Chapter 37  : Xiluo and the Four Heavenly Kings

Xiluo Empire consists made up of Xiluo Swamp, Karda Desert and Beyja Highlands. Its complicated terrain makes it an easy territory to defend, but hard to launch an offense from… Actually, to be more precise and blunt, it is a horrendous place where the living are unable to reside in.

The Great Death Swamp, the sparsely populated Great Desert and the Freezing Highlands, these are the 3 great dangerous restricted areas for the living, forming a hell for the living and playground for the dead.

Not a lot of people knows that in this magical world, the harshness of nature isn’t unbeatable. In the depths of the Great Swamp, there is a land where it is spring all year round, the grasses and wood are dense and the scenery just like a painting. That is the capital of Xiluo — Xiluo, the Kelar Administrative District.

Even this seemingly miraculous land was traded for with a high price and a lot of time, the Soul Towers at the areas beside the capital were forever radiating the light of souls and magic. In other times, it would have meant a death flood of white bones but now, it is just countless undead workers who were working.

As long as it is an intelligent being, even if it is a high-tier undead who hates the living, they still retain their sense of aesthetics from when they are living. No one likes it when their home is a pile of wreckage and dirty mud.

The immortal Undead never lacked time and manpower. When the people of the world still thinks it is a sight of hell here, but then somehow, this place has already started to gradually change.

Xiluo Empire’s capital Xiluo, there are nearly a million silver-rank and above intelligent Undead, 20 million living that serve as servants and slaves and the number of low-tier Undead are completely immeasurable. The scenery in the city is breathtaking, it is well-equipped with all the basic infrastructure and transportation network, that consists of underground pipes and floating crafts, were extremely technologically advanced. If we only look at the city’s scale and design, even the Auland Capital which is known for its extravagance can’t even compare to half of Xiluo’s.

The sculptures by the road might just be a certain country’s royalty heirloom that was passed down for thousands of years. This is the accumulation from the Undead Empire which has destroyed numerous kingdoms.

TL: Accumulation -> can’t think of any suitable English word for this word is normally used to refer to a person/country/anything has accumulated quite a bit and has huge resources behind it. For e.g. can be used to refer to a multitude of financial resources an old merchant accumulated throughout his lifetime. Can be used for military power etc. too

In one of the luxurious mansions within Xiluo City, the 7th Senator of the Empire, Spider Marquis Lionheart is currently dealing with matters of governance. As one of the strongest Death Knights in the Empire, he is the Commander of the Death Knights in name and their teacher. However, in the eyes of the people of the Empire, he is always dressed in a loose clothing reminiscent of scholars and appearing with the image of a gentle and intelligent general.

TL: The capital of Xiluo Empire is Xiluo.

But those truly understand him will know that once this fellow gets on the battlefield, he would be a ferocious beast that cannot be controlled. There was once he went against the orders of his superior and made an inhuman record by traveling 2000km within 17 days to destroy an entire kingdom. The so-called ‘Keeper of History’ and ‘The Polite Scholarly General’ can only be said to be his hobby and disguise off the battlefield.

But today, this ‘Eternal Royal Guard of the Emperor Yongye’, ‘Goes Mad the Moment He Gets On the War Chariot, the Irrational Undead War Chariot’ was inside his own residence and deeply in thought with 2 intelligence reports in hand. His dignified face hardens, as though he has met with an extremely difficult question.

“Lionheart, why are you looking so bitter? Is those long-ears in the West starting to cause trouble? Or did the barbarians in the South go down their mountains? If it is this kind of interesting stuff, then let big sister share your worries.”

A cold and lazy female voice could be heard from outside the residence. Despite it being a question, a strange sense of happiness and teasing could be felt within her tone, as though as she was getting excited from the thought of fighting.

“Lord Gray.Sin, there is no fighting and please do not try to stir up war. I have told you many times that the wariness the living has towards us has already reached the limit. Towards the Empire, a meaningless war isn’t a good thing.”

“Tsk, then why did you call me here today. You know that I am only interested in war. Or, could it be that the bunch of Liches of the Council is bored and looking for things to do? Or is it the diplomacy problem the last time. You better go look for other Senators, I, the 4th Senator, the Duchess of the Empire, Bone Dragon Queen Gray.Sin is uninterested in those matters.”

Looking at just the outer appearance, she is a cold and tall female Elf, her long silver hair reaches down all the way to her waist, her pale skin which has no trace of redness from blood had a bizarre kind of aesthetics to it and a long skirt that drags all the way to the floor had the color of red and black intertwining on it. The most striking part of her appearance is her eyes, those inverted black-white eyes that seemed to be felt like a black hole that is absorbing light. There seems to be something there, yet nothing there.

TL: Meaning black sclera, white iris

Xiluo Empire’s structure is probably the weirdest one in the entire world. Despite being an Empire, it doesn’t have an Emperor and all of the authority is split among the 12 Senators. There is a Council of Dark Night which takes care of everything in the Empire but towards the 12 Senators, they only have the authority to suggest ideas…

Simply said, there is a bunch of Undead Lords (Senators) that were grasping all of the military might, which the Council of Dark Night isn’t able to interfere with. But, the Senators also can’t do anything towards the authority of the “I must go to the underground world, Now. Hmph, damned Decars, he was brought up bit by bit from a weak Ghoul by the Emperor. Back then, you were the one most who spoke up the loudest for revenge so we thought that you were the most loyal of us all. In the end, you managed to hold on for a hundred years but still betrayed us in the end. When our Emperor and leader is back, look at how they will deal with you.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lionheart speaks softly.

“Actually, Lord Decars’s betrayal is suspicious as well. 10 years ago, when we received news about Adam.Han but the proposal to exact revenge was blocked and even we didn’t support him to do as his please, didn’t he go to Sulfur Mountain City by himself to look for Adam for revenge? We thought that he wouldn’t return…”

“Yes, no one would have thought that not only did he return, but he even happily organized a few fighting tournaments. Just when we were happy with how he thought it through, he…

“In a turn of the eye, he abandoned us for the Council Faction… Maybe, this is the most suspicious point of all. Emperor had praised Decars and his most loyal dog many times. This may seem like an insult but you also know, our Emperor has an exceptional affection towards dogs so Decars has always treated this title as the highest honor and the Emperor’s exclusive nickname for him.”

“Yeah, back then he wanted to use ‘Night of Dog Packs’ this weird name to replace the name of the army ‘Night of Winter Wolves’, it was gladdening that you managed to stop it. But, it was a pity that the Royal Guards still went with the name Red Hunting Hounds. Pink Queen Army obviously sounds much better.”

“Cough.” A light cough eventually became an internal slander. “Your taste in names is as eccentric as the Emperor’s, and in addition to your Throat of Death, that is the reason why Emperor chose Lord Bastian and not you as the Head of Royal Guards to accompany him around.”

Of course, he wouldn’t say these words out loud.

“I believe in our Emperor’s judgement. Since he believes Decars to such an extent, then Decars should be worthy of our trust as well… Or maybe, Lord Decars met someone in the underground world, or someone gave him certain instructions…”

Saying these words, the gaze of the two people immediately shot towards the tourism brochure on the table.

“I’m heading out now.”

“I am unable to leave Xiluo so I can only depend on you. The underground world would definitely be chaotic now. If even we ‘ignorant militarists’ (a slander for the Council) can find news about the Eternal Night Scepter, the fellows who have been looking for it for a century would definitely go all out for it. Lord Gray.Sin, please prioritize looking for that person. If I am not wrong, that scepter is most probably a trap laid by that person!”

Gray.Sin isn’t a person who doesn’t listen to advice. That little brother, despite not being one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but just based on his loyalty towards the Emperor and his wisdom, he managed to climb up step by step to the core of the Royalty faction. His suggestions tend to be useful to an old fellow like herself, so she would naturally try to respect it.

“Right, please bring along Lord Ah Dang. If I didn’t guess wrongly, since the person is causing a storm right now, he should be looking forward to reuniting with Lord Ah Dang.”

“Are you sure? Fine, I get it, I will bring it along.”

The Carnivore Ah Dang, the final head of the Royalty faction, the 12th Senator. In reality, it is a Giant Abomination. It didn’t have high intelligence but if you were to look at individual battle prowess, there probably isn’t a single undead in Xiluo that would dare challenge this ‘dull-witted kid unworthy of being an Undead Lord and Senator’.

TL: Abomination -> Probably looks something like this

Ah Dang doesn’t have a high intelligence but after the departure of the Emperor, he listens obediently to the words of his big brothers and big sisters. As long as Gray.Sin asks for it, he would even tear apart the Council’s building and bash those Lich Councilors who slandered the Emperor.

Looking at the leaving Gray.Sin, Lionheart stands up and looking at the sight of prosperity outside the window, he falls into deep thoughts.

This is the teaching of the Emperor…

“Small Lionheart, just being able to fight isn’t cute. A fighter wouldn’t last long and someone who only knows how to charge straight would be treated like a fool. It is better you study more and get a proper job. Right, do you like history? I have always thought that reading history would make one more intelligent. If you have the time, study more history books.”

Remembering that pair of big warm hands (After being beautified in his memories), the gentle, knowledgeable and caring voice (Also being beautified), the Emperor’s servant Small Lionheart has now become the Keeper of History Lionheart and after trying to study history to understand the present, he used his both eyes to see through the boundaries of time.

“You are always worrying while reading those history books, as though those disastrous catastrophes that destroyed eons and worlds might come again and those weird prediction notebooks that even I am unable to understand? God of Order? God of Death Ayer? Chain reaction? Butterfly effect? Emperor, just what were you looking at, just what made you despair and give up everything to start from scratch… Who!! Come out!”

After a roar, a familiar laughing face appears outside the door. It is Gray.Sin who went and returned.

“Little brother Lionheart, it’s better to lower down your volume when you talk to yourself. Otherwise, if it spreads out, other people will treat you like a lunatic.”

“You heard it…”

“No, no, I only came back to inform you of something, I heard nothing at all.”

Facing this Bone Dragon Queen who was trying her best to act ignorant, Lionheart laughs, albeit a little irritated. Ah Dang and her are his most trusted people in this dangerous country.

“Inform me what?”

“Don’t call me Gray.Sin in the future, change it to Gria. Don’t call it wrongly.”

Hearing this, Lionheart felt a little baffled.

“Why? You have been called Gray.Sin for the past thousand years so why change your name suddenly? It can’t be that you have listened to those fortune tellers in alleys, they are con-artists who are unskilled, you know.”

“No, no, it is just that some trouble came up and I must change my name?”

“Inconceivable! Who can make a first-tier Duchess Senator of the Empire change her name?”

“Before that, didn’t the Elders tried to reorganize the nobility system and their inheritors of the whole country? Suddenly, they realized that my name was unable to appear inside the magic website, so it cannot be printed. Thus, they recommended that I change my name.”

“Unable to appear? Why?”

TL: Her name is Ge Lei. Si -> I would have translated it to Grace if it wasn’t for the dot.

“It is that Lei Si that caused the problem. It is said that in a faraway mountainous area, Lei.Si is another way to call women who has a unique sexual orientation. Didn’t we undergo a system update and the magical website, for the sake of the creation of society, started to block out these banned words so now, that magical website instantly changes all banned words in XX.”

“So, if you insist on calling me Ge Lei.Si, in the future, my nameplate would show Empire First-Tier Duchess, The 4th Senator Ge XX… Isn’t that too embarrassing? So I had no choice but to change my name to Gria, so don’t call it wrongly.”

“Can there be an even more ridiculous reason for your change? For a Senator of the Empire, you changed your name for such a ridiculous reason? Don’t you hear your pride and dignity crying?”

“Alright, I heard that the main reason is that some will of the universe couldn’t be bothered to put a dot in the middle of my name, so my name had to change…”