Chapter 161
Ryan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Thank goodness, he had saved both his legs.
About ten minutes later, everyone entered the conference hall.
The spacious hall was decorated in white and gold tones, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In the center was a large round table with each person's ID card on it, and a wool blanket was laid under the table.
The quiet atmosphere was broken by the surging crowd. Magana walked to her seat and sat down. She glanced at the Saintess 'Lin Qi' next to her, pursed her lips, threw away her identity token, and then gestured for Ryan to sit down.
Ryan: "..."
No, sister, isn't this a bit against the rules?
Looking around, only invited people came in. It was already problematic that he followed in, but now he's also trying to take up a spot.
"How about we sit here?"
Magana glanced to the left, and good heavens, Caslathdi! Ryan was stunned for a moment, "Oh Janus, this is not my assigned position!"
"How about this?"
Magana jumped off the chair, placed the identity cards of 'Lin Qi' and Caslathdi on the other side, then took two more identity cards of unknown origin and placed them on either side, before picking up the two on the left and right.
"Which side do you want to sit on?" This means she'll throw the chair wherever you sit.
Not far away, two nobles holding identity tokens stared wide-eyed at him, daring not to speak out in anger.
Just then, another group of people entered the hall, and Caslathdi and 'Lin Qi' were among them.
Caslathdi was accompanied by Haino, Lin Qi was accompanied by the red-clad Andeni, and the others entered alone.
"Ryan".
Caslathdi walked over, nodded to Ryan, her face expressionless, and then sat down at the spot where her ID card was placed.
Haino followed and was puzzled to find that his identity card was not next to Caslathdi. He walked over and found it to the left of Magana — Caslathdi should have been sitting on the left.
Meanwhile, 'Lin Qi' glanced at her identity card, then picked it up and sat down next to Magana.
Andeni glanced at it with some doubt, then sat down to the right of 'Lin Qi'.
"Alright then." Magana tossed away her identity card from her left hand. "Ryan, sit here."
This action startled Caslathdi on the other side, who then realized that she seemed to have sat in the wrong seat... no, Magana had made a mistake.
Should I go back to my seat? But Ryan has already taken it... Caslathdi looked to Haino's left, thinking of going over, when 'Vainay' appeared from the door on the inside of the hall.
"Everyone, you've all arrived."
At this moment, 'Vainay' was wearing an exquisite beige long dress, with a brooch symbolizing the Augusta royal family pinned to her chest, a white lace shawl draped over her shoulders, and her long, golden, wavy hair flowing freely, making her appear generous and elegant.
She walked to the round table at the top of the hall, gestured for everyone to sit down, then glanced at Ryan and said, "Someone, bring Elder Goode an extra chair."
Goode was so moved he almost cried, because his identity card had just been thrown away by Magana, and Ryan had taken his place, leaving him with nowhere to sit.
"Your Highness, I'll sit here." Goode quickly walked over to a nobleman he was on good terms with, then beckoned a servant to bring a chair and squeeze in.
The round table was large enough to accommodate several people, but it was clear that the area around Magana and 'Lin Qi' was much more spacious. The imperial nobles, on the other hand, sat close together like a group of chicks huddled together for warmth, with Prince Audus at the very front of them, the old chick.
"Your Highness." At this moment, Prince Audus somewhat displeased, "We came here at your invitation. You decided who should sit and who shouldn't, and where everyone should sit, right? But why did I see people arbitrarily changing seats and letting people who shouldn't have sat down also sit?"
He was the head of the Senate, and Goode's removal was a loss of face for the Senate.
Moreover, the situation has changed, and if he doesn't take a strong stance now, the Senate will be completely wiped out from the historical stage.
"Shouldn't you have sat down?" 'Vainay' asked, puzzled. "Who is Prince Audus referring to?"
"Who else could it be? Magana's attendants are allowed to sit here? What do they take this meeting for?"
"Hey! What are you saying, you scoundrel?" Magana raised an eyebrow. "Who's the attendant? Ryan is Grand Duke fiancé Grand Duke. I sent him to speak on my behalf. Do you think he's qualified?"
"So what if someone has a fiancé? Does that mean everyone here has the right to sit down?"
"Then why don't you bring a fiancé, you idiot?"
"I'll bring him..." Prince Audus was taken aback. Wait, why would he bring a fiancé? He's a man!
At this moment, 'Vainay' raised her hand and smiled, "Who agrees to Lord Ryan joining the meeting at this time? Who disagrees?"
Odes was the first to object, and several nobles around him followed suit.
"I agree," Lin Qi said.
Cardinal Andeni, standing beside him, paused, then whispered, "Saintess, why are you speaking up for Magana?"
Lin Qi remained silent, only agreeing without question.
Andeni had no choice but to obey the Saintess's orders; it was the Pope's command, and he could only follow suit.
"I agree," Caslathdi said.
"Damn it!" Prince Audus cursed under his breath. He thought everyone would join forces to suppress Magana's momentum, but it turned out that he was the only clown.
"Then I agree," 'Vainay' said with a smile.
Well, the future Imperial Capital agreed, and the nobles on Odes' side who hadn't expressed their opinions also followed suit and 'agreed.' In the end, the majority obeyed the minority, and Ryan successfully joined the meeting.
Magana smiled smugly.
Ryan looked completely innocent. Everyone saw it; it wasn't him who insisted on getting involved.
"Let's get down to business," 'Vainay' said, sitting down. "As you all know, the Augustus Empire has just undergone a major upheaval, and some things must be dealt with as soon as possible. There are also some reforms to the old system that I need to decide at this meeting, to take effect simultaneously on the day of the inauguration ceremony."
"First of all, Grand Duke Magana, when will your Western Territory troops withdraw? The Molte Defense Line should not be the site of an Imperial civil war; it is meant to defend against foreign invasion."
Magana looked at Ryan.
Then everyone looked at Ryan.
"Ahem~" Ryan coughed lightly, "Regarding this matter, the Grand Duke has decided to withdraw the Iron Blood Army tomorrow. Moreover, in order to protect the safety of the Empire, the Iron Blood Legion will go to the Tartar Defense Line to deal with the invading Western Barbarian Army."
"Defending the Tartar Defense Line is the Iron Blood Army's mission, don't make it sound so noble," a nobleman said.
Ryan looked at him with a smile, "Marquis Nowia, the Empire bestowed upon you a title, but why didn't you rush in during the Baron War when the Demon Legion invaded?"
"The war is something that the Imperial Army should handle; it's not my job."
"So you mean everyone should have their own responsibilities?"
"Of course," Novia said calmly. "Nobles have their duties to perform. Otherwise, if everyone oversteps their bounds, wouldn't it be chaos?"
"Oh, I see." Ryan looked at 'Vainay'. "Your Highness, I understand what Marquis Nowia means. He wants you to send the Imperial Army to the Western Territory to defend against the invasion of the Western Barbarian Army. After all, the Western Territory is also Imperial territory, and the Imperial Army has a responsibility to do so. Our Grand Duke only needs to guard the small territory of Childe City and cannot overstep his duty."
Novia was taken aback and quickly said, "That's not what I meant!"
"Grand Duke, let's stay and guard Cherd," Ryan said to Magana.
Magana nodded. "Alright, anyway, those Western Barbarians won't dare to attack Cherd, so let them go around them, maybe they'll just come straight to the North, haha~ let them play with the Western Barbarians themselves."
"That's great. Thank you, Marquis Nowia. He has saved our Western Territory Army a lot of trouble. We no longer have to worry about the Iron Blood Army's casualties."
"Thank you, Marquis Nowia."
Ryan and Magana worked together, one after the other.
Novia broke out in a cold sweat. He looked at 'Vainay' and met her gaze with the coldness in her golden eyes. His heart skipped a beat.
"Marquis Nowia, I now suspect you are a remnant of the Blood Cult, deliberately sabotaging the unity of this meeting and disrupting the imperial order. I hereby announce the stripping of your noble status and your exile to the Western Territory. What do you all think?"
"Vainay Highness! You can't do this! I am a hereditary marquis, a loyal subject of the empire! I could never be a remnant of the Blood Cult!"
"Your decision doesn't count. Let's start the vote now. Raise your hand if you agree with my decision."
After saying that, 'Vainay' raised her right hand first.
"This woman is quite sensible," Magana whispered to Ryan. "No wonder that unlucky guy Caslathdi lost. Compared to her, Caslathdi is just a little kid."
The Grand Duke also raised his hand in agreement.
Ryan raised his hand.
Lin Qi raised her hand.
Caslathdi and Haino raised their hands.
Almost everyone who had a say in the matter agreed.
Prince Audus hesitated. He knew that 'Vainay' was making an example of someone to warn others. The new emperor was about to make his mark, and someone was bound to suffer. As long as it wasn't him... Thinking of this, Odes also raised his hand.
Passed unanimously (-1 vote).
"Guards, take Novia away!"
Da da da da.
"Your Vainay! Your Vainay!!!"
The struggling Novia was forked away by two Holy Blood soldiers.
"Alright, let's continue the meeting." 'Vainay' tapped the table lightly. "So, the second question, as you can see, in order to completely eliminate the threat of the Blood Cult and maintain the security of the Imperial City, from now on, the Holy Blood Legion will replace the original Imperial City Guard. At the same time, Marquis Holman will be promoted to commander of the Royal Guards, responsible for the security within the Baron territory, and Marquis Holman will be granted the honor of a hereditary marquis."
In the crowd, a middle-aged man with a military bearing raised his hand to signal to the others.
He is the leader of the Imperial Army this time, and now has more than 30,000 men under his command, all of whom have sworn allegiance to 'Vainay'.
Ryan had initially thought he would have to use some special methods, but 'Vainay' was clearly a genius at negotiation, or rather, the profession of Soul Singer was naturally suited for this job. Her words could influence souls, making her perfect fit to be emperor.
"It seems that no one has any objections."
No one spoke up, which was expected. After all, it was a foregone conclusion that 'Vainay' would become emperor, and military power would definitely be taken back unless Holman rebelled. Being able to continue to be valued and even promoted was already a great thing.
"So, the third question."
Next, 'Vainay' raised several things that needed to be confirmed, mainly focusing on the stability of order after the empire's internal turmoil. Some people were given important positions, while others were purged. Only then did the nobles present realize that 'Vainay' had not invited them here to win them over or to choose sides. Although some were promoted and received raises, many more, like Novia, were purged.
Under the 'fair' system of voting by show of hands, even if someone disagrees, it's useless. Don't ask, the answer is absolute fairness!
It's a vote, so don't ask who voted, just tell me if it's fair or not.
Strictly speaking, people like 'Lin Qi' and Andeni belong to the Gate of Janus, and they cannot directly participate in imperial politics.
But 'Vainay' allows it, so who would dare to openly oppose it?
A Saintess and a cardinal—even if they had the desire, they wouldn't have the guts.
After nearly an hour of decision-making and statements, almost half of the people at the round table were kicked out, leaving only fifteen people.
"... Alright, now let's move on to the last question." 'Vainay' glanced around at the others present. "To consolidate the imperial power, I will abolish the Senate and establish an imperial government structure with 'High Lord' as its members. Former Senate members will be removed from the Senate, but will retain their noble titles. The High Lord Council will consist of eleven members, currently consisting of myself, Duchess Magana, Princess Caslathdi, and Saintess Lin Qi as Honorary Lord. Subsequent members are yet to be determined. What do you all think?"
"I object!"
Before he could finish speaking, Prince Audus roared, "The Senate is a political institution that has been passed down through generations of the Empire. How can it be abolished so easily!"
"Vainay" said calmly, "This is not just a casual remark; it has been carefully considered. According to the rules, everyone should raise their hands to vote."
A fair vote began, and the plan was ultimately passed with twelve votes in favor and three against.
"Damn it, you are trampling on the legacy of Augustus and the aristocratic system! Vainay, do you think you can decide the fate of the entire empire by winning over a few people? The Senate's influence is far greater than you imagine. You will definitely regret this decision today!" Prince Audus said angrily.
"Then let me ask you, what meaningful things has such an important Senate done for the Empire at crucial moments?"
'Vainay' sneered, "Prince Audus, I haven't punished you yet, which is only because of your status as an imperial elder. Do you think you have any value in the empire after Emperor Kahn's death? If you weren't a member of the royal family, you would have been taken away like those people just now!"
"I..."
Odes was speechless.
"Long live Princess Vainay! I support Vainay's decision!" Ryan shouted.
Magana was stunned. "Ryan, what are you doing?"
"It's nothing, just setting the mood. I was thinking if I were Odes, I would have already given up. In this situation, it would be good enough if I could just enjoy my old age. He's still thinking about taking power. Doesn't he fear that he might get his head chopped off at any time?" Ryan sneered.
The sound was very loud, and Odes' face was very pale.
The other two nobles who voted against the proposal also dared not speak up.
There's no way around it; the minority has to submit to the majority, and this majority holds the decisive power.
Of the fifteen people present, five nobles, including Holman, had already pledged allegiance to 'Vainay'. Caslathdi and Haino already knew this, so they wouldn't object. 'Lin Qi' was even less opposed. Andeni saw that the Saintess had agreed, so how could he disagree?
That removes ten people. Adding Ryan himself and Magana, there are twelve in total. Simply put, they are all family. See, isn't that fair?
"I have another opinion!"
At that moment, Magana raised her hand.
"I don't object to you organizing this High Lord Council, but I, the Grand Duke, need two positions. One for myself, Ryan must also join the High Lord Council, otherwise I won't take it!" Although she didn't know what the High Lord were good for, she didn't care. Magana remembered that Ryan had said he would accept any benefits if they came her way.