The palace was not nearly as big as the Imperial Palace on the Continent of Wu. Skynder made his way to the throne room.
The Emperor sat on a throne not nearly as elegant as before, yet it was still full of majesty.
"You've finally returned, Skynder. What have you learned?" The Emperor asked.
Skynder began to describe everything he had learned about the Mainland, including how he had spent his ti in the capital of the Scholar Region.
Even the Emperor was a bit surprised to learn that he had begun tutoring the son of the Ruler, though it didn't seem so shocking when he considered Skynder's intelligence.
"Did you ever et the Ruler of the Scholar Region?" The Emperor asked.
Skynder nodded. "Only once."
As far back as he could rember, he hadn't really lied to the Emperor.
However, if he wanted to have any sort of personal success, then he could no longer be a faithful follower.
"He simply wanted to see if I was qualified to tutor his son or not."
The Emperor nodded. He had no reason to believe that Skynder would lie to him. After Skynder reported a bit more, the Emperor dismissed him.
He told Skynder to co back later.
Skynder left, and the Emperor began to speak to Sword Grandmaster Shang.
"It seems odd. The Ruler of the Scholar Region should have taken an interest in Skynder. Based on his ways of doing things, he should have even attempted to recruit him. However, Skynder says that he rely wanted to see if he was qualified to tutor his son." The Emperor mused.
"Perhaps Skynder is not intelligent enough." Sword Grandmaster Shang said.
"Perhaps." The Emperor said. "But that is extrely unlikely."
"Maybe the Ruler simply hasn't gotten a chance yet?" Sword Grandmaster Shang asked.
"With his way of doing things, he would strike as soon as possible." The Emperor said.
"Then perhaps... Skynder lied."
The Emperor neither agreed nor disagreed. "It is too late to say that. Even after so long, I still can't fully understand the Ruler. His actions should not be variable in the exact sa situation, yet they are. It is as if the change in the wind made from a single movent can influence his decisions, making them impossible to predict."
Sword Grandmaster Shang did not fully understand how the Emperor felt about the Ruler of the Scholar Region, and therefore remained silent.
The Emperor changed the topic. "How is the plan going?"
Sword Grandmaster Shang's deanor shifted. "I can't say I fully understand what I'm doing."
The Emperor nodded. "Naturally. The Death Leech is sothing even I don't fully understand. All I can say is that without it, it doesn't matter if we win against the Mainland or not, we will still all die. You, a Grandmaster, must control it. Even if you can only use it for five minutes at the cost of your life, it will completely shift the tides."
Sword Grandmaster Shang nodded his head with a determined look. "I will do everything in my power to not let you down."
The Emperor nodded. "I know."
After a mont of silence, he spoke once more. "One last thing, go and prepare the agents. It is ti."
Sword Grandmaster Shang nodded. He quickly vanished from the room.
The Emperor waited for a mont, and his entire deanor shifted, becoming colder and more arrogant. "Skynder. If you dare betray , I'll kill you in every lifeti. You are the only hope for a change."
It was impossible for Skynder to know that the tiniest lie would cause the Emperor to beco suspicious of him. How could he possibly understand the Emperor's greatest secret?
Although he and the Ruler of the Scholar Region knew that the Emperor was cheating, he could never imagine that the Emperor would be cheating in such a way.
Skynder stayed in the makeshift city for a day before being summoned by the Emperor again.
"So, I've heard that you've brought the son of the Ruler of the Scholar Region here." The Emperor said.
Skynder nodded. "Indeed."
"Why?"
"I feel like he could be useful to the cause of taking over the Mainland. Although the Ruler of the Scholar Region is his father, he remains at the top of the palace every day, never once showing affection for his son. In fact, it would be more surprising if I couldn't get the boy to betray his father."
The Emperor nodded. "A good plan. But I would give up on it."
Skynder was confused. "Why?"
"There are many types of people in the world. So would betray their closest friend for the slightest benefit. So wouldn't betray a random person they t for the world. With just a look at that boy, I was able to tell that, although his father may not truly care about him, he is simply a loyal person. No matter what happened, he would never betray his father. I suppose you could say he was born stubborn."
"I see." Skynder said. "If you say so, then I suppose there is no need for to continue trying."
The Emperor shrugged his shoulders. "Even the sky can be flipped if soone tries hard enough. Perhaps you can make him betray his father. Feel free to try. I just don't imagine all the effort would be worth it in the end."
With that, the Emperor moved on.
"Regardless, I have a new mission for you."
Skynder listened.
"As the representative of the Scholar Region, I want you to participate in the Mainland gathering, a once a decade gathering held by four of the five regions in conjunction. There, all the greatest people of each region will compete amongst each other. Although the Scholar Region does not fit in as well as the other three, it still participates in its own way. This information was brought back from another one of our scouts." The Emperor explained.
Skynder was surprised that he hadn't heard of this before.
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