Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 1191

Chapter 1191: 1191

Chapter 1191: Best Candidate

Qianye’s giant fleet drove out of the neutral lands and into the void . There, it adjusted direction before flying down toward the lower continents, away from the sun .

At the lead was the Empire’s latest battlecruiser, with the Martyr’s Palace in the middle of the formation and corvettes guarding the flanks . The high-speed transports followed closely behind the palace . Looking from a distance, the kinetic sails on the Earth Dragon’s back were moving about slowly just like a real void colossus swimming through the void .

Comparing the fleet to a school of fish, the Martyr’s Palace was like a giant whale and the battlecruiser, a small shark . As for the others, they could only be counted as tiny fish no matter their type and size . Actually, the Martyr’s Palace could easily hold two thousand men or even twenty thousand . It was just that this group was recently formed and contained a fair number of people Qianye wasn’t familiar with . He didn’t want them knowing too much about the palace .

The fleet traveled several days through the void before the silhouette of a continent appeared before them .

Qianye stood in the control room, facing a map of the Fort Continent on the wall . The diagram was full of markings, and the little note in the corner proved that this version was completed just last December . There was also a glaring skull on the map, a sign of confidential Imperial intelligence—those secretly in possession would be executed .

This map was naturally best for military purposes . The version circulating on the black market couldn’t compare in terms of accuracy and completeness . Song Zining had used his connections to secure this map and delivered it to the neutral lands along with the military supplies . It wasn’t too hard for him to get his hands on such confidential intelligence with his current status .

Qianye scanned the map carefully until he finally found the nation of Zheng . With the country as the center, he then expanded his scope of observation circle by circle .

From up in the void, Fort Continent was like a giant maple leaf . The top part was split into three parts, and the bottom was like a thin stalk . There were countless small islands around the continent, remnants of land left behind during the continent’s formation . Most of them were uninhabited apart from those closer to the mainland and inside the continent’s protective layer .

Zheng was at one of the maple leaf’s tips . In addition to its mainland territory, it counted hundreds of little islands as its own, a dozen or so of which was inhabited . It seemed Song Zining put in some effort to get so much detailed intelligence, but the information covered by the map itself was rather limited . Qianye would need to find out more in person .

Just from its position, one could say that Zheng was a nice stepping stone . Its mainland was equal to three Imperial provinces, and the islands added together would make for one .

This land area wasn’t small . The Zhao clan only oversaw two provinces at present and was in the process of engaging in a third . Even though there was a fundamental difference between a lower and middle-level continent, building such a foundation meant that the Zheng ancestors were indeed quite valiant .

With regards to the entire Fort Continent, Zheng was a medium-sized power that was neither big nor small . It was rather difficult for the corner nation to expand inland, but similarly, it was bordered by fewer powers . It was relatively safer since there were fewer enemies to face .

The Fort Continent was inhabited by a mix of races, and the biggest power was a nation named Getun at the center of the continent . This country was formed from various smaller tribes . In addition to the king, the Elder Assembly also held great power .

Qianye was interested in Getun because, with his experience, he could tell that the tribes forming the nation were likely werewolf tribes . This meant that the werewolves also held great power on the Fort Continent, in addition to their homeland .

Qianye rubbed his chin . “A continent governed by werewolves? Interesting!”

The werewolves’ power among the dark races had been on the decline throughout the millennium . The Empire had studied and come to a conclusion about this trend—the werewolves’ primitive combat style and abilities gave them no edge against the vampires and demonkin . At the same time, they were stubborn in nature and late to accept new things . This became more pronounced after losing their only absolute powerhouse on the sacred mountain .

At this point, the ancestral faction who wanted to return to their oldest traditions were still highly influential . Even the Summit of Peaks could do nothing to them .

The werewolves were used to governing as tribes . Even as a nation, a handful of tribes put together was no different from a scattered plate of sand . That was why the werewolves were simply not at the same level as the vampires and demonkin in terms of mobilization .

The drawbacks of the tribal system were clear to all those who had taken history lessons in the Empire . The twelve major vampire clans had undergone many changes in recent years, but the werewolves were intent on sticking to old traditions .

Under such circumstances, it was rather interesting that they could maintain authority over the Fort Continent .

Qianye began to think whether there was something especially useful to their race, perhaps a certain resource or the environment . There had to be something important here for them to come over and take roots .

While he was lost in thought, a knock came from the control-room doors, and an attendant walked in . “Sire, the envoy we sent out has returned, and they’re waiting for you outside . When would you like to meet them?”

“Back already? Very good, take them to the conference room, I’ll be there immediately . ” After giving some orders, Qianye studied the map a bit more before heading toward the conference room .

There were several people in the conference room . Among them was a grey-haired young man who looked rather distracted and restless . He was still in a daze when Qianye walked in and only came to when someone prodded him from the side . He quickly performed a salute and said, “Junior Nan Ruohuai greets Senior Qianye!”

Qianye didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry as this was the first time someone had called him senior . He touched his cheek lightly—his skin was smooth and soft, without a single facial hair . Why would someone think he’s old?

The person beside Nan Ruohuai poked him again and whispered something in his ears . The man woke up with an “Ah!”, blushing as he bowed deeply . “I’m sorry, Sire Qianye . I was so anxious just now that I spoke incoherently . I hope you won’t blame me . . . I’m… truly… . ”

Nan Ruohuai was so nervous that he was about to cry . Then, he actually threw himself to his knees .

Qianye was between laughter and tears once again . With a sweep of his origin power, he brought Nan Ruohuai back to his feet and said with a smile, “Don’t be nervous, speak normally . ”

Only then did the young man calm down and return to his seat . He kept his head down in utter silence and his fist, clenched tightly . His performance just now was terrible, but he had no idea how to make up for it . It was better to say less since there would be fewer mistakes .

Qianye couldn’t help but shake his head . Young nobles he had met on the Qin Continent, even people like Song Ziqi, would carry themselves with the style of a clan scion . He had never seen someone like this .

He said gently, “Now tell me who you are and why you’re here to see me?”

“My… father is King Zheng . According to age, I’m ranked thirty-first with nine little brothers under me . However… I’m of common birth…” Nan Ruohuai’s voice grew smaller at this point .

Qianye’s eyes were full of praise as he looked at the intelligence officer accompanying Nan Ruohuai .

This man’s talents were passable and his cultivation wasn’t low, but he was simply too timid and was clearly inexperienced . Most importantly, he was of common birth . Zheng’s system was basically a copy of the Qin Empire’s, and they attached the highest importance to matters of inheritance . This so-called common birth meant that he was born to a lady below the level of an Imperial concubine . Unless his mother was eventually conferred concubine status, he had no right to inherit .

Power and status in the Imperial harem were no different from the court; it was simply a contest of familial and personal strength . How could one convince the masses if they had neither? This was also why the Radiant Emperor suffered endless attacks and criticism following his succession . This happened despite the Solemn Emperor abdicating while he was still alive and observing court assemblies . After ascending the throne, the Radiant Emperor lay low for many years and only rounded up the court and government recently .

The smaller the nation, the more important the system was to them . This Nan Ruohuai must’ve been bullied quite badly to be so meek .

His maternal family held no power, and he himself possessed no definite opinion . He was still of King Zheng’s bloodline, after all, so his talents weren’t bad . He should have no problem becoming a champion, and there was no worry about his life being short . To Qianye, this was the best candidate . It must have been tough for the intelligence division to find such a target within a short time .

Qianye chatted with Nan Ruohuai for a bit and asked about his maternal family before allowing him to withdraw . He then looked toward the intelligence officer .

The man was in his early thirties with slender eyes and thin lips, someone who would be overlooked in a sea of people .

Qianye’s eyes turned blue as he looked on, the man’s image clearly reflected in his pupils . The officer’s expression changed drastically; his body tensed up before slowly relaxing again .

Qianye nodded as the blue hue faded from his eyes . “Your cultivation isn’t half bad, and your potential isn't, either . What’s your name?”

“This servant is called Song Lun . Both of my parents passed away when I was a child . I used to work for the seventh young master and was later granted the Song surname . I followed him to the neutral lands a while ago and began working for Dark Flame . ”

Qianye nodded . Being granted this surname meant that he was a trusted subordinate and this person was indeed outstanding .

“You did well regarding Nan Ruohuai, good job digging him out in such a short time . How did you convince him to come see me?”

Song Lun replied, “That was easy . A young master like him who hasn’t experienced any hardships will turn obedient with just a few tricks . ”

Song Lun explained the process . He had actually brought his men and seized Nan Ruohuai while he was hunting . He was indeed unimportant because there was only one attendant beside him, one he had raised since young . King Zheng was currently in bad health and all the other princes were fighting over the throne . Nan Ruohuai, on the other hand, remained unaffected by the conflict . No prince came to harm him and no minister came to join his side—there wasn’t even any probing . It seemed like he was entirely ignored .

Nan Ruohuai agreed readily under Song Lun’s threat . Regarding the consequences of bringing in a foreign force, there was really no use in him thinking too much about it . He had no objections about coming to see Qianye, either . He even said self-deprecatingly, “No one will remember even if I go hunting and never come back, a couple of days is nothing . ”

Qianye couldn’t help but chuckle . “This fellow understands his situation . ”

Song Lun said, “He has no choice . If he doesn’t understand, we’ll choose someone else . King Zheng might not be capable in other aspects, but he has a lot of children . Someone will eventually fit our bill . Even if all the princes don’t fit, there are a lot of princesses or even royal sons-in-law . ”

“True . ” Qianye nodded . “Then you follow Nan Ruohuai for the time being and teach him what to do . We can’t have him ruining the kingdom after he does become king . ”

Song Lun was surprised . “You don’t plan on taking Zheng?”

Qianye replied, “Just a part of it, only as much as we need . Fort Continent is so big, why limit ourselves to just one corner?”

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