"Do I really have to have an heir?"
You absolutely do.
"I feel like I could live forever..."
Never mind that this statement alone could drive everyone in the world mad—even if you really could, wouldn't you still leave someday? What difference was there between leaving and dying?
"No, do I have to personally appoint an heir? Whoever wants the position can have it..."
What kind of dream talk was that? Royal authority was both power and responsibility. Did he think he could enjoy himself all his life and then simply ignore the next generation? There was no such good thing! He had to leave behind an heir who met his standards!
"I don't have to be king. I can establish a Terra Federation or a republic, and let the people elect a president, a chairman, or whatever else!"
On Terra, those positions were not fundamentally different from being emperor... Why was he so unwilling to choose an heir?
"I have trouble making choices. I like having them all." Ian rarely spoke such blunt truth, but Master Vannar clearly did not approve: Then list every one of your heir candidates.
Ian considered it. "Could Frost Butterfly do it?"
Hearing this, Vannar finally snapped: You... you were counting on a Fairy?! Ian, do not lower my estimation of your intelligence, and do not insult my intelligence with such nonsensical words!
"True." Ian had only mentioned it casually. "But Hua An and Frozen Fish Mentor seem pretty reliable. Fairies have endured for so many years too. They wouldn't be an especially bad choice, would they?"
Vannar sighed: Humans cannot undergo a universal spiritual fusion and then achieve a grand reconciliation... Well, the Nethertrace Order had a bit of that flavor, but generally speaking, Fairies could integrate into humanity, while humans could not