The Seal Was Placed on Another One

Is being an emperor fun?

Even tyrants and incompetent rulers aren't necessarily happy, let alone an emperor who aspires to be a wise ruler.

After enduring the inhumane awakening service, he was finally able to sit in his study and rest for a while.

After he finished processing the documents that had been sent from various places late the night before, the Minister of Foreign Affairs arrived at around 7:40, a little later than expected.

"You must have slept in late!"

Upon seeing his ministers, the emperor uttered these words in a tone that suggested he had nowhere to vent his anger.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was somewhat puzzled, but as a minister and a nobleman, answering the emperor's questions was a matter of etiquette he had to follow, and he felt it was a problem.

"Your Majesty, this is the first time I've gotten up early in years. I can swear to anyone that I did not sleep in today."

The emperor suddenly lost interest, feeling that he had nothing in common with these people on this issue.

As the emperor of this empire, I have to be woken up at 4:45 every morning, but these damned noble ministers, getting up at 7:00 is considered "early rising"?!

ε=(ο`*))) "Speak, what is it..." He put down his pen, looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and then suddenly felt annoyed. He looked out the window at the glittering rooftops of other palaces, which made him feel a little better.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs didn't understand why His Your Majesty the Emperor seemed to have suddenly deflated, but he still had to get on with his work.

"Yesterday, customs told me that someone on the Federal Diplomatic Mission list had arrived in Gefra ahead of us; it was that young man named Lin Qi."

When it came to serious matters, the emperor quickly composed himself. He frowned slightly. "Didn't he come with the diplomatic mission?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, His Your Majesty the Emperor felt there might be some problem. "So, where did he go after he arrived?"

After a moment of silence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "He went to the Hundred Flowers Street in the Port City, spent two hundred dollars on a dancer at a strip club, and then returned to the hotel with his assistant."

"Is anyone investigating that bar and that dancer?" The emperor had a keen sense of smell. He didn't believe that a young man whose identity might be questionable and who was likely a figurehead promoted by some important person would arrive two days earlier than the date mentioned in the diplomatic note.

After arriving, they would disregard national and personal dignity and go to places like Hundred Flowers Street to find a strip club that hasn't officially opened yet, and spend two hundred yuan on a dancer.

"There's definitely something wrong here," the emperor decisively stated his opinion and conclusion. "Arrest the bar owner, the bartender who served him, and that dancer. Investigate whether there's anything wrong here, whether someone has done anything wrong."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded. "I've already had the police do it."

"No, that's not enough. Let the Special Service Department do it. I'll call them later."

The Special Service Department is one of Gefra's Security Department. Its full name is "Gefra Empire Special Internal Affairs Investigation Section." In Gefra's Common Language, the "industrial" part can be interpreted as "don't move" or "attack." For ease of pronunciation and to improve the overall context, the department's abbreviation ultimately became "Special Service Department."

The Special Branch is roughly equivalent to the Federal National Security Council, but unlike the Federal National Security Council, which handles both domestic and international matters, Gefra's Special Branch is only responsible for domestic security issues, while foreign security is handled by the Army Intelligence Bureau.

The fact that the emperor was going to use the Special Service Department meant that the nature of the matter was not so simple.

The bar owner and the dancer who needed help could never have imagined that their normal business operations would almost cost them their lives—there's a saying in Gefra that even an iron man would eventually tell the truth once he's in the Special Service Department.

In a monarchical country, the emperor's will is sometimes above the law. Special Service Department are authorized by the emperor's orders, and they are not as gentle as the National Security Committee; they dare to use any means necessary!

You say you don't know who Lin Qi is and have no connection with him? This isn't a last-ditch effort; this is pure disrespect for our Special Service Department!

After dealing with these matters, the two discussed the mission. The fleet that Gefra was responsible for escorting the convoy sent a telegram today, saying that they had made contact with the Federal ships and were escorting them back. They were expected to arrive at Gefra's Eastern Port City by tomorrow afternoon and reach the capital two days later.

The original plan was for the Federal fleet to escort the diplomatic mission directly to the eastern port of Gefra, but the Defense Minister believed that the Federal should not be allowed to do so.

Once the Federal fleet obtains information about the waters surrounding the Gefra homeland, in the event of war, their fleet can directly penetrate Gefra's waters and bombard the homeland without conducting reconnaissance.

Therefore, in the previous consultations, the Federal delegation was to be escorted by the Federal Fleet, but the handover was changed to take place at Sea Surface some distance from the Gefra homeland, and then the Gefra fleet would escort it back to the Gefra homeland.

During this process, they will also circle around twice to prevent the Federal from obtaining the complete flight path as much as possible.

The capital city also needs to conduct final checks to ensure that no embarrassing incidents occur when welcoming the Federal delegation.

Around 8:10, the emperor and his ministers finished their conversation. Urged by the Steward, he walked with a forced smile to the top of the palace wall and began waving to the residents and tourists who had come to watch the palace from outside the City Wall.

This isn't something that happens every day, but twice a month, which is why there are so many people outside the palace these past two days.

The emperor felt not only pitiful, but also like an animal to be exhibited, and he hated this profession!

It was close to nine o'clock when Lin Qi finally got out of bed.

"This bed is too soft, it makes my bones ache!" he complained, twisting his waist and back as he walked into the bathroom.

Of course, he couldn't talk to himself, but his Little Assistant, lying on the bed, offered a different opinion. "You're really strange. I think this bed is great, softer than any bed I've ever slept in..."

Many people in the Federal, or rather, many people in most countries, have an inexplicable fondness for spring mattresses and soft beds, and their bodies do not seem to feel any discomfort from these soft beds.

Lin Qi, on the other hand, was used to sleeping on a hard bed. Even though he didn't feel any soreness when he first came to this world, he still had trouble sleeping due to psychological factors.

He then switched back to a hard bed, which was much more comfortable. Now that he's suddenly in Gefra, the soft bed is making him uncomfortable again.

While showering, Lin Qi looked out at the Port City. He didn't get back until after nine o'clock last night. At the bar, he felt the biggest and most different place in the Federal, a different attitude, a different attitude towards outsiders.

While helping the girls in the bar, Lin Qi noticed something: the bar's customers naturally split into three groups.

The Gefra would gather around the best stage, and although no one said anything, other races, or foreigners like Lin Qi, generally wouldn't crowd around them.

The bartender would also tell the guests not to cause trouble.

People from backward and Defeated Country were relegated to the smallest and worst stage, while people from other countries, such as the Victorious Country allies or those from developed countries similar to Gefra, became the middle class.

They look down on people from worse places, and are also looked down on by the Gefra, which is completely different from the more inclusive Federal and a rather uninteresting new experience.

It appears to be a prosperous era, but in reality, it is riddled with problems.

After taking a shower, Lin Qi enjoyed a massage from his Little Assistant. In the afternoon, he went to the library. In the evening, when he was about to go to a bar, he was surprised to find that the bar he had visited the day before had a sign that said it was temporarily closed, and there were some things placed at the entrance to prevent people from going in.

According to some onlookers, a conflict had occurred here not long ago, after which the police took the bartender and the owner away, and the shop was shut down.

"It must be related to us," the Sergeant whispered to Lin Qi promptly. "We just arrived yesterday, and this happened today..."

Lin Qi nodded. "It seems some people are trying to warn us not to wander off." He glanced around at the still-open establishments, sensing the subtle glances from the crowd, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "Our best option now is to go back to our rooms, but I won't be that obedient..."

He and the Sergeant quickly entered another business premises, where they exchanged some more money. The smiling host, unaware of what they would experience tomorrow, was still delighted to have such a generous guest.

Unsurprisingly, the shop was also shut down the next day, but none of this mattered to Lin Qi. The Federal mission's ship arrived at the port.

The person in charge of this diplomatic mission was not long ago the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. The First Vice Minister was entrusted by the President with an important task to carry out large-scale development in the west because of his outstanding work. The Second Vice Minister was promoted one rank.

It is said that this Vice Minister may be promoted to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs next year, and he is currently a hot commodity in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Arranging this state visit for the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs is, in some ways, a slightly low-level undertaking.

However, the essence of this state visit is not about issues between countries, nor about military or political issues, but rather about cooperation and development in the commercial field.

Neither Gefra Emperor nor the Minister of Foreign Affairs would directly contact the delegation regarding matters related to the content of the negotiations. The main negotiating team on Gefra's side consisted of representatives from several financial groups and Gefra's Deputy Foreign Minister.

Everyone knows that business cooperation and development have a far greater impact on society than military and political negotiations, but people are just that hypocritical; they won't readily admit that business is more important than military and political matters.