Eunuch Liu’s expression was still without a shred of joy. “There are several ways to become a major clan. Which are you referring to, Your Majesty?”

“As the Empress of the Great Qin, I of course have to follow the ancestors’ teachings and adhere to the ancient ways.”

Eunuch Liu’s expression cleared up slightly. “You’re indeed wise, far wiser than a man. I’m full of admiration.”

This so-called ancient way was a rule laid down by the founding ancestor—fight for land, accumulate contributions for a title, and expand gradually until the family was qualified for a promotion. This was the oldest and most traditional path. Ordinary high-ranking aristocratic families would need to collect vast amounts of military contributions in order to ascend to the major clan status. That was why the rise of each clan had always been paved with the corpses of countless dark race members.

It was just that this method was too slow. Even if an aristocratic family did produce geniuses in every generation, they would need to work toward this objective for several generations over the span of centuries.

During the Martial Ancestor’s resurgent reign, there was a court full of capable generals and hidden experts. Many people had racked up glorious accomplishments, yet their families couldn’t become a major clan according to the old law.

The Martial Ancestor thus adapted to the times and added more pathways for an aristocratic family to become a major clan. The nine major clans back then were highly qualified, and no one in the world wasn't satisfied.

The Empire fell into a moral decline after the Martial Emperor’s reign. The following Emperors sought grandiose deeds to leave their names in history, yet they did not possess the peerless might of the Martial Ancestor. Following the advice of people with untoward intentions, they set their sights on the major clan pathways.

More and more ways were opened up until there were dozens of them at the peak. The number of clans also increased explosively.

With so many major clans around, the status eventually lost its value. Many of the families did not have enough power to expand outward, so they could only rely on infighting to gain territory. Hence, the entire Imperial court fell into unspeakable turmoil.

Fortunately, a wise Emperor finally appeared. He used force to bring the chaotic clans under control and forcefully reinstated the old laws, bringing the number of major clans down to five. These five were the truly worthy ones.

The emperor also modified history, but he didn’t avoid mentioning the chaos. Only five major clans were recognized, while the others were labeled as false clans. The involved parties had always argued about this matter, saying that a single dynasty shouldn’t reverse the work of three previous ones, that they should receive special treatment. Yet the following emperors never compromised on this matter.

After bringing the clans under control, the Great Qin Empire once again sorted out the means to becoming a major clan and ultimately left five pathways. Up until this day, the most debated clause was one that allowed a heavenly monarch to found a major clan.

This clause had been invoked several times before, but the major clans were built on several decades of history, inheritance, and accumulations. These things couldn’t be put together in a short while. It was common for the descendants to squander the family’s resources once the heavenly monarch had passed. Additionally, the status of a major clan wasn’t just about benefits and fame; it came with responsibilities as well. Just the defensive and wartime duties were enough to exhaust an entire family’s wealth.

Rumors of the Empire’s resurgence had been circulating for several years, but the actual movement had only just begun. Starting with the Song clan’s demotion, a fluctuation of major clans had just begun, and many aristocratic families were eyeing a promotion.

Now that Empress Li had expressed her desire to take the ancient pathway, the Li family would have to claim vast amounts of military accomplishments in the upcoming war and contribute greatly to the Empire in the process.

That was why Eunuch Liu was sighing in admiration. In truth, the Li family’s status as a divination family was special. There were at least two other paths she could’ve chosen, but the Empress had chosen the most difficult road, a display of great determination and bravery.

Choosing this pathway was actually choosing the Empire’s benefit over her own. After the praise, Eunuch Liu said, “I’m full of admiration for your virtue and wisdom, please let me know if I can do anything to help.”

Empress Li said, “I’ve been thinking, and there is indeed something you can help with.”

“Pray tell, Your Majesty.”

“The child’s father is currently pioneering the new world from Fort Continent. I heard he has run into the Moorland werewolves and that Overlord Sousa himself has appeared in the new world. What do you think we should do?”

“Dealing with a great dark monarch is the duty of a heavenly monarch. This servant is too weak, I also do not dare overstep my bounds.”

Empress Li sighed. “Eunuch Liu, to tell you the truth, this matter involves two different groups with differing opinions on how to treat the child’s father. One side thinks that ‘those of a different race will always have different intentions.’ Not only do they not intend to help, but they also want others to stay out of it. They want to borrow the Moorland werewolves’ hand to remove that person. “But think about it, that child grew up in the Empire and is also Imperial Steward Lin’s adopted son. When has he ever done anything bad to the Empire? If he hadn’t destroyed the two duke-grade airships during the void continent war and defended Whitetown with his life, we wouldn’t have won that fight. Treating an outstanding subject in this manner is bitterly disappointing.”

Eunuch Liu said after a good while, “Those of a different race will always have different intentions. These words were left behind by the founding ancestor, those are his teachings. It’s most certainly not my place to comment on them after a thousand years. What that person is doing on Fort Continent does invite criticism, taking in so many werewolves proves his intention to split off and establish his own power. As I see it, we should just consider the present and see how we can help him out of his predicament with Sousa.”

“You’re absolutely right, but Sousa is no ordinary person. How do we deal with him?”

Eunuch Liu said slowly, “After some thought, the only heavenly monarchs the Empire can afford to mobilize are Prince Greensun and the elder prince.”

Empress Li laughed wryly. “It’s a bit awkward to place this matter on Prince Greensun’s head.”

“It looks like I’ll need to run this errand on your behalf.”

Empress Li closed her eyes. “What do you think will happen if we ignore the situation?”

“No!” Li Kuanglan blurted out.

Empress Li glared at her. “It’s not your place to speak.”

Li Kuanglan didn’t dare go against Empress Li’s power.

Eunuch Liu said, “You already know the other group’s plans, do you think we can still pull that person back to our side?”

Empress Li sighed. “I do know their plans, that’s why I sought you out. Even if we can’t pull him back to our side, we have to make sure he doesn’t get pushed to the other faction. If the elder prince wasn’t among them, I really would start doubting their intentions.”

Eunuch Liu said, “I have a plan, perhaps it can help.”

“Please explain.”

“There’s a treasure in the palace, a rifle crafted by the number one smith under the Martial Ancestor’s reign. Its name is Dragonspring. That smith harbored great aspirations. He was hoping to produce a Grand Magnum on his own, but the product ultimately failed. Unable to withstand the Martial Ancestor’s mighty origin power, Dragonspring was damaged in a great battle, only leaving the gun-body intact. I heard Qianye possesses a gun barrel called Heartgrave, a weapon comparable to a Grand Magnum. If he were given Dragonspring, I think the resultant weapon will come fairly close to a Grand Mangum. He might even be able to contest against Sousa for a while.”

“Dragonspring? I’ve never even heard of it.”

“Your Majesty, you were devoted to the study of divination. The Imperial warehouse is full of miscellaneous items, and Dragonspring is little more than a piece of scrap metal. How could you have noticed it?”

Li Kuanglan was curious. “Why didn’t the Martial Emperor use the Mortal Emperor back then?”

“The Mortal Emperor’s attack is widespread and lacks focus. It’s not very helpful in a fight between monarchs. The Martial Emperor was a fierce character whose every attack would engulf the world with destruction. Mortal Emperor is too weak for him. That was why he gathered the best smiths in the world to forge him a Grand Magnum, and that’s how Dragonspring came to be.”

Li Kuanglan finally understood.

Empress Li still had some doubts. “If it’s in that warehouse, I can get it out. But how do we send it over and how do we install it?”

It wasn’t that easy to piece two different gun-parts together, especially weapons like Heartgrave and Dragonspring that were made by grandmaster craftsmen. Their power might decrease sharply if a different craftsman were to tinker with them.

Eunuch Liu said, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Since I suggested this, I’ll be sure to run the necessary errands.”

Empress Li stood up and bowed deeply, “Thank you, Eunuch Liu.”

…

Fort Continent, Cerulean Wave City.

Qianye returned to the duke’s residence again and immediately summoned the generals. He wanted an intelligence update and to follow-up on the progress here. What Qianye didn’t expect was that the aristocratic alliance had launched a fierce offensive and pushed over two hundred kilometers into the Flame Duke’s territory. They had taken over several large cities and killed over two hundred thousand enemy troops.

With the werewolf infantry taking on the hard work of melee combat, the aristocratic elites were able to make full use of their firepower and equipment advantage. They even installed air-to-ground cannons on cargo airships. The Flame Werewolves would lose half of their forces before even reaching the front lines.

Before this fully-armed army, the Flame Werewolves were slaughtered before they could reveal their bravery.

The heavy losses in open battles stoked the Flame Duke’s wrath. Several times, he couldn’t hold back and wanted to challenge the Storm Duke to a showdown. The latter hadn’t recovered from his previous injuries, so there was no way he would fight it out with the enemy.

Fortunately, William had delivered a set of valuable equipment from the Summit of Peaks. They included a short blade, a long sword, and a set of armor that could strengthen one’s speed and defense. This gave the Storm Duke a great advantage in his fight against Flame. In the end, the latter never dared to go all out.

The Flame Duke was now at his limits. Fighting a war on two fronts wasn’t a wise decision at this point.

On the other hand, Qianye ordered his army to build a fortress at the borders of the Storm Territory and garrison a large number of troops there. At the same time, he ordered the alliance army to withdraw from the enemy land and reorganize for war in the new world. The Storm Duke was also transferred away in secret.

The aristocratic families were delighted by the order. Even though it was a pity to let go of the territory they had already captured, they could finally enter the new world—a land where there were gold and treasures everywhere. This meant that Qianye had finally accepted the aristocratic forces and would allow them to fight the most important battles.

Qianye couldn’t relax all this time. He knew he would have to face Sousa after heading back into the new world and see how powerful the Moorland Overlord was.