Game World: I Can Share Talents

To say that the past Dukes Qinghui were dutiful and loyal to the Empire would be entirely correct. The Qinghui Clan even has a precept about being grateful to the Empire: to compose a hymn of loyalty with valor!

’But I’m not one of the past Dukes Qinghui. I’m the current one!’

Westheid dared to bully even the Pure Holy Spirit, to say nothing of the teachings of his worthless ancestors.

"Heh. If you say so."

Ailu’er clearly didn’t believe Westheid’s nonsense. Regardless, the burgeoning ambition the man displayed left her quite satisfied. Only such a confident, enterprising, and proactive leader could make one feel secure amidst a crisis.

’That’s the kind of spirit! That’s the kind of fierce ambition! *This* is a man worth following.’

The charming Witch pursed her lips and said,

"So, when you asked us before how much we had infiltrated the Pioneer Territory, were you preparing for this day?"

"Of course. With the Qinghui Territory and the Ring of Clear Skies joining forces, dominating the Borderland will be a piece of cake!"

In truth, the Ring of Clear Skies was still a larger organization than the Qinghui Territory. Westheid positioning himself as the leader had a humorous air, as if he were taking the lion’s share of the credit for their combined strength.

But on second thought, it wasn’t so humorous, because the crisis facing the Ring of Clear Skies was an existential one, and they had to rely on Westheid to survive it.

"Duke Qinghui, when you said before that the Master of Greedy Banquet was unreliable, is this what you were referring to?"

The crimson-haired Witch drew near, taking Westheid’s other arm and pressing her scandalously ample bosom against him.

Though her eyes never met Ailu’er’s, Westheid knew she was refusing to be outdone.

Westheid raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you of all people should understand what the disappearance of the Celestial Gods means. I don’t need to spell out which Celestial God’s shadow the Master of Greedy Banquet is, do I?"

"Emperor Qianlu..."

Hecate murmured. In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to speak the venerable name aloud for fear of an inquisitor’s judgment.

But now that even the Celestial Gods had gone silent, such things were no longer so taboo.

Ailu’er lowered her eyes, saying languidly,

"Emperor Qianlu has the most shadows. That’s no secret among Demon Practitioners. Most of the Demons we come into contact with are Celestial God’s Shadows of Emperor Qianlu."

This seemingly pure and lively Witch pouted, finally voicing a complaint she’d been holding back for a long time:

"I really don’t get how He ended up with... so many shadows. It’s not like we’ve ever heard that Emperor Qianlu’s character was... lacking. Isn’t He supposed to be a rather gentle and magnanimous Celestial God?"

Beings capable of Ascension to become Celestial Gods were all supremely benevolent and virtuous—at least, they were to their followers.

But others didn’t necessarily see it that way. After all, the other side of a Great Enterprise is often disaster. Take Star Abyss Wings, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Dragons. In the eyes of Imperial Citizens, he was more fucking heinous and loathsome than a hundred Chaos Source Gods combined!

And the Yonglan Riding God was too warlike and bloodthirsty for foreigners, while Earthlings weren’t particularly fond of the Venerable Master of the Azure Heaven either...

The most commendable thing about Emperor Qianlu was that He was unanimously praised in every nation, thanks to His gentle nature.

Can you believe that a Celestial God’s path to divinity didn’t involve rivers of blood and endless slaughter?

During Emperor Qianlu’s unification of the Land of Thousand Lakes and Melody, He would use His Charm to win over anyone who was willing to talk. For those He couldn’t win over, He would simply keep trying.

As for those who were truly impossible to coexist with peacefully, they were deemed no different from the spawn of Chaos and would be struck down with thunderous force.

His display of both mercy and might was truly something to behold.

If not for the study of Demonology, no one would ever believe that such a Celestial God could cast off an appallingly large number of shadows during His Ascension.

’Fucking hell, was Emperor Qianlu some kind of Demon Mother?!’

"Emperor Qianlu... yes... He was indeed benevolent and magnanimous. But that didn’t stop Him from producing the most Demons."

Westheid stroked his chin and chuckled.

Of course, he knew the reason why, but it was rather complex and unnecessary to explain to Ailu’er. The Witches were just voicing their confusion and complaints; what they truly cared about were the movements of His Celestial God’s Shadows now that Emperor Qianlu had gone silent.

Hecate’s delicate brows furrowed, her otherworldly and alluring dark-purple eyes filled with deep worry.

"The Demons of Qianlu’s line are mostly suppressed and sealed away. They constantly seek an almost impossible escape, which is why they frequently make contracts with mortals. But if Emperor Qianlu is isolated..."

"The Demons will escape from their cages and regain their freedom. They will no longer need to make deals with mortals; instead, they can truly enslave them."

Westheid stated bluntly,

"It’s not just the Master of Greedy Banquet. The other Demons you’ve contracted with will all start severing their original agreements. Even if they don’t, they’ll change the price of the contract to something you’ll inevitably be unable to pay."

Ailu’er sighed, her voice tinged with resentment.

"...So that’s the source of your confidence. I see. No wonder you were so sure we’d come under your banner. Now, apart from the Demon Path you control, we have no other options."

Westheid chuckled. "That’s why I need you to persuade the rest of the Ring of Clear Skies."

Only half of the Witches were stationed in the Qinghui Territory. Although Hecate and her group had done their best to tout the benefits of the path of the Master of Extinction, several other Witches remained on the fence.

Of course, it was also possible they’d heard of Westheid’s reputation as a ’piledriver’ and that all the sisters who went before had thrown themselves at him, leading them to believe the Qinghui Territory was some kind of demon’s den they were too scared to approach.

Ailu’er patted her own chest—a shade less impressive than Hecate’s—and said, "Don’t worry. This time, even our cautious Chairwoman will have no choice but to agree."

"Mm, I’m counting on you."

After parting with the two Witches, Westheid immediately sat down and began to write the letter bound for the Imperial Capital.

The Radiant Holy Tree had just gone dark. Although the Spirit Realm no longer had the protection of the Celestial Gods, it wouldn’t be corrupted instantly. Therefore, the Star Gate System, which relied on travel through the Spirit Realm, could still function for a while longer.

Using the express channel, he could get a reply in just a few days. And based on his understanding of Sylvia, she ought to be at her wit’s end right now. Having a loyal subject from a remote territory offer to share her burden at a time like this... she would surely be ecstatic.

’And if the reply was no?’

’Then I’d just make it up! I’d simply claim I received authorization. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, after all. Who would dare contradict Duke Qinghui to his face?’

The reason Westheid was so eager to expand wasn’t that he’d become a beast drunk on power, impatient to start playing a game of map-painting.

He was doing it to pursue his promotion to the Legendary Celestial Rank.

His past achievement of retaking the Qinghui Territory had allowed him to advance to the Hero Tier. The awkward part, however, was that the quality of this achievement was in a strange limbo—not quite enough for the next step, but more than enough for the last—leaving him stuck.

If he had undertaken the arduous struggle to reclaim his homeland while already at the Hero Tier, it would have been more than enough for him to advance to Legend.

Unfortunately, for the sake of a swift victory, Westheid had relied on too much outside help, which greatly diminished the value of his achievement. The ’merit’ required for Tier advancement was a rather objective measure.

’To outsiders, Westheid was just that damn strong, that damn amazing. The achievements he’d racked up should have been more than enough to reach Legend. But he knew his own situation best. He had relied on far too much outside help. You can fool your bros, but you can’t fool yourself.’

Conquest, expansion, and protection also brought significant merit. With an age of conflict on the horizon, not even having reached the Legendary Celestial Rank left Westheid feeling deeply insecure.