Yu Weiwei was stunned as he stared blankly at the young man glaring at him with a dark expression.
'Am I dreaming?' Yu Weiwei thought in a daze.
Why does Si Tian look so much younger?
Before he could process what was happening—
Slap!
The loud smack echoed throughout the silent courtroom.
For a brief moment, everything around Yu Weiwei seemed to fade away, his ears rang.
He felt his cheek burned.
"...Pain?"
Yu Weiwei muttered in confusion as he slowly raised a hand to touch his face.
'Pain... in a dream?'
His pupils contracted.
'No, this isn't a dream.'
'It's real.'
'I've... come back?'
Yu Weiwei thought, lost in thought.
"Yu Weiwei!"
Si Tian's furious voice pulled him back to reality.
"Are you deaf?! I'm talking to you!"
His usually handsome face was twisted with anger as he pointed at Yu Weiwei.
"I'm telling you to stay away from Yuanyuan! You'd better confess all your sins truthfully, or else—"
Yu Weiwei lowered his eyes.
Fragments of memories rushed into his mind.
The familiar courtroom.
The familiar faces.
The familiar accusations.
Then...
Everything clicked.
'Ah...'
'So it's today.'
'The day my life turned into hell.'
Hundreds of years had passed.
After dying miserably in his previous life, he had been bound to a system and sent to countless small worlds to complete missions. Only after finishing them all had he finally earned the chance to return.
He had lived for so long...
Yet he almost forgot this day.
The beginning of every nightmare.
The corner of Yu Weiwei's lips slowly curled upward.
"Sins?"
"Confess?"
"I'll gladly do so."
He smiled brightly.
Unfortunately...
With the exaggerated makeup plastered across his face, his smile looked more terrifying than cheerful. It was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
Si Tian frowned. For some reason, that smile made him uneasy.
Floating above the courtroom were dozens of beetle-shaped livestream robots.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every word.
Was being broadcast live to the entire Empire.
Countless citizens watched the trial unfold from their homes.
The comment section exploded.
{Is Yu Drama Queen alright? That slap looked like it hurt.}
The beetle live stream robot was concentrated on Yu Weiwei. The whole Empire was currently watching the trial of Yu Weiwei, who had committed all kind of sins from murder to lies.
{ She deserves it, who told her to go after our Yuanyuan} A comment gloated at Yu Weiwei's misfortune.
{ But he really shouldn't have raised his hands on him. What if Yu Weiwei was innocent?} Another comment tried to defend him.
{ What? How come I didn't know that Yu drama queen still has fans?}
{ Is that what you all are focusing on??? Yu drama queen agreed to using the truth seer!!!! Has he gone crazy from the slap???} Another comment commented in disbelief.
{ Upstairs, I think the slap really made him crazy. Who would agree to such thing??!}
Si Tian snorted but didn't say anything, he was impulsive he shouldn't have slapped Yu Weiwei in front of the whole empire. His temper got the best out of him seeing Yu Weiwei lost in a daze without regards of the occasion. But he was really surprised he agreed. Didn't he say that he would rather that than use the Truth Seer seconds ago?
He couldn't understand Yu Weiwei.
"Are you certain?"
A calm, majestic voice echoed through the courtroom.
The noisy courtroom instantly fell silent.
Yu Weiwei looked toward the source of the voice.
At the very top of the hall sat a man dressed in a black and red imperial robe embroidered with golden stars.
His crimson eyes were calm and indifferent. Merely sitting there made him seem untouchable.
This was the ruler of humanity.
His Imperial Majesty—
Emperor Caspian Grant.
The current Emperor of the Eternal Empire.
A man whose name alone could shake the stars.
Yu Weiwei blinked.
'Still as handsome as ever...' Yu Weiwei thought with admiration.
Then his gaze shifted slightly.
"He looks tired..."
Thinking about it, how could he not be?
The Zerg had been unusually active at the frontier recently. The Imperial Court argued every single day. Now this absurd case between Yu Weiwei and Yu Yuan had somehow become the hottest topic in the Empire.
Poor Emperor Caspian.
He had to personally preside over this circus.
Yu Weiwei suddenly felt a little sympathetic toward him.
"...I'm sure, Your Majesty." He nodded without hesitation.
"I willingly accept the Truth Seer's judgment."
Caspian studied him quietly.
...He agreed?
Didn't this child cry earlier that he'd rather die than enter the Truth Seer?
Did Si Tian's slap actually knock some sense... or nonsense into him?
His expression remained perfectly calm as he said.
"So be it." His voice was as steady as ever.
"Prepare the Truth Seer."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Several guards stepped forward.
As Yu Weiwei was escorted toward the center of the courtroom, Caspian rested his chin against one hand.
Truthfully, he had no good impression of either cousin.
Yu Weiwei was a hopeless fool, he wore every emotion on his face, was easily manipulated, and somehow remained grateful to the very people who used him.
As for Yu Yuan...
Caspian's eyes landed on the pale, fidgeting young man standing quietly behind Si Tian.
Delicate.
Gentle.
Pitiful.
The perfect image of an innocent white lotus. But beneath all that was a rotten, vicious personality.
If someone told Caspian that Yu Yuan had killed someone, he'd probably believe it.
The murder case before him had every piece of evidence pointing toward Yu Weiwei.
But if Caspian had to place a bet...
He would bet on Yu Yuan.
Not because he had evidence.
But because Yu Weiwei simply wasn't clever enough. That child was the type to have every thought written across his face. He couldn't hide anything.
Yet...
The entire Empire seemed convinced that Yu Yuan was innocent. More than seventy percent of the citizens believed it without question.
Caspian genuinely couldn't understand.
Have they all forgotten how to think? How could an F rank kill a B rank ?
Unfortunately...
Suspicions meant nothing in court. Evidence was everything. And evidence pointed to Yu Weiwei.
Yu Yuan at this moment felt he was about to lose, he had been confident a while ago, but Yu Weiwei didn't play by the rules.
He had planned everything but he never expected that Yu Weiwei would use the truth Seer.
His mind in a jumble as he tried to calm himself down.
' it's okay, that fool is just bluffing.' Yu Yuan thought seemingly trying to convince himself.
Caspian clicked his tongue when he saw Yu Yuan on a verge of collapse due to Yu Weiwei's desicion.
' it seems he really is the killer.' Caspian thought before shifting his gaze to Yu Weiwei.
The fact that Yu Weiwei had suddenly agreed to the Truth Seer was beyond baffling.
The Truth Seer was an ancient relic left behind by a civilization long lost to history.
It forcefully entered a person's Mental Sea and dragged every hidden memory into the light.
No lie could survive before it.
Neither could most minds.
Those below A Rank often suffered Mental Collapse. Some lost their sanity forever. Others became little more than empty shells.
Those with A Rank or above fared slightly better, they usually survived. Instead, they spent the rest of their lives suffering from Mental Riots.
A fate many believed was worse than death.
Because of that, the Truth Seer was rarely used, only crimes involving the stability of the Empire warranted such a terrifying punishment.
Yu Weiwei was famous throughout the Empire for one thing. Being afraid of pain.
So, why?
Why had he agreed so readily?
If it weren't for Si Tian using the Si family's Royal Writ to formally request the Truth Seer's judgment, Caspian would never have approved such an absurd request.
...Sigh.
If only Evander were here, his little brother could probably figure this mess out in half an hour. Then Caspian could hand over the rest of today's work...
Take his empress somewhere far away...
Maybe a nice vacation on Azure Nebula...
'Actually would anyone notice if I quietly abdicated today?' Caspian thought though his face remained perfectly cold.
The ministers below secretly trembled.
"His Majesty must be furious."
If Caspian could hear their thoughts, he probably would say to them confidently.
'I'm just wondering how to trick my little brother into inheriting the throne.'
Yu Weiwei was soon brought before the Truth Seer. The ancient machine stood in the center of the hall.
Unlike modern technology that was sleek and elegant, the Truth Seer looked almost primitive.
Old.
Terrifying.
Its dark metallic body was covered with mysterious patterns that no modern scientist had been able to fully decipher. Countless cables extended from it, waiting to connect with the person who would enter its judgment.
The staff responsible for operating the device looked at Yu Weiwei with complicated expressions.
Some had disgust in their eyes.
Some had curiosity.
But most had pity.
Everyone knew Yu Weiwei's Mental Power level.
F Rank.