Three days later.
In the top-floor office of He Palace's Governance Hall, Rayne saw off the last group of Imperial legislators, then sat down and quietly let out a breath.
For the past three days, he had practically done only one thing from start to finish: accepted oaths of allegiance!
Noble lords from every region, provincial governors, the various legions, knight order commanders, internal ministers, Imperial legislators, mayors, city lords, vassal kingdoms and duchies outside the Empire, and forces of all sizes within the Empire had swarmed to Northril, requesting an audience with the Emperor outside Fubeden Castle.
They had only one purpose: to offer their loyalty to the Emperor.
Although many of them had already worked closely with the Consul, that had been cooperation. Rayne's identity had now changed from Consul to Emperor. Their relationship had changed from that of superior and subordinate to that of monarch and subjects, and the Empire's political landscape was about to undergo a major reshuffle.
If they did not want to be purged, they had to swear allegiance to the Emperor at the earliest opportunity.
Rayne did indeed have plans for reform.
However, the most important thing at present was to ensure a smooth transfer of power in the Empire. Thus, at least for the next three to five years, he had no intention of carrying out sweeping reforms. He accepted the allegiance of all sides to stabilize the people's hearts.
Over the past three days, every newspaper in the Empire had been publishing report after report. The central themes were, of course, the Emperor and the idea that "power comes from the people."
While accepting the allegiance of all sides, Rayne also had the disguised Rayne's Heavenly Soldiers hidden among the populace monitor public opinion.
Generally speaking, the people of the Empire