Julius didn’t get any sleep, feeling energetic throughout the night. While everybody was snoozing in their resting spots, he sat in the living room of his residence, reading a stack of hardcover books. The record of Raal’s history was fascinating. In his remembrance of the first meeting with Empress Cai and Daiyu, he was told more of the present scenarios and contemporary events. What he didn’t know was that every century there will always be a world-changing or an evolution of unprecedented events occurring. While every quincentennial number of years (500) was more of a revolutionary. The story of the stairway to the high plateau was four quincentennial years ago. Before Empress Cai’s father was her grandfather, who was the patriarch of a new era within the Cai family. His son’s corruptive greed ambushed and fractured his long-term goal after his death. Prosperity and an era of peace were wiped out by his son’s first orders at his first moments of bonding with the throne. Surprisingly, the short, near-decade reign of Empress Cai wasn’t recorded as much in quantity compared to her father and grandfather’s roles. Only when Julius took over the mantle when freedom of expression was granted, following a mass load of truth from their perspectives, revealed a unanimous agreement of how shit of a person the father was. The decades of his reign were blasphemy and criminal.
There were a couple of stacks of books on each side of the table, left and right. They were taken from the residence’s library. Between the two sides were empty sheets of paper with a few writing utensils. The right stack was where the books he had finished reading since the meal. There were four, all related to the history of the West Cai Dynasty and its historical figures. Skoltor’s capabilities assisted him in gaining information quickly. For a long while, Julius used his smartphone. It was at a low battery this time, so he used his generative electricity and recharged it through a slight touch near the cable socket. Living in Raal for a while made him independent of using phones. He finally used it because all the exclusive blueprints and public patents were stored in a folder. The opportunity to review them now was the right time.
He left the phone idle while finishing the last ten pages of the fifth book. By the last page, he closed the brown hardcover and put it in the right stack. Glaring on the blank pieces of paper, Julius took the pen and began writing it down. The left stack of books remained seven thick, hardcovers, and the fifth book he finished was the last historical book. The rest are general subjective topics and policies that have passed since its founding two thousand years ago. Once a third of the first sheet of paper was filled, Julius stopped for a moment and glared at anything awkward. After a couple of edits and marks, he set the paper down and prepared to read the sixth book, Cai’s Monetary Policies in The Last Two Hundred Years. A more recent approach. He opened the first page while the idled phone turned silent.
When he opened it, there was a knock on the door, interrupting his focus. At this hour? That’s weird. He thought after hearing the sound. Then again but continuously pounding noises that rumbled the door. A little annoyed, he got up and placed his book down. Getting closer to the entrance, Julius sensed no strong qi outside. The pounding suddenly stopped. His greatsword summoned to his right hand while facing the left door. Quietly, one hand on the doorknob while the other gripping the hilt. Someone was still out there because the door pounding returned, prompting Julius to violently open the door.
“Woah!” a surprised yell from outside.
“Good lord. What the hell are you doing here at this hour? It’s way past midnight,” Julius said.
The door swung fully outward, revealing the journalist and Senator Tang Cheng, the former being the one who banged on the door. “I can’t sleep. Also, Senator Tang Cheng is back in the capital, so he called me.”
“I rarely sleep. Most of the family doesn’t sleep. Your body heals twenty-four-seven,” Senator Tang Cheng said.
“My god, I guess restrained strength flows through every one the more I realize,” Julius muttered, glaring at the journalist to be certain. “Unless, Rui, you aren’t a cultivator?”
He shook his head. “I’m barely to be even called one. My qi count is too weak.”
“Darn, sorry to hear…But please come in. No use of staying outside.” Julius invited the two in. He grabbed the door and gave a one-eighty swing, slamming the door back and locking it. “You two want something to drink? I have water, baijiu, and tea.”
“Water is fine. What about you Tang?”
“Same as him.”
Julius summoned two water bottles from his virtual inventory, inviting them to sit down. He returned to his prior spot while the two took a spot on the couch. Rui saw all the books and papers on the table. He got curious. “What’s all of this you are doing?”
“Knowledge…Researching more of the issues as I draft my ideas for the bill.”
“Perfect, and Senator Tang Cheng came for something related to our meeting hours ago.” Rui turned to the latter. “You have a message from home to him in response, right?”
Senator Tang went to his pockets, pulled out a folded paper, and handed it to Julius. He opened it and gave it a read. Afterward, he flicked it to the table. “Those were some nice words from your mother. I might have to schedule a day to head down south to meet her and everyone.”
“How soon?”
“Probably in two to three days. I hope we can get the bill stuff sorted today.”
“Will it be open?”
Julius nodded. “That's the plan.”
“I'll be attending alone. My co-journalist won't be around for the session if it's today.”
“I don't mind. Since you are consistent, your presence is welcome. But I'll ask you a question twice. Now and then.” Julius leaned up from the couch. “Should we release this beyond our territory?”
“Yes,” Rui said confidently.
“I don't want too many details on the paper…only a summary.”
Rui slanted his head upwards, thinking. “That shouldn't be too much ink. How long do you think this bill would be?”
“Maybe at least ten pages,” Julius presumed. “That would also depend on how much I have on my draft.” He slid the paper where he had written a third of it. Rui went closer to the table, reviewing the paper.
“I've never even heard of this.”
Julius blinked a couple times, not understanding what he meant. Rui asked as if it was an alien; clearly, he had never heard it before. He watched him, confusingly rereading the paper. The back-and-forth eye movement was evident that Julius couldn’t help but ask. “What are you lost on? The highway part?”
“Yeah, what is that?”
“Oh…I forgot to realize,” Julius mumbled. The realization was that there were no highways or anything similar within the continent of Dong Luse, possibly the entire planet of Raal. He did analyze the map from the recent meeting but forgot that he had paid attention to the logistics of it. No highways or lengthy pavement that is not dirt. The most concrete or stone pavement he ever saw was in the capital and the tournament region. That won’t sustain for much longer if the future relies on a constant load of foot traffic from cultivators. “…that this is a new concept for you guys. Think of it like an advanced pavement.”
Rui leaned his back on the couch, putting the paper down on the table. “Tell us,” Rui replied, followed by Senator Tang Cheng’s anticipation.
“Ok, well, tell me one thing. What are the common resources or products often transported to Longyue?”
“The fishes,” Senator Tang Cheng guessed.
“Correct. Any food that our local farmers couldn’t grow. The key problem is we lost the fish supply because of the Reno invasion, and the majority of Longyue’s farmers died, leaving behind their unattended farms and fields. From the message my aunt gave me, they are likely to send some of their resources back. Logistically, we need a stable network because dirt is pretty unstable.”
“That’s a lot of pavement to work on.”
“I know. However, if the workers can be cultivators, not only do they have stamina improvements while also achieving the objective faster and efficiently, no?”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I don’t know if our family would want that?”
“Why just our family? Anybody volunteering is accepted to assist. This dilemma of workers being at the bottom of the social hierarchy is absolutely ridiculous. Without them, there wouldn’t be houses, palaces, or anything. Now that I mentioned that, I’m writing that down.” He jotted one line about social hierarchy.
The statement went beyond one and ended with four. Julius then underlined the statement before putting his pen down.
“How will you end this standard in our society? It is not that simple," Rui asked.
Julius’ eyes remained on the paper. “To establish a prosperous society, every citizen of the Dynasty must be united and together on the frontiers, striving for innovation and righteousness. Bad actors or ones who defy this proposition will be subject to punishment for going against humanity’s wishes…That’s a brief idea of what I will do.”
“So…forceful. That’s rough, sir.”
“Rui, the formalities are unnecessary; I find it pretty uncomfortable.”
“Alright, not a problem.”
“Now where was I? What other choices do we have? The West Cai Dynasty is in desperate need of a boost. I’m willing to put myself on the line, so why not anybody else? If they want peace, they are going to have to obey, as we are in a war against humanity’s enemy. We will set the example for Raal. Not Kriegshan, not Renos, or any other nations.”
“How long do you think this will be possible?”
“I don’t know…we are not supposed to know. It’s supposed to be a flowing process. The worst could be more than a decade while the hopeful expectations are much less than that. The quicker we unite all the regions, the better it will be.”
Rui opened his notebook, and he flipped through towards the bookmark, flattening the page. It was quotes he received hours ago. “Have you got a treasury department?”
Julius shook his head. “No, I was surprised there were none. Did you get some input about it? I was thinking about including it on the bill and maybe the upcoming senate session will add it.”
“I know you wanted to meet those two teenagers from the recent newspaper. But of course, they didn’t come. Afterward, I got a separate contact from another local. She’s around twenty years old, lost her family during the Raid, and trained to become the next store owner if it hadn’t been for that day. Her information to reach her is here. If you want it, I can give it to you.”
A new one? Better than nothing. I’m gonna hear what he has in store. Julius thought while his attention was away from Rui and Senator Tang Cheng. He turned back, bobbing his head down. “Tell me.”
“Her name is Míngyuè. She randomly came across me while I was walking through the first district. The note she handed me before departing was what I wrote down on this page. She was mad, grunting like an animal. Mouth covered by a cloak. The eyes were visibly distraught and burning projectiles of vengeance. In a blink, she was off, probably back to her place of rest. The note read the directions on how to get back to her. The best time is in the day—”
“I got it. Thanks,” Julius interrupted, offering his hand for the note. “…Hand me the original note.”
Rui took the folded piece of paper off from the gutter. Julius grabbed and opened it, reading the contents. He had one more question. “Is she really that mad?”
“Yes, she is,” Rui said.
Senator Tang Cheng leaned up from the couch. “You are thinking of making her join the government?”
Julius gave a closed smile. “Yes. I think she should be the first Chief of Treasury. She was trained to be a store owner, so she should have more experience of the economy here than I do. Additionally, she would be another advisor like Solomon, Feng, and Yang. However, I’ll hold my comments on anything related to policy until the session. Unless you have more urgent news, wait until the session.”
Senator’s one finger up. “One more thing, the family will be here visiting Longyue later today.”
“Great. Tell them they’re invited, and I’ll have more chairs set up for the session. If that’s all you two are free to go. I still have some work to do until morning.”
“Well, we will leave you be,” Senator Tang Cheng said, lifting himself up from the couch. “I’ll take my leave…Rui?”
Rui, jotting something in his journal, stood up and put it away in his carry bag. “Nice to know that you don’t sleep.”
“And I didn’t know my family doesn’t sleep that much either. I guess I figured out why.” Julius grinned and stood up from his spot, shaking Rui’s hand before they departed. The living room returned to serenity, and he sat down returning to the sixth book before noticing the time, concluding to have plenty of time before sunrise.
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Three hours after sunrise, a fully occupied session in the main palace hall reached to its conclusion, in a break before the final vote. The one hundred senators attended, occupying Julius’s view of the left side of the senate. The ordinary citizens and a portion of Julius’s paternal family filled up the formerly empty right side.
The impressive thing was each senator had at least a page of their ideas which was all reviewed during the session. The anticipation of ten pages went through the roof to Julius’s surprise. Feng, Yang, Solomon, and Daiyu reviewed the pages like an assembly line. Each goes through a page, flowing through before passing to him for final review and consideration. Empress Cai, who sat at the designated spot since the last meeting, joined for review too. Before discarding any that was inefficient or not worth adding on the finalized bill, there were a hundred and twenty pages worth of suggestions. After everything was read, he discarded forty-six pages. The process only took almost an hour, which was shocking to the crowd as they never saw someone reading that quickly and coming off with a verdict. Afterward, he would read out the brief summary of each approved suggestion, mandated by him during the meeting in the dark large room where all summaries must be written. The mandate saved time, and it informed all the attendees of the policies in thirty minutes.
There was a free-for-all debate with the senators and guests during the review and was paused during Julius’s reading. It resumed when Julius took a break from speaking. He sat down back on the chair, chugging a bottle of water. Feng stood and stretched her arms upward. Empress Cai leaned right to Julius’s chair.
“Is that why you still call me Empress?” Empress Cai asked.
Julius swallowed the last gulp of water and crumbled the bottle. “No. Even if I didn’t reinstate you officially in the bill, I will still call you Empress. I’m more used to it than solely calling you by your first or last name.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“Don’t mention it. That would also mean you get some of your power of authority back. How do you feel about having your own military division under your command? New opportunities to embrace your perks, right?”
“I’ll be honored to…” she whispered.
After a few more minutes, he ended the debate and ordered the senators’ opinions to be settled by the manner of a vote. As long as it can get past 50 with a minimum of 51 votes or above fifty percent, the bill will be passed. He went with the roll call, going from one to a hundred. With a yay or a nay, it was straightforward.
“On all counts…” Julius looked around the space. “…seventy-eight voted for yes, and twenty-two voted no. By the minimum of the fifty percent majority, the requirement has been achieved. The bill has passed!”
All of the supporting senators and the guests stood with howling cheers, while the ones against the bill sat in silence. They appeared neutral, not mad. What happened today in the room will mark history and a new perception of thought within the recovering society. The guests will remember this moment.
“I’d never imagined a working senate in my lifetime,” Feng muttered, turning to Julius. “Incredible work of what you did.”
“Don’t take me for all the credit. It’s Longyue and everybody here today in the Senate. I should be thanking y’all. For once, Raal has a functioning form of democracy.” He clapped along with the crowd, returning smiles and gestures. Only then did he see Rui in the crowd, continuously pointing to the person beside him. Julius stopped clapping and pulled out the note. That’s her.
He tore the note, no longer needing it. His eyes returned to Míngyuè, who was standing next to Rui in a dark cloak. She did pull hers down, only revealing her face before being noticed by him. A few more seconds gave him a confirmation. That was when he vocalized to the whole hall. “Before we depart, I want to confirm to you my nomination for the Chief of Treasury, Míngyuè!”
All the clapping stopped, and simultaneously, the crowd followed the direction of Julius’s hand pointing at her.
Julius continued. “Twenty years old, but she received training from her mother in business and economics ever since she was thirteen. If the raid never happened, she would have been a well-off store owner. With that experience, she will be our first Chief of Treasury!”
The supporting senators cheered at her nomination for the position, along with the guests. Rui was right. Míngyuè had a mad face, but Julius found her more stoic. It receded a moment, and the claps went to her. She partially bowed, with the muscles around her face eased from tension before it returned to her prior expression.
After the announcement, the hall began to depart, with the hundred senators leaving first. Next, the guests, and Julius. He walked down the stairs from the senate dais while holding an executive folder that he used during the session on the lectern. As he walked out, his family and others who remained and waited for him met him. His aunt, Tang Yifei, was the one that came out of the crowd. “Congratulations,” she said, while trying not to break a smile.
He hugged her instinctively. “Thanks for coming…all of you.”
“We’d welcome you back home,” Tang Li-Mei said.
“The bill has passed, and since you guys are here willingly, at least accept my invitation to lunch at the chow hall. Additionally, I would like to offer you training through level one at the Merit Universe. It’s the least I can do.”
“That would be wonderful,” Tang Yifei accepted, finally smiling.
Behind her and next to Tang Li-Mei and Senator Tang Cheng, a bearded man came through. He verbalized in a clear, low voice. “At least you are not like my older brother.”
“You look almost like him,” Julius replied. “…Uncle?”
“Yes, kid. Unfortunately. Thank Yinhai I have a beard.” He raised his stoned arm.
“Finally meeting you in person.” Julius raised his arm, bro handshaking him. “He never told me anything about any of y’all.”
“What a prick.”
“I can agree.”