Chapter 85: Chapter 27: Thunderstruck—New Female Courtier Candidate, Divine Chosen Knight, and Ascending to the Imperial Throne
People often say that history is like a meandering river, and most of the time, this river is gentle and steady, flowing softly through grasslands, plains, and forests, the waves calm and serene. At such times, it gives people the illusion that this river is unchanging, and will always be so slow, so peaceful, with a leisurely rhythm.
Su Li also always thought life in the Pioneer Territory would be as calm and tranquil as the Black Water River flowing through the Central Plain.
But suddenly, the tumultuous waves of the era crashed into the pioneer life of the Hesse Territory without warning. Just like when the river of history passes by a cliff, its flow speed suddenly accelerates in an instant, rushing forth with an unstoppable force.
In the morning, a thunderous roar broke the silence, and the first heavy downpour of the summer came pouring down, the raindrops crashing against the eaves and leaves with a loud patter.
Su Li was awakened from a beautiful dream by the crack of thunder, hugging the soft bodies of the two lady knights in his arms, stretching lazily in comfort, and turned his head to look out the window.
The arrival of this downpour marked the advent of summer.
Summer is Tal’s season; he is the Summer God, the King of Nature, ruling over the wilderness and the wild.
He is on good terms with the Dawn Goddess, and many ritual activities are conducted jointly by priests from both of their churches.
However, there are also some tensions; there is a subtle tension between Reya’s domestication of crops and livestock and Tal’s dominion over the wilderness.
In the summer, the protection of the Dawn Goddess weakens a bit.
Although awakened unexpectedly on the first day of summer, none of this affected Su Li’s good mood. Having soft jade and warmth in his arms, he joyfully kissed the foreheads of the two pretty lady knights in turn, then lay back in a comfortable position to check today’s intelligence updates.
Your strong desire to lie flat has gained a timeline enhancement; you can gain the [Prophet of Destiny] ability while lying flat.
As you are lying flat, today’s prophet message is updated.
[1: The leader of the Blood Hand Tribe, Geba Blood Hand, who invaded the Sulande Grand Prince’s Territory, has killed the leader of the Steel Claw Tribe, Zegos, and successfully annexed the Steel Claw Tribe. The Green Tide is about to form under his command. He is not only a formidable leader but also one of the most outstanding (for Greenskins) generals in history, one of the few orc leaders with real leadership skills and tactical thinking ability. The allied army of the three dukes of the Sulande Territory underestimated the intelligence of the orcs and suffered a crushing defeat a cycle later on the Wisson Plain. The corpses of the forty thousand human coalition will pave the way for the prestige of Geba Blood Hand.]
[2: The fervent continuous battle atmosphere within Hesse Territory caught the eye of the Fiery Sun Goddess. A battle pilgrimage group will visit the western part of the territory today. Be sure to respect their leader, Rong’en Essari, and do not oppress them due to their weak strength, else it will incur divine wrath. Under the blessing of Divine Grace, Rong’en will erupt with the strength of a Divine Chosen Knight briefly. However, this is also an opportunity; you can choose a knight from the Fiery Sun Goddess Sect to undergo an inquiry of faith. Answer: Bravery, you will receive the [Divine Grace Baptism], your knight cultivation will be reset, and you will begin the knight training journey again, but your aptitude will be greatly enhanced, with a doubled training speed. Answer: Faith, you will receive the approval of the Divine Spirit, and a Flame Sun Knight Order brotherhood, numbering no less than 48, will arrive at your territory within three months.]
[3: A group of cultists will sneak down from the Gray Mountain Range and take root in the Gray Rock Valley northwest of the Jinke Mine. Eliminate them quickly, or else they will summon evil monsters and pollute your territory.]
[4: A cunning and vile two-legged flying dragon will fly out of the Blood Pine Forest at three this afternoon, searching for nearby territories. It is the sentinel of the Deceitful Wings, flying out of the forest with every change of seasons to find prey for its mistress after awakening. You have no choice but to kill it.]
[5:...]
[6: At the right direction under the cliff of the Moonlight Highlands in the Green Leaf Hills, there is a narrow area with scant life, a stretch of yellow soil. The reason for the sparse vegetation here is that seven hundred years ago, a seed of the Holy Purple Vine Tree was blown here, absorbing all the fertility of the surrounding soil. If left undisturbed, it will successfully absorb enough energy three hundred and sixty years later and sprout and grow at a depth of 75 meters.]
...
[9: The fervent battle atmosphere within Hesse Territory caught the attention of the Broken Toe Tribe in the Blood Pine Forest. This group of goblins delightedly decided to join in the battle carnival. Within three days, they will attack your territory. This is a massive army of at least 5000 monsters and has successfully raised three Anaric Giant Spiders.]
[10: Use your life’s most elegant words and poems to publicly confess to the maiden of your territory, Philis. Tell her you have deeply fallen in love with her, that though ages and cycles pass, love remains unchanged, standing tall through the ages until the end of time. Ask her to be your lady courtier until you are also gray-haired and drowsy with sleep. This will be your most crucial support in ascending the imperial throne.]
Until reading the last dazzling golden letter, Su Li had no reaction at all. There was no fear, no excitement, not even the shock of wide eyes.
He directly closed today’s intelligence, slowly closed his eyes, and muttered, "I must not be fully awake, how could I have such a bizarre and vivid dream?"
He turned over and rubbed Hilude’s head, who had not yet awakened, rubbed her sleepy eyes slightly, then gently slid from his embrace into the quilt.
Soon, Avril was awakened; she got up and saw Su Li’s relaxed expression with closed eyes and knew the knight’s morning cultivation had begun again. She tenderly cupped Su Li’s cheeks, gently kissing him, helping him relax and enjoy the beauty of the morning.
The morning’s plans are determined by the morning, which even the Dawn Goddess approves.
Until Su Li enjoyed the ultimate satisfaction, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring at Avril, who was right in front of him, his pupils shook violently, filled with disbelief; everything was not a dream!
Hilude, who was under the quilt, popped out her head, looking up in surprise at Su Li and asked, "Lord, what’s wrong? You seem to be trembling all over, your heart beating incredibly fast."
Su Li quickly held Avril’s shoulders, letting her sit aside, then sat up straighter and excitedly reopened the intelligence system just closed!
Is this world going mad?
Or is he not seeing things right?
How come once summer arrives, the warmth and brightness of spring suddenly vanish, replaced by fierce storms?
Today’s intelligence reports, what kind of outrageous words are these?!!
Each one is unbelievable, not only are there reports of Beastman Warlords and Two-legged Flying Dragons, but even of Divine Chosen Knights and the Imperial throne.
What kind of nonsense is all this?
Writing a love letter to Philis? Su Li hasn’t done something as senseless as that since he graduated from middle school.
Only those love-struck little girls would believe such things, right?
But this isn’t some romance story from the female perspective, why is there a need for confession, and more importantly, how is it linked to the throne?
Ascend to the throne!
The Empire follows an Elector system; the Emperor is not from a unified royal succession. Even if Philis is a princess, marrying her doesn’t mean he can ascend the throne.
Even if she becomes the Empress, there’s no guarantee she could pass the throne to him.
What makes her think she can get him to ascend to the throne?!
Thus, Su Li turned his head and looked at Hilude and Avril, who were staring at him nervously. Seeing the concern in their widened eyes, Su Li paused and then slowly asked, "If I say... I can ascend to the throne, do you both... believe it?"
The two of them gasped in amazement simultaneously, their luscious red lips only reacting so intensely when serving Su Li.
Avril felt it was rather unladylike and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but her wide eyes still showed her current mood: "Master... wouldn’t that be too much of a contrast?"
Seeing her expression and reaction, Su Li knew what Hilude’s attitude was like. In their hearts, they believed it, or at least initially did.
If they didn’t believe it at all, they wouldn’t react so intensely. After all, even if it were a Duchess, hearing her husband suddenly say he might ascend the throne would only make her think her husband was either talking nonsense or trying to make her happy.
Hilude was also quick to grasp the main issue. After calming herself a bit, she furrowed her brows and asked, "But how would it be achieved? You have no legal claim."
No legal claim, that’s the crux of the issue.
Even if Philis is the Emperor’s daughter, marrying her doesn’t give him a substantial claim to the Empire. The legal inheritance right she would gain from the Emperor only qualifies her as an Elector; it doesn’t pass to Su Li. According to the Empire’s succession laws, their children would only have a weak claim to the Elector Prince’s Territory and the Bauhinia Earl’s Territory.
The Bauhinia Earl’s Territory is not worth considering. Unless every member of the Bauhinia family in Bauhinia Castle dies off, it wouldn’t pass to Su Li’s sons and daughters, especially when their father, Su Li, is still alive. Even if something happened, he would inherit the Bauhinia Earl’s Territory.
And clearly, Philis isn’t a princess. The current Emperor comes from the Avalan Grand Prince’s Territory, located in the heart of the Empire, with the capital in Terrabheim, and the Imperial Family is the Franz Clan.
Su Li simply couldn’t understand how he could be related to the throne!
Unless he unites the Border Princes, becomes the Grand Prince of Hesse, and gains the possibility of being voted as Emperor.
The Empire does add Electors; from the beginnings of the Bjorn Tribe Alliance to today, they’ve increased to twelve Elector Territories. Nine currently exist, while three, and their esteemed ruling families, have been destroyed. Two were vanquished by monster invasions, their territories swallowed by other Elector Territories. One revolted historically and was stripped of its status by an enraged Emperor.
However, there are 16 members of the electoral college. Besides the nine secular electors, there are several divine authority electors.
For instance, the White Wolf God Church holds two voting rights, but Su Li doesn’t have to think about these; they always vote for the Midland Grand Prince’s Territory because their base is in the Midland Territory.
The Empire’s official Redema Church has three electors’ votes, but they also only vote for the Avalan Grand Prince’s Territory, as Terrabheim is their church’s base.
Even if Su Li becomes a secular Elector, ascending to the throne isn’t easily done. He couldn’t quite figure it out instantly, so he set down the intelligence report. Ascending to the throne is a future potential, while other crises that would destroy territories are imminent and imminent now.