Moments after the dust settled, the hall inside the Kremlin Palace was restored to new splendor.
Nicholas II was a man who greatly valued pomp. Until suitable pomp was prepared, he would rather sit motionless and wait.
After Rasputin's death, once he regained movement he instantly issued orders for palace servants to replace the damaged carpet and repair the collapsed floor. Sunlight slanted in from the doors, enveloping the brand-new decorations in clear brightness. Dust motes floated like fine fireflies around Lu Kang. He stood in the sunlight, watching the restored palace hall. His robe was pitch-black, his posture upright, his clean, handsome face quiet and serene.
Nicholas II walked respectfully before him, completely devoid of the majestic sovereign he had shown on the throne earlier!
"Master Lu Kang," he said, "please take the seat of honor!"
Lu Kang glanced sideways at him, then at the seat Nicholas II indicated.
That seat was higher than the "throne"!
He knew that in Nicholas's heart he had already become no different from God. According to the original trajectory, the only person who could earn this level of reverence from the "last Tsar" was Rasputin—who had just died at his hands. Lu Kang had truly replaced his position and even done better, more outstandingly!
In Nicholas's mind he was both saint and sage!
But Lu Kang did not move. He simply said, "How is Prince Alexei?"
Lu Kang had not forgotten his purpose.
No matter what, "reverence" was only temporary. Only by truly benefiting someone could the relationship last!
Seeing Lu Kang unmoved, Nicholas II did not force him. He answered respectfully, "Earlier, Rasputin… that demon. I was bewitched by him and asked him to examine Alexei. Until now, Alexei has not had an attack for two days—"
Nicholas II's face showed worry. After "confirming" Rasputin was a demon, he could not help fearing the demon had also cursed Alexei…
At that moment, he saw the youth before him suddenly have deep brown eyes light up with a dazzling, rainbow-colored starlight!
"He is fine," Lu Kang replied. "My eyes have seen his future. That demon, in order to gain your trust, did not harm Prince Alexei. Demonic power comes from hell, but hell was also created by God. As long as handled correctly, there is nothing to fear."
"Your Majesty Nicholas II need not worry—if you are truly worried, after returning… you can let Prince Alexei drink more hot water."
In truth Lu Kang could not see anything. The mystical runes engraved on his body only made him stronger; they could not grant super-high-spec mystic eyes that saw the future. But he knew "history," and for a mage兼职神职人员 (兼任神职), pretending to be divine was second nature.
He "reasoned crookedly yet spoke boldly"!
"Will drinking more hot water help?" Nicholas II was both respectful and fearful, and somewhat puzzled.
"It won't help Alexei," Lu Kang blinked and smiled. "But it will help you. If there is no 'medicine' at all, you won't feel at ease, right?"
The words were both witty and intimate. Nicholas II finally relaxed.
He thought this "sage" would not, and had no need to, deceive him. He had been fooled by the demon earlier, but the demon was now dead. Even if the demon had cursed Alexei, the curse had turned to ash!
"Since that is the case, I wish to appoint you to a position in the palace. I can build you a separate palace and enshrine you there."
Of course, Nicholas II was still not entirely at ease.
He wanted to keep Lu Kang.
Keep Lu Kang inside the palace.
This was for Alexei—his frail, pitiful child—as well as for himself, his wife, his family, and the safety of his three innocent, lovely daughters!
To this, Lu Kang neither refused nor accepted. He simply said, "I am accustomed to wind and dew; I need no palace—nor do I live in a thatched hut."
"I have heard that the Kremlin Palace has the largest library in the Tsarist Empire, built by Ivan IV in his time, containing most of the world's books. I am quite interested in that place."
A smile appeared on the youth's face. He was not in a hurry to interfere with court or politics. Having replaced Rasputin's position, he also knew Rasputin's final fate: the man had interfered too deeply in court politics before the empire's collapse, offending too many nobles, and was jointly killed by them. Although he used mystical means to revive several times, he was ultimately drowned alive in water.
Lu Kang did not want to die.
His current strength was not weak, but not enough to deal with every crisis in the world.
Therefore he needed to accumulate first.
Once his strength was sufficient… then he would come out and act tyrannically!
The puzzled Nicholas II could not help sighing in admiration: "You truly have noble character—you are a genuine saint!"
"I imagine a person like you will inevitably be listed among the saints by the Church in the future!" he said from the bottom of his heart.
Not luxurious, not attached to power and nobility, but cherishing knowledge—this was undoubtedly the mark of a "holy sage."
The Tsar's respect for this young yet wise youth grew even deeper!
He began to fantasize wildly.
"The Church?" Lu Kang neither confirmed nor denied. As a mage by nature, his impression of the "Church" organization that fanatically believed in God was not good.
Analyzing mystery and pursuing faith were fundamentally incompatible!
But he also understood that the Tsarist Empire was a country filled with the Church; believers in God were everywhere. In this nation it was not suitable to openly confront the Church.
Even his current behavior seemed destined to clash with the "Church" eventually—using the Church's name to interfere in imperial politics was something the Church could not tolerate.
So he simply said, "Finally, one more warning to you—within three days, do not let Prince Alexei enter any bedroom with a hanging chandelier."
This was Rasputin's prophecy from "history."
Lu Kang copied it word for word!
…
[Nicholas II accepted your request. He furnished the library inside the Kremlin Palace with extremely expensive daily necessities for you.]
[To this emperor who deeply believed in God, a saint could decline enjoyment, but he absolutely could not fail to express his inner excitement, or he would feel uneasy.]
[You accepted these items with a clear conscience.]
[You knew these items were the blood and sweat of the people, and you planned to compensate the populace with some deeds later. But for the current you, there were more important things to accomplish.]
[On the first day after moving in, you checked the library's catalog. The hundreds of thousands of books dazzled you and also stirred your heart.]
[The collection included ancient texts passed down from Greek times, mystical studies popular during the Renaissance, humanistic politics from the glorious Roman Empire, and bizarre witchcraft from the dark Middle Ages.]
[It encompassed the myriad phenomena of the Western world and recorded mystical classics from ancient times to the present. They were not complete, but for you they were more than enough.]
[You resolved to use them to establish your own magecraft inheritance system.]
[On the second day after moving in, you heard that a chandelier in Prince Alexei's bedroom had fallen and smashed onto the bed. Fortunately, Nicholas II had listened to your prophecy and not let Alexei sleep in a room with a chandelier.]
[Alexei escaped disaster thanks to you.]
[Nicholas II's wife, the Tsar's Empress, Maria Feodorovna, was filled with longing and gratitude toward you.]
[The empire's four princesses were all extremely curious about you.]
[You began to study in seclusion, ignoring worldly affairs.]