, and later He Si Ke Tuo could guide him. "Master, let's not waste time and go straight to the Consul's Office."

"Very well," Ou Ti Lu Ke nodded.

Within He Palace stands a three‑story office building named Consul, with the entire top floor serving as the Consul's office; amid greetings from He Palace officials, Lei En ascended to the third floor and entered a bright, spacious room.

Lei En sat behind the desk that originally belonged to the GreyEagle Duke; Chief of Staff Frank immediately ushered several secretaries in, each carrying a large stack of documents and placing them on the desk.

Ou Ti Lu Ke sat opposite and opened a document.

"Lei En, the first item is this year's Empire budget proposal awaiting your approval..." Ou Ti Lu Ke, while in Flaniss Floating City, had long managed the floating city for the GreyEagle Duke, previously campaigned for Consul, assisted the Master, and is familiar with every matter at hand.

He held nothing back, explaining each task meticulously.

Lei En listened attentively.

Fiscal budget, personnel appointments and dismissals, preparation for establishing a trade company, the vacancy of the Sulanye Province governor, and so on—these are only the most critical items, requiring consideration of various interests; there are also dozens of lower‑priority tasks, yet they are equally important and demand considerable thought and effort.

More work is delegated to the various He Palace departments, shared by cabinet ministers and officials, but ultimately the decisions must be centralized on the Consul's desk.

Additionally, several hundred documents await review and signature, all accumulated over the past month.

Handling just these duties each day takes four to five hours.

No wonder the GreyEagle Duke grew impatient after a month; for someone not keen on power, dealing with such bureaucracy is torment.

Nevertheless, Lei En showed no impatience.

He listened to Ou Ti Lu Ke while activating his phone's camera, photographing each document for record and then saving them.

Chief of Staff Frank stood nearby, his face focused.

He is a clone he created himself.

The Chief of Staff serves as He Palace's head steward and must be an absolute confidant; when Lei En could not find a suitable candidate, he simply placed a Thundercast Celestial Soldier in the role, as a clone more reliable than any person. When he is absent, the Chief of Staff will still allow him to monitor He Palace's movements.

Some minor trivialities can also be assigned to Frank.

Ou Ti Lu Ke spent just over an hour, covering everything that would take an ordinary person a full day to explain.

"Lei En, I have returned to report to the Master."

"Thank you for your effort, Master."

Lei En personally escorted Ou Ti Lu Ke out of the Consul Hall; before departing, Ou Ti Lu Ke recalled something and reminded him, "Flaniss Floating City is still on the secondary continent; today you fell out with the Master, and the Master may expedite the city's relocation back to the nation, so you must hurry with the trade company matters."

"Understood, thank you, Master," Lei En nodded.

After seeing Ou Ti Lu Ke off, Lei En returned to the upstairs office and immediately began handling affairs, first signing the backlog of documents that had piled up for over a month.

He reviewed several hundred documents, then signed and stamped them; by the time he finished, it was evening.

Lei En's gaze pierced the walls, seeing the Consul Hall and several office buildings within He Palace; all officials were still working, none leaving at the scheduled time.

Today is the Consul's first day in office, and everyone dares not act recklessly.

"Everyone's waiting for the leader to leave."

Lei En recalled his past life working in a library, where the office leader never left; even when time came, no one dared to clock out, each pretending to be busy while secretly watching the leader's actions.

Now, it is his turn to sit in the leader's seat.

It feels good!

Lei En chuckled inwardly; they say a new official brings three fires, but in a world where extraordinary power belongs to oneself, his own strength and status require no such display of authority.

He stood up and said, "Frank, notify the cabinet of a meeting tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir."

While they spoke, Lei En left the office; Guard Commander He Si Ke Tuo met him downstairs, escorting Lei En with a squad of Extreme Warriors through half of He Palace to a luxurious courtyard villa in the northern part of He Palace.

It is the finest residence in He Palace, with expansive views and a vast area; an entire camp of Rui Ke Imperial Guard guards the villa inside and out, and multiple rune formations have been set up.

Lei En entered the hall and saw his family.

They had been sitting on the sofa, and when they heard the commotion of the Rick Guard, they all sprang up and rushed to the doorway, clearly having waited a long time.

"Lei En."

Marinda shouted excitedly.

Father Lao Bad and mother Marinda had come from Longshande to the capital yesterday to attend his inauguration ceremony, and because they were too busy, they hadn't had a proper talk.

Lao Bad opened his mouth but said nothing; the look in his eyes toward Lei En was only reverence, not the intimacy of father and son, as if a stranger.

Lei En nodded at them and smiled, "Father, Mother."

"Big brother!"

Younger brothers Briset and Ka Luo Di greeted in unison; the two had rushed back from the New Continent and were still extremely excited. They are Transcendents, knowing better than the family how powerful Lei En's current strength is, but they are not as restrained as the parents.

Ka Luo Di, who had joined the Holy Spear Knight Corps, often sees Lei En in Gotham City, so he had no hesitation and shouted happily, "Big brother, you're amazing, you even ascended to Holy Soul Wizard!"

Briset also kept nodding, his face full of admiration.

Lei En used his Soul Eye to observe and said contentedly, "Briset, I heard you're doing well in Albert Bay, already a sixth‑level Magic Swordmaster."

"Just a Mid‑stage Transcendent, I'm far behind you, big brother."

Briset has been adventuring abroad these past few years, following the Soul‑Hunting Squad in battle; his temperament has become much steadier, but in front of Lei En he is still the shy younger brother he once was.

"Keep working hard."

Lei En patted his shoulder.

Then he looked at a girl beside his younger brother; she was the youngest sister Cathy, who had grown a lot after years apart; the parents had raised her as a noble lady, graceful and proper, but still timid, and she whispered, "Big brother, congratulations on becoming Consul."

Cathy was an adopted daughter of the parents, but also a distant blood relative.

Lei En is six years older than her; they didn't play together as children and have not seen each other for many years, so their relationship is rather unfamiliar.

"Thank you, Cathy." Lei En gave a gentle smile, not saying much lest he frighten her.

Besides his family, Viola and Ai Mi Li Si were also present; Ai Mi Li Si had brought her son Lei Ke Si. The three‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old Lei Ke Si was very sensible, much taller than peers, and his body was fit and strong; he wore a tailored noble dress, and after Lei En and the parents exchanged greetings, he stepped forward, looked up and called, "Father."

Lei En lifted him up and said with a smile, "Lei Ke Si, are you hungry?"

"Not hungry!"

Lei Ke Si shook his little head, but his eyes drifted toward Ai Mi Li Si, betraying his true thoughts.

As a pure‑blood Dragonborn, Lei Ke Si has a huge appetite, needing six meals a day, each meticulously prepared and nutrient‑rich to ensure his dragon soul grows strong; a common family or even a lesser noble would go bankrupt just feeding him.

"Hahaha…" Lei En laughed, "Lei Ke Si, from now on tell me the truth—if you're hungry you must eat, understand?"

"I'll remember, Father." Lei Ke Si nodded vigorously.

Viola and Ai Mi Li Si said nothing; one is the Pope and Minister of Internal Affairs, the other is the queen, both of high status and great power; in front of Lei En they are natural, not as restrained as Lao Bad's family, and feel more like Lei En's own family.

Lei En was fully aware of this, but could do nothing.

Apart from Briset and Ka Luo Di, the parents and Cathy are ordinary people; the gap between them and him widens, and their affection will only grow more distant.

The only thing he can do is ensure they live worry‑free, granting them a life of wealth and honor as a member of the Augustus family.

"Come, let's eat!"

Lei En carried his son toward the villa's dining hall.

In the bright dining hall, a ten‑meter‑long wooden table was already laden with delicious dishes; dozens of He Palace servants and maids waited at the sides, each well‑trained, wearing uniformed attire, and under the villa steward's guidance they greeted the Consul.

Lei En sat at one end of the long table; to his right were Viola and Ai Mi Li Si with their son, to his left the first was father Lao Bad, then mother Marinda and the three younger siblings.

Before the meal, Lei En prayed to the goddess according to his mother's habit.

"Everyone, dig in."

The He Palace chef's cooking is the Empire's finest, so the food is naturally exquisite; however, in the past two years Lei En's appetite has been tamed by Fa Lan Jia Si Ka, so he feels fine, eats little, mainly watching his son Lei Ke Si eat.

At first, the atmosphere at the table was very dull.

Lei En deliberately brought up topics, sharing some amusing anecdotes and jokes, occasionally teasing Lei Ke Si; Viola also intentionally cooperated, gradually letting the family drop their restraint.

Briset and Ka Luo Di became lively, mustering courage to ask questions, and Lei En answered everything.

At Lei En's level, many ordinary things were enough to astonish the family, drawing their attention and eliciting exclamations.

After this meal, the family atmosphere became much closer.

Lao Bad and Marinda felt that Lei En still seemed their son; although now he is the Empire's Consul and a Holy Soul Wizard, in front of them he has no lofty bearing, just a bit unfamiliar after so long apart.

"Father, Mother."

After the meal Lei En said, "From now on you can live in He Palace, and Cathy, you may treat He Palace as your own home."

"Is that really possible?" Cathy's eyes sparkled.

This is He Palace!

Even the Empire's greatest nobles have no right to reside in He Palace; she, from a small town, never dreamed of ever having a chance to enter He Palace, let alone live there.

Lao Bad and Marinda felt as if they were in a dream.

In just seven or eight years, a family went from the obscure Eagle Marsh town to the Empire's most prestigious He Palace; such a massive change could not even be staged in Longshande's finest theater, yet now it is real!

Lao Bad originally intended to return to Longshande after attending Lei En's inauguration ceremony.

He changed his mind immediately.

No ordinary person can refuse the honor of living in He Palace, but he was embarrassed to answer Lei En directly; his face flushed bright red, yet the expectation in his eyes could not be hidden.

The father's thoughts were faintly visible in the Soul Eye; Lei En smiled to himself, and replied to Cathy:

"Of course you can."

He looked at his family, his expression rather playful, and said, "As long as I'm still here, you may stay in He Palace for as long as you wish."

(End of chapter)