Swire's Expression Clearly Turned Respectful / Kal'tsit: Why Are There Two Humans I Don't Know Beside the Doctor?!

Simply put, Talulah was now like Black Serpent Talulah—someone people could place their trust in.

"Alright, no more interruptions. There are only fifteen minutes left until the coronation ceremony. Hurry up and go over the speech one more time, then get ready to make your entrance."

"Okay."

Hearing An Xiu's words, Talulah nodded. She used the remaining time to review her speech several more times, then rose with everyone else in the room and headed outside.

Even though she was about to appear before the watchful eyes of countless nations and forces, Talulah did not feel the slightest bit nervous.

Because An Xiu had already told her that this coronation ceremony was not important. At its core, it was merely a formal announcement to the world of her current status. The Military Parade afterward would be an outright display of military might aimed at every nation and force across Terra.

The ones who should be nervous were not her, but the representatives from other nations and forces who had come to assess the situation.

So, she only needed to face it with her usual composure.

That was what An Xiu said, and that was what Talulah did. Since An Xiu said she did not need to be nervous, all she had to do was listen to him. There was no need to think about anything else.

Swire's Expression Clearly Became Respectful

Outside the imperial palace, in the open space below the coronation platform.

Amid solemn ceremonial music and the thunder of salutes filling the sky, Talulah and the senior officials of New Ursus walked slowly up onto the platform along a brand-new, immaculate red carpet.

Normally, at a time like this, the former Emperor of Ursus should have placed his crown upon the new emperor's head before the eyes of the masses. However, since the former Emperor of Ursus, Fyodor, had already run away, that step was simply omitted. Talulah walked onto the platform already wearing the crown.

Of course, no one cared about that. On this cruel land, strength was the foundation of everything. Talulah had now completely seized control of Ursus's war machine and gathered all the Group Armies formerly controlled by the various Dukes into her own hands. There was no doubt that she was the most powerful woman on this land.

Never mind skipping a crowning ritual that required the former emperor's participation—even if Talulah grabbed a handful of grass from the ground, braided it into a ring, and declared it the legitimate crown of Ursus, no one would have objected.

Thus, amid the cheers and gazes of countless citizens, Talulah completed every step of the coronation ceremony on the platform to the music of the honor guard. She raised the scepter in her hand high, formally proclaimed herself Emperor of Ursus, and began her speech.

The future development of Ursus, the implementation of the new Infected policies, changes to Imperial taxation after the new emperor took office, and so on...

Countless reporters from various nations faithfully recorded the scene before them and broadcast it live back to their own countries.

(With the exception of a tiny handful of nations that were not connected to the network.)

Columbia, Victoria, Kazimierz, Great Yan...

Great Yan, Lungmen Guard Bureau.

Having just wrapped up a case, Chen Huijie walked in from outside. The moment she entered, she saw a group of people gathered around a screen in the hall, watching something intently. Even Swire and Hoshiguma were among them.

"I never expected Ursus's new Infected policy to be like this."

"Infected people can enjoy basic human rights and civic treatment, and factories specifically hiring Infected workers will be established to provide jobs..."

"This new Emperor Talulah of Ursus is treating the Infected that well?"

"More than that. I heard that as soon as Emperor Talulah took office, she purged a huge number of noble officials. Some of the newly promoted senior officials apparently are Infected."

"If that's the case, plenty of Infected people will probably flock to Ursus."

"There seem to be policies for that too. Foreign Infected rank below Ursus's own Infected citizens, and to receive the benefits mentioned in the policies, they have to register through proper channels and obtain Ursus citizenship. It's probably pretty troublesome."

Hearing their discussion, Chen Huijie, who had just approached, froze.

What had she just heard? Talulah? The newly appointed Emperor of Ursus? And new Infected policies?

It had been years since Talulah, her half-sister through their mother, had been taken away by Koschei. How had Talulah become Emperor of Ursus, and even introduced new policies that treated the Infected well?

Having been occupied with the investigation of a major case lately, Chen Huijie had barely watched the news. At this moment, she did not even know what had happened in Ursus.

Was the Talulah her colleagues were talking about the one she knew?

Thinking that, Chen Huijie immediately moved closer, startling everyone gathered around watching the news.

"Damn it, Noodle Dragon, how do you walk without making a sound? You'll scare people to death, you know?"

Swire, who had been watching the news seriously, jumped in fright and snapped at Chen Huijie. Hoshiguma made room for Chen Huijie, then spoke with a curious expression.

"Old Chen, are you interested in this news too?"

However, Chen Huijie unusually did not reply. She merely stared blankly at the figure on the screen, speaking atop the platform.

Clearly, she had not mistaken her. That was indeed the Talulah she knew.

"Old Chen, do you know this new Emperor of Ursus?"

Noticing Chen Huijie's unusual expression and realizing that she clearly knew Talulah from the news, Hoshiguma was immediately startled by the thought that had slipped out of her mouth.

In an instant, every guard turned their curious gaze toward Chen Huijie.

What? Their superintendent was connected to the Emperor of Ursus in another country? What kind of earth-shattering gossip was this?

Seeing this, Chen Huijie opened her mouth, hesitating over whether she should reveal her relationship with Talulah. But considering how obvious she had already been, and that the guards present were all trustworthy veteran officers whose backgrounds were well known, she ultimately nodded.

"Yes. By blood, she is my older sister."

Hiss...

Immediately, everyone present sucked in a sharp breath.

Wait, their superintendent's connections were actually this powerful? The Emperor of Ursus was her sister?

So they had been working alongside royalty all this time. They had even worked together for years. That was practically an honor beyond their station.

"I never expected it, Noodle Dragon. So you had this kind of background."

Under Chen Huijie's gaze, Swire suddenly sighed, patted Hoshiguma beside her, and her expression clearly became respectful.

"From now on, should we call you Lord Chen?"

As if you didn't already know her...

Chen Huijie shot Swire an annoyed glare.

"Cut it out. Get back to your posts and work. I need to see Governor Wei about something, so I'm leaving for a while."

Seeing the news of Talulah ascending to become the new Emperor of Ursus so suddenly had honestly left Chen Huijie somewhat stunned. So, she intended to ask Wei Yanwu about the situation. What exactly had her half-sister gone through?

Watching Chen Huijie's departing back, Swire's expression returned to normal, but it also became serious.

She and Hoshiguma turned to look at everyone else. After a moment, Swire slowly spoke.

"Let this matter rot in your stomachs as a joke. No one is allowed to tell anyone else. Understood?"

Although everyone present could be trusted, some things had to be made clear from the very beginning.

Faced with that warning, the other officers all nodded.

They were not idiots either. A matter involving someone on the level of an emperor was not something people of their standing could casually reveal without getting themselves killed. It was better to pretend nothing had happened.

At most, they could look for more chances to build a relationship with Superintendent Chen in the future.

Ursus's capital, Holy Steed Castle.

Music filled with fervor and killing intent rang out. Talulah's coronation and speech had long since ended, and what was about to begin was another heavyweight ceremony—also one of the main reasons so many nations and forces had specifically sent representatives here.

The Imperial Grand Parade!

Kal'tsit: Why Were There Two Humans I Didn't Know Beside Doctor?!

The troops, having rehearsed in advance, marched past the square before the imperial palace in neat, uniform steps while shouting resounding slogans. To make this Military Parade more magnificent, Talulah had transferred most of the idle forces to the capital, aside from the few Group Armies required to guard the borders.

As the armies made up of spirited soldiers passed before them, the expressions of many spectators became grave.

Everything before them indicated that even after undergoing massive political upheaval, Ursus's military strength had not weakened in the slightest.

No, it should be said that it had instead grown stronger than before.

Previously, the various Group Armies of Ursus had been held by the major Dukes and fought independently. But now, Ursus had only one voice, and every soldier would act only for one will.

A united Ursus alone was enough to make the nations of Terra fearful and wary, let alone the fact that what they were seeing was not even the full extent of this newly transformed empire.

Because...

Thud... Thud... Thud...

The pebbles on the ground trembled slightly as heavy footsteps approached from afar.

Massive, towering figures radiating an aura far beyond that of ordinary soldiers slowly advanced.

Savage, bloody, brutal, powerful...

Every word that first surfaced in people's minds was attached to this terrifying army. A full two thousand five hundred Wendigos, marching five abreast, appeared before the countless guests with pressure as heavy as mountains.

"Th-this is the rumored trump card in Emperor Talulah's hand, the Wendigo Legion?"

"You've got to be kidding. How can there be so many?"

Wendigos, a race that should have nearly vanished from Terra, had now reappeared before countless people in the form of an army.

Looking at the literally invincible legion before them, representatives from many nations and forces swallowed with difficulty.

Why? Why had such a terrifying army appeared on this land?!

If Ursus had such a legion, what the hell could possibly stop it in the future?!

In a concealed room high above, with a clear view of the square before the imperial palace, Theresis and the Blood Demon Great Lord stared fixedly at the Wendigo army in the distance.

"Such a powerful, such a wondrous army. It is as though I can see the glory of the Royal Court in its former days, and hear the wails of the weak as they were trampled beneath our feet!"

The Blood Demon Great Lord's face was filled with excitement. His emotions were slightly frenzied, and he crushed the crystal goblet of rich blood in his hand.

Theresis beside him was not doing much better. His eyes burned as he watched the Wendigo Legion, carefully sensing the formidable aura emanating from every Wendigo.

The Blood Demon Great Lord had previously said that every member of this Wendigo Legion under the Emperor of Ursus was an elite-level combatant of the Royal Court. But now, that assessment appeared to be somewhat mistaken.

This went far beyond elite-level strength. With the power these Wendigos possessed, if he were alone, just five or more of them would likely be enough to force him into a bitter battle.

Who was he? He was one of the Six Heroes of Sarkaz. Other than Giant Beasts that were like Gods, he was confident that few on this land could stand against him. Yet if someone like him faced this legion head-on, fleeing in disgrace seemed to be his only option.

Such an army could no longer be described merely as unstoppable on the battlefield. Once this Wendigo Legion appeared on any battlefield, even if its opponent were a Giant Beast, defeat and destruction would be its only fate.

If such a powerful army could be used by him, perhaps the revival of Kazdel would no longer be an unattainable dream!

This was an invincible army!

Yet after his initial excitement, Theresis quickly calmed down, and the heat in his heart gradually cooled.

Because he suddenly remembered something. According to the intelligence he had gathered, the commander of this Wendigo Legion, Emperor Talulah, appeared to be a Drac.

Being born a Drac meant that Talulah, seated on the distant platform as Emperor of Ursus, also possessed a legitimate claim to Victoria's throne—and one in the highest tier of priority.

And Theresis was now the ruler of Londinium, Victoria's capital, holding Victoria's throne in his grasp.

In other words, there was good news and bad news placed before Theresis.

The good news was that the Wendigo race had revived, and this land now had an invincible legion made up of Sarkaz.

The bad news was that this legion might one day storm into Victoria and pin him to the ground for a savage beating.

The moment he imagined himself being surrounded by thousands of Wendigos in the future, Theresis could not help but shudder.

"Calm down. Kazimierz lies between Ursus and Victoria. Even if Emperor Talulah has designs on Victoria's throne in the future, Kazimierz will suffer first!"

After taking several deep breaths in succession, Theresis covered his face in anguish.

He could not calm down at all. Could those little nobodies in Kazimierz stop Talulah, who controlled every army in Ursus, could set its war machine running at full speed at any time, and possessed an invincible Wendigo Legion?

Kazimierz was such a tiny place. Even with the Silver Lance Pegasus, it could not handle this lineup.

Put simply, could Kazimierz's Silver Lance Pegasus even total more than a hundred? Even if Kazimierz had more than a hundred Silver Lance Pegasus, once Ursus's army pushed forward and the Silver Lance Pegasus faced the Wendigo Legion, each Silver Lance Pegasus would have to fight an average of ten to over twenty Wendigos.

Or, using a different formula, just five or more Wendigos from this Wendigo Legion could force Theresis into a bitter battle. In other words, every Kazimierz Pegasus would have to fight at least three to five Theresises...

There was no way this war could be fought!

"No. I can't stay in Victoria any longer. Once I return, I'll squeeze out one last profit, then find another way out."

Having already decided to imitate a certain former Emperor of Ursus and become a cowardly lizard fleeing from battle, Theresis planned to evacuate Victoria, this land of trouble, as soon as he returned.

Meanwhile, among a crowd not far away, Kal'tsit stared blankly at the Wendigo Legion before her. Then she raised her head and looked toward the familiar figure beside Talulah atop the platform.

"These Wendigos, and Doctor, and..."

Her gaze passed over Doctor and settled on An Xiu and Mobius among the group.

No horns on their heads, no tails behind them, not a single animal trait anywhere on their bodies. They looked just... like humans, didn't they? Hehehe...

Her normally upright ears folded backward. The fur on her ears and tail stood on end and puffed up uncontrollably from her overwhelming emotions.