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Join the ServerThat old man, who had descended like a god from the heavens.
His lips twitched uncontrollably.
Horace von Eisenberg, an Archmage near the peak of the Ninth Circle.
Eleonora von Eisenberg, an Eighth Circle Archmage who could break through to the Ninth Circle at any moment.
And Laplace.
The combined age of these three people was longer than the history of the Heinrich dynasty.
The combined destructive power of these three people was enough to plow through an unprepared Royal Capital three times over.
And this was what they called “on the way”?
Who “on the way” would casually knock down the main gate of the royal palace?
Horace looked down…
Augustus took a deep breath, trying to find his voice.
“This is a private banquet of the royal family.”
“Is it not somewhat discourteous for you to barge in like this?”
“Discourteous?”
Horace looked as if he had heard a joke.
He strode into the room, and the lava at his feet automatically cooled into obsidian, paving the way for him.
“Your Majesty, you locked up two scholars who have made great contributions to the country in a cage.”
“And you even threatened to take out someone’s brain.”
“And you call that courteous?”
Horace walked up to Lia and looked her up and down.
“No missing arms or legs, right?”
“No.”
Lia shook her head, a warm current flowing through her heart.
“Just a little hungry.”
“Hungry?”
Eleonora walked over from the side.
The man-eating flower vine in her hand obediently retracted into her sleeve.
She took out a golden-brown cookie from her pocket and stuffed it into Lia’s mouth.
“Fill your stomach with this first.”
“I just baked this. I added some calming herbs and honey.”
Lia chewed on the cookie and mumbled a thank you.
The scene was as heartwarming as a grandmother feeding her granddaughter snacks.
If only one could ignore the almost-collapsing king in the background.
“Laplace!”
Klein looked at the perpetually silent old scholar.
“Why did you come too?”
“I was calculating the orbit of a comet.”
Laplace pushed up his glasses.
Laplace adjusted his glasses, his tone flat.
“Horace insisted on dragging me here.”
“He said someone here wanted to monopolize the truth.”
“That is not permissible.”
The meteorites behind Laplace began to rotate a little faster.
“Truth belongs to the starry sky.”
“No one can lock it in a safe.”
Three old men.
Three masters who stood at the pinnacle of their respective fields.
At this moment, they stood before Lia and Klein.
Forming an indestructible human wall.
Augustus was utterly desperate.
He had originally thought that by controlling these two young people, he could control the key to the new era.
But he had forgotten.
These two young people were not alone.
They represented the future of the entire academic world.
And these old men were the past and present of the academic world.
When the past, present, and future stood together, even royal authority had to yield.
“Alright.”
Augustus actually sat back down in his chair.
He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
“You win.”
He waved his hand, signaling the guards at the door, who were already scared stiff, to withdraw.
“Speak, what do you want?”
Horace and Eleonora exchanged a look.
Then, they all looked at Lia.
“This is your battlefield,” Horace said with a smile.
“The spoils of war are, of course, yours to choose.”
Lia swallowed the last bite of her cookie.
She wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and walked up to Augustus.
This time, she was no longer bound by that oppressive pressure.
She looked directly into the young king’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, you are actually a smart man.”
Lia began.
“You know that the old era has passed.”
“You also know that Laurent’s methods won’t work anymore.”
“You are just afraid.”
“Afraid of losing control.”
Augustus was silent.
Being seen through by a little girl was not a pleasant experience.
“However, control is not the only way to rule.”
Lia held up a finger.
“Cooperation is.”
“Cooperation?”
Augustus looked up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
“Yes.”
“We do not need your ‘absolute protection’.”
“Nor do we need you to define the truth.”
“What we need is funding.”
“A large amount of funding.”
A glint of gold coins shone in Lia’s eyes.
“Scientific research is very expensive, Your Majesty.”
“That newly proposed experimental facility… the particle accelerator, and the large astronomical telescope that Laplace has always wanted, and the new laboratory we are going to build.”
“All of these require money.”
“A lot of money.”
Augustus was taken aback.
He had thought Lia would demand more power, or some kind of political status.
He hadn’t expected her to be so… vulgar.
“Just money?”
“And materials, of course,” Klein added.
“Those rare metals gathering dust in the royal treasury.”
“Mithril, adamantite, and those high-purity magic spirit crystals.”
“We need unrestricted access to them.”
The corner of Augustus’s mouth twitched.
And he called that “just”?
This was practically emptying his national treasury.
“Also,” Horace interjected.
“Don’t hold these kinds of time-wasting banquets anymore.”
“These old bones of ours can’t take the torment.”
“The next time you make us come ‘on the way’,”
“…it might not be as simple as just melting a gate.”
The staff in his hand lightly tapped the ground.
A crack spread along the floor to Augustus’s feet.
This was a naked threat.
Augustus looked at the group of people before him.
He suddenly realized that he had no choice.
Either cooperate and become a part of the new era.
Or resist, and be crushed to pieces by the war chariot of the new era.
As a self-proclaimed qualified politician, this was not a difficult choice to make.
“Fine.”
Augustus took a deep breath.
A smile returned to his face, though it was much stiffer than before.
“I agree to all your conditions.”
“The royal family will become the largest patron of the Royal Academy of Sciences.”
“But I have one request.”
He looked at Lia.
“Future new discoveries must be reported to me first.”
“Not for review.”
“But for…”
He paused, as if searching for the right words.
“So that I know where my money has been spent.”
Lia smiled.
This time, it was a genuine smile.
“Deal.”
She held out her hand.
Augustus hesitated for a moment, but still extended his hand and shook that slender yet strong one.
It was a historic handshake.
Although of the two parties shaking hands, one was thinking about how to get money, and the other was thinking about how to stop the losses.
But that did not prevent it from being one of the most important moments in the history of magic.
“Oh, right, Your Majesty.”
Just as they were about to leave, Lia suddenly turned back.
She pointed to the array that had been destroyed beyond recognition.
“That ‘Absolute Royal Authority’ really needs to be repaired.”
“If you are willing to pay,”
“we can help you design a new one.”
“Based on the brand-new principles of quantum mechanics. The kind that absolutely cannot be broken by brute force.”
Augustus looked at the ruined wall, feeling his heart bleed.
“Get out.”
He squeezed a word out from between his teeth.
“Alrighty then.”
Lia took Klein’s arm and left, completely satisfied.
Behind them followed three old rascals, still surreptitiously watching the two interact.
Leaving Augustus alone in the chair that symbolized power, facing the mess on the floor.
And the old world that had already collapsed.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, How To Survive Without Dying at The Hands of The Emperor is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : How To Survive Without Dying at The Hands of The Emperor
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