CHAPTER 632: PERSUADING ALDRIAN

"My hierarchy?" Aldrian asked in wonder.

"May I know what Your Majesty means by that?"

Emperor Durand looked at the others for a moment before turning to Aldrian again.

"Young Aldrian, we believe it would be better if you established your own nation, and we followed you as its leader," he said with a serious expression.

Hearing Emperor Durand, Aldrian’s eyes widened in shock. Even Baron Rosalind and Elene seemed shocked, clearly unaware of this matter.

"What are you—"

"We have our reasons, and I want you to hear them, young Aldrian. Consider them seriously, because this may affect all of us in the future," Emperor Durand cut him off, causing Aldrian to fall silent.

Emperor Durand nodded.

"Why are we discussing this matter? It has to do with the origin of our empires, our organizations, or more specifically, the powers that come from outside the continent," he said.

"As young Aldrian knows, most of our organizations originated from beyond this continent. Our ancestors migrated here in the past. It could be said that our roots lie outside the Barisan continent."

"Now, why do we believe it is necessary for you to become our leader and establish a new nation? It is because, although most of us have roots beyond this continent, we already consider this land our home, our land, the place we have devoted our lives to."

"Even now, when the Barisan continent has reconnected with the outside world, we still feel that we belong to this land. Our ancestors built our nations here. Moreover, they did not seem too rigid with their descendants about maintaining loyalty to their original powers beyond this continent. They didn’t appear to hold their origin from the outside world in the highest regard."

"Because of that, we don’t feel a strong connection to our roots beyond this continent. We consider ourselves entirely as people of this land." Emperor Durand paused for a moment as Aldrian continued listening.

Emperor Durand let out a quiet sigh.

"With the Barisan continent now reconnected to the outside world, the major powers from beyond will inevitably reach out to us. I can already imagine them asking about many things regarding this continent, and I also expect they’ll bring their old hierarchies and connections—pressuring us to act as their eyes and ears here."

"In other words, they’ll likely see the powers on this continent as vassal states, attempting to control our policies and decisions."

Hearing this, Aldrian finally understood where it was heading. In the end, those outside forces would view some of the continent’s powers as mere extensions of their own. They could use the weight of shared history to compel obedience.

Their demands might conflict with the interests of this continent, or with his own, which would sour the relationships that had been built over time.

"If that happens, then we fear those powers from outside the continent may have intentions that go against our interests here, or even against you, young Aldrian. After all, we don’t know what those powers are truly like," Emperor Durand continued.

"The blood and tears of our ancestors built our nations on this continent, but if all of that ends up being exploited by them, then it’s far from what we want. That is why we have been thinking of you, young Aldrian," Emperor Durand said as he looked into Aldrian’s eyes.

"We asked ourselves, how can we make those powers abandon their intention to use us as vassals? The answer we arrived at was this, to place our nations under a new, greater ruler. And that ruler must be someone like us, someone from this continent."

"With us united under the umbrella of a new, larger nation, especially if that nation is under you, I doubt those forces from outside the continent would dare to force us to do their bidding. If they ever try anything, they would still see you as our leader, the ruler of this continent."

"This also strengthens our identity as people of this land. It shows that we have built something of our own, that we are no longer their vassals. We are people of your nation, not theirs," Emperor Durand said.

"And young Aldrian," Pope Claudius added, "this would also raise the confidence of the people of this continent. Did you know your name is already far more well-known than any of ours? Even many within the church regard you more highly than myself, or even Angelica."

"With you leading the entire nation of this continent, our people will face outsiders with greater confidence. They’ll proudly say they are from this continent, from the great nation founded by their saviour," Emperor Herman continued.

"We know you have your own business and responsibilities, so you don’t need to worry that this will become a burden. You can continue as usual without focusing entirely on this continent. For the most part, the major territories will continue operating as usual," he assured.

"But whenever a decision involves your interests or the interests of this continent, we will consult you and wait for your judgment. And if you have a policy you wish to enact across the continent, we will carry it out. You have already become our leader, after all."

"That is what we believe, young Aldrian. So, what do you think? We truly hope you will reconsider this seriously. We believe this is the best course of action for now," Emperor Durand said, his expression solemn.

The others waited in silence, their eyes fixed on Aldrian’s calm expression as he continued listening. They could see he was still deep in thought, showing no sign of haste. The only ones still visibly shocked were Baron Rosalind and Elena.

Hearing these powerful figures express their wish to make Aldrian their leader under one new great nation felt like a dream to them. These powers, which had stood since ancient times with their own interests and their own histories, now suddenly wanted to unite under a single banner.

However, Baron Rosalind inwardly sighed, as he also thought the leaders of the major territories were right. What they said made sense. If they wanted to repel the influence of outside powers, then they had to stand firm as the people of this continent.

The simplest path was to unite all powers across the continent under the banner of one great nation, one that reflected the identity of this land. A great nation led by Aldrian, and one that must be led by him, at least for now, as the beginning.

He was the only one who could unite the people’s hearts, and that was the most important factor for this plan to succeed. With a figure like Aldrian as their leader, there would be no resistance from the populace; they might even support it.

The powers from outside the continent would also hesitate to pressure these empires, knowing they could no longer rely on history and strength alone.

"Now, what is your decision, young master?" Baron Rosalind thought as he looked at Aldrian.

Aldrian’s expression remained calm, but his mind was steadily processing the implications of the proposal. He agreed with what the leaders had said and found no fault in their reasoning. In fact, he had once thought about this issue himself, the intentions of those powers beyond the continent.

He didn’t know whether those powers would try to take advantage of the forces here, but he didn’t want a clash of interests to arise after everything they had built together. The idea that outsiders might claim authority over this continent’s factions just because of historical ties was something he had quietly considered before.

He had thought about possible solutions, but now, these leaders had unexpectedly brought one forward themselves. And to be honest, from what he had heard so far, it didn’t seem troublesome or difficult.

If the empires, the kingdom, and the sects could continue to operate as they always had without needing him to manage everything, that was ideal. They would only come to him when a major decision had to be made.

It would not hinder his plans in the future, if anything, it might give him greater support and strength. By becoming the ruler, the power of faith from people across the continent would also grow stronger. Their hearts would become firmer, as they sincerely accepted him as their leader, without hesitation, and not just in sentiment.

There would be no burden weighing on their hearts or minds, because there was nothing left to doubt. The leaders of the major territories had agreed and willingly placed their nations under him as the absolute ruler of this continent.

The others continued waiting for Aldrian’s response as he remained deep in thought for several minutes. They watched him in tense but hopeful silence, wishing he would agree with their judgment, and their plan.

After another moment, they finally saw Aldrian part his lips.

"After thinking about it, I’ve come to a decision..."