Star Gate-Chapter 945: The World Changes Master (II)

“How did it go?” Manager Yu hastily asked when she saw the two emerge from the ruins.

“It’s done.”

“Really?!” Sheer delight spread across the manager’s face. She could no longer contain herself. It was done!

Those words represented too much. It meant that the backers of the nine ministries and royal family had been swept clean. It meant that the premier powerhouses that’d entered the mines had all perished.

She couldn’t believe that they’d actually succeeded!

It was now December, but roughly two weeks left until the end of the year. They’d completed the encirclement of the nine ministries and royal in the 1730th year of the Star Era. Had the two hundred years of history for the Skystar Dynasty come to an end? Would it be a new history starting next year?

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“Then now...” Yu Luocha murmured nervously. Should they go to the nine ministries? The royal family?

“We go to the nine ministries and royal family!” Li Hao nodded. “We go one by one and kill only the evildoers. We will conduct this in secret and quietly finish the transition from the nine ministries and royal. They will continue to reign for the moment...”

Completely overhauling the government in a split second was bound to create issues. The four continents were still in disarray and order hadn’t been fully restored to the central region either. The three great organizations were active, as were some of the divine mountains. It was not the best time to wholly change the world as they knew it.

Ensuring a peaceful transition would at least eliminate some of the bumps and hurdles. It would be the best outcome for all of Skystar. Otherwise... not only would they have to grapple with internal unrest, but have to fend against external worries as well.

The four nations surrounding them might be lying in wait, counting down the days until the central region utterly raged out of control. A transition of power would be when that took place.

These were not the concerns on Manager Yu’s mind; jubilation and elation were the only its only inhabitants. “Silver Moon has never conquered the world, never since the start of time. The northern reaches are barren and impoverished. Although our warriors are valiant and our experts numerous, their foundations are too weak to subdue the world. People laugh at us for being northern savages, but now... we have a chance of uniting the world!”

“You are a martial master, what do you care about this for?” Li Hao burst out laughing.

“No no no, this is the pride of being a Silver Moon denizen!”

Li Hao laughed some more and didn’t comment further. “Let’s go to the Ministry of Administration first!”

This was the first among the nine ministries!

The group didn’t object. Liu Long assembled a team of personal guards for Li Hao. They were comprised of the former Demon Hunters from Silver City.

Although night had fallen, lights blazed in Skystar City. The investigation continued as large numbers of supernaturals and martial masters were being registered. This was singularly the quietest and most bustling day the capital had ever known.

It was quite a contradiction!

The streets were quiet because everyone had reached an unspoken accord to not go anywhere, but they were also bustling because superhumans walked out of every corner to gather at the central plaza. There were more than one hundred thousand at the plaza, a figure far greater than previously imagined.

Skystar City was a metropolis of thirty million residents and the heart of the entire world. All the same, it was incredible that there were one hundred thousand superhumans not part of the various institutions’ ranks. And this wasn’t all!

The supernaturals within the military and various private armies were yet to be counted. All in total, there might be more than two hundred thousand supernaturals in Skystar City. While that numbered less than City of Supernaturals, the supernaturals in the dynasty’s capital should be of higher caliber.

The City of Supernaturals was an assorted mix of talents from all walks of life. Their residents hailed from various parts of the dynasty and there were plenty of weaklings. They had many Starlight and even more Sunflare and Solar.

......

The Ministry of Administration.

Chen Zhongtian was in residence and seemed to have dozed off. Zhao Huaimin was reading a book while the ministry’s supernaturals waited silently in the courtyard.

Zhao Huaimin was seated not far from Chen Zhongtian. Only his faint turns of the page could be heard throughout the entire courtyard. There was no movement otherwise. Hence, when a disturbance sounded outside, it was particularly noticeable.

Raising his head, Zhao Huaimin glanced outside to see Li Hao stride imperiously toward him. The young man was dressed in silver armor as the gold armor had completely shattered. Zhao Huaimin sighed!

The man waved the door shut when Li Hao entered the great hall. Manager Yu went on the alert, but the young man didn’t twitch a muscle. Zhao Huaimin sighed, his eyes red. He put down his book and smoothed his clothes. Instead of getting on his knees, he bent his body in a ninety degree bow.

“My father is dead,” he whispered. “The nine ministries are a thing of the past. Sinner Zhao Huaimin greets Commander Li!”

“You know?” Li Hao raised an eyebrow.

“My father did.” Zhao Huaimin lowered his head. “My father said that you would not idly sit by during their operation. When Uncle Chen’s Saint weapon broke, it was likely for the purpose of killing the Golden Coconut. You must have known what was happening in the ruins. If you appeared and came to the ministry... that would mean they failed.

“I had thought that father was just being humble,” Zhao Huaimin said ruefully. “To think that he would be right on the money!”

Li Hao thought back to Zhao Tianyang’s expression in that last fight. He had been so unflappable from beginning to end. Only in his last moments did he ask to have history stop at eighty years ago.

So he’d long known that his group was likely to clash with Li Hao. What he didn’t anticipate was this outcome, that Li Hao would bring a premier Saint with him and outright change the outcome of battle.

Zhao Huaimin didn’t say anything else. Some items appeared in his storage ring.

“This is a census of the world as provided by the various provinces and Skystar City. All nine billion, six hundred and eighty-two million citizens are recorded here...”

It was a book... a pile... a volume that was the size of half of the hall. There was far too much information in there. Zhao Huaimin displayed it for a bit before putting it away and setting its storage ring aside.

“This is a list of all provincial government personnel throughout the ninety-nine provinces.” He took out another item from another storage ring. “It includes their resume and evaluation notes. All of this is from my father.

“Father once said that it was impossible for one powerhouse alone to administer the world, no matter how capable they were. It is too vast! Only those who know how to use people well can manage the world. If you wish, the commander can use your discretion as not all officials were wrongdoers...

“Sometimes, it is not the strong that can run the world. There are many heavyweights in Silver Moon, but how many of them can supervise the world?” Zhao Huaimin chuckled. “This information is at your disposal, commander!”

Li Hao nodded without a word.

“This is a list of personnel at the Supervisory Office, the supernatural organization under the Ministry of Administration!” Zhao Huaimin brought out more items. “There are two such offices that operate throughout the dynasty. The first one is out in the open and consists of ninety thousand members. The second in the shadows is composed of ten thousand members. Together, they make for one hundred thousand!

“The list of those out in the open and those in the shadows are here. The Supervisory Office will take orders from oneever who holds the medallion!”

The man set the medallion down to the side and continued retrieving items. “This is a list of Zhao family assets throughout the land, including some trading guilds, real estate, and family branches.”

That was another storage ring, and a final item rounded out the lot. It was a book, the book he’d been reading—The Skystar Tales.

“My father wrote this when he was alive. Perhaps... the commander might not read it, but my father said to give it to the commander if you came. This was the most valuable item in my father’s possession. It recorded some of his experiences, what he saw and heard, his reflections, and some of his thoughts.”

Li Hao shifted from his spot and took a step forward to accept the book. There were only two lines of text on the title page—the nights are long with no sign of the sun. A sky full of stars pales in comparison to one with the sun.

The young man looked at the second sentence. A sky with a sun... Sky... sun... the characters of ‘tian’ and ‘yang’! Zhao Tianyang!

Li Hao took a quick glance at the book. Its pages recorded what Zhao Tianyang had witnessed and experienced as a minor official, some of the people he’d once met and the deeds he’d done...

“Then I accept this.” Li Hao inclined his head.

“My thanks to the commander!” Zhao Huaimin sighed again.

“You are far too polite.”

Manager Yu didn’t know why their enemy was offering his thanks. It was a very strange situation. The Zhaos had known early on that they might die!

“My family has done wrong, but we have also strictly adhered to the law,” Zhao Huaimin continued. “The commander has newly conquered the world and cannot kill everyone who stands in your way. My father is dead, I shall follow him. But the rest of my family... If the commander is willing to show mercy, please just cripple them of their cultivation and exile them to the mountains.”

Li Hao did not say a word. Zhao Huaimin didn’t continue pleading either. Blood seeped out of his mouth and he raised his head to look at the young man. “The core nature of the nine ministries was to strive for peace beneath the heavens. But our ability proved to be less than sufficient and we lost our way.

“We began in high spirits and shrank at the end. We did not fulfill the duties that our positions required of us.” He smiled at Li Hao. “I hope that the commander does not repeat our mistakes and adheres to stamping out wrongdoing, that you hold fast to your duties. Be wary of the four nations attacking the central plains...”

Li Hao nodded.

Zhao Huaimin said no more and sat down ramrod straight. He looked at Chen Zhongtian before closing his eyes.

There was neither joy nor excitement forthcoming in Chen Zhongtian. He was simply lost and a little saddened. He’d watched Zhao Huaimin grow up and knew that this day was forthcoming. Whether it was Li Hao or someone else who claimed the ultimate victory, this day was written in stone. But to watch his nephew personally shatter his heart’s meridian, crush his organs, and end his life...

Chen Zhongtian’s heart was heavy and his despondency hard to mask. Zhao Tianyang and the rest were dead. The nine ministries were a complete construct of the past.