Chapter 27

1

As time passed, the messengers at the coronation ceremony were still digesting the sudden news, but the time of the ceremony was drawing near.

"Are you ready, Li Liu?"

"We're still missing one person."

I scanned the room, besides a bunch of unfamiliar faces, who else could it be?

Footsteps could be heard in the distance, the sound of high heels echoing as an elegantly poised figure ascended the ceremony platform. She was a dazzling woman, her eyes revealing emotions of nostalgia, memories of the past, and a hint of sorrow. This woman, in her twenties, bore a striking resemblance to Li Liu.

"Elder Sister."

"Empress Sister, it's been three years."

The woman turned out to be Princess Zisu Lan, who had married into a distant kingdom. She hadn't returned to the Othrie Empire for three years, and the sudden events surrounding her father during this short period came as a shock. I understood where her feelings of concern stemmed from.

"I've been waiting for you for a while, Elder Sister. You almost arrived late."

The Second Princess, dressed in a sky-blue gown, also stood on the ceremony platform. The three daughters of the Zisu royal family were together, giving off an air of a family reunion that made me feel somewhat out of place.

"Don't leave yet, Qin Yang."

"Elder Sister, it's been so long..."

The Princess pinched my face hard, completely shattering the majestic and prophetic dragon-like aura I had just established before everyone.

"It's not as easy to pinch my face now as it was in childhood; it's all bone now."

"People grow up, you know... ha ha ha."

"If you dare bully our little sister when you're all grown up, I'll skin you alive even if you're a dragon."

I pulled Li Liu's hand closer to me and answered confidently, "Understood!"

"Elder Sister, are you the only one who came?"

"I'm representing my husband, who's already on his way to the battlefield. Can artificial elements really serve as a trump card to defend against or even defeat the divine beings?"

"We will definitely win!"

Wenxin's parents, dressed in their complete attire, had already arrived at the ceremony platform. As the chief priests, they were the main hosts of the ceremony.

"Empress, it's time."

The Lin couple simultaneously initiated the ceremony. In the center of the lake, a spatial magic formation rose from the ceremony platform. Everyone stood in attention, including the royal guards and the masked guardians who slowly removed their weapons and masks. This was all part of the rituals to honor the previous emperor.

The restrained Emperor Purple Lie gradually appeared within the magic formation. Dressed in the grandest imperial attire, he lay at an angle on a crystal bed the size of a person. After resting for so long, his body showed no signs of tiredness. Due to his unique constitution, his hair had turned purple while he slept. Normally, it would be time for the viewing of the remains, but since Emperor Purple Lie had not truly passed away, this step was inevitably skipped. Instead, his three daughters would kiss him as a blessing for his abdication.

"The transfer of imperial authority begins now!"

After the blessings from the three princesses, the two high priests proceeded with the most crucial and error-prone segment of the day.

I had returned to the lakeside, where the guards donned their masks and armed themselves. During the "transfer of imperial authority" segment, all guards needed to be extremely vigilant, ensuring the smooth progress of the ceremony. The entire imperial capital was under a strict curfew, with only soldiers patrolling the streets. Therefore, no one ventured out before the ceremony began.

"Reveal the will of imperial authority!"

The two high priests jointly constructed intricate spells, employing a seldom-seen formation that was even more complex. What was even more unimaginable was how they compressed the magic formation; originally the size of half the ceremony platform, the formation was shrunk forcefully to the size of a palm. I noticed that Wenxin's parents wore L-particle rings on their fingers. I recalled hearing Wenxin and I had overheard them when we were young, complaining that they never wanted to witness Purple Lie transferring his powers to his daughters. Such a transfer required the complete depletion of their magic reserves and had an extremely high success rate with no margin for error. It had to be flawlessly executed in both spell and formation to take effect. However, with the assistance of artificial elements completing the magic, the success rate was nearly a hundred percent.

"Brother!"

"Shh, keep it down, the ceremony needs to be solemn."

"Brother, you've changed a lot since getting back your memories." Wen Xin stood beside me, watching our parents on stage completing the ceremony with utmost concentration, showing off a proud smile as their child.

"Memories are a fascinating thing, haven't I become a stranger to you?"

"You've become charming, the old you was annoyingly timid, since becoming black and white, it seems exhausting, sometimes overly indulgent, sometimes a saint, wanting to solve everything with the greatest of thoughts. Your words during the battle with the false holy dragon, all us girls could hear, saving the world for us!"

"Lower your raised corners of your mouth, show some respect for our parents' work, the scene should be beautiful soon!"

The ceremony stage erupted in a gorgeous purple light, making everyone anticipate the upcoming scene. With the joint effort of the high priest’s magic, purple light enveloped the former emperor. A palm-sized array floated in front of his chest, beams of light shot out of his body like fireworks blossoming on a lake. The mirror-like lake water reflected an equally dazzling scene. In such a scene, without the turmoil of war, how mesmerizing it would be.

Layers of light peeled off, twirling around repeatedly, and in the end, what appeared was a badge key.

"Successor, step forward and test your blood!"

Li Liu stepped forward, pricking her finger to offer a drop of her blood, which surprisingly turned from red to purple on the badge key, transitioning from liquid to solid. The badge gained an additional layer of patterns. At that moment, I understood that this symbol of power was a mark jointly created by every emperor, akin to a "Royal Jade Seal" that would evolve.

At the end of the ceremony, the badge key was inserted into Li Liu's body. Strangely, the badge key suddenly appeared in the sky of The Human Realm, radiating light in a baffling manner, as though giving all humanity a more vivid and direct proclamation. Any place where people could look up and see the sky could see this badge key. Humans were puzzled, but I understood that this was because Li Liu was the human realm's substitute, her body echoing the actual space. If a world anomaly appeared in The Human Realm, I feared it would affect her. In The Divine Realm, I saw clouds solidify and fall from the sky, monsters going berserk without reason. Disasters were merely warnings given by the world to its residents; when the real expulsion came, they might just silently disappear.

I saw the shadow of a dragon behind Li Liu, perhaps the influence of the covenant. At the same time, she activated the "Dragon Spirit Covenant" in her phantom eyes. The rumors about the "Polar Illusion Eyes" were widely known, spectators shivered, saying wherever the Illusion Eyes went, they fell into an illusion. However, they didn't feel any discomfort, finding it hard to determine if this comfort was an illusion. Illusions didn't necessarily cause suffering; they could bring comfort too.

"Phew..." After some time, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Illusion Eyes didn't ensnare them in illusions. The seamless control made everyone recognize the strength of the empress.

The badge key in the sky disappeared, and the ceremony concluded.

"Everyone, as Zi Liu Liu, the new empress of the Othrie Empire, I invite you to join the War Alliance, to share the artificial element 'L' particles together."

An hour later, the alliance was preliminarily established. Everyone understood that the reason for such efficiency was the artificial element, but at such a critical juncture, they shouldn’t worry about their intentions.

Countries within the alliance will receive a ring and system data, regardless of whether the international community believes it or not, but what Othrie provides is indeed raw data without any hidden key information, only that it cannot guarantee what may be developed in the future.

Of course, within the alliance, the power source of the Celestial Carrier's keel is still a secret. I do not propose to disclose it, as the Dragon Race of the Dragon's Tomb should not be disturbed.

With synchronous front-line warfare ongoing, elemental exchanges within the alliance have not yet concluded. The rings are being swiftly sent back to the home countries by the messengers, and a timetable for developing artificial elemental equipment and equipping the military is also being drafted during the meeting. If humans focus on manufacturing the same thing, the speed is astonishingly fast; the timetable is set to be completed within thirty days, without any breaks in the process from scratch. Meanwhile, as countries differ in manufacturing capabilities, those with high manufacturing capabilities will lead the way within the first thirty days for delaying warfare, followed by others joining in within ten days is the deadline. However, time is not limitless, as the amount of time it takes for the gods across the ocean to invade and establish a supply line in The Human Realm to suppress the war zone depends on how strong the humans across the ocean are in their resistance.

I did not stay until the end of the meeting; I left alone and encountered Nofice outside the meeting.

"Master."

"You... shouldn't be in the mode of pleasing the master, right?"

"Do you want me to return to that mode?" Nofice had no expression, almost like in the past combat mode.

"No, you can be in whatever mode you like. I won't force you to smile for me anymore."

Suddenly, Nofice showed a hint of a gentle smile, perhaps relieved by the freedom I granted.

"For the first time, I see your face showing your own expression. As your master, I don't know why I am also happy. Let the past be the past. You are the 'Supreme Chief Justice' anointed by the Holy Dragon, and now you have fallen angel abilities equivalent to 'The Gate of Execution.' I hope you can make those unscrupulous Angels fall - the Fallen Angels - on the battlefield."

Nofice suppressed the smile and said, "By doing this, you are actually boosting the Fallen Angel Legion. At least half of the Angel fighting power of the gods has been lost, and with me, the 'unscrupulous Angels' will not be easily deployed to the battlefield."

"Indeed, the 'unscrupulous Angels' are no longer a guaranteed strategic weapon, so the next step is to deploy the Great Gods to the battlefield. The gods are not comparable to the Angels, but it's okay. Once the Demons can join the battle early on, the gods cannot solely focus on dealing with humans, giving us a glimmer of hope."

"Is the next step for the master to suppress The Demon Realm?"

"I want to find a spokesperson!"