Chapter 670 — The Gao Song Conjecture

Amber committed each of Gao Yang's instructions to memory one by one, and was already selecting trustworthy subordinates in her mind. She was not merely the head of the intelligence service; she was also a participant in and executor of many classified programs. Especially this time, what Gao Yang intended to do would certainly require the involvement of a great many Military Intelligence Bureau operatives, so she had to begin her preparations now.

Once she had noted everything down, she raised her head, her ears twitching slightly. "Beyond all this, there is one more matter that ought to be put on the agenda, is there not?"

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"A grand coronation, of course," Amber said, spreading her hands to trace a great circle in the air, as though to reinforce the word "grand." "The situation is stable, the transfer of power is complete, the governing apparatus has taken shape—should not the ruler of the Cecil Empire announce that a new era has arrived? And it would also serve as a window for sending a signal to Typhon..."

Having followed at Gao Yang's side for so long, this half-elf had learned a great many novel and useful terms. Hearing the fellow utter something so sensible with such a straight face, even Gao Yang could not help but nod. "Quite right. That matter too should be put on the agenda."

He had not previously cared about any so-called "coronation ceremony," because stabilizing the situation and restoring production were paramount. But now the "coronation ceremony" had acquired a special function, and as a man who seized upon value wherever it lay, he had to take it seriously.

"When do you plan to be crowned?" Amber blinked, speaking with considerable anticipation.

He had no idea what the fellow was so excited about.

"When a certain special piece of 'cargo' arrives at Saint Sunil from the White Sand Hills," Gao Dai said. "But before that, the preparations can already begin."

"Special cargo?" Amber took a moment to react, then vaguely guessed Gao Song's meaning. "...Ah, that would indeed make a fitting adornment for a new emperor's coronation... But were you originally planning to be crowned at Saint Sunil?"

"At first I actually considered Xuanyao City, but Heddy's advice changed my mind," Gao Yang said, the corner of his mouth curving upward as his gaze fell on a wall of the study—where the sword-and-shield emblem of Ansu had once hung, but which was now replaced by a banner of sword and plow. "Ansu's kingship ended here, so let the new empire begin here as well."

A coronation ceremony, to put it plainly, is meant to be seen. That being so, it must be made to produce the finest effect possible.

Gao Yang meant to let the old nobility of Saint Sunil see it clearly—let the church, the army, and the old royal household's inner court see it clearly—let them watch with their own eyes the succession of the old era by the new, and be left with an impression of that process deep enough to endure. Only thus could the stability of the reforms' subsequent course be further assured.

This ancient yet young nation truly could no longer withstand the slightest chaos or hesitation.