For The Emperor CH1
Chapter 1: The Hellish Otherkind (1)
The new emperor of Great Li would be an empress.
Named Li Yundan, at the age of twenty-three, she held supreme power, unmatched in elegance.
On the fifth day of September, it was the auspicious day for her enthronement. The new emperor needed to change into her ceremonial robe and proceed from the Eastern Palace to the Central Hall, leading the officials in offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors, receiving salutations upon her ascension, then taking the imperial seal, changing the state's name, and finally granting amnesty to the realm and reducing taxes.
This process was long and tedious, with no room for error, thus the atmosphere in the Eastern Palace was not of joy, but rather solemn.
Maids entered in procession, offering up the bright yellow dragon robe. However, the new emperor did not spare it a glance, instead fiddling with two tiger talismans, pondering whom to bestow the other half of the military power.
No one dared to disturb her.
The grand hall fell silent, with only the lingering scent of incense.
The new emperor appeared aloof, cold and detached as if a celestial being on the clouds, ready to ride the wind away at a blink.
Seeing this, the old nanny couldn't help but speak up, "Your Highness, it's time for your bath and change of clothes."
Addressing her as "Your Highness" instead of "Your Majesty", the old nanny measured her words well, not to let the yet-to-be enthroned new emperor fall prey to the criticism of the censors. Yet, the inscrutable thoughts of the one about to ascend were clearly elsewhere.
Li Yundan turned her head, asking, "Did you hear something?"
The old nanny was momentarily stunned, listening intently before replying, "Forgive this old servant's aged ears, I heard nothing."
With the ceremony imminent, everyone in the Eastern Palace was cautious in their speech, none daring to speak out. But the emperor felt otherwise, and the servants could not definitively say there was nothing, a big taboo.
"Could it be the refined music of the Master of Ceremonies?" the old nanny ventured cautiously.
Li Yundan remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the quiet servants, then meaningfully over the dragon robe. After a moment of silence, she suddenly lost interest in the enthronement.
She put away the tiger talismans, did not take the dragon robe, but instead picked up her usual meteorite sword and turned to walk out of the grand hall.
The maids and guards immediately knelt down.
"Your Highness?" the old nanny's face turned pale, hastily advising, "Please reconsider! The war sword harbors a fierce aura, unfit for ancestral sacrifices. Today is for the ceremonial sword... Your Highness!"
The new emperor left the grand hall without looking back.
Hearing the endless "Your Highness, long live," failed to stir any emotion in Li Yundan. Indeed, the future "Long live our Emperor" was more tempting, but at this moment, it paled in comparison to a voice echoing in her mind—
"Do you want to be a human emperor confined to the dragon throne, or do you wish to be the master who steps over it?"
This was repeated three times.
The source of the voice was unknown, but ambition had already taken root!
From a princess to an empress, her metamorphosis was fought through heaven and earth, all for the sake of seizing control of her destiny.
She thought becoming the emperor would mark the beginning of great freedom, yet within the heavily guarded royal court of Great Li, there existed a demon that could freely communicate with her mind, asking her if she wanted to be a human emperor or a sovereign?
The audacity was significant, and the hidden danger, immense. For now, it only spoke to her, but what about later?
Who could guarantee it would always be content with just "speaking" and not do anything to her?
The feeling of being manipulated was detestable to her, and it wasn't a problem that could be solved by merely holding power.
Li Yundan dismissed her shadow guards and ascended to the highest point of the Eastern Palace to gaze far into the imperial city.
Everything about the court seems ordinary, but her personal experiences cannot be faked.
When the perfumed breeze blows, Li Yundan gazes at the "Chaotian Hall" used for ancestor worship and the ninety-nine long steps, thinking of the emperors lying in the imperial mausoleums, suddenly feeling sentimental.
Empires last forever, but the turnover of kings and officials is countless. Incompetent rulers and wise emperors, the treacherous and the loyal, no matter how high one climbs, they remain human. Even if skyscrapers are built today, they might collapse next year.
The Jing family destroyed the Yin to take the "Rong" as their state title; the Zhong family destroyed Rong to take "Zong." Then the Li family overthrew the old system to establish "Great Li"... Changes of dynasties are common, but power and status are hard to maintain for long.
If one cannot exist as long as the sun and the moon, even if she possesses the whole world, she can only enjoy it for a hundred years, eventually ending up buried in a tomb, keeping company with the yellow soil and dry bones.
In this view, the throne is as insignificant as ants, and this body as trivial as dust…
Li Yundan lowers her eyes, suddenly conceiving a crazy idea.
If that's the case, why not take a gamble? If there are creatures that can transmit voices into the mind, could there be immortals who can fly through the sky and burrow into the earth? Being mortal for only a hundred years, to bet on winning is to reach the vast skies and seas, to lose is but to die.
With poison witchcraft dances in Miao territory, secret martial arts in the jianghu, and the mysteries of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, the existence of more demons or immortals is not impossible.
Li Yundan is tempted.
She doesn't inquire about the origin of these beings, nor does she seek to understand their nature, responding only in her mind to test the other's depth with a sentence: "I aim to be the master, how do you view this?"
Can it hear her thoughts without her speaking?
She throws back the question to see how it resolves it, and its method of resolution is enough to let her know its weight.
Unexpectedly, the response is swift, a thought has just settled, and the reply comes like lightning: "Ding! Your identity information has been obtained, and your spacetime coordinates confirmed. Xun position fire thunder, the year 1615, participant 'Li Yundan'. Jump transition will begin shortly, please prepare."
What does this mean?
"Yin and Yang formless, fate enters creation. Heaven and Earth at the beginning, the universe finally settled." A voice of indistinct gender speaks enigmatic words, "Wish you a pleasant experience in the rookie selection."
Li Yundan barely has time to react before seeing birds frozen in mid-air, palace people standing still, the wind ceases, and all things come to a halt. Everything around her loses sound, blurs in outline, and softens into a warm light enveloping her.
This is!
Her figure gradually fades.
【Jump transition completed】
...
Mining city Akakto.
That night at 21:00, brilliantly lit, without a star in sight.
Using the darkness, a group of uninvited guests quietly descends upon the city, some scattering in office buildings, others landing in residential areas.
From shadows to solid forms, from confusion to clarity, they appear in various attires: some in short sleeves, some wrapped in cotton coats, and some even clad in animal skins wielding long spears, looking like primitive people.
Most groups of newcomers are seven to eight people, with a few being two to three, and solitary arrivals are extremely rare.
After regaining their senses and exchanging stories, their almost identical experiences shock them.
Before this, they did not know each other, being in different places, seasons, doing different things. Incredibly, they find themselves in a new location in the blink of an eye.
"A voice popped up in my mind, asking if I wanted to be the world's richest person. Thinking it was some new scam, I jokingly agreed..." someone said dully, "I didn't expect to see a ghost, is this not some prank reality show?"
They cautiously exchange information, exploring the environment. Soon, people leave their original spots and unintentionally gather and form groups, yet unsure of where to go.
The billboards on the streets are in English, there are foreigners jogging in the parks at night, and the central circle is busy with office workers hurrying home.
"Is this abroad? Huh, which part of abroad? Big brothers, please guide me, I don't understand English!"
"First, buy a map. By the way, who has US dollars on them? Cash is fine too, take it to the bank to exchange, mobile payment isn't popular abroad."
"..."
Meanwhile, the subway in the eastern district of the mining city started again, beginning a new round of city tours.
The noise of people, the sound of the tracks. Li Yundan opened her eyes and found herself trapped in a long metal cage.
It was like the belly of a giant snake, "swallowing" many living people. It could light up without candles, move without horses, had glass windows, and walls made of metal and gold, moving very fast and also stopping to allow people to enter and exit.
After seeing it a few times, Li Yundan understood that this was a vehicle for transporting people, although it looked strange, there was no need to worry.
She did not follow the crowd and get off, but sat quietly in her place, silently observing.
People came and went frequently in this vehicle, mostly tall with deep-set noses, foreigners. They were dressed in bizarre ways, some almost naked, speaking in a language she couldn't understand, and even took out a strange long box to gesture towards her.
Occasionally, a few foreigners would ask in a friendly tone: "Miss, may I take a picture of you?"
Li Yundan did not speak, only raising her hand to make the sign language commonly used by mute servants in the palace, indicating "I don't understand" and "I can't speak."
Sure enough, most of the trouble instantly disappeared, and their looks were filled with regret and pity.
The metal cage moved and stopped, and over time, Li Yundan also saw many people with black hair and eyes. However, the men did not grow their hair, and the women did not wear robes, making her feel out of place.
Most were curious about her attire and hair ornaments, staring at her for a long time.
So, she had landed in the land of foreigners and encountered a group of people not of her own kind?
It seems the "monster's" ability was indeed not small... to transfer her from the great Li King's court to a foreign land in a breath, such a miraculous feat of changing stars and moving places, made her even more curious about the meaning of "dominance" after her surprise.
Fortunately, she did not refuse this invitation.
As she was contemplating, the subway arrived at another station.
Old passengers got off, new ones came on. As the night deepened, fewer people were taking the subway.
Li Yundan did not plan to stay, curious about the exotic things, she wanted to look around. For example, she still did not know the shape and name of this metal cage, nor what it operated on, only knowing it could travel thousands of miles a day and carry soldiers. If the great Li had such a "fine steed," where could they not go, what country could they not conquer, flattening the four seas would not be an issue.
Yet, such a fine steed was used by the foreign nation as a means of transporting people…
So, the question arises, just how wealthy is this foreign nation?
Population, food, weapons, and water conservancy have always been the four main concerns of emperors. Li Yundan was no exception, after all, having the word "emperor" associated with her, strengthening the country and learning from others became instinctive.
She slowly stood up, trailing at the end of the crowd, deciding to be the last one to get off due to her dislike of crowded places.
The door opened, entering from the left and exiting from the right.
However, this time the people entering were mostly black-haired and eyed men and women, communicating within their groups, with a somewhat exclusive aura.
Li Yundan noticed them, and their vigilance was not high, not realizing they were being watched, and they did not lower their volume when talking.
"I've never heard of this city name, Akakto," said a young man wearing a duckbill cap and holding a skateboard, "and the country it's in is also weird, called the Sobus Federation. Is there such a country on Earth?"
"No," replied the flight attendant, "I've flown to so many countries and cities, and I've never heard of these two names."
"It couldn't possibly be on another planet, could it? Or are we in a parallel universe?"
"Stop talking nonsense! I bet a pack of spicy strips that this is definitely a prank reality show!"
"Everything is possible, otherwise how could we explain what we have encountered? I saw the date on the newspaper was 'Year 6 of the New Calendar, June 6th'... Forget it, let's just follow the map and take the subway, make a round of the city first."
Li Yundan tilted her head, finding that their language was different from that of the barbarians, but she still couldn't understand it.
There were seven people in the group, four men and three women, not very old. They entered the carriage and walked to the right, getting further and further away from her position.
Li Yundan withdrew her gaze and moved closer to the exit. Just then, that mysterious and unfathomable voice appeared again.
【Ding! Welcome to the Trial Grounds·Akakto, the novice selection competition is about to begin, with a difficulty level of "one in a hundred", and the main mission is "survive 8 hours".】
Interestingly, although some words were unclear, she understood its meaning.
Contestants? It seems she wasn't the only one who had arrived in this foreign land.
Survive in the trial grounds for eight hours?
Survive…
【Triggering hidden side missions will significantly increase the mortality rate, but also has a certain probability of activating the novice protection mechanism, please choose carefully.】
The voice faded away, coming and going without a trace.
Three times over, she had witnessed its magic and naturally would not refer to it as a "monster". At a stage of minimal strength, keeping a low profile was the best choice.
The world opened another door to her, regardless of whether the thing that brought her in was good or evil, it was a unique stepping stone.
"Let's just call you 'Voice of God' for now."
Li Yundan's fingertips caressed the cross-sword: "The first national master of Great Li said 'the divine right of kings', I wonder if that's true or false."
The sharpness of the language had given enough hints at the very beginning, setting traps as well.
***
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