The Sinful Life of The Emperor

The dining room inside the camp house was completely silent. The red tablet, made of unknown materials, was placed on the table.

This tablet was far too precious, and in ordinary times, it would be the object of interest for everyone.

But now, everyone in the room was not focusing on the tablet. Instead, their eyes were locked on Zed.

They tried to study him; understand him.

When Carmen found the tablet in spatial debris cave, he was sure he would be greatly rewarded once he returned back to his home.

Every faction within the World Government and even other organizations have dedicated a lot of resources on finding clues of the ancient civilizations.

It has been over two centuries since the meteorites crashed on Earth, but most of them still have been outside the reach of humans. But humans were sure, the only way to gain a chance of acquiring the resources and knowledge in those meteorites was by knowing more about Celestial Elysian Plane from other sources.

The tablets and other such pieces served that function. This was why Carmen was so proud of his accomplishment.

Of course, he knew decoding the secrets of the tablet was easier said than done. But he was not worried.

House of Vazquez was a part of World Government. Naturally, they had access to lots of high-tech devices that the elders in the family were allowed to use.

These devices could act as a translator and help them understand the meanings of the contradictory, ever-changing patterns on the tablet. If the devices failed, there were linguist experts who have dedicated their lives to studying various languages and patterns of Celestial Elysian Plane.

Of course, the linguist experts didn't understand every language; they were focused on a particular language depending on its existence in the meteorite of interest.

Carmen reasoned while he might not be able to benefit from the tablet in the core region, the family would still greatly benefit. This, in turn, would improve his standing among the younger generation.

In the end, everything depended on the content of the tablet. Something that could be only known later on.

Yet, barely a minute ago, Zed read what was engraved on the tablet.

The words he spoke continuously repeated in Carmen's mind.

"In the midst of great disaster, you shall find what you have sought from ages past.

"In the middle of death, you shall discover what binds the living to...

"Life begins from death...

"Flames of nirvana shall mold what has long ceased to exist, to bring the era of..."

Not only Carmen, but even others were in similar condition.

Aileen observed Zed's face but noticed nothing.

When he spoke first, she thought he might be lying and speaking gibberish to sound profound, but when he continued, all her suspicions were washed away.

This was not due to his honest and sincere actions from before, but rather, it was due to the way the tablet acted!

As soon as he continued, the runes and patterns on the tablet flashed with a warm radiance. The radiance was like the love of a mother; pure and untainted.

It brought them close to enlightenment that they could not describe. It was an ethereal feeling that closed them to some wordly principle.

This was more than enough for them to know he understood the engravings!

Carmen gulped a mouthful of saliva. Earlier, he has eyed Zed with disdain when he retrieved the tablet. He wanted to show off in front of Sophia and prove that Zed didn't deserve her interest.

But now, he realised he has only made of himself. He was no better than a rookie trying to showcase his meager skills in front of an expert!

The result would be only humiliation.

Thankfully, everyone was too shocked to laugh at Carmen.

Aileen was lost in thoughts.

"Zed must be 21 or 22 and yet he understands such complex engravings?!"

She could imagine how elders from Neville Family would react if she told them about Zed. They would laugh and ask if she thinks they are stupid to believe this nonsense.

Specialists with decades of experience would have difficulty in understanding runes of even one language, and yet, a kid who has only existed from two decades perfectly translate them?

This was completely impossible. Something no would dare believe.

"The elders of Neville Family said Celestial Elysian Plane was boundless and majestic. That plane has everything... fantasy, technological advancement, magic... everything that could be imagined by humans.

"But in the end, magic was not really magic and the same goes for fantasy. What people could not fathom or understand, they consider it as paranormal. In truth, everything could be explained by science.

"The same goes for this tablet and the radiance of enlightenment... it definitely has some scientistic explanation... just something beyond the scope of human intelligence."

Aileen recalled everything she knew about that alien world. The languages were complex like a labyrinth; irregular and twisting. From a human perspective, they were full of absurdities. This was the actual reason why humans could not decode the secret of languages despite them being in an era of technology.

Ashlyn glanced at Zed and thought of Kiba. She then recalled the alien serpent (who called itself Immortal Devourer Serpent) and its conflict with Kiba.

Ashlyn concluded something after which she closed her eyes.

On the host chair, Sophia swept her eyes from the tablet to Zed.

"You have an interest in understanding alien languages?" Sophia asked.

The circular ripple patterns and runes on the tablet were no better than a spiral. It only made her eyes heavy but Zed could understand them without any efforts.

She believed this was only possible when Zed has an extraordinary interest in them. Interest could give to determination and a desire to achieve success.

"Not really," Zed answered. "To be honest, I have no interest."

His voice carried the same politeness and warmth as before, with no signs of arrogance. It was like he didn't consider translating alien patterns as anything worth mentioning.

"What?" Aileen and Sophia looked at him with curious expressions.

Why would he learn alien languages if he has no interest?

"Let's say, I had a very good motivation to learn," Zed offered additional details.

"Motivation?" Carmen was doubtful of his explanation.

As far as he was concerned, no sane human could ever have any motivation to torture themselves in understanding headache-inducing alien languages!

"Well, the motivation I had could push any living being to achieve the impossible," Zed explained briefly. "Learning a language is nothing."

Everyone else was confused by his explanation.

"Just what type of motivation can push someone to achieve the impossible?" Carmen wondered in his heart.

The greatest he pushed himself was for the favor of a woman. But he knew Zed didn't mean lust otherwise he wouldn't have said any living being.

Zed didn't offer any further explanation despite the curious eyes locked on him.

The greatest motivation any living being could ever have is the innate desire to survive!

To live for another moment!

To push back the darkness of death even if it is just for a second!

Regardless of species, the despair and fear of death can push a living organism to do the impossible.

It was the greatest motivation that could be only grasped by those who have come close to death!

Years ago, this motivation came in Zed's life in the form of Castor Damon and BSE79 meteorite...

Aileen concluded Zed didn't want to disclose what type of motivation he meant. She suppressed her curiosity and asked, "Is there anything more on the tablet?"