Darkstone Code

Chapter 1247 - 1245: Opportunity in the Mist

When people are focused, they fear being disturbed.

He had already managed to suppress some of his irritability, but now it erupted uncontrollably.

He wrapped a towel around his lower body and rushed to the door, throwing it open and uttering some customary phrases.

But what greeted him was a fist!

He had never experienced anything like this before, being punched straight in the nose.

It hurt, of course, but he didn’t understand why it made him cry. The impact seemed to compress his nostrils together, creating a sensation he couldn’t describe, like a drop of lemon juice hitting a nerve!

Sour, pain, various sensations exploded at once!

He covered his face and screamed miserably, retreating backward, failing to grab onto the towel, standing utterly naked in the room.

Tears blurred his vision, making it difficult to see who it was. The people at the door quickly rushed in and began to beat him relentlessly.

He considered it a brutal beating, incapable of resistance as they surrounded and assaulted him.

Even worse, after they finished beating him, they threw him onto the street.

Some places remain deserted even during the day, but others, even on the coldest winter nights, are destined to be teeming with people.

Watching is a common trait of humanity; people gathered around, watching a naked man being pinned to the ground and beaten, each face showing a varying degree of joy.

Witnessing another’s suffering seems to bring happiness to oneself.

The young Count sat in a car by the roadside, smiling contently as he watched the man who had cast psychological shadows over him for years crumble on the ground, as he curled up to shield his face, his heart filled with satisfaction.

"Tomorrow, the whole Imperial Capital, even the Main Island, will know about this!", the young Count glanced back at Lynch, who nodded slightly.

There are reporters here; Lynch had arranged everything. Once they finished beating him, the reporters would rush over to photograph this for the young Count’s uncle.

The newspapers would also educate those unfamiliar with him about his identity.

The young Count’s gaze quickly returned to his uncle, watching the man undergoing the beating, as if speaking to himself, "For a period, I was terrified of him, trembling at his sight."

"My mother told me this man intended to usurp my title."

"If he succeeded, he would exile me from the family, even make me disappear."

He turned back to look at Lynch, "I must thank you, Lynch, you’ve helped me greatly."

Lynch accepted his gratitude with a smiling demeanor, "We’re just helping each other out..."

The young Count always considered Lynch a good person; he invariably helped selflessly, and now words could hardly express his deep gratitude.

The psychological shadows from his "youth" dissipated along with the man’s agony.

The next day, some newspapers reported the news; the Imperial Capital’s noble was assaulted on Entertainment Street in broad daylight, with large crowds witnessing the event unfold.

More astonishingly, he was unclothed during the beating, some focused on a certain shadowy object in the newspaper, evaluating its function and applicability.

The news spread swiftly, from roadside vagrants to Imperial Family members; almost everyone found out.

It’s inevitable; news involving the nobility always garners extra attention.

Around ten o’clock, Jenia appeared before Lynch; she seemed slightly haggard.

The young Count instinctively left, leaving Lynch to accompany Jenia to the garden. There, amidst the spacious winter greens, they spoke privately.

"You seem to be having a rough time lately," Lynch scrutinized her as Jenia linked her arm through his and voiced his observation.

Jenia chuckled, "Of course, it’s tough; they constantly plot to overthrow the Imperial Family’s rule, and as a member, I’m within their attack range too."

For a country with a long-standing monarchy, overthrowing the Imperial Family isn’t easy; it requires collaboration from nobles and Powerful Ministers, alongside the public’s approval.

While it may seem the public isn’t directly involved in power redistribution, it actually isn’t so.

The public’s disapproval poses substantial resistance to political reform, potentially leading to national fragmentation.

Thus, before reformation, the primary task is to tarnish the Imperial Family’s image as much as possible, making the public realize they’re not that glamorous.

This way, when action against the Imperial Family occurs later, the public, even if not supportive, won’t express strong opposition.

Impeaching the Eldest Prince is part of this.

Previously, many already slandered Jenia, attacking her through her private life.

"An ill-famed royal prostitute" was some’s assessment of her, which gained recognition.

Especially among certain conservative old-school figures, they considered the Empress Princess appearing on film screens, romancing various men, marrying, embracing, touching, and even sharing a bed as the ultimate humiliation to the Imperial Family, and the greatest disgrace to the country!

There used to be such talk, but at that time no one wanted to overthrow the Imperial Family, so it didn’t form any trend.

Now it’s different; there are those who want to change the Empire’s ruling structure, and any speech that is unfavorable to the Imperial Family will receive strong support.

Jenia, who used to be very popular among capitalists and nobles, suddenly turned into a rat on Empire Avenue, with everyone looking at her with disgust, which hurt her deeply.

"From my point of view, whatever you gain, you will certainly have to pay something for it. Even if you haven’t paid now, you will have to one day. This is the price you pay for what you’ve gained!"

Jenia curled her lips, "Very philosophical and thoughtful, but I don’t like this view."

She paused, "My brother is in more trouble than I am now. He hopes you can help him."

Lynch stopped. They stood beside a sea of flowers.

It was called a sea of flowers, but it was actually a large flowerbed, and the flowers in the flowerbed were all blooming, which was almost unbelievable because it was winter now.

Yet it was real.

In fact, there was a layer of insulation equipment under this flowerbed, which operated 24 hours a day to ensure the temperature of the entire flowerbed and some distance above it were within a certain range.

Walking in here, you could feel waves of heat.

The nobles went to great lengths to evoke certain emotions from each other’s eyes.

Lynch stood for a while before he answered, "This is too difficult."

"We all know that now the entire Noble Group, the Secretariat, they’re all standing with the Prime Minister, and the ministers have chosen to remain silent."

"On one side, there’s the countless nobles and power relationships of the whole Empire, and on the other side...," he shook his head slightly, "there’s only one guy who finds it incredibly difficult to even leave the Imperial Palace. How can I help him?"

Jenia’s expression became stiff for a moment, and she then lowered her head, letting out a heavy sigh, "You’re right, he has always been just one person, but his opponents are so many, even those he trusts the most have betrayed him. How can he win?"

The betrayal of the ministers caused the Emperor great pain. He had always believed that the ministers he selected would stand by him no matter the circumstances.

But now, he realized things weren’t that simple or easy.

He wanted to fight back but couldn’t find any opportunity.

Whether he went to the Ruler’s Hall or not, the effect was the same; the Prime Minister was fully in charge.

As soon as he began to interfere, the Prime Minister would move the working venue from the Ruler’s Hall to his own house, leaving the Emperor unaware of what they said, did, or any feedback!

The entire country had actually escaped his control; whether he was there or not, the country operated normally, and perhaps this was the biggest blow to him.

He had always thought this country couldn’t do without him!

Who knew he was the least necessary one in the country!

She looked up at Lynch, hugging his arm, "Is there really no way?"

Her eyes carried a hint of pleading. She was also a member of the Imperial Family and understood the value of an Imperial identity to herself.

A mascot-type Imperial Family and a powerful Imperial Family are both Imperial Families but are two different concepts.

If one could maintain the current power, who would willingly let go?

Lynch looked at Jenia and pondered for a moment, "There is certainly a way, but ultimately it cannot change much, at most allowing your brother to gracefully and somewhat preservedly cede the core power."

Jenia’s eyes brightened a little, "What price do we need to pay?"

"In a while, the Federation’s Navy will come over to exchange experiences. I hope you can share some slightly core experience here, while also reflecting my value."

"Besides, I think my title could be elevated a bit."

"Though Gafura is no longer the world’s number one, the title of Gafura is still significant."

Jenia soon took her leave, as Lynch had given an answer, and she needed to communicate with her brother as soon as possible.

People are often contradictory. Before this, Jenia always thought that power was the reason for her unhappiness in her youth, and she would rather not have the privileges of the Imperial Family, hoping to be happy instead.

But now, when someone really wants to seize this privilege, she feels a stabbing pain!

People are both contradictory and despicable.

The Emperor soon got a reply, and the answer was not very satisfactory. The reason he let Jenia contact Lynch was not because he thought only Lynch could help him.

In his mind, Lynch was not that capable yet.

The real reason he wanted to "chat" with Lynch was the morning paper.

The paper held the opportunity he had been waiting for, but also needed to continue waiting!