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Imperium found the situation to be forceful, but he was not worried. He was confident in his skills to get away from this situation. He said, “Young Monk, I will be obliged to accept this gift.”

Valerian nodded and passed him the vial. However, he was sure that Imperium would not give in too quickly, so he showed his other card, “Lord Imperium, this potion must be drunk within fifteen days from brewing. I am clumsy and can only refine it once in five trials. This one is in the last hour of its life. I hope you can consume it immediately and show generosity to the order of Mercy.

The priests and the nuns from the temple here have put you in a great bind. I apologize sincerely.”

That said, he bowed his head very low, and the underlings in the crowd initiated a chat, “Yes, I think lord Imperium should take it. This monk is seeking his forgiveness sincerely. No?”

The people began to nod and urge Imperium to consume the serum. Imperium may be the great shadow and might be cunning, but his cunning still stopped in the face of light. The light was from a fire of truth that Valerian had been stoking for many days. All of his efforts were for this day.

He was not selfless. The help he provided to the people was to lure out the fish. The people of this city were bait. He could go against anyone but the people of the city. If he shows a sight of weakness, then they would doubt him.

Doubt was a potent weapon. It could destroy things in seconds. It was like a spark of fire. If you stoke it nicely, the fire of doubt will work in your favor, just like how Imperium had used it. However, when Imperium was pushed into a corner, he tried to look for disparities in Valerian’s act.

However, nothing could be found, the young man bowed his head, and Imperium could not see his face. This action made Valerian look humble in the eyes of the ignorant crowd, but as sharp as Imperuim was, how could he not understand that this monk had played a move against him?

.....

He was being cornered in his own game, and the serum was not simple either. Clenching his teeth, Imperium sighed and said, “I wonder if this potion could be given to someone who needs it more than me.”

Valerian raised his head with a smile and said, “You truly are a person with a merciful heart, Lord Imperium. I will not force you since you wish to help the people. You can dilute this serum in hot water and distribute it to everyone here. This one vial can make up for thousand people.”

Imperium was surprised to see Valerian leaving him a way out. This made him even more flustered. This was not something that he expected from Valerian, but since he was the one who asked for this, he had no choice but to see through this.

He turned around and said, “Jelat make the arrangements. Please find me some barrels of boiled water and dilute this potion. Be careful, and do not waste a drop.”

Jelat bowed and said, “Yes, Lord.”

Imperium then looked at Valerian and said, “I wonder if we can have some time to talk alone while things are being arranged?”

Valerian smiled and said, “It would be my pleasure, Lord Imperium.”

The two people moved to a vacant spot in the market and stood there silently. Valerian looked around as a tourist who had come here to experience things. At the same time, Imperium looked at Valerian from the corner of his eyes. Finally, after a few minutes, the young man in black robes asked, “So, what is it that you gain by undoing my facade?”

Valerian looked at Imperium and shook his head, “I am not after anything. I have seen many nuns and priests relinquish their duties when the pressure rises. You may have stepped away from the temple, but the priest still lives inside you. You have truly created a marvel here. I, for one, have never seen a place this bustling and lively.

In the future, many people will come here searching for dreams, and while some dreams will be realized, some will suffer. However, that is how life is. This city will give a lot of people hope. That is why my actions earlier were actual. I have no other intention but to thank you for selflessly helping the people.”

Imperium was surprised. It was not because he was fooled but because he could tell that whatever Valerian said was true. Or at least Valerian managed to fool him with half the truth.

Thinking about it, he nodded. Valerian did not continue with the questioning. Suddenly he thought of something and fished out a pill from his magic pouch and said, “Although this is not much, I hope you can accept this without any doubts in your heart.”

Imperium looked at the round pill resting in Valerian’s palm and exclaimed, “Is this a fatigue-relieving pill that warriors use in wars?”

Valerian nodded and said with an embarrassed tone, “Only mages and warriors can take this pill. The rest of the things that I had were given to the masses in need. This is a token of thanks, and I hope you receive it.”

Imperium thought, what this young man could do? He was not worried since he believed in his instincts. Valerian had appeared in front of him with a pure heart. Thinking so, Imperium took the pill and consumed it in front of Valerian.

Shortly after, Jelat came over with a smile and said, “Sire, everything is ready.”

They set up a few barrels in the square and asked the people to line up. Jelat said, “Sire, I told the people you would distribute the potion in person. They are all very enthusiastic.”

Imperium smiled and said, “You sure are wise, Jelat.”

Then after excusing himself, Imperium walked over to the stall and began distributing the hot potion to people. His actions were very calm and poised. Valerian watched everything from a distance with a smile on his face. His underlings were all surprised, and so was Jelat. They were sure Valerian would do something, but what could it be?

He had just made Imperium into an even bigger hero. After an hour, Valerian picked up his feet and headed to the stall. The people all thought the young monk was heading over to help Imperium.

Imperium smiled at Valerian, who replied with a nod. The young monk smiled and asked, “Lord Imperium, would you mind telling us why you came to this settlement.”

The man smiled and answered, “I came here to lay the foundation of a nation.”

The people were surprised, and Valerian asked, “Why did you want to create a nation? Aren’t you a follower of Mercy? They prohibit assimilation of land and power, do they not?”

Imperium chuckled and said, “I fooled everyone. All I needed was a pair of habits, and all those monks and nuns thought I was one of them—such foolish people never tried to stop me when I laid the foundation of my ideas among the people.”

Valerian asked calmly, “What did you do to the people in the temple?”

“I tied them up one day and then declared to the city folks that they ran away. Hahaha, these fools were so blinded by the dreams of incoming wealth that they believed me, and then, you know, one day, I cried in front of the people and then set fire to the temple. All the priests and nuns died that night.” said Imperium.

The people were shocked to hear all this. They had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, Valerian said, “You all might think something is wrong here. I have a confession to make. I fed this guy a pill. The pill did not have any significant effect, but once someone has been exposed to the steam of this potion after eating it, they will have no choice but to spill out the truth about everything they are asked. This effect last for an hour.”

The crowd got worked up, and they began to ask Imperium many questions, and the man answered them. The people were shocked, they could not believe what they heard. Imperium was unable to break free of the effect and kept on saying things.

His supporters, the councilmen tried to reach him, but they were suppressed by the crowd and beaten black and blue. Just one meeting, and Valerian took down the walls and revealed the monstrosity of this person people thought was their savior.