Chapter 42: Emperor Moore, Section 2

The light mass appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly. By the time it disappeared, there was already another figure on the throne at the center of the hall.

Hei Fa’s heart tightened—was that the emperor of the Moore Empire? The ruler who controlled most of the universe??

The hall was well-lit, and Hei Fa wasn’t far from the throne. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t see the figure that had just appeared at all. In the brightly lit hall, its location seemed like a swirling mist, constantly shifting. The light passing through it was distorted to varying degrees—strangely so.

Was it spatial distortion? Hei Fa’s pupils constricted slightly as he was filled with shock. Though he had imagined meeting the Emperor Moore many times before, he never expected it to be like this—a sense of being both close and infinitely distant, making him feel so ill he almost vomited blood. Even though he focused all his mental energy to locate the figure, he couldn’t pinpoint its exact position!

In other words, the Emperor Moore standing before them now was both truly real and utterly illusory. Perhaps they could receive his personal attention, but getting close to him was nothing short of impossible!! Assassination was even more out of the question!!

“Welcome, Your Majesty!!” A chorus of unified cheers interrupted Hei Fa’s thoughts. At this moment, he hesitated no longer and, like all the other contestants, knelt on one knee to show the highest level of respect to the imperial emperor.

Of course, as for the vicious curses Hei Fa was hurling in his heart at the emperor, that was between him and Monkey.

“Stand up,” came a slightly hoarse voice from the lofty throne. Hearing this, all the contestants shuddered simultaneously, their faces filled with emotion.

This was the emperor’s personal reception—nothing short of a miracle in their eyes. For the emperor’s word or even a gesture, no one would hesitate to die. The emperor of the empire was above everything. This was the loyalty education every officer received since childhood.

And now, this supreme emperor was right before them—how could they not be excited?

Yet, despite their excitement, their strong military discipline still allowed them to act appropriately. At the emperor’s command, they stood up in unison and quickly formed two lines. It was only then that everyone realized Hei Fa still hadn’t joined the ranks.

It can only be said that His Majesty the Emperor’s arrival was truly sudden. At that moment, Kurokami had just stepped off the shuttle and was still quite far from the throne. How could he possibly find his place in such a hurry? As a result, along with the movements of the other contestants, he and the monkey were immediately exposed in front of everyone, standing out sharply and oddly.

This was clearly not in line with the procedures for an emperor’s audience. Yet it posed no challenge to Kurokami. As everyone’s gaze turned toward him, he also stood up and walked toward what should have been his place as if nothing had happened. Amidst the rows of swords held by hundreds of warriors, he moved as if strolling leisurely. The monkey followed closely behind him, occasionally casting curious glances at the surrounding warriors.

Seeing his behavior, whispers spread among the contestant group. Clearly, these officers, who had been taught loyalty since childhood, were very dissatisfied with Kurokami’s actions. Many of the gazes directed at him now carried hostility.

But Kurokami didn’t care. What could all this hostility do? He was now the greatest commander in the empire’s competition. No one could ignore that title. And given his sense of propriety toward the emperor, he probably preferred practical generals like himself anyway.

Sure enough, seeing Kurokami’s unhurried movements, the emperor on the throne remained silent. Instead, the mist surrounding him dimmed slightly, revealing a pair of star-like eyes. Those eyes followed Kurokami’s movements, filled with interest.

The mist swayed slightly. The elderly man in magnificent robes beside the emperor immediately bowed respectfully, as if receiving some instructions. After a moment, he raised his head.

“The award ceremony is about to begin. Activate the holographic display and grant broadcasting rights. From now on, all contestants will face the entire empire’s subjects and receive His Majesty’s highest honors.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” A unified voice rang out. The light around the hall instantly changed from pure white to a slightly golden hue.

At that moment, Kurokami had just reached his seat. Seeing the change in the light, he was momentarily stunned. But he quickly understood. Now, the entire empire must be able to see what was happening in this hall. This enormous ship truly possessed technology far beyond its era. At least, he had never heard of a technique that could change the environment just by altering light.

Next was the Empire’s award ceremony. However, Kurokami had no interest in this part. And contrary to his expectations, the ceremony wasn’t all that grand. Simply put, it involved the winning contestants stepping forward, with the Emperor personally hanging a medal around their necks. The whole process was quick and quiet. It took less than a minute to award one medal. Throughout the ceremony, the entire hall was silent, without any cheers or congratulations as Kurokami had imagined. Of course, Kurokami was unaware of what was happening outside. If he had known, he wouldn’t have felt that way. In fact, outside, everyone was almost in a frenzy. The Emperor’s award ceremony was broadcast throughout the empire via video, and whenever a contestant received their medal, deafening cheers erupted from the outside. These cheers, combined together, were even more thunderous than thunder itself, spreading throughout the empire wave after wave. Among these cheers, those with military ranks were the most excited. They stared intently at the Emperor’s image, watching as he personally placed medals on the winners’ shoulders. At that moment, they wished they were the ones being honored. Their cheers were the loudest and most frenzied among all the spectators. Those winners were heroes who had proven their worth through their actions. With this award ceremony, they would soon gain their own supporters and build a strong network within the empire. In three or five years, they would become the backbone of the next generation of the empire, making significant contributions to its eternal prosperity. Among these winners, Kurokami paid attention only to a few. The most prominent among them was the guy currently receiving the Emperor’s award. He was a victor from the gladiatorial contests, named Meck, a towering man nearly three meters tall. Surprisingly, he was a genuine Moor, standing out sharply among the generally slender Moors. Moreover, his strength was extraordinarily formidable. It was said that in this year’s gladiatorial battles, he had torn several opponents apart with his bare arms, leaving blood all over the arena and shocking many spectators to the point of fainting.

Obviously, as an assassin, this gladiator certainly had sufficient reasons. With his strength, if he could find an opportunity to strike the emperor, it would likely be a one-shot deal. Watching him kneel on the ground to receive the emperor’s award (too tall to stand properly), Hei Ba even wondered if he might be one of the last five to remain.

Another person who caught Hei Ba’s attention was rather unusual. It was a pale-faced young man. Judging by his appearance alone, he would surely be thought to be Moorish. But in reality, he belonged to a race called Vati, a minor victim in the Moor Empire’s millennia-long conquests. This race was best known not for warfare but for art. It was said that every Vati was a natural artist. This young man had won in the art competition of this tournament as well. He conquered all the spectators with his painting and rightfully took first place.

Hei Ba paid attention to him because of his eyes. For an artist, his gaze was far too sharp. If Hei Ba hadn’t already known his identity and the award he had won, he might have thought him an assassin—experienced and cold-blooded, having carried out countless killings. Moreover, his hands were dry and steady; not even a trace of tremor was visible when he received the emperor’s award. From this, Hei Ba deduced that he must possess exceptional psychological resilience—a fundamental trait for an assassin.

The award ceremony progressed quickly. Half of it had already passed in just half an hour. But it was then that Hei Ba noticed a third person who required attention. He was a dwarf, somewhat overweight, very similar to the dwarves in Earth’s fantasy novels. His competition was also fitting—weapon-related. It took him three hours to modify a Moorian warship, increasing its close-combat capabilities by 7%, allowing him to win the championship by a overwhelming margin. Yet this wasn’t why Hei Ba paid attention to him. The real reason was that he was the only contestant among those receiving awards who still carried equipment—not just ordinary equipment, but a set of firearms and armor clearly meant for self-defense.

This truly surprised Hei Ba. After all, he had personally experienced the security procedures and knew exactly how strict they were. The fact that this dwarf could still retain such equipment under those conditions meant something extraordinary. Hei Ba couldn’t figure out what reason he might have for keeping it, so he paid him even more attention.

As one contestant after another received their awards, time passed little by little. While the black-haired man observed and pondered, a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
“The last awardee, the champion of the final round in the battleship command category of this competition, Lord Beck. Please come forward to receive your award.”
Raising his head abruptly, the black-haired man happened to see the gaze from the old man in the magnificent robe directed at him.