Cara stopped when she saw the gazes of the soldiers pointed at her. Shi Lang said, “Do not think so much. Do not hesitate. They have been told by the galactic council that you call the shots now. What you need to do is to hold your chin up and step forward. The rest, I will handle.”
His words were dominant but they calmed the nerves of the little girl. She replied, “Despite all this, they worship the strong. Within a year, I might be safe, but later, they will have the right to challenge me according to the culture of Arcadia.”
Shi Lang smiled and said, “You do not have to worry, I will help you with the part of getting stronger, and believe me, you will be stronger than any of these clowns on the beam.”
Cara chuckled and then she moved forward with the rest of the team following her half a step behind. Shi Lang spotted a strange aura outside the ship and then he let out his own aura. Now that he was standing on the planet which was brimming with spirit energy. He was once again back at the top of his strength like he was a few days ago.
The bloody aura inside him broke out towards the Arcadian army like a flood. Shi Lang was using his skills to make the spiritual energy move in the surroundings and this skill made everyone feel like the wind has become heavier.
The general at the front could only gnaw his teeth, this person was a loyalist and he did not think of Cara as a person capable to rule, after all, she was a sinned fruit. However, at this moment, he was not gnawing his teeth because of the hatred but the pressure that was making his head bow slowly.
Shi Lang was not strong enough to weaken the knees of the person and let him fall on his knees, but making his neck bend forward was not a difficult task for him. The military around was also the same, they all could sense that the source of this suppression was none other than Shi Lang, they were scared of this man who slaughtered their brethren like they were nothing, and this was also the reason they hated him.
Jenkins joked, “Captain, you have their complete attention.”
Shi Lang replied, “If you think they hate me, you are correct, but just like I killed their people, they would like to kill you in front of me to repay that debt. You also have their complete attention.”
His words were like cold water poured on Jenkins. The others all smiled and Shi Lang said, “War face on.”
They were not wearing any masks at the moment, only Shi Lang was wearing a mask. Why? Because he needed to subdue these people in front of him and make sure that Cara achieved her goals smoothly.
The team walked closer to the General. The man saluted Cara and said, “Greetings, Your Excellency.”
Cara nodded and asked in a calm manner, “Take us to the Sin Palace, General Riu.”
Rui was somewhat similar to how the previous emperor looked like. He asked, “Your excellency, why do you intend to go to that place? It is misfortunate.”
Cara replied with a faint smile, “I am a sinned fruit in the eyes of the whole empire, and that place is my home more than the imperial palace ever was. Since I have been asked to sit on the throne, I will sit in a place where it is most comfortable for me. However, you do not have to worry, I intend to re-build a center of government where the old Imperial palace stood.”
Rui wanted to say something when Shi Lang said, “General do you need the Empress to tell you the same thing twice?”
His cold tone made the people go silent and then the general glared at him. However, when Shi Lang turned his head to look properly at the man, the pressure made the person turn his head to a side. He said, “Please this way, Your Excellency.”
Cara nodded and walked ahead with Rui on her rights side, and Shi Lang on her left. The pace was not fast, but it was not slow as well. Cara was slightly afraid that the military will lose control of their rage and they will attack Shi Lang.
She was not an ignorant child. She could tell that all the glares were locked at Shi Lang, after they retrieved the satellite footage they found that these people were all ignoring her. She wondered if Shi Lang was fine, but she sensed nothing unusual from him.
The people moved and they came to board the levitating vehicles. Shi Lang and Cara were in one carriage with General Rui while the rest of the officials and the Terran team sat in the carriages behind. The journey was longer than Shi Lang had expected and all this time, he was using his ability and filling himself with as much spiritual energy as he could.
Cara sensed something odd, in the past when she would make the trip to the Sin palace, the atmosphere would be very cold, but today it felt very warm to her. The trip was rather silent. Cara suddenly asked, “General Rui, you are a loyalist, right?”
Shi Lang was surprised that this girl would suddenly ask such a question. General Rui nodded and Cara asked, “Then can I ask you a few questions.”
Rui replied with a nod. The girl asked, “Are you loyal to Arcadia or to the royal bloodline?”
The general was stumped and Shi Lang revealed a smile behind the mask. Rui said, “To Arcadia.”
Cara smiled and said, “If you are so loyal to Arcadia and not the royal bloodline then why do you hate me? Do you think that a person who is not even capable to admit his mistakes can be a good ruler? Do you think that the royal bloodline is born differently than any other Arcadian?”
General Rui found that this little girl was not simple and she was trying to get inside his head. He replied, “I can tell what you are trying to do, but invoking my guilt will get you nothing and…”
Cara shook her head and said, “Wrong, I have no requirement to get inside your head, General. I am only checking if you have a conscience like I expect you to or are you as hypocritical as the royal family was. You hate the man beside me because he killed so many brave soldiers. However, do you not know that the fate of a soldier is decided by the actions of their ruler? Do you think that all this was my fault? Then, for example, let me ask you, who was the one who raped my mother? As a prideful emperor that wretch did not even acknowledge the wishes of a humble maid, do you think he would have been able to acknowledge what the whole empire wanted?
Was it my fault to be born from his deeds? Was it my mother’s fault to be beautiful? Then what about those bastards born from his wife, they dared to lay a hand on my mother and that too in front of me. Were they going to bring glory to the Empire? Or do you think those women in the imperial family, who never respected a fellow woman were going to be empathic towards the empire?”
Her breath was already in disorder, she has given up on the calm and composed facade of the empress but at this moment she was a dominating tyrant, exactly the kind of a person who could bring order to this twisted empire.
Shi Lang patted on her shoulder and said, “Take a deep breath, those dead people are not worth losing temper.”
Cara took a few deep breaths and sat down. She said, “Those people who were scared of letting the masses even see them were going to bring order to the empire? General Rui, if you have any intelligence left then you know deep down, that my actions have liberated the empire from a tyrant. You may not understand the significance now, but in the coming months I will show you that a ruler is not someone born with a tag, but someone who can lead everyone by example.”
Her firm gaze was locked with the shocked general and her words had left a deep impression in his heart. General Rui said, “Then your excellency, I look forward to your promise. I will suppress the people for six months and if you could not give me a good result then please pardon me, but prepare for the challenge of power.”
Cara nodded and sat back in her seat with a calm face. Shi Lang was surprised and could tell that she was feeling smug at this moment. He said, “What do you intend to do now, Cara?”
General Rui would have told him to be respectful but then he had yet to acknowledge Cara, so he did not.
Cara said, “Rectify the corrupt and create a new system of governance throughout the empire. General Rui, I would like to have your executioner team on stand by, the stains of sin need to be cleansed with blood.”
Her words shocked the general.