Novels2Search

Chapter-007: Your Majesty

The bedroom door slowly opened, and the Prime Minister stepped out.

A faint trace of unhidden fatigue lingered on his face as his eyes quickly scanned the six cabinet members standing outside the door.

The six cabinet members immediately fixed their gazes on the Prime Minister, each silently asking with their eyes: How did it go?

The Prime Minister gave a slight nod, forcing a faint smile that conveyed the message, “It went relatively well.”

However, the weariness on his face was unmistakable, causing the cabinet members’ hearts to sink slightly. Things might be more complicated than expected.

Elo, his expression calm, emerged from the bedroom.

His mother approached, her tone filled with concern: “How did it go?”

Elo nodded at her. “Not too bad.”

Vian stood nearby, hesitating for a moment but ultimately saying nothing.

Elo said to his mother, "Find a place. I need to hold a meeting with them to get a detailed understanding of the current situation."

His mother smiled. “The venue is already prepared, right in the first-floor living room.”

Elo nodded and followed her down the stairs, with Vian close behind.

On the way, Vian lowered her voice and asked, "How was the talk?"

Elo replied with a hint of helplessness, “I’ve said all that needed to be said. For now, we’ll maintain the status quo.”

Vian gave a slight nod and asked no further questions.

This brief exchange reached the ears of the cabinet members trailing behind, and they couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of relief.

Though the situation was complex, the reactions from both the Prime Minister and Elo suggested that things were moving in a positive direction.

Elo descended the stairs slowly, his gaze pausing at the bottom as the layout of the first floor came into view.

The living room was centrally located, connected to the dining area and open kitchen. Though compact, the space exuded warmth and order.

Against one wall of the living room were neatly arranged bookshelves, their books and decorations complementing each other, creating a cozy yet elegant atmosphere.

Four sofas encircled a small coffee table, on which ten teacups were meticulously arranged.

A middle-aged man stood at the edge of the living room. Upon seeing Elo, he immediately lowered his head, appearing reserved.

In the corner, two guards stood silently. Their eyes were not directly fixed on Elo, yet their inadvertent glances from the corners of their eyes were keenly noticed by him.

While the guards’ glances made Elo uncomfortable, he said nothing.

His eyes scanned the living room, and it was clear that the space had been temporarily converted into a meeting venue.

The arrangement of the venue, both in its details and overall layout, demonstrates a high level of respect for the occasion and meticulous attention to etiquette.

Elo found the arrangement satisfactory and couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Elo then walked to the central seat and calmly said to the Prime Minister, "Please, take a seat."

The Prime Minister responded respectfully but did not move immediately.

He stood still, waiting for Elo and his family to be seated first. Only then did he walk to the single-seat sofa opposite Elo and sit upright.

Elo sat on the long sofa with his mother and Vian, taking the center position while his mother and Vian sat on either side.

Next, the six cabinet members took their seats on the long sofas to the left and right, three on each side, forming a symmetrical and orderly arrangement.

Their posture was upright and steady—neither overly reserved nor too casual—conveying a composed elegance that expressed genuine respect for Elo.

The Prime Minister seemed prepared to speak, but Elo interrupted before he could begin.

"Let’s not waste time with formalities. Get straight to the point."

Elo’s tone was calm, but to everyone except his mother and Vian, these words carried an undeniable sense of authority.

The Prime Minister gave a slight nod, and the other cabinet members showed no surprise at Elo’s directness.

Clearly, everyone present had anticipated this response and was prepared for it.

At the edge of the meeting room, a middle-aged man sat quietly in a single chair.

In his hand, he held a sleek writing pad with some neatly arranged paper clipped to it.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The tip of his pen moved swiftly across the pages, recording every significant statement with clarity and precision.

Meanwhile, his portable recording device was already running, unobtrusively yet efficiently capturing every detail.

The Prime Minister looked at Elo and spoke with a hint of caution:

"First, I would like to report on a few key departments related to the Imperial family..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Prime Minister stopped himself.

Elo had furrowed his brows, his expression showing clear dissatisfaction.

The Prime Minister and the cabinet members remained calm. It was obvious that they had already grasped the root of the issue.

Vian sighed softly, breaking the silence:

"You don’t want others to call you an emperor. We all understand that.

But in terms of both status and power, you are an emperor."

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, but it was straightforward and clear:

"If you want them to call you Chairman or President, that’s fine. Nobody cares.

But does it make any difference? Eventually, the meanings of ‘Chairman’ and ‘President’ will just turn into ‘Emperor.’

So, stop fooling yourself. What’s the point of going back and forth over this?"

Elo shook his head and replied calmly, "There is a difference."

Hearing this, Vian couldn’t help but laugh—a laugh full of sarcasm.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, it would matter. But this isn’t a normal situation.

Earth is gone, and all of human civilization is now reduced to these 10,000 people, along with life-sharing and Alaya.

And now, you’re telling me this is a normal situation?

These 10,000 survivors are all elites—not a single one of them is a fool.

Some may not have high academic credentials, but their overall abilities surpass those of university PhDs.

Do you think using the titles ‘Chairman’ or ‘President’ will deceive them in this context?

Dream on! Every one of them can see that you are, in essence, an emperor.

Most importantly…"

Here, Vian hesitated for a moment before finally speaking with resignation:

"A constitutional monarchy was already the result of a compromise between the government and parliament.

In reality, what they wanted was an absolute monarch because almost everyone understands how you view responsibility:

It’s not ‘the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility,’ it’s ‘the greater the public power and the more social resources one controls, the greater the responsibility.’

So, they chose an imperial system. Absolute power means absolute responsibility.

This was the result of a referendum.

If you don’t trust their referendum, you can go and ask all 10,000 of them.

10,000 isn’t a lot—it wouldn’t take long to ask them all."

Elo’s emotions were complicated, and he instinctively rubbed his brow.

He didn’t fail to understand Vian’s words, but when the reality was laid before him, it still filled him with a deep sense of helplessness.

Vian was trying to make Elo fully grasp the current situation, so he wouldn’t regret today’s decisions in the future:

"Why are they pushing for an absolute monarchy?

It’s not because you are particularly wise and mighty, but because they believe an imperial system can bring more practical benefits.

Even under an imperial system, you still need to establish a government and delegate power to it, allowing the government to manage the nation on your behalf.

Whether through elections or not, your ministers will still have to be chosen from these 10,000 people."

Vian looked at Elo and spoke earnestly:

“What advantages does absolute power bring?

Even if they haven’t studied this issue, they understand Alaya’s choice.

Is Alaya stupid? Impossible.

The most crucial point is this: it wasn’t Alaya that chose you—it was you who chose Alaya.

On the very first day, Alaya told us:

Alaya cannot observe you. It was only because you allowed Alaya to observe you that it discovered you.

The same goes for life-sharing, and even more so for the creation of the Ark Little World.”

At this point, Vian paused and turned to the Prime Minister.

"Explain to him clearly what this signifies."

The Prime Minister took over the conversation, his demeanor more respectful than ever:

“Your Majesty, your existence has not only transformed humanity’s way of survival but has fundamentally redefined the future of civilization.

Technologically, life-sharing has made the lives of every survivor directly dependent on you.

As long as you live, we are free from aging, and even those who die can be resurrected.

This is not merely the continuation of life but a subversion of the natural order, elevating humanity’s logic of existence to an entirely new level.

In terms of resources, Alaya has achieved the ultimate optimization of resource allocation, making abundance a constant reality.

Even in the harshest environments, humanity can still create prosperity.

What’s even more critical is the existence of the Ark Little World, which stabilizes all of this.

As an independent space tied to your soul, the Little World possesses absolute security.

No matter how the external world collapses, even if the entire solar system is destroyed, the Little World will still exist independently.

Although the current scale of the Little World is limited, we firmly believe that, as conditions are met, its scale can expand to a minimum of solar-system-level capacity.

While internal resources within the Little World are finite, external resources can be replenished at any time.

This makes the Little World not just a refuge for survivors but the foundational cornerstone for the expansion and rebuilding of future civilization.”

“However, this is just the foundation.

Your existence transcends the concept of an ordinary leader; you have become the central symbol of human civilization.

You are not only the guarantor of our lives but also the spiritual pillar for humanity to rebuild order amidst the ruins.

Every decision you make not only shapes the current structure of human civilization but will also define the trajectory of civilization for thousands, even tens of thousands of years into the future.

This is not merely the continuation of human history but the prelude to an entirely new, glorious epic.

Such profound significance is unparalleled, exceeding even the most glorious eras of human history by an immeasurable degree!”

His mother’s lips curled faintly, a subtle smile rippling like a gentle wave before vanishing beneath her calm expression.

Vian nodded and concluded,

“So, you should feel fortunate that they didn’t directly call you ‘God.’”

Elo lowered his gaze, a trace of weariness appearing on his face.

He understood what Vian and the Prime Minister meant; he had already grasped these principles long before they even spoke.

And precisely because of this, the weight on his shoulders felt even heavier, like an unremovable shackle pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

His mother looked at him and spoke gently, her tone warm and kind:

"Let it be, alright? Don’t make things harder for the government; they’ve had a tough time over the years."

Elo raised his head and met her gaze.

In her eyes, he saw emotions she hid well—there was concern, support, and a deeply buried sense of pride and satisfaction.

At that moment, Elo understood completely:

The reason these people dared to push for a constitutional monarchy, and even explore the possibility of an absolute monarchy, was precisely because of the support of his mother as an invisible ally.

She didn’t need to say anything to anyone, nor issue any orders to the government, because everyone already knew her intentions.

Her intentions were so transparent that even Elo could see through them.

Vian was right—the constitutional monarchy was the result of compromise by everyone involved. This was already the best possible outcome.

With resignation, Elo accepted it all and nodded. “Let’s do it this way.”

His mother smiled faintly, nodding in response. There was a hint of relief in her eyes, but she said nothing more.

Vian also remained silent, though the corner of her mouth curled into a barely noticeable smile.