1081 New Members Of The Empire

"They're both in retreat. Queen Sarah swore she'd stay in retreat for a year. Queen Sia swore she'd stay in for two. Maybe they made a bet or something." Alison said.

What Alison didn't say was both the Queens entered the retreat with shaky legs and cursed their husband. Whenever she asked Varian why they were cursing him, he'd just smile smugly before making a depressed face while quoting some weird one-liners that the rather innocent Alison who lost her husband early on couldn't understand.

'The Queens can't handle the throne.'

'I'm suffering from success.'

'They depend on each other…desperately.'

'I don't know if I should be proud or worried.'

Alison was sure that Varian meant something weird with those words. But she didn't ask anymore since it concerned their private life.

'But what can make a man both smug and depressed at the same time? That too, someone like him?'

She had no answer. Maybe her son could have an answer but she decided not to ask. Her intuition told her that it was better that way.

'Anyway, forget all that! The important thing is administration! Administration!'

Alison took a deep breath and leaned back against her chair. Interlocking her fingers together, she said. "I'm not sure why, but the Emperor was very intent on this integration. He might not take a no for this. There might be things we don't know."

"Maybe the Emperor didn't consider these issues and took the decision in haste. He must have thought that integrating elves would be fine since he can overpower them. But what if he isn't away for a while? I'll persuade him." Bali said with conviction.

"Suppose we're fighting against an equal enemy, then they backstab us, it'd be fatal," Kevin spread his arms. "The Emperor can control them during peace, but not during the war."

"Our cultures are very different. Quick integration will lead to dissent and violence. We'll end up resorting to force and might end up creating rebelliousness." Vanhoff clicked his tongue.

Their opinions were firm.

"There are more commonalities than differences," Irene said. "These elves are violent because that's the only way they could survive. But now they'll realize that they don't have to stay that way anymore. They'll change. There will be some problems, I agree, but they will change."

"We should be optimistic, Prime Minister. If we can't see a brighter future, we wouldn't be able to work. But even that optimism should be preceded by caution." Bali scoffed.

As the discussion was about to go deeper, the special comms of the members rang.

The Emperor was about to arrive!

They left the meeting room on the first floor and reached the Throne hall on the second floor.

Two minutes later, Varian walked into the throne hall and assumed his seat.

But before his officials could many any point, he said. "There will be more audience today, well, eight, to be precise. Enter."

The doors opened once again and eight members stepped in one by one as Varian introduced them.

Bali and Kevin stood up from their seats instinctively and assumed an offensive stance.

Irene's eyes widened and she prepared for defense.

Vanhoff rubbed his beard and his eyebrows furrowed as he descended into quick thoughts.

Alison on the other hand rolled her eyes at Varian and didn't even seem surprised. Turning to Varian, she rubbed her forehead. "Why am I not so surprised anymore? When you said you were gonna disappear for a few days after finding elves, I should've thought of this. Oh damn, I should've seen this coming!"

A thin pale-skinned with hollow cheeks, sharp ears, and a bloody smell stepped forward and knelt on a knee. The most striking thing about him was the faint red veins, as thin as hair, visible under his pale skin. You could almost see the blood flowing in them. It was creepy.

"Blood Race from Mercury Ruins." Varian hummed. "Their racial talent is blood manipulation and they all awaken in body path. The stronger they grow, the better their blood becomes and so their racial talent also becomes more useful."

Bali and the others looked at the pale man with curious gazes before they looked at each other in surprise. He's at least a Sovereign!

"Blood Race governs itself as a Kingdom. He's the son of the prime minister, who also happens to be a celestial ranker."

What Varian didn't say was the Blood Gauntlets were likewise the masterpiece of the Blood Race and they too showed him a guide map to upgrade the artifact. It's still the same problem of materials.

"Prime Minister is a celestial ranker? Then what about the King?" Kevin asked.

"Dead," Varian said without much emotion. "So is everyone in the royal lineage, along with their hardcore supporting families and their armies. Unfortunately, that happens to be a fourth of their whole population."

Every minister paled in their seats and stared at Varian in horror.

"The royal family and their ardent followers see us as the continuation of devas and hate us to the bone. They want our extinction. I fought and defeated their king, a not-so-weak celestial ranker. I asked him to submit." Varian's eyes gleamed with a cold light.

"But that bastard laughed and said that they're a warring race." The throne hall went silent and cold. Only the sound of tapping the armrest could be heard.

"They'd rather die than submit." Varian paused for a moment and said. "So, I let them die."

Everyone in the throne hall, including Alison gulped. A quarter of an entire race's population? Even if the Blood race had low numbers like elves, it would still amount to a hundred million easily!

Even though they killed a sizable number of abyssals in the war, sometimes, it'd haunt them. Because when the war peaked, the abyssals deployed not just adults but also child soldiers. Young boys and girls, barely above ten fighting as cannon fodder.

A soldier could kill ten evil men and sleep well knowing he saved his motherland. But to kill an innocent was a nightmare. Even though they the collective hatred abyssals held for humans—including those child soldiers—it was still a hard pill to swallow.

But Varian…

Had his conscience died?

…Or did he experience so much death in just one short year that he became wholly numb to such feelings.

After all, guys of his age would be in college, hanging out with friends, experiencing their first love and possibly first heartbreak, pushing themselves to grow.

But Varian had none of these experiences. He barely had any friends. He never finished a semester. When he remembered his first love, he had to face the bitter reality that she killed his mother.

Varian didn't know what was going on in their minds. With an easygoing smile, he pointed to the pale man and smiled. "After the King and his aides died, his father made a different choice. The Prime Minister swore allegiance. So, the Blood Race lives."

With a gesture, the pale man took his seat.

Then a barefooted woman stepped forward. A fresh breeze hit the throne hall and the smell of the sea filled the air.

"Next, Mermaids from the Venus Ruins."