From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 756 Revolutionary?
Norton II asked the question so suddenly that Amber was caught off guard for a moment.

And he didn't wait for Amber to answer, and continued talking on his own, with a strange excitement in his voice.

"My goal is to bring about a real and thorough change to this lifeless empire! Reshape the entire social order! Let those people at the bottom of society who have been oppressed for countless generations truly live like human beings! Instead of being like animals like they are now!"

"Oh, oh." Amber sneered and interrupted him rudely, "How dare you compare yourself to those who at least still have idealism."

"Me and them? On par?"

A deep disdain flashed across Norton II's eyes, even with a bit of contempt that was difficult to conceal.

He cleared his dry throat and retorted:

"On the contrary, they are simply not comparable to me! It is precisely because of their indecisiveness, their naivety, their illusions about and compromises with the old forces that they ultimately suffered a shameful defeat! A reform that sweeps away the old forces is never a dinner party or a warm and affectionate reform!"

Having said this, he seemed a little excited, and his breathing became a little rapid, but he soon calmed down like a deflated ball and returned to his exhausted look, as if the excitement just now was just an illusion.

"What a pity. I was too careless."

"Are you careless?" Amber asked, trying hard not to say the last three words.

Norton II nodded, and his voice dropped, filled with regret.

"I believed the signals that old fox Frederico was showing me, and foolishly thought that he was really willing to give up his power. Then, when he announced that he was critically ill, I accepted his 'request' to meet with him. As a result, he used some kind of mental control method that I still cannot fully understand, and I was secretly manipulated without knowing it."

Having said that, the Regent couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his temples hard, as if the pain of being bound by invisible shackles still lingered there.

"Mind control. If it is the 'Dragon Power' mastered by the Leon Royal Family, it can indeed achieve this effect."

Amber nodded unconsciously, and all the strange behaviors of the Regent that were inconsistent with his style and habits were explained in her mind at this moment.

On the other side, Norton II continued:
"During that time, I felt like I was living in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. Sometimes I was lucid, sometimes I was fuzzy. It was as if there were two wills fighting madly in my body.

And Frederico also used me to directly purge many troublesome old nobles. On the surface, this seemed to be in line with my plan. But in fact, he cleverly avoided those families and supporters who had the closest ties with the royal family and were the most hardcore!
The so-called purge eventually became a tool for him to concentrate imperial power, exclude dissidents, and consolidate his own rule."

Amber: "So this purge of the imperial nobility was not your intention?"

"Of course that's not my intention. Even if I want to get rid of those termites that stand in the way of reform, I won't use such a rough method. In fact, Mr. Amber, you should feel lucky."

Norton II suddenly changed the subject and raised his head to stare at Amber.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Amber, if it wasn't for the last moment today when Frederico tried to seize the powerful body of the Star Dragon, his consciousness was devoured by the remaining crazy will of the ancient creature, causing its mental control over me to completely collapse, I'm afraid that even if you and Her Royal Highness joined forces, the final outcome of this war would not have turned out like this."

Norton II paused, a hint of inexplicable meaning flashed in his eyes, "In that case, it is still unknown who will win."

Amber seemed not to have heard the Regent's last words. He just leaned on the console, looking at this "big shot" who once stirred up the world and stood at the top of the power pyramid of the Star Dragon Empire with interest.

Now it seems that his high-spirited and strategic temperament has completely disappeared, and he looks like a defeated rooster.

The two just stared at each other until Amber received Lilith's reminder that the First Heavy Synthetic Brigade had begun to persuade the soldiers to surrender and gather the imperial guards. Then he spoke again:
"Since you have broken free from control and regained consciousness, and you hate Frederico to the core, why don't you choose to continue fighting? Those loyal soldiers outside are still bleeding for you. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for you because you want to bring changes to the empire. And there are two dukes in orbit who seem to be able to be won over. You still have the bargaining chips to continue.

It's not like you to give up just like that, Lord Regent. Or is your so-called 'ideal' only worth this much persistence?"

Norton II's body trembled slightly, not because of fear, but more like Amber's words stung his heart.

He was silent for a long time, and only the low hum of the equipment in the control room remained. After a long time, he raised his head and looked at Amber with a complicated look. The look was no longer a simple scrutiny, but instead revealed a strange, almost trusting meaning.

"Because I saw you, Mr. Amber." Norton II closed his eyes, as if recalling the despairing power he had just displayed. "After seeing the power you just displayed, a power that is not something humans should possess, I understood something."

Amber didn't say anything, just waited quietly for Norton II to continue, and the latter didn't let him wait too long.

"Mr. Amber, I must admit that in front of a psychic like you, everything I have managed, including my army and strategies, seems a little vulnerable. If I had some reservations about the power of psychics before, after seeing the power you just displayed today, I know that the balance has been broken."

Norton II opened his eyes, and although his eyes were dim, they contained a certain relief.

"I originally thought that I could be the one to break the old world. I would do anything for this. I was even treated like a puppet by that old ghost Frederico. That was the feeling."

He frowned, a look of pain on his face. "It's like there's another person living in my head, whispering and inducing, making you think that all those crazy ideas are your own! He asked me to purge the nobles, and I did it. At that time, I subconsciously thought I was clearing away obstacles to change. Now I think about it, I was just helping him to eliminate dissidents and consolidate the imperial power! Ridiculous, really ridiculous!"

He pounded the armrest of the seat hard, making a dull sound.

"By the time I completely got rid of the control and woke up, it was too late. Frederico had turned into a monster, the imperial capital had turned into a battlefield, and I only had this last exhausted troop. So you ask me why I didn't continue to fight? For what? For the ideal that I was no longer sure I could achieve?"

Norton II shook his head, his face showing deep fatigue and self-doubt.

"Perhaps, I was wrong from the beginning, Mr. Amber! As an ordinary human, my power is limited! My methods can only bring destruction and chaos, but cannot truly establish a new order."

Amber: "Lord Regent, what do you want to say?"

Norton II looked at Amber again, this time his gaze was more focused, and there appeared a light of hope.

"But you are different, Mr. Amber. I see infinite possibilities in you. You give me a different feeling from most people in this world! The power you and the Atlas Group have demonstrated, the technology that is ahead of its time, and your own unfathomable strength and ambition."

Norton II chose his words carefully, and his tone became more and more excited, and Amber suddenly found that she had been unable to get a word in from just now until now. This man who seemed to have lost everything seemed to treat her as some kind of "confidant" and frantically expressed his opinions and ideas.

"I can sense that what you want, Mr. Amber, is far greater than overthrowing a corrupt empire. I admit that I used to look down on psychics like everyone else, but now I have realized that perhaps only psychics like you have enough power to bring real changes to the world, whether for good or bad! Ahem."

Not sure if it was because he was too excited or choked by his own saliva, but Norton II suddenly started coughing violently, while constantly patting his chest.

Seeing this, Amber shook her head and walked to his side, then took out a small water bag filled with nutrient solution from her combat uniform and handed it to him.

"Thank you."

Norton II was not polite either. He quickly drank the water bag up. He calmed down again and his face regained some color.

"I've already lost, and I admit defeat wholeheartedly. Struggling any further will only cause unnecessary casualties and send those guys outside who are loyal to me to their deaths in vain. It's meaningless."

He leaned back in his chair and gasped. He seemed to have unloaded all the burdens and completely lost his support. Then he suddenly burst into laughter. The shrill laughter made Amber frown.

"Hahahaha! Mr. Amber, I suddenly feel that leaving this mess to you might be the best choice."

Amber: "."

Norton II seemed to have figured something out. His voice gradually regained its strength, with a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.

"Tell me, Mr. Amber, what would you do? What kind of future would you build?"

(End of this chapter)