The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

Even the most outstanding individuals nurtured by the Great Yan royal family cannot contend with the eternally youthful demon...

Adams stroked the counterfeit ring on his hand, abandoning the last shred of hope.

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Emperor's Most Efficient Way to Get Rich

"Teacher, are you back?"

Herlinmat practically jumped to Qiao Yelan's side.

"Yes, I'm back—but I'll be leaving again soon."

"Oh...so you've come to see the results of my and Liselotte's work?"

She was feeling a little down.

"I'm here to see Koschche—why are you suddenly holding a sword?"

"You need to look for her as soon as the teacher gets back..."

“Because you and Ivignad don’t need me to worry about you, you’ll definitely do a good job. I’m just worried about Kosiché, who’s not putting in the effort and is a troublemaker. We need to get her out of here as soon as possible.”

The hand that had been gripping the sword hilt loosened again.

Qiao Yelan looked at Herlinmat with some confusion. Ivignad was fine, always very sensible, but Herlinmat seemed to be a bit of a puzzle to him lately.

Is this the start of a rebellious phase?

"So, teacher, you're leaving again?"

“Yes, time waits for no one—I have to go to Ursus next. Letania and Victoria are currently embroiled in internal political struggles and can’t take care of themselves. Kazimierz is also a coward, and I’m worried that Ursus might take action against you.”

Qiao Yelan nodded.

Originally, he planned to let the situation in Ursus remain turbulent for a while longer, but due to unexpected events at the same time in Lungmen and Vidonia, although he managed to get the plan back on track through his actions, the "fermentation" in Ursus has now become an unstable factor.

If the other side seizes the opportunity to strike Letania, they might actually be able to use the war to create internal conflict and stabilize their internal situation again. This is not like the Eastern Kingdom back then; Qiao Yelan now has no way to command those electors with their own ulterior motives to fight against Ursus.

Because the conflict between the electors was originally instigated by him with the Witch King's help. Back then, Helhunzoren completely overwhelmed everyone. Who would still want to use these lackeys? They should all fight amongst themselves and not cause any trouble outside...

"Thank you, teacher."

"Alright, no need for thanks. I have my own purpose."

Qiao Yelan waved his hand.

"Now that Vidonia has stabilized, many officials have been reinstated, and you have promoted a group of people from within the military. It can be said that you have truly taken the throne as Emperor of Letania."

"It's still early. We've only just taken the throne. We have no foundation at all. Vidunia is like water without a source or a tree without roots. After all, we're not a true traditional electorate. We don't have our own fiefdoms to support us. Our imperial throne is like a castle in the air, without even a foundation."

Herlinmat sighed.

"Did Ivignad teach you that?"

"Yes, she and I have a very clear division of labor now."

Qiao Yelan nodded; he was very satisfied with the growth of the two of them.

"Since there's no foundation, we'll naturally find a way to build one for you—Babel Tower will now fully support you, and a large amount of supplies will be sent from Lungmen. In addition, you can squeeze out one last bit of profit from the Hayden Schwell region."

"Hayden Schweil?"

Herlinmat was somewhat puzzled. They now occupied the position of Elector of Haydenschwell, but having this title did not mean that they would receive the support of the nobles in that region, let alone taxes, if they returned to Elector of Haydenschwell.

"The Leopold family hasn't copied it yet."

Qiao Yelan said with a light laugh.

That's a fortune that even Herhunzoren has his eye on, and it's exactly what Herlinmat and the others desperately need right now.

“Besides confiscating property, there’s another business you can do—you can sell your electorate status.”

Within a large region, there is often more than one Grand Duke, and it is not necessarily the case that only a Grand Duke can become an Elector. For example, the Witch King's family, the Utica family, is only a count.

Ultimately, strength determines everything.

"Now, you are qualified to dispose of the land and army under Leopold's name—I imagine that during this time, many people in your army who are unwilling to follow you must have been screened out, right? Those people, as well as the land and the property on the land, you can sell them all to other nobles."

Qiao Yelan chuckled softly.

"Unmanageable land and uncontrollable army, why not just leave them to others to deal with? You could even promise those nobles that, in addition to cash, they could be paid in kind, or even in the form of annual grain supplies—and then use those resources and money to build your foundations."

“Our foundation… but we have no territory to occupy.”

"Haven't you already occupied it?"

Herlinmat paused, looked down at the ground beneath her feet.

“Vidunia is the best fiefdom for you.”

Qiao Yelan always manages to shatter other people's perceptions with the calmest voice.

"The people here have witnessed the Witch King's terrifying rule up close, so they naturally have a sense of approval and goodwill towards you and Ivignad. You have not only occupied the city, but have truly gained the approval of all the people in the city—they will not be easily instigated by other nobles to oppose your rule."

“This place has always been the political, academic, and artistic center of Letania, and all Letanians are proud to settle here—so why not let it continue to attract them in this way?”

"Give it a new name, then use the resources and money you've collected to expand it, actively attract outsiders, and this place will soon become the most prosperous territory in Letania—it'll just have the added title of an imperial capital."

Qiao Yelan's words enlightened Herlinmat.

"The funds obtained from the Haydenschwell territory can be considered start-up capital. Babel Tower will certainly provide full assistance in the construction of the new imperial capital. Moreover, a trade route running east to west across the continent will soon pass through here, starting from the Great Yan in the east and ending in Bolivar in the west. Soon, this city will be able to meet your and Ivignad's governing needs."

The girl nodded. Now there's only one question.

"But in the future... if, I mean if, we have a child, how will this territory be inherited by him? If Ivignad and I are no longer emperors, then the capital will become a neutral territory?"

Qiao Yelan smiled and waved his hand.

“Believe me, Herlinmat, if you tell that elector who wants to become emperor that you can send the Golden Law Guard and the Golden Law Melody over, and let him freely choose any city in his own territory as the new imperial capital, he will be so happy that he won’t be able to sleep.”

"Besides you, which elector hasn't fantasized about how wonderful it would be if their family could always hold the throne?"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Doubts

Now that the strategy has been decided, it must be implemented immediately. Vidonia is lacking in everything right now—even time.

After a brief discussion, Ivignad quickly led the Golden Law Guards to the Haydenschwell district, where the raids and negotiations proceeded simultaneously.

Helenemart, on the other hand, remained in Vidonia, where she would select some die-hards and soldiers who wanted to return home from the Haydenschwell Legion, and sell them to the nobles of the former Haydenschwell region at a reasonable price.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yelan was preparing for his trip to Ursus.

"PhD."

"Why did you come here in person?"

"There are some things that I must report."

Kal'tsit's face remained expressionless.

Qiao Yelan nodded, and Kal'tsit pushed his wheelchair toward a secluded room.

"Kazdel's preparations are proceeding as planned, but the [Artificial Demon King] project has encountered a bottleneck. We are currently unable to create a [Chimera] larva capable of bearing the power of multiple races."

How did Quesatushta succeed back then?

"According to his records, the reason he couldn't withstand the power was that his original body was too young, so his choice was..."

Kal'tsit hesitated for a moment.

"—Remodel the already grown 'base body' back into a [Chimera]."

"Only animal testing is permitted—I wouldn't mind raising a bird carrying the Demon King's sword."

Qiao Yelan immediately rejected this idea. Even a fool could tell how many children and families the Pardoner had harmed in this matter. He didn't care, but Babel Tower couldn't afford the risk of this behavior being leaked, because it would have a devastating impact on his current plans.

The butterfly effect caused by the death of Herhunzoren is already enough of a headache; it's best to avoid causing any more trouble at this point.

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"Considering that Kazdel will eventually be handed over to Theresis, I plan to reactivate the Rhodes Island landship as the central hub for Theresis and Babel. I have already informed Kroos, the manager of the Rembito region, and she has begun the renovation and upgrading of Rhodes Island."

Qiao Yelan nodded; it was indeed a good idea.

"In addition, PRTS is overseeing the construction of a new full-body life support system for you, which will be delivered soon after completion."

“PRTS?”

"It's an AI program we've deployed in the Rembito region. Currently, it's maintaining the automated production of all of Babel Tower's Originium mines and factories in the region, saving us a lot of human and management resources—Rhodes Island's operations will also be handed over to it."

"Developed by the Tower of Babel?"

Qiao Yelan repeated it, her voice remaining calm and devoid of any emotion.

"Yeah...what's wrong?"

"fine."

The man shook his head, not showing his surprise or confusion.

In the letters he left for himself, he never mentioned any artificial intelligence program.

But he couldn't possibly leave something so important unaccounted for—Kal'tsit's words proved that this artificial intelligence was fully mature and even stably put into use, so before his last amnesia, it should have at least entered the late stage of research and development or even the internship stage.