By the time Chen Cheng returned from the Holy City, a week had already passed. Along the way, wherever he flew, nearly every household had hung white banners. The entire Empire was steeped in grief over Ye Rong's passing.
After returning to the Imperial Capital, Chen Cheng summoned Wisdom Shield and had him immediately convene a full Imperial Cabinet meeting.
In truth, even without his instructions, ever since Ye Rong's sacrifice, the Imperial Parliament's sessions had never stopped.
After all, they were preparing to mobilize tens of millions of troops—practically all the Empire's current forces. Mobilizing such an enormous army while maintaining logistics and everything else naturally required discussion.
Once everyone had arrived, Wisdom Shield, as Chancellor, did not preside over the meeting. Instead, Chen Cheng issued an order to all Cabinet members:
"I now declare that the Empire has entered a wartime state of emergency. Under Imperial Federation law, I, Brown Hopps, Sixteenth Thorn Blossom, shall become the Empire's highest authority during this emergency.
"Do any of you have objections?"
"No objections."
After completing the legal formalities, Chen Cheng spoke solemnly to everyone:
"All of you represent the various sides of the Empire. Now, we face a powerful enemy. Marshal Ye Rong died on the battlefield, and we must deliver retaliation in kind.
"Now I order you: regardless of difficulties or obstacles, within half a year, you must ensure that more than ninety percent of the Empire's citizens receive basic magical education.
"The Imperial Research Institute will distribute the teaching materials later. Your task is to organize the citizens to begin learning. Whether in academies or in the fields of the countryside, any place can serve as a classroom."
The moment Chen Cheng issued this order, the entire Parliament erupted in uproar. They could not understand why, now that