Him and their stars.

Chapter 2116 The strongest authority should be given to the strongest person

On the empty sofa, the air rippled like water. A transparent yet undeniably tall and imposing figure appeared there.

He wore a simple uniform of a high-ranking imperial officer, without any rank or sash, yet he was more imposing than any imperial marshal.

His transparent figure sat upright on his sofa, like a mountain standing tall.

Compared to Brunhilde's memory, Emperor Elither's appearance remained unchanged; his tall and resilient body still seemed capable of supporting the weight of the entire starry sea.

Of course, in front of his beloved granddaughter, whom he loved many times over, Emperor Elithel's smile was warm and kind, and his eyes even showed obvious satisfaction, just like an old grandfather who watched his granddaughter grow up and even get into a top university.

"When that little girl from the Berencaster family started talking about investments, economics, and her major," the Emperor stroked his hair, which was made of energy, and sighed with a hint of regret, "to be honest, that's what interests me the most. You know, Brin, I have some private savings, hehe, not in the royal treasury or the Herald's fund account, just my own private savings. I really want to hear more about it."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Brunhilde also sighed regretfully, but then, as if he had thought of something, he quickly raised his head, and his already bright and spirited golden eyes suddenly became sharp, staring directly at the illusory projection without any hesitation.

King Suliuka's eyes were now filled with scrutiny, not at all like he was looking at his lord and ancestor.

"Secret stash of money?"

"Although I am over two hundred years old, I can still eat eight dou of rice, two sheep, and three jars of fine wine every day, and my arms can still draw a bow with a weight of 40,000 tons."

"Your Majesty, please get to the point."

"Miss Enmeya and I have three children, but we haven't registered them in the royal register. They are just ordinary low-ranking nobles. This way, we don't break the law, and we minimize the possibility of it causing a court dispute."

The Dawn Dynasty has ruled for over three thousand years, and there are certainly many low-ranking nobles with royal blood. If one were to delve even deeper, one could certainly find a large number of distant relatives of the royal family among the ordinary citizens.

Realistic dragon kings don't have the habit of raising all their offspring like pigs in a pigsty. They know very well that this would constitute a huge waste of public funds, and also a huge waste of human resources.

It's not surprising that any Dragon King or even Emperor might have several illegitimate children. After all, Empress Iwenya had nearly double-digit numbers of "noble illegitimate children" with four lovers.

The same thing could, of course, happen to Emperor Elisher... Brunhilde said he really had never heard of it.

“Miss Enmeya, isn’t that the top reporter from Tianyu TV? I always thought that the dancer and actress from the Royal Opera Company who had an affair with you…”

The emperor shrugged: "These rumors, once they start, will never end. As long as the parties involved ignore them, they will always evolve into all sorts of stories. I sit on the throne, receiving the worship of all people, so a few scandalous rumors are certainly not a bad thing."

Indeed, in the Galactic Empire, scandalous affairs never constitute a stain on a political leader. The Tyrellans have high expectations for their leaders' abilities, but have always been tolerant of their private lives.

For an emperor like Elithel the Great, who has reigned on the throne for nearly two hundred years and is considered a "god in the present world," some rumors about him might actually make him seem more relatable and allow his people to feel a sense of connection.

Could this be your true purpose? Brunhilde looked meaningfully at the emperor's composed face, feeling that his current thoughts were somewhat petty, and simply sighed.

"Miss Enmeya is also an outstanding battlefield who has won the Galaxy Award, and she's Miss Fina's idol, right? She'll be disappointed if she knew."

"Yes, I truly feel sorry for her," Emperor Elisher said. "However, Earthlings also have the concept of a graceful lady. Although I am over two hundred years old, I am still a healthy adult with desires!"

Indeed, while such desires may not be considered moral exemplars, they do, after all, fulfill the reproductive needs of all living beings.

Brunhilde could only nod in understanding.

"Of course, the oldest is fifteen and the youngest is only six. Even I, the Emperor, have some paternal affection for my children. For the sake of the country, I cannot include them in the royal family genealogy, but I still want to leave them some property to rely on."

His Majesty's smile revealed an optimistic openness and kindness, like that of an ordinary old father looking forward to his children's growth, full of human warmth.

Brunhilde seemed thoughtful.

Her biological parents perished in a shipwreck during an interstellar expedition when she was young, and she has almost no memory of them. Of course, she also has loving older brothers and other extended family members, as well as loyal retainers. She has never lacked love and affection since childhood, and her mental development has been very healthy.

I remember my old palace minister, on his deathbed, looking at me with this same gaze.

However, the old palace minister was just a diligent old nobleman of Tirelo, and not even a psionicist; but Emperor Elithel was a ninth-ringed, a "god" who had ruled half the universe for more than two hundred years.

“I see.” Brunhilde’s eyes were less sharp this time, but there was a clear hint of expectation in them: “Your Majesty, are mental anchors really that important to high-ranking psychics?”

Emperor Elisher abandoned his usual amiable demeanor and instead looked at his descendant with considerable appreciation, smiling as he said, "After all, I am still the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. A proper emperor cannot forget that he is human. From this perspective, Brin, you have taken another step closer to becoming the 'Empress of the People,' and I am very pleased."

He seemed to be answering Brunhilde's question. In the emperor's own hierarchy, the emperor's status took precedence over that of a psionicist.

However, King Su Liu, who was looking directly at the other party, shook his head slightly: "But Your Majesty, when the war has progressed to this point, it is difficult to say that you are qualified as the supreme ruler of the empire. When you decided that the Privy Council should launch this war to conquer the people of Earth, did you ever think that the situation would evolve into what it is today?"

Her words were so direct that they went beyond mere offense; they were clearly a rebellion against the Heavenly Gang.

In an authoritarian regime, this is an attack on the supreme authority, so how can it not be considered a rebellion?
The emperor was not angered; his smile grew even more approving, as if he appreciated this sharp and untamed spirit. His illusory hand rested on the armrest of the sofa, supporting his chin, as he gazed directly at his descendant.

“Indeed, Bren, you voiced your opposition before the war began. Yet, even so, you achieved the Empire’s most glorious victory since the start of the war. You executed the strategic encirclement of Cherke, and you conquered the Earth. Without you, the Empire’s conquest would have failed.” “Your subject has fulfilled his duty,” Brunhilde replied without hesitation.

"I am too, my beloved great-granddaughter." The emperor's smile still held a magnanimous quality, making him seem less like a ruler and controller and more like a recluse who had seen through the ways of the world.
"The Tirelos are the name on the warship, and they are also a greedy people. When the Dawn Nebula and the Ring of Miracles were placed before them, their ambition could not be contained. If we were sharing these benefits with the Alliance, perhaps we could have maintained peace due to the balance of power, but the other side is, after all, Earthlings. Even now, many people still believe that the rebellion fifty years ago was a huge mistake, a mistake that led to disaster. Now that we have the opportunity to correct this mistake, we should not give it up."

"You just agree with their opinion like that?"

The emperor shrugged again, seemingly innocent: "I just didn't object."

Brunhilde lowered his eyelids slightly: "In any case, a ruler who cannot control the ambitions of his subordinates is equally unqualified."

“You’re right, Brin, I am indeed getting old.”

He actually admitted it again. Such a humble and open-minded person, who is willing to admit his mistakes, and even eager to admit them, truly is a supreme emperor.

Can a supreme being who has ruled half the universe for two centuries really abandon his arrogance?

Brunhilde looked at the emperor in his spirit form and suddenly felt as if she had never truly known him, even though she had always been his most favored and beloved chosen emperor: "You do seem to be quite... well, very magnanimous now."

“Breen, you could say weak?” The Emperor said the word for her, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. “There’s no need to hide it, Breen. This body has indeed reached a point where it needs careful maintenance. Even stars eventually burn out, and I have indeed reached a point where I may be about to fall.”

"So, just like the rumors say, your body is really gone, and only your remnant soul is left to eke out a living?"

"Why do you still look so gloating, girl? And your words are really impolite. I know you've been waiting a long time, but it's not time yet. I know you're anxious, but don't be." The Emperor chuckled.
“My body has indeed suffered severe damage. If I don’t rest properly, the injury will become irreversible structural damage, and there will be no way to recover. At that time, my soul, which I condensed with spiritual power, will not be able to last long.”

"Was this really Lan Jiufeng's doing?"

"And his 'partner.' Together they dealt me ​​a heavy blow. This was the worst I'd suffered in a century, a truly long-lost experience. How memorable! Of course, in return, I banished them as well." The emperor's tone was somewhat exaggerated.

"exile?"

"Yes, they are no longer in this world. The battle between me and Lan Jiufeng is still undecided. Now it's time to test our will, perseverance, determination, and red strips! Hahaha, let's see who falls first. This kind of talk is really pretentious. If you die, you die. Why must high-level psychics 'fall'? It makes us seem like we've really become gods."

We are not gods, but many people think we are.

But God cannot shed blood.

Brunhilde frowned slightly, and a clear and genuine sadness finally appeared in his eyes: "Well, Your Majesty, you have indeed come to entrust your son to us. I am truly flattered."

She wiped away tears that might not even be there from the corners of her eyes: "Don't worry. When I go up there, I will take good care of Miss Enmeya and her sons. Because of the political situation, they may not be able to become members of the royal family, but their future will definitely be guaranteed. I promise."

"How reassuring! I am very pleased to entrust the country to you." The emperor looked at Brunhilde with emotion. If he weren't currently in a spirit state, he might have already shaken hands with him.

At this moment, his smile faded slightly, and he said with a heavy expression, "However, this is not something I can decide. The supreme power of the empire is not a hereditary private property, but ultimately follows the oldest laws."

"The oldest law? Isn't it voting?" Brunhilde looked puzzled. "The imperial election ceremony is very rigorous. All citizens and nobles have the right to vote, and it also requires the Senate to conduct the most detailed audit and coordination. In this respect, the Galactic Empire is actually a representative system of the chairman, which is much more democratic than the Alliance, which holds a general election but every time someone throws money at it to buy votes."

The emperor's smile immediately brightened, as if he had heard a particularly amusing political joke.

"You're not going to say again that you want to hand it over to the strongest person, are you?"

Her words remained direct to the point of being offensive, in a way that seemed to deny some harsh reality that she herself could not accept.

The emperor was not angered. He continued to look admiringly at the young emperor who was facing him directly, his illusory fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the sofa, producing a silent rhythm: "Shouldn't the most powerful authority be given to the strongest person?"

Brunhilde disagreed. She had thoroughly studied the original texts, had years of experience in governance, and was convinced that she could become the "People's Queen."

At this moment, she stood firm: "Your Majesty, the meaning of civilization is not to turn the universe into a jungle. What is the definition of 'strong'? Is it tearing apart a warship with bare hands or summoning a black hole? Is it traversing the stars with one's physical body, entering and leaving the main world and the subspace? Is it having the ability to perceive and think beyond the constraints of light-years and listen to the changes in all things? Or is it an endless lifespan?"

"It is and it is neither," the emperor said. "In my time, I was the strongest."

Brunhilde did not interrupt him. For some reason, she could vaguely sense that the person speaking to her was not the emperor.

Or rather, it's not just him.

"Latis, haha, my old friend from my youth, my old comrade-in-arms, had different views, but he still failed. He was a smart man, but he was trapped in his own obsession."

Although Brunhilde was shocked to hear Count Salvin's name at this moment, he remained calm.

"And I am still the strongest. Hahaha, Pudding, I should have won. If that kid you like hadn't gone to the Heavenly Realm, victory would have been mine! With such a disciple as Lan Jiufeng, and with such a peerless hero on Earth, it would be enough to change the course of history."

The emperor's gaze shifted to the porthole, seemingly piercing through the constraints of millions of light-years, and was cast towards the celestial realm, towards the core of the empire that was about to fall into turmoil: "This young man from Earth, how could he advance so rapidly, reaching the celestial realm? Is it because the empire has fallen so low, or because everyone is happy to see it?"

This is all a journey of destiny where many timelines converge. I clearly raised the alarm, but no one paid attention. Who can I blame for that?
So, I'm actually one of the 'well-known figures' too. Brunhilde remained silent.