Badge in Azure

Chapter 101: The Worries of the Empire (Part 2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“The things that Merlin said all came true. Last year, your brother’s condition suddenly improved and he was no longer dying within the magical tower. However, at the same time, black mages appeared in Phoenix Duchy. The people that I have kept by my side did not manage to resolve the situation, and this has resulted in black magic spreading to the Loulan Duchy. The son of the Grand Duke of Phoenix is still in the imperial capital. He doesn’t dare to go back. This imbecile. It would be good if he had just one-tenth of his father’s capabilities.”

Merlin…

Viscountess Lex continuously repeated his name in her heart and grew uneasy. Merlin had been the last astrologer in the empire. The words he had said before dying were too frightening.

“What else?” Viscountess Lex became solemn as well. If Merlin’s prophecy was coming true, then not only would the Qin Empire face a crisis, but the entire mainland would be in turmoil.

“Dragons have appeared in the Cloudflow Empire. These creatures are extremely rare, but more than ten of them appeared at once. Then, these dragons disappeared. If what Merlin said was right, then there will be a huge change in the Cloudflow Empire. Dragons will not be exterminated even if humans gang up on them. However, in this case, the dragons disappeared soundlessly, so how did that empire get so many mages on their side?”

“What is the worst thing that has happened?” Viscountess Lex knew that such a matter would not frustrate her father. It would be alright even if everything else in the prophecy came true, so long as the last piece did not come true.

“The Holy See has declared that death mages are just heretics using the third code.”

The viscountess stiffened up when she heard that. It was a bolt from the blue. The four big empires had lived together in peace for over seven hundred years. That being said, the Holy See had just caused irreversible destruction to this peace using the third code.

This was because there had been many death mages when the Qin Empire was first constructed. It could be said that without the death mages, there would have been no Qin Empire. Furthermore, the death mages contributed a large amount to the extermination of black mages. In the Qin Empire’s code, the prestige of death mages in their society was clearly listed.

Even though there were not many death mages left in the empire, the code should not be changed. The code was the bedrock of the Qin Empire.

The actions of the Holy See were equivalent to telling their followers that the entirety of the Qin Empire had been founded on heresy.

Was the One Thousand Year Holy War really going to erupt?

“All these events were correctly predicted. I don’t think there will be an exception for the last one, right?” the emperor said, looking very glum.

“No, Father, all of this was just a coincidence!” Viscountess Lex lost her composure. This was because the last prophecy Merlin had given her was that the emperor would die in the Holy War, and the empire would crumble into dust.

“Be it a coincidence or not, all these things have already happened. The Holy War is imminent. Are you going to stay here or go back?”

Viscountess Lex was stunned for a while, and said, “Since my younger brother has recovered, I shall go back.”

She knew that if she stayed behind, her father would pass the throne to her. The Myers Mainland had produced a few female emperors in the past, but that was only because those emperors had raised no sons. Since her brother had recovered, some people were bound to be unhappy if she were still the one to ascend the throne. Viscountess Lex very much wanted to spend some more time with her father, but the prophecy…

She might have been the reason the empire would crumble.

“You are a mage. You shouldn’t believe in these things.” The Qin Emperor laughed warmly. His mood had lifted the moment he saw his daughter.

But Viscountess Lex was a little depressed, and fell silent. She hoped that the prophecy was false, but at the same time, she did not have the courage to stay.

“Lex, when Merlin made his predictions, he couldn’t have been sure of my future achievements. I really can’t think of anyone who can harm me now,” the emperor announced proudly.

“In that case, I have to go back. Since the Loulan Duchy is in trouble, I am afraid that the black mages will infiltrate the Bitter Water Prefecture using small roads. If that happens, then Bitter Water Prefecture will be in trouble as well. As long as we do not lose Bitter Water Prefecture, then the Holy See will not be able to attack the imperial capital. The Holy See will not use other roads since that would provoke the other two empires. I don’t believe the Holy See will be able to fight three countries at once.” Viscountess Lex arched her eyebrows, and her voice was filled with emotion.

The Qin Emperor roared with laughter, which added more compassion to his average looks.

“That’s my daughter. But don’t rush to go back. This time, I want to make sure that you establish your own county,” the Qin Emperor said firmly, staring at the god’s ring on Viscountess Lex’s finger.

Establishing a county was a bigger deal than establishing a duchy. A county was almost like an independent country, and only a member of the royal family could establish one. Also, once a county was established, the transfer of powers within it would no longer need to be approved by the lower house. A county had the freedom to appoint or dismiss its nobles and officials. As long as the county did not rebel against the empire, its sovereignty would be in place forever.

“Father, you don’t have to do this…”

“Lex, in the past, I had difficulties mastering the royal secrets so I could only listen to Merlin and let you leave. But if anyone wants to object to this today, I will show them my wrath. You don’t have to worry about your uncle. His two sons are useless, so I can only pin my hopes on your younger brother. If your uncle were to oppose this, I will reappoint the Crown Prince,” the emperor said stubbornly. He only had one thought in his mind, which was to make up for his daughter’s losses all these years.

When the emperor saw that Lex was going to continue arguing, he continued, “I have to finish this matter. With the imminence of the Holy War, the empire must choose an ally from between the Cloudflow Empire and Sikeqinya. If you don’t establish your county, then someone will propose a marriage. Do you want me to send you out of the Qin Empire? If you have your own county, then your husband will be the king of the county. No one will be able to ask me for your hand in marriage then, or else it would mean separating the Qin Empire. Do you really want your marriage to become a business deal?”

“Father, marriage is still early…”

“Early? The ambassador from the Cloudflow Empire is already on his way here.”

Aye, Viscountess Lex sighed. Her joy at being reunited with her father had greatly diminished. She had also received some intelligence when she was in the Bitter Water Prefecture, but it had not been as detailed as what her father had just told her. She had not known about the changes in the Tanggulasi Empire, much less about the ambassador from the Cloudflow Empire. It may as well be true that the Cloudflow Empire was going to ask for the viscountess’s hand in marriage since the ambassador was coming around this time. If the two empires were united through marriage, then they would be able to oppose the conditions set by the Tanggulasi Empire.

But if she established her own county, would the prophecy come true? Astrology was not like divine spells or magic. If the predicted events were intentionally prevented, then the prophecy might not come true at all.

Figo led Faerun and the others to a storage room. This was not the only storage room the imperial family had. This room was not too big, and it would really be a joke if the Qin Emperor possessed so few assets.

They had to pass through a guardroom filled with soldiers wearing heavy armor before entering the storage room. After inspecting Figo’s badge, the guards let them pass. These were the rules. Even if the guards knew who Figo was, they still needed to inspect the magic seal on his badge. The badge would lose its effect the moment its owner died. This was to prevent any demons who could transform into another person using ultimate transformation magic from infiltrating the palace.

A mage in grey robes led the group to the door of the storage room. The door was secured by a magic array and four magic locks. Both sides of the passageway had concealed arrow holes. Even if a grand swordmaster had been here, he would have been killed by the rapid fire arrows from the metallic crossbows.

There must have been treasures here since security was so tight. Saleen was very satisfied, and the eight mages following Faerun were also very excited. Even though the viscountess was very generous, high-level magic equipment was very rare. Since Saleen was able to choose a set of equipment this time around, he would not need to worry anymore about when he became a sorcerer.

The mage in grey robes did not dare to be arrogant in front of Faerun. He took out four magic keys and put them into the locks. There a magic nucleus embedded into the grooves of the door. When the four magic keys were wound at the same time, the door silently opened.

Saleen took a look at the door. The door was coated in metal, and had a thickness of half a meter. Brute strength alone would not be able to knock it down.

There was no light in the storage room. The mage welcomed them in and cast an Illumination spell, leading the way inside. Figo was walking beside Faerun and began to chat with him.

Saleen did not listen in on their conversation. He concentrated on releasing his mental power and started surveying the room.

The mage was a little shocked and took a glance at Saleen but did not say anything. Sika and Nailisi followed Saleen and walked towards the corner of the room.

There was a metal rack that was as tall as the room’s canopy carrying various kinds of equipment. Most of it was for mages, while a few items were for swordsmen, but they also possessed some magic attributes to them. There was a single rack leaning against the corner. Saleen cast a Fluorescence spell and made a detailed examination.

This metal rack was special. If Saleen was right, it had been cast from rhenium gold. The price of this alone had been enough to purchase half a castle. Of course, Saleen could not just take this rack with him as the rack was fused with the ground. The metal pillars had magic patterns carved into them, forming a tiny magic array.

The magic array was used to prevent the aura from leaking out from the rack, and the entire rack was engulfed by the magic array. A set of mage equipment was displayed on the rack, and Saleen pointed to it and said, “I want this one.”

“This one cannot be given.” The mage was anxious. This set of equipment was extremely valuable. Even though it was not suitable for anyone, it was the one and only set in the storage room.

This set of mage equipment had belonged to some mages from the Second Dynasty. There were no magic robes, only a bunch of belongings. The black inner wear had an unrefined feel, and it seemed to be made of linen. There was also a bracelet that contained nine gems in its grooves, a ring, and a magic book that was black in color. Gloves and shoes were also present.

All of the items were black. At that time, the different grades had not been differentiated by color, but people in the later dynasties worshipped the powers that the mages in the Second Dynasty had, so they had made their sorcerer’s robes black. This set of equipment was definitely extremely valuable.

“Alright, then I don’t want it,” Saleen said. He did not want to waste his time talking and turned around and left.

“You can choose another set,” the mage said apologetically.

“I am not choosing anymore,” Saleen replied as he shook his head vigorously.

The mage in the grey robes had a headache. That rack had been hidden behind a magic array. How had a Grade 2 mage managed to get past it? Even for him, he was not able able to do so without using some special tools. That was sure unsettling.

“You’d better choose one set,” the mage advised politely, but he did not notice the sly look in Saleen’s eyes.

“No need. When His Majesty asks about this, I will help you hide the truth,” Saleen replied cheerfully.

Hide the truth? The mage’s face immediately looked very grave. At this point, he realized that it would not be easy to deal with Saleen. Furthermore, Saleen was talking and walking towards the door at the same time. He was going leave the room very soon. The mage grew very anxious. If Saleen said anything to His Majesty, the mage would be in trouble.

“This…mage,” the mage in the grey robes shouted from the back. Saleen looked back and asked seriously, “Are you calling me?”