The single-direction teleportation array is a product of compromise.

Because it can only teleport one way from the capital to the outside, it means as long as the capital's military strength is sufficient, it can greatly suppress the distribution of power between the central government and the localities.

So the truth is...

The so-called 100,000 White Crow Legion should be the total number of core soldiers who can be teleported at any time via the single-direction teleportation array to various towns in Ense, assisting the local militia groups with rotations and defenses.

Due to the existence of the teleportation array, during the rotation, most of these people are not actually in Tino City and its surrounding satellite cities; only a small number of them are stationed here regularly.

The rest rotate every period via the teleportation array.

Adding to the militia groups and guards recruited from various towns, a self-sustaining cycle of soldier rotations was ultimately formed.

In this way, a behemoth like the White Crow Legion, when dispersed across various towns and even villages, its resource consumption is actually distributed downwards for handling.

And the management work related to the teleportation array in the Imperial Capital is actually controlled by the royal family, with the White Tower Mages responsible for it.

If this is the case, then the fact that the previous incarnation became emperor is indeed intriguing.

A straightforward truth.

The premise for the previous owner to ascend the throne back then was that Beatrice entrusted the little swan to the previous owner for care, allowing the previous owner to grasp the core power of Ense.

It was precisely because of the empress's support that the opposition from the lower ranks was suppressed, completing the initial power transition.

In the past, when Louis did not understand Ense Empire well, his first reaction was a conspiracy theory.

For example, some powerful ministers in Ense wanted to play the game of using the emperor to control the feudal lords, blaming Louis, who was forcibly appointed emperor by them.

Then they secretly initiated a frenzy to divide Ense, ultimately ruining the entire wealth of Ense in just a few years.

But now, he suddenly has another hypothesis.

It seems that Louis was able to become emperor with the tacit approval of the entire empire.

A joke to say, because the emperor's prestige is too high, within the internal administrative hierarchies of Ense, there are basically only three factions.

The first is the faction loyal to the emperor, like the imperial party led by Marquis York.

The second is the neutral faction loyal to Ense, like the senior officials of various departments such as trade and diplomacy.

The last is the faction raised by Beatrice, like the group of new nobility.

Other factions are not non-existent, but they do not form a big climate.

These people occupy a significant portion of Ense's status.

However, based on the customs of the Star Continent, the core power held by these people is actually quite limited.

The greatest power actually lies with the legions.

In the tumultuous Star Continent, only extraordinary power can give a sense of security.

And the heavily concentrated legions within the Imperial Capital circle, no matter how they rotate, are directly under royal management.

The White Crow Legion, with the greatest number.

The Royal Guard, with elite soldiers.

The Secret Guard and Dark Crows, exploring intelligence.

...

These numerous extraordinary legions are, in fact, mostly under royal jurisdiction most of the time.

The possibility of a general developing independently with soldiers is very low.

Especially when the emperor's prestige is too high, it's impossible to imagine how many are loyal to the royal family within the Royal Guard, the White Crow Legion, and other legions Louis barely understood.

An operation ignoring headquarters orders due to subsidiary distance was well-restricted because of the teleportation array's existence.

As such...

The previous owner was able to ascend to the throne, probably not only because of Beatrice's support.

Question:

After the rebellion by the previous owner, it inevitably angered the imperial faction, neutral faction, and a small part of the newly noble faction supported by Beatrice within the administrative system.

So, under the circumstances where the highest military might of Ense can return to "Capital" Tino City at any time, how capable must the previous owner be to suppress so many people?

The answer is... merely relying on his own capabilities, there's not a slightest chance.

Even with external power intervention, the possibility is very low.

Therefore, the person who truly suppressed so many people and allowed the previous owner to smoothly inherit the throne was...

In Louis's understanding, only one person in the entire empire could accomplish this.

That person is the emperor.

Only the emperor could persuade so many people to stand by Louis.

Only the emperor could prevent the always force-revering legions from immediately turning their blades on the previous owner.

The previous owner became a legend in the 7th year after inheriting the throne.

Then, in the 10th year after inheriting the throne, he was sent to the guillotine.

And from the Black Swan, he learned that the reason the previous owner could grow so rapidly was due to the existence of the Deep Abyss ritual [Greedy Feast].

Pillaging large amounts of resources meant that one's ability to control resources was higher, and it indirectly proved that one's influence was higher, and [Existence] was higher.

According to the Black Swan, the essence of the Greedy Feast indeed is an ritual that converts more [Existence Power] into [Strength].

This unavoidably reminded Louis of a black, deep, and "healing" anime "Magical Girl Madoka."

In "Magical Girl Madoka," Lumu Yuan started as just a talented magical girl.

However, her close friend Homura Akemi turned back time repeatedly to save Lumu Yuan from her deathly fate.

With each reversal of time, the lines of causality around Lumu Yuan became more numerous.

This made it so that in each reincarnation, as long as Lumu Yuan became a magical girl, her power grew stronger, and the wishes she could make became more expansive.

The essence of the Greedy Feast is indeed quite similar to Lumu Yuan's lines of causality.

A massive amount of wealth implies vast lines of causality; the original owner, who controlled numerous causal lines, could continuously enhance his power with the help of the feast ritual.

According to Louis's understanding of this ritual, the Greedy Feast is essentially a bottomless pit.

Relying on accumulating wealth to transform power requires too heavy a price to pay.

Yet the previous owner actually achieved it.

More importantly, the entire empire allowed him to do so?

According to the original records in the journal, 10 years later, the original owner's vocational level was only LV16.

This level surely isn't low.

But, it's far from enough to hold the throne.

Standing on foreign soil, a terrifying guess suddenly flashed through Louis's mind.

"If the person who finally put the original owner on the throne was the emperor, then why did the emperor insist on using the empire's foundation to boost the original owner's power?"

Suddenly, he recalled a conversation he had with the Black Swan.

The Black Swan believed that Beatrice's hurried ascension 10 years later, followed by her assassination, was likely due to something going wrong with Emperor Lao Deng.

Even if [The Abyssal Ritual] didn't drag him into a bottomless pit, the situation would surely be unlike now, where they could still be pulled into the palace for a chat.

He then associated with something the Black Swan mentioned in their chat, that the original owner also had the [Grip of Greed] ability.

Since the amount of wealth Louis currently possessed was not enough for [Grip of Greed] to exert extreme destructive power, he currently positions [Grip of Greed] as—

In combat, it helps to hinder the enemy.

Nonetheless, the ability is still quite exceptional.

Just the fact that it doesn't require consumption of blood energy and magic power, only stamina, aligns inherently with Louis's self-positioning.

Louis's past imagination regarding the future of this skill was that, under the identity of Mayer, laden with wealth, he could directly crush a model-level entity, then rely on demonic physique to restore exhausted stamina.

Thus, for those whose power does not surpass Louis, facing [Grip of Greed] directly would lead to a "equality of all beings" situation.

Developing into the later stages, unless there's a transformative number, weaker vocationalists are meaningless to him.

However, today, after witnessing the single-direction teleportation array, he harbored a guess.

"This guy, the original owner, could he possibly have gone demon slaying in the Gate of the Abyss under the emperor's instruction?"

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