"This is not a prophecy, but a fact, although not so terrifying." Ian frowned slightly. "The Empire indeed faced resource depletion due to fighting on two fronts, but it’s not to the extent of chaos."
"This is a strategic deception. You must lure the enemy deep... But Fiery Flame Land won’t believe my prophecy, they’re not so easily fooled."
Ian’s eyes turned stern. "You intend to turn the fake scenario into reality."
"It won’t reach that level, Prophet."
The staff of the Spirit Wisdom Institute shook their heads, calmly saying, "We also understand that Fiery Flame Land won’t believe your prophecy. It’s not about deceiving the enemy."
"Sir, this is a prophecy aimed at the people. We want the people to believe we are at a disadvantage, that we are about to encounter a major crisis, that we are about to lose—"
"Then we won." Raising his brow, Ian spoke softly. "Indeed. If the standoff continues, the people will grow weary, war-fatigued, and feel displeasure and pain from the fires of war."
"With that being the case, why not create a crisis that almost threatens everyone; according to Fiery Flame Land’s reputation in Naling Western Frontier, almost no one holds any illusions about their invasion, once attacked, it will inevitably lead to ruin."
"Under such fear, the originally numb hearts will be stirred, becoming sensitive and expectant, uneasy yet hopeful."
"If at this moment, someone surpasses a ’prophecy’, bringing a miraculous ’great victory’..."
At this point, Ian smiled. "That would indeed be an extraordinary victory."
"But this is based on my prophecy’s accuracy and prestige."
"Yes. This is the sacrifice we are beseeching you to make..." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nove1Fire.net
Having said so, all the staff from the Spirit Wisdom Institute and other government officials from the Empire aboard the skyship knelt partially to Ian. "Here is an edict from inside Setar Imperial Palace. Prophet, please have a look."
An imperial edict... isn’t that written to me by Axel?
Ian silently took the golden edict and read its contents, his expression turning peculiar.
"Rehabilitate Teacher Hiliard... restore the Chehalorvo Family, return their noble title of Earl, release the ancestral land from the ban, and return all research materials to the Chehalorvo Family, along with..."
[Just make sure your senior brother doesn’t openly appear in the Empire]
Without any text, a pure thought emerged from the paper, conversing with Ian: [I won’t care what he does]
[Similarly, my Silver Peak Earl, my nominal junior... as long as you uphold the Empire’s ’great cause’, as long as you still have the ideals originating from Inega II]
[Then there’s actually no contradiction between us]
"Earl? A two-level leap in title?"
Ian raised his head, incredulous, looking at the empire officials before him, who seemingly knew about this long ago, and applauded, saying: "Yes, congratulations, Earl!"
"Given your achievements and status, the position of Earl is completely fitting!"
At this moment, apart from a sense of inherent absurdity, Ian’s rationale told him it was quite normal.
The Chehalorvo Family were originally Imperial Capital Earls, renowned for academia and relic development, not possessing actual lands; restoring honor and industry wasn’t too difficult, it mainly depended on Ian’s qualifications.
And now, being confirmed as the Prophet, not speaking of the many materials and industries originally belonging to the Chehalorvo Family being locked by the Empire as top-level secrets, even if other families devoured them, at the mention of the word ’prophet’, they would voluntarily spit them out obediently.
An ’eighteen and under’ prophet, who knows how long he could live, assets from an Imperial Capital Earl’s family, if not, it’s unnecessary to make an enemy over those assets!
Of course, what astonished Ian the most wasn’t this, but Axel’s unbelievable gesture.
Rehabilitating the Chehalorvo Family wasn’t a big deal; the real importance lay in returning the ’research materials’... possibly relating to Echo research, is Axel genuinely unaware, or is he deliberately testing? Or does he simply not care?
And rehabilitating Teacher Hiliard made Ian’s head spin even more—if Axel truly wanted rehabilitation, why not do it earlier, but instead wait until after Mahdi gains fame and is forced away by him personally?
And the subsequent words, as long as Mahdi doesn’t appear, he won’t care... these words somewhat echo the sentiment when Teacher Hiliard roamed the Empire with few pursuing him; back then Axel treated his teacher, the First Knight, with the same attitude.
But why? This attitude of neither destroying nor drawing close indicates a massive secret behind it!
What exactly is this secret?
"It seems... he doesn’t wish for The Unyielding Fortress to disappear, nor for it to die — thus in the Exotic Species Research Institute, ostensibly putting me at death’s door, he actually used light beams to accelerate my departure, avoiding involvement from other Fifth Energy Level."
Though calm in appearance, Ian felt turbulent waves within: "Behind The Unyielding Fortress, there definitely lie secrets unknown to me now... indeed, the Empire’s Unyielding Fortress is incomplete, only the one in teacher’s hands is a complete Fifth Energy Level inheritance... where lies the disparity between them?"