Chapter 162: Civil War

When it came to the final question slot, Flavia brimmed with confidence. Surely, the Sovereign would choose her. Had he not singled her out before, gifting her such precious treasures?

But her confidence faltered. Theo’s gaze skipped her entirely, landing on the captivating female operative he had flagged earlier. "What would you like to ask?" he inquired.

Flavia was stunned. Why hadn’t he chosen her? After all those investments, didn’t he hold her in special regard?

The enchanting operative, delighted, blushed as she posed a highly technical question regarding Supreme-tier bottlenecks. Theo answered effortlessly, his detailed response leaving her eyes sparkling with newfound comprehension.

Then, to her greater surprise—and Flavia’s profound dismay—Theo looked at the woman with clear appreciation. "You have excellent insight," he said. "This is an Astral Enlightenment Pill. It will sharpen your sensitivity to the universal laws, helping you reach the peak of the Supreme tier years ahead of schedule."

The crowd gasped as he presented the glowing silver pill. Astral Enlightenment Pills, forged from the silver leaves of the mythical Astral Enlightenment Tree, were thought to have been lost during the Old Dynasty. They could drastically shorten a Supreme-tier operative’s training time, their value far exceeding a million high-grade Aether-crystals. And the Sovereign was just giving it away?

All eyes turned to the enchanting operative with raw envy. Trembling, her voice soft and sweet, she stammered, "Sovereign, this is too precious..."

Theo smiled, stepping closer. He gently took her gauntleted hand, placing the pillbox in her palm. "No need for formalities. If you truly wish to thank me, pledge your loyalty to Princess Aurelia’s faction."

She didn’t mind him holding her hand—in fact, she eagerly offered her other hand to clasp his. Join the Princess’s faction? That was no issue at all. She agreed instantly. In the past, Aurelia’s icy aloofness and lack of political resources deterred knights from swearing fealty to her. But now? Joining meant proximity to the Sovereign, whose generosity was legendary. Surely, the faction’s benefits would be limitless.

As the enchanting operative agreed, other disciples—male and female—raised their hands in a frenzy.

"Sovereign, I want to pledge my loyalty too!"

"Sovereign, I have a dream!"

"Sovereign, please let me join the Princess’s vanguard!"

Theo smiled softly, waving them off. He selectively recruited only female operatives with potential exceeding a thousandfold multiplier. His standards for the Investment Protocol were high; only those above this threshold were worth the Syndicate’s capital. Six female knights were confirmed to join, each receiving an unrefined Astral Enlightenment Leaf as a welcome gift, sparking another wave of crushing envy.

Undoubtedly, Princess Aurelia’s faction was poised to become one of the most sought-after political blocs in the Imperial Capital.

With the gifting complete, the system’s max-critical hit notifications rang in Theo’s mind like a choir. He was deeply satisfied. At his next seminar, even more female operatives would surely attend. Funneling high-potential knights into Aurelia’s faction would ensure that, once he and the Princess formalized their political alliance, he would have a vast array of high-yield targets to exploit.

After carefully explaining the divine pill’s usage, Theo released the enchanting operative’s hand without lingering and returned to the Pavilion’s inner sanctum.

The enchanting operative looked crestfallen. The Sovereign had held her hand with such focus—she had hoped for a private lecture.

When word of the Abyssal Sovereign’s first seminar spread, the Imperial Capital was stunned. Enlightenment Pills, mythical leaves—each priceless, yet Theo handed them out like loose change. Knights who had dismissed the lecture out of political pride now severely regretted missing a fortune. Even those once overtly hostile toward the Syndicate began to question: could someone so generous truly be the villain the Imperial Senate painted him as?

More and more resolved to attend the next seminar, hoping to catch the Sovereign’s eye.

For a week, Theo’s actions dominated the Capital’s rumor mill.

The highest echelons of the Imperial Senate also caught wind of Theo’s spectacle. Emperor Valerian and several Grand Senators sat in council, their expressions varied. Initially, they had viewed the marriage alliance as a mere diplomatic transaction to stall the Syndicate’s expansion. They hadn’t expected Theo to not only integrate into the Capital, but to lecture and distribute extravagant gifts—treasures that even the Senate elders coveted.

"Could Princess Aurelia have tamed the Sovereign, making him genuinely want to support the Empire?" one Senator speculated.

The Emperor frowned, puzzled by Theo’s long-game.

But a mature female Senator, her cold phoenix eyes glinting with suspicion and hostility, sneered. "Impossible. I wager the Sovereign harbors ill intentions. He might be using these seminars to spread flawed Aetheric teachings, subtly undermining the foundations of our next generation of prodigies. We cannot underestimate him. At his next lecture, I will personally observe. If there is an issue, we will seize him and cripple his Aether-core as a warning."

The Emperor and the other Senators could not agree to such drastic measures. They stayed silent, knowing Senator Ling’s closest confidant had died during a Syndicate raid in the Northern Marches, fueling her deep animosity toward Theo and the alliance. Crippling him was out of the question; it would spark a civil war.

The Emperor spoke calmly. "Senator Ling, please attend the next seminar discreetly and assess if the Sovereign has ulterior motives. If you find definitive proof of sabotage, report back to us, and we will handle him politically."

Senator Ling nodded, her eyes burning with resolve to expose the Abyssal Sovereign’s true nature.

A week later, the second seminar began. The crowd was enormous—over five thousand Imperial knights packed the mountain slopes. Though numerous, the overall quality had dipped. Aside from those already recruited to Aurelia’s faction, only two newcomers possessed a thousandfold potential.

But Theo’s eyes soon sparkled.

Hovering discreetly in the spatial void above the crowd, he spotted a mature, aloof female cultivator. Her Aetheric signature marked her at the Divinity Separation tier, and her potential blazed with a staggering two-thousandfold multiplier.

She had arrived at the perfect moment.𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚