Chapter 830: The 'Last Emperor' of Xilan

Chapter 830: The "Last Emperor" of Xilan

Just before the most important festival of the year for the Willantians, two major events occurred in Golden Port on the eastern coast of the Brahmin Province.

The first was an announcement from the Golden Port Bank headquarters, issuing a risk warning on Xilan currency transactions, imposing restrictions on related financial instruments and currency exchange channels, and strictly preventing systemic financial risks.

In simple terms, foreign exchange speculators could no longer use leverage, and private depositors holding Xilan currency would be advised by their account managers to offload it as soon as possible.

At the same time, the trade management department issued a notice suspending all export business settled in Xilan currency, while imports remained unaffected.

This caused a huge stir in Golden Port's high society, especially among those holding substantial amounts of Xilan currency.

As for the vast majority of wage earners, they were unaffected.

After all, the Galun was pegged to silver coins, not Xilan currency; its fluctuations wouldn't impact locals' lives in the short term.

In comparison, they were far more interested in the second event—

That is, the exclusive interview with Xilan Emperor Wutuo by the Golden Port branch of the Survivor Daily.

Unlike the first serious topic, this second event was utterly farcical from start to finish.

They met on the royal merchant ship. Before the interview, Wutuo suddenly changed his mind, citing Xilan law to demand that the Survivor Daily's reporting team kneel for the interview.

The latter naturally wouldn't indulge him and, with a stroke of inspiration, hired a Willantian actor from the Grand Theater.

Sure enough, as soon as Wutuo saw the big nose, his face lit up with joy, as if meeting his own father, and he courteously invited the actor to sit down and chat.

The interview went smoothly.

One side recited the script like lines learned by heart, while the other improvised wildly, their words constantly missing each other, creating a comedic atmosphere from start to finish.

After the interview, the Golden Port branch of Survivor Daily printed a special edition that very day, reporting on this "dialogue of the century."

However, perhaps because the "Kneel!" incident had offended the editorial team, the writer maliciously used the term "last emperor" in the headline.

Fortunately, Wutuo only read the "special edition" sent by Duke Garava; his subordinates dared not show him this treasonous headline, or it might have infuriated him into internal injury and sparked a diplomatic incident.

Shortly after the special edition was released, those who had satisfied their curiosity gradually lost interest in the emperor.

So this was the creature that rode atop the survivors of the Brahmin Province.

Objectively speaking, he might have been slightly better than an ordinary person, but not by much—even inferior to the nouveau riche in Golden Port who had struck it rich through demolition.

When discussing military theory, he vividly described the rules of the beast chessboard. On international strategy, he "simplified" things with monkeys and dogs from the zoo, leaving the Willantian temp interviewing him speechless.

As for the empire's future—

Once the Southern Alliance's battleships were delivered, everything would be fine!

Some things are fine when left alone, but not when exposed to light.

Those who read the special edition were deeply disappointed, even regretting the 4 Galun spent on the newspaper.

For that money, sitting in a teahouse would have yielded more entertaining tales!

Yet, precisely because of that 4-Galun special edition, people finally saw Wutuo's true "face."

From then on, no matter how the old conservatives whispered that the Xilan emperor was wise in folly, unfathomable, with hidden powers and grand visions, few sane people believed such nonsense.

At that moment, Wutuo remained unaware of the public opinion outside, but he was quite pleased that the riverbank was no longer crowded with onlookers.

With fewer people by the river, he finally dared to open the windows for air, even setting a dining table on the deck to host banquets for the noble remnants of Golden Port, winning their loyalty.

All nobles above the rank of baron in Golden Port received his invitation, but the response was lukewarm.

The great nobles had either moved away or were doing well enough to avoid meeting him, even to avoid suspicion.

Take Sheriff Bihari, for instance.

He not only refused to go but wished he could flush the invitation and his title down the sewer, to erase the empire's mark from himself.

In the end, only those nobles who had fallen on hard times attended.

Most were people left behind by the wheels of time—perhaps with some talent but unwilling to lower themselves, or with high ambitions but low abilities, ending up bankrupt or deep in debt, their lives in shambles.

Thus, when they stood on the royal merchant ship's deck in their finest clothes from their wardrobes and saw their emperor, the great and glorious "Nihaq Era" seemed to return before them.

At that moment, nearly all wept uncontrollably, longing to fall to their knees.

"Your Majesty! You've finally remembered us!"

"We've missed you so much, Your Majesty!"

"Please come back soon!"

"The Alliance is truly despicable! Wuwu, you don't know how they've treated us!"

"We've suffered so much!"

"Ministers, rise quickly—I have made you suffer." With a compassionate expression, Wutuo stepped forward, making a lifting gesture as if to help them up.

Looking at the tear-streaked nobles, his face showed pity, but his heart rejoiced.

Though proving the Alliance was garbage didn't make the empire's garbage fragrant, he still loved hearing it.

The more bitterly they wept, the deeper their pain, the more it proved he was right.

After a round of tearful pleasantries, Wutuo had his servants seat them at the banquet.

As for himself, he took the host's seat at the head of the table, nodding to the head chef hired from the Triumph Grand Hotel to signal the start of serving.

Rows of carts soon rolled onto the deck, laden with exquisite dishes.

The noble remnants drooled, staring intently at the waiters, eager to snatch the food with their hands.

This meal left Wutuo thoroughly satisfied, as if compensating for all the grievances he'd endured on the journey.

After several rounds of wine, many nobles were tipsy, some even snoring at the table.

Seeing the meal nearly over, Wutuo suddenly rose, slightly drunk, and raised his glass.

"Listening to your laments, my heart aches deeply. It's all due to Arayan's incompetence in defense that you've suffered!"

He paused, then continued.

"Very well! When things calm down, would you be willing to return with me to the Celestial Capital? I promise you, past matters are forgiven—you will still be my most loyal servants!"

As his words fell, silence reigned on the deck, even the snoring ceased.

Those who had earlier wept and cursed the Alliance as worthless now buried their heads in silence, as if struck dumb.

As the atmosphere chilled, Prince Dilip quickly stepped in to smooth things over, laughing awkwardly.

"Everyone, eat, eat! You've had little to eat normally, so you've suffered. Today His Majesty hosts—don't be shy, eat your fill!"

At this, the nobles who had been silent suddenly found their voices again, heaping praise.

"Your Majesty is generous!"

"The Alliance is so stingy! They tore down my house and gave me such paltry compensation—not like Your Majesty's magnanimity!"

"Ah... I think of Grand Duke Nihaq every moment! I wonder if he's well in the Southern Barbarian Seas!"

"...Please come back! We miss you so much, Your Majesty!"

The atmosphere warmed again.

The fallen nobles resumed their laments, weeping and sniffling.

As for the matter of going to Tian Du, no one brought it up.

They seemed drunk, yet each was more clear-headed than the last, every one of them having become a shrewd old fox.

Wu Tuo looked displeased, drinking alone in sullen silence, wanting to lash out but not knowing where to start.

All were pleasant words—who was there to blame?

Unable to bear the hypocritical atmosphere, having seen enough of the fickleness of human relationships, he snorted coldly, rose from the feast, and swept away with a flick of his sleeve...

The sound of sobbing came in endless waves, yet amidst the clinking of cups and laughter, it seemed almost like joyful noise.

And the voice laughing to the point of madness was even more grating and harsh than weeping...

Finally noticing that the emperor had left, the thoroughly drunk Prince Dilip quickly wiped his mouth and raised his cup in a toast to the company.

"His Majesty cannot hold his liquor—please, everyone, enjoy yourselves to the fullest, enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

The nobles, all with greasy mouths and round bellies, paid no heed, even forgetting that the man they missed had already left the table, and belched as they said,

"Praise His Majesty!"

"Haha!"

"His Majesty is wise!"

...

Wu Tuo had laid out a grand banquet on the Yongliu River, but the empire, having lost its emperor, was thrown into chaos.

Not because the Heavenly King's army had breached the gates of Tian Du, but because no one had expected Wu Tuo to pull off such a cunning "feint to the east, attack to the west" maneuver.

This was a sovereign ruler!

How could he treat his ministers like monkeys?

As the interview was published and the special edition of the *Survivor's Daily* was released, the news that Wu Tuo was in Golden Galleon Port spread at once.

The three northern provinces, busy preparing to welcome the emperor, were the first to be dumbfounded, especially when they saw the crown prince arrive—those who had prepared to receive the emperor with full imperial rites were thrown into confusion.

The warlords of Tiger Province and Leopard Province, near Golden Galleon Port, cursed in shock, never imagining they had been fooled by their own emperor!

To be honest, as for rebellion, they might never have truly entertained the thought, at least not for now.

After all, given the empire's current state, riddled with holes, whoever became emperor would be roasted over a fire—wasn't it better to be a local tyrant who had the final say?

Yet, though they had no thoughts of rebellion, they had to guard against their neighboring warlord, who might harbor ulterior motives, using the emperor as a pawn for petty schemes.

Now that the emperor had slipped through their territory without a word, both great warlords grew uneasy.

The emperor no longer trusted them.

Tian Du was besieged on all sides, and hoping for continued military pay was unlikely.

For now, the empire had no time for them, but when it freed its hands, who could say what would happen?

So, should they rebel or not?

The Ferocious Tiger Army and the Black Panther Army, which had only been focused on quietly amassing wealth, now had to face this real question.

And while the entire empire was at a loss because of Wu Tuo's antics, thousands of kilometers away in Dawn City, the scenery was uniquely fine.

The first Wasteland Survival Equipment Expo had officially concluded, widely praised by wastelanders, achieving sales of one billion silver coins!

All survivor factions certified by the Alliance and adhering to the basic conventions could purchase military equipment based on their diplomatic level, to fight raiders and mutant forces.

The Alliance's military factories even offered professional, personalized customization services based on the client's coordinates and actual needs.

For example, installing fixed turrets on walls, deploying patrol drones near production facilities, and so on.

In the past, given the purchasing power of survivors around the Alliance, they could hardly afford such high-value items.

Even if the Alliance's bank lent them money, their financial situation would never allow repayment.

However, over the past year, the Alliance, supported by the technical personnel drawn to Dawn City, had been continuously upgrading its industries.

In this process, the Alliance itself had "transitioned" many relatively outdated production equipment to those reliable but underdeveloped partners.

Golden Galleon Port was the most typical example.

Though Golden Galleon Port had been destitute earlier, with the support of the Baiyue Company, it received a large investment and quickly took over the production lines the Alliance was then moving to the Silver Moon Bay area.

These included sugar refining, brewing, cotton spinning, garment making, agricultural machinery, bicycles, and even exoskeleton components.

Though the added value of these industries was not high, they were just right for Golden Galleon Port, which had a dense labor force and relatively low education levels.

Having grown rich through the Alliance, Golden Galleon Port could not simply take without giving—the Alliance's rules would not allow it.

Besides repaying installment loans and buying silver coin bonds issued by the Alliance's bank for interest, a considerable portion of that money was also spent on imported goods.

As one of the high-value-added products, arms accounted for a significant share.

Besides Golden Galleon Port, other settlements like Luoxia Province, the Southern Sea Region, and the Eastern Provinces were all engaged in similar cycles of currency and goods.

These survivor settlements, enriched by the Alliance, while using silver coins to improve their lives, naturally did not mind spending a little to upgrade their security measures, lest they attract the attention of outside raiders.

Apart from bulk procurement orders, there were also individual buyers.

After all, compared to the hard-to-maintain high-tech products from corporations, the simple and effective weapons made by the Alliance were quite popular among wastelanders.

However, several corporate groups also sold many good items at the expo.

For example, Endpoint Group's wearable smart devices, Changge Group's military exoskeletons and prosthetics, and Kangmao Group's androids, among others.

Most of these were bought by Alliance players, accounting for 30% of the total transaction volume.

As a special guest, Chu Guang also attended the expo, though he bought nothing.

He had no need to change his own equipment, and the Alliance's gear had more professional procurement channels, so there was no need to pick and choose at the expo.

Moreover, they generally did not sell their truly good stuff casually.

For instance, the P-2 "Lightning" attack aircraft and the L-10 "Thunder" fighter, which had performed brilliantly in the North Island campaign.

After chatting with old friends from the corporations at the expo, Chu Guang was about to check what new tricks Mosquito had come up with when he suddenly received a video call request from Alliance Foreign Minister Cheng Yan. So he went to the lounge next to the expo center.

"Xiao Qi, keep an eye on the door."

"Got it!"

Hearing Chu Guang's instruction, Xiao Qi replied with enthusiasm and immediately connected to the expo center's surveillance system to ensure no one was eavesdropping nearby.

As for Chu Guang, he skillfully took out a holographic pen from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table, unfolding the pale blue holographic image.

The expo center was crowded and noisy—better to be cautious.

Especially since this matter was of great importance.

Though the video call had not yet connected, Chu Guang already had a rough idea of what his foreign minister was about to report...

Sure enough.

As soon as the call connected, Cheng Yan spoke urgently.

"...According to intelligence obtained through diplomatic channels, the empire has formally requested aid from the Legion! A cohort of ten thousand is departing from Triumph City by airship for West Sails Port. It is currently unclear which unit and which Legion it belongs to."

"Though their deployment was within our expectations, I fear the Legion might use this as a pretext to escalate the war, even annex the entire Bahr Province... The Southern Legion differs from the Eastern Legion; the former controls Eternal Night Port, which is not far from West Sails Port, and they have long harbored ambitions to conquer the East, with the realistic conditions to dominate West Sails Port and even all of Bahr Province!"

"Currently, they face two obstacles: one is internal opposition within the Legion, namely from the civilian faction. According to Benoit's account, West Sails Port and Bahr Province are, strictly speaking, within the sphere of influence of the Triumph City civilian faction... But for now, their voices seem to have been suppressed."

Chu Guang nodded.

“Obviously, given how many have died.”

“Indeed…”

Cheng Yan gave a bitter smile and nodded, then continued.

“The second obstacle the Southern Legion faces is that ancient covenant. I shouldn’t need to elaborate—you’re aware that long ago, the Legion and the Enterprise, witnessed by the Great Rift and the Academy, agreed on their respective spheres of influence, especially the Legion’s expansion limits… namely, under no circumstances may the Legion directly control territory east of the Great Desert.”

“But in truth, you also know the Legion’s promises are like toilet paper—they’ve been scraping the edge of the red line all along. The Falcon Kingdom, for instance, is controlled by the Eastern Legion as a vassal. As for West Sail Port, though nominally the Legion has no military presence there, in reality some personnel are stationed, just not in large numbers.”

After hearing the clues Cheng Yan provided, Chu Guang pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“Actually, I’ve been replaying the whole thing these past few days. Is it possible… this is a farce staged by the Valiants themselves?”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head!”

Cheng Yan raised his thumb in praise, but quickly reined in that untimely frivolity and continued with careful words.

“Actually, it’s not just you who thinks that… Benoit told me the same. The civilian faction has no directly controlled troops, and there are always those eyeing the cake in their hands. He feels things aren’t that simple—someone might be pulling strings.”

That possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

And it wasn’t low.

After all, the civilian faction was too weak; the cake in their hands was naturally tempting, and the Legion happened to be in an awkward phase—a behemoth designed for war that had long ceased to expand.

For a militaristic nation, that was almost inconceivable.

If the Heavenly King’s Army was an avalanche in Boro Province, then they were an avalanche sweeping the entire wasteland—there was no notion of stopping wherever they reached.

The eastward expansion faction didn’t exist only in the Eastern Legion.

The Southern Legion clearly had similar factions, and the Eternal Night Port standing on the axis of the Great Desert was the best proof.

That settlement sat right on the red line drawn by the “ancient covenant,” with an entire ten-thousand-man force permanently stationed there.

That settlement was like the Valiants’ nose—they rejected everything from the War Construction Committee from the marrow of their bones. Both the order it once decreed and the covenant it had overseen.

But this was merely Chu Guang’s speculation.

After all, those were three thousand lives…

Without evidence, he couldn’t arbitrarily attribute it all to some vast conspiracy, especially since Benoit had the motive to lie—to excuse his own incompetence.

“What’s your suggestion?”

Seeing Chu Guang suddenly throw the question at him, Cheng Yan paused, then immediately replied.

“I propose reinforcing Golden Gallon Port! We must maintain a military presence of at least two legions in that region! Regardless of whether the incident at West Sail Port was staged by some Legion faction, we must be wary of them seizing the chance to cross the red line.”

Hearing his proposal, Chu Guang nodded approvingly.

“And what does Golden Gallon Port think?”

Cheng Yan said with a smile.

“They can’t wait for us to come protect their safety—they even offered to fully cover our garrison costs.”

The cost was actually a minor matter.

Keeping the Legion calm was more important.

Chu Guang thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright, I’ll dispatch two legions there.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yan let out a relieved sigh.

“Oh, and one more thing—Wu Tuo suddenly appeared in Golden Gallon Port. This seems to have caused quite a stir in Boro Province. The Golden Gallon Port authorities are unsure how to handle it and want our advice…”

This matter was essentially an internal affair of the Xilan Empire; the Alliance had neither reason to intervene nor any meaning in doing so.

An emperor who had lost control of his empire could at best be a puppet.

That fellow might be of some use in the Legion’s hands, but the Alliance was not the Legion, so naturally it couldn’t do what the Valiants did.

Though Cheng Yan’s expression seemed to suggest he wanted to use this man, Chu Guang didn’t particularly care about him.

“Let Golden Gallon Port decide for themselves. The Legion has already been invited in by that fellow—does it matter if we force him to change his tune? The Valiants aren’t taxi drivers, stopping when hailed and leaving when waved off.”

At this point, inviting or not made little difference.

The Legion was never known for following rules; even if the Empire hadn’t begged for their help, they would have come on their own.

Legal legitimacy?

If the Valiants truly cared, they wouldn’t have broken their promises time and again.

“That’s true, but I still think it’s a shame not to take advantage of this gift that’s landed in our laps,” Cheng Yan said with some regret.

Chu Guang gave a faint smile.

“Nothing to regret.”

“From the moment he left Celestial Capital, his era was already over.”