Chapter 13: Imperial Council
Inside the dining hall on the second floor of the Right Guard Castle.
Su Xiao took a sip of the somewhat bland oatmeal porridge. Standing behind him was Wu Fu, a man who was less than 1.7 meters tall but exceptionally stocky in build.
"Sir, I have selected the people you requested. Shall I have them come in now?"
Seeing Su Xiao set down his bowl, Wu Fu seized the opportune moment to speak.
"Alright."
"Come in."
As Wu Fu finished speaking, three people entered the dining hall. Among them, one was clad in full black armor, about 2.5 meters tall and over 1.3 meters wide. His presence was like a tank, each step producing a dull thud. Counting the weight of his armor, this guy must have weighed at least 800 jin.
Flanking the black-armored biological tank were a greasy-faced little fatty and a thin, fair-skinned young man. The young man had a mess of disheveled black hair, and aside from his face, his exposed skin was covered in black tattoos, most of which were meaningless array diagrams.
Wu Fu pointed at the black-armored biological tank and said:
"Sir, this is Number Ten. The Empire once conducted experiments using the corpses of Transcendents. Number Ten was one of the successful results of that experiment. He has a semi-mechanical structure, which has cost him the ability to speak and any sense of pain. Counting the weight of his armor, he weighs 1,165 jin. His brute strength is enough to smash through 80-centimeter-thick Mithril armor plates."
As he spoke, Wu Fu pulled a strangely shaped key from his bosom and inserted it into Number Ten's arm.
Puff~
Steam hissed out, and two red lights appeared beneath Number Ten's helmet.
"Activated, Sir. Whatever you command, even if it means death, Number Ten will not hesitate."
Though Wu Fu had a smile on his face, his heart ached. Number Ten was one of his unit's trump cards. If he weren't so eager to prove his loyalty, he would never have brought him out.
Wu Fu shifted his gaze to the slightly chubby man.
"This is Gray Rat. He knows Saint City very well and was once a scout in our army."
As Wu Fu finished speaking, the somewhat plump Gray Rat stepped forward.
"Greetings, Sir. If there's anything you need, just give the order. Your subordinate will..."
Before Gray Rat could finish, Wu Fu shot him a glare, and Gray Rat quickly retreated with an awkward smile.
Wu Fu lowered his voice and said, "Sir, this is a distant relative of mine. Even someone like Gray Rat can't be fully trusted. This is the most reliable person I could find. What do you think?"
"He'll do."
"Thank you, Sir."
Wu Fu glared at Gray Rat again, meaning, 'You better behave yourself.'
Wu Fu then nodded toward the young man covered in black tattoos and said:
"The last one is Zos. He is a Transcendent, with an Eternal Force of Dark attribute. His personal combat ability isn't strong, but he can manipulate animal-type servants."
Wu Fu gave Zos a signal. Zos seemed somewhat reluctant, but black mist surged in his hand, forming a vulture. The vulture flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder.
Wu Fu, still behind Su Xiao, said in a low voice:
"Sir, Zos is of a different race, but he grew up in the Empire. The kid is a bit rebellious, but his abilities are unquestionable. He just tends to be impulsive sometimes, putting himself in danger."
"Mm, I can tell from the name."
Su Xiao felt that the name Zos was a bit bizarre. Said quickly, it sounded like 'Doom.'
Looking at these three, Su Xiao couldn't help but think of the Eyeless Squad from the Ghost World. In terms of combat power, these three were undoubtedly stronger. As for looks, Zos was definitely the representative of handsomeness, the type to charm thousands of young ladies. As for Number Ten, it would be a miracle if he didn't scare civilians into collapsing on the ground.
"Sir, are you satisfied with these three?"
"..."
Su Xiao's hand holding the water cup paused. Wu Fu's words sounded a bit strange.
"They're acceptable."
"Tch."
Zos let out a light snort and turned his head away. He showed no reaction, but Wu Fu's body stiffened in shock.
"He's just a child with a temper, Sir. Don't mind him."
Just as Wu Fu finished speaking, the door was knocked on. It was Wu Fu's adjutant.
"Duke, the Imperial Council has sent an envoy."
"What about?"
Su Xiao naturally knew about the Imperial Council. It wasn't an official power department of the Empire, but its authority surpassed that of the Senate and the Royal Family.
The Imperial Council was composed of four people: Elder Bloomer, Princess Sayeto, Silver Feather Duke, and the nine-year-old Little Duke.
Currently, the Empire had no king. If there were important matters, they were decided by the Imperial Council after deliberation. Due to the laws set by the Black King, it couldn't become an official power department, but it held the most power.
"The envoy has come to invite Princess Pedeira to join the Imperial Council."
The adjutant spoke with a joyful expression, but his superior, Wu Fu, had a dark face.
"Sir, this is definitely not..."
"I know."
Su Xiao didn't need to think to know who was behind this. After last night's assassination attempt, Bloomer realized that Princess Pedeira's rise to power was unstoppable. Rather than letting Su Xiao rapidly expand his influence in the shadows, it was better to push Su Xiao directly into the spotlight.
This way, Su Xiao's opponents would go from one to four. None of those four would allow a new opponent to grow quickly. They couldn't do anything to each other, but none of them wanted to see a new rival emerge.
If he didn't go, it would be even worse. If he dared not accept an invitation from the Imperial Council, how could the powerful officials be expected to align with Princess Pedeira's faction? This would almost be equivalent to voluntarily giving up the chance to grow.
"What time is the invitation?"
"Eight in the morning."
Hearing this, Wu Fu's face behind Su Xiao turned even uglier. It was already 7:30.
This was the terrifying nature of a community of interests. Wu Fu wasn't particularly loyal to Su Xiao; rather, Su Xiao held the economic lifeline of Wu Fu. That was why Wu Fu cared so much about Su Xiao's affairs.
For most people in power, loyalty is only temporary; mutual benefit is a more reliable relationship.
"Understood. Wu Fu, the estate is in your hands. You three, come with me."
Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the dining hall, simultaneously contacting Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang was indeed busy; he had as many as four targets to monitor.
Su Xiao didn't bring Princess Pedeira along. Instead, he called the Old Divine Stick to accompany him to the Imperial Council. With Princess Pedeira's timid, bunny-like personality, facing four power-grabbers might make her so nervous she couldn't even speak. She was just there to look pretty.
...
Central District of Saint City, inside a magnificent hall.
In the main hall of the hall was a round metal council table. The table was pitch black, and the sculpture of the Eye of Power at its center exuded a sense of majesty. There were twelve chairs around the table, but only four were occupied. The four people sat at a distance from each other.
A little boy dressed in a black-red robe with a full head of jet-black hair had his feet propped up on the council table. He seemed half-asleep, occasionally yawning. This was the Little Duke.
Beside him, the Silver Feather Duke was around thirty years old, with a small goatee and a perpetual smile on his face.
Across from them was a woman with short silver hair, wearing a form-fitting armor made of soft leather and red scales. She had red eyes, and whenever she looked at someone, she first glanced at their throat, heart, and other vital points.
As for the last person, it was the old fox Bloomer, dressed in formal attire, gently rubbing his temples with both hands.
These four people constituted the current highest power system of the Empire. Now, they were about to join forces to eliminate one person. In just one day, this person had seized control of 540,000 troops, gained the support of King's Wrath Ken Lahan, found a princess as a puppet, and, more importantly, he was also of royal blood.
"Bloomer, are you sure this is okay? I don't trust you."
The Little Duke spoke. Though he seemed mature, in the eyes of the other three, this was just childishness. Without the remnants of his father's forces, the Little Duke would have long since died in a ditch.
"Oh."
Bloomer casually responded and continued rubbing his temples, too lazy to waste words on this brat.
Tap, tap, tap...
Footsteps came from outside the hall. The four all turned their gazes toward the newcomer, each showing a momentary look of surprise.
Walking into the hall was Su Xiao. Bloodstains could be seen on his clothes.
"I'm late. Got ambushed on the way. Luckily, Ken Lahan was there to protect me."
Su Xiao had indeed been ambushed, and right on the main street. What surprised him even more was that five groups of assassins had come in succession.