Chapter 99: Empire and Empire
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99: Empire and Empire
Atoris was somewhat surprised by the news.
"The North has been unified so quickly?"
Though he had his doubts, the moment he remembered that Xie Bai was the one orchestrating everything, it suddenly seemed reasonable. In fact, if he thought about it that way, the pace actually seemed a bit slow; she had likely throttled the speed to incorporate and put the Northern Lords to work.
"But since you've come to inform me personally, I assume it’s not as simple as that."
Seeing Atoris lower his guard slightly, Thanatos began to address the core purpose of his visit.
"Indeed. Beyond unifying the North, the Northern Territory has simultaneously annexed the central regions of the Northern Continent near the Ice Dragon Nest. Furthermore, there are plans to explore the Land of Storms and achieve the total unification of the Northern Continent."
Hearing this, Atoris finally realized the gravity of the situation.
"So, you intend to create a second continental empire..."
"Correct. Considering that this might meet significant resistance, we intend to establish an alliance with your Aodu Empire."
"An alliance?"
Atoris realized then that the unification of the Northern Continent was merely the appetizer.
"You’re talking about a super-alliance that spans two entire continents?"
"Yes."
"Yes, my foot! Do you have any idea what the rest of the world will think if a super-alliance occupying half the globe suddenly appears? They’ll be forced to band together just to oppose us. It would trigger a true world war..."
Faced with Atoris’s reprimand, Thanatos simply shook his head.
"No, Excellency, you needn't worry about such things. Firstly, unifying the entire world is one of our objectives. Secondly, we do not believe a loose coalition formed out of temporary desperation can stand against the cooperation of our two empires."
Atoris frowned slightly at the explanation.
"Even so... you should be talking to Orion and the others. I’m not the Emperor anymore..."
Thanatos interrupted him. "No, Excellency. According to my memory, the Master said that you are the most trustworthy person of all. She said that if we ever needed anything, we would surely receive your help."
Atoris, who had been hesitating, froze instantly upon hearing those words. His small face went blank as he looked at Thanatos with a hint of flustered uncertainty, asking weakly, "Did... did the Master really say that?"
Seeing Atoris’s brow soften, Thanatos knew the deal was sealed.
"Yes, Excellency. In the Master's eyes, you have always been the most reliable—"
"Alright, alright, that’s enough!"
Quickly cutting Thanatos off, Atoris lowered his head, stealing a glance back at him. "I’ll handle the matter of the alliance for you. At the very least, Orion wouldn't dare defy my orders."
With that, Atoris hurriedly fled the scene.
Watching his retreating back, Thanatos shook his head with a touch of helplessness. If he had a choice, he would have preferred dealing with Orion. To outsiders, Orion was the Emperor who truly held the reins of the Empire. But to those who knew the truth, the real power lay with the petite Sword of the Empire standing beside him.
Normally, Atoris did not interfere with Orion’s decisions, but the moment Atoris required Orion to do something, the latter was absolutely incapable of refusing. In a sense, Atoris was more of a Prince Regent than the Sword of the Empire. It was only because Atoris rarely took action—and because his physical appearance was so deceptive—that outsiders didn't see him as a regent.
Instead, rumors painted Atoris as someone receiving "special favor" from the Emperor. Naturally, these rumors were like the popular romance novels found in the markets; to the ignorant, they were quite spicy and exciting. But to Orion, they were nothing short of a pure horror story.
Fortunately, Atoris himself was unaware of these rumors, and Thanatos had no intention of enlightening him. With his mission accomplished, Thanatos vanished, merging into the shadow of a nearby Imperial Guard.
*
A short while later, Atoris arrived at Orion’s private council chamber.
"Hey, Orion, I have something I need—"
Pushing the door open, Atoris found Orion and Roland in the middle of a meeting.
"Ahem... Father, do you have some urgent business?" Brandon stammered.
Seeing Brandon’s shifty behavior, Atoris narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Roland, what were you two just discussing?"
In the face of Atoris’s questioning, Roland stood up and offered his seat. "The situation was urgent, and I apologize for not informing you immediately..."
Atoris grew even more suspicious. "What could be so urgent that you managed to forget about me?"
He sat down naturally in the offered chair. "Tell me everything. What exactly is going on?"
Orion and Roland exchanged a glance. Finally, Roland spoke up to explain.
"To put it simply, while I was observing the Fate Stars earlier, I discovered nearly a thousand 'foreign stars' scattered across the Empire’s sky. This symbolizes that the Empire is about to welcome an unprecedented phenomenon."
"Oh? What kind of phenomenon?"
"It means that an equal number of 'The Unfated' will be born within the Empire’s borders. Ancient history records these beings as powerful entities who fear neither death nor the entanglements of karma."
Atoris began to catch on. "So, you’re saying we should prepare to receive these people?"
"Correct. Furthermore, we can attempt to recruit them into the Wheel of Fate. This would give us a special unit that is indifferent to death and causality."
"So, you were just negotiating this with Orion and introducing him to the Wheel of Fate?"
"Precisely."
"Then what were you trying to hide from me? Is there something else involving me?" Atoris turned his gaze toward Orion.
Being stared down, Orion looked visibly awkward. "Uh, how should I put this... I agreed to help Master Roland manage the Wheel of Fate. In exchange, Master Roland agreed to help me develop an alchemy device..."
Atoris sensed something was off. "An alchemy device? For what?"
"Uh... nothing much. Just something to interfere with cognition and modify memories. It’s useful for controlling public discourse and preventing rumors, you know..."
"Rumors? Have there been new rumors in the Empire lately?"
"Uh... well..." Orion began signaling frantically to Roland with his eyes.
Seeing this, a look of disappointed resignation crossed Roland’s face. He sighed and prepared to take his leave.
"Wait, where are you going? You two might be finished, but I haven't said my piece yet."
Stopping Roland, Atoris turned his focus back to Orion. Seeing that he was under the spotlight again, Orion straightened up immediately.
"Whatever it is, Father, please just say the word. We will do our utmost to make it happen."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Good."
Taking advantage of Orion’s momentary relief, Atoris dropped the bombshell.
"We are going to ally with a newly risen empire to form a coalition that will occupy half the world. Orion, you will preside over the proceedings. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"