A hundred days had passed since he awoke in another world. Emperor Xuan leaned back lazily in his golden dragon throne, resting his chin on one hand.
"No meetings. No work. I'm just sitting here, with millions of wealth flowing into my treasury every month..." He sighed and muttered to himself. Who would have thought that being a modern emperor could be so utterly mind-numbingly boring?
My name was Lucian, but now I go by Xuan. As you can see, I've become a proud time traveler, having crossed over into the role of emperor of one of the six great nations of this world, the Eastern Xia Kingdom.
The Eastern Xia Kingdom operates under a constitutional monarchy, or more precisely, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The parliament has replaced the emperor as the highest authority in the nation, with a government head elected by the parliament organizing the government, making it the true center of power. For various reasons, the emperor has become a symbolic head of state, with duties mostly ceremonial in nature.
Of course, the emperor retains the power to dismiss the cabinet. If one-fifth of the parliament agrees to dismiss the current cabinet, the emperor has the authority to reorganize it.
This system has created a tripartite balance of power in Eastern Xia: the emperor, the parliament, and the cabinet.
Most of the time, it's a tug-of-war between the parliament and the cabinet, while the emperor sits back and watches, having no real power in day-to-day affairs, but holding decisive authority when it truly matters.
In truth, Xuan isn't just a mere figurehead. If he wanted to, he could wield significant power through his dismissal rights over the cabinet. But he hasn't chosen to do so. After all, before his time travel, he was just an ordinary person. Suddenly thrust into the role of the highest authority over nearly a billion people, he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Instead, being a figurehead suits him just fine. All he has to do is sit on the throne, do nothing, and bear no responsibilities, while enjoying the wealth and luxury that come with the title. It aligns perfectly with his values in life.
These thoughts were merely his personal musings, but what truly astonished him was the writing system of this world, Xiawen.
This Xiawen looked incredibly familiar, resembling Chinese characters. Even if he had never seen them before, he could instantly grasp their meanings, much like how he understood traditional Chinese characters.
The language also gave him a similar feeling.
If this world were a parallel universe of Earth, it would make sense. However, this world was not Earth at all; it bore no resemblance whatsoever.
The planet he was on was called Yunxing, and its size was comparable to Earth. The landmass covered a greater proportion than Earth, reaching 31%, and it had two moons hanging in the sky, one large and one small.
[Industrial System Activated Successfully]
Hearing the voice echo in his mind, Xuan suddenly sprang up from the throne, his only thought racing through his mind:
I'm going to be rich!
"Your Majesty, is something wrong?" A soldier clad in dark armor and wielding a battle knife stepped into the room, clearly startled by Xuan's sudden movement.
The Imperial Guards were responsible for guarding the palace, equipped with various heavy weaponry. Those stationed at the palace entrance wore more traditional heavy armor, also known as ceremonial guards.
"It's nothing. You may leave," Xuan said, calming himself as he returned to the throne, waving them off to return to their posts.
"And don't let anyone else in."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The two soldiers bowed respectfully before slowly exiting the grand hall.
[System successfully activated, resetting functions… Reset successful… Data reactivated… Skills acquired…]
Xuan closed his eyes, focusing on the system panel in his mind.
[Dimensional System]
World: Searching (1%)
Watching the progress bar grow slowly, Xuan shifted his attention to the skills panel.
He clicked [Open].
[Skill Acquired: Intimidation]
Intimidation: Imposes mental pressure on others, compelling them to submit. The effectiveness of this skill depends on the user's own strength.
[Skill Acquired: Multilingual]
Multilingual: Learn any language after hearing just a few sentences.
He activated the skills.
After a moment, Xuan didn't feel any sudden surge of power or anything conceptual like that.
Outside the hall, a middle-aged couple with black hair and eyes approached the grand palace, climbing the stairs.
The man stepped forward, speaking softly, "I am Xuan Yuantian, here to see His Majesty."
"His Majesty is not seeing anyone at the moment. Please wait here patiently," the indifferent Imperial Guard replied.
"Thank you." The couple said nothing more and stood quietly outside, waiting.
A minute later, a commanding voice echoed from within the hall, "Let them in."
"Yes!" The guards complied, stepping aside to allow entry.
Upon seeing Xuan seated on the throne, the couple bowed slightly and said, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty."
As they spoke, Xuan Yuantian's heart raced unexpectedly, a wave of unease washing over him.
Others in the room felt similarly, though the two seasoned guards managed to maintain their composure.
The effect seemed quite effective.
"What brings you here?" Xuan asked.
After calming himself, Xuan Yuantian suppressed the rising anxiety and said, "Your Majesty, I come with a heavy heart. I must admit, it's my fault for not being strict enough. My wayward son was sentenced to five years yesterday."
At this, Xuan couldn't help but frown. Perhaps it was the influence of his predecessor, but he found himself particularly intolerant of rule-breakers.
"What did he do?"
The shame on Xuan Yuantian's face deepened. "That reckless fool was caught using drugs! He has brought disgrace to the royal family!"
How bold! In Eastern Xia, drug use and trafficking were treated the same, with even casual users facing years in prison, while traffickers faced death.
Given Xuan Liang's status, his family could have easily smoothed things over to keep him out of jail. But clearly, this situation had escalated, and the case was now under scrutiny by the AI system, making it impossible to suppress. That's why Xuan Yuantian had come here.
To lift the AI system's scrutiny, there were only two options: gain the approval of a significant majority of parliament members or have the emperor intervene personally.
Xuan could resolve this issue, but he wouldn't. Doing so would undermine his authority and leave him vulnerable.
Since the establishment of the constitutional monarchy, the emperor's role had shifted away from divinity. In the eyes of the people, the emperor was the most sacred, just, and authoritative figure, overseeing government corruption and serving as the strongest support for the populace.
Historically, emperors had indeed fulfilled this role, which is why they delegated power but still retained significant influence.
Five thousand years of royal lineage had become a form of faith.
"I do not wish to intervene in this matter," Xuan stated.
"Your Majesty, I never intended to ask for your intervention. I merely wanted to express my resignation," Xuan Yuantian replied, glancing at his tearful wife. "Let's go. Even if His Majesty were willing to help, he wouldn't agree to sacrifice the royal dignity for this wayward child."
Xuan Yuantian hadn't come seeking the emperor's help; he was merely putting on a show for others to see.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave." Xuan Yuantian bowed once more, supporting his wife as they slowly exited the hall.
As the others left, the grand hall fell silent once more.
Xuan lightly tapped his index finger against the armrest of the throne, pondering, "Something feels off. I can't quite put my finger on it."
Ding!
[A new world has been detected. Please gather information about the new world as soon as possible.]
With the system's voice ringing in his mind, a series of instructions on how to traverse dimensions appeared.
"Is that how it works?" Following the instinct from his memories, Xuan raised his right hand and made a gentle swipe through the air.
In the next moment, a half-meter-high rift in space appeared where his fingertip had passed.
"Creating a door like this expands the possibilities."
Xuan's expression turned thoughtful as he picked up a cup from the table and tossed it into the rift. The cup vanished into the space, and the rift closed behind it.
"If that's the case, do I even need to go myself? I could send others to explore the other world."
One person's strength is ultimately limited; only by letting the nation develop could the benefits of the other world be maximized.