Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1066:- National Treasures Loyalties

"Each of the National Treasures has the power to change the tide of an entire battle. And Ren has the loyalty of all of them. This will be our biggest obstacle to Victory." Aditya seriously nodded his head.

"Is there no way to make the National Treasures stay neutral? Maybe keep them out of the civil war entirely... or even make them switch sides?" Aditya had been thinking about this question for quite some time now. It was something that continued to stay in the back of his mind whenever he thought about the future of the war.

It was not because he feared the National Treasures. Even if each of them possessed enough power to completely change the outcome of a battlefield, Aditya was not afraid of facing them. Deep in his heart, he believed that with enough time, he would eventually find a way to fight against them and overcome that gap in strength.

But despite that, Aditya still preferred the option of keeping them alive rather than killing them. To him, the National Treasures were not just individuals. They were the greatest weapons and pillars of the Celestial Dragon Empire itself. If even half of them were lost during the civil war, then regardless of who won in the end, the Empire would suffer massive damage to its overall strength. Recovering from such a loss would not be easy. In fact, it could take the Celestial Dragon Empire more than a thousand years to fully recover from that kind of destruction.

Not to mention the countless resources that would be spent.

"Not all of the National Treasures will fight for the Emperor. I cannot say it with complete certainty, but the chances are very high," Boris replied to Aditya.

"Among the thirteen National Treasures, I personally trained two of them as my own students. If those two idiots still have even a little respect and affection left for their teacher, then they won’t fight on the Emperor’s side during this civil war. In the worst-case scenario, they might simply choose to stay out of the war entirely."

A proud look appeared on Boris’s face when he spoke about his students, even though he casually called them idiots. And honestly, he had every reason to feel proud. Boris was not only remembered as one of the greatest Emperors in the history of the Celestial Dragon Empire, ruling for more than twenty thousand years, but he was also known as an exceptional teacher. Throughout his long life, he personally selected many talented youngsters and guided them with great care. He provided them with valuable resources, training, and opportunities that helped them fully bring out their potential.

Sometimes, he would even send his students to different cultivation sects across the world so they could gain more experience and broaden their understanding. Boris believed that true growth did not come from staying in one place forever.

"Back when I retired and handed the throne over to my son, one of them was already very close to reaching Peak 7th-order. As for the other one, it had reached Peak 7th-order a few thousand years ago."

"Well... I have bad news for you."

"Your two students have been very loyal to your grandson. So loyal that they were even willing to kill innocent children under the Emperor’s orders," Harrington added in a sarcastic tone.

Hearing those words, Boris’s expression immediately changed. A cold fury rose within him. Even though he had already heard many terrible things about Ren’s rule, hearing something like this still angered him deeply.

"Back when your grandson became Emperor, he ordered your two students to wipe out an entire Marquis family," Harrington continued. "In a single night, the Marquis, his family members, his distant relatives, and even people closely associated with him were all killed under false charges of corruption."

That incident was only one among many actions Ren carried out within the first few months of his reign. It was because of countless incidents like this that so many nobles gradually began turning against him. Fear started spreading throughout the Empire, as no one knew who might suddenly disappear next.

To this day, no one truly knows the real reason behind that massacre. The Emperor merely used corruption and misuse of royal funds as an excuse, but no actual evidence or detailed explanation was ever presented. Even the Duke whom the Marquis directly served under had no idea why one of his vassals had suddenly vanished overnight without warning.

Hearing this, Boris felt deeply embarrassed. Just a moment ago, he had confidently spoken about how his two students would never stand against them. Yet now, it turned out that those same students had become nothing more than tools in the hands of his own grandson.

What made the situation even worse for him was the fact that he understood exactly why this had happened.

From a very young age, the National Treasures of the Empire were taught that the Emperor’s orders were absolute. Boris himself had personally reinforced that belief throughout the years. He made sure they understood that loyalty to the throne came above everything else. The Emperor’s command was meant to be followed without hesitation, regardless of personal feelings or doubts.

And Ren was not just the Emperor. He was also Boris’s first grandson.

Because of that, it made perfect sense why those two followed Ren so blindly, even when his actions were clearly wrong. They did not obey him simply because he held the throne. A large part of it came from the respect and loyalty they held toward Boris himself. In their minds, serving Boris’s grandson without question was part of honoring the teachings he had instilled in them. They never stopped to question whether Ren’s commands were morally right or wrong. They simply carried them out as loyal servants of the Empire.

Realising this made Boris feel even heavier inside. Because if he was being honest with himself, then a part of the blame for all of this also rested on his shoulders.

"What about the other eleven National Treasures?" Aditya asked. He wanted to hear their honest opinion on this matter, especially from people who had spent thousands of years within the political structure of the Empire.

"To be honest, it’s very difficult to predict which side each of the National Treasures will choose," Wahid replied after thinking for a moment. Although he was not as old as Harrington or Boris, he had still lived long enough to witness countless political struggles, power shifts, and internal conflicts within the Celestial Dragon Empire. Because of that, he understood very clearly that people at the level of the National Treasures were not easy to predict.

"If I had to make a strong guess, then I would say there is a very high chance that at least four of the National Treasures may decide to take your side."

"Not everyone among them blindly agrees with the Emperor’s recent actions. Some of them still care more about the future of the Empire than loyalty to the throne itself. If they truly believe you are the better choice for the Empire, then there is a good possibility they will stand with you when the time comes."

"One of the National Treasures comes from a noble family that serves under the Harrington Faction. He was born in a Viscount family," Wahid said while thinking about the matter seriously.

"I was planning to personally visit his family together with the other leaders of the Harrington Faction. We will try to convince him to either join our side or, at the very least, stay out of this civil war."

Wahid Harrington understood very clearly how important every single National Treasure was. Even convincing one of them to remain neutral could greatly reduce the pressure on their side once the war officially began.

However, that was something he had planned for tomorrow morning. He was not sure how long tonight’s meeting would continue, and because of that, he decided not to handle the matter today. Earlier, he had already informed the Viscount family about his intention to meet the National Treasure from their bloodline and had arranged a meeting for the following morning.

"The other three National Treasures come from noble houses that have already pledged their allegiance to you and decided to support you in this civil war," Wahid continued.

"But the problem is that no one can truly predict what those National Treasures themselves will choose to do once the war begins."

"When someone receives the title of a National Treasure, it comes with enormous responsibility. The core meaning behind that title is simple. No matter what happens, they are expected to obey the orders of the Emperor and stand behind the Empire in every situation."

"Their loyalty is not meant to belong to a noble house or even to their own family. Their loyalty belongs to the Royal Crown and the Royal Throne of the Celestial Dragon Empire."

Alfred had already told him about this before he came to the main continent. This is why he purposely told everyone that his cousin, Ren, is not worthy of sitting on the royal throne or wearing the royal crown of the celestial dragon empire.

He did this with hopes that the truth would reach the ears of the NATIONAL treasures and would convince them to switch sides or at least stay out of the civil war.

He thought or reasoning behind this was that once they know that their emperor isn’t even a real emperor because he isn’t recognisable by the royal throne or the royal crown, they will stop supporting him.

Alfred had already informed Aditya about this matter before he even arrived at the Main Continent. Because of that, Aditya intentionally made sure to publicly declare that his cousin, Ren, was not worthy of sitting on the Royal Throne or wearing the Royal Crown of the Celestial Dragon Empire.

Aditya purposely spread that truth with the hope that it would eventually reach the ears of the National Treasures. His goal was simple. If they learned that the current Emperor was not even recognised by the Royal Throne and the Royal Crown themselves, then perhaps some of them would reconsider their loyalty. At the very least, he hoped it would convince them to stay out of the civil war instead of blindly supporting Ren.

His reasoning behind this was straightforward. The National Treasures were taught to dedicate their loyalty to the true Emperor of the Empire, not merely the person sitting on the throne. If Ren was not acknowledged by the Royal Crown and the Royal Throne, then in the eyes of tradition and legitimacy, he was not a true Emperor. Aditya believed that once the National Treasures understood this truth, some of them might stop supporting Ren altogether.

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