The Emperor Is a Yandere!

Yes.

Real estate as a savior.

The emperor had fully grasped Kang De's line of thought.

In his eyes, the black-haired boy before him had transformed into a grinning executioner, raising his large blade high, ready to cruelly, thoroughly, and elegantly complete a top-level harvest.

The enormous wealth accumulated within the aristocratic system over thousands of years was uprooted and swept away completely.

Otto II's breathing became rapid.

Feasible.

His reason, wisdom, and experience all told him that it was feasible.

My heart is pounding.

It is obvious that he understood the essence of Kang De's proposal.

The Otto Triangle... The aristocratic class possesses all power, strength, and money, thus becoming the ruling class in the Mortal World, able to overshadow the bureaucratic group, the supernatural group, and the merchant group.

Now, Kang De wants to take away the vast wealth accumulated by their ancestors.

This means that the stable balance of the Otto Triangle has been immediately broken, and the resulting imbalance will not be limited to degeneration and contraction... but rather a long-planned strangulation and extinction.

Noble.

Even the emperor, a man of deep cunning and who rarely showed his emotions, had his hands tremble slightly.

He couldn't help but recall the rumors about Kang De, the whispers and open criticisms that filled every aristocratic ball and salon.

From Goth in the west to the kingdoms in the east, throughout the entire human realm, nobles scorned and vehemently opposed the Dragon of Cathay, calling him a destroyer of order and an evil Destroyer.

Because his hostility toward the nobles was so obvious, it violated ancient traditions and shook the glorious laws governing noble rule that had lasted for thousands of years.

Now it seems the rumors were true.

It's even overly conservative.

Once Kang De's plan was fully implemented, the nobles, whose wealth had been drained, were forced to face a terrible situation of power spiraling out of control and authority hanging in the balance, and Kang De would not give them a chance to breathe.

The cornerstones of the empire, the ancient aristocratic traditions, will cease to exist. After money, power will be stripped away. And with both power and money gone, authority becomes a joke. The nobles of that time will likely be reduced to oblivion, clinging to ancient titles and laughable empty honors...

Or they might change their appearance at all costs, merge with the emerging class, and be reborn through a borrowed body.

This kind of thing.

This is something that every competent ruler should strive to avoid and suppress.

Because the emperor was also a nobleman.

He was the highest-ranking nobleman, and while upholding this aristocratic system, he also benefited from this unbreakable tradition, gaining legitimacy, prestige, loyalty, and power forged in iron and fire.

Perhaps throughout the centuries, emperors and nobles have been secretly vying for power, determining the distribution of wealth through struggles for authority. But if an external force tries to break this tradition, they will immediately unite against it, because they are all nobles and the biggest beneficiaries of this system.

Just like now.

Otto II should raise his banner and rally the Mortal World nobles to form a united front against Kang De. As a divine monarch, he should maintain the traditional order, thwart Kang De's evil plans and malicious motives, and get things back on track.

That's how it should be.

--Kang De and the emperor locked eyes.

The Earthling wore a faint smile and a calm yet powerful gaze.

The emperor had previously written a letter and made a proposal, but Kang De remained noncommittal and avoided discussing it. Their exchanges only involved discussing Star Palace and did not delve into the truly core issues.

Even today, using this most audacious, greedy, and domineering proposal for reaping in the history of Mortal World, Kang De, with the inherent subtlety of the China, uttered his subtext.

Are you ready?

Clearly define friends, and also clearly define enemies.

Your choice will determine the depth of the cooperation.

Otto II looked at him, remained silent for a long while, and then slowly smiled.

"I have seen through the monarch's delusion."

He released Kang De's hand and slowly stood up.

"I possess this vast empire, and my material desires completely vanished before I even turned forty."

"The desires of men and women, the pleasures of the palate, what I hear, eat, touch, play with, and see—none of it can anymore arouse the joy and satisfaction in my heart."

"My nation has already expanded to its limit. If it goes any further, the possibility of a major war with Twilight Moon and even the Council will increase dramatically. Not to mention the drastic changes in the Mortal World now. Even if there are ambitions and visions for territorial expansion, they will dissipate in the Shadow cast by the starry sky."

"Before you, I need not offer false words. I will tell you the truth: this throne, this supreme power and status, has instead become a burden and a liability to me."

Kang De revealed a look similar to that of Sa Beinan.

"Don't laugh, this is the truth, and I'm only telling you this. The power and wealth that come with the throne can no longer be converted into enjoyment or pleasure for me. But I dare not hand over the throne to my heir, because if I give up power, I will lose even more—not to mention respect, even my life will be in danger."

"Sitting in this position, the identity of the emperor has become a job, keeping me constantly on the go and causing me a lot of trouble."

"I must guard against the power struggles among the great nobles, because if I take a step back, they will take a step forward, and if they take a step forward, they will think of a second and a third step."

"I must guard against the bureaucratic class getting too close to the military, because if a bureaucrat with money and power gains strength, he will become a new aristocracy... and vice versa."

"The empire spans vast territories and has hundreds of millions of people. Just by existing in the world, it attracts endless hostility, vigilance, and competition. The Arcane Council and the Dusk Moon Dynasty regard the empire as a potential major enemy. Competition in politics, economics, military affairs, and culture occurs all the time. I have to deal with these actions, big and small, every day."

"In fact, we need to proactively initiate competition and maintain an aggressive stance in order to achieve deterrence."

The emperor gave a helpless, bitter smile as he finished speaking.

"Hearing this, do you still think I'm joking? Since I ascended to this throne, I'm determined not to step down before I die. Even if I were to pass the throne to a suitable successor ahead of time, it would be useless."

As he said this, his gaze turned somber.

"Because I abdicated and he ascended to the throne, we will still have to compete. He is the new emperor and wants to consolidate more power, but his power is limited, so he will try to seize it from me. Even if he doesn't try to seize it for the time being, I still have to be wary of when he will make a move. We are scheming against each other, which is more tiring than when I was in power."

"If I don't fight for it and give it all to him, then... haha."

Kang De heard a chilling emptiness in that laughter.

He forced a smile and said, "How come you're so skilled?"

The emperor stared at him, a sinister smile on his face, "What do you think?"

Kang De was stunned.

"Only in my old age did I understand the look in my father's eyes before he passed away." Otto II remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "That look was filled with worry and pity... So this is what family love is."

The two fell silent for a moment.

After a long pause, the emperor looked up and asked, "Kang De, what are your thoughts?"

Kang De thought for a moment and said frankly, "I feel a little sorry for you."

"Ha."

The emperor nodded with pleasure, showing no anger. "In this Mortal World, only you have the right to say to me that I am pitiful... I am indeed pitiful, and I envy you."

--I fucking envy you too, you piece of shit.

If Jack Ma said on TV that he wasn't interested in money, I'd just laugh it off. But if he said he wasn't interested in women anymore, I'd hang him on a lamppost myself.

Kang De waved his hand and said, "You should talk about me instead. You won't get up in front of me."

Otto II chuckled.

"I'm not saying this to tell you I'm pathetic. I just want to say that being an emperor for so long has become utterly devoid of joy and ambition. It's just mechanically guarding power, like a machine."

"What is there for me to pursue? I possess vast wealth and a powerful nation, yet I have no ability to expand my territory."

"Posthumous fame?"

"After I die, I will merely be one of a dozen or so emperors, at most a hundred years, and then no ordinary subjects will remember me. I may not even be as famous as the artists and scholars of this era."

Kang De thought for a moment and advised, "Not necessarily. If we defeat the Star Palace, you will be a great ruler who has rendered great service to the empire in saving it from peril, and you will be qualified to be called an emperor, even on par with the founding monarch."

The emperor scoffed, "What good is that? The founding emperor was renowned and prestigious; many of the political systems he established are still in use today. I've heard his legendary stories since I was a child, but so what?"

"I can spread a bunch of dirt on him with a flick of my finger, letting it ferment among the people as rumors and unofficial histories, and in a decade or so it will be considered an undeniable fact. With just a few instructions when rewriting history books, to make some accounts seem ambiguous, I can portray him as a cunning, ruthless, and selfish tyrant..."

He scoffed, "What use is posthumous reputation when you're dead? If your descendants are unhappy, they can easily manipulate and ruin the reputation you've built up your whole life with any arbitrary reason or excuse. Not to mention, when the country falls and a new one is established, and history is rewritten, do you think you'll have any good fortune then?"

Kang De said sullenly, "You're quite philosophical about it."

"It's not about being philosophical; it's just how things are. An emperor pursuing posthumous fame is inherently a tragic and laughable thing—a monarch who rules the country with lies, violence, ruthlessness, and cruelty actually expects posterity to show mercy; that's incredibly weak!"

The emperor roared, "Reputation is utterly useless!"

"No... I think it's still somewhat useful."

"Hmm?" Otto II looked unconvinced. "What's the use?"

"For example..." Kang De said seriously, "Hundreds of years later, it might turn you into a slut."

"..."

His Majesty the Emperor gave him a cold look. "What nonsense are you spouting now? You must correct this habit of slurring your words and talking nonsense. How can the heroes who unite the Mortal World to fight against the Star Palace be so frivolous?"

"Where is this nonsense?"

Kang De glared and said, "That's a fact. I'm telling you, there will definitely be someone named..."

"Alright, alright."

The emperor waved his hand roughly. "You don't need to keep making things up, it gives me a headache. Just one thing—if you have a big reputation, you can become a slut hundreds of years later..."

He looked Kang De up and down, then sneered, "You're definitely much more flamboyant than me."

"Damn." Kang De's smile froze, he stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly looked up, "I was careless!"

The emperor had no idea what he was thinking... he just shook his head.

But a smile played on her lips.

He hadn't had such a relaxed conversation in a very, very long time.

You could even say...

Never.

He sighed, "In short, can you understand how I feel? I have no more ambitions. Being emperor is just passively preserving power and maintaining the status quo. It's devoid of joy. I even use power as bait to watch my children, ministers, people, and rivals make all sorts of ugly mistakes, and I find pleasure in that."

"To manipulate the fates of mortals with wealth, power, and authority, and to witness their repulsive and twisted ugliness in the face of desire... or their rare virtues."

"My reason tells me that this cannot continue, or I will become a mad and incompetent ruler."

"Just as I felt at the age of thirty-seven that sexual desire between men and women had lost all its pleasure..."

Kang De ground his teeth slightly.

"It wasn't entirely without pleasure," the emperor said calmly. "That time, looking at the beautiful, docile, snow-white form stretched out beneath me, a sudden surge of savagery rose within me."

"I suddenly grabbed her beautiful neck, listening to her melodious moans turn into painful gurgling, watching her exquisite face flush and contort, her body struggling, I could feel... tightening, tightening, bringing me even more pleasure. I was turning beauty into ugliness, the physical sensations and the pleasure of the soul were merging, I can still remember the scene—how exciting, how frenzied."

"I was done before I strangled her."

I slowly released her; finger marks remained on her neck, turning from red to blue. I was panting, my sweat growing cold. I saw a fleeting look in her eyes—pain, fear, despair, even disgust.

Then those emotions vanished, replaced by meekness. She struggled to sit up, her weak body pressed against hers, like a precise machine beginning the next step... as if nothing had ever happened.

At this point, Otto II looked up at Kang De.

"At that moment, I suddenly felt terrified."

"I realized clearly that the fun hadn't disappeared, but it was becoming distorted. I knew I had to stop, because I had opened a new box, and if I went any deeper, I would become like those good-for-nothing noble sons and undignified emperors of the past, putting those disgusting objects from the deepest parts of the underground palace to use again... At that moment, I said to myself, I cannot become like that."

"Therefore, at the age of thirty-seven, I lost my sense of pleasure."

"The woman I almost strangled became my last concubine."

He paused for a moment, then said calmly, "You've been talking a lot today."

"I think I understand."

Kang De summarized the points.

"You're currently a pleasure-seeker, and you're trying hard to avoid becoming a pleasure offender."

"You're quite the comedian, but it seems you've figured it out," the emperor said with a faint smile. "But that's all in the past... Now I've discovered new pleasures."

Kang De instinctively stepped back, glancing sideways, and said, "Could it be...?"

"It's the one you're thinking of, isn't it?"

The emperor sat down again, smiling as he looked at the young man before him.

"Kang De," he said earnestly, "Be my son."

"...Sorry," Kang De rolled his eyes, "I have a father."

"I don't mind. If your father minds, I can talk to him personally and ask for his consent."

Honestly, if you give Engineer Kang all those special royal-approved beauty treatments and then give him a lifetime membership card, that old man will scream and sever all ties with me.

--Because I'm the same!

Kang De hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why are you so fixated on this?"

"The trust established, the foundation for cooperation, and so on—I have already mentioned these in previous letters."

The Emperor smiled and said, "But more importantly... family love. I want to experience the taste of family love. Like ordinary parents, without any reservations or selfishness, naturally believing in and deeply loving their children, wholeheartedly teaching and nurturing their talented children, so that they can go further than they have..."

Kang De shrugged and said, "You have your own bloodline and children."

"Compared to you, they are all useless, and ungrateful, selfish, and cunning bastards. If I entrust my heart to them, I will only be bitten hard."

Otto II reached out and patted Kang De's hand, his eyes seemingly shining.

"As my prejudice and hostility towards you completely dissipate, I increasingly discover how beautiful and pure you are, and I even understand why you could captivate the Phoenix King..."

Kang De felt a little awkward, sensing a hint of roses in the surroundings.

"You shouldn't be here... Kang De. Politics is dirty, the state is a blood-stained exploitative group, the ruler is the world's largest predator, and those beautiful virtues are nothing but pathetic rhetoric in epics to fool young people. Self-interest comes first, morality is a joke, that's the truth."

"And then you came."

You shattered all of this.

"Your naiveté, your immaturity, your ideals, your beliefs—you should have become yet another victim of this cruel world, falling like a shooting star."

Otto II gazed at the person before him and chuckled softly, "But now, you sit before me, breathing, your skin warm, your back straight, your eyes fearless... How confident, how proud you are."

"As if shattering all the sorrow, darkness, and weak compromises of the world, appearing in the world as a hero, bearing the greatest mission and cause... that's why they follow you."

"That's why the Phoenix King is completely devoted to you."

"I understand the Elf Queen's thoughts... She is a great monarch, her hands probably stained with more blood than mine and Griffin's combined. She sacrificed herself for her duty and mission, and then she saw you appear. She hopes you will shine brightly in the heavens and be remembered for eternity, because your own radiance proclaims to the world—such heroes do exist! This path is achievable!"

The emperor took a couple of deep breaths to calm his agitated emotions.

"I have no intention of nurturing another cruel emperor as selfish as a viper." His smile gradually warmed, became lively and passionate, as if a ripple had been stirred once again in his once still and stagnant heart.

"I want to see what a benevolent monarch can bring to the world."

He was even trembling with excitement.

"I completely agree with your plan. You don't need to worry that I have even the slightest sympathy or attachment to the aristocratic system. Every emperor wants to dismantle them and take all power and wealth back to the royal family, but they are constrained by the situation and lack the strength, so they can only pretend to comply."

"I will cooperate with you to consolidate power, gather wealth, and concentrate strength."

"I will also do my best to teach you—teaching the methods, not the ideas. Even the most righteous beliefs need practical means. If you want to unite the Mortal World, you still need to grow more."

"The elves will surely cooperate with you, and the Mortal World will cooperate with you as well."

"All light, power, and honor will gather around you, to fight the enemy from beyond the heavens."

"Until the Star Palace is defeated, and peace returns to the earth."

He was breathing rapidly and looked extremely happy.

"At that time, you will hold power, shepherding the Mortal World. The Shadow in the sky will dissipate, and all races will begin to multiply and rebuild their homes. That is the part I look forward to most."

His slightly excited voice turned low.

"With the threat of external enemies gone and the rentier class of the Mortal World wiped out by you, the victorious army, the bureaucratic system that governs the Mortal World, and your comrades who followed you in saving the Mortal World... they who possess supreme honor and have made great contributions have the right to enjoy a better life."

Therefore, a new class of rentiers will still emerge.

Kang De's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"Fearlessness, dedication, courage, loyalty... the virtues of confronting the Star Palace will slowly fade, they will become corrupted, just as has happened countless times in the Council, the Empire, the Twilight Moon, and even earlier kingdoms."

"The rules of justice will slowly fall into disuse, the tradition of honor will be distorted, and loopholes will appear in the regulations."

"The once radiant hearts that followed you will gradually become tarnished."

"At that time, you may face enemies even more terrifying and powerless than the Star Palace, enemies who will evoke even greater anger, disappointment, and disgust in you."

"And this is what I leave for the Mortal World..."

"--Gift."

The emperor laughed heartily, his smile calm, but his whole face became lively.

Will you continue to fight for the weak, upholding your original intentions and clear conscience?

"--There will be a radiant king in the Mortal World, who may lead them out of the tragic cycle that has lasted for thousands of years." He said with satisfaction, "I can contribute to the birth of this unprecedented holy king, so it has not been in vain. It's amazing that the ruthless and cruel Otto II has such a successor!"

"But what if..."

He lowered his voice again. "What other way do you intend to respond to the deterioration of people's hearts and the corruption of morality?"

"In that Mortal World, a dark monarch will emerge, ruling, controlling, and suppressing these pitiful souls in an unprecedented way, making them know right from wrong."

He chuckled silently, "I'm looking forward to this more."

"Compared to being remembered for generations, to having a famous reputation, to being a great emperor, isn't leaving such a future to our descendants a more enjoyable thing?"

"Future generations want to write about my past?" His gaze turned icy. "No, I choose to bestow upon them the future!"

Kang De looked at the emperor, who returned his gaze.

"Well..." the Earthling shrugged, "Why do you think I'd stay after defeating the Star Palace? I have a home, I can go home and have fun."

The emperor laughed dismissively.

"Kang De, I will not argue with you about your belonging to the Mortal World or other matters; I will only ask you one question."

He leaned forward and calmly asked, "Is the situation in your hometown different from that in the Mortal World?"

Kang De's expression froze.

"In the long years to come, will you turn a blind eye to the evil, suffering, sorrow, separation, death, war, and hunger that occurred there?"

"You can recognize that nobles are a cancer on the Mortal World, and you're willing to go to great lengths for Mortal World people. But once you return to your true home world, can you really be at ease turning a blind eye to everything?"

The emperor said calmly, "Even if you return home directly after the war and never come back—I'll still be happy."

"Because..."

"--Damn it, that world gave birth to someone like you, making the Mortal World into this state. Now I'm sending back a version of you whose ideals remain as bright and sacred as before, but whose mind and methods are now more powerful than those of an emperor or a tyrant. It's a good thing, or rather, it suits my taste even better."

Kang De remained silent.

The emperor seemed to sense something, glanced at him a few times, and sighed.

"You wouldn't be unaware of, or have been avoiding, the role you're meant to play and assume in your homeworld, would you...?"

Kang De remained silent.

The two sat facing each other for a long time, then the emperor raised his eyebrows.

How are you feeling?

Kang De stared at him, clearly annoyed.

"What if you become a slut a few hundred years from now..."

He said, "She must be a yandere."