Chapter 38: The Empire Journey, Section 8
Blackhair fell ill—a sickness that caused chaos and upheaval. The entire Sigh Castle was in turmoil because of the illness of this lord of low status. Grand Duke Tarot issued seventeen urgent orders, summoning all the most skilled medical experts under his command to treat Blackhair. The blond youth and the assassin girl, who were guests, also had to stay temporarily, using their own connections to find opportunities for Blackhair’s treatment.
To be precise, it wasn’t really a disease but rather an injury—sequelae from the battle with Siget. Siget was an extremely formidable warrior. Fighting such a warrior was, for most people, far more terrifying than a nightmare. Yet Blackhair not only won the fight but also left Siget in a pitiful state. If he remained unharmed in such a situation, it would surely draw a lot of attention.
Blackhair wanted to use this opportunity to establish his authority, but he certainly didn’t want to expose himself too much. After all, in the Moor Empire, he was still just a newcomer with no solid foundation. So he fell ill—seriously ill, severely injured.
From his previous encounter with Fat Henry, it seemed Blackhair gained nothing and even fell into greater danger. But in reality, it was completely different. Whether by coincidence or Fat Henry’s deliberate actions, Blackhair now felt he had greatly improved his control over his body, to an extent he had never imagined before. Simply put, if before he could only fully control his genetically enhanced left arm, now he could control his entire body.
This was an astonishing fact. Some might think controlling one’s own body isn’t anything special, but in reality, it is a tremendous ability. For example, you can control your arm to move, but can you do so with precision down to one ten-thousandth of a millimeter? You can pause your breathing, but can you control even your heart from stopping? You can control your movements, but can you control every muscle contraction and every organ’s function?
Blackhair could now do all of this!!
Legend has it that humans are an accidental creation of the gods, to whom they dedicated all their efforts. When the creation was completed, its perfection even shocked the gods themselves. But the world didn’t need perfection. The gods feared such a perfect creation might surpass them, so they sealed away its abilities. From then on, this creation could only use the body given to it by the gods within the rules permitted by those gods, becoming an ordinary being.
This is the rule of permission—seal inscribed by God upon His creations. But now, this seal has been broken…
Fat Henry truly lives up to being the greatest genius among the descendants. He often claims to be the voice of God. Perhaps it’s true after all. In fact, even Blackhair never imagined he would one day be able to sense everything within his body so clearly and control it perfectly.
Every inch of muscle, every organ, even every individual cell—Blackhair could observe and manipulate them with a magical perspective whenever he wished. It was truly amazing to roam within his own body. He never thought he would experience such a miraculous fate.
In this state, it was effortless for him to order some of his cells to die or cause certain tissues to fail. So when the Grand Duke of Tarot rushed over upon hearing the news, he was almost terrified by Blackhair’s current condition.
His skin was pale, his blood volume reduced by over a third, his muscles severely atrophied, especially the bones in his arms, which showed obvious cracks. Where was the grace he had shown in the arena just now? If it weren’t for his breathing, the Grand Duke would have thought he was looking at a dead man.
In his urgency, he quickly asked, “Ahem, esteemed Grand Duke. I never expected Lord Siget to be so tenacious. I was too persistent in the duel, triggering old injuries.” Coughing lightly, Blackhair’s breathing was unstable as he stared blankly at the Grand Duke’s aged face.
It was as if he were acting, but he had to make it seem real. Blackhair was doing an excellent job. The cells within his body obeyed his commands, shaping him into a pitiful sight. No one would doubt such a condition. And the subsequent medical examination confirmed his words—Lord Beck’s body had suffered severe damage.
Since it was so serious, it meant his battle with Siget hadn’t been easy either. This Beck wasn’t that strong after all… Blackhair noticed that behind the Grand Duke of Tarot, the blond youth and the assassin girl exchanged a casual glance, seemingly communicating something with each other.
This phenomenon immediately caught the Black-Haired man’s attention. According to his intelligence, these few guests should represent three different factions. But clearly, this exchange of glances did not align with his own judgment. Based on the behavior of the blond youth and the assassin girl just now, the Black-Haired man could conclude almost without thinking that the three of them must have reached some kind of agreement in a situation unknown to the Tarot Grand Duke. He represented the location of the Stone of Light and Darkness, which obviously could not be shared with others. Yet these three still managed to reach a consensus. Could this mean it was an agreement even the Stone of Light and Darkness could not break? What did that imply? His mind raced, and suddenly he thought of an unimaginable idea, causing him to break into a cold sweat instantly. His already pale face turned even paler. Power—absolute power!! He believed only such power could ignore the temptation of the Stone of Light and Darkness. After all, although the Stone was important to the Moors, the Black-Haired man couldn’t see why. Power, on the other hand, was something tangible. Desiring power wasn’t a problem. But the factions behind these three already held dominance in the Moor Empire. If they wanted to go further, there was only one answer!! A simple judgment, yet he hadn’t expected such a result. If not for the Tarot Grand Duke watching him, the Black-Haired man might have jumped for joy. Could it be that the seemingly stable upper echelons of the Moor Empire also hid deep-seated turmoil? And had this turmoil grown so intense as to nearly reach its breaking point? For a moment, his thoughts became chaotic, completely messy, with no clear pattern. Yet one idea kept guiding him: this was an opportunity. Throughout history, in any world, the struggle for power has always been brutal. The larger the empire, the more intense this brutality becomes. The Moor Empire was undoubtedly the largest country the Black-Haired man had ever seen, and its power struggles could bring a bloody storm to the entire universe! But what did any of this have to do with him? The more chaotic the Moor Empire became, the greater the opportunities for him, right? In an instant, his mood became unusually relaxed. He even hoped that the rebellion he had speculated about would appear before his eyes right away.
Yet the truth was that he had to continue pretending to deal with the Grand Duke of Taro here in order to find an opportunity to delve deeper into the empire. After all, for a newcomer like him in the nobility, he probably didn’t even qualify to participate in the game for power. Fortunately, though the Grand Duke of Taro held a high position, he was far from arrogant. Seeing Black Hair so severely injured, he felt too embarrassed to bother him any further. After sending over enough skilled medical experts, he gave Black Hair some time to rest. As for the gift mentioned by Black Hair, the Grand Duke didn’t even take a look at it, which made Black Hair’s impression of him even better. After all, having a boss who cared more about his subordinates than gifts would be of great help for his future journey. Of course, Black Hair also didn’t forget the resentful look Miss Veri gave him before leaving. Black Hair managed to secure enough time to rest. During this time, although he couldn’t move, Monkey was extremely active under his orders. In just five days, everyone in the Castle of Sighs became well acquainted with this lively Pole. Everyone knew that such a prank-loving subordinate was by the side of the lucky Lord Beck. Of course, behind this activity were various rumors and intelligence reports from the grassroots. Monkey didn’t care about the accuracy of the information—he only cared about how much there was. After all, in the empire, both he and Black Hair were outsiders. Even incorrect information was extremely useful for them to understand the local customs. But compared to his freedom, the price Black Hair paid was no small thing. You see, because of his illness, the Grand Duke of Taro issued a call for medical experts from across the region. Although technology had advanced and most medical tasks could now be done by machines, the most advanced treatments still required skilled professionals. Generally, this was a privilege reserved for nobles. Now, Black Hair got to enjoy it ahead of time. In just five days, dozens of doctors examined Black Hair. The procedures were so thorough that Black Hair was treated like a lab rat. It seemed that everything about him, except for any privacy he could keep, had been thoroughly explored by these doctors. Yet his injuries showed no signs of improvement. In the end, the doctors could only submit an unsatisfactory report to the Grand Duke of Taro.
“The bones in his arms have been repaired, but we cannot cure the atrophy of his body tissues. It’s likely a disease that hasn’t appeared in the Empire yet. Therefore, I beg you, esteemed Archduke Tarot, to allow us to take Lord Beck away. I believe investigating the cause of his illness is extremely important for the Empire’s medical field,” said the leader of the physicians, an old man whose skin was as yellow as dried orange peel. In return, he received a crystal card from the Archduke Tarot. “This is one million Moka as your reward. Now, leave immediately. Go back wherever you came from. I don’t want to hear anything about Lord Beck’s condition from the outside world. If anything does come to light, you know the consequences,” replied the Archduke Tarot indifferently, his gaze growing even more unfathomable. This Beck really picked a terrible time to get sick…