Chapter 32

"Who's there?!" Rao Ke had just stepped out of the bath when she spotted a figure in black robes in her room.

With a casual wave of her hand, her staff materialized in her grasp, and a mana orb floated beside her, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The figure pulled back its hood, revealing a delicate, elegant face.

Rao Ke rolled her eyes and dismissed her staff. "Mo Duoya, could you give me some warning next time?"

Mo Duoya smiled. "Sorry, sorry, but I was in a hurry."

Rao Ke settled into a nearby armchair, eyeing Mo Duoya meaningfully. "So, what do you want?"

Mo Duoya got straight to the point—after all, scheming and tricks weren't meant for friends.

"The Human Emperor recently passed away, and the Human Empire is in turmoil. Everyone's deliberating on the new emperor's selection." Mo Duoya's gaze was resolute. "I want to become the new Human Emperor."

Rao Ke studied Mo Duoya's youthful face but felt the determination and immense ambition radiating from her.

"Peter has already taken control of the palace and won over more than forty percent of the nobles." Rao Ke didn't say yes or no; she simply stated what she knew, calmly.

Mo Duoya was well aware of that, but she had her own trump cards. "However, the Imperial Advisor, the Rose Caravan, and some old-money nobles are willing to support me."

Rao Ke latched onto an interesting term. "The Imperial Advisor?"

"Yes." Mo Duoya looked at Rao Ke. "And no matter what, Peter can't be allowed to become the Human Emperor."

Rao Ke sighed. "Who holds the Heart of the Lord now?"

Mo Duoya looked a bit helpless at the mention of it. "Unknown. According to the Imperial Advisor, when the late emperor took the throne, the Heart of the Lord vanished."

"Meaning it never acknowledged him?" Rao Ke raised an eyebrow.

Mo Duoya let out a cold laugh. "Proves the Heart of the Lord had eyes."

"There's still a significant neutral faction, so the Heart of the Lord's endorsement is crucial," Mo Duoya said, running a hand through her hair.

Rao Ke understood, but curiosity got the better of her. "Then how did the previous emperor manage to fool the nobles?"

"The Imperial Advisor handled everything," Mo Duoya explained. "This time, Peter went to seek the Imperial Advisor's favor, and when he was refused, he had the Advisor confined in the Imperial Advisor's Tower."

Sensing Rao Ke's lingering curiosity, Mo Duoya continued, "The nobles now insist on seeing the Heart of the Lord before they'll acknowledge anyone. The same trick won't work twice."

Rao Ke nodded. "I'll consult my teacher shortly. As long as it's within my power, I'll help you."

Mo Duoya met Rao Ke's eyes, and they exchanged a knowing smile.

"Alright, I'll be off now." Mo Duoya pulled up her hood, and with a flicker, she vanished from the spot.

Rao Ke shook her head in exasperation. "This manor's security is practically made of paper."

Right after, Rao Ke contacted Chrisley.

"The Heart of the Lord?" Chrisley paused mid-bite on her ice cream and shook her head. "That's beyond me."

"But you could ask the Beast Emperor or the Elf King," Chrisley suggested.

Rao Ke nodded. That had been her backup plan anyway. She'd only reached out to Chrisley first to avoid bothering the other two—she wasn't very familiar with them, and Rao Ke still had a bit of social anxiety.

"By the way, how's work going for you all?" Since she'd already made the call, Rao Ke figured she might as well check in on her employees.

Aodisite sat beside Chrisley, enjoying an ice cream stick of her own, and smiled with narrowed eyes. "Quite well, actually."

Chrisley subtly rolled her eyes. Lately, Aodisite had been like a mouse in a granary—utterly content. Every day, she just patrolled the shop and used her employee card to shop to her heart's content.

"And Xue Jiali and Cecil?"

"They're still working. They'll be off soon."

After chatting for a while, Rao Ke decided to contact the Beast Emperor and the Elf King through the Heart of the Land to inquire about the Heart of the Lord.

"Meow! I'm back!" With a loud yowl, a black shadow leaped in through the window—it was Sesame Paste, back after quite some time.

Rao Ke casually asked, "Where have you been all these days?"

They'd agreed to visit the capital together, but the day before departure, Sesame Paste had suddenly gotten busy and disappeared.

Sesame Paste flopped onto the sofa. "The System Operations Department was shorthanded, so they called me back to train the newbie systems."

Rao Ke chuckled. "Aren't I your first host? So that means we've done a pretty good job, right?"

Sesame Paste raised his head proudly, puffing out his chest. "Of course!"

"By the way, Sesame Paste, do you know how to find the Heart of the Lord?" Rao Ke still hadn't received any reply.

Sesame Paste rummaged through his system space, pulling out his usual pillow, game console, and snacks.

"This?" In the end, he fished out a faint orb of light from his system space.

"!"

Rao Ke stared at the small luminous ball in Sesame Paste's paw, pleasantly surprised.

Sesame Paste loaded up his saved game. "The one from the library gave this to me. He said it suddenly appeared beside him."

"The late emperor?"

"Mm." Sesame Paste released the orb, and the previously calm light went careening wildly around the room.

It had Rao Ke feeling a bit dizzy by the time it finally slowed to a stop.

"Let me out! I need to find Paibaibi!" The orb floated up to Sesame Paste, flashing as it spoke.

"Paibaibi is the late emperor's name?" Rao Ke grabbed a cookie.

Sesame Paste couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the orb, just kept gaming while answering, "Yeah."

The orb, seeing Sesame Paste's indifference, switched tactics. "Please! The current emperor is really no good. If Paibaibi doesn't come back, the Human Empire might truly fall."

Sesame Paste glanced up at the orb. "Paibaibi can't come back, and you know it. He's not from this world."

The orb fell silent for a moment, then drifted over to Rao Ke. "Then why can she stay?!"

"She just can. If you have time to argue with us, you'd be better off finding a new emperor." Sesame Paste sneered.

Rao Ke watched the cat and the light bicker, then quietly piped up, "The current emperor passed away just a few days ago."

The orb blazed with intense light, darting to Rao Ke's side. "Really?!"

Rao Ke nodded, and the orb began spinning excitedly in the air.

"So who do you want to pick as the next emperor?" Rao Ke asked, watching the rapidly spinning light.

The orb stopped and asked Rao Ke about the current situation.

"Duke Peter has sealed off the palace and the Imperial Advisor's Tower, and he's won over roughly forty percent of the nobles…" Rao Ke hadn't finished when the orb grew frantic.

"Impossible. I will never let that man become emperor." The orb blazed brighter. "Do you have any other candidates?"

Rao Ke took a sip of her juice before leisurely replying, "There's Mo Duoya. She's the former Seventh Princess, and the Imperial Advisor, the Rose Caravan, and several old-money nobles support her."

The orb hesitated. "Any other options?"

Rao Ke answered bluntly, "No."

Naturally, Rao Ke, being partial, sang Mo Duoya's praises, but the orb remained hesitant.

"Can I at least write one last letter to Paibaibi?" The orb floated over to Sesame Paste.

Sesame Paste didn't look up. "Delivery takes three days and consumes my energy, which converts to roughly 240,000 gold coins in your currency."

The orb choked on its own words—it obviously had no money.

"I can grant you authorization for space teleportation arrays," the orb racked its brain and came up with that.

Sesame Paste looked up and rolled his eyes. "Whoever becomes the next emperor would be happy to cooperate with our shop anyway. Who needs your authorization?"

Rao Ke sat there in silence, watching Sesame Paste spin his tale without a word.

Finally, Sesame Paste let out a long sigh, as if making a huge concession. "Fine, then we'll have the new emperor pay you back once they're on the throne. Have the letter ready by tomorrow."

Rao Ke, who'd been silent the whole time, exchanged a glance with Sesame Paste once things were settled.

Done deal!

"Tomorrow, Peter has invited me to meet with him. You're coming with me," Rao Ke casually mentioned to Sesame Paste.

The orb, still frantically composing its letter, zipped over to Rao Ke. "I'm coming too!"

Rao Ke eyed it with concern. "If you get discovered, that'd be a problem."

"No worries, I'll keep it in my system space," Sesame Paste said, managing to spare a thought from his gaming.

Since Sesame Paste had offered, Rao Ke agreed.

Early the next morning, Rao Ke barely dragged herself awake to the sound of her alarm.

The orb had been writing its letter all night, and Rao Ke had only managed to get to sleep much later than usual.

After washing up and changing, she went to wake Sesame Paste. "Sesame Paste, wake up!"

With everything ready, Rao Ke brought Kalisa and Sesame Paste to the private dining room.

Phylosain watched with a somewhat mournful expression. "Why can't I come?~"

Kalisa walked past Phylosain and rolled her eyes at him.

"First come, first served." Rao Ke smiled. "You can help out at the shop in the meantime."

Phylosain shut his mouth immediately after suddenly being handed a task.

Kalisa had shown up early that morning, saying she'd accompany Rao Ke.

Rao Ke didn't need to ask—she knew Peter had arranged it. So she simply agreed without comment.

Led by a maid, the two of them and one cat made their way to the private dining room.

Duke Peter sat there in an exquisite, ornate suit, his hair meticulously groomed.

He was seated at one end of a square table, with an empty seat at the other—clearly reserved for Rao Ke.

Kalisa pulled out the chair for Rao Ke to sit, then stood respectfully to the side.

"I'm truly delighted that you could take the time to join me," Peter said with a smile, looking genuinely pleased.

Rao Ke managed a faint smile and gently stroked Sesame Paste, saying nothing.

Peter noticed the awkward silence. "Ah, let's have the meal served right away. You must be hungry."

A servant hurried off to summon the maids.

After finishing her meal, Rao Ke dabbed at her lips with a handkerchief. "Duke Peter, you didn't invite me here just for a meal, did you?"

A flicker of satisfaction passed through Peter's eyes. Straight to the point, this witch—that suited him just fine.

"I want you to help me become the Human Emperor." Peter looked at Rao Ke.

Rao Ke merely said coolly, "But without the Heart of the Lord, I can't help you."

Peter's heart stirred with unease. "You know about that?"

"Mm." Rao Ke nodded. "You've sealed off the Imperial Advisor's Tower, haven't you?"

Faced with her certain tone, Peter nodded. "Can you persuade the Imperial Advisor?"

"Tomorrow at ten, I'll go in to speak with him. My teacher happens to have some connection with the Imperial Advisor."

Peter's face lit up. "Certainly, no problem!"

But after the initial elation, some doubt crept in. "And what would you ask in return?"

Rao Ke let out a derisive snort. "What I want is something you can't offer. I only require you to establish space teleportation arrays with the Keke Shop, just like the Beastman Kingdom and the Elf Forest have."

Rao Ke's haughty demeanor grated on Peter, yet it oddly put him at ease.

"Of course, no problem. Whatever the Elf Forest offers, I'll give ten times over."

"Mm. Then I'll be taking my leave. Just hand the pass to Kalisa later; no need to prepare a carriage for me." Rao Ke stood and swept out with her orders delivered.

Peter's smiling face collapsed the moment she left.

One of his underlings sidled up and whispered something in his ear.

"What?! Ready the carriage—I'm going to the palace immediately." Peter, a mix of shock and fury, rushed out.

Rao Ke leaned by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the carriage speed away, her expression unreadable.

...

"Anier, for a man—and a dead one at that—must you make such a scene?" Peter stared at Anier, whose face was pale as paper as she lay in bed, disappointment clear in his voice.

Anier kept her eyes shut. "He was my life..."

Peter hung his head. "You've gone mad. Think it over."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Anier silently weeping.

Hidden in the shadows, Mo Duoya watched the father-daughter exchange with keen interest.

After learning of this matter the other day, Mo Duoya had bided her time, and now—after Anier's suicide attempt—the moment had come.

Suddenly, Anier turned her head and stared directly at Mo Duoya's hiding spot for a moment, then turned back.

The next day, Rao Ke loaded Kalisa and Sesame Paste into the vehicle, glancing apologetically at Phylosain beside them. "Sorry, you'll have to bear with it." Then she drove off.

The knights guarding the palace gates checked the pass and promptly let them through.

Rao Ke drove the off-road vehicle boldly up to the Imperial Advisor's Tower, where layers of knights patrolled.

After showing the pass, she entered unimpeded—though Kalisa had to wait at the bottom.

Guided upward, Rao Ke reached the top floor of the tower, where the Imperial Advisor and Mo Duoya sat by the window, savoring fruit tea.

"Hey!" Mo Duoya greeted Rao Ke enthusiastically.

Rao Ke, never one for formality, took a seat with Sesame Paste in her arms.

The Imperial Advisor glanced at Rao Ke. "Chrisley mentioned you beforehand, but I never had the chance to meet you before this happened."

Rao Ke smiled, unconcerned. "So, what's the plan now?"

Mo Duoya leaned back in her chair. "First, we need to find the Heart of the Lord. Though Peter's getting a bit impatient."

Rao Ke looked at the two of them and calmly dropped a bombshell. "As it happens, we've already found the Heart of the Lord."

The Imperial Advisor and Mo Duoya were taken aback.

Then they watched as Rao Ke had Sesame Paste release the orb of light from his system space.

"Hmph, I haven't decided who to make emperor yet!" The orb hid behind Sesame Paste.

The Imperial Advisor gazed at the orb. "By the way, how did Peter let you in?"

Rao Ke smiled. "Probably because he thinks I'm on his side. I said my teacher and you were acquainted."

The Imperial Advisor chuckled. "Then let's play along with his little drama."

Rao Ke and Mo Duoya exchanged glances.

Before leaving, Rao Ke handed the orb over to Mo Duoya. The orb resisted at first, but Rao Ke's single sentence swayed it.

"If you don't watch her yourself, how will you ever truly know her?"

Rao Ke leisurely returned to Peter's manor and delivered the good news that the Imperial Advisor had agreed to hold the divine consecration ceremony for Peter.

Peter was overjoyed, already envisioning himself crowned emperor.

Word that the Imperial Advisor would perform the consecration for Peter spread across the capital, plunging it into unease.

Combined with Peter's blockade of the capital, the sense of impending storm only grew.

These rumors even leaked into other races through spies.