Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 603 The Age of Great Conflict
The Queen's bedroom in the Royal Palace of the Rhône Empire.

All was quiet except for the occasional soft crackling of the embers in the fireplace.

Isabella IX felt as if she had just sunk to the bottom of a warm, dark ocean; her consciousness was hazy, and her exhausted body was greedily absorbing precious rest.

However, a soft yet persistent knock on the door, like a cold needle, pierced the tranquility.

Immediately following was the low voice of her most trusted lady-in-waiting, Lady Margaret, filled with undisguised anxiety.

“Your Majesty, Sir Oliver has a very urgent military report, and he says that there is no time to lose.”

Isabella's brow furrowed slightly in the darkness.

It took her some time to get her brain working again.

Oliver?
Urgent military situation?
These words made her heart tighten, but her physical exhaustion made her instinctively resist. She had just finished dealing with government affairs and gone to bed not long ago. At this moment, every cell in her body was screaming for rest. However, she was, after all, the Empress. She knew that once she sat in this position, many things could not be controlled by the temperament of an ordinary person. Because every decision she made would affect the entire empire and even the world.

Perhaps, her simple statement, "Let's talk about it tomorrow morning," could even change the course of the entire empire.
"Tell him to wait for me in the living room."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Ah, good morning, my dear Sir Oliver."

Wearing a loose nightgown, Isabella IX rubbed her eyes, her hair disheveled, and sat on her throne, looking nothing like an emperor.

"You'd better have something really important to do, or I'm definitely going to deduct your salary next month."

As she spoke, a faint, helpless smile even appeared on her lips, indicating that she was not truly angry, but merely complaining about being disturbed.

"Your Majesty, please...see for yourself."

Sir Oliver chuckled dryly and handed over the tablet.

Then, Isabella witnessed that amazing scene.

The image of the baby flying at Mach 15 was clearly visible on the screen; the Empire's Hawkeye satellites could even capture the baby's twitching mouth.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and she instinctively sat up straight.

The slight, almost joking, emotion caused by being woken up vanished instantly, like morning mist illuminated by sunlight. In its place came a profound, sharp, and calm demeanor befitting a ruler.

Her gaze was fixed on the screen, her fingers unconsciously tightened slightly, but her expression remained unusually calm.

Within seconds, her gaze shifted from initial shock to deep thought, and then to understanding and decisiveness.

"Spiritual energy is reviving."

She uttered the word almost silently, no longer as a question, but as a confirmation.

This eerie scene was like a cold key, instantly prying open a dusty and heavy box deep in her memory. It was the "Ruide Ancestral Instructions: Secret Records," which could only be read by successive monarchs. What it recorded was not the empire's great achievements, but the "anomalies" that had occurred on this land and were being tried to cover up.

In short, the world is like a tide, with extraordinary events that defy scientific principles occurring every now and then.

It's like something recorded in ancestral precepts.

In one place, overnight, all the plants mutated wildly. Trees grew tumor-like fruits, wheat ears dripped black sap, livestock became ferocious and bloodthirsty after eating them, and villagers turned into stiff puppets in silence. The entire valley was eventually burned to the ground and sealed with scorched earth and lime, and was erased from the map forever.

In a small town, everyone's face changed randomly. Fathers couldn't recognize their sons, and wives faced a face that was both strange and familiar.

Deep within the Royal Mine, the miners dug through something, and shadows began to writhe like living things, devouring light and sound, dragging people into eternal silence. In the end, they had to seal the entire mine entrance with molten iron, sacrificing hundreds of their most loyal soldiers to stop the spread of the shadows.

In fact, the ancestral teachings never denied one thing: the founder of the Rhône dynasty was just a beggar without a name. After nearly freezing to death on a snowy night, he claimed to have witnessed "stars falling into his eyes." From then on, he gained the power to see through people's hearts and unparalleled luck. In the end, he miraculously unified the warring vassal states and established the Rhône dynasty, which continues to this day.

Finally, the ancestral teachings admonish future generations that once such a thing happens, they must remember one thing: seize every opportunity and move forward. Whenever the spiritual energy begins to revive, the world's past order will eventually be reduced to ashes. Only those who take the initiative will be able to occupy a place in the future!
After a long silence, when the Queen looked up at Sir Oliver again, her aura had completely changed. Sitting by the bed was Queen Isabella IX of the Reid Empire, who had to face her destiny and make a decision.

Her voice was clear, calm, and carried an undeniable authority.

"Immediately activate the 'silence' protocol! Classify this incident as a top secret of the Empire! All those with knowledge of this matter must sign an ultimate confidentiality order; anyone who leaks this information will be prosecuted for treason!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Where will the baby's trajectory ultimately lead?"

Isabella's gaze returned to the tablet, her command concise and forceful.

Sir Oliver quickly made a few movements, but his expression suddenly became extremely strange, even showing a hint of fear.

He raised his head, his voice a little dry: "Your Majesty, its precise landing coordinates are the Royal Palace. Judging from the current deceleration curve, the final landing location is likely to be near this palace, or even right where you are right now!"

Sir Oliver's voice trembled with disbelief.

"Estimated arrival time is less than five minutes! Your Majesty, please move to the underground emergency shelter immediately! It's too dangerous here!"

This conclusion caused Lady Margaret, who was standing nearby, to gasp in shock and instinctively wanted to step forward to help the Queen away.

However, Isabella raised her hand to stop Margaret.

Instead of panic, a strange radiance appeared on her face.

She slowly rose from her throne, walked to the window, and gazed at the starry night sky, as if searching for the approaching "shooting star."

"Five minutes, the target is the royal palace, or even my bedchamber."

She murmured to herself, her eyes gleaming with a wise yet fervent light.

“This is not a coincidence, Oliver. This is by no means a random fall. It is a ‘choice’ and a ‘direction’.”

She turned around abruptly, the hem of her nightgown fluttering in the wind. At this moment, she was no longer languid; instead, she exuded a resolute determination and imperial aura, as if she were gambling with the fate of the nation.

"I do not go."

Her voice was clear and firm, every word resounding.

"Pass on my order to evacuate all non-essential personnel in the vicinity, but all posts must remain in a state of silence. The 'Griffin' Special Forces Brigade is to be secretly deployed around the perimeter of the sleeping quarters. Without my direct order, no one is to step into the area within 100 meters of the sleeping quarters, nor is anyone to take any offensive action against the landing target!"

"Your Majesty! This is too risky! We know absolutely nothing about that thing!"

Sir Oliver urged him urgently.

"What if it carries unknown pathogens, or is aggressive?"

"Risk and opportunity coexist, my old knight."

Isabella interrupted him, her gaze intense.

"As my regent, you have read the imperial family's ancestral precepts. This incident means that we have no chance of escaping unscathed."

"You mean the resurgence of spiritual energy?"

“That’s right, Sir. When the tides change, ships that cling to the old shore will only run aground or even be destroyed. Only by setting sail can they reach new continents. My ancestor, that beggar who almost froze to death, seized the opportunity of ‘stars falling into his eyes’ and that’s how the Red Empire came to be today.”

“Now, another ‘star’ is falling toward me. This is a test and a gift that fate has given to me and the Red Empire. I, Isabella IX, will never turn my back and hand over this opportunity, which may determine the fate of the empire for the next thousand years, to fear and hesitation!”

She walked to the center of the bedchamber, straightened her robe, and although she was dressed casually, her straight back and firm gaze made her look more like a queen ruling the world than ever before.

“I will be here to face it myself. If this is destruction, I will perish with my throne. If this is an opportunity…” A confident smile curved her lips.

"Then I will be the first person to usher in a new era."

Sir Oliver watched the Queen's resolute back as she walked away, knowing he could not change her mind.

Since ascending the throne, this young queen has consolidated her power and promoted reforms with her iron fist and vision. The decisiveness she is showing now once again proves why she can keep a firm grip on this empire.

He could only bow deeply and say in a solemn voice.

"As you wish, Your Majesty, I will personally direct operations from the perimeter to ensure everything goes smoothly. May our ancestors bless you and Rhett!"

After saying that, he quickly retreated and began to make tense arrangements.

Inside the bedchamber, only Isabella and Lady Margaret, whose face was filled with worry, remained.

Isabella calmly walked to the armchair by the fireplace and sat down, speaking to Margaret.

"Margaret, go pour me a glass of red wine, and then you can retreat to the safe zone too."

"His Majesty!"

Mrs. Margaret's voice choked with emotion.

"Go."

Isabella's voice was gentle yet undeniable.

"This is my choice, and it is also my responsibility."

As the bedroom door closed gently, silence returned to the room, broken only by the faint glow of the fireplace embers and Isabella's steady breathing.

She picked up her wine glass, gently swirling the deep red liquid, her gaze fixed on the deep night sky outside the window, quietly waiting for the "baby meteor" that would change her destiny, and even the destiny of the entire world, to descend upon her.

An intense tension permeated the air, yet strangely tinged with a sacred anticipation.

Five minutes, in the extreme silence and waiting, felt like an eternity.

Isabella sat upright, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the crystal glass, while the suppressed, static-filled reports from the outer command center came through her earpiece.

"The target speed began to decrease rapidly... Mach 10... Mach 5... Mach 1..."

"Gods above...this is impossible!"

Suddenly, a scientist's out-of-control scream came through the headset, accompanied by the chaotic alarms of various instruments in the background.

"It stopped! From Mach 15 to absolute stillness, zero acceleration! This violates all the laws of physics!"

The report abruptly stopped, clearly as Sir Oliver had forcibly cut off the public channel, but the sense of chaos and collapse in that instant was clearly conveyed.

Isabella's heart skipped a beat, followed by an indescribable surge of joy and a sense of certainty that "I knew it."

She won her gamble! This is no ordinary thing; it is the manifestation of the extraordinary power described in the ancestral teachings!

"Your Majesty, it...it's frozen in mid-air. What do we do now?"

Sir Oliver's voice came through the headset, trembling with a forced attempt to remain calm.

"Stay alert. Do not make any moves without my order."

Isabella gave the order in a steady voice, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement.

As soon as she finished speaking, the heavy, carved wooden door of the bedchamber slid open silently, as if pushed open by an invisible hand.

There was no wind, no energy fluctuations, only the astonished faces of the tense, vigilant soldiers outside the door flashing by, before the door gently closed again.

Immediately afterwards, a figure emitting a soft glow slowly floated in.

It was that baby.

He was no longer the blurry, high-speed object in the satellite image, but was actually hovering in the air a few meters in front of Isabella.

He was curled up, sleeping peacefully as if he were in the womb. His skin was fair and translucent, and his long, curled eyelashes cast faint shadows under his eyelids. There seemed to be a faint smile on his lips. He was so cute that it melted one's heart.

A faint, warm halo surrounded him, dispelling the darkness in the bedchamber.

On a level unseen by Isabella, Li Zhongren's consciousness, like an invisible radar, instantly swept across the entire palace.

Sir Oliver's tension, the special forces' heightened sense of urgency, and the turbulent thoughts beneath the outward calm of the Queen before him—ambition, expectation, and a strong desire to replicate the miracles of their ancestors—were all clearly reflected in his "heart lake."

"interesting."

A ripple of emotion stirred within Li Zhongren.

“She wants to become the ‘chosen one’ of this era, and wants to use the power of my ‘star’ to make the Red Empire great again. Coincidentally, the Red Empire had a similar incident before, and he can use this incident to conceal his identity.”

Although the 'Twisted Object', the embodiment of the supreme will, has no self, those who control it will be unconsciously influenced, thus searching for and pursuing their own existence. However, if they openly and honestly follow their previous plans, they may reveal their identity.

But if the plan is changed to make the Empress the chosen one, then those who control the Twisted Matter will only believe that fate repeats itself.

This gave Li Zhongren time to develop, and at the same time, it allowed him to do something for the empire, which could be considered compensation for starting the spiritual energy era ahead of schedule.
Isabella took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She slowly stood up and walked towards the floating baby.

Every step I take is in time with my heartbeat.

She stopped a step away from the baby, reaching out her slightly trembling hand to try to touch the halo.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the baby's skin, a vast but not violent flow of information, like a gentle tide, surged into Isabella's mind!
She "saw" it!
They witnessed the endless void, and the collision and entanglement of two indescribable, colossal wills representing some fundamental law. Under the influence of a bizarre Rubik's Cube, the two colossal wills were distorted and ultimately born into this world.

One of them is the baby in front of us.
As the information flow ended, Isabella staggered, grabbing a chair beside her to steady herself. Her eyes were filled with shock and enlightenment. The sheer volume of information overwhelmed her, but the core conclusion was crystal clear: this baby was the inheritor of one of those wills.

As for whether all of this could be some kind of disguise, a lie?

Just kidding, that's impossible.
Queen Isabella IX slowly raised her hand. She could feel an indescribable, immense power attaching itself to her body as she touched the baby. She had no doubt that if this power so desired, it could destroy the entire capital.

Is it necessary for the strong to deceive the weak?

It makes no sense.

In particular, this power is not a fleeting phenomenon. She can sense that she can use this power continuously and for a long time. It's just that right now, she is like an ordinary person who has suddenly gained great power and has difficulty controlling it.

Without further hesitation, she stepped forward and, with utmost care and reverence, gently cradled the radiant infant in her arms.

The moment the baby was placed in her arms, a wondrous connection was established.

Isabella clearly felt that she seemed to have formed some kind of pact with the baby, and the strength of that power seemed to depend on the closeness of her relationship with the baby; the closer the relationship, the more power she could borrow.
"This"

This discovery surprised Isabella.

The reason is simple: her power comes from this baby, and the closer the relationship, the more power she can borrow. So, what will happen when this child grows up and the throne is passed on?
But she quickly came to terms with it.
In this era of great strife, no one can predict what the future holds. Right now, her priority is ensuring the safety of the Reid Empire for the foreseeable future. As for things further away, she'll deal with that later.
(End of this chapter)