Chapter 762
Making Star Antimony Great Again
“Since Red Phase is so sad, should we comfort him? Then Your Majesty, what do you think… as the successor, what about young Lucien? Can he inherit the throne?”
The jester Laro asked with a smile, “That kid… oh, I mean that distinguished Highness, does have some talent for alchemy—at least he can refine gold coins into copper coins. As long as we put in a little effort to reverse his talent, our Star Antimony will be rich.”
The implied meaning was to mock Lucien’s extravagant habits, and to remind the king—Lucian, the only successor he had not denied, was also very close to Red Phase, whom Valentine VII hated.
However, the king was too lazy to pay attention to old Laro’s sharp tongue. He solemnly shook his head and replied, “I’ve never even considered Lucien, and you know why.”
Upon hearing his words, jester Laro’s expression turned serious for a moment. But soon, the jester reverted to his clown-like grinning expression. “My respected Your Majesty, you are truly rarely firm and bold this time… forgive me for speaking frankly, in the fifty years I’ve followed you, this is the one thing you’ve stuck to the longest. When you pass away, I will drink a bottle of good wine to celebrate!”
“Everything has been prepared for so long, and now it’s unavoidable.”
Valentine VII merely said, “Although this might anger Pomanach… the ‘Principal’ will stand with us. Coincidentally, the incidents happening in Leipzig these days will also distract them. Let the Academy and Red Fortress fight… and then find a way to fan the flames, Laro, to get the Association involved as well.”
“Of course, of course. You can rest assured that old Laro will handle it,” the jester said with a grin. “You want them to fight, and they will definitely fight. Old Laro is no good at mediating, but he’s superb at fanning the flames—but are you absolutely sure? This is your country.”
“Star Antimony needs a disaster,” the old king said calmly, shaking his head. “Red Phase, Black Phase, the Association, the Academy… they don’t take ‘Valentine’ seriously at all. Do you know what I thought when His Majesty the Pope killed that succubus?”
“You must have thought—good kill, wonderful kill!” the clown shouted loudly. “Yes, I almost applauded. What a fine young man, to kill when he says so.”
The old king smiled, and the wrinkles around his eyes deepened a bit. “Those people never imagined that their grand plan would be shattered like this.”
“I think… Your Majesty, you might as well tell them directly the secret of the Hrasal Empire’s destruction.”
“It’s useless, they won’t believe it. If I stop them from performing the Ouroboros Ring ritual, I might be killed—Transcendent beings are like that. Twilight, Transcendence, Love… the many祸患 left by the past Valentin I are now all coming to fruition, one by one…” The old king said in a low voice, shrinking back into his chair, appearing much smaller, but his ancient yet majestic voice remained calm and rational. “That little Queen of Avalon is doing a good job. If power is not controlled, it’s better to smash it. Let them fight. Star Antimony needs a timely disaster—I originally planned to use the Goblins as a sacrifice, but I didn’t expect this foreshadowing to be unused… And before it all ends, we must find a way to deal with them, so we don’t have to repay the debts. However, after the debt problem is solved, Heinrich’s counterfeit coins will be a bit troublesome to deal with.”
“Weren’t you tacitly agreeing to that? And told me not to manage it…”
“Yes, I was planning to use it at this time. If the hole can’t be filled in the end, I’ll take his Leipzig as repayment. Or kill him, and the rest of the responsibility will be his… If the economy stabilizes, then we’ll issue fiat currency, just like the people of Avalon.
“—Never mind those things. In conclusion, after I kill that ‘Louise’ in a few days, our plan will officially begin. It will be hard work for you then.”
“Wuwu, old Laro is about to cry tears of sorrow.”
The jester pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears, his words still sharp. “Your current Queen is the ‘daughter’ of Red Phase, and also his lover. When his daughter gets into trouble, what father could endure it? When his lover is framed, what man would tolerate it? Oh, perhaps your father could tolerate it. Perhaps you could too.”
“That’s what monarchs are like, Laro. Let me give it my all…” The old man sighed, his eyes as serene as ice. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have regretted it back then. After Louise was converted into a Child of the Moon, that incurable illness was already healed… If I had at the time continued to transfer the soul preserved by the Principal back into her body, perhaps I could have spent the rest of my life with her… What do you say, Laro?”
“Yes, yes. It’s also possible that her soul would have been completely polluted and trapped within that body, never able to return to the Dream Realm. Of course, there’s also a possibility that your beloved Queen would live forever, weeping tears after your death, and then finding a new young prince decades later, and moaning every night.” The clown-like jester said in an exaggerated tone, speaking extremely audacious words. “Of course, perhaps it won’t take tens of years. Humans are always forgetful, and Children of the Moon are even more dissolute.”
These would be considered words worthy of execution for any other monarch. However, the old man paid him no mind at all—his emotions were frozen. No matter how the other provoked him, it only stirred up a small ripple. “So I must let her die. As for my soul, it will forever be with Louise’s soul.”
“Your Majesty.” The jester’s expression became serious, and his tone suddenly returned to normal. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I really don’t want to go to the Dream Realm anymore. Louise has waited for me for so long, and it would be somewhat unfair to her waiting if we were to shatter together in the long river of the Dream Realm,” Valentine VII said calmly, the light yellow and dim yellow mixed in his pupils. “Coincidentally, my children don’t have suitable successors… If we can awaken again, the Eternal King will once again reign over Star Antimony. I will be born in a new body with Louise, rise from the grave, lead my people to overthrow the now incorrigible Star Antimony, and restore the great deeds of the past. To rebuild the nation on that rotten land.
“The people of Avalon have honored the Path of Authority for so long, yet their government is stable and prosperous. The Trade Minister we painstakingly bribed was discovered and executed before he could do anything. The military’s retaliatory strikes were orderly and controllable. The power of authority has truly made them a powerful nation. In contrast, the Hrasal Empire, despite its power, has been plagued by internal conflicts and exhaustion due to the fierce clashes of the Nine Great Paths, ultimately disintegrating… Now look at Anxi and Horus. They are similar to us, and they are also facing chaos and erosion of royal power due to rampant internal factions… This is enough to prove that, from a national perspective, the number of Paths should be few but excellent. Referencing Avalon’s approach—they chose Authority as primary and Devotion as secondary. We can choose Balance as primary and Twilight as secondary. The Ascension of the Banquet Heavenly Envoy last night is just the beginning. The era of chaos has arrived, and more Disciple will become Heavenly Envoys… The Principal promised me that the Winter Maiden is about to complete her ascension, with only the final ritual left—transforming a mortal Monarch into a Winter Und. At that time, although we will not have the protection of the Pillar Gods, we will have our own protected Heavenly Envoy of the Star Antimony people. All we have to do is purge the factions of Transcendence and Love… After all, they are rebels and monsters, and there’s no one we can’t kill.” Without the jester’s provocative words, the old king’s speech and mood became even more serene. His voice gradually lost its inflection, like an old man telling a bedtime story to his grandson, full of death aura. His skin slowly frosted and then thawed, and the whites of his eyes turned noticeably yellow, like a tree on the verge of death. “If they insist on performing that damned ritual… then let them die.”
“But what if you don’t wake up in the end, Your Majesty?” Laro finally asked, “Two souls reviving into one body—that goes too far beyond common sense. Perhaps you want Albert to create a two-headed corpse for you on the spot? If you don’t wake up, what should I do?”
This jester, whose hair resembled a comical cauliflower and who always spoke nonsense, now stood with his back straight. His pupils were clearer and more upright than most people in Star Antimony.
“Then you will preside over the election ceremony for me,” Valentine VII replied without hesitation. “I only have one requirement for you—Valentine VIII must be a sufficiently excellent balancer. Although we plan to align with the Winter Maiden, there’s no need to bet the entire Star Antimony on it. That would make us seem too cheap and looked down upon.”
“Yes, my respected Your Majesty…” Laro bowed deeply, as if mourning a corpse. But as he bowed, he suddenly seemed to remember something, tilted his head towards the old king, and asked, “Then do you mean… Madam Freya? There isn’t a more outstanding Alchemist than her… and she’s quite free.”
“Madam Freya is the only exception… Her mother is Madam Sprenger,” Valentine VII said sternly. “That lady was the Queen of Valentin I—doesn’t that make everything complicated?”
“Her mother is Madam Kingsford,” Laro reminded him.
“It’s all the same,” the old king waved his hand. “Don’t say that, I might not die. Seven is the number of Authority, and it was also the number of ‘Power’. Eight is the number of Transcendence, which might mean that the eighth Valentine should be a Transcendent. Come to think of it, this is actually auspicious—I am both the Monarch and ‘Valentine’, and I will overthrow and rebuild Star Antimony… this can also be considered an act of transcendence. My actions align with the Sacred Numbers, and perhaps the Pillar Gods will also wish to see such a future.
“—Let the future Valentine VIII lead Star Antimony to greatness again.” The old king concluded.
(End of this chapter)
