He has been reincarnated through countless worlds, adorned with billions of mythological terms!

There was a moment of silence in the Imperial Study.

Yun Yi leaned back in his chair, looking at the young man in front of him.

submission?

The woman who had been operating in Jiangnan for five years and commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, voluntarily surrendered?

He smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it made the young man's back inexplicably tense.

"Why did your leader suddenly have a change of heart?"

The young man was clearly prepared; he took a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"This is a letter written by my chief. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Yun Yi took the letter and unfolded it.

The letter contained only a few lines—

[To His Majesty:]

By the time you read this letter, I will have already thought it through very clearly.

Fifteen years.

We have been in this world for fifteen years.

At first, I thought it was a game, and that I could go back as long as I killed all of you.

But later I realized I was wrong.

The people here cry, laugh, fear, and love.

They will rejoice because of a rain, and grieve because of a drought.

They would work themselves to the bone just so their children could have a bite to eat.

I've seen too much.

Those people who followed me in rebellion were not doing it for any great cause; they were simply trying to survive.

Those warriors I enhanced weren't fighting for any ideals; they were just trying to survive.

and I?

What for?

To go back?

What are we going back for?

Go back to that cold research institute, continue my experiments, continue to face the deceit and treachery, continue to live alone?

I've thought about it for a long time.

Then I realized—I didn't want to go back.

This world is a good place.

No interstellar wars, no genetic collapse, none of those suffocating things.

Here there are mountains and rivers, flowers and grass, and people willing to follow me.

I want to stay.

I know you won't easily believe me.

So I brought this—

[Third Generation Gene Enhancement Fluid]

Effects: Can increase the strength of a single arm by 100,000 jin, can extend lifespan by 200 years, and has no adverse reactions.

Success rate: 100%.

I've already injected myself.

You can let anyone check and verify it.

This is my biggest achievement over the past five years.

But it's not meant for fighting.

Your Majesty, there is no need for us to kill each other.

You are a being in the cycle of reincarnation, and so am I.

We were thrown into this world and forced to fight each other, all for that so-called "return".

But on what basis?

Why should we play by their rules?

I can continue my research, to the fourth, fifth, and tenth generations.

I can extend human lifespan to five hundred years, a thousand years, or even longer.

We can live together.

To live again in this world.

You be your emperor, and I'll be my researcher.

I will provide you with the best weapons, the strongest warriors, and the longest lifespan.

Give me a place to stay.

That's it.

—Mu Yu

After reading the letter, Yun Yi remained silent for a long time.

The imperial study was so quiet that you could hear the wind outside the window.

The young man knelt on the ground, head bowed, not daring to breathe.

He had no idea what the young emperor was thinking.

But he knew that what he said next would determine everything.

Yunyi put the letter down.

Then he laughed.

The smile was faint, as if he were looking at an innocent child.

"Your leader has beautiful handwriting."

He said.

The young man paused for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Yun Yi leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"In her letter, she said that she had seen many people cry, many people laugh, and many people work desperately for their children."

"She said she didn't want to go back; she wanted to stay in this world."

"She said she could provide the Union with the best weapons, the strongest warriors, and the longest lifespan."

He paused, his gaze falling on the young man.

"Well said."

"When I heard that, I almost believed it."

The young man's expression changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, my chieftain is truly sincere..."

"sincere?"

Yun Yi interrupted him, his voice still calm, but with a hint of coldness.

"If she truly wanted to submit, why didn't she come sooner?"

"Why didn't she come five years ago when she first raised her army?"

"Why didn't you come two years ago, when I had just ascended the throne?"

"Why didn't she come when she retreated to the mountains to develop her strength discreetly?"

"But it has to be now."

"It just so happened that she had amassed enough troops and felt she was in a position to negotiate."

"It was precisely when she realized that she couldn't outlast me no matter how much she dragged things out."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the young man.

"This is not submission."

"It's about cutting losses."

"She realized she couldn't win, so she changed her approach to minimize her losses."

The young man's face turned very pale.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Yun Yi raised his hand to interrupt him.

"I have a question for you."

Yun Yi turned around and looked at him.

"The fifteen prefectures south of the Yangtze River have been ravaged by war for five years."

"How many people died?"

The young man was stunned.

"I'll tell you."

Yun Yi's voice was very calm, as calm as if he were stating a fact.

"Three million two hundred and seventy thousand."

"Three million two hundred and seventy thousand people died in that war."

"Some were killed by your muskets, some by your cannons, and some by your enhanced warriors with a single punch."

"Others lost their homes and food due to the war and starved to death."

He walked up to the young man and looked down at him.

"Three million two hundred and seventy thousand."

"A number."

"But behind every number is a human life."

"I have parents, children, worries, and dreams."

"Now, it's all gone."

The young man's body began to tremble.

"Your leader said she doesn't want to go back; she wants to stay in this world."

Yun Yi's voice remained calm.

"But those who died also wanted to stay in this world."

"They didn't make it."

"What right does your leader have to leave?"

The Imperial Study was eerily quiet.

The young man knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the earth, unable to utter a single word.

Yun Yi looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then turned around and walked back to sit down behind the desk.

"Go back and tell your chief."

His voice was calm, as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"I will not accept her submission."

"It's not because I don't trust her."

"It's because—3.27 million people need an explanation."

The young man suddenly looked up.

"Your Majesty! My chieftain is truly sincere—"

"Whether it's genuine or feigned."

Yun Yi interrupted him, his gaze falling on him, calm and without a ripple.

"From the moment she raised her army, from the moment she killed the first person, there was no turning back for her."

"I am the emperor."

"I am responsible for those 3.27 million people."

"If I just let it go like this, what will happen to those who have died?"

"What about their families?"

The young man opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Yun Yi waved his hand.

"Go down."

Tell Mu Yu—

He paused.

"I am waiting for her."

The young man knelt on the ground and remained silent for a long time.

Then he kowtowed heavily, stood up, and staggered out of the imperial study.

……

Outside the Imperial Study.

The sun is shining brightly.

The young man stood on the steps, looking at the blinding sunlight, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

Three million two hundred and seventy thousand.

This was the first time he had heard of this number.

For the first time, he realized that the things he had done over the years were backed by this number.

His legs felt a little weak.

But he took a deep breath and walked towards the palace gate.

……

Inside the Imperial Study.

Yun Yi sat behind his desk, looking at the letter, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he held the letter up to the candlelight.

The flames licked at the paper, turning it to ashes.

He watched the ashes fall, his gaze becoming profound.

Three million two hundred and seventy thousand.

He wasn't lying.

This is the total number of casualties caused by the war in Jiangnan over the past five years.

Not all of them died at the hands of the Tiangong Army.

Some were killed in the crossfire, some died from the plague after the war, and some died from displacement, starvation, or freezing.