The Pope Vanished, Everlasting Day in Turmoil! (Please Subscribe and Vote with Monthly Tickets)

Li Chen had been away from the Imperial Palace for months. Although he had handled much of his state business online through his phone, a great many memorials requiring his handwritten vermilion approval had still piled up in the Imperial Study.

Looking at the memorials that nearly covered half a wall, he rubbed his brow, a headache coming on.

Even an emperor could not escape the work he had to do. With a soft sigh, he resigned himself to his fate, sat behind the desk, and buried himself in reviewing them.

Before long, several encrypted intelligence reports from the Eternal Day Empire in the Southland caught his attention.

The memorials noted that the conflict between the Eternal Day Empire's Imperial Clan and the Holy See seemed to have escalated beyond reconciliation. Clashes were frequent, and the atmosphere was tense.

Li Chen stroked his chin. He felt this had nothing to do with him; he had not intervened.

Of course, he might inadvertently have left some influence behind while "sightseeing" in the Eternal Day Empire, but he was certainly not the cause of their central conflict.

Divine authority and imperial authority had long stood opposed in the Eternal Day Empire. This was an entrenched historical malady: whichever side bowed its head first would lose its dominant position. It was a fundamental struggle for power.

While he pondered, his personal attendant, Eunuch Cui, slipped quietly inside to report, "Your Majesty, an envoy outside the palace requests an audience. He claims to be a special envoy of the Eternal Day Empire's Holy See, named Carlos."

"Carlos?" Hearing that name, Li Chen raised an eyebrow, a trace of puzzlement crossing his face.

Naturally, he remembered the man. Back when he had disguised himself as a pivotal Personal Guard of the Holy See in the