The Parliament Building, situated beside the Herrom Mana River, was not merely the home of the Protos Imperial Parliament, but a symbol of Protos politics, history, and architectural grandeur.
Dating back six hundred years, the structure was world-renowned for its epoch-spanning colossal scale, intricately carved stone walls, and clock towers.
The House of Commons, famed for its iconic blue seats arranged facing one another, was one of the most vital political decision-making venues in Herrom. Meanwhile, the House of Lords showcased tradition and solemn dignity with its red seating and sumptuous ornamentation, primarily responsible for reviewing and amending bills. Connecting the two chambers, Franklin Hall served as the crucial hub designated for major events.
The imminent Cardinal election of the Resurrection Church would determine the sole authority representing the church within the Protos Empire—a cardinal who would become the Empire's true partner.
As the clock neared nine in the morning, most attendees in the vast expanse of Franklin Hall had taken their seats, waiting for the election to commence.
The highest outer tier of seating was roughly divided into three sectors, representing the southern nobility, the northern nobility, and the eastern nobility of the Empire.
These included life peers appointed by the monarch with lifetime tenure, though the majority were hereditary nobles who gained entry into the House of Lords through inherited titles.
The inner ring further below comprised far more intricate factions. Elected or nominated through provincial general elections, they represented the various constituencies of the Protos Empire, tasked primarily with drafting and passing laws as well as vetting policy decisions.
The layout of the inner ring's seats also bore some correlation to the noble factions.
With the seats fully occupied, the entire hall resembled a living map of the Protos Empire's political factions.
As for the prominent figures active in the imperial capital of Herrom, their positions were largely determined by whichever side their offices or affiliations aligned with most deeply.
Luoqi McCarthy, as the governor of the northern Snowfield Province, sat on the lower tier on the right side of the chamber, whereas Duke Morotian Berenhard, due to the imperial capital's southern geographic bias, sat on the upper tier on the left side.
In the center of the hall, temporary seating had been added across three cleared sections, occupied respectively by the Great Clerics of the Resurrection Church's three branches.
The seats for the Great Clerics of the Domination and Mourning branches were completely filled. For some unknown reason, only five Great Clerics from the Extinction branch were present today—those permanently stationed near the imperial capital—while not a single one from the main northern force had shown up.
All three Cardinals had arrived, standing in the open space at the center of the hall.
On the opposite side, facing the seats of the nobles and ministers, stood the throne of the Emperor of the Protos Empire, and not far from it sat an elf who looked barely under 1.5 meters tall.
Franklin III, Emperor of the Protos Empire, looked thoroughly nervous sitting beside the elf, making it hard to tell which of the two held higher status.
As the wielder of the [Original Slate - Light] and the strongest being in Protos, revered as the Imperial Great Sage, Isis exuded an awe-inspiring, formidable aura merely by sitting there.
Yet not a flicker of interest could be seen on the elf's face. She simply sat there, propping her cheek with lofty detachment, looking down on these members of the Protos Parliament who had been replaced generation after generation.
Her stance was unmistakable:
They could act as if she didn't exist.
But if anyone dared break the rules today, they had better not blame her for erasing them.
Even with the vote about to begin, murmurs and conversation persisted throughout the hall.
On the lower tier on the right side of the chamber, in the section belonging to northern nobles and parliamentarians, Count Milford happened to be seated next to Luoqi McCarthy.
In truth, within the designated sections, the specific seats were not strictly assigned. Earlier, upon arriving in the imperial capital of Herrom, his daughter Michaela had badgered him relentlessly, insisting that Luoqi McCarthy was her brother-in-law and whatnot. It had left him thoroughly bewildered, wondering where Miss Hyperion, a priestess hailing from the Kingdom of Asethelan, could have possibly met such an extraordinary fiancé.
Initially, Count Milford had been convinced Michaela was talking nonsense. Yet today, taking a chance, he struck up a conversation with Luoqi McCarthy seated nearby. The young man had chatted with him with great warmth and friendliness for quite some time, expressing deep gratitude for his assistance to Milian. In the end, Luoqi McCarthy had simply moved over to sit with him. As a result, many northern nobles around them now treated Count Milford with palpable deference, having gathered from their exchanges that Luoqi McCarthy shared an exceptionally close relationship with the eldest daughter of House Milford.
"..."
Seated among the Great Clerics of Domination on the left side of the hall in altered disguise, Hyperion felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Looking forward from her vantage point, she could clearly see Lanqi and Count Milford across the hall on the right. The two of them were actually engrossed in conversation, and Milford looked for all the world like a father discussing marriage arrangements for his daughter, making her utterly mortified.
Furthermore, when she recalled how Count Milford's family had looked after her a month ago when she was still a priestess of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and realized she had now become a Great Cleric of Domination, she couldn't help feeling like a fallen priestess...
As time trickled by outside Franklin Hall, the great clock of the Parliament Building slowly reached nine, tolling its bell.
At that moment, the heavy chimes echoed through the hall. Each toll was like a reverberation of history, sending ripples through the tranquil air.
The chatter gradually died down. All eyes converged upon the raised platform at the center, where the Cardinal election of the Resurrection Church was about to officially begin.
As the chiming ceased, amidst the solemn silence, the elf slowly rose to her feet.
Though petite in stature, her presence was overwhelmingly commanding, as if she were the true center of the hall, drawing the collective gaze of every imperial dignitary.
"Theoretically speaking, before the voting officially begins, there is a presentation and speech segment. The three Cardinals of the Resurrection Church will have the opportunity to showcase their philosophies and accomplishments over the past three months in any form they choose. This will be the critical moment for them to prove their value and capability to all the nobles, parliamentarians, and dignitaries gathered here. So, let us begin."
She delivered the instructions in a languid drawl, her voice devoid of much emotion, yet every word rang with pristine clarity throughout the hall.
Afterward, Isis sat back down, yielding the floor to the three Cardinals.
By default, the order proceeded from left to right, beginning with the Domination branch.
Sigrid had no intention of delivering a speech herself—she would only terrify these nobles. She waved a hand, signaling her direct retainer, Gloria, to speak on her behalf.
This kind of thing was something the Holy Son excelled at most. However, before the council began today, he had made it abundantly clear to her that he would maintain absolute neutrality as a figure of the Protos Empire during today's assembly and would not show her the slightest favoritism. As for whether they could achieve a tacit understanding, that would depend entirely on whether their minds were in sync.
Chapter 467