Alien world

Chapter 1848, Section 481: Emperor Tatum's Fetishes
"But don't be silly and come over here again if something like this happens. Just because I'm not afraid doesn't mean you shouldn't be."

He guessed why the third prince had come over; to be fair, the Kingdom of Dimon was indeed a competent ally.

"Are they even more terrifying than the forces of Chaos?"

"You should say, are the forces of chaos even more terrifying than them?"

Annan never found the Chaos forces troublesome; on the contrary, he believed that all you had to do was focus on the war, and winning or losing was easy.

But enemies like yourself are a different story. You face pervasive corruption, betrayal by your own officials, trade sanctions, and a persistently low morale. Whether they are ratmen or demons, they will only meet you on the battlefield.

Just as for ordinary people, the gangsters on the streets, the roaming bandits, and the gnolls in the suburbs combined are not as terrifying as a cruel lord.

Annan patted the shoulder of the frightened third prince with an air of superiority: "Don't worry, with me and the Empire protecting you, the Orr Empire will have to think twice before trying to cause you trouble."

In terms of strength, Annam might have to think twice.

But when it comes to eloquence, he's second to none! Even when he was just an apprentice warlock, he dared to fool the Blue Dragon Princess, turn Olmedo, who should have been his nemesis, into a friend, and completely disorient the aggressive ratmen—

"Hmm? A demon?"

No sooner had they made such a boast than someone came to provoke Annam.

Annan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a waiter carrying an empty plate looking at Russ with curiosity—the question is, what kind of waiter would dare to speak to a guest in such a tone?

"Your Majesty?" Annam asked tentatively.

The waiter quickly denied it, showing little panic: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm just a waiter."

If you're a waiter, then I'm a succubus.

The first time we met, he was playing the role of a guard; the second time, he was playing the role of a waiter. Each time, he secretly met with me... This emperor must have some kind of quirk.

Well, an emperor who isn't tyrannical or licentious, but simply enjoys role-playing—that's not a flaw, it's a huge advantage.

“This is Prince Doyle, the third prince of the Kingdom of Dimon, and this is Ruth, a talented individual I brought back from the demon camp,” Annan introduced.

“I know, there’s also a six-armed snake demon, right?” The guard nodded to the third prince as a greeting, then clicked his tongue in amazement as he circled the lust demon: “I’ve seen demons corrupt humans many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen humans corrupt demons in the opposite way.”

"Your Majesty...hello." The third prince remained stiff and motionless.

“That’s not to be taken for granted. The Abyss is a desolate wasteland, and it’s full of demons causing trouble all the time. It’s not even worth a finger of the Prime Material Plane. Demons also have intelligence, so of course they understand the principle of abandoning darkness for light.” Annan gestured for Ruth to agree with him. “Don’t you think so?”

"Ah, yes, yes!"

The waiter seemed thoughtful: "What you say makes sense, but aren't you afraid of provoking the ire of other nations? They aren't so tolerant of demons."

"We must walk one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time. We will gradually let the world understand the devil."

If all else fails, Annan could have Ruth, Elena, and Claire form some kind of Abyss Girls group.

When you see three dark-skinned beauties jumping and dancing on stage, even a paladin would have to wonder if these guys could really threaten the prime material plane. The symbol of demons, representing chaos and evil, would then be successfully deconstructed.

“You are very confident.” The waiter noticed Annan’s determination.

"I wouldn't call myself confident, but I do have some confidence."

Audiences can shed tears when Little Rose recounts her tragic past on stage, and they can empathize with Ruth when she talks about her miserable childhood. Liking beautiful things and sympathizing with the weak are common traits of all intelligent races, and orcs are no exception.

Annan gestured for the third prince to say a few words, hoping to make a good impression on the emperor, but the young crown prince was too nervous to speak. Annan had no choice but to continue, "After the alliance, will the empire launch an attack on the Chaos forces?"

The waiter glanced at Ruth and said, "I can't tell you yet."

He did tell them anyway—that the alliance was indeed true.

It seemed that he had finally managed to sneak out, and was still talking to people his own age. The emperor was a chatterbox and kept talking, even offering advice to his two future allies.

For example, Liberty City lacks strategic depth and should expand outwards, annexing smaller powers. The Kingdom of Dimon may lack money, but it doesn't lack people or resources; it should forge a closer relationship with Liberty City.

The third prince nodded in agreement. How could the emperor be wrong?
Annan looked bewildered. "I'm a floating city. What territory am I expanding?"

Seemingly sensing Annan's dissatisfaction, the waiter glanced at him sideways and asked, "Are there many people in your Free City?"

The latest census shows a population of approximately 350,000. This is indeed limited by the size of Liberty City, but the proportion of soldiers is high.

If Annam were brought to the position of Emperor of the Empire, he would dare to conscript 20 million soldiers!
However, among the three factions in the alliance, Liberty City is indeed the weakest—at least in terms of military strength.

"Liberty City's greatest advantage is its future potential, but it's also its weakness. A dragon can't even defeat a soldier when it's first born, so you have to quickly get through its growth period when it has no combat power."

"Insightful," the third prince echoed.

Seeing that the Third Prince, who had just been his follower, had immediately become the emperor's lackey, Annan cursed him in his heart as a traitor.

"Alright, enough chit-chat..."

The waiter suddenly glanced towards the banquet hall entrance, coughed lightly, and said, "See you later." Then he hurriedly left the banquet hall carrying an empty plate.

Annan woke the third prince, who was watching the emperor's retreating figure: "Do you find it strange? That's to be expected."

"why?"

"I don't know either. I'll just keep it as a secret."

But even if you told people, no one would believe you.

Annan looked toward the banquet hall from which the commotion had come; it was the Minister of Military Affairs and a group of officials who had startled the Emperor.

The banquet hall, which had been filled with whispers, fell completely silent as guests spontaneously gathered in front of the stage.

Following the official's two war envoys on a tour, they found Annam and the third prince at the dining table and walked towards them.

"Come on, let's just go through the motions."

Annan beckoned to the third prince and led him to greet him.

The Minister of Military Affairs announced in a loud voice: "Distinguished guests, on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, I hereby announce an important decision of the Tathun Empire..."

As expected, the Minister of the Military announced that the Empire would draft an alliance consisting of the Empire, the Kingdom of Dimon, and the Free City, to counter the increasingly fierce movements in the North.

Annan stood on the stage, looking around at the wealthy and powerful guests. He didn't see the ambassador from the Orr Empire. He wondered if the ambassador was hiding behind some pillar, too ashamed to face him, or if he had left in shame.

But at such an important juncture as announcing an alliance, why doesn't the emperor show up?
Annam became even more curious about this emperor who preferred to sneak out rather than appear in public.

(End of this chapter)