8.10

It didn't matter how loudly she cried out that this was impossible. It didn't matter how hysterical she worked her self up to be either. Everyone inside the hall clearly witnessed the fact that Tang Ao and Jovin were able to successfully turn on the prophesy book.

Tang Ao immediately sent people to organize the defense network for the galaxies that were in the direct path of the magnetic storm the second he exited the temple.

The government had to exploit the negative and positive poles of the storm. It was a magnetic storm after all. Therefore, they needed to build magnetic towers on each of the planets that would be hit by the storm. Theses magnetic towers would repel the storm and force it to change its course.

However, which planet, where on the planet, as well as whether they required a negative or positive charged tower couldn't be determined easily. Furthermore, they also needed to know the specifications for how the tower should be built. Blueprints for such a tower weren't laying in the back of their storages. These things needed to be drafted.

Even though Qiao Chen had long known about all these things because of his system, he needed to use the prophesy book as a cover. To stay safe, Qiao Chen needed to claim to know all of these things due to the prophesy book's calculations

It was a completely different matter to build a magnetic tower for this great nation. They had never thought of building a magnetic tower before. It was nothing like a house or even a commercial building.

The tower required a lot of rare ores and various advanced equipment. Luckily for the nation, they only needed to build a magnetic tower on six locations. Once the blueprints were drafted with the 'prophesy book's knowledge', the government needed to move quickly. These towers required a lot of manpower and funds to build them all in such a short amount of time.

The manpower wasn't difficult to find. There were always ample people on each planet who would volunteer to work for the greater good of the nation. The real problem, however, lay in the treasury. The capital needed to allocate enough funds from the national treasury and send it all to these planets to begin construction. Unfortunately, the national treasury simply couldn't afford such a massive payment. The citizens were all in an uproar. The nation was on a brink of disaster, and it seemed like the government was refusing to help.

The Ministry of Finance had no choice but to bow to the public indignation and release proof. A detailed revenue and expenditures document was published to the public in order to prove that the government honestly couldn't afford to pay for the defense project. The public was even more upset once these documents were published. The report showed that most of the national treasure, all their tax money, was all spent due to the royal family's lavish life of hedonism.

The magnetic storm grew closer and closer, and there wasn't much time left to spare. The magnetic towers needed to be built by all possible means. In this time of darkness, Tang Ao shone brightly. He was able to draw out most of the money required from the southern galaxy's providence coffers. Furthermore, there were voluntary donations from the people. With these two funds combined, there was enough money to complete the project. The money was quickly sent to the planets that needed it. The planets all built the magnetic towers at top speed and were able to complete it before the magnetic storm reached the edge of their nation.

—-

The roars from the magnetic storm seemed to be tearing the very fabric of time and space apart. The people who weren't even within the storm's pathway could even hear it from their planets. They were terrified. As for those who were within the storm's course, well they only had one word to describe their state of minds- 'panic'. If they were still clear headed enough to think of any more ways to describe their situation then the phrase would be 'scared to out of their minds'. It felt like they were on the verge of an apocalypse. No one in this country had survived a magnetic storm before, so doubts and fear bubbled in their minds.

The people on those planets had to experience the storm head on for three days and three nights. Once the storm was finally repelled, everyone felt like they had survived by the skin of their teeth. Even though magnetic storms were basically death sentences for anyone unfortunate enough to encounter them, no one died. There wasn't even a single casualty. Even the buildings weren't damaged. It felt like a miracle. Everyone was deeply grateful and ecstatic for such a fortunate fate.

Tang Ao's popularity among the people soared. The officials who originally supported Tang Ao in the first place took advantage of the public favor and pushed more people towards Tang Ao's side. It wasn't very long before most of the people in the nation strongly supported Tang Ao's bid for the throne.

Tang Ao and Jovin were able to activate the prophesy book. Tang Ao had the people's support. Furthermore, Tang Ao and his father had been steadily slipping in their supporters on the capital planet for decades now. This was why Tang Ao had an overwhelming advantage compared to any other members of the royal family. It wasn't long before Tang Ao was able to smoothly enter the palace. He would soon ascend the throne.

——

The Queen stood by the car. She was due to leave the imperial palace now. She had mixed feelings as she looked at the palace she called home for so many years now. She believed that she would have stayed their long enough to have died in it. She never expected to leave in such a miserable manner.

In fact, she had long accepted it. She knew what was going to happen the second that Jovin and Tang Ao activated the prophesy book. No one else would be able to ascend the throne if there was already someone who was able to activate the prophesy book. It was a given fact.

Qiao Chen stood in the distance and looked back at the former Queen as she was lost in her thoughts. This woman was above everyone for the most of her life. She was the one who was so high that it seemed like she lived among the clouds. However, Qiao Chen had pulled her down to the earth. He didn't need to do anything else anymore for his revenge. The people who the Queen thoroughly offended would naturally jump at the chance for their revenge.

Qiao Chen never really believed that his vengeance required him to personally kill the offending party. In all honesty, he wanted them to live on. Qiao Chen believed that the greatest revenge was for them to suffer in life. It was best when they suffered so much that they wished for death, but be forever unable to find the release that they so dearly desired.

"What are you doing here?" Tang Ao asked as he approached from behind.

"Watching our former Queen." Qiao Chen replied. He continued to observe the former Queen delay her exit.

Tang Ao walked to Qiao Chen's side and embraced his shoulders.

"What are you watching her for? It's quite natural that there'd be a loser when one is the victor. You will be above her very soon. You'll be able to do as you please."

"I'm just appreciating her desperate looking face." Qiao Chen said. "Do you think she'd ever regret forcing me to marry Farley if she knew the truth about why and how she and her son ended up like this?"

"These types of people will only hate others even more once they know the truth. She's the kind of person who would hate others for not bending to her whims. She doesn't understand the word regret, so she'll never regret the things she has done." Tang Ao snorted.

Tang Ao also looked over at the former Queen. He thought back to when his grandmother was the Queen. She was forced to leave the palace with his father. His dad should have been very young at that time and his grandmother should have been filled with hatred and unwillingness. His grandfather's death was too peculiar and sudden after all…

The former Queen stood for a long time before finally entering the car and leaving the palace forever. Tang Ao squeezed Qiao Chen a bit closer before they turned around and walked back in.

Since both the former Queen and Farley had left the palace, their titles should have changed as well. They were now addressed as Countess Rosely and Count Farley from now on.

Tang Ao's succession ceremony was held at the same time as his wedding with Qiao Chen. He fulfilled his promise of a beautiful wedding for Qiao Chen. Their wedding was grander than grand. The elegance of the wedding was second to none. This was also the stage where he publicly announced that Jovin was as important as the throne was to him.

In reality, if Tang Ao had to choose between the throne and Jovin, then he'd choose Jovin without hesitation. Unfortunately, he couldn't let other people know this. Before the public and the nation's officials, the King must value the nation and throne above all. The King's partner could not be above the either.

Tang Ao immediately purged and reformed all the bad habits and hedonistic manners of the empire after he took reign. He swept out the lazy officials who were paid to do nothing as well as the hedonistic nobles who were addicted to their daily pleasures.

The von der Woods never had any real power for quite a few decades now. This meant that they weren't able to commit any serious mistakes like other nobles. However, they were still demoted and had their titles removed due to their poor conduct and life styles.

Jovin's eldest aunt cried until there was snot and tears covering her face as she left the Earl's Manor. She was forced to move into the civilian's residential district. As she packed up her belongings, she didn't forget to curse Jovin, "That damned Jovin. He was able to climb to such heights, but he still has to throw rocks on our family. What an ungrateful dog. How could he forget the favor we've done for him? We were the ones who raised him up to adulthood."

"How do you still have the nerve to say those things? If you treated him with even a little bit of respect then our family wouldn't have fallen to where we are now. I have no title. I have no respect. We're going to live a difficult life from now on, and this is all because of you." Jovin's eldest uncle scolded angrily.

"How was I supposed to know how good he'd have it? He was even divorced before, yet here is now as King. Even if I didn't treat him as well as he liked, that doesn't mean he should be getting revenge like this. What a cold hearted man. Anyways, you're still his uncle. Why doesn't he have any familial affection for you?" Jovin's eldest aunt retorted. She never forgot to shift blame away from her.

Jovin's aunt thought that Jovin was getting revenge on them. However, Qiao Chen had nothing to do with why the von der Woods lost their title. As a matter of fact, Qiao Chen had completely forgotten that they even existed. They were one of the many nobles and officials who lost their jobs and titles due to Tang Ao's reform.

Qiao Chen was still sleeping soundly in his giant bed in the master bedroom as Jovin's eldest aunt continued to curse his name. He had only fallen asleep just before dawn and was exhausted.  The last thing he thought of before falling asleep was how to force Tang Ao into a period of abstinence. Qiao Chen knew that he'd die in bed if he didn't do something about Tang Ao.

Tang Ao returned to the bedroom at noon. He had already dealt with all his work in the morning and wanted to have a nice lunch with Qiao Chen. Tang Ao pulled the blankets away and dug out Qiao Chen who had burrowed into the bed. Tang Ao gave Qiao Chen a hug and began kissing Qiao Chen's face in an attempt to lovingly wake him up.

Qiao Chen had been awake for most of the time, but he didn't want to open his eyes. Eventually, he pushed Tang Ao away and impatiently complained, "You're so annoying. You don't let me sleep at night, and now you don't want to let me sleep during the day either? What do you want now?"

"Let's eat and then you can go back to bed. You didn't have breakfast, so that means you can't skip lunch." Tang Ao replied. Then he grabbed Qiao Chen's hand and pressed his lips against it for a affectionate kiss.

"How can I sleep immediately after eating? Can't I just sleep right now? You're so annoying- annoying I tell you." Qiao Chen reluctantly opened his eyes and got out of bed. Qiao Chen changed his tone and threatened, "If you don't let me have a good night's sleep tonight, then don't even think about sharing the same room with me anymore. We'll live in separate rooms, and you can sleep by yourself."

Qiao Chen went to the bathroom and washed up before having lunch with Tang Ao. Tang Ao had just become the King, so there were numerous tasks and duties waiting for him. Tang Ao was forced to return to work quickly after their lunch date.

Qiao Chen relaxed in the recliner. Richie place the freshly brewed cup of black tea on the table beside Qiao Chen. Then he commented, "Young Master, I heard that Mandy is getting married."

"Really?" Qiao Chen yawned and asked. "To whom?"

"To the third son from Count Rudolph's family. I heard that he has a bit of a lame leg, so I'm not sure what benefits Count Rudolph promised or gave to the Cutittas for them to agree to such a marriage." Richie gossiped.

Qiao Chen chuckled and took a sip of the black tea. He knew that the Cutittas couldn't allow Mandy to marry Farley anymore. Mandy himself might not even be willing to marry Farley anymore either. Farley deeply loved and cared for Mandy. Unfortunately, Mandy's feelings on the other hand… well they weren't anywhere near as pure as Farley's.

"How is Farley doing on his end?" Qiao Chen asked.

"I heard that he kicked up a huge fuss at the Cutittas' family home. He insisted on marrying Mandy- but do you know what? He ended up being beaten up by Mandy's own brothers." Richie answered with a sigh. "Mandy's brother spared no expense and used to take advantage of everything they could when Mandy and Farley were together. They were quite quick to 'turn a new leaf' and go against Count Farley now that he is of no use to them."

Qiao Chen thought for a bit before asking, "How about Countess Rosely? Has the title been taken back?"

"Yes, that was why Countess Rosely didn't go make any trouble after Count Farley had been beaten up. Oh, that's right…." Richie suddenly remembered, "The Master's title of Earl was taken away. Now the Master and his family can't even live in the high-end residential areas anymore. They've been forced to live in the civilians' district. If I recall correctly, they should be moving out today."

Qiao Chen thought inwardly, 'Master?… Oh yeah, that should be eldest uncle and his family.' Qiao Chen had nearly forgotten the entire existence of this 'family' of his.

"When did you become such a gossiper?" Qiao Chen looked at Richie doubtfully. Richie usually refrained from speaking so much. He spent most of his time quietly.

Richie smiled embarrassedly. "His Royal Majesty said that it wasn't good for you to sleep immediately after eating, so he told me converse with you for a bit."

Qiao Chen snorted softly before he turned his thoughts toward Richie's gossip. The people who made his last life a living hell and pushed him into the abyss were nothing more than post-meal gossip.