CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 352: DO YOU CALL THIS A FAVOR?_1

"This tastes amazing." The young emperor munched on his snack, then asked, "Was the surface world really this good?"

Compared to the underground world, where one part resembled an era of Primitive Tribes and another a Feudal Dynasty, the surface world naturally had lower productivity and a poorer standard of living. While its martial strength might not have surpassed that of the underground world, if conditions were as they once were, they probably could have enticed a horde of Lizardmen to defect to humanity.

Reading his book, Wang Linchi absent-mindedly replied, "Yeah, it’s a shame that because of the Erroneous Sin, it’s become as messed up as the underground world."

"Even these snacks you’re eating have stopped being produced. They’re going to run out soon."

The young emperor hadn’t tasted much good food; throwing him some snacks would be enough to outshine the imperial chefs in the Blade Palace. Having great Transcendent abilities doesn’t mean having a high standard of living and productivity.

"That’s too bad. Can the Erroneous Sin really not be killed?" the young emperor asked curiously.

"It can’t be killed. Otherwise, why would Zi Guang have fled?" Wang Linchi slowly replied.

"Oh. Do we have any Erroneous Sin here?" the young emperor asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes, but I don’t know where," Wang Linchi replied. "I’m sure that an Erroneous Sin has already been born on the second level of the underground. If I wanted to find it, I probably could. But I can’t be bothered to look. I’d rather spend my time gathering knowledge to modify my Elemental Bloodline for further development."

Wanting to find an Erroneous Sin? It’s straightforward enough, really. Just head to the surface; there are plenty there. You could just find any Instance and sneak in, Wang Linchi thought.

"What a shame. I thought I might get to see one," the young emperor expressed his regret.

He’d heard Wang Linchi’s descriptions, but without witnessing it for himself, he had no real concept of it.

"It looks like the Black Tooth Empire has broken through," Wang Linchi said, closing his book.

His perception was very keen. Even without using his spiritual power or Thought Field, he could sense it with just his five senses.

"How did you know?!" The young emperor was taken aback, even though he’d been prepared.

"I heard it," Wang Linchi replied without elaborating. He first used his Thought Field to scan and store all the content of the books in his Thought Mirror, intending to read them at his leisure later.

He then got up and walked outside.

The young emperor hurriedly followed. When they arrived at the top of the Blade Palace wall, they saw a black tide surging into Claw Cliff from afar.

"With this equipment, how did your White Claw Empire ever resist them?" Wang Linchi quickly estimated ten thousand Heavy Armored Soldiers, plus Enchantment Techniques. This was definitely the Black Tooth Empire’s trump card.

The Black Tooth Empire’s Magic Enchantment Technique wasn’t as good as the White Claw Empire’s, but it wasn’t as if they didn’t have any. It was like forging and smelting; the Black Tooth Empire excelled at them, but the White Claw Empire possessed those skills too.

"The Black Tooth Empire didn’t have that many Heavy Armored Soldiers before, at most a thousand. How did their numbers increase tenfold?" The young emperor was also surprised. He naturally knew some intelligence about the Black Tooth Empire but hadn’t expected the disparity to be so large.

"Hmm, it’s possible they had help from a powerful figure," Wang Linchi couldn’t help but think of Ye Tian.

Following the Heavy Armored Soldiers, fifty thousand regular soldiers entered the city and began to take over Claw Cliff.

"This loss isn’t unjust. With such an army, even if my White Claw Empire hadn’t run into trouble, the enemy could have easily invaded Claw Cliff after another year or two of accumulation," the young emperor reflected, not hysterical or resentful, but rather somewhat wistful.

"One or two years? You’re so young, yet you’re already muddle-headed? One or two months would be a long time, let alone one or two years," Wang Linchi retorted.

"Ah... you have a point." The young emperor’s assessment of the situation was still rather naive.

If it hadn’t been for Ye Tian’s help, the White Claw Empire might have truly managed to hold out for another year or two. If another formidable figure had descended from the heavens, it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to patch things up, endure for another decade or so, or even return to their peak.

Unfortunately, the moment the grand army entered Claw Cliff, it was all over.

"It seems many from the Revolutionary Party have likely surrendered to the Black Tooth Empire. After all, both Black Tooth and White Claw originate from the Gold-Pupils. In reality, it doesn’t matter who wins," Wang Linchi observed, noting the efficiency. If no one had been maneuvering to help from within, Wang Linchi wouldn’t believe the Black Tooth Empire could have been so quick.

The young emperor wasn’t too concerned about this; to him, it wasn’t a big deal.

After all, whether it was the Enchanting Master Faction, the Royal Minister Faction, or the Revolutionary Party, none had ever truly been under his control, so he felt no sense of loss.

He didn’t even have any affection for the White Claw Empire. He had ascended the throne last year, only to be a puppet up to the present, constrained by all sorts of rules and regulations. How could he feel any fondness?

"Will it affect my treatment after I surrender?" The young emperor was, however, rather anxious about his future prospects.

"Well, well, with a ’ringleader of surrender’ like you, it’s a wonder the White Claw Empire hasn’t perished already. Can’t you show a little backbone? Die for your country to preserve the last shred of the White Claw Empire’s dignity!" Wang Linchi teased.

The young emperor said with great disdain, "As emperor, I haven’t enjoyed a single benefit, yet I’ve had to shoulder all the blame and been controlled in every way. If anyone should die for the country, it should be that bunch of royal ministers."

If all the Enchanters hadn’t died, the young emperor would have added them to the list too.

"You actually make a lot of sense. Making a four-year-old child bear all this is indeed asking too much." Wang Linchi agreed with the young emperor’s sentiment. If Zi Guang’s child-form hadn’t caused the young emperor to gain sentience ahead of his time, he probably would have starved to death by now.

The servants in the Blade Palace had become incredibly lazy due to the Illusionary God Mushroom, so much so that the young emperor had to cook for himself. It was only after he latched onto Wang Linchi that his meals improved; otherwise, he might have genuinely starved to death in a few more days.

"So, what should we do next? This is my first time surrendering; I have no Experience," the young emperor asked.

"Heh, you’ve asked the right person. I have Experience in this matter. Back in the day, I was the monarch of a fallen nation," Wang Linchi chuckled, recalling his surrender in Sky Capital. That situation was on a completely different level than this.

"Huh?" The young emperor hadn’t expected Wang Linchi to actually have Experience in this. He quickly asked, "So, what did you do?"

"First, the enemy leader and I were acquainted; we were old classmates." As soon as Wang Linchi spoke, the young emperor knew this was going to be useless. Is this something an ordinary person can manage?

He had no connection with the enemy leader; at best, they could be considered distant uncle and nephew, but who knew how many generations removed their bloodlines were.

"Not only was I acquainted with the enemy leader, but I also had connections with the enemy’s high command. And at that time, I voluntarily abdicated my position," Wang Linchi continued.

The young emperor felt increasingly overwhelmed. With connections like yours, it would have been truly problematic if you *had* died after surrendering!

"Can’t you share some Experience that’s actually suitable for me?" the young emperor interrupted, fearing Wang Linchi might next claim to have connections with the entire enemy army.

That’s not surrendering; that’s a rendezvous!

"No, I only have that one Experience of surrendering. How could it be perfectly suitable for you?" Wang Linchi was saying when he spotted a familiar figure in the distance. "Wait, it seems I actually do have a connection with this enemy general."

"..." The young emperor was speechless. How do you have connections everywhere you go? He couldn’t help but ask, "Are you sure you’re not a spy sent by the Black Tooth Empire? How do you have connections on their side too?"

"If I were a spy sent by the Black Tooth Empire, I’d have twisted your head off to claim the reward long ago," Wang Linchi retorted. "What kind of spy would idly chat with an enemy emperor like this?"

"That makes some sense. So, what are you planning to do?" the young emperor asked.

"What am I supposed to do? We’ve already fallen out," Wang Linchi said resignedly.

Just as his words fell, Ye Tian’s voice rang out.

"Hahaha, I knew you’d be here! You were the one who destroyed the roots of the Illusionary God Mushroom, weren’t you? Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have gotten in so easily." Upon seeing Wang Linchi, Ye Tian couldn’t help but beam with joy.

When the young emperor heard this, he looked at Wang Linchi suspiciously. You call *this* a falling out? Looks more like you were coordinating from both inside and out!

"It’s true I destroyed the roots of the Illusionary God Mushroom, but I feel like there’s been some misunderstanding," Wang Linchi said, feeling this was surely a bizarre mix-up.

"Hey, I know everything. The mastermind behind the scenes told me. You struck a really ruthless blow, but a thing like the Illusionary God Mushroom truly shouldn’t exist." Ye Tian was very happy. It seemed that despite Wang Linchi’s previous reluctance, he was actually on the same side, just a bit prickly by nature.

The young emperor, however, just stared at Wang Linchi, his thoughts clear: So it’s not just that you’re friendly with an enemy general—you *are* one of them, damn it!