Only a few days remained before Ryan was set to host the World Council.
Reasonably speaking, Ryan had no right to host such a conference; after all, the primary blame for this millennium of global turmoil lay squarely on Ryan's shoulders.
Beginning with their second emperor, the empire had relentlessly promoted human supremacy and radical xenophobia, breeding the countless conflicts and hatreds that followed.
Yet whether over a thousand years ago or over a thousand years later, in the end, it was still Arthur Ryan who saved the world.
No matter how deeply others despised the Ryan Empire, they still had to show some deference to the Holy King.
And Alan was the one who had inherited the Holy King's will—a fact none of the nations denied.
Moreover, an emaciated camel was still bigger than a horse. Whatever internal turmoil Ryan faced, the sheer scale of the empire remained. Thus, Ryan convened the World Council with humility and promised reparations to the other nations.
This attitude was accommodating enough, and since the dwarves and orcs—who bore the greatest grudges—had already agreed, the other realms accepted the reality as well.
What took everyone by surprise even more was that the Raging Tide Kingdom had also agreed to send a delegation.
This was truly shocking.
Though the dwarves and orcs had suffered heavily in their wars against Ryan, their nations had survived. But the Raging Tide of old had been shattered completely by the Ryanites and driven across the sea.
That was the hatred born of total ruin. In sending representatives to the council, had the Raging Tide Kingdom forgotten their ancestors and buried the grudge, or were they preparing to seize the moment and cut Ryan's throat?
No one knew, but everyone looked forward to finding out.
With less than ten days remaining until the World Council, custom dictated that such a massive grand occasion should have been thoroughly arranged, rehearsed several times over by now.
Yet right now, Alan had only just dragged his exhausted body back to the Ryan Imperial Capital before collapsing face-first onto the floor and plunging into deep sleep.
James Watson, currently serving as acting Supreme Arbiter, could not help but ache at the sight of the worn-out young man.
For quite some time now, Alan had hardly had a decent night's sleep. He had been gravely injured among the orcs, barely winning peace, and had endured relentless obstruction among the dwarves. Upon returning home, he had taken over his brother's duties, rushing all across the nation to quell rebellions and stabilize the populace.
In just a short span, Alan had become gaunt and emaciated, as though he had aged twenty years.
Had it not been for the formidable power of the Holy Light sustaining him, Alan would have dropped dead long ago.
Though ten days remained until the World Council demanded by the Lord of the Dawn, Alan was pushed to his absolute limit. Now that he had collapsed into slumber, even his spirit was rapidly waning, depleted to exhaustion as his very vitality drained away.
With a sigh, James Watson cast a divine spell to heal Alan, but Anbaixiu's voice chimed in from the side.
"Old man, the Holy Light won't do much good. Alan has exhausted himself far too severely lately—even his soul is damaged."
James Watson turned around toward the magic mirror behind him and said anxiously, "Please, help him!"
Anbaixiu didn't take advantage of the crisis to drive a hard bargain. Rubbing his fingers together, he showered a dusting of glittering motes across Alan's body, bringing a touch of color back to the young man's haggard face and lending strength to his feeble breathing.
"This trick of mine treats only the symptoms, not the cause," Anbaixiu warned. "Let him sleep for at least three days, or his soul will suffer permanent damage."
To be utterly drained of mind and soul was not an exaggeration here, but the simplest, most literal description.
Alan truly had been pushed past all limits of endurance, but his achievements were something to take pride in: dozens of riots suppressed, millions of lives saved, and the Ryan Empire steered back toward stability.
Had it not been for that, Alan would never have been able to return to the imperial capital. Now, it was time to let him rest for a few days.
Aching with pity, James Watson carried Alan onto the bed. Acting Supreme Arbiter though he was, he did not have a single servant by his side now; everything had to be done with his own hands.
Once Alan was sound asleep, James Watson returned before the magic mirror and said to Anbaixiu, "Are you certain you must do this? The deities have already made their judgment; the empire's royal lineage is bound to end. Why must you create more trouble?"
Anbaixiu chuckled. "What, not willing to accept it?"
James Watson said in fury, "In Ryan's thousand years, though we committed many sins, we never erred in driving back the darkness. Destroying the undead is our sacred duty! How can we accept that Undead Queen appearing in the imperial capital to decide the empire's life and death?"
Only a short while earlier, Anbaixiu had suddenly shown up, demanding that Ryan hold a ceremony prior to the World Council where that queen from the Underdark would personally bring an end to Ryan's imperial lineage.
James Watson had been stunned upon hearing the news, thinking the lich had gone mad and wished to humiliate Ryan at such a juncture.
Ryan's imperial line could not be preserved; this thousand-year grudge was too heavy for any royal to bear, and only severing the Ryan imperial bloodline entirely could offer an accounting to the world.
Yet anyone could oversee the end of that lineage—why must an Undead Queen preside over it?
Worse, doing it before the World Council, before the eyes of all the people of Ryan, declaring the complete severance of the Holy King's bloodline?
She was undead!
Hearing James Watson's reasoning, Anbaixiu could not help but laugh. "Do you people of Ryan still not know why Rose became undead? Arthur Ryan's original plan was flawless—do you not know why it failed? It was because of this damned, meaningless so-called honor!
"You indulged in the legacy left behind by the Holy King, desperate at all costs to preserve Ryan's greatest glory, and so, to carry on the bloodline, the Ryan imperial family committed monstrous atrocities. You think having an undead appear in the Ryan Empire is humiliating?
"Humiliation is precisely what you deserve! This is what you must bear. If you people of Ryan still believe you have any dignity or honor left, then it only proves you haven't repented in earnest. An apology means acknowledging your wrongdoing and accepting the punishment due, not shouting at the top of your lungs: 'I already apologized, what more do you want?!'"
Anbaixiu's words flushed James Watson's face crimson, yet he could find no words to refute them. As one of the few clear-headed individuals in the Ryan Empire, he understood all too well the gravity of Ryan's crimes.
That the Lord of the Dawn had not destroyed the nation outright was already an act of immense mercy.
"But that isn't the reason you're pushing that Undead Queen forward, is it? I know you too well. You would never stage such a grand spectacle merely to vent your anger. Ryan cannot withstand the slightest turbulence right now, and I do not want tens of millions of people cast into an even more hopeless future.
"So I beg of you, tell me—what is it you truly want? Whatever you desire, I will do everything in my power to prepare it for you. Just spare Ryan, please."
Tears streamed down the old man's face, and James Watson nearly fell to his knees before Anbaixiu.
He was genuinely terrified. Every time Anbaixiu orchestrated a grand display, it was cataclysmic. No one could guess what he truly wanted, or who would ultimately bear the consequences.
Watching James Watson like this, Anbaixiu felt nothing.
Had they known this day would come, why act as they had back then?
Still, James Watson was overthinking it.
Anbaixiu wasn't doing this to take advantage of anyone. He simply wanted the Rose of Decay to fulfill her long-held wish.
This was the place where she had grown up, and the origin of all her misfortune.
Only by returning to this place and ending her misfortune with her own hands could the Rose of Decay have a chance to take control of her own future once more.
Chapter 588