Chapter 1006: Trade or Choice
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly solidified.
As everyone knew, Prince ‘Arthur’ left the Dragon Bright Empire and entered the Yang Shao Empire. When he went to the Garden City, he was assassinated in the area of Black Rock Mountain. After the first round of assassination failed, the assassins attracted the mountain hobbit, attempting to use the power of the hobbit to kill ‘Arthur’. The misunderstanding was finally resolved under the mediation of Prince Arthur.
The tactics of these assassins were ingenious and vicious. Many people speculated that the mastermind was the Dragon Bright Empire’s Second Prince Garfield, who had a direct conflict of interest with ‘Arthur’, or the low-key Luke. Some even speculated that it was Landbis of the Blue Glory Empire, but no one could guess that it was actually the father of ‘Arthur’, the Dragon Bright Empire’s Lex the Great!
Before Lex could speak, Chen Rui said a name.
“Proyo.”
Lex’s eyes widened, “Proyo?”
“In the battle of Black Rock Mountain, Proyo sacrificed his life to cover me to leave… But, as a bystander who didn’t put himself in the game at all, I could see clearly that his orders and words, were all misleading the cognition of me and my guardians step by step, trying to promote the misunderstanding between us and the hobbit. Fortunately, my guardians have greater strength than the other party expected, and I have an old relationship with the hobbit grand master, so this assassination was resolved. I was thinking at that time, if the guess is true, why would Proyo do this? Is he the Black Death Follower? If not, who can make him complete the mission of the imperial princess’ fiancé at any cost with his life? With this mentality, I asked Zola to do a small test on sister’s fiancé- Although Proyo is restricted by some kind of soul contract and won’t reveal secrets, the power in this world is very magical. Just like some things are far beyond my imagination, my… ‘father’!”
In fact, it was not Zola who ‘tested’ Proyo, but Chen Rui, who used the power of the Evil Pupil.
“That’s not a probing; it’s a trial for you.” Lex’s eyes moved. He finally did not deny the matter, and he said frankly, “If you can’t even pass this trial, you’re not qualified to be the successor to the throne. Fortunately, you lived up to my expectations.”
“This kind of test is actually a contradictory product of expectations and killing intent. Even if I get through this test by luck, there will be a second test and a third test in the future…” Chen Rui shook his head, “I don’t know when the ‘test’ will turn into a real killing field. It’s just that none of that is really my focus. There’s only one thing I’m most focused on right now, Your Majesty.”
“Although I appreciate your calmness, it also makes me more puzzled. You can even ignore the succession to the throne, so what exactly are you concerned about?”
Chen Rui stared directly at the ruler on the throne, “Are you sure that you have controlled the power you are using?”
“I don’t understand you.”
“You understand! But what you don’t understand is that when you think you have successfully controlled and constrained that kind of power, but in fact, you have failed!”
The absolute control of the empire had always been the highest achievement Lex the Great was most proud of. Hearing this question, the index finger on the armrest of the throne tapped even harder. He gloomily said, “You’re doubting my ability to control the empire?”
“I believe more in the terrifyingness of a certain force.” Lex was about to lash out, but he heard Chen Rui add another sentence, “My 3 guardians died because of the power behind that kind of force.”
Lex met Chen Rui’s gaze which suddenly turned icy, and a strange throbbing surged in his heart as if the son under the throne was the real king whom he really needed to look up to. He involuntarily said, “I just control the remnants of the Cloud Rider Empire. They are not related to the Black Death Followers. Back then, I used their power to defeat the competitors like Sophil, ascend the throne, and consolidate the rule step by step. Until now, these people have gradually lost their usefulness. They are basically cleaned up by me. The remaining power is firmly in my hands. I know the dangers of the Black Death Follower, and I will not be foolish enough to let the Dragon Bright Empire repeat the mistakes of the Cloud Rider Empire; everything is under my control!”
So that’s the truth! When Lex ascended the throne, he actually used the power of the ‘remnants’ of the Cloud Rider Empire, so it seems that Veronica’s marriage and the accidental death of that Prince Sophil…
Chen Rui’s thoughts turned, and the strange light of the Evil Pupil in his eyes faded slightly. He took a few steps forward, “Black Death Follower is always behind the Cloud Rider Empire! This is not a fluke! You made a mistake; the stupidest mistake! You overestimate yourself! When you think everything is under control, in fact, many things are out of your control. I also overestimated you before, I’m afraid even this Dragon Bright Empire is not completely under your control!”
“How dare you!” Lex had recovered from his previous heart palpitations, and these words struck his nerve, “Guards!”
Ulse, the captain of the imperial guard team, rushed in immediately with the imperial guards. He was surprised when he saw Prince ‘Arthur’, who was missing, in the hall.
Chen Rui didn’t seem to see the imperial guards. He just stared straight at Lex the Great and said to himself, “In the name of Arthur. Roland… no, in the name of Arthur’s mother, Ikrina. Roland. Dhora, what I said is truthful and sincere. If for the best interests of this empire, even you can be used as some kind of bargaining chip, then you should let this conversation continue, rather than selfishly interrupted by unpleasant words. Perhaps this is the last conversation between us.”
Ikrina’s name made Lex startled, and he finally sat down again without giving further orders. He waved at Ulse. These imperial guards were all fearless warriors by Lex’s side, and their loyalty was unquestionable, so there was no need to account for such things as secrecy.
The captain of the imperial guard team did not give Chen Rui a second look, and he immediately led his men to retreat.
“Whether it is absolute domination, grand ambition or unification of the world, your ideal is to leave a big name in the history of human beings, but… if even human civilization is annihilated, what is the significance of the so-called big name?”
“The annihilation of human civilization?” Lex didn’t get angry this time. He just coldly said, “Alarmist!”
“The ancient alchemy civilization that I inherited is actually only a very small part. The alchemy civilization is a powerful civilization world no less than the human world, but its destruction is in the hands of the Evil God worshiped by the Black Death Follower. Today, no one will know what great kings and feats the alchemy civilization has had in the millions of years of history because the whole civilization has completely disappeared!”
Lex was finally moved. The last sentence ‘No one will know’ pierced into his heart like a sharp blade. If the entire civilization is truly destroyed, then what’s the point of the so-called rule and the so-called big name in history?
“Everything the Black Death Followers is doing now is to let Evil God come to this world! And your overbearing absolute control now gives the Black Death Followers countless loopholes to take advantage of, which is equivalent to ruining the entire Dragon Bright Empire and even the future of the human world!”
When Chen Rui said these words, he released a clip from Doruda showing the abyss destroying the alchemy civilization. The scenes of flickering pictures danced in Lex’s eyes, reflecting horror and shock.
“Eliminate forces of the Cloud Rider Empire completely! Maybe Your Majesty has already made such a plan, but I still have to formally propose this condition.” After the pictures ended, Chen Rui waved his hand, and a piece of paper fluttered toward Lex, “This is for Your Majesty. Consider it an exchange. It should have been written clearly, so I don’t need to say more.”
Lex took the paper and glanced at it. His facial expression changed, showing an expression of disbelief, “I don’t understand. What exactly do you want?”
Chen Rui pondered for a while, and he finally said what he really wanted, “Holy Light Robe.”
Lex raised his brows and raised the paper in his hand, “Holy Light Robe? You really want that thing! What is your relationship with the Holy Church? Since you have the support of the church and you have worked hard to manage the estate to reach the current level, why did you make this choice?”
“Everyone has their own ideals and quest. In my opinion, what you are obsessed with may not be worthy to me at all. And what I’m obsessed with, you will think it is ridiculous and childish.” Chen Rui smiled slightly, “The relationship between the church and I is not what you think it is. When the time comes, it will be revealed naturally.”
“I don’t know what your quest is, but… you should hand over your chips after the deal, not before.” Lex glanced at the plans written on the paper and smiled contemptuously, “Now I have already obtained these in advance, so you have no bargaining chip. Perhaps I will completely eradicate the remaining power of Cloud Rider Empire in order to prevent the future troubles of the empire, but why will you get the Holy Light Robe?”
“It’s not a transaction. It’s a choice; it’s also a hope.” Chen Rui looked at Lex calmly. “As I said, it won’t shake your rule. I will only make it stronger. This sentence is not a just nice words, but a promise and wish – from ‘Arthur’ Roland to Lex. Roland.”
Lex understood what he meant, and a flame of rage flashed past the indifferent gaze. ‘Transaction’ was not a word between father and son. ‘Choice’, ‘Hope’, ‘Promise’, ‘Wish’… these were.
“This is the end of today’s conversation. I’ll leave for now. I’ll be here in 2 months. At that time, I want to know Your Majesty’s choice.”
Chen Rui bowed, turned and walked toward the gate. After only 2 steps, Lex’s voice sounded from behind, “Since you said you want to completely eliminate the Cloud Rider Empire, do you know that these remnants include that…”
“I know, the Shion Palace… I will finish it myself.” Chen Rui paused, “It’s not the time yet, but it should be soon…”
After speaking, he strode forward, leaving only Lex sitting on the throne, slowly tapping his index finger on the armrest, lost in thought.
Chen Rui didn’t use [Sneak] or other powers as he walked straight out of the hall under the slightly surprised gaze of the imperial guards along the way. When he passed by the Shion Palace, he saw the graceful and beautiful woman on the steps at the entrance of the palace.
The sea blue eyes looked at the familiar figure that appeared under the moonlight, showing an unbelievable expression.
Despite being deep within the palace, she knew his disappearance some time ago caused a stir in the whole world, and he actually appeared in the palace today.
Before disappearing, he did something that also surprised the world by rejecting marriage at the engagement ceremony.
“I’m sorry, you know who I love, I won’t marry you.” was a well-known phrase.
Who this man ‘loves’ was also known to everyone.
When Veronica heard the news, she could only sigh.
When Veronica saw this figure again now, she was still sighing.
“Little Arthur…” A name was whispered from behind the veil.
We cannot have a future.
No, you still have.
I no longer have one long ago.
It was a little surprising that the figure didn’t come this way, but he continued to walk along the avenue, but his eyes kept looking at her.
They looked at each other as he walked over.
His mouth moved slightly. Even if she couldn’t hear it, she could see what those 3 words were from the shape of his mouth.
Wait for me.
Veronica was suddenly in a trance as if she was back in the past.
In a daze, the figure had gradually gone far, disappearing into the moonlight.