Chapter 188: The First Empress

Engaging with the four-star general and three Legends throughout dinner, Rachel listened carefully to every twitch their muscles made, Nia handling the broader surroundings. Small pieces of information were passed between them, and every new topic gave her further insight into these highly influential figures.

In the remaining fifteen minutes of their isolated field, she probed for further facts regarding the three governments and what each faction wanted from her or what she could provide. She was an outsider to this larger geopolitical stage, yet had accomplished her initial goal of having a seat at this table, which was something to be proud of, given she’d only been a pre-law undergrad before.

That being said, most of her leverage came from external forces, such as fickle deities and knowledge, which, once learned, severely diminished her overall bargaining power. There was far more to be gained from this meeting; she just needed to pay close attention to the finer details passed between the three nations, specifically France’s angle, since Charlemagne’s goals were still murky.

Russia was going through a massive underground war between Legendkin figures of its past, much like the rest of the world, and it was impossible to know how the northern bear’s government would be reorganized or how much of a threat they’d be. Tom seemed to believe Russia would split into small nations based on the support each faction could gather, and that a cold civil war might break out.

As for China, neither the US, France, nor the UK knew what was actually happening since much of the internal affairs had been locked down, including the countrywide firewall that isolated China’s internet traffic. No communication had made it out until earlier this morning, which had Tom on edge and piqued her curiosity.

Rachel’s gut tightened at the prospect of what might happen in Asia as the general laid out what information they knew about the most powerful nation in the region. Fortunately, South Korea had a massive amount of US support right now with the potential conflict that could arise from its northern counterpart. And luckily, things seemed relatively stable for her parents’ homeland.

How long that peace would last could drastically change at the drop of a hat, since South Korea had very long and tense relations with Japan. If that wasn’t enough, the current political uprising within the island nation was causing many Koreans concern.

The imperial family and prominent historical revolutionaries were gaining widespread traction as they took to social media to spread their messages about rekindling their glory as a nation. The youth appeared especially receptive to the concept of a culture change, either returning to past heights or forging a new one.

On the other hand, as of today, the most powerful governing body in Asia had apparently stepped down from its seat of power. Rachel had to focus on that bit of news, and even Charlemagne and Arthur were blindsided by the general’s intelligence.

"There’s no shot," Rachel mumbled, setting down her fork and staring at the sober general. "All spies from France, the UK, and the US go missing, no communication in or out for weeks, technology over the area is blocked, and now, spontaneously, the Chinese Communist Party has ceded their state power? It doesn’t make sense; it’s the CCP, for crying out loud."

Tom sipped at his wine and rolled around his neck. "The director of central intelligence dropped it on us this morning, and he believes the leak was intentional, since our spy gave a coded message with it that indicated the agency branch was compromised."

"To whom?" Rachel asked. "How does that even happen in this day and age? You’re saying someone conquered China in the past three weeks and installed their own government, all while dismantling foreign spy resources in the nation?"

"Exactly," the general mumbled. "We don’t know what to make of it... but what we do know is that only this video has been able to come out of Beijing, using a sat-link to a US satellite before the origin point went dark... and it came from inside the Forbidden City. There are some insane technological barriers around China’s entire network, as well."

He slid over his phone for them to look at the video he started, the volume muted as he explained; dozens upon dozens of people knelt in a giant room, where the golden Dragon Throne sat, situated on its dais.

Standing at its foot was a beautiful, black-haired woman, her thick locks pulled into a high ponytail. Rachel could tell the white, red-trimmed shenyi outfit instantly snatched Nia’s attention, and she didn’t blame her— The woman radiated power. Expressing an imperial presence with raw orange energy encircling her, the woman didn’t speak a word. At the base of the dais was the CCP chairman, on his knees, addressing the camera.

Tom’s voice was low as Rachel studied the figure; no doubt, this woman was a Legendkin who had completed her Legend Quest. "This is a formal address to the Chinese people from the CCP’s chairman, where the party has yielded its authority to this woman whom he identifies as... Empress Wu Zetian, First Empress of China."

Charlemagne rubbed his chin while observing the simple yet elegant outfit the empress wore. "An ominous turn for such a powerful nation, and less than a month after this change. I’ll have to reach out."

Arthur ran his fingers through his blond hair before leaning back. "I am more focused on the same not happening to the UK with the Legends of past monarchies looking to take the stage, and that doesn’t include Ireland or Scotland starting a war."

"If only that were the half of it," Tom mumbled, letting Rachel study the video as the Legend of Empress Wu ascended the dais and sat on the throne. "India may see a return to the caste system, while Pakistan and Iran are dealing with a huge influx of insurgencies.

"Israel has its own internal strife that is being handled surprisingly well, but they are consolidating their power with the Arab coalition calling for a rise to war... but that doesn’t seem likely with the conflicts happening in each nation, Egypt especially. We aren’t even talking about Germany’s past leadership, which is no doubt working in its underbelly, and Italy’s unrest."

He rubbed between his eyes. "Which you have a vested interest in, Charlemagne, since you were born in Germany, despite your current French activities."

Rachel’s ears flew up. "Wait, you’re actually German?"

"In der Tat," the dark-haired man replied in a perfect accent before returning to his refined French between sips of his wine. "I have contacts and affiliations far outside of France, yet it is where I am primarily located. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party and their other Nazi affiliates are a concern amongst many groups, which is why they have all stayed well below the radar. How go things with grievances from your country’s past troubles, General?"

Tom sucked in his lips before smacking them and downing a large portion of his glass. "Native Americans or other tribes of South America, North America, and Canada are holding giant rallies at this time, but we’re getting ahead of it due to the quick information provided to us by Rachel. We were able to act quickly. Although...

"Something I somewhat overlooked was the various racist and cult groups that would rear their heads or start moving in the shadows. Overall, they’re minor compared to what other nations are dealing with. It is being handled as quietly as possible, and they aren’t as widespread as some of the other movements in other nations... with the exception of South America, where things are escalating."