Chapter 6: Studying for the Rise of the Empire
The celebration had not dispersed even after midnight.
“Ding. The Lie Flat System has detected that the host’s words and actions yesterday did not meet the reward conditions. Please arrange your work and life reasonably.”
Roger sighed. As expected, his big treasure chest was gone again!
In the biting cold wind, only the cool aura of the divine artifact, the Heart of the Deep Sea Amulet, was the last bit of comfort in his meager life.
It wasn’t entirely without gain, though.
Divine artifacts… are still quite enticing, hahahahaha.
Roger suddenly laughed again.
Roger · Eternal Scholar · Jie had concluded that the fewer functional entries a divine artifact had in the Eternal Night World, the more powerful it was.
The Heart of the Deep Sea Amulet had only one effect: increasing life and magic power recovery.
The effect was basically: if they couldn’t kill him in an instant, they couldn’t kill him.
This was why Margaret had cursed Roger, that if he were captured by the enemy, this amulet would make him wish for death but unable to find it.
However…
Having decided to lie flat through the Duke’s mansion, could he possibly be captured by the enemy?
Hah!
Little Fan was still naive at this time.
…
…
The next day, Angelina found Roger.
“Brother, I’ve been thinking. After this noble conferment, I’ll arrange a position for you.”
“Even though you’re not smart and don’t have magical talent, there are many jobs in the Empire that only require diligence and responsibility.”
“I think with some training, you can certainly handle it, because your heart is still willing to give everything for Her Majesty, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll arrange for reliable and patient assistants to help you.”
“Don’t rush either. It’s okay if you don’t do well once or twice. As long as you persevere, you will surely become an excellent minister and serve Her Majesty with all your might!”
Her spirited demeanor and voice could have supported a divine episode in a passionate anime.
But Roger was still a little touched until he saw the position his sister had arranged for him:
Chief Commander of Mining on Beigu Mountain?
Director of the Tigre River Dam Dispatch?
Deputy Supervisor of Imperial City Sanitation?
Captain of the Grain Transport?
He was dumbfounded on the spot. These were all thankless, strenuous tasks that no noble would want to do, requiring them to wake up early and work late!
Sister, this is a perverse abuse of power, pushing your only relative into a fiery pit!
Roger felt like he was going to vomit blood.
His sister was good in every way, except for her excessive loyalty to Her Majesty.
But now that she had made up her mind and the positions were arranged, he was afraid refusal would be useless.
Given the resilience shown in the “Saint’s Presence” storyline, she would relentlessly, super patiently, repeatedly, and earnestly persuade him…
Until he agreed!
She wouldn’t be annoyed, but he would be!
Just thinking about that scene was terrifying.
Therefore, he had to come up with a sufficiently clever excuse to get her to accept his not becoming an official…
Roger quickly adjusted his demeanor, transforming into a paragon of sincerity:
“Sister, you know me. I’m not good at academics or martial arts, and I have a short temper and can’t sit still since I was a child.”
“As an official, any mistake could cause losses to the Empire. I don’t want to harm the great Empire and disappoint the Empress.”
“So, I should first find a way to improve my abilities. I’ve heard that books are the ladder of progress. I think before formally entering officialdom, I should go and read and study!”
“The Imperial Grand Library has now been completed, housing the classics of seventeen countries. I want to go there and study for the rise of the Empire!”
Roger’s monologue was full of acting!
From being touched to feeling guilty, then self-doubt, and finally a slight increase in enthusiasm…
When he impassionedly roared, “Study for the rise of the Empire,” his infectiousness was off the charts!
Angelina never imagined that her own brother would act his way out.
She was surprised, excited, and even moved by Roger, gripping his hand tightly:
“Studying for the rise of the Empire… Well said! Sister supports you! I’m so happy that you’re consciously working hard and recognizing your shortcomings…”
Study first, then enter officialdom?
Reduce losses for the Empire?
Books are the ladder of progress?
In this move, Roger’s consideration was even more thorough than hers, and his words were extremely sensible.
From childhood to adulthood, this brother had been lazy, mischievous, idle, and content with a life of eating and waiting for death.
When had he ever actively set a goal to do something?
Angelina’s smile never faded. She leaned on Roger, reaching out to poke his handsome face playfully:
“My man has grown up, and will protect his sister from now on, right?”
“Yeah!”
Roger responded proudly.
As long as you don’t keep interrupting my lying flat, protecting you is more than enough!
The delaying tactic was effective!
The road to lying flat is bumpy, but we all have a bright future!
Angelina’s personality was such that she wouldn’t give up until she reached her goal.
Ordinary reasons wouldn’t make her give up.
Only studying; in the eyes of elders of any era, reading more was always the right thing to do, wasn’t it?
So, even the clever Angelina was tricked by Roger.
The standard for academic success was set by himself.
When he would enter officialdom is something only those in the know would understand!
He’d spend ten years slacking off in the library first.
The only problem was the half-hour journey between the Duke’s mansion and the Grand Library, which might be dangerous.
But Roger had thought of this too.
If he built a teleportation array in his bedroom, he could seamlessly connect the Duke’s mansion and the Grand Library.
And when he got tired of sitting, he could go home and lie down anytime!
It was simply perfect.
As for the extravagant cost of building a teleportation array…
Studying hard, buying stationery is a necessary expense, there’s no problem with that, right?
Roger repeatedly pondered and arranged “slacking off at the Grand Library” in his mind.
Alas, lying flat was also a complicated matter!
With the Empress in front and his sister behind, he was truly suffering, caught in the middle!
…
…
For three consecutive days.
The noble circles of the City of Mysteries were discussing Marquis Lacapas, Roger Charles.
He was trusted by the Empress.
He obtained a divine artifact for protection.
He possessed talents that ordinary people could not fathom…
Naturally, Roger, who was at the center of public attention, did not receive a random treasure chest reward from the system.
On the fourth day.
Seeing that Roger’s popularity had slightly decreased, the Empress of Eternal Night suddenly issued an order to completely ban the Seven Gods Church from proselytizing within the Empire.
There were rumors that the Empress’s decision was related to the Right Chancellor Angelina exposing the secret gossip of the gods.
Instantly, people made countless speculations.
Some even analyzed the timeline, suggesting that Roger’s enfeoffment as Marquis might be related to this matter.
“Nonsense! How could Sister understand anything about the gods? This has nothing to do with my house of Charles!”
Roger heard these rumors, these far-fetched and illogical connections.
But it was precisely these “absurdities” that he thought were being forced upon him, reigniting his popularity once more…
The people of the Empire loved to believe rumors. Where could he go to reason with them?
Thus, Roger’s treasure chest for that day eluded him once more…
…
…
On a new morning, at the Imperial Palace, in the Hall of Political Affairs.
The Empress of Eternal Night summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss a major matter:
“After banning the Seven Gods Church from proselytizing, rebellions have broken out in the old territories of the seventeen countries. Do my esteemed ministers have any strategies to resolve this and make the seventeen countries completely submit to the Empire?”
Right Chancellor Angelina immediately stepped forward:
“The common people only desire to live and work in peace. Your Majesty only needs to be diligent in governance and love the people, reduce taxes, and let the citizens of the seventeen countries also live prosperous lives. In due course, they will understand the Empire’s strength and benevolence and willingly turn their hearts towards the Empire!”
After she finished, Left Chancellor Margaret retorted:
“The Empire faces internal and external troubles. Where is there time for slow persuasion? I believe we should implement strict laws and severe punishments. Imperial citizens are first-class, subjects of the seventeen countries are second-class, and rebels should be relegated to the lowly class! Furthermore, I have a plan called ‘shaved hair and change of clothes.’ Those who refuse to comply within ten days will all be executed!”
The two prime ministers, one advocating benevolent governance and the other tyrannical rule, each had their supporters.
Soon, the hall erupted in arguments.
The Empress of Eternal Night’s inclination was to kill all those who were blind.
However, three years had passed, and the remnants of the seventeen countries were causing trouble, with the Seven Gods Church constantly instigating them. She feared that there were very few citizens of the seventeen countries who genuinely wished to submit to the Empire.
If she were to kill them all indiscriminately as Margaret suggested, the seventeen countries might become depopulated.
Angelina’s idea was too idealistic and too long-term.
With the oppression of the Seven Gods Church from outside, the Empire might perish before the citizens of the seventeen countries submitted…
The ministers argued back and forth from morning until afternoon, but no satisfactory plan was presented.
The Empress of Eternal Night’s scalp tingled. Seeing that the ministers were also exhausted, she could only say, “Adjourn the court. We will discuss this again tomorrow.”
“As Your Majesty commands!”
All the ministers retreated in order.
The Empress of Eternal Night called Angelina back, and they discussed some important matters of internal affairs.
Margaret, the devoted fan, her face darkened again.
Her Majesty is increasingly fond of the blue-haired saint, how infuriating!
But since Her Majesty did not keep her, she had to reluctantly retreat after lingering for a while.
So frustrating!
After finishing her official duties with Angelina, the Empress of Eternal Night suddenly asked:
“Anjel, what has your brother been doing these days?”
“He’s determined to strive for greatness and study for the rise of the Empire. He’s currently studying at the Grand Library.”
Angelina’s small face was full of pride as she recalled Roger’s resolution.
“Studying for the rise of the Empire? It’s rare for this young man to have such aspirations!”
The Empress of Eternal Night was somewhat surprised.
Such great ambitions.
She was very curious how her flourishing Azurevine Empire could continue to rise.
However, the Empress did not ask further and waved for Angelina to withdraw.
After all, the Empress was very busy.
Left alone in the hall, the Empress of Eternal Night began to review the small mountain of memorial reports.
However, the more she reviewed, the more agitated she became!
Nothing good was happening in the Empire at the moment, and reviewing memorials brought no joy whatsoever!
“A pile of troublesome matters, I need to find some amusement!”
The Empress of Eternal Night threw down her brush.
Suddenly, she remembered what Angelina had just said.
Roger? The Grand Library?
It wouldn’t be excessive for her to go and consult some information and happen to encounter a minister, would it?
That place was much more convenient than the Charles mansion, with fewer gossip and rumors…
Thinking of this, a smile spread across the Empress of Eternal Night’s lips.
At the same time, a teleportation gate appeared in front of her.
She stepped into it.
