Chapter 45: Unification (Part Two)

"Don't you find this question somewhat ridiculous?"

"The Grand Admiral, one of the three pillars of the British Empire, has defected, yet instead of examining your own faults, you turn to question me, an outsider."

Emilia let out a cold laugh, making no effort to conceal the contempt on her face.

"Enough, Lady Emilia. You are well aware of what we are discussing. From the founding of the Empire until this very day, we have never suffered such a devastating blow. Whether it is the fall of the capital or the betrayal of General Hawke, neither can be kept under wraps for long."

"Because of this, I have prepared for an early abdication. As the Queen of the Empire, I cannot shirk the blame for all of this!"

"However, before that happens, your vampire clan must provide a precise explanation. After all, both of these matters are inextricably linked to you."

Looking at the high-ranking imperial officials bowing their heads in shame below, Queen Mary straightened her back. She gazed at Emilia with a solemn expression, her eyes filled with a seriousness like never before.

Seeing that Queen Mary, who had remained silent all along, was finally stepping in personally, Emilia withdrew her disdain and adjusted her expression.

She could afford to disregard these bureaucratic imperial officials and even mock them at will, but she dared not show the slightest bit of contempt for the ultimate decision-maker of the British Empire.

Admittedly, with Li Yang as their backing, the vampire clan's position was as steady as a mountain, and they had no fear of this massive empire.

However, what she wanted was a complete British Empire, not a shattered and fragmented one.

Without the royal family's endorsement, the citizens of the entire British Empire would never accept Li Yang's presence, and it might even trigger fierce resistance.

As an ancient force that had entrenched itself in this land for over a dozen centuries, she naturally knew just how terrifying the imperial royal family's influence was. While they might not usually participate in the Empire's daily governance, they were the absolute core soul of the Empire.

Without their recognition, even if the great Supreme Being conquered the entire British Empire, what he would gain was merely a broken territory, rather than a powerful empire with an absolute core of cohesion.

"I have a proposal. Her Majesty the Queen might want to consider it before we discuss any explanations."

With this thought, Emilia raised her head, looked at the majestic Empress of the Empire, and continued.

"All of you are well aware of the current predicament of the British Empire. It is surrounded by enemies, plagued by troubles both internal and external. Coupled with the domestic situation, I need not spell out what the consequences will be without powerful foreign aid."

"At best, the economy will regress, numerous colonies will be lost, industrial progress will stagnate, and the Empire will even be reduced to a second-rate power, falling out of the international top tier."

"At worst, it will directly cause the Empire to collapse entirely. You should understand the current international situation better than I do."

"Although our vampire clan has never participated in the wars of human empires, it does not mean we pay no attention. The Second World War already shows signs of brewing. Those fascist elements are long since restless, and the British Empire is very likely to become their breakthrough point."

"That bald eagle in North America is no good either, harboring covetous desires for the British Empire's status for a long time. If it doesn't kick us while we're down, everyone sitting here should thank their lucky stars."

"Lady Emilia, surely you are exaggerating. It is not as dire as you make it sound. A Second World War? How long has it been since the First World War ended?"

"Besides, although the British Empire has declined, we still possess formidable ground forces and garrisons stationed across various colonies. Even though the navy suffered heavy losses due to Hawke's defection, we are far from devoid of the strength to fight."

Before Emilia could finish speaking, Marshal Ricks interrupted her bluntly.

Judging by the shifting and uncertain expressions on the faces of the other imperial officials, the reason for the interruption was obvious: Emilia's words had struck a raw nerve.

Although what she said was the truth and everyone present knew it in their hearts—some issues even being worse than Emilia described—this was a negotiation. How could they let the other side crush their momentum right from the start? Naturally, Ricks had to step in and cut her off. Didn't he see that Her Majesty's face was growing gloomier by the minute?

As a loyal steward of the Empire, this was the critical moment to demonstrate his worth.

"Whether what I said is the truth or not, I presume you all know better than I do. The reason I brought this up is not to expose anything, but merely to state a fact!"

Emilia showed no anger at Ricks's interruption; a gentle smile remained on her face as she continued.

"My proposal is this: enshrine the great God of Bloodline Warlocks as the principal deity of the British Empire. With the protection of the great Supreme Being, all the dilemmas facing the Empire will be readily resolved."

"Furthermore, with the support of the great Supreme Being, the British Empire will regain its vitality and ascend once again to the position of global hegemony."

"You must be out of your mind!"

"We, the British Empire, will never be slaves! It is impossible for us to worship a heretic god!"

Just as Emilia's voice trailed off, an elderly white man seated at the far end of the conference table stood up with an expression of intense indignation. His eyes burned with fury, as if he were looking at the most heinous of criminals.

His outburst jolted the other high-ranking imperial officials from their deep contemplation.

"May I ask who this is?"

Noticing this seemingly insignificant old man and perceiving the unmasked disgust and malice in his eyes, Emilia frowned and wore a puzzled look.

"This is Bishop Smith, the Vatican's envoy to the Empire's cathedral!"

Gazing at the fiercely indignant Bishop Smith, Ricks exchanged knowing glances with the others and smiled inwardly. They had known this old man would eventually fail to restrain himself from standing up to clash with Emilia, and the outcome had turned out precisely as they expected.

When it came to the world's largest religious organization, none other than the Church could claim that title. Ever since the Crusades, the vast majority of nations in the northern hemisphere believed in God, and the Church was their sole recognized state religion.

Christianity was also the most widely spread and most heavily followed denomination in the world.

As the world's only sovereign state formed in the shape of a religious order, though Christianity no longer possessed its past glory, there was no denying that it still wielded formidable and pivotal influence on the international stage.

The British Empire was also a Christian nation. To the Church, any sect that attempted to vie with them for followers was nothing short of a heresy and a false god.

Faith was the bedrock of their state, and a deep-seated abhorrence of the forces of darkness was engraved in their very bones.

Of course, these were merely superficialities; what they cared about most was faith. As for the vampire clan, while the Church detested them, those creatures bred and multiplied on their own territories without provoking the Church, allowing the clergy to turn a blind eye. But now, these dark entities actually dared to step forward and compete with their Lord for followers—in Bishop Smith's eyes, this was an unpardonable sin.

The top brass of the British Empire were more than happy to watch a conflict brew between them, as it would leave room for the Empire to maneuver and profit.

Though some of them nominally believed in God, calling them devout would be an absolute joke.

To claw their way to the absolute pinnacle of an empire, these individuals possessed unyielding willpower and towering ambition; how could they be genuinely pious believers? In their minds, their own interests always came first.

This was a universal trait among those in power. Across the world, no ruler lacked firm resolve, extraordinary intellect, exceptional caliber, and a tough disposition—otherwise, they could never have reached the seat of power.

All these traits directly contradicted true piety. Even the Pope of the Church could hardly be called a devout believer; at best, he was merely a mouthpiece for God, nothing more.

"Audacious..."

Hearing Bishop Smith's words, Emilia's face instantly darkened. Her good breeding and poise kept her from erupting immediately, but the Stroud siblings behind her lacked such patience.

Upon hearing the old man blaspheme their great Supreme Being as a heretic, their eyes turned sharp. A wave of murderous intent surged from their bodies, enveloping the entire conference room.

"Heretics, stand down!"

Just as the atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy with tension, a tall, robust figure standing behind Bishop Smith pushed back his black cloak and gazed coldly at the Stroud siblings.

The man was a massive Black warrior clad in gleaming silver armor, holding a broadsword in both hands. His face was entirely devoid of emotional fluctuation, and an aura of pure light radiated from his whole body—a peculiar aura that seemed imbued with all the goodness of the world.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Facing the Black warrior's reprimand, the Stroud siblings exchanged glances, drew the weapons from their backs, and broke into cruel grins. Fangs protruded from their mouths, and golden flickers of light flashed momentarily in their eyes.

"Enough... Everyone stop this! What do you think this place is?!"

Just as the battle was about to break out, Queen Mary could no longer sit idly by. She slammed her hand down hard on the conference table, her face radiating majesty as she glared fiercely at both sides.

In truth, she would have preferred to order the guards to march both factions out and execute them by firing squad.

Yet she knew the British Empire simply lacked the confidence to do so right now; neither of these groups was to be trifled with.

They were all superpowered individuals. In recent years, with superpowered incidents occurring with increasing frequency, the Empire had long been preparing to establish its own supernatural forces.

Marshal Hawke's supernatural task force had been an experiment, but clearly, it had met an untimely end, and Marshal Hawke had failed to live up to her trust.

She had always found these transcendent factions a profound headache.

In fact, not just her—the leaders of various nations all found the transcendent factions within their borders extremely troublesome.

These people were all unruly and arrogant; some paid no heed to national governments whatsoever, and the perpetrators of most major crimes were individuals of this exact sort.

Yet, constrained by the current level of technological development, governments around the world had yet to find an effective means to rein them in.