Chapter 621: Departure
Ten more weeks passed away in the blink of an eye.
Qilin Empire and Pearl River kingdom lost the war against Genesis Federation, under the leadership of Commander Alina. It was actually a brutal war.
Unlike Shi Chong, the Ming Dynasty refused to bend his knee even when his defeat became certain. Even after Emperor Ming was killed, the war didn't end, as his son stubbornly continued to fight, and neither did most of the vassal lords try to rebel.
It was quite a bloody affair. Or else, it would have only taken Mark a couple of days to make it fall.
Alina tried her best to keep casualties to a minimum, but still, more than 400,000 civilian casualties and the death of 300,000 soldiers (that's almost 90% of the entire force) occurred in the end.
As a gesture of good faith for the former Kun Empire, the only empire that accepted the annexation without any resistance, the Entire Qilin Empire was merged into the kingdom of Kun, increasing its size bigger than the Golden Eagle Kingdom and turning it into the biggest vassal state.
As for the Pearl River kingdom, they gave up midway through the war, and hence, Mark handed back their governance, although with limited autonomy.
From the wars, the vassal state kingdoms started their recovery process. The robots were aggressively mining gold, ether ores, and rare materials all over the continent so that the economy would see stability very soon.
As if Mark put away his grudge, he also established friendly relations with the Dragon Empire, although it is strictly on trade and nothing else. He put an AI robot and a bunch of robots in every kind of department so that innovation would rise at a quicker pace.
With nothing else to do, Mark was prepared to say goodbyes to his family. Because of Behemoth's threat, He decided to leave Song Yue and Lu Shan in Vienna City.
A formal coronation ceremony was held at Vienna, which has seen not just the vassal lords but even the Emperors from abroad. Only the Tang Dynasty sent its prime minister as an envoy. Almost all leaders of the sects belonging to the continent were present. The leaders of Mage, Archery, and Assassin guilds were also there, mainly to amends. The swordsman guild leader wasn't seen in the ceremony as the guild was banned long ago all over the continent after the war with Leon Empire, The members were either advised to join other guilds or face exile.
Mark made everyone witness the strength of Genesis Federation so that no one would attempt anything foolish in his absence. In the grand parade that went on for atleast two hours, thousands of robots displayed their sheer number, uniformity, and various formations; AI-controlled robots displayed their attribute skills and showcased the powers of demigods in a protective barrier. It was such a visual treat; Lan Ju, Jinlong, and the four guardian beasts also made their appearance to remind everyone of their existence. Fu Sheng/Eol and Allen sparred in a protective barrier, giving a treat for the audience but a firm threat to the guests, showcasing that the Federation doesn't just have puppets and beasts, they also have demigod warriors.
Too bad that Sylvandria once again missed the event. Mark confronted her and she said that she was in the middle of cultivating some ancient technique. Mark had to believe her and not bother her anymore.
Once the coronation ceremony was over, Shen Ling was officially appointed as the Empress Regnant of Genesis Federation. It was also when people understood that the Chancellor's title that Mark held actually had a different set of powers than they thought, and he was only exercising the Empress' powers so far because there were none.
As the Chancellor, Mark was the head of the military, akin to a Supreme Commander/Supreme General.
Secondly, he holds the highest legislative authority. Mark was the constitutional head, meaning his permission was required to enact any law in the country. He also has the veto to reverse any decision made by Empress Regnant.
Thirdly, in the absence of Empress Regnant, there would be no acting Empress Regnant. Instead, he would hold her powers as well.
One could say he is more like a counterpart of the Empress Regnant or the Shadow Emperor.
But, he had his limitations as well, now that an Empress Regnant is appointed.
He cannot initiate or execute policies directly without the Empress Regnant's approval either, unless within the military domain.
As for the Empress Regnant, Shen Ling is the sovereign ruler who directly rules over the people. She had all the powers that a ruler would usually have, except that she wasn't a monarch who could just make decisions whatever she wanted.
In his absence, she would also take over his constitutional powers but share the authority with the Vice Chancellor over the military, each requiring the other's approval to make changes to the military, for the war, or whatever that is significantly big. And, when the Vice-Chancellor is also absent, she would have the power of the monarch.
Apart from those two, the third strongest existence in the country was the revived Genesis Cabinet, which even had the power to override Mark's veto or the Empress' decisions, although it would need atleast a 75% vote. The head of the Genesis Cabinet was given the title Vice Chancellor, and at the moment, 18-year-old Shang Jiao, the youngest demigod in the history of mankind, was the Head.
The day of the departure arrived.
A lot of loved ones, once again, apart from Sylvandria, were gathered in a private chamber of the mansion as Mark, Shang Jiao, and their grand-uncle Shang Jing were prepared to leave.
And the entire room was filled with nothing but the cries of a baby; the 4-month-old Shen Yi clung to Mark like glue, not willing to leave him. As for 18-month-old Lu Shan, he just stood there, grabbing his mom's hand. He was completely calm and collected, although his eyes said otherwise. Tears welled up in those cute little eyes, but they didn't leave the eyes. His free wrist was tightly clenched as Mark soothed the baby girl and put her to sleep, giving her to Shen Ling's best friend and personal maid.
As the three of them formed a circle and grabbed each other hands with a white colored stone put in the center, Lan Jing spoke, "Hold each other tight no matter what. If you miss, we will be stranded across the plane instead of directly returning home."
"We know, you have already said it, Grand-uncle. Let's get over this," said Shang Jiao.