Yu Lian was feeling pretty pleased with himself. At least hundreds of millions of people watching the meeting had just witnessed him mock the Emperor to his face. And surely there were at least a million who had noticed the Emperor's fleeting change of expression, too?
He admitted he was behaving with very little decorum. But there was no helping it.
When the Emperor deigned to meet with him in person, Yu Lian's side had already been put in a very passive position. If he refused the Emperor's call, the entire universe would think he was afraid. But if he accepted, then when Emperor Ilesel named his price, it would cast a shadow over morale and fighting spirit, no matter whether Yu Lian refused or how he went about it.
After all, this was the mighty Emperor Ilesel, a monster who had ruled half the universe for two hundred years. His values were no longer quite like those of ordinary people. When it came to the things they valued, people like him could offer terms no normal person could refuse.
And that was exactly what had happened.
If Yu Lian accepted, his standing at the Galactic Empire's court would be on par with the founding houses that had been passed down for thousands of years. Among the frontier lords, with the full support of the Heraldry Office and the Emperor, along with the prestige of being the "Chosen Champion" and the "Dragon of Daybreak," he could quickly build a powerful private army. In just three to five years, he would be one of the most powerful lords in the Empire.
He'd have both prestige and substance, and he'd even heard there was a wife in the bargain...
What kind of cadre could withstand a temptation like that?
Even Admiral Sylvester—and