Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 876: Chapter 876:- Crumbling Foundations

Amelia sat on a wooden chair while rubbing her forehead.

Sigh....!!! ʼI thought that after my sisterʼs death, things would finally calm down, and this Empire would finally enter into an era of peace and prosperity. But...ʼ This whole incident has made her realize that she still has a long way to go before her empire can be called a safe and peaceful land. ”Your Majesty, we have returned the bodies to their families.” ”Good! Anything else. ”Well, a quick investigation revealed that all the victims had done some questionable things to half-elves in their society. One of them even falsely accused a half-elf family, leading to their wrongful punishment.” ”Release that family of Half-elves,” Amelia said in a tired tone.

Amelia has been actively working to end the deep-rooted discrimination against half-elves in her society. She has implemented reforms, punished offenders, and tirelessly advocated for equality. Yet, despite her efforts, there are still a few bad apples who cling to their prejudices. Even as the Empress, her power has its limits. She can only do so much to change hearts and minds, and centuries of bias cannot be erased overnight. ”Alright, you can leave.” Amelia was waiting for her daughter and Aditya to return. She wanted to know what happened. ”Your Majesty, there is one more thing.” ”Hmm?” ”Two families of the victims are asking for compensation from the Empire.” ”Did they make any specific demands?” Amelia was planning to compensate the victimʼs families. ”50 million royal gold coins....!!” Even the soldier looked embarrassed and very uncomfortable saying it.

Amelia did not respond.

She took a deep breath to keep herself calm in front of the soldiers.

After being silent for more than 2 minutes, she calmly responded. ”Tell them the Empress said that money doesnʼt grow on trees, and if they choose to follow the same path as their deceased family member, they will be sent to work in the mines for the rest of their lives.” ”Let them understand that their actions have consequences, and no amount of excuses or pleas will change that. If they wish to avoid such a fate, they need to abide by the laws and contribute to society like everyone else. This is their only warning.” ”Understood!!” ”If there is nothing else, leave!!” Amelia was impatient. ʼ50 Million Royal Gold coins, thatʼs 500 million gold coins. Bunch of idiots!!!ʼ ʼThis Empire needs more troops.ʼ If there were enough troops in every city, town, and village, then lots of deaths could have been prevented. The culprit behind this could have been captured.

The reason this Empire lacked sufficient troops was its low population. With fewer people to enlist, the military struggled to maintain its numbers, leaving the Empire vulnerable in times of conflict. The shortage of manpower weakened the army and placed an additional burden on the existing soldiers, making it challenging to defend the borders and maintain internal security effectively. ʼI have two options to solve this problem.ʼ ʼThe first option is to recruit soldiers from other races. But this might clash with the feelings of most elven nobles. This does not mean this option is not achievable. I can start by recruiting a small number of troops from other races.ʼ ʼThe second option is more of a long-term approach.ʼ It involves using external stimuli to increase the Empireʼs population. ʼI should ask Julia to make potions that would increase the chances of an elven woman getting pregnant.ʼ ʼOn that note, I could also ask Sasha to bless elven women.ʼ With the blessing of the Goddess of Lust, the chances of elven women conceiving would significantly increase.

The more Amelia thought the more ideas came to her mind.

But then she noticed Aditya slowly descending with Riya in his arms. ”What happened to Riya?” She asked in a concerned tone. ”Donʼt worry! She is just sleeping.” ”What happened out there?” ”Well....!!!” ”Where is that B****?” The Empress looked really pissed. ”Calm down! She is dead!!” ʼMaybe I should have taken her storage ring before I melted her entire body.ʼ ”Anyways, letʼs take her back to the Dragon Palace.” ”You two go ahead.” ”Youʼre not coming?” Aditya stopped and asked. ”I have work to do.” Aditya wanted to confront her for lying but decided to not do it now. He felt that now wasnʼt the time. ”Alright!” ...

Scene Change

Capital of Deep Sea Palace, Seastar City,

Kate, the maid serving the current Empress of the Deep Sea Palace, stood hesitantly in front of her ladyʼs bedroom. In her hands, she held a wooden tray with several small wooden cups, each filled with potions of vibrant blue and green hues.

Taking a deep breath, she paused for a moment before finally knocking on the wooden door.

Knock!! Knock!!!

The two gentle knocks did not get any response. But she did not lose patience. She waited for about 30 seconds before knocking on the door again, but it was slightly louder this time. ”Milady, please wake up!!” Kate knew, right now, that Laura must be sleeping. But she needed to take these potions on time; otherwise, she wonʼt be able to work due to pain. ʼI thought everything would move smoothly once Lady Laura becomes the Next Ruler of this

Empire. Yet, our happiness was short-lived.ʼ

This started around a month and a half back.

Everything was going well for the Deep Sea Palace.

The age of Prosperity had finally begun in their Great nation. The damages that the previous regime and their selfish goals did to this Empire were finally starting to heal.

Without any greedy nobles trying to hold most of the Empireʼs power, everything was moving very smoothly.

Discrimination towards other races had significantly decreased due to all the steps that Laura took from the first day of becoming the Empress.

Not only that but also, shortly after taking the throne, with the help of cultivation pills, their Empress managed to reach peak 5th-order. And with that, she became the youngest Ruler in their Empire to reach peak 5th-order.

Under her reign, their Empire joined the strongest Alliance in the Six Continents, which was the Cosmic Tide Alliance. Being a member of this alliance immediately elevated their political power and status among other underwater Empires. Every top Empire knew they could not offend the Deep Sea Palace.

There were even some rumors that Laura was really close to the Dragon Monarch, which further kept all underwater Empires and Kingdoms. None wanted to mess with the Dragon Monarch, especially after seeing just how powerful he was.

Everything was looking great.

It looked like if this pace continued, then it wonʼt be long before the Deep Sea Palace entered into its golden Era.

However, it seems fate had some other plans for them.

Around 51 days back, their Empress became sick.

It started with a simple headache, which Laura ignored for the first few days.

But with each passing day, the pain only got worse.

Being a Peak 5th-order cultivator, Laura had a very high pain tolerance.

As cultivators reached Higher Order, their Pain tolerance capabilities also increased to a certain degree. However, the degree of change depends on the individual.

Laura was able to tolerate this pain for the first 10 days, but then, one morning, the pain was so unbearable that she could not focus on her work.

Having no other choice, Laura spent the whole day resting. She had to take sleeping potions to forcefully sleep. ʼI donʼt know why this problem began, but itʼs clear that something is wrong with Lady Laura.ʼ Kate thought to herself. ʼUnfortunately, even though all the great Alchemists from our Empire came together, they couldnʼt come up with any solution. The solution that they found was a temporary one.ʼ As a result, Laura now has to drink two potions three times a day.

Till now, every top alchemist in their Empire was trying to find exactly what was wrong with their Empress. Despite working together, it wasnʼt enough to find any breakthrough results. ʼBut the pain is growing stronger with each passing day, and so these potions are increasingly becoming more and more less effective.ʼ ʼAnd eventually, there will come a point when these potions wonʼt be able to suppress this pain anymore temporarily. Just thinking of that possibility scares me to death.ʼ ʼWe have to find Lady Julia.ʼ Kate believed that only the Goddess of Alchemy could help Laura in this situation. ”Come in...!!” Kate opened the door after hearing a weak voice from inside.

Walking inside the small yet coz bedroom, she saw her Empress sitting on the bed and wiping her mouth with a black napkin.

Though Laura tried to hide it from Kate, it was obvious that Laura was wiping blood from her mouth. There were still some traces of blood on the corner of her lips.

The Beautiful face of her Lady now looked pale and dry. In the last few weeks, Laura has lost a lot of weight. ”Hey, Kate!!” Laura weakly smiled, seeing Kate.

If people knew what happened to her, then she might be in trouble. After all, there were still some hungry sharks in her Empire. Right now, they are laying low and controlling their lust and greed for power and wealth, but as soon as the news of her deteriorating health reaches their ears, they will emerge from their caves to strike. Fortunately, using Kate, Laura has been able to hide in her bedroom.

Kate was the Empressʼs most trusted maid, and it was well-known throughout the entire Empire that her words carried the weight of the Empressʼs commands. In many ways, Kate acted as an extension of the Empressʼs authority, ensuring her will be carried out without question. Through Kate, the Empress managed all important matters without ever needing to leave her bedroom, effortlessly maintaining control and order over the Palace. Only her trusted people knew about her deteriorating health. ”Your Majesty, how are you feeling?” Kate could not return the smile. There is no way that she could smile seeing her Lady in such a condition. ”Same as before.” Laura was still strong as a Peak 5th-order cultivator. But her physical body was slowly becoming weaker. With the ever-worsening headache, she was facing other problems, such as coughing blood and bleeding from her nose and eyes.

Under Kateʼs care, Laura slowly began to drink the bitter potions.

Kate felt like crying seeing her lady in such a condition. To her, Laura was her only family. ”Your Majesty, enough is enough! Come with me. We will head to the Istarin Empire.” Kate had suggested this before as well, but Laura refused to leave, saying that she was busy with important work.

They almost visited the Istarin Empire, but then the war with the Dune Sovereignty broke out, halting their visit. Due to her condition, Laura could not join the war herself, but she did send some Peak 5th-order cultivators from her Empire to help the Istarin Empire. ”Alright!!” Kate became happy seeing that Laura agreed.

Seeing her this happy, Laura felt amused. ”What? Did you think I was avoiding visiting the Istarin Empire on purpose?” Kate almost wanted to nod her head.

Laura could guess what Kate was thinking. ʼItʼs not that I was avoiding the Istarin Empire; I was genuinely busy with important work.ʼ ʼAlso, I do not want to have any false hope.ʼ Laura had a feeling that not even the Goddess of

Alchemy might be able to do anything about this problem of hers. ”Then letʼs go now!” Kate did not want to waste another second. ”Alright! But let me finish some important work first.” ”Work!! Work!! And Work!!” Kate was pissed. ”My Lady, your health comes first before any of this.”

Laura responded with a weak smile. ”Well, I have spent so many years to reach this position.

Now that I have achieved my dream, I want to make sure that I do my best and make this

Empire a better place for everyone, regardless of their race to live.” ”Fine!!” Kate knew that there was no winning an argument against her Lady. ”But only an hour and then we are heading to the Azure City.”

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