When Grand Duke Harrison forcefully pushed open the doors of the council hall with his trusted officer in tow, they found the silver-haired Emperor, whom they had not seen for days, sitting alone at the head of the council table.
The young Emperor’s expression was indifferent. His left hand supported his chin, and his right hand twirled a photon pen, indicating he had been waiting for some time.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing him in light. The fine hair on Nero’s face was tinted with a soft golden hue, giving him an unexpectedly gentle appearance.
Anticipating that today’s council meeting would not be harmonious, each noble representative had brought their most trusted officer to bolster their courage among the imposing Wolf Knights.
However, despite this being clearly a Hongmen Banquet, the council hall seemed to contain only the Emperor and his White Wolf.
The White Wolf Knight stood quietly behind Nero’s right side, its white cape hanging down, its posture as calm as Nero’s gaze.
“Ten of you,” Nero said with a smile as the last noble representative entered. “Not bad. Fewer than I expected.”
Then, he addressed the officer behind the last noble, “Close the door.”
The noble was taken aback, wanting to say something more, but saw his trusted officer had already turned around, following orders, closing and locking the chamber door with an iris scan.
“…?”
Still gaping, the noble was firmly pressed into his seat by his officer.
“My tax advisory team has prepared everything in advance for you.”
Nero lightly tapped the table, causing a semi-transparent screen to appear before each noble, displaying the Empire’s tax payment system. The amount due was already calculated, complete with detailed billing records. The final figures were dizzyingly high for everyone.
The nobles looked at the screens in bewilderment, then up at Nero.
The silver-haired Emperor slightly curled his lips, speaking in a soft, almost pedagogical tone, “Once you’ve confirmed the amounts are correct, please sign. I have other state affairs to attend to, so you’ll need to expedite this process.”
“…Your Majesty,” the Minister of State Administration finally spoke, unable to hold back any longer. “I believe everyone here, like myself, came to seek clarification on certain issues…”
“What kind of issues, Marquis Sean?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Yes, Your Majesty! If you need to build a new palace or host a galactic-scale banquet, you only need to inform us. Why go to such lengths to issue the Joint Tax Decree? You’ve put your subjects in a difficult position…”
As Nero patiently listened, he absentmindedly rubbed his lower lip with his fingers—a habitual gesture he did when pondering, his white fingers pressing against his rosy lips, appearing inexplicably tender.
When he looked up again, there was no usual coldness in his red eyes. His pretty lips still curled in a smile, as if he were just a curious child.
“What do you mean by ‘difficult position,’ Marquis Sean?”
The young tyrant maintained his cruel yet innocent expression, softly laughing.
“Do you mean being publicly accused throughout the Empire of holding noble titles without ever fulfilling noble duties, never paying a penny in taxes? Or does it mean that even after I returned to the throne, your family’s evil deeds in the star system never stopped. In ten years, they embezzled 600 trillion units of iron and civilian private property, illegally trafficked 300,000 people, and until now, there are still 800 Omegas imprisoned in the basement of your Capital’s mansion for the nobles to abuse and play with at banquets—is that what you mean by a difficult position, Marquis?”
The Minister of State Administration’s face turned pale as paper!
The scene was all too familiar. He remembered how the former Minister of War, Marquis David, was similarly cornered by Nero and Heidrich, step after step, until finally his psychological defense line collapsed, and he was directly thrown into prison by the Wolf Knights.
Later, during the suppression of the rebellion in the David Family’s territory, the Marquis couldn’t withstand the tribunal’s torture, confessed all he knew, and died of illness in the Capital’s dungeon.
His family’s assets were confiscated, their territory taken by the Emperor, and family members either executed or imprisoned.
A century-old noble family was thus completely destroyed, disappearing from the Empire’s political stage forever.
“It’s unfortunate, Marquis Sean. Just a moment ago, you still had the chance to pay your taxes, then quietly leave the Capital with your children and perhaps the 800 Omegas in your mansion.”
Nero’s tone remained gentle, and his gaze even showed genuine regret and pity.
As he finished speaking, the tax payment screen before Marquis Sean silently went dark.
“But now, I’ve become aware of your numerous crimes. Based on my oath before the gods to protect the sacred and inviolable Imperial Law and to rule my people with justice, mercy, nobility, and righteousness—your trial has now become more urgent than collecting back taxes. It seems you no longer need to pay today.”
Nero’s voice was soft as he turned his gaze to the Minister of Finance, who had also raised questions.
The Minister of Finance’s expression was one of utter horror, his face a mix of red and green, looking quite grotesque.
“And you, Marquis Valen?”
Nero asked patiently, “Do you still have any questions about my issuance of the Joint Tax Decree?”
Compared to the Emperor’s calm demeanor, the atmosphere in the council hall had frozen to the extreme.
For a moment, no one dared to speak.
In this suffocating silence, the recently condemned Marquis Sean suddenly stood up, shouting through gritted teeth, “What are you afraid of?! Damn it!! He’s just a—”
Before he could finish, his officer swiftly acted!
With a loud bang, the officer twisted his arms back and slammed his head onto the table.
Marquis Sean screamed in agony, having never experienced such pain!
Everyone then saw that Sean’s loyal officer slightly moved his neck.
Feather-like metal plates cascaded from the back of his head, covering his body in a wave, transforming into a complete set of black heavy armor.
“…A Wolf Knight?!”
Another noble was horrified, trying to jump up, but was firmly pressed back into his seat by his own officer.
“Please remain calm,” the silver-haired Emperor said quietly, “Just pay the taxes, and the meeting will be over. Of course, if you still have questions, you may ask me.”
“…Your Majesty, I completely understand now.”
The previously silent Grand Duke Harrison finally spoke up at this moment.
He was flipping through the lengthy tax statement on the screen before him, shaking his head with a smile as he couldn’t reach the end.
When he looked up at Nero again, the fierce gleam in his triangular eyes was no longer hidden.
“My dear nephew, you might have long lost all hope in me. However, out of respect and fond memory of your mother, I still want to offer you some advice from an experienced perspective.
“Your Wolf Knights are undoubtedly loyal and brave. But as far as I know, your Wolf Knights have dwindled from over 2,000 when they left the Capital to only 300 today. I wonder if you have calculated the total number of stationed troops in the Capital star system and its surroundings, and how many of those officers are connected to the noble families present here?
“By confining us in the council hall today, we can certainly comply and pay the overdue taxes immediately. Regardless of whether we can leave here today or not—I mean no offense. It’s just—please forgive me—your approach is somewhat rash, and as an uncle who cares for you, rather than an imperial official, I must tell you:”
“With only 300 Wolf Knights, it is unlikely you can ensure everything goes according to your wishes.”
As he laid out the Emperor’s cards, the nobles, previously hesitant and uneasy, began to sit up straighter.
However, the silver-haired Emperor’s expression remained unshaken.
He simply interlaced his fingers, leaned forward, and earnestly looked at Grand Duke Harrison. “Thank you for your advice, Uncle. Even today, you are still willing to offer me valuable counsel as a loyal servant of the Empire. I will heed your advice, and thus, I will give you all a deadline to sign—”
Grand Duke Harrison’s expression faltered for a moment. He even wondered if Nero had understood what he was saying.
But shortly after, a tremendous sound echoed through the council hall and the entire Solar Palace.
—It was the explosive noise of a mecha rapidly breaking through the cloud layer.
As the ground shook, the nobles in the council hall saw an unfamiliar giant mecha crash heavily outside the floor-to-ceiling window, causing glasses filled with water to splash all over the long table.
The mecha had a fierce beast-like head, with robust lines and an entirely black body, covered from the waist to the chest with intricate gold patterns. As the mecha moved, these intricate patterns glowed like molten rivers in a cracked black earth.
At its chest, the golden lines rapidly converged and intertwined, forming an ornate scepter totem.
The beast-like mecha slowly raised its head, its golden eye lights aligned perfectly with the height of the council hall windows.
As the eye lights glowed, a dark, murderous aura seemed to emanate from it, almost entirely obscuring the countless similar mechas following it in the smoke and dust.
With those golden eye lights and the billowing black aura as the backdrop, the silver-haired Emperor remained calmly seated at the head of the table, his tone as composed as ever.
“The deadline is now.”
Wowww so cool
Ehehehee they still underestimated him (•̀ᴗ•́ )و
AAAAAHHHH THIS SHIT IS SO COOL NY COUCH POTATO SELF IS SCREAMINGGG
This diva 😆😆