Lyon: I Really Want to Be King (Sob)

Lyon had only been in Great Ming for a few days. After all, the distance between Great Britain and Great Ming was nowhere near as short as that between the Tsardom of Russia and Great Ming.

But he still knew about what had happened yesterday. After all, the commotion had not been small.

Although Great Ming had quickly issued a notice saying it had been caused by Lu Su sparring with Motiān, the envoys of every nation were no fools. They naturally understood the hidden implications, though no one would expose them.

At that moment, Lyon was scrolling through the tablet in his hands, reading the current news from the past two days.

"Great Ming and the Tsardom of Russia are getting closer and closer."

Naturally, he had also seen that somewhat absurd report, as well as the truth hidden beneath its exaggerated coverage.

But this had little to do with Lyon. Not to mention that Great Britain was extremely far from Great Ming, even if they had any ideas, they lacked the ability to carry them out.

After all, even George VII, Great Britain’s strongest, was only a Master Card Master. He was naturally the strongest in Great Britain’s little corner of the world, but on the global stage, he could no longer be considered among the very best.

Just as his thoughts were wandering, an attendant hurried over and said softly, "Your Highness, Master Lu is waiting outside."

"Bring him in quickly."

Lyon immediately snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly replied.

He was merely a Diamond Grade Card Master. He did not dare put on airs before Lu Su, especially when there was no conflict between them.

Soon, Lu Su appeared before Lyon. Looking at the brown-haired man, who was now vastly different from the one in his memories, he smiled. "Long time no see, Lyon."

"Long time no see, Master Lu Su."

Compared to Lu Su’s ease, Lyon was undoubtedly far more restrained. Of course, this was not his fault. Ordinary Diamond Grade Card Masters did not fare much better than him when facing Lu Su.

Seeing his nervousness, Lu Su reassured him, "Just call me Lu Su."

Before Lyon could react, Lu Su looked toward the Blond Man standing quietly at his side. "You too. Long time no see, David."

That was right. David, the clergyman who had once clashed with Lu Su in Great Britain, had also come to Great Ming with Lyon. This was naturally George VII’s arrangement.

Ever since seeing Lu Su, David’s expression had been somewhat complicated.

He naturally remembered the youth before him, with whom he had once fought over a card.

When Lu Su greeted him, David merely shook his head slightly. "What happened back then was my fault, Master Lu Su."

He was referring to how he had attacked Lu Su because of Ulquiorra’s appearance.

The Blond Man’s apology was not due to the gap in strength between them. It was simply because, after arriving in Great Ming, he had learned of Lu Su’s many accomplishments.

To be honest, if this were Europa, Lu Su might already have been hailed as a living saint upon the earth.

Lu Su had not taken the matter from back then to heart at all. He smiled and said, "What’s past is past."

"I still have to thank Great Britain for being willing to attend Hall of Fame Card Master Ye’s funeral."

Blue Star was vast. Naturally, not every nation was willing to come to Great Ming for Ye Zhou’s funeral.

Some lacked the ability, while others simply did not want to come.

Of course, there was one exception.

The Indo-American Federation. Great Ming had simply not informed them.

After all, Ye Zhou’s death was somewhat connected to Adley.

Yet after hearing Lu Su’s words, a trace of bitterness appeared on Lyon’s face. "George VII had originally planned to come in person, but Great Britain’s situation is not very good right now, so I could only come in his place."

Rather than saying Great Britain’s situation was bad, it would be more accurate to say that most nations in this world were not doing well.

Even Great Ming was no exception.

Though Great Ming no longer faced the Demon Army’s threat to the north or the City within a City’s threat to the east, making it appear as though it was flourishing, those on the inside knew the truth.

Everything was merely an illusion.

Outside, there were Adley and Motiān, two Hall of Fame Card Masters whose attitudes remained unclear. Within, Secret Realms continued to emerge. And beyond all that, no one knew when the Four Calamity Gods, whom Lu Su had previously driven away, would descend once more.

Great Ming’s situation had not improved with the destruction of the Demon Army and the City within a City.

And all of this was a chain reaction brought about by Ye Zhou’s death.

However, Lu Su was not thinking that far at the moment, because he could not quite figure out why Lyon was telling him this.

If it were him, he would never disclose the detailed circumstances within Great Ming to someone from another nation. Just as Petrovna did not know the exact situation near the Shanghai City coast earlier.

Even though Lu Su and the girl had a fairly good personal relationship.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. In the end, Lu Su gave a hollow laugh, intending to gloss over the subject. "No one has it easy. I understand."

But Lyon did not follow his lead. He shook his head slightly. "No, it’s different."

"Great Britain’s situation is worse than you think, Lu Su."

"Do you know how many Master Grade Secret Realms Great Britain currently has?"

"Three. A full three."

Not everyone was a freak like Lu Su. An ordinary Master Grade Card Master would already be impressive if they could handle two Demons of the same grade at once.

Let alone three.

Seen that way, George VII could indeed be considered one of the stronger Master Grade Card Masters.

After a moment of silence, Lu Su frowned and asked, "So?"

"You want Great Ming to intervene?"

That was the only possibility he could think of.

Lyon was very candid in response to Lu Su’s question. "That’s right."

"I won’t hide it from you, Lu Su. The reason I didn’t seek out Gaul is because they are too close to Great Britain."

Make distant alliances and attack nearby enemies—clearly, Great Ming was not the only one who understood this principle.

But Lu Su did not think it was that simple. "Probably not just that, right? The Tsardom of Russia isn’t close to you either."

"And Her Majesty Catherine is a Hall of Fame Card Master."

At those words, Lyon fell silent.

Naturally, he had his own calculations.

The reason this prince of Great Britain sought Great Ming’s assistance rather than that of the Tsardom of Russia was naturally because he knew Lu Su, one of Great Ming’s higher-ups.

If Great Ming agreed to help Great Britain, there would be plenty of room to maneuver.

He could also use this opportunity to try and vie for the position of heir apparent. Compared to his other brothers and sisters, this was his only advantage, however insignificant it might be.

Unfortunately, before the brown-haired man could succeed, Lu Su saw through his intentions.

After a long while, a bitter smile appeared on Lyon’s face. He sighed. "As expected, I can’t hide it from you, Lu Su."

"Then I’ll be direct."

"If you are willing to help Great Britain, once I become the heir apparent, you may choose one set of Master Grade Materials from Great Britain’s materials vault."

A set of materials consisted of at least three pieces. The reward could not be called anything less than generous.

Unfortunately, Lyon did not know that if Lu Su wanted them, all of Great Ming’s materials were his for the taking. If Lyon’s reward had been every material in Great Britain, Lu Su might have considered it.

But that was clearly unrealistic.

So Lu Su merely smiled before saying, "Your terms are indeed very tempting, but—"

"I refuse."

Lyon froze on the spot. Then an anxious look appeared on his face. "Why?"

"If you’re dissatisfied with the reward, we can still negotiate!"

But Lu Su’s next sentence shattered his hopes. "You can’t afford the reward I want."

"I—"

Hearing this, Lyon still wanted to struggle, but Lu Su was no longer willing to keep entangling himself in this subject. He said bluntly, "If I said I wanted all of Great Britain, could you give it to me?"

With that, Lu Su stood up. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first."

As he spoke, he started toward the exit of the hall.

At that moment, a faint voice suddenly came from behind him. "I’ve read your Great Ming texts. If you are willing to let Great Britain become a vassal state and guarantee my throne…"

"I can."

At that moment, even Lu Su, who had seen plenty of grand scenes, could not help but feel stunned.

He turned around and looked at Lyon in surprise. After a while, he suddenly laughed. "You’ve got quite the scheme there, trying to catch a wolf with empty hands."

"But Great Ming has no interest in going up against a Master Card Master."

"Bring it up again when you can ‘persuade’ your king."

With that, Lu Su did not wait for Lyon to react before turning and leaving the hall.

Lyon silently watched Lu Su’s retreating back. Half his face was hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see his eyes clearly.

Lu Su was right. Great Britain was not Lyon’s personal domain. Above every prince and princess stood George VII, a Master Card Master.

If Lyon wanted to achieve his goal, he would first have to deal with him.

Outside the hall.

After meeting Lyon, Lu Su walked toward another palace while muttering inwardly, He sure has nice dreams.

Lyon’s calculations were practically being thrown in his face. It looked as though Lyon was offering a great deal, but in truth, he was trying to catch a wolf with empty hands.

Did Great Britain belong to Lyon?

Clearly not.

So even if he used all of Great Britain as a bargaining chip, he would not feel the slightest heartache. It was not his anyway.

At that thought, Lu Su could not help but sneer. He then put the matter aside and thought of the next people he was going to meet.

Goryeo had also sent representatives for Ye Zhou’s funeral.

No, it would be more accurate to say they had sent their king.

That was right. Although the peninsula had previously been controlled by Zero and Fox Jiu, descendants of the Li Clan had still survived.

One of them was a Jade Grade Card Master named Lee Ho, the nephew of the previous king of Goryeo.

It could be said that even now, he still could not believe he had inherited the throne. To Lee Ho, this was simply a pie falling from the sky.

However, this king of Goryeo intended to give Great Ming a huge surprise this time.

He straightened his clothes and asked Jin Yubin beside him nervously, "Lord Jin, do you think Imperial Ming will agree to our request?"

It had to be said that, as a member of the Li Clan, Lee Ho spoke Great Ming’s language flawlessly.

Hearing his question, Jin Yubin, who had already risen to the post of Chief State Councilor, pondered briefly before answering, "Most likely. Before us, Imperial Ming had many precedents set by its ancestors for similar matters."

At this, Lee Ho could not help but let out a long breath. Then he laughed self-deprecatingly. "Lord Jin, to be honest, even now I feel as though I’m dreaming."

"I know I do not have the talent to be king. This choice is the best one, both for me and for the Goryeo people who are still alive."

Jin Yubin could not help but comfort him. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Imperial Ming will agree."

As those words fell, the hall fell quiet.

They said Imperial Ming had ancestral precedents, but those had been observed only when the Imperial Court still existed. Things were entirely different now.

Just as they were in turmoil, an inner attendant hurried over, drenched in sweat.

"Your Majesty, Lord Luo of the superior nation is waiting outside."

"Bring him in at once."

After the attendant went out to summon him, Lee Ho and Jin Yubin unconsciously exchanged a glance, then waited restlessly.

Soon, Lu Su appeared in their sight.

Before the youth could react, Lee Ho and Jin Yubin had already fallen flat to the ground in full prostration, respectfully calling out in unison, "Lord Luo."

Seeing them act this way, Lu Su was briefly speechless.

After resolving the aftermath caused by the Four Calamity Gods, Great Ming had dispatched Card Master forces to eliminate the remaining Demons.

According to the reports from those Card Masters, the surviving Goryeo people there would basically kneel whenever they saw them, as though they were divine envoys sent by heaven.

There were even women offering themselves to them.

Fortunately, the peninsula was neither too small nor too large. The cleansing operation was completed quickly, and with Great Ming’s help, the peninsula soon returned to the Li Clan’s control.

It was also then that Jin Yubin, who had known Lu Su before, successfully became Chief State Councilor. Of course, that was also related to his prestige among the resistance forces.

After reviewing Goryeo’s current situation in his mind, Lu Su said somewhat helplessly, "Get up. Great Ming no longer practices this sort of thing."

"What do you two need from me?"

That was right. The reason he had come to meet these two from Goryeo was because they had informed Great Ming that they had an urgent request. Since Lu Su knew Jin Yubin, he had been sent over.

At that moment, Lee Ho and Jin Yubin sat upright, silently calming themselves and organizing what they were about to say.

After a while, Lee Ho once again bowed down to the floor and said solemnly, "Lord Luo, Goryeo is but a small foreign country. In recent days, thanks to the superior nation’s aid, we recovered our lost lands. It is truly a blessing from heaven. After discussion, we hope that the superior nation will permit Goryeo to be incorporated internally."

Hearing this, Lu Su could not help but pause. He had not expected Goryeo to be making such a calculation.

He frowned slightly, his expression stern. "You understand what you’re saying, right?"

"This is not something to joke about."

Internal incorporation meant that Goryeo would henceforth be directly governed by Great Ming, just like Jiang Province. Thus, Goryeo’s original bureaucratic institutions would be replaced by Great Ming’s Card Master Association.

This meant that if Great Ming agreed, Blue Star would have one fewer nation called Goryeo, while Great Ming would gain a province called Goryeo.

Put simply, Goryeo would evolve from Great Ming’s dog into its biological son.

After saying those words, Lee Ho felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. Facing Lu Su’s question, he nodded readily. "Naturally. We will never regret it."

Naturally, Lu Su could not make such a decision on his own.

After pondering for a moment, he said noncommittally, "We’ll discuss this after Hall of Fame Card Master Ye’s funeral is over."

He paused, then continued, "But it will most likely go as you wish."

For Great Ming, Goryeo’s internal incorporation had more benefits than drawbacks. Lu Su felt that his teacher and the others would ultimately agree.

Although Lu Su had not agreed on the spot, leaving Lee Ho and Jin Yubin somewhat disappointed, they still respectfully answered, "Yes."

Seeing this, Lu Su shook his head and stood up, turning toward the exit. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving."

"Take care, Lord Luo."

Lu Su waved a hand, signaling them not to stand on ceremony.

He did not even need to turn back to know that the two behind him had surely knelt again.

After leaving the main hall, Lu Su thought of Lyon again.

Lyon was right. Great Ming had indeed possessed many vassal states throughout its history.

But with the emergence of Secret Realms, those vassal states had either perished or, like Goryeo, become internally incorporated.

And if Great Britain truly became a vassal state of Great Ming one day, Lyon might not be the one calling the shots then.

"Heh."

"Trying to be clever."