The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere until I find that guy!"

The emperor patted his chest.

"But speaking of which, there is something really strange—why did that guy turn into a pink-haired creature? I remember it used to be white, which is why I didn't realize it at first. Otherwise, I would have noticed it much sooner."

"Oh, she came to me before and asked me if I had any ideas. She said she was a lady sheep and couldn't use too much force to deal with things she didn't like."

The penguin was shocked and pushed up his sunglasses, looking at Qiao Yelan with a confused and fearful gaze, just like Puff Teacher when she heard SpongeBob say he wanted to take a driving test.

"Putting aside the fact that her self-description was so ordinary and confident... what does that have to do with her dyeing herself pink?"

“I told her that she could dye her weapons pink.”

Qiao Yelan said calmly.

Emperor: ?

He patted his head. Although Qiao Yelan's reason sounded like a joke, it was precisely because it sounded like a joke that he believed it must be the reason.

After all, they're all a bunch of guys with that kind of personality.

"Why doesn't that guy just spray-paint the pearls he makes pink...?"

The emperor muttered curses and swears.

"I'll stay here then. It's fortunate that this place has changed owners—thankfully that guy is dead, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stand here at all. Although he was a musical prodigy, my personality and his were just incompatible."

Qiao Yelan knew who he was talking about—the previous emperor of Letania, the Witch King.

Herhunzoron's musical talent was undoubtedly among the best in Terra; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to modify the then-collapsing "Golden Melody" and completely remove the Syracuse chapter.

However, as a tyrant, he naturally shared the same personality when it came to music.

"What do you think of Vidunia now, or rather, Triinttelmere?"

"Very good, better than before, even better than before."

Given the Emperor's discerning taste in music, it's quite remarkable that he would give such a high evaluation.

"The former Letania clung to their so-called classical music to the death. I stayed there for a short while and felt like it was a lifeless, stinking, rotten swamp, so I left. I also listened to some music during the time of the Witch King. It can only be said that it was somewhat changed, but not completely changed."

"On the contrary, the music here is much better now. I'm just waiting for the day of the celebration, to see if the Twin Queens' duet can bring me some surprises."

Qiao Yelan nodded.

Are you interested in participating?

"Me? You mean, I'm going to hold a concert here?"

“No new musicians have come here for a long time, and those annoying nobles have all been kicked out, leaving only young people.”

"That's certainly good news, but never mind, I'm not in a good mood right now and I don't feel like attending the celebration—in fact, I'm more inclined to make this celebration a complete mess."

The Emperor wiggled his fins.

"That's fine. If you're not satisfied with the Gemini Queens' duet, feel free to make a scene—I have some connections with them, so getting you out of here shouldn't be a problem."

Qiao Yelan smiled gently.

"Really?"

"real."

"But if the two of us escape, won't we be unable to wait for news from Dolly?"

"Then let's go to Syracuse and find those wolf cubs—they should be pretty good at catching sheep, right?"

The penguin let out a joyful squeal.

"Ah—I had almost forgotten about my old friends!"

The man smirked; his definition of friendship was clearly different from most people's.

"If I don't hear from you after the celebration, I'll go with you to Syracuse. Those wolves in the wasteland seem to be getting a little too idle."

"No problem, I'll wait for your good news."

The Emperor gave Qiao Yelan a warm hug, put on his sunglasses, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ace, feeling somewhat ashamed, then walked over.

Just as he was about to speak, Qiao Yelan interrupted him.

"No need to apologize. I know your abilities, so I won't give you tasks beyond your capabilities. The reason I'm keeping you by my side now is because those who would attack me can't break through your defenses, and those who can break through your defenses won't attack me."

"Thank you, Doctor, but this is still our failure—can you tell me what it is?"

Ace's voice remained low, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with his performance.

"Him? If you make a slight adjustment, he should be considered a very strong behemoth—so there's no need to be discouraged. You are all still young, and the future me, the future Tower of Babel, will need you even more."

Qiao Yelan comforted her.

“A behemoth… I understand, Doctor. I will continue to work hard.”

The man gripping the heavy shield spoke firmly.

"One day, I will have the power to protect you from the behemoth!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Wow, there are so many people."

The emperor emerged from between countless legs, uttering complaints, but there was no trace of resentment in his tone.

"This year's celebratory ensemble will be held in the square in front of the Tower of Origin. All Trilintelme people who are willing to participate, from nobles to commoners, are welcome to attend. There will definitely be a lot of people. I asked you if you wanted to come with me to the Great Yan delegation, but you said you didn't need to."

Qiao Yelan shrugged.

“I was just saying something, and I didn’t feel any dissatisfaction—that’s what music is all about, right? Without an audience, it’s just self-admiration. That’s why I said that the old Letanian classical music was stagnant, it just had a strong flavor.”

"So what do you think of their ensemble performance?"

The emperor pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“My attitude towards music is the same as theirs. It’s an art that should be spread, but we do it in different ways—probably because of that war. I can see that many of the people here are soldiers. They must have all participated in that battle, which is why they can resonate with this chorus so much.”

He was absolutely right. Helinmat returned before the celebration, but it wasn't just her who returned; Shi Tong led a group of people as well.

In that battle, only the Twin Queens entered the tower; everyone else, along with the Witch King's sorcerers, fought each other in this plaza—for them, this was the battlefield for the final battle.

It can be said that many of the people in this square today are those who stayed with the Geminis until the very end during that September coup.

After the twins killed the Witch King, they descended the tower, and the Witch King's army collapsed. The remaining victors—or rather, the survivors—could only look at them with bewildered eyes.

That was the first time Ivignad and Herlinmat played together in this square. Their musical magic healed countless warriors, and with the first rays of dawn, it shone into the hearts of every Letanian present at that moment.

This is why, despite being merely Elector Leopold's pawns, the Twins were able to firmly control the Hayden Schweil Legion during the leaderless period following the Elector's death, and why most of them have remained loyal to the present day.

Because while officers were drinking coffee in the rear and ordering soldiers to their deaths, someone was fighting alongside them on the blood-soaked front lines.

"So, you're not planning on making a scene?"

“I’m not deaf. If these two little girls were to perform for the nobles in the grand theater like the previous Letanian nobles, I would definitely throw a party. But now that the party has already started, I don’t need to cause any trouble.”

The Emperor stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Qiao Yelan.

"Speaking of which, is there any news?"

"Not at all. I think she probably knows how angry you'll be, so she's deliberately hiding. Besides, I have quite a few teams that haven't even arrived yet. You know, the roads in this land are really difficult to travel."

Qiao Yelan helplessly spread her hands.

"That's true... We really need to find those specialized little dogs."

The penguin pondered for a moment, then looked at Qiao Yelan.

"Didn't you say you were going to Syracuse after the celebration? Are you going in your personal capacity or as an official of the Great Yan?"

There was a reason why he didn't go to the Great Yan delegation's viewing area with Qiao Yelan. As a beast lord, he couldn't reveal any of his own stance, otherwise he would easily be confined to a certain area—even though he knew that Great Yan might not be interested in him, he still took the initiative to avoid such a thing from happening.

"Of course, I'll go as a [sponsor]."

Qiao Yelan smiled.

"I am no longer an official of the Great Yan Dynasty—the Emperor of Great Yan has approved my retirement application, so I am now a free man."

The emperor nodded.

"Alright then, I'll go pack up my records and come find you in a couple of days."

"I live at Ludwig University. Don't make too much noise when you come in. Fremont has been busy with research lately, so the gatekeepers have all been replaced with his own spells. There's no such thing as leniency with those. They'll activate immediately if you cross the line."

The man gave instructions.

"Just kidding, I'm such a well-behaved person."

The Great Emperor waved his fins to bid farewell to Qiao Yelan, and then disappeared into the human's legs.

Qiao Yelan's expression returned to calm. He reached out his hand, and the person next to him respectfully handed him the tablet.

As he wrote orders and sent them to others, he also asked his subordinates questions.

"Has a reply been received to the note sent by Lateran officials to the Sicilian representative in Syracuse?"

"It has been received. Madame Sicily has accepted your application and agreed to a private meeting with you—although it seems that she has little interest in the funding plan we proposed."

"It doesn't matter."