"According to the proposal made by Earl Dawn Drake, the Empire will continue to conduct in-depth research in various emerging military fields."

“We expect to invest K7.2 million, focusing on large-scale elemental weapons, long-range lethal weapons, and tracked armored combat vehicles.”

"I object!"

The clear female voice echoed in the hall, attracting everyone's attention.
The lady with silver hair and blue eyes raised her slender hand and stood up from her seat.

She was wearing a solemn and elegant long dress. There was a hint of sullenness on her pretty face, and there was no fear in her blue-gray eyes.

——That was Olivia, now a member of the Imperial Council.

She pushed up her silver-rimmed glasses, flipped through the documents in her hands, and continued speaking aloud:

"According to the statistics department, military spending has accounted for 20% of the entire empire's budget. This scale of military spending is a huge burden on the people of the empire."

"Not only do I oppose Duke Doro's further increase in military spending, I also believe that the empire should reduce military spending and invest more funds in education, medical care, poverty relief and other fields."

"I have a new proposal here that details the measures the Empire should take in these areas and redistributes the budget."

There was an uproar in the hall and everyone was talking about it.

"It's Councillor Olivia again! How dare she say that?"

"This is irritating the military."

"Tsk tsk, you actually dare to directly refute Earl Dawn's proposal. You are really brave."

"Humans are humans. They only waste resources and invest money in the weak. It's better to pour it into the river!"

The imperial citizens in the hall had different expressions. Some sneered, some remained silent, and some expressed their admiration.

This hall is the famous Imperial Council Chamber, the main venue for the Imperial Congress.

The hall is mainly divided into two floors. Each floor has rows of neatly arranged red seats and can accommodate tens of thousands of people.

The upper four walls are decorated with stained glass and seven murals reflecting the history of the Burning Empire and showing the emperor's achievements.

In the center of the dome is a majestic dragon head carved, and its light golden vertical pupils overlook everything in the council hall, symbolizing the emperor's supreme authority.

At the south end of the hall is a golden throne and canopy, where the emperor could sit at any time.

In front of the throne is the seat of the Imperial Prime Minister, which is a huge golden-red soft seat without a backrest and filled with wool. Trump is sitting here, and at this moment he has an expression as if he is enjoying a good show.

"Tsk tsk."

"The military is going to be in trouble. Some of them deserve a beating recently."

The ogre's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a smile.

If an ordinary person raised an objection, Doro would not let him have a good ending - but the identity of Miss Olivia was too special.

Silver Dragon.

He has a close relationship with His Majesty.

He still lives in the side hall of the Iron Dragon Wing Palace. In theory, he can report the matter directly to His Majesty.

After the institutional reform, the Empire adopted a "bicameral system", consisting of the House of Commoners composed of commoners, and the House of Lords composed of dragon-blood nobles, also known as the "Dragon-Blood Parliament".

The House of Lords is composed of more than 600 dragon-blood nobles and enjoys legislative and financial powers during the Imperial Congress.

The House of Commons mainly plays a supporting role in the Imperial Council, supervising the work of the House of Lords, assisting the House of Lords in legislation, and amending or vetoing bills by exercising the "right of postponement" and "right of questioning".

Although this is true in theory, members of the House of Commons rarely exercise their power and confront the Dragonblood nobles head-on, and they tend to only raise insignificant opinions.

It was already clear who actually held power in the country - or rather who had been temporarily granted power by Cassius.

At this time, the Imperial Council was in turmoil.

The members of the House of Lords, the dragon-blood nobles, were attending the meeting on three circular red benches on the upper floors of the hall. They looked at Olivia with unfriendly eyes.

"who is she?"

"They don't need to be involved in military affairs!"

"She is just a human being, so how can she give advice on Count Dawn's proposal? That was instructed by Duke Doro!"

"Yes, Earl Dawn is the official manager of the Claubewu Military Industrial Group."

Members of the House of Commons sat on plain chairs on the lower levels. Many of them dared not breathe and could only discuss in low voices for fear of offending the Duke.

But many lawmakers who are academics have expressed their support for her.

"She, who is she?"

"Why is this lady so reckless?"

"But I think what she said is correct. The Empire has indeed invested too much in the military, even to the point of wasting money and manpower."

But Olivia stood in her position, holding the documents, and looked directly at the dragon-blood nobles without fear, her eyes burning.

"As a member of the Imperial House of Commons, I am qualified to question Duke Doro's proposal and even delay it."

"Be bold!"

A bugbear earl slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Olivia who was talking in the audience.

"This is a joint decision made by Duke Doro and six hundred Dragonblood nobles. It has the highest authority under the Emperor's decree. Can you question it?"

Olivia said calmly, "But this is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Empire."

Dolo, who was sitting in the soft seat of the "elders", was not angry. He just waved his hand and signaled Earl Dawn beside him to speak.

Earl Dawn immediately stood up and said in a deep voice: "Senator Olivia, it seems that you have never worked in the government, so you must not understand the operation of the empire."

"Increasing investment in the military industry will not only not cause a financial burden, but will also bring us rich returns and create a large number of jobs."

"Haven't you seen the Empire's financial statements? The Claude Military Industry Group is an important pillar of the Empire's finances! If we don't continue to increase investment in the military industry, where will the money come from to invest in education, medical care and other fields?"

"That's sophistry."

Olivia retorted.

"The empire's assets are not owned by the military. They are the result of the hard work of countless people in the empire. They should enjoy the corresponding rewards!"

"If you continue to spend this money on the military industry, the gold coins will only flow into the pockets of you dragon-blood nobles!"

One stone caused a thousand waves.

The people in the Imperial Council Hall were immediately in an uproar. They really didn't expect that someone would dare to openly "declare war" on the Dragon Blood Nobles!
While scholars and citizens admired each other's courage, they also sighed secretly and felt sorry for this lady who was as beautiful as the stars.

You must know that the Dragon Blood Nobles are giants in the empire's political, military and even economic fields.

If this lady offends them, she will definitely not be able to take a single step in the empire, and may even be killed.

Earl Dawn said: "As far as I know, according to the Imperial Charter, the power of the House of Commons must be agreed by more than 60% of the members to take effect."

The Hobgoblin Count looked around, looked down at the councillors in the hall, and said calmly: "Members, do you support the actions of Councillor Olivia?"

"Please raise your hands if you support this."

There was deathly silence in the hall.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and the congressmen who had previously said they would support the motion were now silent.

They are not idealists.

No one wants to risk offending the military by supporting an ordinary congressman with shallow roots for an unrealistic proposal.

Olivia looked anxious, her left hand tightly grasping the hem of her skirt, but there was nothing she could do.

Because the other party is indeed doing things according to the regulations.

This is what she believes to be the irrationality of the imperial system, that power is actually in the hands of the military aristocracy.

And MPs like her seem to be irrelevant.

Dawn's expression remained unchanged, but a disdainful smile still appeared on the corner of his mouth. He put away the document in his hand: "Since no one has any objection, then..." "I have an objection."

A dull voice came.

Dawn looked towards the source of the sound, and his expression suddenly became extremely interesting, even shocked.

"Didn't you military officials read my statement titled 'Beware of Barbaric Development'?"

"The people of the empire have indeed not received the treatment they deserve. His Majesty Cassius once said: 'It is unrealistic to expect the horse to run without eating grass.'"

"If this continues, the efficiency and quality of their work will decrease. It is reasonable for the imperial government to give them the welfare benefits they deserve."

On the golden-red soft seat that symbolizes executive power, the Empire's Prime Minister Trump sat up straight with an ugly smile on his face.

"If that's what you mean."

Dawn lowered his head, and his voice became smaller and smaller, not at all as confident as before.

He is the Prime Minister of the Empire. When His Majesty Cassius is resting, he is the symbol of the highest power.

In other words, Trump has a veto over any bill.

"The Prime Minister is right!"

"Duke Trump is truly kindhearted. In my opinion, the welfare benefits of the empire should have been improved long ago."

"Yes, wasn't the last workers' uprising caused by the military's excessive exploitation?"

Suddenly, as the Prime Minister spoke, the council chamber became lively again, with all parties getting involved.

The previously silent members of parliament began to speak enthusiastically, citing classics to support the Prime Minister's remarks.

Dolo, who was also sitting in the elders' seat, had an extremely gloomy face, as if ink was about to drip out of it.

At his signal, the generals of the military also stood up eagerly and tried their best to refute.

"That incident was caused by the military?"

"You are just throwing mud! Those rioters received gold coins from the Northern nobles! They are plotting to overthrow the empire, so they started this riot!"

"The current situation on the mainland is not optimistic. If we give up the development of the army, how can the empire gain a foothold in the south?"

"But from the perspective of long-term development, welfare and medical care are indispensable!"

The two sides exchanged sharp words and argued until their faces turned red. The atmosphere in the council hall became increasingly tense.

——Soon, this incident went beyond the matter itself and gradually evolved into a political struggle, a game between the military and government management.

"This"

Olivia held her thick stack of documents and looked at the people arguing. She opened her mouth, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"No matter what, I will insist on fulfilling my responsibilities."

"This country shouldn't be like this, it can be better."

Olivia pursed her lips and made up her mind.

But she also felt deeply powerless, as if she could not change anything.

Although the empire's system claims to be "democratic and equal", it is actually a tool for various interest groups to compete with each other.

A parliamentarian like her who has no background and no money cannot really make her voice heard and change the empire's decision.

The righteous and kind-hearted Silver Dragon hates this kind of atmosphere.

etc--

Backstage?

In the Burning Empire, who is the biggest backer?
The answer is no doubt.

Olivia's blue-gray eyes suddenly lit up, but then revealed shyness and hesitation.

Is this really good?

But in the end, Silver Dragon made up his mind and decided to do his best to complete the task - even if it seemed to be beneath his dignity.

Olivia looked toward the distant palace and whispered, "Maybe I can talk to Cassius."

On the outskirts of North Wind Castle, the Iron Dragon Wing Palace.

This palace, built on the mountainside and shaped like a dragon's wing, is still as majestic and magnificent as ever.

This is the residence of the legendary Burning Emperor, the Red Emperor, the Infernal Scourge, and the Soul-Devouring Dragon - Cassius Claude Norichius.

In the minds of many citizens of the empire, the palace where the red dragon lives is so sacred that it is comparable to the kingdom of God on earth.

In the eyes of humans, elves, dwarves and other intelligent creatures on the continent of Feanso, this palace is a treasure house that symbolizes endless wealth.

Yes, this emperor is also quite famous on the mainland.

However, what made him famous was not his heroic feat of defeating Osedero, but the empire's merchandise.

The products with dragon heads painted on them and the words "Made in the Empire" inscribed on them are famous in the mainland for their novelty, ease of use, quality and low prices, and have penetrated into every aspect of the lives of the people of Fianso.

On the brutal battlefield, soldiers shot at each other with guns made in the empire; on cold winter nights, peasants slept peacefully in cotton-padded clothes made in the empire.

According to word of mouth, the Red Dragon Emperor made countless gold coins by selling guns, sweaters, tobacco and other products printed with the words "Made in the Empire".

According to rumors, the Red Dragon Emperor hollowed out the mountain next to his palace and filled it with his 100 million gold coins.

Many adventurers coveted it, but no one dared to try it. Even the brave ones basically died in the empire.

So, in the stories circulated on the mainland, this giant dragon with endless wealth sleeps in the mountains and seas of gold every day.

But in fact, Cassius did not sleep for long in the past year. Instead, he was obsessed with studying spells and digesting his own power.

Inside the main hall of the palace, an extremely huge red dragon was lying on the ground. He stretched out his claws, and flames, lightning and thunder intertwined and collided at the tips of his claws.

But the lightning became dimmer and dimmer, and finally disappeared in the flames.

"Is that so? What a pity, according to the characteristics of the Element Master, it is impossible to coordinate two elements at the same time."

"Do we have to go to the Lightning Quasi-Elemental Plane?"

Cassius sighed with some regret, and bursts of sulfur-smelling smoke emanated from his mouth.

The red dragon supported itself with its strong forelimbs and slowly climbed up from the ground, but its long and thick tail touched the wall behind it.

"Some activities are really not open anymore. We will expand them in a couple of days."

The main hall of the palace now seemed increasingly restrictive and narrow to Cassius.

Today's red dragon is more than 40 meters long from head to tail. According to the panel, it is a true "super giant dragon".

This has exceeded the physiological limits of most ordinary red dragons. Even those ancient dragons that have lived for more than 1,200 years rarely have such a body size.

What's even more terrifying is that this is not the end for Cassius, but only the beginning: this red dragon is still growing rapidly at the standard growth rate of an adolescent dragon, and no one knows how big he will grow.

Could it be the ancestral dragon?

Even Dragon Gods like Tiamat, Bahamut, and Sadivu are watching closely.

But their eyes can no longer penetrate the empire and see all this. In the Red Dragon's empire, even the gods are blinded.

Suddenly, Cassius felt a familiar scent of rain. He used the authority of the empire to sense the outside world - only to see a former temporary resident appear outside the palace.

"Olivia?"

"What a rare guest."

——Seeking monthly ticket——(End of this chapter)