dkrc Chapter 1827 The Difficulty of Becoming the Ruler of an Empire, The World's Root Recognition of
Chapter 1827 The Difficulty of Becoming the Ruler of an Empire, The World's Root Recognition of
Chapter 1827 The Difficulty of Becoming the Ruler of an Empire, The World's Root Recognition of the Identity of "Ruler"
Initially, when Lin Feng saw the mission "Become the Lord of the Empire," he was delighted and even felt that the system had finally given him a benefit.
The empire from "Akame ga Kill!"? What kind of rotten fish is that?
For a thousand years, the country had been corrupt and decadent. The nobility lived in extravagance and treated the common people like dirt. The lower classes suffered greatly, and rebellions broke out everywhere. The rule of the entire country was based entirely on the powerful military intimidation of the Imperial Arms users, making it extremely fragile.
In his plan, he would use his own strength to enter the palace directly, slap the bloated minister and the young emperor to death, and then eliminate the nobles and Imperial Arms users who jumped out to oppose him one by one.
Who dares to disobey when one forcibly takes power by absolute force?
As for public sentiment? That's even simpler.
In an empire rotten to the core, where the people are suffering terribly, if he treats the common people slightly better, reduces taxes, punishes the nobles, and distributes some food, he can easily win over a large number of people's hearts and smoothly complete the stability of his rule required by the system.
This task is practically a beginner's bonus!
but now
Looking at the orderly and vibrant modern city before him, and at the hopeful yet busy faces of the pedestrians, Lin Feng felt as if all his thoughts had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand and then thrown into a shredder!
Where is this the corrupt empire waiting for a "wise ruler" to save it? This is clearly a newly emerging power that has gotten back on track and is thriving!
Judging from the city's development and the citizens' spirit, this level of reform is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but it has also certainly not taken too long.
Only those who have been rescued from extreme suffering and have only recently begun to live a stable and prosperous life will show this expression of contentment with the present and anticipation for the future.
If he had already adapted, his face should have reflected the weariness of his work and the longing for rest he had before he transmigrated.
The will of the people? The will of the people has long been firmly grasped in the hands of that unknown reformer!
In other words, what he is facing now is no longer a rotten shell that can be easily pushed down, but a regime that has just been reborn and whose cohesion may be at its peak!
In this situation, would he then kill the current ruler?
They are not "liberators" at all, but "invaders who destroy a good life"! Forget about winning people's hearts, it would be a miracle if they weren't hated to death.
Yes, he is very strong.
Having carried out missions in two worlds, he possesses considerable power and is confident that he can crush any individual in this world.
If it were simply a matter of destroying the empire, he could do it easily.
But domination?
Especially the kind of rule that is required by the system and has the nature of "popular support"?
That's a completely different matter!
Force can conquer land, suppress resistance, and force people to their knees, but it can never truly win people's hearts.
Throughout history and in every world, the demands of the common people have always been simple and humble.
Survive, and then try to live a better life.
As long as they have food to eat, a way to survive, and some hope, the vast majority of people would rather endure injustice than risk being beheaded to rebel.
And now this empire has clearly given its people the hope of "surviving and living better"; that unknown reformer has reaped the most precious asset of this land—the hearts of the people.
In this situation, Lin Feng, an outsider, suddenly jumped out, killed the current ruler, and then forcibly took power.
So what will he be seen by the public?
They are invaders who destroyed the wonderful life they had so longed for! They are tyrants who shattered their peaceful days! They are plunderers more hateful than any nobles of the past!
Perhaps due to his immense power, no one dared to resist on the surface, but in secret, hatred and anger were growing wildly.
Any spark could ignite a massive hatred.
Although his rule will not collapse due to his absolute power, he will never win the hearts of the people.
Is it feasible to kill all those who oppose him and leave only those who are loyal to him?
It's theoretically feasible, but in reality, it's hard to say.
The system might not give him such a big bug to exploit.
"damn it."
Lin Feng cursed under his breath, feeling a headache coming on.
The path of military conquest was completely blocked the moment this new empire was seen; in fact, it could be said to have led to the opposite of the mission's objective.
Now, it seems that only one path remains before him: to integrate into this new empire and gradually acquire supreme power through non-violent means.
But this requires time, planning, a deep understanding of the new empire, and a suitable identity and entry point. It is undoubtedly many times more complicated and difficult than his initial idea of "divine intervention and speedrunning the dungeon".
Moreover, how could a reformer who could transform an empire into such a force be easily defeated? Could I really succeed in turning the tables on him?
For the first time, Lin Feng felt a great sense of uncertainty about his mission.
"System! Since military conquest isn't working, can we try a different approach?"
"For example, could I impersonate the current ruler and substitute for him? Or could I use hypnosis, mind control, or even absolute force to force the current ruler to publicly announce that he is 'abdicating' the throne to me?"
"So now I'm officially legal, right? Does that mean I've completed my mission?"
This was the fastest and most ingenious method he could think of.
Even if public support is needed later, it will be easier to manage, at least not like it is now.
However, the system's response instantly shattered his illusions.
【veto.】
[Logical vulnerabilities and rule circumvention attempts detected in the host application.]
[Mission Objective: The core criteria for "becoming the ruler of the empire" include, but are not limited to:]
1. Substantial control of power.
2. Broad public support and belonging, not submission based on fear.
3. The world's fundamental authority's recognition of the "ruler's" identity requires the approval of the local world will or an equivalent force.
Disguise, hypnosis, and coercion can only achieve a superficial effect and cannot meet the core judgment criteria. Especially when there is a powerful and popular existing ruler in the country, such behavior is very likely to trigger a global rejection reaction and a violent backlash from public opinion, leading to mission failure.
Please adopt a strategy appropriate to the difficulty of the mission.
A series of rules directly blocked all the shortcuts Lin Feng wanted to take.
The system's meaning is clear: it doesn't want an empty title or a manipulated puppet show; it wants real, stable rule that is accepted by the world and its people!
Any attempt to cheat the rules is invalid.
"."
After listening, Lin Feng let out a long, helpless sigh, and his last shred of hope vanished.
As expected, it won't work. This system doesn't allow any loopholes; it seems that taking shortcuts is completely out of the question.
He rubbed his swollen temples.
Must we resort to the most troublesome, time-consuming, and dangerous method?
Integrate into this empire, start from scratch, and climb the ladder step by step; or, try to dismantle the current foundations of its rule?
Either way, it takes a long time, it's really troublesome.
Now that things have come to this, let's first look at the identity the system has implanted in him.
He took a deep breath, preparing to examine the "background memories" and identity information of this world that the system had implanted in him.
However, just as his mind began to sink into it...
"You're the time traveler?"
A cool, slightly amused voice suddenly rang out behind him without warning!
Lin Feng turned around abruptly, his movements so fast they created a whooshing sound. He subconsciously mobilized the energy within his body and looked warily in the direction of the sound.
About five steps behind him, a tall and slender woman stood quietly.
She had rare, long, ice-blue hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, the ends of which seemed to hold an everlasting chill.
Her skin was as white as snow, and her beauty was almost aggressive, yet it did not evoke any sense of allure. For in her blue eyes, there was a cold and intriguing light, as if she were sizing up her prey.
She wasn't wearing a blue and white military uniform, but rather a well-tailored, easy-to-move dark blue outfit, with a white coat with a fur collar over it. But this couldn't hide her powerful aura and the innate, chilling sense of danger she exuded!
"Esdeath?!"
Lin Feng frowned slightly, recognizing Esdeath's identity almost instantly.
But how did she find him? He's only been in this world for a short time. His location should be random!
And what did she just say? "Time traveler"?
How did she know that nickname? And why did she go directly to him?
Shouldn't the system have altered their memories and implanted a plausible identity? Did it fail?!
Countless questions exploded in Lin Feng's mind.
Why does it feel like things haven't gone the way they expected since he arrived in this world? And is it just his imagination? He actually senses a faint sense of threat emanating from Esdeath?
This should never happen!
Whether in anime or manga, Esdeath's strength is only between the level of destroying a city and the level of destroying a country. The ice and snow that covers the whole country is more of a long-term accumulation, and her strength is absolutely incomparable to his.
But at this moment, his intuition, his battle instincts honed through countless trials (system-added points), told him that this woman posed a certain threat to him!
Is it because of the person in charge behind the scenes?
If the ruler who transformed the empire was a time traveler with a system, it wouldn't be impossible for him to enhance Esdeath's strength.
The implanted memories of the system certainly couldn't affect another system holder, so Esdeath knowing his identity as a transmigrator, and even his location, was most likely informed by the ruler who was suspected of being a transmigrator.
In an instant, Lin Feng thought he had figured things out and attributed all the abnormalities to the "time traveler" he had never met.
This actually calmed him down.
The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Once you find the "reason," even if the opponent is very strong, you will have a direction to deal with it.
He suppressed the shock in his heart and said to Esdeath:
"Let's talk?"
Although Esdeath could pose a certain threat to him, the feeling wasn't very strong, meaning there was still a gap between them.
If Esdeath was like this, then the ruler must have been even more powerful.
Given that his opponent was also a system owner, he didn't want to take any risks. Besides, all he needed to do was complete this task so he could leave this world.
There's absolutely no need to fight for rights with them here.
If a cooperation can be reached, that would be the best outcome.
However, Esdeath immediately denied his words as soon as he finished speaking.
"Let's find a place and fight it out."
"If you can kill me, I'll gladly hand over this country."
Esdeath's eyes gleamed with a pure and intense fighting spirit, the kind of excitement and pleasure one feels when seeing powerful prey.
He was talking about something trivial, but his words were full of extreme confidence and provocation!
There was absolutely no room for conversation!
She chose the simplest yet most fitting approach for her personality: to let the fight decide everything!
Lin Feng was taken aback by Esdeath's completely unconventional response, and then a sense of absurdity and anger welled up in his heart.
Wait, buddy? How the hell did you "train" Esdeath? Is this the right way to do it?!
How can you skip gathering intelligence, negotiating, or even exchanging pleasantries and jump straight to the final stage?
"Let's fight!"
Okay, okay, let's play like this, right?
Lin Feng laughed in exasperation, "You really think I'm afraid of you?"
He had initially planned to stall for time, probe their intentions, and perhaps even explore the possibility of cooperation or exploitation. But now it seems the other party hasn't given him that option at all!
Since there is no way to avoid it, then let's fight!
Lin Feng's gaze instantly turned icy and sharp. All distracting thoughts were forcibly suppressed, leaving only the calm and ferocity of a warrior. He coldly said to Esdeath:
"Let's go."
He wasn't so blinded by anger as to start a war right there in the bustling city.
That would only increase casualties and completely ruin any goodwill that didn't already exist, and would only make his subsequent tasks more difficult.
Seeing this, Esdeath's arrogant smile became even more pronounced, seemingly quite satisfied with Lin Feng's straightforward acceptance of the challenge.
"Ah."
She chuckled softly, without making any further moves.
But the next moment.
"Wow!!!"
A clear and icy phoenix cry suddenly pierced the sky, as if it came from the extreme cold of the void!
With a cry, the air temperature around Lin Feng plummeted, and countless tiny ice crystals condensed and gathered out of thin air, transforming in the blink of an eye into a huge and magnificent ice crystal phoenix!
The phoenix is made entirely of crystal-clear ice, with lifelike feathers that exude an astonishing chill and powerful energy fluctuations. Its proud and beautiful posture is like that of an ice and snow spirit.
Esdeath leaped lightly onto the broad back of the Ice Phoenix.
With a sudden flap of its enormous wings, the Ice Phoenix whipped up a biting wind, carrying her like a blue shooting star as it soared into the sky and sped toward the remote, uninhabited mountains on the outskirts of the city!
(End of this chapter)