World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Chapter 368: Loyalty Unmatched

What the hell?

Fourth Princess, in such a serious setting, you've been answering questions earnestly all along.

But what's with that weird sound you just made?

What kind of nonsense is running through your head?

Since when did you learn to multitask?

You're wearing a dragon robe, not a uniform!

Look at what you've done!

Who would believe that the item manifested during the coronation would have such an attribute?

Admonition Cane? Shouldn't it be called the S&M Cane?

Du Ge re-read the item's description, and his emotions instantly calmed down. Despite its unexpected side effects, the Admonition Cane blocked the recipient's perception of the outside world when struck, making it a true artifact.

Even if Pei Ma'er was truly chaotic, one strike from this cane would force him into a one-on-one fight with Du Ge.

No.

One against many.

If struck by this thing, others could still ambush him from the outside...

...

Du Ge quietly put away the King-Beating Whip, pretending not to hear Luo Shuang's outburst. He said, "Your Majesty, rise. The admonition ends here. From today, you are the ruler, and I am your subject. As your teacher, I will fulfill my duties as a subject and will no longer admonish you."

With the item manifested, it was time to manifest the loyalty skill next.

Moreover, with the King-Beating Whip having such a strange effect, it was no longer appropriate to strike Luo Shuang.

If he continued, she would truly lose face as the empress.

Luo Shuang's face was already red as if it would bleed, filled with shame and anger. But upon hearing Du Ge's words, she snapped back to reality. Her eyes widened in panic, and she said urgently, "Master, once a teacher, always a father. Without you, there would be no Luo Shuang today. Even as a ruler, I still have many shortcomings and cannot do without your guidance..."

She thought her outburst had prevented Du Ge from awakening his supernatural power and hurriedly tried to make amends.

She feared that Du Ge would stop disciplining her and turn to torment others to awaken his skills, severing their bond.

"Ahem!" Du Ge cleared his throat, reached out to help Luo Shuang up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Luo Shuang, as an emperor, you must have the demeanor of one. You will be ruling a nation; you can't act like a little girl anymore."

"Master..." Guilt surged in Luo Shuang's heart, and her tears flowed even more fiercely. But at such an important ceremony, she couldn't undermine Du Ge, so she instinctively grabbed his sleeve.

Du Ge channeled his true energy, flicked her hand away, and bowed to her. "Please, Your Majesty, take your place."

The imperial teacher glanced at the distraught Luo Shuang, followed suit, and loudly said, "Please, Your Majesty, take your place."

He had to step in.

Luo Shuang's consolidation of the two kingdoms was unstoppable. She was destined to become the first empress in history. Allowing them to continue this farce would be a joke, and he couldn't let that happen.

"Please, Your Majesty, take your place," the ministers echoed.

Du Ge quietly reminded, "Your Majesty, state affairs are paramount. We should proceed."

Luo Shuang took a deep breath, gave Du Ge an apologetic look, and gracefully sat on the dragon throne. "All ministers, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the ministers responded.

Du Ge cupped his hands towards Luo Shuang, stepped back down the stairs, and stood beside the imperial teacher, taking the lead among the ministers.

Luo Shuang watched Du Ge retreat step by step, her heart aching.

At that moment, she seemed to see a future where Du Ge would truly leave her and never return.

No.

She would never allow that to happen.

Luo Shuang clenched her fists quietly, looked around at the ministers, and stood up from the dragon throne. "Ministers, my ascension today is not due to my abilities but entirely due to the efforts of the imperial teacher.

I met the imperial teacher during a time of crisis. At that time, my father and brothers were all killed by traitors. I was in a foreign land, pursued by enemies, with my guards dead or wounded. Fortunately, the imperial teacher descended from the heavens and saved me from peril;

The imperial teacher did not disdain me for being a woman, nor did he despise my destitution. He taught me to be strong and self-reliant, imparted martial skills and governance, and risked his life to protect me;

The imperial teacher single-handedly captured Yutang Pass, then took Langping Pass with strategy, and later captured Cao Lin in Yangjiang..."

Luo Shuang sat on the dragon throne, calmly recounting her experiences with Du Ge.

Du Ge looked at Luo Shuang in astonishment.

This part wasn't in the coronation ceremony he had designed. He hadn't expected Luo Shuang to add this segment on her own.

But.

Let her add it!

Now that she's the emperor, she can be willful once.

Which loyal minister wouldn't want to hear their ruler praise them?

He had to admit, hearing his deeds recounted by someone else was quite enjoyable.

Moreover, Luo Shuang had even embellished his actions, omitting the more unsavory details. In her narrative, he was a perfect hero. Wonderful!

"...In short, without my master, there would be no me today, and no empress of Qingwu today." Luo Shuang's gaze finally fell on Du Ge, her voice suddenly rising, "Today, I bestow upon the imperial teacher the title of Loyal and Righteous King, granting him the King-Beating Whip to strike down corrupt ministers and tyrants; bestowing the Emperor's Token, so he need not kneel before any king; granting the Imperial Sword, allowing him to execute first and report later; and granting a six-horse carriage..."

The ministers were in an uproar.

The privileges Luo Shuang bestowed upon Du Ge were almost equivalent to making him another emperor.

But the imperial teacher remained unmoved, so naturally, they wouldn't voice any objections. After all, Du Ge's contributions were immense, and such treatment was not undeserved.

But at this moment, shouldn't the newly crowned emperor be diminishing his merits? Otherwise, it would seem like she was nothing without him!

Moreover, they had only conquered half of Chongming Kingdom. They still had to conquer Qingwu Kingdom. If she bestowed all possible rewards now, what would she reward later?

This wasn't proper!

Would she kill him later?

No, he's the Heavenly Demon. Even combined, they couldn't kill him...

Sigh!

The ministers sighed silently, suddenly doubting Luo Shuang's capability as an emperor.

Who ascends the throne only to willingly make themselves a puppet?

She's still too young.

With a mind full of romantic entanglements, how can she be a good emperor?

But soon, the ministers understood Luo Shuang's reasoning.

Luo Shuang was a woman. To pass on the throne, she would need to find someone to be her consort. Who in the world was more suitable than Du Ge?

If Du Ge married the emperor, there would be no power struggle!

Wouldn't the kingdom be left to their children?

Du Ge was so outstanding that even if their future prince had half his intelligence and martial prowess, it would be enough to stabilize the realm.

And if their child ruled the kingdom, even if he was the Heavenly Demon, he wouldn't harm his own empire, right?

Letting Du Ge marry Luo Shuang had countless benefits and no drawbacks!

With this thought, the ministers instantly felt at ease. The empress was indeed far-sighted. Some clever ones even began to ponder how to matchmake the empress and the Loyal and Righteous King.

...

All the ministers' murmurs reached Du Ge's ears, but he didn't care at all.

At this moment, Du Ge's attention was entirely on the newly manifested skill:

Loyalty Unmatched: Your attributes and your reputation for loyalty increase in a stepwise manner. The more widely your reputation for loyalty spreads, the stronger your attributes become.

...

Gulp!

Du Ge swallowed lightly.

Is this a combat skill or a support skill?

According to this skill's description, if the Linyang Daily gave him some publicity, his attributes would skyrocket, surpassing even trade...

Even loyalty could be maxed out by him. What other keywords could stop him in the future?

At this moment, Du Ge's confidence swelled completely. He looked at Luo Shuang on the dragon throne, his eyes full of affection. Luo Shuang, oh Luo Shuang, you truly are a good disciple! It wasn't in vain that I helped you conquer such a vast kingdom...

Seeing Du Ge's gaze turn affectionate again, Luo Shuang thought she had done the right thing. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and she happily returned Du Ge's affectionate gaze with a proud one.