While the eunuchs were deciding who would capture Harold, Melinda rushed to prepare for the coitus ceremony.
This woman's innate ability was phenomenal, but going against the 'wishes' of heaven was not easy!
Not only was there a sacrificial necessity, the final termination of the man's testicles, but the procedure for the coitus to work was not simple. The woman would have to be in a special state of spiritual clarity, something that could only be achieved after much meditation.
Suppose the woman was not entirely in control of her thoughts, emotions, and ability during this ceremony. In that case, she could fail to become pregnant and be seriously injured.
As each of the women in the royal family was a pillar of this state, they all had to prepare in advance. They had to follow the protocol to raise the chances of successful reproduction as high as possible.
Thus, this woman could not wait for Harold while following her routine. This way, she soon went to a special place to start her pre-coital seclusion.
'When I wake up, it will be time to get pregnant again!' She smiled as she entered an icy chamber, feeling that she could go through the joys of conception once again.
This family's ability was strange, and women were genuinely addicted to the sensation of conceiving.
Given this situation, despite the alarming future, Harold would still have some time before he lost his 'jewels'!
...
As Melinda entered seclusion, the Flowers Queen was also informed of Harold's situation.
She was not the one who would have the grace to become pregnant once again. Still, as the leader of this state, she was interested in any conception of her family members.
As such, information of the sort reached her whenever a new seed reached the point where it had to be collected.
"So Emperor Edwardstone will join my state?" She muttered to herself as she thought about the information she had received from the people of the Saints Killing Sect.
"He seems to have fooled us well..." A eunuch dressed in a golden robe commented as he stood beside this woman in a courtyard on the highest point of that floating island. "But to his misfortune, one of his vassals turned him in." A bow formed on his lips.
"That's right..." The queen remarked to her chief eunuch, this level 91 man standing next to her.
On the other hand, she was at level 93 and was the strongest in this state, the leader of a legion of warriors and mother of over 100 local experts.
"But what made him make such a decision? Did he think it was worth risking his manhood for the sake of this young emperor, Minos Stuart?" She asked the one who had been her first sexual partner.
"It's really strange... Perhaps this young man is quite talented?" He muttered, trying to find an answer to this situation. "Maybe we should make Melinda stay longer than she plans in her seclusion to force this Minos to try to save Harold?"
"Hmm, that might be a good idea..."
...
Six weeks later...
As Minos and Abe continued to act against each other on the Black Plain, with the former Vogel heir testing his opponent for another opportunity to attack, something shocking happened!
After months of not going to the Flaming Empire, Minos received the shocking news that Harold was attacked by two Spiritual Sages inside his own palace three days ago!
On that occasion, Emperor Edwardstone could not save himself from his opponents and was forcibly taken away by two men whom he supposedly accused of being from the Flowers Kingdom.
After that occasion, for the first time in a long time, the Flaming Empire was without someone at the 9th stage in its command, and Isabella quickly had to take control of the state!
That obviously weakened the empire greatly, and now the forces of this state were disorganized and in chaos because they did not know how to react to all this nor how to pursue their interests.
The sects were surprised by what had happened. However, since the imperial family was still the strongest, nobody would rebel just because of that man's absence. But it was undeniable that many uncertainties lay ahead for the local leaders, and now they would have to waste a lot of time to understand how to get on with life in the empire.
Because of this, the enemies of this state were already celebrating on the other side of the borders to the north of the empire. The three kingdoms under threat of war against the state of Isabella were now more confident than ever, sure that the threats against them had diminished considerably.
Because of this, the states that were becoming increasingly dependent on Minos due to the previous war threats now no longer felt so pressured.
The Flaming Empire still commanded respect, even without Harold. The leaders of such states knew this and would not lose their heads thinking about counterattacks or the like. But with an inexperienced leader and without the state's main weapon, the Flaming Empire was now not a threat that could overpower or destroy them in a short time!
And with that, while lamenting the news coming from Payton, Minos was frustrated by yet another action contrary to his interests.
...
'Damn it!'
'Why did this happen just now?' He wondered in anger, feeling that someone was playing against him.
Minos wanted Harold to continue pressuring the three enemy states of the Flaming Empire and Vogel so that he would absorb portions of the forces of those kingdoms into his empire.
Everything was going according to schedule concerning his plans, with those areas constantly looking to him for help and his position as leader of the alliance becoming more and more solid.
Unfortunately, the external pressures would not be great enough in this situation, and he saw the risk that those forces would slowly move away from him!
That was particularly so for Vogel's forces, which were currently part of the Black Plain Empire, a much more intimate position than that of Minos' ally.
With that in mind, even considering that he still had time until the Assembly of Vogel voted on his continuance, Minos could not help but think about the risks that would arise now.
And, of course, he was angry with himself, for this had only happened because he had asked for Harold's help in trying to intervene with the enemy Spiritual Sage.
'What should I do now?' He wondered as his face was dark as night due to his frustration.
Sarah saw that her father was worried and stood silently beside her second mother, waiting to see how a leader responded to difficult times like these.
Abby continued to hold little Sarah and heard Minos say after a while to the army core in that office of his. "Prepare for the mission to take the Assembly of Vogel. I want everything to be ready so that we can reverse the votes of the representatives of that place in our favor in no more than two years."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
'I cannot act forcefully against them... But what will they do if I 'convince' their representatives to increase my powers?'
...
