Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 12 Six Hundred Years of Waiting
Kingdom of Fein, capital city, Alexstrasz, Queen's Road.

"You may all leave."

A weary, aged sigh came from the four-poster bed. The people gathered around the bed exchanged glances. One of them, a middle-aged man in his fifties, stepped forward and said in a low voice:
"Dad, about the last item you crossed out regarding the inheritance."

"That's none of your business," the old man on the bed said, sounding somewhat impatient. "Tell Every to mind his own business. I've already told him everything I needed to."

He took a deep breath, looking quite old.
"I'm tired, I need to rest."

After a moment of silence, the people around the bed got up and left the room.

“Mr. Payton, we will be coming to perform euthanasia for you in a week. Please be prepared.” Two women dressed as doctors in white coats said respectfully to him.

Peyton irritably stretched out a hand and waved it at them.

Several men in trench coats standing at the door glanced at the old man on the bed for a moment, then lowered their hat brims and got up to leave the room.

With the sound of the door opening, only the old man remained inside.

He gasped for breath, looking at the two portraits facing the bed.

One is a portrait of Emperor Rean of the Holy Yuan Dynasty, and the other is of his ancestor, Sothos Hayward.

He gazed at the two portraits and slowly closed his eyes.

"Forgive me, grandfather, but I can no longer see the descendants of the family trapped in this contract."

He was so loyal to the empire, yet he also loved his family so much.

He really didn't want his descendants to be trapped in this six-hundred-year wait any longer. He was too old, so old that he had lost the meaning of living, and he was too tired. He just wanted to rest.

In the boundless darkness with eyes closed, a faint light suddenly appeared.

The light gradually intensified, forcing him to open his eyes.

He saw a stairway to heaven appear before him.

Payton paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered.

This is a sign! A sign that my grandfather once spoke of!
His grandfather had described to him the staircase, the holy light, and the heavenly kingdom!

This is a sign that the king is summoning him after he has awakened!

Peyton reached out and pinched his aged face in a daze.

It hurts a lot. It's not a dream, not a hallucination after I die!

But he was stunned. He never expected that after nine generations of his family had waited for six hundred years, and he had even prepared for his death, the king would wake up at this moment.

"Your Majesty the Great Holy Emperor, is it you who summoned me?"

Payton's voice trembled as he reached out his hand toward the holy light.

“I, Peyton Hayward, the tenth head of the Hayward family, the Golden Moon Duke of the Empire, your most loyal follower, answer your call.”

Enveloped in light, he was instantly transported to the Formless Divine Kingdom.

Caesar only snapped out of his daze as the phantom representing Sothos grew increasingly dense.

"Isn't Sothos dead? Why is he still here?"

"No, now is not the time to think about that. No matter who comes, I can't let them see me like this!"

A baby wearing a diaper sitting on a throne is so disrespectful.

He immediately tried to hide, but in his panic, he fell off the throne and hit his head on the solid marble floor, which made him wince in pain.

Seeing that the phantom was about to materialize, he didn't care about anything else and quickly crawled to hide behind the throne.

The phantom materialized into a physical form, an elderly man with a white beard, dressed in a magnificent robe, clearly of high status.

Upon entering the Celestial Realm, Peyton's eyes widened in astonishment at the magnificent and splendid palace that resembled a heavenly kingdom.

It was exactly the same scene that his grandfather had told him.

It will be even more magnificent.

But his grandfather had only heard his father's description; now he was actually inside! He stood here, in the divine kingdom belonging to that greatest emperor!

Peyton knelt down, stroking the golden bricks beneath his feet. The texture felt so real, and his aged eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

But he quickly realized why he had come in.

He looked up at the empty throne above, and said in a respectful yet slightly trembling voice:

"Is it you, Your Majesty Rean? Have you awakened and are summoning me?"

His grandfather had told him about many possibilities, and he knew he couldn't be too happy too soon, if it wasn't his emperor who had awakened, but something else entirely.
Caesar, hiding behind the throne, was very anxious.

Judging from appearance, it seems to be one of their own. They look somewhat like Sothoth. Could they be his descendants? Did Sothoth, before his death, strip away his qualification to enter the Kingdom of God and pass it on to his descendants, so that they could await his resurrection?
But how can he face anyone looking like this!
People waited for six hundred years, only to be met with a baby who couldn't even speak?

Caesar suddenly slapped his forehead.

After sleeping for so long, my head is all foggy. In my own celestial realm, I only need to think to make my voice reach every corner, so why do I need to speak?
He paused for a moment, focused his thoughts, and made his voice resound throughout the palace.

"You, if you're not Sothos, then who are you?"

A deep, authoritative voice echoed throughout every corner of the palace.

Peyton was startled and immediately lowered his body, responding to the words his grandfather had once instructed him to say.

"Your subject, Peyton Hayward, the tenth-generation descendant of Sothos Hayward, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty!"

So he really is a descendant.

"Descendants?"

"Yes," Peyton replied, his head still bowed low. "Because six hundred years have passed since Your Majesty fell into slumber. Our ancestor has passed away and has passed on the mission of protecting you to us. Our Hayward family will wait for your return for generations to come!"

The conjecture was confirmed, and Caesar leaned back on the throne, letting out a sigh.

"Sothos, my good brother."

He remained silent for a long time before continuing:
"I have been asleep for six hundred years."

"Hayverm, you've worked hard."

“No, protecting Your Majesty is the glory of the Hayward family! It is our duty! It is a mission we are willing to dedicate our lives to!” Peyton said passionately.

As he spoke, Peyton's face was streaked with tears. He had persevered for this mission for six hundred years, and today it had finally come to fruition for him.

He was extremely excited, for he was now conversing with the legendary emperor from six hundred years ago!
Hearing what his grandfather said, this emperor transformed himself into a cocoon in the Eternal Heaven in order to ascend to godhood, thus transcending the limitations of the physical body. Now that he has awakened, it must mean that his progress in ascending to godhood has made a breakthrough!
Therefore, he is now even conversing with a god, a level that even his ancestors had never achieved!

Caesar pondered for a moment. Although he felt it was inappropriate to pass this stressful question to his aged descendant, he knew that it was a question that needed to be asked of the newly awakened emperor.

"How is my empire now?"

Sure enough, when faced with this question, Payton froze, and then tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

He buried his head heavily in the floor and said sorrowfully:

"Your Majesty, the Holy Eldaria Empire is now dead!"

Although Caesar already knew, he pretended to be silent for a long time before speaking to Peyton, who was bowing his head in grief:
"Get up."

Payton slowly stood up, still looking heartbroken.

Caesar said, "No dynasty is immune to decline. Such is the fate of an empire; there is no need for sorrow."

This surprised Peyton. He had thought that the Holy Emperor would be furious after learning of the empire's demise, but he was surprised to find him so calm and composed.

Indeed, only by transcending a certain level can one possess this state of mind.

Payton thought for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something good, and then began to speak:
"However, Your Majesty, although the Empire is gone, its influence on the world remains profound! The four great kingdoms today all continue the Empire's system. Your reforms and policies from back then are still benefiting the people today. In this era, countless people worship you as an idol! They believe in you and admire you!"

"The people of the world all yearn for the Holy Eldaria Empire!"

"If I hadn't just read that history book a couple of days ago, I would have truly believed it," Caesar thought to himself.
There is certainly admiration for him, but as depicted in the book, there are also many critical voices, which Payton simply didn't mention.

But he still had to put on an act, so he said:

"This is the meaning of my lifelong toil."

"Your Majesty's virtue shines as brightly as the sun and moon, illuminating the universe. You are ordained by Heaven and reign over the four seas. Your imperial grace is boundless! You are the sovereign and father of all people. This is the favor of Heaven, the great blessing of the nation, our good fortune, and the fortune of the world!"

Peyton read it aloud in one breath. Although he didn't quite understand what it meant, his grandfather had told him to say that when he met His Majesty the Emperor, and he was sure to be pleased. Back then, His Majesty the Emperor was fond of speaking in this ambiguous tone, and after the ministers understood its meaning, they all learned to speak in this tone to please him.

But Caesar, who was behind him, felt somewhat ashamed.

Actually, in the past, when I was in the mood, I would sometimes imitate the tune from my previous life and recite a few lines, just to have some fun. After all, the environment is different and no one can understand it. But after the people around me learned it, they all came to imitate this tune to tease me, like your brothers reading your cringey quotes in front of you.

Although few people dared to do this after he became emperor, Sothos was an exception.

He not only played around with it himself, but he also passed it on to his descendants.

He probably doesn't find it funny to wake up after a long sleep and hear his great-great-great-grandson recite that sentence to him.
Faced with this joke that spanned six hundred years, Caesar smiled helplessly.

To be honest, if it really was Sothos who came, he wouldn't need to hide behind this throne. He could probably even organize a drinking party and chat over drinks.

But since it was his descendants who came, he still had to maintain a facade of imperial authority.

In response to Payton's praise, he gave a low "hmm" in acknowledgment.

Peyton breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving a response. As expected, His Majesty the Emperor liked this. It seemed he would have to learn from him in the future.

(End of this chapter)