Visu Keda quietly listened to Carlos' report and did not speak immediately.
"Father." Feilin asked worriedly, "What should we do?"
"Just do what Cohen said." The new Prime Minister stood up and walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back: "Although the enthronement ceremony has not been held yet, Cohen is now the de facto emperor of the empire. Here,
We cannot go against his will on this matter."
"But...sir's thinking is in chaos!"
"Do you want to make a fuss and let everyone know this? In fact, your appointment as the frontline commander is a good decision in itself." Weisu looked at Carlos and Feilin: "As for calling the clan leaders to participate,
Meetings are also necessary. We need to arrange many things at the meeting. I have some influence on the leaders of various tribes and can keep them calm. In terms of internal affairs, the identities of Feilin and you have changed, and the burdens on your shoulders have changed.
The burden is very heavy.”
"I understand." Feilin nodded: "But how can this be done without holding a funeral for His Majesty Fichet?"
"For Cohen, His Majesty Fichet is a very special existence. In fact, I can somewhat guess some of Cohen's current thoughts." Weisu said in a slow tone: "We are Cohen's relatives and friends. We
We can tolerate Cohen's behavior, but we cannot understand him... Until now, the only one who understood him was His Majesty Fichet."
"But……"
"If you admit that His Majesty Fichet is dead, the only person in the world who understands you will be gone... That's what Cohen thinks in his heart!" Weisu continued: "If it were me, I wouldn't be able to accept this result.
Cohen just expresses his thoughts more directly through actions, and no one can stop him... So I will leave the matter of His Majesty Fichet to Cohen, and I will explain it to the civil servants."
Since Weisu agreed, Feilin had no choice but to accept this method of treatment.
"Then it's decided." Weisu walked to the table and picked up the water glass: "As the most important minister of Sibia, the first thing we have to accomplish is to quietly prevent the future emperor's plan to send troops."
"I never expected that the first thing we did would be of this nature, so tricky!" Feilin said with a wry smile: "Father, regarding other civil servants..."
"Although the number of civil servants is not large, we only have three provinces now. There will be no problems in operation. We can also allocate manpower to the academy." Weisu put down the cup in his hand: "No matter what, we must survive this first.
Let’s talk about it for a while. Carlos, after we return to the darkness, the defense here will be left to you.”
"yes!"
That night, Cohen kicked everyone out of the room and stayed alone in the room where Fischette's body was stored.
In the bright light, Fichet's body was wrapped in layers of cold air, so that the smile on his face looked blurry. Cohen sat blankly on the floor aside, his mind blank.
Although the people outside were worried, they had no other choice. Feilin whispered to the guards and magicians outside that if Cohen made any changes, they must stop him immediately. Dill gently opened the door and quietly put Abu in his arms.
.
Abu staggered to Cohen's feet and squatted down obediently. One person and one animal maintained the same posture, looking straight at Fichet. There was nothing else and no sound in the huge room.
.
"My feelings." After a long time, Cohen said to Abu in his heart: "You also understand..."
"Yes, Master." At this moment, Abu turned into a human form, and the two Cohens sat side by side.
"You know my past." Cohen's voice was very low: "Can you understand?"
Abu shook his head helplessly: "No, my master."
"He can..." Cohen raised his hand and pointed at Fichet, his hand trembling: "Although he doesn't understand my past, he can understand me. I never thought that losing him would change my life.
What will it become?"
"Master, you have many other friends and relatives..." Apart from this sentence, Abu could not find any other words to comfort Cohen.
"They are different." Cohen smiled bitterly: "They are different."
"I seem to have a lot of friends and family, but who really understands me? In their eyes, I am just a person with weird behavior. Because they are friends and family, they tolerate me!" Cohen said softly,
The voice became increasingly bleak: "Fichet, he is the person who connects me with this world... Now, this connection is broken. What is the meaning of my existence in the world? Who am I? Who can prove that I survive?"
Pass?"
"Master, maybe you can invite that one...just like when you came."
"Marshmallow? I looked for it. I even summoned lightning to hit myself..." Cohen shook his head: "But I can't feel her existence. Every time I see her, I always have a very strange and strong feeling beforehand."
, but not this time.”
"Then, what should we do?"
"I don't know, I really don't know." Cohen looked at Fichet: "I...I don't know what I want to do, what else can I do...I can only preserve his body and hope that he can be like me.
Wake up the same..."
Three days later, the elf chief arrived with several elders who were tired of their travels. The several great elves went to meet Cohen after discussing with Weisu.
Sure enough, the purpose of Cohen calling them here was to preserve Fichet's body.
The Elf leader understood the whole story, and after discussing with the clan elders, he solemnly proposed a solid plan to Cohen - to transport Fichet's body back to the darkness and preserve it with the magic crystal ore produced in the dark forest.
This is a very complex and extremely expensive plan, requiring almost all the ice-attribute magic crystal ore produced by the Dark Forest in a year.
Without thinking twice, Cohen agreed.
So, twenty days before the New Year, the next emperor of the Sbia Empire, Cohen, returned to the Dark City with the body of the previous emperor, His Majesty Fichet.
For Dark City, this is indeed the darkest and saddest day in history.
On the afternoon of the day he returned to the Dark City, Cohen held a meeting with the heads of the various tribes. Of course, with the mediation of some people, Cohen's plan to send troops met with unanimous and resolute opposition at the meeting.
Fortunately, the contents of the meeting and Cohen's troop dispatch plan itself were strictly confidential. Otherwise, those civil servants who had just expressed their loyalty would probably resign en masse on the excuse that "His Majesty the Emperor is a lunatic"!
An important reason why we cannot send troops is the lack of food. The food used to fill our stomachs cannot be produced out of thin air. Including the refugees who have fled, the combined population of the three provinces has exceeded 10 million years ago.
Guan...feeding these people has become a very heavy burden.
The last time we sent out troops, the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs collected the military rations after counting every grain of food. Now if we send out troops again, they will only eat people.
"Even if we don't send troops, the army's rations will have to be halved from now on." As a municipal supervisor, Felin said very directly: "Otherwise, we will not be able to survive the first harvest next year."
Cohen asked: "How long will it take to gather enough food to send troops?"
"It takes two harvests." Feilin replied, "If there are no natural disasters."
"In other words, we have to wait until the autumn of next year before we can send troops?"
"That's right."
"knew."
The troop dispatch plan was shelved, and Cohen became even more silent. After that, he stayed in the room where Fischette's body was placed for the entire day without speaking.
With the efforts of nearly a hundred great elves, Fichet Shamai's body was completely sealed into the magic crystal ore.
Tens of thousands of valuable magic crystal ores were fused into a huge transparent rectangle to protect the young emperor's body.
With a smile on his face and his eyes closed, Fichet seemed to be sleeping, with a small phantom beast curled up on his chest.
Every time when Yan Yan walked into the room, he would find Cohen huddled in a corner of the room, staring at the cold magic crystal mine, with a very strange expression on his face. Although Yan Yan couldn't tell what kind of expression it was.
expression, but at this time, he could not look directly at Cohen's face.
For Cohen, all words cannot describe the pain of losing his closest friend!
The ladies lingered outside the room all day long, and all attempts to persuade him failed. In Cohen's eyes, all his friends were like strangers and completely ignored.
After Cohen's mother Kathleen Hager arrived, the situation finally showed signs of improvement.
Although his expression was still numb, Cohen began to speak and would give some orders from time to time. After that, Cohen read Fichet's letter again and decided to hold a wedding with his fiancée, Dill Merlin.
"Isn't it time to ascend the throne first?" Steve Lorenzo, the dean of the college who was standing aside at the time, said: "Your Majesty, please don't do anything inappropriate."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Cohen stood up abruptly and put his right hand to his waist: "Scream again and see!"
"Cohen." Kasseling pointed to the chair: "Sit down."
Although he sat down, Cohen's ferocious eyes did not change at all, and the fearless eyes of Steve Lorenzo, who "escaped from death", kept looking at Cohen. At least on the surface, his aura was no less powerful than Cohen's.
"Dean Lorenzo, please forgive me." Kasseling said helplessly: "This child..."
"Then, you have to give it some time!" Lorenzo searched his mind and finally found a title to replace His Majesty: "Sir?"
"I will never ascend the throne until we reach the Holy Capital and kill Luman." Cohen glanced at Lorenzo: "I've had enough, don't force me anymore."
Feilin grabbed the dean who was about to retort and said to Cohen with a smile: "We will be ready. Husband, when do you plan to hold the wedding?"
"This is something Fichet has asked me to do. Do it as soon as possible!" Cohen thought for a while: "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Feilin looked at Kasseling with pleading eyes: "Is it too soon?"
"Just tomorrow!" Kasseling looked at her son lovingly: "Everyone who should be there is here, so the ceremony shouldn't be difficult."
"Also, I don't want to see any priests at the wedding." Cohen added: "My relationship with Dill as husband and wife is on the record."
That night, Lorenzo and Feline, who were conscientious about their duties, called a meeting with officials on the pretext of preparing for a wedding.
First, Feline explained the reason for holding the wedding. Since it was Fichet's order, the officials had no objection. Later, Lorenzo also specifically explained the title of Cohen Keda.
"Everyone knows in their hearts that Cohen Keda is already the seventeenth emperor of the Sbia Empire. His Majesty the Emperor has now understood his mission and is working hard to shoulder his responsibilities." Lorenzo told the officials: "But Fischer
His Majesty's death caused serious harm to His Majesty Cohen. In His Majesty's heart, this is an emotion that is difficult to let go. Therefore, His Majesty Cohen Keda declared that he will not hold a coronation ceremony until the rebels are eliminated and the empire is restored.
, and do not accept the title Your Majesty."
"How...how can this be possible?"
"If you don't use the title of His Majesty, many problems will arise... How to ensure the appeal of counter-insurgency? Will there be no problems with the cohesion of the army?"
Officials expressed their opinions.
"Personally, this is not a very etiquette thing, but I can understand His Majesty Cohen's pain. From another perspective, doesn't this also prove that our Majesty is an emotional person? Besides,
Now that there is no enthronement ceremony, His Majesty Cohen will still be a Divine Knight, and various actions will be more convenient." Lorenzo continued: "As for the external world and the army, we still address him as His Majesty and Emperor, but for His Majesty himself, at this stage,
Always call him 'sir'."
"Is it really okay to call it this way?" Some officials still expressed their concerns.
"No problem, everything takes time to adapt to." Lorenzo sighed secretly: "His Majesty Cohen is different from a prince who has the right to inherit, and he is also different from a traitor who rebelled shamelessly. He never thought that one day he would
It can be forgiven that it is difficult to accept the throne for a while."
"So." An official said thoughtfully: "Although he often does things that are not understood by others, our Majesty Cohen is indeed a kind-hearted person..."
"You will know this later." Lorenzo remembered Cohen's murderous look, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly: "Let's adjourn the meeting!"
The next day, the wedding of Cohen Keda and Dill Merin was held at the Governor's Palace.
Perhaps because of his mother's comfort, Cohen seemed to have calmed down a lot. He changed into formal clothes early in the morning, and also found time to meet with the clan leaders of various clans. What reassured the clan leaders was that Cohen did not
When the topic of troops was brought up again, his concern had turned to domestic affairs.
Dill Merlin's father, Baron Ivar Merlin, for this nobleman of the Riva Empire who has been staying in the Dark City, today will be a day of great irritation to the nerves.
Since he "fell into the despicable profiteer's trick" and came to the Dark City, Baron Ivar Merlin has never played cards with any other nobles. Under the strict "protection" of a group of guards, he usually
He was eating bread, drinking water, and playing with himself. As for the romantic affairs that were necessary in life before, he couldn't even think about it.
As a last resort, he had to take care of the flowers in the back garden of his house five times a day, making it the most beautiful garden in the Dark City. In his garden, different flowers bloom in every season.
There are often little girls of all ethnic groups standing outside the fence and exclaiming. Whenever this happens, Baron Ivar will generously give out flower seeds and give instructions on how to plant them - for no other reason than that he just thinks of his daughter.
Think about it, he was the best at planting wild flowers and plants in the empire. Even His Majesty the Emperor's Royal Garden had a corner dedicated to planting wild flowers and plants he cultivated... But after his wife passed away, all this passed.
This morning, a group of guards came to his residence surrounded by several civil servants. The baron was a little surprised because no official had been here before.
"Ivar Merlin, Baron of the Liva Empire, I have been ordered to inform you." After introducing himself, a civil servant opened a scroll: "Your status as a noble of the Liva Empire was revoked by the Liva Empire a year ago."
"Sir, I already know this." Ivar Merlin smiled awkwardly: "I no longer use the title of Baron. In fact, I don't go out very often."
"Then, your residence must be arranged separately."
"Please listen to my explanation." Ivar Merlin said: "My lord, this house is my own property."
The official's attitude was tough: "We are following orders."
"Then where do you want me to go?" Iva Merlin turned around and looked at the flowers in the garden with great reluctance: "Sir, I really can't bear to part with my garden."
"Please change your clothes. We are pressed for time. Someone will pack your luggage for you."
Ivar Merlin understood the rules of the aristocratic class and said nothing more. After changing his clothes helplessly, he boarded the carriage outside the door.
But what the official told the driver frightened him: "The back door of the Governor's Palace."
As we all know, the prospects of the Dark Province are not very optimistic now. Ivar Merlin can't even imagine how he can be used in the eyes of the dark regime. Besides, the governor's reputation is not very good.
Under such circumstances, Ivar Merlin naturally thought about whether his life was going to end.
The strange thing is that Iva Merlin was not very scared at this time. What surged in his heart was just a deep sense of guilt for his daughter...
As soon as he got off the carriage, an elegant middle-aged man came up to him.
"Mr. Ivar Merlin?" The friendly-looking man introduced himself: "I am the Prime Minister of the Sbia Empire, Visu Keda."
"Yes, my lord." Ivar Merlin hurriedly said: "I, I... Good day, my lord."
"This is the president of the Imperial Academy, Steve Lorenzo." Weisu enthusiastically introduced an old man dressed as a scholar next to him: "He has an appointment for you."
"Master Prime Minister, what is going on! I really don't understand." Ivar Merlin's head was full of doubts. He knew that no good luck would happen to anyone for no reason.
"I understand how you feel, but should you listen to this order first?" Dean Lorenzo took a step forward: "From a certain perspective, we are all indirect victims of someone's nonsense."
"Okay, Mr. Dean."
"Appointment letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sbia Empire. Mr. Ivar Merlin, a resident of the Dark Province, is loyal, patriotic, and determined. His family has made great contributions to the empire. After the proposal of the Prime Minister and the approval of His Majesty Cohen Keda, now
Decided to confer the title of nobility to Ivar Merlin, second-class earl. This order is issued by the Internal Affairs Office of the Sbia Empire."
"Second Earl?" Ivar Merlin checked to see if he had passed. His voice was more than one tone higher: "Me?"
"Yes, that's you." Weisu held his hand: "Congratulations, Your Excellency, you are now the second-class Earl."
"Can you explain it?" Count Ivar asked again: "If the Prime Minister doesn't mind the trouble."
"Let's put it this way! I have a naughty son, and he is the current Emperor of Sbia." Weisu whispered: "He is holding a wedding today."
"I have heard a little bit about His Majesty the Emperor, but does it have anything to do with me?"
"I'm afraid it has something to do with it." Wei Su smiled apologetically: "Because His Majesty the Emperor's bride is your daughter, the beautiful and smart Miss Dill Merlin."
Ivar Merlin's legs gave way and he fell down on the pavement.
After a short rest, Ivar Merlin was taken to the front hall of the Governor's Palace. Although the canonization ceremony was relatively simple, it was still very formal. The moment he put on the earl's ribbon, Ivar Merlin's face became very pale.
"Count, we will be a family soon. You can treat this as your own home and don't have to be restrained. Regarding your position, residence, etc., there will be specific arrangements tomorrow." After the ceremony, Prime Minister Wei Su returned the letter.
He appointed new guards and personal chamberlains: "I will be very busy today. You can sit in the garden first. Someone will take care of me in every aspect."
"The Prime Minister is busy with business, so there is no need to greet me." Ivar Merlin replied, a little distracted.
"Take good care of the earl." Weisu said a few words to the chamberlain and left in a hurry.
Ivar Merlin was sitting in the garden, listening to the eunuchs who had just been assigned to him explain the rules in the Governor's Mansion in detail, and his expression had softened a lot. At least for now, the attitude of these eunuchs and guards towards him was not bad.
In the garden corridor, chamberlains and heralds ran in front of and behind each other. In order not to disturb other people, at the suggestion of Ivar Merlin, the group sat in a relatively quiet corner.
Because he had nothing to do, Ivar Merlin's attention was attracted by the plants in the garden. He stood up and carefully identified the types of flowers, while sighing at the mistakes in the planting methods.
At this time, the busy Cohen had just finished meeting with several subordinates and was hurriedly walking through the garden to the front office.
"That's..." Iva Merlin happened to see it and shouted: "Turner!"
Cohen had not used this pseudonym for a long time. To be precise, he had only used it once, so he did not react immediately and continued to move forward.
Count Ivar Merlin's eyes sprayed out angry flames, and he clenched his fists and walked directly through the flowers. Of course, when he was about twenty steps away from Cohen, he was already pinned to the ground by Cohen's guards - if
If it weren't for seeing the count's title on him, such reckless behavior would have killed Ivar Merlin.
"Let go." Cohen stopped and recognized him: "He is not in danger."
"You despicable villain!" As soon as Konoe let go of Ivar Merlin, Mr. Count's body "bounced" from the ground, and he kept cursing: "I married my daughter to you in the hope that you would
Her happiness does not mean that you give her to someone else! I don’t care about the Count or anything else, so you give me my daughter! You despicable profiteer and shameless person, I will break your neck!"
Iva Merlin looked like he was going to eat people alive, and with red eyes he was about to pounce on someone and "chop" someone's neck. Cohen was not in a hurry to explain. In fact, Cohen couldn't think of how to explain this matter. Guards Captain Shi Yan had no choice but to
He kept moving his footsteps, blocking the way between Cohen and Iva.
The guards assigned to Ivar Merlin were so anxious that they were sweating and didn't know what to do - they were not allowed to step forward without orders.
"Hey, what's going on?" Katherine Hagrid, dressed in a palace dress, appeared in the garden: "Cohen, why did you offend your father-in-law?"
Iva Merlin's movements froze in an instant. He turned around with difficulty and saw his daughter walking over on the arm of a noble lady.
"Cohen, go deal with your affairs!" The noble lady came over with a smile: "Count Ivar, the children are young, please forgive me if I have offended them in any way!"
"This...this..."
"Wipe it." Dill Merlin walked up, handed over a handkerchief, and complained in a low voice: "You really don't make people worry!" (To be continued)