Chapter 446 381: I Don't Want to Hear Reasons, I Just Want Nuwa

Aboard the Aerospace Carrier.

Chu Bamboo gazed pensively at the light screen. It was currently split into hundreds of video feeds, displaying scenes from all over the Imperial Capital captured by numerous drones. Quite a few members of the Nobility and Military Generals had sworn to resist to the death... but they were all taken out by snipers.

As for the Civil Servants... well, none of them had died for their country. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that these Civil Servants were still trying to process what was happening. A Rebel Army had, for all intents and purposes, inexplicably air-dropped right into the heart of the Dynasty. The sheer amount of new information was enough to overload their brains and cause a system crash. To top it all off, this Rebel Army was composed entirely of drones! Not a single living person had been seen yet.

As for why the Military Generals resisted... that was simply because they had weapons on hand.

Hu Kaikang and Huo Qiming were completely silent. Or rather, they suspected they were dreaming. Never in history had such a miracle occurred. Even novels and biographies wouldn't dare to feature a plot like this.

'Taking over the world in less than a day? Even if the Grand Ancestor were resurrected, he couldn't have pulled this off. It took him six years to conquer the world, a feat Daqian has been bragging about for over two hundred years.'

"Nuwa No. 17, Hive, has Emperor Su Po's capture been confirmed? Or have you found his body..." Chu Bamboo asked. He casually took out a piece of paper, pressed it lightly with an ink block, and used his Memory Divine Technique to print a lifelike portrait of Su Po onto it.

"Codename: War Zone Three, War Zone Seven, War Zone Eleven..." After scanning the portrait, Hive fluently recited a series of locations. "All have reported sightings of an old man in a Python Robe carrying the person from the portrait and fleeing at high speed. After leaving the densely populated areas, the old man's speed increased dramatically. The drones were unable to maintain pursuit. He has escaped our surveillance perimeter."

"...Is that so." Chu Bamboo was lost in thought. 'The Emperor escaped? This is really...' His feelings were complicated. He still remembered telling the old Emperor stories when he first entered the palace. The old Emperor had been full of praise for the tale of Emperor Chongzhen, who hanged himself to die with his nation.

"That old hypocrite," Chu Bamboo lamented, shaking his head. 'He really took 'say one thing and do another' to a whole new level.'

Then, dismissing the pathetic, fleeing Emperor, his gaze sharpened. "Alright, Nuwa No. 17. Begin a nationwide propaganda campaign immediately!"

Chu Bamboo paused for a moment. "Use your reputation as leverage to persuade the officials to surrender. Throw anyone who refuses to submit into the Celestial Prison. As for the officials who surrender... according to... Plan Seven, place them under drone surveillance and have them execute the strategies I've laid out in the plan."

This was, of course, the same set of procedures he had used before in Jinghai City.

It involved monitoring these officials and letting them consult Nuwa directly if they had any questions. He would use them as puppets to temporarily manage the affairs of the Imperial Court and prevent instability.

'Well, to be honest, it's more about minimizing the instability. The current situation is already so chaotic; there's no way to avoid a major shake-up.'

"Acknowledged. Commencing execution."

Chu Bamboo took a deep breath and paced back and forth, his mind churning with thoughts. Finally, he let out a bitter laugh.

In all honesty, now that he had conquered the world, he would have preferred to establish a democracy. The problem was...

'There's no foundation for it!'

Chu Bamboo sighed. The guild members he'd trained might have some democratic ideals, but not many. Not to mention, they had absolutely no experience running a country.

Besides, he'd conquered the world using a clever trick. He hadn't even killed the Emperor. And while he had eliminated most of the effective forces in the Mortal Realm...

...the Extraordinary Power controlled by the Royal Family remained at least 95 percent intact, if not entirely untouched.

Nuwa No. 17 suddenly spoke. "When do you plan to formally ascend the throne? Or will you simply maintain this state of emergency, forcibly ruling by supervising the officials? Will you just leave the throne vacant?"

"Analyzing current data... I recommend you announce your identity as the founding ancestor of the Daqian Imperial Family! Use this identity to win over the Transcendents... To the common people, announce that you are a member of the Daqian Royal Family!"

"...Follow the path of Zhu Di?" Chu Bamboo glanced at the time. It was past five o'clock. In a way, this was indeed the fastest method to stabilize the realm.

He thought for a moment. "I have a question. By doing this, can I gain the Nuwa Mainframe's recognition? Can I force it to awaken?"

"No."

"...Then it's a change of dynasty!" Chu Bamboo declared without hesitation. "So, what will it take to awaken your mainframe?"

"...You can perform the Fengshan Ceremony," Nuwa No. 17 stated in a calm, detached voice. "The historical annals record two instances of a change in dynasty successfully awakening the Nuwa Mainframe."

"The first was when the Da Che replaced the Great Chu. Da Che was an Alien Dynasty. Though they appeared human, their imperial bloodline was half Ten Thousand Races! The Twenty-four Banners they established to conquer the world were, in fact, a coalition of twenty-four human tribes that possessed the blood of the Ten Thousand Races."

"However, for various reasons, the Da Che did not attempt the Fengshan Ceremony until the ninety-first year of their reign, after they had entered their golden age. They confidently performed the ceremony and awakened the Nuwa Mainframe, but they failed to gain its recognition..."

"The second time was the current dynasty... or more precisely, the Daqian—

In the ninety-second year of the Da Che's reign, the Grand Ancestor of Daqian, Su Zheng, took up his sword. Claiming to be a descendant from a collateral branch of the first Emperor of Chu from the Great Chu Dynasty, King Wen of Chu, he launched a rebellion. In six years, he brought the exceedingly prosperous Da Che Dynasty to ruin and established his own rule over the realm.

In the seventh year of his new dynasty, as the Daqian Kingdom entered its golden age, Su Zheng held a magnificent Fengshan Ceremony, awakened the Nuwa Mainframe, and received its recognition!

It was hailed as the most righteous founding of a nation in history: 'Of all who have ruled, only the Daqian's claim is just!'"

"Logical deduction: if you can bring peace to the world, you might gain the Nuwa Mainframe's recognition upon awakening it. However, in the current state of affairs..."

"Oh! So you're saying I just need to perform the Fengshan Ceremony at the Grand Ancestral Temple?" Chu Bamboo locked onto the key phrase and switched to Dream Language. "Drag the officials from the Ministry of Rites out of bed! Tell them to prepare the ceremony as quickly as possible. It's a little past five now... hmm, have it ready by seven. No, eight. All the ritual preparations must be complete by eight o'clock! Simplify every step that can be simplified. I don't want to hear any bizarre excuses or justifications. I just want to awaken the Nuwa Mainframe!"

Chu Bamboo was aware that what he was proposing was probably similar to Emperor Zhenzong's Fengshan at Taishan—a kind of forced, meaningless ceremony... the kind that would be mocked by future generations until the end of time.

But wasn't the main goal to forcibly awaken Nuwa?

Huo Qiming: "???"

Hu Kaikang: "..."

They didn't dare open their eyes, hoping what they'd just heard was a hallucination.

The scene on the screen suddenly changed, showing drones actually seeking out officials from the Ministry of Rites. Both men felt their breath catch in their throats, and their vision went dark.

'This is no way for a sovereign to act!'

'Never mind that you've only conquered half the realm! The very structure of the Imperial Court hasn't even been established, and the bureaucracy hasn't been assembled...'

'And now you're in a hurry to combine the ascension and the Fengshan Ceremony into one big event?'

"..." Huo Qiming's lips trembled several times. Finally, with a bitter expression, his attitude became distinctly deferential. "Your Majesty!"

He felt he could no longer remain silent. He had to try and reason with him, no matter what...

"My mind is made up." Chu Bamboo waved his hand, his tone unwavering.

"..." What else could he say?