CH 68

"After conquering the Orion Constellation, the emperor started considering further expansion beyond the constellation. However, the many kingdoms under the empire's rule had not received proper aid, resulting in a chaotic political system," said Fode.

"So you defected because you did not wish to help the empire in its path of war?" I asked.

"That's partially true. Principal Sosse believes that to maintain peace, a powerful parliament for everyone to come together is required, not a dictator. The Interstellar League's system fits the principal's requirements."

"Interstellar League? Hehe, you will understand how it really is after becoming a part of it," I sneered.

"The emperor has always been the sole holder of the empire's energy secret. The Sacred Wing race and the Imperial Police Force are the emperor's loyal soldiers. Because of that, they are given a steady flow of energy. As for the rest of the army, they are allocated different levels of resources depending on their ranks," said Fode.

"How about you? What kind of an organization is the Brotherhood?" I asked.

"We do anything for money," said Giorno.

"Do you have no bottom line at all?" I asked.

"People will die for riches, just as birds will die for food," said Giorno.

"Ca— n— yue," Dondon's voice finally came from my communicator.

His voice was cut off by static, and the channel returned to silence.

'There must be some sort of electromagnetic interference system here. Looks like it will be difficult to maintain contact,' I thought.

However, I was still relieved to hear Dondon's voice. At least it indicated that the little fellow had reached a suitable position to use the communicator. He had done well. Meanwhile, Fode was still talking, recounting the Imperial College's opinion on the emperor's ambitions to further expand the empire.

I interrupted Fode's long-winded narration and went straight to the point, "So in short, you believe this book is the emperor's secret in his control over energy." 

"Yes. Therefore, I hope you can help decipher these characters. Of course, that's because the emperor is hunting me. I'll be able to get my answer if I can actually travel to Akko and meet the people from the Interstellar League," Fode said.

"The criminal underworld has its ways. Can't they send you to Akko?" I asked while giving Giorno a look. 

"It won't be hard for me to send Fode away, but the Imperial Golden Book emanates a unique magnetic field. It can be easily detected by the police. We can't take this risk. That is why we had hidden this book so deep underground in the first place," said Giorno.

"I thought you were colluding with the police, aren't you? You were able to go through the checkpoint without any inspection," I said.

"Yes, we can handle the police in charge of the Miner's District, but we can't handle the entire police force," said Giorno.

"If you can help me decipher this book, we'll help you meet the emperor," promised Theologian Fode.

"But the emperor has been missing for a while. Do you really know where he is?" I asked.

"Hehe, I doubt the emperor is missing. Either he is hiding or Fille V has inherited the throne," said Giorno.

I could hear that there was a hidden meaning behind Giorno's words. "From the sounds of it, you also harbor your own conspiracy against the emperor?"

Giorno sneered, but he did not answer my question.

"If the emperor is hiding to prevent being assassinated, why is the empress not aware of his whereabouts?" I asked.

Giorno shot me a gaze and said, "Great explorer, when you become an emperor yourself, you will understand the loneliness at the top, the feeling of not having a single person you can trust."

I might be the son of a simple docker, but I still understood what he meant.

"Where do you think the emperor is??" I asked.

"The Imperial College, most likely," said Giorno.

While we were conversing, a Liyate thug rushed over, knocking a shelf on his way, throwing the books all over the ground.

"Kid, have you gone mad? Why are you running so rashly? Do you know the rules of the Brotherhood?" rebuked Giorno.

"Lord, there is an emergency. You need to know about this," replied the Liyate, gasping for breath.

He was about to whisper to Giorno's ear when Giorno stopped him with a gesture.

"The great explorer is our VIP. Just say it out loud," said Giorno.

"Yes, lord. We received news that the imperial police just captured a group of people. From a reliable source, they are the group from the House of Brave," said the Liyate.

"What? My companions were all caught by the imperial police? Including Prince Toruse?" I asked anxiously.

"Yes. Our informer in the police force personally received the group of prisoners," said the Liyate.

"Was Master Crystal also captured?" I asked.

"Who's Master Crystal?" asked the Liyate.

"A tiny old man clad completely in a black robe," I said.

"I am sure there's no such person among the arrested, but one of them was apparently missing. It's the tiny fellow in the white suit from your group," said the Liyate.

I wondered inwardly, 'That's too odd. We have experienced so many battles. Our morph-capable shields should be able to help them fight an intense battle with the police. Why were they defeated so easily?' 

"Where are they locked?" I asked, noticing that the Liyate had left the crucial information out.

"Imperial College," replied the Liyate.

"Hahaha. Well, well. Looks like we will be visiting the Imperial College after all," said Giorno.

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"Can you get my companions out? If you can, I'll have your book deciphered. The person who can do it is among the arrested," I said to Giorno.

"Are you sure you can decipher the book after I get your people out? You won't renege on your promise?" asked Giorno.

"When the time arrives, tell me what you actually want from the book. If it is not something treacherous, I'll naturally help. Otherwise, even if I agree, the actual translator will not agree," I said firmly.

Giorno blanked out slightly before looking at Fode.

"By the name of the Betelgeuse God, I promise that I will only utilize the energy source for self-defense. It will never be used for offensive purposes," said Fode.

I knew that such a promise was worthless, but to rescue Zhang Xingxing and the others, I could only convince myself to believe them.

"If you can keep your promise, I'll help," I said.

"Deal," said Giorno in excitement.

He then turned to the burly Liyate and said, "Get Team Leader Kalun here. Immediately!"

The Liyate ran out to carry out his command. Surprisingly, the so-called Team Leader Kalun arrived in less than five minutes. Team Leader Kalun was not as sturdy as all the other Liyates I had seen. However, his six arms looked incredibly powerful, and his fierce face told the story of a veteran soldier.

"Um. Kalun, do you have combat-ready subordinates around? How many of them do you have?" asked Giorno, pleased that Kalun had come so quickly.

"My lord, I have 30 elite warriors available. As per your wish, they are on standby in the mine's second layer."

'Oh boy. I was wondering about his speed, but it turns out that Giorno has killers hidden on standby all this while. This fellow is too treacherous. I need to be more careful around him,' I thought.

Giorno seemed unhappy at how honest Kalun was; a slight anger became visible on his face due to his embarrassment.

"Contact the other four team leaders. I need 150 warriors gathered. Take your best weapons and equipment with you. Gather at the public square in four hours. Anyone failing to arrive on time will be subjected to military punishment on the spot," said Giorno fiercely.

"Ye-yes!" Kalun stumbled over his words, most likely due to Giorno's sudden fierceness.

"Also, impose martial law on the surroundings of the public square. I do not want to see even one person unrelated to our operation near it," said Giorno.

The team leader did not dare say anything else. He immediately left with his orders.

"My respected great explorer, I have made my arrangements as per your request. We can set off for the surface in one hour," said Giorno with a smile.

'This person changes his expression way too fast. He is a scary individual,' I thought.

Giorno asked, "Lord Fode, can you give me the details on the college's defenses and weaponry?"

"The Imperial College is guarded by a fifty-person squad of Eternal soldiers. Additionally, there is also a twenty-person squad of imperial police to supervise the college's daily operation. The college is surrounded by four rail cannons and four laser towers. Two of the rail cannons are installed near their front gate. The imperial police and ten of the soldiers are also stationed at the front gate. As for the other forty soldiers, they are in charge of patrolling the college," said Fode.

"Out of Principal Sosse's five personal guards, one is dead. The rest must have gone with him to Akko, right?" asked Giorno.

"Yes. Heige was returning with a message for me from the principal. The police had noticed him and captured him after a bloody battle. The emperor himself decreed his execution," said Fode.

"What a pity. The principal's guards are all capable individuals. If they were still around, they could have helped us from the inside," said Giorno with a sigh.

I interrupted, "Apart from those deployments, do they have other reinforcements or weaponry? If they have some sort of warship there, this operation will be the same as suicide." 

"As a precaution, the emperor once decreed that no large-scale spaceships can enter Planet Eternal's airspace, including the army's spaceships. I don't know much about their reinforcements and weaponry, but from the current situation, the Sacred Wing race is probably protecting the emperor in the college," said Fode.

"Sacred Wing race. Are they powerful?" I asked.

"Since they can be the imperial family's protector for so many years, they definitely can't be underestimated. However, they are also very secretive. I've never seen any of them. Then again, why does it matter? We will use force to settle everything!" said Giorno in a domineering fashion.

"We're short on time. Let's set off," I urged Giorno.

"Great theologian, wait here for us," said Giorno.

"Alright. Remember, don't enter the restricted area. You won't be able to bear the consequences," reminded Fode.

We left the room and took the same elevator we had come from to return to the surface.