Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a single sound, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

Finally.

Prince Norton was brought to the throne in the great hall by two powerful professionals.

"Prince Norton pays respects to His Majesty the King."

He knelt on one knee, his face filled with trepidation, his gaze shifting restlessly.

He was clearly terrified.

Being summoned to the palace at five in the morning—who wouldn't be scared?

The Nine Aspects watching nearby, Shen Ye had lost any mood for teasing him.

"Do you know where you went wrong?"

Shen Ye asked.

"I shouldn't have sent spies to Eternal Night City," Prince Norton said with his head lowered.

"That's not it."

"...Please enlighten me, Father."

"The spy wasn't your man. I've looked into it thoroughly," Shen Ye said.

Prince Norton suddenly looked up, staring at Shen Ye in disbelief.

The ministers exchanged surprised glances amongst themselves.

Wasn't this affair—

something His Majesty the Emperor initiated himself?

"The fault is not yours," Shen Ye said.

"Father!" Prince Norton exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't be hasty. This matter isn't over yet. I order you to organize a delegation and personally lead a diplomatic mission to Eternal Night City to confront the spy they captured in a dignified manner," Shen Ye said.

Prince Norton hesitated for a moment but quickly responded with a "Yes."

Shen Ye knew he was unsettled and commanded the person beside him:

"Go, announce that the Prince was wrongly accused. Now that I have discovered the truth, Prince Norton will personally make a trip to Eternal Night City."

"Then—"

He spoke with mixed emotions:

"It has indeed been a grievance for the Prince— the Undead Empire has been defeated and sued for peace, yet they dare to be so brazen. It's outrageous!"

"Right, the Prince won a victory on the battlefield. This is not only a glory for our Royal Family but also a testament to the meritorious support of those around him."

"Prince, name a few individuals, and I will personally reward these meritorious ministers!"

The ministers gradually caught on.

This was not only clearing the Prince's name but even more so a step further to promote the people surrounding the Prince vigorously.

By doing so—

The people following the Prince, awarded for their loyalty, would become even more devoted and attract more aspiring individuals to join the Prince's ranks.

Moreover, such open awards could not be immediately suppressed.

His Majesty the King must have truly understood!

After a brief moment of contemplation, Prince Norton began:

"Father, Court Archmage Yudelia at my side has made significant contributions, and the team of five priests has been diligent and responsible; all three leaders of the Knights Order have been in the forefront, brave and fierce in slaying the enemy, and the number of undead heads can testify..."

He continued on.

The Nine Aspects floated dozily in the middle of the great hall, seemingly disinterested.

But Shen Ye watched with narrowed eyes, listening seriously.

Prince Norton.

Whether you have a conscience or not will decide a lot right now.

If you do have a conscience, my task will be easier, and you can be spared.

If you do not have a conscience—

As Prince Norton continued:

"...also, Saint Peiqi of the Shadow Brotherhood, who saved my life, strangled the King of Undead Assassins, Freg, on the battlefield, causing chaos in the enemy ranks and earning great merit for our counterattack."

Good!

Now we're getting somewhere!

Shen Ye's expression remained unchanged, but he felt more confident.

Once Prince Norton had finished, Shen Ye signaled a few ministers to draft a list of awards and rewards.

Shen Ye reviewed the list beforehand.

He scanned down the list,

all the way to—

"Saint Peiqi, named as Baron of West Mountain, bestowed West Barren Village as a fief."

He did not linger on these lines and continued looking until he had read it all.

"Many awards are not reasonable, discuss them again."

Shen Ye threw the list to the floor, letting it fall.

The ministers looked at each other.

But everyone understood the importance of these awards and the need to deliberate carefully.

The Minister of Defense picked up the list and said:

"I believe there are some people on this list whose awards do not follow the rules..."

"Exactly, there are indeed some areas that need adjusting, like the Court Grand Mage's award, you've granted too much," said the Privy Council President.

The Minister of Defense glared at him and said, "I am quoting from Military Merit Law Article Forty-Seven, Article Forty-Seven states—"

Ignoring the Minister of Defense's lengthy explanation, Shen Ye sat on his throne, glancing back and forth between the individuals.

Those he gazed upon felt uneasy.

—Is His Majesty displeased with me for being negligent?

Thus, everyone vied to speak.

The discussion went on for over two hours before Shen Ye finally stood up, told them to continue discussing, and turned to the rear hall to dine.

"Why let them discuss these matters?"

The Nine Aspects asked.

"Assigning rewards is a serious matter, but I understand nothing," Shen Ye said while eating, "Let them discuss, and I can gradually understand some of the empire's structure, comprehend how the rewards are assigned, and see through their relationships."

"Is that necessary?" Nine Aspects was unconcerned.

"This is simply my way of doing things, sir," Shen Ye responded.

"Suit yourself, but I can't stand dealing with such tedious matters so earnestly," yawned Nine Aspects.

Shen Ye buried his head in his meal.

When he was almost done eating, another list for discussion and reward assignment was presented.

Shen Ye glanced over it, noting the changes, and said quietly:

"Not good enough, have them revise it again for me and state the reasons for the modifications."

"Yes."

The attendant held the list in both hands and withdrew.

Shen Ye continued with his breakfast.

He then moved around in the garden, basking in the sunlight.

As noon approached,

a new version of the reward list was presented.

This time, Prince Norton personally handed it over, standing aside waiting for the king's review.

Shen Ye opened it to find that this version detailed the reasons for each person's reward, citing various clauses, and the opinions of each minister were written down.

Several pages thick.

Shen Ye read it carefully, compared it against what he had previously noted, and then circled a few names about which he had doubts and where the ministers' opinions were not detailed enough.

"This revision is quite good; let them have their meal, and after that, we'll discuss these few individuals in detail."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Prince Norton breathed a sigh of relief as he took the list and left.

Shen Ye then strolled for a while before slowly making his way to the council chamber, taking his place on the throne, and listening with interest to the heated debates among the ministers.

He occasionally interjected a comment or pointed out some issues—

now he could see some superficial problems and had a rough understanding of the empire's hierarchy of rewards, enough to not make a fool of himself.

An afternoon passed.

Lights began to come on.

To Shen Ye's surprise, Nine Aspects showed no impatience and followed silently throughout.

Seven in the evening.

After repeated discussions and revisions, the final version of the reward list finally reached Shen Ye's hands.

Shen Ye picked up a pen, marked a few individuals for promotion or demotion, and announced each decision to the crowd.

There were few objections by then.

On the rare occasion that advice was offered, Shen Ye listened with an open mind.

It was not until this moment that Nine Aspects finally nodded in satisfaction.

Baxter had the empire's power in his grasp and began to control this vast nation.

Frankly, normal people are not worth consuming.

But normal people are very useful; they can mine minerals, find treasures, develop civilization, and cultivate talent.

If one has such an entire world as a supply depot at their disposal, along with professionals to manage it—

it is actually quite exhilarating.

Suddenly,

a remote sensation came from the void.

"Damn it," Nine Aspects cursed.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Shen Ye asked, puzzled.

"My true form has found Tai Yan in the 'Five Desires' World, but Tian Luo is nowhere to be found," Nine Aspects said with murderous intent.

It didn't care where it was, and even its voice let some of that slip through.

In the great hall,

everyone looked bewildered and frightened.

"Sir, we must analyze this matter carefully!" Shen Ye coughed lightly, rose from the throne, and took the reward list in haste, arbitrarily altering a few names.

"That's settled then. Take it for the seal and publish it directly."

"This is my decree!"

"That's enough for today; it's getting late. All of you may leave!"

Seeing the emperor's sudden urgency, everyone was astonished but recalling the strange voice from before, they could only respond in unison:

"Yes!"

All withdrew.

In the hall, only Shen Ye remained, seated on the throne.

The void opened.

A strange figure appeared before Shen Ye.

It had dozens of heads behind it, exuding an aura of extreme evil, with numerous heads flashing in and out of the surrounding void—

The true form of Nine Aspects!

It had finally come to the Nightmare World in person!

However, unlike before, a strange black Rune had appeared on Nine Aspects' chest.

This rune looked like a big cross stretching from its chest to its back and unfurling on both sides to form numerous sharp bone spikes.

Nine Aspects' aura was stronger than before, obviously much stronger!

"Sir, what happened?" Shen Ye asked, astonished.

"I consumed Tai Yan," Nine Aspects smiled wickedly with pride.

Shen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

From this moment on,

of the four powers in the Five Desires World, only three remained!