Li Yao fell silent.
He knew that Queen Li Linghai was perhaps an insane, incurable, and out-and-out gambler.
But she was certainly not a self-deceiving idiot.
Since Li Linghai was confident that she could defeat the Alliance of the Holy Covenant while dealing with the four Kurfürst families and renewing the Imperium, she must've grasped a certain strength that Li Yao was not aware of yet, and the odds of success were at least twenty to thirty percent.
Perhaps, it was Li Linghai's greatest secret, which was related to the mysterious legacy that she had received from the Star Ocean Imperium ten thousand years ago!
Li Linghai would never tell him the truth of the secret easily. She would not even tell anybody in the Deep Sea Fleet.
It took a lot of time for the two parties to communicate even though they were high-level Cultivators. While talking, Li Linghai processed the intelligence. In the blink of an eye, he had processed almost a hundred pieces of complicated intelligence.
Li Yao pretended to be hesitant. After pondering for a moment, he said tentatively, "You do have a point, Your Grace. Now that the Star Ocean Republic is gone, and Firefly has been completely destroyed, there does not seem to be a place for me in the vast sea of stars.
"What if I say that I am willing to assist Your Grace wholeheartedly on the premise that the morals of the Cultivators are not violated? But after everything is done, I hope to get a tiny Sector and ask the authorities of the Imperium to list it as a 'special zone' so that the system of the Cultivators can be implemented in the Sector? Is it possible?"
"Of course!"
With an expression that suggested that she had foreseen that he would make such a request, Li Linghai said with a smile, "With your combat ability in the Divinity Transformation Stage, as long as you make minor contributions to the cause of 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions', will it be a problem for you to become the Sector Master of a Sector with your military accomplishments?
"You are free to govern your Sector however you want as long as it does not violate the laws of the Imperium. In the meantime, I can even help you fight for certain policies that are beyond the scope of the laws of the Imperium because of your special identity, which will be your so-called 'special zone'."
Li Yao was' overjoyed '. Thinking for a moment, he said, "I still believe in the superiority of the path of the Cultivators. By then, if a certain policy is deemed to be effective in my Sector, can it be promoted to the entire Imperium?"
Pondering for a moment, Li Linghai smiled and said, "Of course. In any case, our ultimate goal is the same, which is the rise of the civilization of mankind. The real Immortal Cultivators are not natural-born sadists. If there is a policy that can make the life of the hominoids more comfortable without damaging the overall interests of the Imperium and the civilization of mankind, is there any reason why it should not be promoted in the entire Imperium?
"After all, both the true human beings and the hominoids are Your Majesty's subjects!"
Li Yao was about to say something else, but Li Linghai waved her hands and interrupted him. "That's all for later. It won't be too late to discuss the rewards after we really annihilate the four Kurfürst families. If you can really make unparalleled contributions in the battle, not just one Sector, it will not be impossible for you to be promoted to the highest official in three or five Sectors. By then, you will naturally be able to carry out your influence and propose valuable suggestions for the policies of the entire Imperium. Why are you in such a hurry?
"Getting to the bottom of it, if we fail, you and I will both be screwed. Everything that we have promised right now will be just a pipe dream, won't it?"
Li Yao said in embarrassment, "You do have a point, Your Grace. However … you seem to have said something wrong just now."
"Oh?"
Li Linghai was slightly dazed. "What is it?"
Li Yao rubbed his hands and rolled his eyes quickly. "You said just now that the Cultivators in the Divinity Transformation Stage like me would not care about Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or wealth at all. That's not necessarily the case.
"As a matter of fact, after we get to know each other for a long time, you will know that I am actually very easy-going and down-to-earth. I do not have the arrogance of a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator or an unparalleled expert at all. When we are discussing ideas and beliefs, I never turn down gold, silver, wealth, titles, strengthening drugs, marvelous arts, or powerful magical equipment.
"Besides, when I escaped from my hometown, I did not bring many belongings with me in the first place. My Cosmos Rings are already empty. My only treasure, the Colossus, is also ragged and in dire need of maintenance and upgrade.
"Therefore, I am sincerely hoping to cooperate with Your Grace and establish unparalleled contributions for the 'new Imperium'. However, well, well, well …"
Li Yao blinked at Li Linghai and smiled greedily.
Li Linghai was slightly dazed. Then, he was amused.
"That's not a problem at all. 'Dragon Abyss' is my secret flagship in the outside world. All the resources, training, and maintenance facilities are available on board. Now that you are my personal bodyguard, you are naturally free to use them however you want!"
Having recruited a general in the Divinity Transformation Stage, the queen did not hide the smile on her face at all. She said, "If this place is not enough, there will be abundant magical equipment for you to choose after we return to the 'Deep Sea Palace', my secret base.
"We will stay in the Deep Sea Palace for five days before we return to the capital of the Imperium. You can take advantage of the time to modify your Crystal Suit and your Colossus. Of course, for safety reasons, I suggest that you change into a Crystal Suit that is less eye-catching.
"After we return to the capital, it will be the time for 'Vulture Li Yao' to show your brilliance and rise unstoppably!
"If there are no problems, you can go to the resource warehouse and the maintenance workshop right now. Right, 'Tempest God', Li Lingfeng's Colossus, is still waiting for treatment in the maintenance workshop. However, the damage of the power unit is too serious and weird. Even the refiners on 'Dragon Abyss' find it tricky. You were the one who damaged it, weren't you? Do you want to go and take a look? I will give you the highest clearance to operate it however you want."
When the Colossus was mentioned, Li Yao's eyes glittered like a weasel that had smelled chicken soup. He mumbled, "I can't wait."
"Then go. Right. Take him with you."
The queen raised her chin at Li Jialing next to her and said indifferently, "Go to my special warehouse of Crystal Suit and help him choose a Crystal Suit that fits him. Adjust it according to your requirements and teach him how to use it by the way. I don't want to see his ugly, silly face."
The eyes of the young man, or the young lion, bulged out again.
Li Yao hurried to grab Li Jialing by the back of his neck and put him under his armpit. "Understood, Your Grace!"
…
Inside the pathway to the maintenance workshop …
Li Yao was still holding Li Linghai, who was waving and struggling hard, while he followed Tu Zhengdao, the deputy commander of the Deep Sea Legion, to move forward.
But inside his brain, the mental devil's slightly high-pitched voice was echoing. "Are you really going to cooperate with Li Linghai, Queen of the Imperium, on the so-called 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions' reform?"
"What else can I do?" Li Yao said. "We are here to find the queen and learn the truth of the Imperium in the first place. Now, we have snuck into the heart of the Imperium as the queen's personal bodyguard without any trouble. That's very successful!"
"However, don't you think that a divided Imperium is more in the interests of the Federation's interest than an Imperium that is highly centralized, boasts a powerful army, and has the most fanatical people?"
The mental devil said solemnly, "By the way, it doesn't really matter to me. After all, I grew strong by absorbing negative feelings and dark energy. The queen's plan suits my taste quite well. I'm just curious. Why did you agree to it?"
"First of all, a 'weak Imperium' is not necessarily more in the interests of the Federation's country than a 'strong Imperium' is."
Li Yao said, "Don't forget that our original goal was to reach a certain balance between the Imperium and the Holy League so that the Federation, as a 'new player', would have the greatest advantage.
"Whether the Imperium is too strong or too weak, it is not in the interests of the Federation.
"If the Imperium is mired in the current chaos all the time, and a brainless civil war breaks out in order to compete for new territories, only for the Holy League to take advantage of the situation and turn the tables. If the Imperium is completely destroyed, it will be better to establish a 'new Imperium'!"
The mental devil said, "But …"
Li Yao smiled. The brilliance in his eyes was not as blurred as when he talked to Li Linghai a moment ago, but he said confidently, "Besides, I don't think that 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions' will be as easy as the queen described just now.
"Did you not hear it? The queen's eloquent speech sounded very sophisticated, but getting to the bottom of it, the old system and the most fundamental contradictions were not touched at all.
"She was only going to confiscate the properties of the four Kurfürst families and temporarily ease the contradictions that exist in the Imperium with the bloody capital that she obtained.
"Perhaps her 'prescription' will indeed work in a hundred years, but it will only treat the symptoms but not the root of the problem. In a hundred years, when the gold and silver that the four Kurfürst families confiscated are all gone, and the Imperium cannot develop brand-new living spaces and resources beyond the three thousand Sectors, what should we do? Wouldn't we be mired in an infinite loop again? Even the 'fair and honest' parliament would morph into the 'Council of Elders of the Imperium' today.
"It is exactly because I believe in the correctness of the path of the Cultivators that I am certain that the queen's plan will never work out. The 'new Imperium' in her dream will always be an illusion. It will never be as simple as touching lips right now.
"Besides, have you ever felt that the queen is definitely not as calm and arrogant as she appears to be? She is in fact an extremely crazy gambler who will risk everything no matter what.
"With or without me, even if I am completely on her opposite side, she will still go all the way without caring about her stupidity.
"With that in mind, we can only agree to participate in the 'reform' and figure out what her greatest leverage is so that we can move the chaotic situation in the Imperium in the direction that is most beneficial to the Xing Yao Federation."
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Hohoho. Here's the fourth update. The fourth update has been a regular occurrence recently. Hahahaha!
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