222: put all one's eggs in one basket

"Your Majesty, if I want to stay by someone's side forever..."

The Emperor savored his words.

This Chaotic Beast wasn't asking for someone to stay by his side, but the other way around.

He showed a hint more patience.

"Tu Nan?"

"You knew?"

Li suddenly looked up.

"Of course, I brought her here. You were once her nurturer, weren't you?"

The Emperor's expression was neither sad nor happy; the past that felt as heavy as a thousand catties to Li was as insignificant as floating dust to him.

"What request do you want to make? Be careful..."

The Emperor reminded him to be mindful.

"She is now my Female Official. As for everything in the past, as long as she is unwilling to acknowledge it, no one can force her."

Li lowered his head.

He understood; The Emperor was warning him.

Although he had rescued Jiamu and seemingly earned The Emperor's promise, it didn't mean he could truly make 'any' request.

Tu Nan was not within the scope of what The Emperor intended to promise away.

When the power of definition was held entirely in the other party's hands...

...any request could be misinterpreted.

But he still had to try.

"Your Majesty, I have only this one request. I lost everything before because I wanted too much, but now I understand! I only want to be able to see her and accompany her. My life now only exists for this one purpose."

He gritted his teeth and fell to his knees before this noble Dominator.

"Please let me stay by her side forever. Aside from this, I ask for nothing else."

"Please grant your permission!"

He pleaded.

The Emperor remained unmoved.

He had heard too many reckless requests; everyone thought they could use their own fate to blackmail him, but few ever succeeded.

He would not grow angry over this.

Because he could make them pay the price for their own rashness.

But then, the clatter of armor rang out as the Silver Armored Knight standing behind him stepped forward and leaned in close.

Li couldn't hear what the person said.

He only saw The Emperor's brow furrow slightly afterward. The Emperor looked at him as if pondering something, and a moment later, he stood up.

"Just being by her side is enough?"

"Yes!" The fire in Li's eyes was reignited. The Emperor's question meant... "It is."

The Emperor smiled.

"Since this is what you requested, you are not allowed to regret it."

"I won't!"

Li was beyond excited.

***

Tu Nan thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but in fact, she slept for nearly a entire day.

The high-intensity flight on the warship had put immense pressure on her after all, and yesterday's 'meeting' with Jiamu had also left her emotions in turmoil.

All of this was well-recovered after a thorough sleep.

The moment she stepped out of the bedroom door, Peng Tianyu, who was guarding the outer room and seemed to have no need for sleep, immediately stepped forward.

"Miss Tu Nan, I was just about to call you. His Majesty said..." He glanced at his bracelet, "...that you should go to the medical room to see Major General Kong in forty minutes."

Tu Nan's pace faltered slightly.

There was a prepared meal on the table. She ate as quickly as possible, casually braided her hair, and said to Captain Peng, "Let's go."

She saw Jiamu once again.

The Emperor was already waiting by the Treatment Pod. Hearing her footsteps, he didn't even turn his head.

A Silver Armored Knight stood behind him, silent as a sculpture gleaming with cold light. Another was at the door of the treatment room, whom Tu Nan had just seen.

She stepped forward quickly.

Everything looked no different from yesterday, except for the change in time.

"Your Majesty, are we starting now?"

The Emperor nodded. For ease of movement, he was rarely dressed in a form-fitting black combat suit today.

Tu Nan followed him up the steps and stood beside him, looking down at the Peacock.

From this angle, she could clearly see his face.

He looked more like he was asleep, his whole body relaxed and free of worries.

"One can breathe in the treatment fluid." Tu Nan was merely stating a fact; she actually didn't know what else to say.

"Yes. This isn't water."

The Emperor answered her calmly.

"...I see." Tu Nan squatted down and found a spot to sit on the edge of the Treatment Pod, gazing quietly.

Just like yesterday, The Emperor pushed open the transparent cover of the pod.

Once again, he reached into the liquid and held Jiamu's head.

Looking down from above, the surface of the liquid rippled slightly, centered around The Emperor's hands.

Circle after circle.

Waiting.

Tu Nan counted the seconds in her heart.

It was a very long process. A drop of water fell, striking the surface of the liquid and creating a ripple.

Tu Nan looked up, carefully observing while avoiding The Emperor's eyes, only to find that it was The Emperor's sweat condensing and dripping directly from his forehead.

It hadn't been like this yesterday. Was it not going well today?

Tu Nan's heart tightened.

Nearly an hour had passed. Yesterday, His Majesty had stopped just after an hour, but today he clearly wanted to continue.

But then a sharp sound came from outside, and a moment later, the door was pushed open.

Another Silver Armored Knight rushed in with someone right up to the Treatment Pod. That person spoke very directly.

"Your Majesty, the Star Worms are attacking, and the defensive line is under full pressure. Ryan requests that you depart for the flagship; he judges that the headquarters needs to move forward with the front line."

"Mm."

The Emperor squeezed out a simple reply.

Tu Nan saw his tightly pursed lips begin to lose their color.

She didn't realize that her own lips were also deathly pale at this moment.

Jiamu—he would be abandoned.

At this moment, she had a sudden realization.

His Majesty would definitely go to the front line. In this situation, no matter who was lying in the Treatment Pod, no matter how unwilling he was, he would not stay.

An Emperor. This is what an Emperor is.

But this was Jiamu's last chance. If The Emperor let go now, he might not return for a long time.

The plan The Emperor mentioned about letting her try together tomorrow would simply vanish.

It didn't matter if her coming here was meaningless. But did this mean that Jiamu's faint 'heart-fire,' hidden who-knows-where, would never have another chance to be ignited?

Gamble!

Tu Nan leaned back and plunged straight into the Treatment Pod with a splash, causing the liquid to oscillate violently.

She didn't know what to do, but it didn't matter.

She had to try.

Tu Nan stubbornly pressed down on The Emperor's hands, holding Jiamu's head along with him.

Submerged in the liquid, she opened her green eyes and stared obstinately at The Emperor.

There was no need for words; what could The Emperor not understand?

The alarms coming from outside the half-open door explained everything.

Staring at The Emperor made Tu Nan dizzy, but he did not tell her to close her eyes.

On the contrary, the vortex in his eyes spun faster and more fiercely.

The sweat also dripped more heavily. Suddenly, he seemed to lose his strength; his hands holding Jiamu could no longer exert force, and his whole body was falling toward the water.

"Your Majesty!" Tu Nan was shocked.

Fortunately, a silver figure appeared behind him and someone caught him.

It was a Silver Armored Knight.

After a moment of daze, His Majesty opened his eyes again. Tu Nan looked at him, her expression so sorrowful.

He had reached his limit. Even if she intended to force His Majesty to try with her immediately, it was too late.

In The Emperor's eyes, Tu Nan's tears carried a different color.

Her green eyes were so deep while soaked in the liquid, yet he could still distinguish the difference between her tears and the pool of fluid.

He gritted his teeth. At that moment, he suddenly felt someone's hand press against his back.

An unusual energy fluctuation emanated from that spot.

Golden light flickered in The Emperor's eyes, the color becoming intense once more as he focused his attention on Tu Nan.

Tu Nan was pulled straight into the Void Realm.