A Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion

Himeko contacted the intelligence department and began a full investigation into Tachibana Yuki's information.

Anqi's "unintentional act" last night left a deep impression on Himeko, who felt guilty. It forced her to take things more seriously, feeling uneasy if she didn't do anything.

So, after a luxurious breakfast, Himeko took out some amusement park tickets and ushered the students out of the inn.

Kiana: "Huh? Aren't Teacher Himeko and Auntie coming too?"

Theresa: "Of course I'm going to..."

Himeko: "Hm?"

Theresa: "(._.`) Stay behind and work overtime with Himeko."

Himeko controlled Theresa's head with one hand and turned to the students, especially facing the expressionless Anqi. Seeing her disappointment and displeasure, she smiled.

"Unlike you kids, the adult world is very busy. Alright, alright, you guys go play by yourselves today, don't disturb us. We'll go out together tomorrow!"

Himeko ruffled Anqi's hair and watched the students leave.

She and Theresa returned to the inn and headed towards the internal reception rooms on the upper floor.

In the quiet room with the faint scent of sandalwood, Tachibana Yuki, dressed in a Japanese brocade kimono, knelt and waited, boiling water on a red stove to brew tea.

"Thank you both for meeting with me."

"Alright, let's skip the pleasantries. I want to free up time to continue my vacation. Get straight to the point, what do you want to discuss with us?"

Himeko got straight to the point. She didn't kneel properly like Tachibana Yuki, nor did she pick up the matcha on the table, which looked very bitter.

Theresa, on the other hand, looked at the green liquid with a hint of eagerness. She picked it up, drank it, and then smacked her lips, muttering to herself.

"It's not as good as bitter melon juice..."

Tachibana Yuki immediately clapped her hands.

Soon, two beautiful young girls came to clear away the tea set and brought out bitter melon juice and red wine.

Himeko and Theresa exchanged a look.

"Are all capitalists this lawless? Also, it's not suitable for ordinary people to know about our affairs, do you understand?"

"Please rest assured, Lady Himeko. They are all internal staff involved in the Anti-Entropy matters and are my confidantes. You can trust them."

"As long as you're happy, tell me your intentions."

"I can see that you are both people who don't stand on ceremony, so I won't be either. Simply put, I am willing to use all the financial, material, and human resources of the Tachibana Family to serve St. Freya, in exchange for St. Freya's protection of this country."

Neither Himeko nor Theresa showed any surprise, as Bronya had already told them a lot of information early that morning.

Himeko sighed and said, "Haven't you been cooperating with Anti-Entropy all along?"

"To be precise, we have always served Madam Cocolia, but she has never intended to consider the Far East as her territory. Perhaps she is more fond of her hometown, or perhaps she simply doesn't care about this country."

"But the Far East has always been within our scope of protection. Isn't this redundant?"

Himeko appeared confused.

Tachibana Yuki's smiling expression gradually faded, and she asked softly, "Is that really the case?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we were truly being protected, then how did the events in Changkong City happen?"

The atmosphere froze at that moment.

Himeko narrowed her eyes slightly, and even Theresa's expression sank.

Tachibana Yuki sighed softly, tilted her head back to look upwards, as if she could see something higher through the ceiling, and said, "Anti-Entropy has a large foundation in the Far East, and St. Freya floats near the coast of the Far East. But in the end, neither of you cares about this country. Raiden Ryoma could hide a nuclear bomb in the center of the city for ten years, Madam Cocolia could also intervene to retrieve the nuclear bomb, and St. Freya was even completely unaware of this nuclear bomb... If any party had truly cared about the lives of the hundreds of millions of people in this island nation, none of this would have happened."

Tachibana Yuki's words were like an accusation.

If it were selfish and arrogant politicians, they could have refuted these words in a thousand ways, such as saying she didn't understand the Honkai, or that the occurrence of the Great Honkai was inevitable and it was already difficult to contain it within Changkong City. But Himeko and Theresa were not those kinds of politicians; they were both conscientious.

As a result, the two were rendered speechless.

Tachibana Yuki resumed her smile at the opportune moment, speaking with an understanding tone.

"I am not blaming either of you. Firstly, the incident has already happened. Secondly, I am not capable or qualified to dictate to any of you. It's just that, although I am a foolish and fragile ordinary person, I also want to do something for my equally powerless compatriots."

"To be honest with you both, before you, I had already discussed these matters with Madam Cocolia, but she truly had no intention of taking care of this island nation separated by the ocean. I told her that, in that case, I would seek St. Freya's protection for this country... She defaulted."

"What I want to do is not complicated. It's simply to leverage the resources of the Far East to win the favor of St. Freya, nothing more."

"I am willing to provide everything St. Freya needs with all my might, in exchange for St. Freya stationing troops in the Far East, establishing a surveillance network, recruiting personnel, and even dominating this country. I want the Far East to become a vassal of St. Freya, I want St. Freya to truly enter the Far East, and then, protect the people here!"

"The blood shed in Changkong City cannot be in vain, nor can it be shed again! Politicians and the Self-Defense Forces cannot protect anything. Only St. Freya can protect us! Therefore, please, the two ladies, grant my request!"

Tachibana Yuki prostrated herself before Himeko and Theresa, her hands and forehead completely touching the ground, and with the most sincere posture, made a request equivalent to ceding sovereignty and humiliating the nation.

It's impossible, two updates a week is too difficult. I'm working and doing this at the same time; my time and energy just can't keep up. I'm using my brain during the day and at night, it's so hard. 2

Chapter 36: Tachibana Yuki, the Dark Ambitious One

"Ah~~"

In the quiet room, Tachibana Yuki, also known as Anqi, leisurely sipped the Biluochun freshly brewed by her maids. The sweet, clear taste spread through her mouth.

She couldn't really enjoy the so-called Japanese matcha; it was too strong and bitter. Although it might have a unique flavor when paired with extremely sweet desserts, Anqi still couldn't enjoy it. In comparison, the teas common in Shenzhou suited her taste better.

Himeko and Theresa had left a moment ago, taking with them a pile of cooperation agreements with extremely favorable terms from Tachibana Yuki, as well as a heart full of hesitation.

Tachibana Yuki, smelling the tea, turned her bright eyes to the young girl beside her who was brewing tea and said:

"You look completely distracted. What's on your mind?"

"This... forgive my rudeness, Young Miss. I just don't understand. Are your agreements... if they were really followed, what would the Tachibana Family even earn in the future?"

"Sigh, this is why you can only be sent to my side as assistants, and not as heirs to your respective families."

"I have overstepped. Please punish me, Master!"

The girl in the blue kimono looked terrified and bowed down beside Tachibana Yuki.

Tachibana Yuki shook her head, put down her teacup, and reached out to lift the girl's chin.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not like my two brothers who are gentlemen on the surface but perverts underneath. I have a very good temper. Haven't you all seen that by now?"

"I dare not... I dare not speculate about Master."

"Heh! I truly like you all. I like your beauty, I like your loyalty, and even more... I like that you can't leave me."

"Yes! This is our honor."

Listening to the girl's incredibly submissive and gentle voice, Tachibana Yuki suddenly felt a bit bored. But then her eyes darted, as if she had an idea.

Tachibana Yuki's lips curved upwards. She leaned close to the girl's ear, both to tease her and to address all the maids present.

"Regarding the contracts, you are actually more professional than I am. You are right, if we truly executed those contracts, I wouldn't earn a single cent. If there were operational errors, I might even have to put in some of my own money. But I ask you, do I need money?"

"This..."

"I don't need money! Money is just a number to me. One hundred million, one billion, ten billion – the number of zeros in that figure on Tachibana Yuki's asset evaluation list is utterly meaningless to me!"

Tachibana Yuki held the girl's face, caressing it affectionately. A smile played on her lips, but her dark eyes swirled like deep vortices, harboring frightening undercurrents.

"Some of you have surnames far older and nobler than 'Tachibana,' but do you know why 'Tachibana' is the head of the family, and you are merely dependents?"

"Young Miss, I... we... have absolutely no ulterior motives. Please believe our..."

"Don't be afraid. These are very simple principles. Even if I don't say it, you will eventually understand it, just like your parents did. I'll tell you why 'Tachibana' is the head of the family: it's because Madam Cocolia favored 'Tachibana.' Therefore, only surnames that are equally favored by those Madam(s) can converse with 'Tachibana' as equals. Everyone else can only be a dependent. 'Tachibana' has never been strong; it's Madam Cocolia who is strong. How about that, isn't it a funny principle?"

Tachibana Yuki started laughing, her light and pleasant voice echoing in the room.

But the girls listening felt their limbs grow cold.

Was this something they were allowed to hear?

Would black-clad figures with daggers burst through the door at any moment and turn them into corpses?

With such fear, they remained motionless, not daring to show the slightest abnormality.

Tachibana Yuki, as if completely unaware, finished her laughter, her body shaking like a blooming flower. Then, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she casually crossed her flawless, naturally beautiful legs. Leaning forward, she faced the girl kneeling before her and said:

"In the Far East, there aren't many families favored by Anti-Entropy, but there aren't few either. For example, the Raiden Corporation, which was at its peak before the Changkong City incident... Although it was defeated by Madam Cocolia, you all remember its former glory, don't you?"

"However, in the Far East, there isn't a single family favored by Schicksal!"

"This is a truly amusing fact. The Far East is clearly Schicksal's territory, and there's even a powerful Far East Branch hovering in the nearby sea, yet they have no interest in the Far East... Perhaps it's because this country, where capital and bureaucracy collude, is too ugly, rife with corruption and darkness, like a pool of filthy mud, or perhaps a pile of dog feces, which is why the holy Valkyries are unwilling to set foot there?"

Tachibana Yuki said with a smile.

The girls remained deathly silent. What audacious remarks! She had just compared all the vested interests, including everyone present, and those important figures they dared not even look at, to dog feces!

At this moment, Tachibana Yuki's smile gradually faded. She pinched the girl's delicate, lotus-petal-like chin and said expressionlessly:

"So, what use do I have for money?"

"What I want is to become the first and only supreme being in the Far East to be favored by both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy!"

"Money? Political power? Military power?"

"A joke!"

"Once my goal is achieved, my words will represent the stance of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy!"

"At that time, what does it matter if I'm penniless, what does it matter if I'm in debt, what does it matter if the Tachibana Family goes bankrupt?"

"The invincible Valkyries are in the nearby sea, and the devastating Titan legions exert deterrence across the water. Who can stop me? Who dares to stop me?"

"This country will become my plaything, and all the powerful families and influential clans will be my slaves, to be taken and used as I please! With just myself, I can do anything I want, I can step on anyone I want! This is my goal, this is the meaning of those contracts, this is what I intend to do!"

The girl's voice, rising and falling, rapid and fierce, struck their ears and their hearts. The ambition and the scenes described in her words, like a sky-obscuring tsunami, crashed into their souls, shaking them to their core and leaving them speechless.

"Do you understand?"

Tachibana Yuki whispered in the girl's ear, like a sigh, posing the final question.

Of course, they didn't react. They didn't know how to react, and they absolutely dared not react.

So, Tachibana Yuki slowly stood up, patted her skirt, and walked out of the room on her own.

Just at the last moment before leaving the room, she turned back and looked at the girls with a smile.

"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered a small matter."

"Hmph, 'Tachibana' will stand tall in the heavens due to the favor of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy."

"Then, what if a girl who is not valued by her family receives the favor of 'Tachibana'?"

Tachibana Yuki let out a laugh and left the room.

At that moment, the breathing in the room suddenly became heavy.

Yes, just as Tachibana Yuki said, even if someone is penniless or even bankrupt, as long as they receive favor from a higher level, they can control everything as they please.

What about them? They are mascots whose intelligence, skills, and connections are not valued. If they receive favor, can they... Of course, there might be girls with insufficient ambition, but from another perspective, the young lady has spoken to this extent, do they have any other choice?

'Wow, we're really demons!'

'But compared to those scheming family heads and young masters, these delicate and powerless girls are indeed easier to use. After all, they have no one to rely on but me!'

'Like the relationship between an emperor and his eunuchs?'

'Yes, like eunuchs, they will be the most loyal supporters of the existence known as 'Tachibana Yuki', because without 'Tachibana Yuki', everything will cease to exist.'

'Arrange more surveillance measures for Cocolia's side.'

'Right, although theoretically they are unlikely to betray, it's best not to let these words get out, lest the role of 'Tachibana Yuki' turn into a dark ambitious person.'

The Anqis discussed their next move with a calm state of mind.

Meanwhile, at the amusement park visited by the St. Freya resort group, Bronya seized an opportunity when no one was around to take out the communicator she had obtained last night.