Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1241 - 1234: Stakeholders’ Interests

Chapter 1241: Chapter 1234: Stakeholders’ Interests

"So, what you’re saying is the change in Emperor Wu doesn’t affect the operation of the state?" Luo’er asked, unable to understand.

"What else? If it weren’t for this, the Dongsheng Empire would have fallen apart long ago. Those cultivators, despite their high level of cultivation, are mostly ignorant fools who don’t know manners or a basketful of characters. They spend most of their time on cultivation; expecting them to spend time learning and even governing the state is giving them too much credit," Zisu said, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

Hearing this, Luo’er roughly understood the internal workings of the Dongsheng Empire. To be precise, because the Empire revered martial prowess, the supreme leader had to be a cultivator.

But as Zisu had said, cultivators spent most of their time on cultivation and certainly had no interest in governing the country. If both the Emperor and his ministers were cultivators, then the country would surely be in chaos—it was necessary for someone to step forward to administer the state.

Thus, under such circumstances, the Dongsheng Empire adopted a Cabinet system, where the Cabinet had full authority over state affairs. But it should be noted; this system was different from a Constitutional Monarchy.

In a Constitutional Monarchy, the Emperor is only the representative of the state, and the real power lies in the hands of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. However, in the political system of the Dongsheng Empire, the Emperor Wu held decision-making power, similar to how the Cabinet could decide whether Emperor Wu could inherit the throne. Once enthroned, Emperor Wu could also appoint or dismiss officials without the need for Cabinet approval.

If compared, this system was very similar to that of the Great Ming Empire’s Cabinet system. As long as the Cabinet functioned without interruption, the Emperor could do as he pleased without consequence.

However, Luo’er had little interest in considering this matter, as he was far more concerned about the mention of the "survivors of the Bailong Clan" by that General. Since the Bailong Clan was part of the Dongsheng Empire’s royal family, they must also be from the Kyushu people.

And as Zisu had said, Kyushu people were rarely seen in West Outer Heaven, and they were mostly insignificant merchants at the bottom of the social class. Given the current situation, in Lingyuan City, among the Kyushu people, there was only one person present.

Thinking this, Luo’er suddenly remembered the General they had encountered before, who had also been muttering something about the White Dragon. Connecting these two clues, Luo’er immediately made a startling discovery.

Yes, if he wasn’t wrong, the person these people were looking for had to be Feng, because he was the only recent arrival from Kyushu into Lingyuan City.

This meant that the General encountered by the Advance Team hadn’t been scared off; he had run to send a message. Because they had discovered Feng, the survivor of the Bailong Clan.

The moment Luo’er realized this, his face changed dramatically, and he started to become visibly uneasy. Seeing his strange expression, Zisu asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, no, it’s nothing, I just want to have a word with my teacher," he said, taking a deep breath and then slowly extending his arm towards Zhuyan Yu.

"Teacher, something is wrong!" Luo’er approached Zhuyan Yu and whispered in Chinese.

"You think it’s Feng too?" Zhuyan Yu had obviously heard the conversation between the two and had analyzed the situation, so he seemed not to be surprised.

"Hard to say, but if it’s Feng, we must ensure our safety," Luo’er said.

"Hmm," Zhuyan Yu nodded in agreement, "If these people are here for Feng, then this war concerns us as well."

"Should we leave?" Luo’er asked.

"Do you think the Demon Clan will target us?" Zhuyan Yu asked in return.

"If they find out, the people we’re trying to find is Feng, then we really can’t remain unaffected. If handing over Feng could bring peace, they definitely wouldn’t hesitate," Luo’er said.

"Calm down," Zhuyan Yu stared at the looming army in the distance and said calmly, "let’s not jump to such pessimistic conclusions yet; this is just the vanguard. The Demon Clan should be able to manage without compromising to hand over Feng. The priority should be to eliminate those who know too much, especially that General who encountered Feng."

"Uh..." Hearing Zhuyan Yu’s words, Luo’er was momentarily at a loss for words, speechless.

"What’s wrong?" Noticing his expression, Zhuyan Yu turned and asked.

"No," Luo’er said with a wry smile, shaking his head, "I just never expected to hear such words coming from Teacher Zhu."

"Heh," Zhuyan Yu also started laughing, "Do you think your Teacher Zhu is just a foolish bookworm wholly devoted to his books? Luo’er, when your Teacher Zhu was young, he was well-versed in a vast range of subjects. It’s not that I’m not enthusiastic about politics and strategy; it’s just that I don’t show it."

"So, I should learn more from my teacher in the future," Luo’er said, nodding.

"I just love your serious nature," Zhuyan Yu said with narrowed eyes.

"So what should we do next?" Luo’er asked.

"Hmm..." Zhuyan Yu pondered for a moment, then pointed to the general on the sandfield and said, "Try to find an opportunity to see if you can snipe that general with one shot. If you can, it’ll prove the Origin Submachine Gun can be used to attack cultivators. Then we can make a plan to take care of all the relevant personnel once and for all!"

"I’ll go call Yue’er over," Luo’er said.

"Call Yue’er for what? It’s just a few dozen meters away, I can hit it with a gun mount, why do you have so little confidence in yourself?" Zhuyan Yu stopped him and said.

Luo’er nodded, then crouched down, took out the rifle components from his bag, began assembling the Origin Submachine Gun, and attached the optical sight. Seeing his actions, Zisu bent down and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Assembling a weapon," Luo’er replied indifferently.

"Is that a musket? You think you’re going to take down that general with that thing?" Zisu stared for a while and said with a frown and surprise.

"Musket?" Even Luo’er couldn’t help but be stunned when he heard this somewhat familiar term for the first time.

"From the city wall to their position, it’s more than a hundred paces away, you won’t be able to hit him," Zisu continued.

"Then let’s make a bet!" Luo’er stood up from the ground and then flicked open the rifle’s bipod and said.

"Bet on what?" Zisu tilted her head, her ears twitching continuously.

"Uh, if I can hit him, then you shouldn’t stay too close to me..." Luo’er thought for a moment, his words trailing off somewhat at a loss.

"I don’t agree to that!" Zisu huffed, then tilted her little face up and closed her eyes.

"Then let’s not bet," Luo’er said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"No, I want to bet," Zisu said, moving closer to Luo’er, squinting her eyes seductively, "If you can hit him, tonight I’ll..."

"Absolutely not, no way!" Before she could finish, Luo’er retreated like a startled rabbit, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Are all you Western Continent people so shy?" Zisu asked with hands on her hips and dissatisfaction in her voice.

"Not really, but our Luo’er is quite special. He’s like a fine jade, not something to be carelessly handed to others," Zhuyan Yu interjected.

With Zhuyan Yu’s words, Zisu blinked her large eyes, her ears moving, and then she smiled and moved closer again, saying, "Then alright, let me ask for less. If you hit him, I’ll kiss you; if you don’t, you’ll have to kiss me, and I’ll decide where."

"This..." Luo’er felt his face beginning to heat up.

"Just agree to her," Zhuyan Yu advised without looking back.

"Teacher Zhu..." Luo’er turned his head back, speaking with a hint of reproach.

"Are you saying you don’t even have confidence in your own shooting?" Zhuyan Yu said.

"Alright..." Luo’er sighed deeply, as if he had given up on something, and nodded.

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell your little lovers," Zhuyan Yu said with the corners of her mouth inevitably turning up slightly.

This time she had finally experienced the hobby that the Advance Team members were most enthusiastic about: teasing Luo’er. Luo’er was very thin-skinned; just a little bit of teasing would make his face turn red, so the Advance Team members often teased him whenever they had nothing else to do, just for fun.