“I’m sure you’re all aware,”
“As the first lesson in our human general history,”
“The history of the empire is, in a sense, a microcosm of human general history.”
Teacher Hera had the classmates turn to the first chapter of the history textbook.
That was content that almost all books related to “continental general history” in the world couldn’t avoid, the eternal first-page material: “A Brief History of the Empire.”
“As the first great unified empire in human history, the founding Radiant Sun Emperor, Delas · Tianluo as the leader of the sages, together with the other twelve sages, created the Magitech Knights, unified humanity,”
“Began the Great Counterattack Era lasting two hundred and thirty years,”
“And ultimately established the first and only great unified empire in human history, commencing the glorious and honorable ‘Tianluo Calendar.'”
“What’s unimaginable is that even today, human territory is only about forty percent larger than the land conquered by humans during the two hundred and thirty years of the Great Counterattack Era ten thousand years ago.”
It was still the same old empire history introduction.
During those two years in the empire, Ye Xu had heard these words so much that his ears were almost calloused.
The empire’s people had truly gone to every extreme to brainwash her.
History, culture, etiquette.
Besides the necessary attendance at various events or giving lectures to the machine research institute and those royal knights and royal mages.
They had almost filled every week of Ye Lalar’s daily life at the time, only allowing her to rest one day in her palace under surveillance on the last day of each week.
Every morning upon waking, go to culture classes, practice royal etiquette, and in the afternoon, go to the imperial palace to pay respects to her so-called “father emperor.”
Then handle empire affairs together with him.
All just to completely turn him into the empire’s exclusive emperor’s daughter.
Of course, the final result proved they hadn’t succeeded.
Except for etiquette, which the imperial seal considered a necessary duty for royal family members to maintain outside and had to be learned.
Those empire cultures and histories written entirely from a subjective perspective, exaggerated to the extreme, basically went in Ye Xu’s left ear and out the right.
For this reason, even Ye Xu, who considered himself fairly attentive in class, almost made himself drowsy during this lesson.
Fortunately, the Magic Academy’s history was overall objective and rational compared to what the empire’s people had told him.
While avoiding mindless flattery, it also pointed out the problems and flaws existing in the empire during various periods.
However.
Just as Ye Xu continued to feel drowsy, as the teacher tapped the screen behind her with her magic wand, a voice that greatly caught his attention once again entered his ears, waking him up.
“Even something as great as the empire, over the course of nearly ten thousand years, has several times teetered on the edge of destruction.”
“Coincidentally, every time this happened, a member bearing the direct imperial bloodline would step forward. They, along with the founding emperor, are called the ‘Seven Revered Emperors of the Radiant Sun.'”
“The last one, I’m sure you’re all very familiar with.”
“That is the current emperor’s daughter who returned as the empire’s last imperial princess, now the sole heir apparent, known as the Night Princess, ‘Ye Lalar · Tianluo.'”
This was indeed something that couldn’t be learned within the empire’s borders; even Ye Xu had to open his eyes and look at the seven portraits on the screen.
The last figure in night purple was none other than his form as a female, as “Ye Lalar.”
“This is something few people know, and a title rarely praised by the world.”
“History marches forward. After the end of the empire’s great unification period, in the long river of time, countless kingdoms and empires have been born, but they ultimately vanished in the river of time. Only the empire stands firm.”
“Over nearly ten thousand years, whenever the empire reached a point of turmoil, swaying like a candle in the wind in this world, a prince or princess with unparalleled talent would always step forward.”
“They rebelled against the imperial family, established resistance armies, and through external forces carried out sweeping reforms on the empire’s entire ruling class, bringing renewal.”
Teacher Hera waved her hand, and the images of the seven revered emperors on the screen enlarged accordingly, recording their birth dates, brief biographies, and major achievements.
Among them, the text under the first and seventh was particularly extensive.
“They were all great emperors who created immense achievements in the empire’s history.”
“And precisely because every time the empire faced crisis, such a prince or princess would appear to save it,”
“For this reason, the empire was once considered a ‘Divine-Favored Nation’ blessed by the gods, with a powerful and great force beyond mortal comprehension protecting it, allowing it to stand eternally and shelter humanity.”
Teacher Hera explained while lecturing: “By the way, the ‘Seven Revered Emperors’ is not an official empire title, but a honorific given by later generations to these emperors who created god-like miracles.”
Unlike their distinctly great status in general history, within the empire itself, these seven, especially the middle five, were just emperors with greater achievements and greatness compared to others, nothing different.
As if for the empire, for those bearing imperial blood, these were all natural and expected things.
There were even autobiographies written by them found within the empire, completely detailing how these emperors, in their youth, witnessed the empire’s corruption and decline, awakened, then rebelled against the imperial family, formed resistance forces, and ultimately coordinated from inside and out with other imperial family members to bring renewal to the empire.
It was as if.
By actively accepting and deliberately not drawing attention to the special nature of these emperors.
If it were Ye Xu from two years ago, he might not have felt anything special about this.
Diminishing individual greatness and uniqueness, attributing their talents to the bloodline, deifying the entire imperial family and the royal blood flowing within them.
A very common tactic, isn’t it?
In fact, the vast majority of people in this world think this way.
…
But now it’s different.
Having become the seventh of the revered emperors, listed after the previous six.
Clearly recorded as ascending the throne in about fifty years, Ye Xu realized what all this was for.
That was the great magic from the imperial bloodline, the power of the imperial seal still branded on Ye Xu’s forehead, the powerful force the imperial family kept secret from outsiders and regarded as their foundation.
Presumably, besides the founding emperor, the other five were just like himself—poor souls who had attempted to form resistance armies to overthrow the empire, only to have all their achievements, along with themselves, swallowed by the empire on the verge of success.
Just like his own Eternal Night Resistance Army.
The world no longer remembers, no longer praises; they only think this is the empire’s power, the imperial family’s own strength, the “natural expectation” for princes and princesses.
Recalling everything he had encountered, Ye Xu couldn’t help but let out a sneer.
Turning their own bloodline into a tool, using descendants as consumables to extend the empire’s life.
From the moment they were born, as long as there was even a trace of the Radiant Sun Empire’s imperial blood in their bodies.
Their talents, abilities, the achievements they created, belonged to the Radiant Sun Empire, belonged to the Radiant Sun imperial family.
Whenever the imperial family wanted, they could devour everything about them at any time.
Ye Xu had to admit, the founding emperor, that Delas · Tianluo, he truly was a genius, an unmitigated one whom even he dared not say he could definitely surpass.
“Heh~”
His genius. Or even…
A… genius who had lost his humanity, a beast.
The current Ye Xu didn’t know how to resist that great magic in the bloodline.
Unlike ordinary magic, it wouldn’t become outdated or eliminated over time.
Every emperor and imperial family member would subconsciously, without awareness, continue to perfect this magic.
Using their knowledge, talents, and even everything.
Making this tragic shackle that bound their lives and freedom, determining their fate, even stronger, providing it with mana to exist eternally.
By now, it had received a full ten thousand years, hundreds of generations’ continuous perfection and reinforcement.
—- Among them also including Ye Xu, or rather, Ye Lalar herself.
“Night…”
On the nearby desk, Isxila, who had been focused on the lesson, suddenly felt a pang of unease.
When she turned her head, she noticed Ye Xu leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes extremely cold, face indifferent as he looked at the grand and majestic empire history map on the screen.