In the eyes of the servants and crew, Master Yue is still a child who hasn't grown up. As the eldest son of the current Speaker, he completed his first voyage with the fleet at the age of seven.
Yue carries no airs and graces and always gets along well with them, leaving everyone with a good impression.
However, they all felt that Master might be more suited as an adventurer freely sailing the seas rather than a congressman. This is their first time hearing Master make a comment on domestic politics, and it was such a shocking remark.
The Empire is about to erupt into civil war.
They can imagine what kind of tremors this feedback would cause when the council receives it.
They only felt that the young Master still couldn't comprehend what the status of an ambassador truly represents—once this voyage ends, every word he says to the council could profoundly impact future policies.
The captain quickly interjected, "No, no, no, Master, you mustn't joke about this. How could the Empire possibly erupt into civil war?"
"At the latest, within a year of His Majesty Henry's passing."
Yue remained unmoved, resting his chin on his left hand, and continued along the topic, "Lily, the Lofic Consortium and the Pope all asked us the same question when meeting us—the consortium or the Church, who does the Deep Sea Council lean toward for long-term cooperation?"
"That's quite normal, Master. As early as a few years ago, both expressed their desire to establish chambers of commerce and churches in our coastal cities," Lily replied. "Since sea routes were opened, relations between civilizations have become closer."
"To my knowledge, the Empire's succession law differs from the council's; they emphasize lineage. The next heir to the throne will be chosen among His Majesty Henry's descendants, yet they've not even mentioned these heirs once."
"The Empire's throne struggles have always been ."
The captain said, "Even His Majesty Henry gained the throne with the support of Neseriel Sanctuary through his heroic dragon-slaying feats. Regardless, the chaos is only temporary."
"Indeed, but chaos creates opportunities for others. Times have changed. In this era, as long as one is equipped with weapons produced by the Imperial Military Industry, even ordinary people might defeat trained Kingdom Army soldiers."
Yue sat where he was, opposing the captain and Lily from the scene, yet not a single crew member joined his "camp."
After all, this judgment sounded utterly absurd.
Lily bitterly shook her head, "Such rebellion won't last beyond three days. Once the Empire deploys the Saints, the rebellion stands no chance."
The assessment system for the Transcendent was proposed by the Empire. When humans step into the tier-three domain, they become beings incomprehensible to ordinary people. However, above tier-three exist two higher ranks; the moment one is promoted to tier-five, they are granted the title of Saint.
Like Divine Spirits walking among humans.
This is how people evaluate the Saints.
Despite the Empire being severely weakened in the battle against the Lindong Witch, even setting aside the soon-to-be-deceased Henry IV, they still maintain close relations with at least three Saints.
Her eyes suddenly dimmed as she bowed her head and said, "In front of the Saints, a mortal's struggle is meaningless."
Even if the Master's prediction becomes reality, she can foresee the end of this tumultuous resistance—crushed like ants, their heads hacked off and hung on the city walls as a warning to future generations.
Their names would be written into history books as criminals beyond redemption, nailed to the pillar of historical shame.
Yue noticed Lily's discomfort and changed the subject, asking, "Speaking of which, Father, when he last visited the Empire, the Reception Bureau hadn't been established yet, right?"
The captain, perceptively taking over the topic, said, "Oh, I've heard of them, supposedly an agency specialized in handling abnormal cases in the Empire, founded only recently. The former director was an exceptional figure, granted the title of Tier Four Scholar by the Enlightenment Society at just 30 years old. It's a pity he met with an accident; otherwise, within a few years, the Empire might have birthed a new Saint."
Yue: "Rather than handling abnormal cases, I think 'dealing with Evil God's Followers' is more accurate. After all, most of the cases they investigate are caused by Evil God's Followers, a naming strategy game."
"Omitting 'Evil God' from the naming process makes the situation appear less severe. Don't you find it odd? Since the fourth era, Evil God's Followers have never disappeared, yet why does the current Empire feel the need to create a special department dedicated to handling such incidents?"
Yue intentionally paused for a moment, seeing the captain's expression of wanting to speak but hesitating, knowing the captain was actually aware of the answer, just too afraid to say it aloud.
"This suggests that Evil God's Followers within the Empire are increasing, so much so that the Empire has to establish a special department to address the activities of Evil God's Followers... Could it be that Evil God's Followers are sprouting from the ground?"
Yue took out a book from the inside pocket of his clothes, the cover reading 'Learn About 100 Dark Creatures.' "I bought this in the imperial capital's bookstore, written by an experienced old Hunter. When reading this book, there's always one question that puzzles me.
"The old Hunter said that belief in Evil God twists a human's body and soul, turning them into inhuman monsters. They lose intellectual capacity and develop various grotesque habits, such as addiction to blood-drinking and cannibalism. Even their closest ones fear them, they are hunted by the Empire, always on the run, and no matter where they escape, they are like rats in the gutter."
No normal person would want their life to turn into this nightmare.
Yet in the Empire, more and more are falling into becoming Evil God's Followers, even seeing unprecedented events of Saint corruption.
When Yue visited the Imperial Military Industry's factories and saw how the workers looked at them, the question buried in his heart finally had an answer.
The Empire's propaganda about the Evil God has always been meticulous, with even ordinary people in remote cities knowing the dangers of believing in Evil God:
"Faith in Evil God will turn you into a monster, ruin your family, and plunge you into the abyss... but I imagine the Evil God never denies this to its followers. It only promises one thing—once you abandon all these, you'll gain power."
This is the unbearable weight of life and the most tragic fate Yue could imagine.
Until he realized, for some people, this seemed not to be a sacrifice.
"Many are already there."