"Every man and woman is a star..."
The First Emperor savored these words and smiled. "...I quite like that."
Roy remained silent. These words had been spoken by Aleister Crowley. Roy had always felt that the First Emperor bore a striking resemblance to that man.
Every person in this world possesses their own talents, their own realities. The Academy City Aleister created, the espers he researched—when traced to their origins, all stemmed from this very phrase he constantly repeated and inscribed in the Book of the Law:
Every man and woman is a star!
"King of Chu, you cannot kill me."
The First Emperor stated this with absolute certainty.
Roy nodded in acknowledgment. "...Your Majesty has achieved the perfected body of a True Ancestor, now further enhanced by this Reality Marble. Indeed, I cannot kill you."
Without the immense national resources poured into constructing the First Emperor's mausoleum—this Reality Marble that took forty years to complete—Roy might have stood a chance against the First Emperor's True Ancestor form given enough effort. But with the formidable enhancement of this grand Reality Marble, even Roy found himself powerless before the First Emperor.
He could defeat the First Emperor, but could not deliver the final death blow. The level of immortality the First Emperor now possessed was terrifying—the most formidable Roy had ever encountered among all his adversaries.
"No one can kill me, nor will I put you in a difficult position. I shall choose to end myself."
The First Emperor's words took Roy by surprise.
"What? Does this surprise you?"
"It does. While I cannot kill Your Majesty, at most I could weaken your immortality and seal you away—leaving you the possibility of returning."
This had been Roy's constant concern and contemplation: how to completely seal away the First Emperor to prevent his resurgence. Otherwise, should the Emperor return after Roy's departure from this world, all his efforts would be for naught.
"Hahaha!! Should I wait to be unearthed by future generations someday, only to startle the world anew?"
The First Emperor laughed heartily, making light of the situation with evident satisfaction.
Roy couldn't bring himself to laugh at the joke about Qin Shi Huang, because wasn't this exactly the plot of that movie called The Mummy?
Gradually, the First Emperor's laughter subsided. He gently stroked the massive alchemical furnace beside him and sighed, "...I'm not so afraid of death that I'd go to such lengths. My goal was simply to realize the ideal nation, to safeguard the human order that belongs to me. If this grand vision cannot be achieved, then for me, living would be worse than death—at least it would set an example for future emperors!"
"...I am the First Emperor, whose merits surpass the Three Sovereigns and whose virtue exceeds the Five Emperors. How could I, for personal gain, sever humanity's path forward?"
Qin Shi Huang's majesty remained undiminished, his solemn words resonating like the vast heavens themselves. The solitary grandeur of an emperor, the accumulated brilliance of six generations culminating in the unification of China and the dawn of Chinese civilization—how could later emperors ever compare?
With the greatness of rites, it is called Xia; with the beauty of garments, it is called Hua. The unified civilization of Huaxia truly began with the Qin Emperor!
Suddenly, the earth trembled violently, and the sky seemed to sway. Cracks appeared throughout the space between heaven and earth, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Roy steadied himself, watching this world that shook as though on the verge of collapse, and asked in confusion, "...Your Majesty?"
"I created this bounded field to accomplish my grand undertaking. Now that it has failed, there is no need for it to exist any longer."
The First Emperor turned his back to Roy. Above, the false stars in the sky extinguished one by one, falling like meteors. Qin Shi Huang gazed upward, as if watching the collapse of the Qin dynasty's centuries-long reign.
Suddenly, the Emperor's body shuddered. From his chest emerged a pill emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
Without even glancing at this pinnacle achievement of ancient Chinese immortal alchemy, he grabbed it and tossed it toward Roy behind him.
Roy caught the radiant pill effortlessly. Within it lay mysteries even he couldn't fully comprehend. If the highest achievement of Western alchemy was the Philosopher's Stone, then this pill represented the zenith of Eastern alchemy.
It possessed the mystical power to help one evade the Three Disasters and Five Calamities, ascending to immortality in a single step!
As the pill was extracted, Qin Shi Huang's body instantly weakened. Roy could visibly see the Emperor's life force draining rapidly, even his immortality fading away.
Now, the First Emperor had returned to being a mere mortal. He wouldn't even need a Campione like Roy to kill him—any soldier could do it within ten paces.
"I found the ancient immortals' alchemical methods on Kunlun and Penglai, discovering the formula to evade the Five Signs of Decay. Yet many ingredients had long vanished from this world. Just one primary component, the 'Fusang Tree Branch,' required the entire nation's resources to obtain."
"...With Xu Fu's help, I refined this pill and achieved the body of a True Immortal. Now that things have come to this, let it not be buried with me underground. It should go to someone who can use it!"
Before Roy could speak, the Emperor continued, "...I know the King of Chu won't refuse, for the fairy maiden needs this pill to overcome her tribulation."
The First Emperor turned around, his deep crimson eyes gazing at Roy with a hint of teasing and amusement.
"Reeds grow lush and green, white dew turns to frost. The one I long for is on the other side of the water. I trace my way upstream, the path is rugged and long. I float downstream, she seems at the river's heart."
He hummed a tune from the Qin folk songs—one that later generations would recognize as "The Reeds." This very poem was a ballad of the Qin state.
"Of course, if the King of Chu wishes to take this elixir, he must first agree to one condition of mine."
"Your Majesty, please speak!"
Roy's expression turned solemn as he cupped his hands in salute to the First Emperor.
This was truly an unexpected gain. With this elixir, Yu Ji could completely eliminate her bloodthirsty impulses and, like the ancient immortals who had vanished from this land, become a truly perfect celestial maiden.
This grand gift alone was enough for Roy to agree to almost any request from the First Emperor.
"This elixir bears the merit of Xu Fu. After my passing, I shall leave a small portion of this bounded field to Xu Fu. Whether he can fulfill his wish here is his own affair. What I ask of the King of Chu is simply not to hinder him!"
The First Emperor spoke slowly.
"Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing the First Emperor's words, Xu Fu was moved to tears, kowtowing repeatedly on the ground. He never imagined the First Emperor would still remember him and his contributions.
"The Great Qin was founded upon law, with clear rewards and punishments. As the Emperor, my words are not idle! What I have promised you, Xu Fu, in the name of the Emperor, shall be fulfilled. King of Chu, what say you to this condition?"
"This is a trivial matter. Does Your Majesty have any other commands?"
Not killing Xu Fu and allowing him to continue seeking a way to transcend this world was no great issue for Roy. Whether Xu Fu succeeded or failed would not affect the grand tide of history.
"I have no further commands. If I truly desired something, I would accomplish it myself—why rely on the King of Chu?"
Even at this moment, even after reverting to mortality, the First Emperor's imperial dignity remained undiminished. He still held the authority of the Son of Heaven!
"King of Chu, you may leave. This is no longer a place where you should remain."
The First Emperor waved his hand, not sparing Roy another glance, and strode away. He seated himself upon a sandy hill within Xianyang, chanting an ancient Qin melody:
"Swift flies the morning wind,
Through the dense northern woods.
My lord I cannot see,
And my heart is full of woe.
Alas! Alas!
How can he forget me so?"
"On the hill grows the oak,
In the marsh the wild plum.
My lord I cannot see,
And my heart is full of gloom.
Alas! Alas!
How can he forget me so?"
"On the hill grows the cherry,
In the marsh the pear tree.
My lord I cannot see,
And my heart is drunk with misery.
Alas! Alas!
How can he forget me so?"
"..."
This poem, Morning Wind, is said to express Duke Kang of Qin's sorrow over his inability to employ worthy men. Perhaps the First Emperor used this verse to lament his failure to secure Roy's loyalty and their shared vision of the Human Order.
The bounded field—collapsed!