I'm here to save the world, what are you doing?

"Alas, old Otto..."

Kokuus shook his head and chuckled:

"Young people's affairs should be left to young people to resolve. Why meddle in other people's affairs?"

The emperor didn't let it go, he just let it go.

He has given up struggling with Octavia and Plotina. He now only wants to protect his only child, Maria.

No matter what, we must not let Lucius take away the whole thing!

Kokwus sighed, stood up, straightened his clothes, and prepared to go to the throne room.

Today's meeting should be very interesting.

When the Emperor arrived at the throne room, the ministers were already standing in their respective seats.

"Please take your seats accordingly, my Lords."

Kokwus waved his hand and sat down on the throne.

After completing the formalities, he got straight to the point:

"I'm sure you all know that yesterday, Lucius, as the Imperial Commissioner, declared a state of emergency in Splenda."

"The main topic of today's Imperial Conference is to ask the ministers for their opinions on this decision and the subsequent measures."

"Sir Lucius, please first tell me the details of yesterday's operation."

As soon as the words fell, Lucius stepped forward and said respectfully:

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He reported yesterday's operation in detail, including the number of people arrested, physical evidence seized, etc.

Every data is accurate and every detail is clear.

When he mentioned the strange items seized from the Chaos Cult members, the ministers present couldn't help but frown.

"...To sum up, the Chaos Cult's infiltration into Splenda far exceeds our expectations."

Lucius looked around and concluded:

"In order to prevent them from taking more extreme measures, I believe that declaring a state of emergency is a necessary precautionary measure."

After the report, the hall fell into a brief silence.

Lucius knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

The first to speak was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Frelvius.

He pushed his glasses up, his voice full of doubt:

"Lord Lucius's report is very detailed, but I have a question."

"The economic costs of a state of emergency are enormous."

"Business activity is stagnant, tax revenue is decreasing, and the cost of maintaining public order is increasing..."

"According to my preliminary estimate, the daily losses are a huge number."

"How long will this state last?"

"More importantly, if the threat still exists after the deadline you gave, should we continue to bear such huge losses?"

"It was a huge burden on the imperial treasury."

Flavius's questioning voice echoed in the hall, and the other ministers nodded one after another, obviously very concerned about this issue.

This is a very acute issue.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is worthy of being the one in charge of money. He hits the nail on the head as soon as he opens his mouth.

Lucius took a deep breath. He knew this was a critical moment and he had to give a convincing answer:

“The chancellor’s concerns are valid, but we need to weigh the short-term losses against the potential risks.”

"If the Chaos Cult succeeds in their plan, the damage will far exceed the current economic costs."

"As for the duration, I am confident that the main threat can be eliminated within two weeks."

Lucius paused, then said firmly:

"To allay the Chancellor's concerns, I can make a promise—"

"If the threat still exists after two weeks and the state of emergency needs to be maintained, the economic losses incurred beyond the stipulated time will be borne entirely by the Clovis family."

Money is the least valuable thing to Lucius.

Not to mention the Clovis family's wealth accumulated over thousands of years, even if Lucius relied on himself, he could go to his mother and cry poor, and he could dig up a gold vein in his backyard with just a shovel the next day.

Of course, Lucius knew his own business, but when his words reached the ears of the ministers, they naturally caused an uproar.

The courage and determination to use personal and family property to guarantee the implementation of national policies shocked the ministers present.

Frelvius' eyes widened, obviously not expecting Lucius to make such a big promise.

"Lord Lucius, are you sure you want to take such a risk?"

He asked tentatively:

“This is not a small amount of money…”

"I am sure."

Lucius nodded without hesitation:

"I am confident in the success of this operation."

"That's okay."

Frelvius shook his head and crossed out the various difficult plans he had prepared in his notebook:

"Since you have such an attitude, what else can I say?"

"I support you, brother, and that's all. The Finance Department will fully cooperate with this operation and ensure that all necessary funds are in place in a timely manner."

Lucius was very considerate of this. He walked up to Frelvius and shook his hand tightly.

"Too temperamental, brother!"

It is really funny that an old man and a sixteen-year-old young man call each other "brother".

At this moment, Chancellor Otto stepped forward.

The Imperial Chancellor slowly stepped forward, his majestic gaze sweeping across the room, and then he spoke:

"I understand the concerns of some ministers, but let's not forget that some things are more important than money."

His voice was calm and majestic, as if every word carried weight:

"The safety of the people and the stability of the empire are priceless."

"If we delay the attack on the Chaos Cult due to concerns about economic losses, and they succeed in their conspiracy, that would be a true disaster."

Chancellor Otto turned to Lucius, a look of recognition in his eyes:

"I believe that Lucius is capable of resolving the threat from Splenda within two weeks."

"As Chancellor of the Empire, I fully support Lucius's decision and commitment."

With the prime minister's clear statement, the atmosphere in the hall subtly changed. Many ministers who had originally been on the sidelines began to reconsider their positions.

War Minister Georgy also stood up:

"Army headquarters fully supports this decision."

"The threat posed by the Chaos Cult cannot be underestimated, and we have already seen initial results in our operations."

He looked at Lucius, his eyes full of admiration:

"Lord Lucius's actions yesterday were swift and effective, thwarting multiple Chaos Cult plots in just one day."

"Such execution and efficiency give me confidence in our goal of eliminating the threat within two weeks."

The Minister of Justice also expressed support, believing that there were no procedural problems.

The situation gradually became clear, but Home Secretary Edward was still somewhat unwilling.

Just when he was about to speak, Emperor Cocceus finally took action.

He slowly stood up from the throne, his majestic eyes swept across the audience, and then he said in a calm and powerful voice:

"Lucius, I'm glad you have the courage."

"However, the empire has not yet fallen to the point where you need to use your family fortune to bear the losses."

The emperor paused for a moment, a meaningful smile on his face:

"The Third Princess possesses a very generous royal fiefdom. If there ever comes a day when we need to incur additional losses, the income from that fiefdom will be sufficient to cover any necessary expenses."

"You will be husband and wife in the future, so by doing this, you will be taking responsibility."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the ministers immediately exchanged glances.

The emperor used the royal family's wealth to endorse Lucius. Isn't it obvious what his attitude is?

When Home Secretary Edward heard this, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​raising any objections.

The emperor and the prime minister both clearly support it, so what reason does he have to oppose it?

Moreover, if he continued to oppose it, he would be questioning the emperor's judgment, which was definitely not a wise move.

It seems we have to take a long-term view.

Seeing that all the opposition had subsided, the emperor nodded with satisfaction:

"Since all the ministers have no objection, then this matter is decided."

Cocceus sat back on the throne and solemnly announced:

"I formally authorize Lucius to be fully responsible for all matters related to Splenda entering a state of emergency."

"All departments must fully cooperate and there must be no slacking off."

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

The ministers responded in unison.

The imperial meeting ended here, much more smoothly than Lucius had expected.

After saying goodbye to Chancellor Otto, Lucius wanted to go directly to the inner court, but Earl Spencer, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Finance and the Chancellor's number one henchman, came up to him mysteriously at this time.

"Lord Lucius, the Minister asked me to give this to you."

Earl Spencer took out something that looked like a photo from his pocket and handed it to Lucius.

"?"

Lucius took it in confusion, opened it, and was immediately stunned.

This is indeed a photo. The person in the photo is a young girl, with a beautiful appearance, snow-white hair and gorgeous purple eyes.

Of course, this was not the reason why Lucius was stunned.

Lucius has seen many beautiful girls, but what he cares about is that he seems to... know this girl.

Yelena Romanovna, the youngest daughter of Grand Duke Romanov, the Guardian of the North.

However, compared to her famous sister Anastasia, Miss Yelena seems to be quite unknown.

So the question is, why did the Chancellor of the Exchequer hand over this thing?

"Lord Frelvius, what is this...?"

Lucius put the photo away and looked at Earl Spencer with a puzzled look.

"Haha, Lord Lucius, have you forgotten that Miss Yelena is our minister's great-niece?"

Earl Spencer smiled slightly and said ambiguously:

"Sir, you would naturally want to introduce a talented young man like Sir Lucius to your family's younger generation..."

It turned out that Finance Minister Frelvius thought about it at the imperial meeting, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He could understand why the emperor supported Lucius, after all, Lucius was the emperor's son-in-law.

But why was Chancellor Otto?