At the same time, he held a solemn, dignified memorial service for the soldiers who had fallen fighting Ghroth and its influence, honoring their courage and sacrifice.
After the banquet, Lo Quen gave Luo Wen a new order.
Luo Wen was to lead an elite force to Hidden Sea and fully reclaim Carcosa, the city once controlled by the Yellow Emperor's faction, returning that strategically vital town across Hidden Sea to Yi Ti's rule.
Luo Wen was Carcosan by birth, and had lived there for many years. Hearing the assignment, he was overwhelmed, practically ready to break camp that very night and march to reclaim his home.
Chai Yiq also asked Lo Quen for permission to go, wanting to ride her dragon Seaheart alongside them.
Lo Quen agreed. He took Chai Yiq with him, and the two of them rode Seaheart ahead of the army, flying over Hidden Sea and straight to Carcosa's skies.
But what they saw made their hearts sink.
The once-fertile farmland along the coast looked abandoned for a long time, with no sign of life.
When they reached Carcosa, Chai Yiq took one look and collapsed.
The old Carcosa, never grand but always alive with people, had become a living hell.
The city was shattered. In the streets and squares were dried, blackened bloodstains everywhere, and countless scattered bones twisted into grotesque shapes.
The whole city was dead silent.
Clearly, to seize the power of the Black Stone, the Yellow Emperor had performed a blood sacrifice on the entire population of Carcosa.
"No… how could this happen…"
Chai Yiq broke down on Seaheart's back, sobbing so hard her body shook.
She was no longer the fragile girl she once was, but seeing a horror like this with her own eyes, and in her homeland of all places, was still too much to bear.
Lo Quen guided the dragon down and, once they landed, drew the sobbing Chai Yiq gently into his arms.
He understood the pain of watching your home be ruined beyond repair. Even in victory, wounds like that did not fade easily.
After collecting themselves, Lo Quen brought the nearly exhausted Chai Yiq back to the Five Forts and told Luo Wen, who was preparing to depart, what had become of Carcosa.
The moment Luo Wen heard, it was as if lightning struck him. He stood frozen, his face turning deathly pale.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms until blood seeped out.
But he was a soldier who had survived countless battlefields. In the end, he forced the turbulence down, and his eyes went still as dead water.
He said nothing more. He simply bowed deeply to Lo Quen, then silently led his men toward Carcosa, now a city of the dead.
He would see his homeland off, and bury the compatriots who had died so miserably, so they could finally rest.
Lo Quen, with all his queens, set out for Yin.
When news of the Son of Heaven's victorious return spread, the ministers who had remained in Yin were stunned.
And when they learned for certain that Lo Quen was the one who had taken the form of the Starforger Dragon, driving back and even killing Outer Gods in the stars, every gaze turned to him with near-fanatical awe and worship.
This was no longer merely an emperor of the mortal world, but a true god walking among men.
During a solemn court session, an elder Yi Ti noble, speaking for countless subjects, stepped forward in excitement and declared loudly:
"Your Grace! You drove out the Outer Gods. Yi Ti, and even the whole known world, survives by your grace. We beg Your Grace to restore Yi Ti's glory and rebuild the Great Empire of the Dawn!"
His proposal was immediately met with a roaring chorus from the entire hall:
"Please, Your Grace, rebuild the Great Empire of the Dawn!"
Lo Quen sat on the Dragon Throne, his eyes calm as he looked over the impassioned officials.
He had long expected this. It was also a necessary step for consolidating power and establishing a new order.
Then Lo Quen nodded.
"I proclaim the restoration of the Great Empire of the Dawn. The ceremony will be held on the fourth day of the New Year."
The moment the decree went out, Yin and the whole empire erupted.
Preparations began at once, every detail handled at a fever pitch, and everyone awaited the grand occasion that was certain to be written into history.
The fourth day of the New Year, Yin, renewed in every way.
The sky was clear and bright, the sunlight warm, as though even heaven and earth were celebrating.
The capital's main streets were scrubbed spotless and covered in red carpets, banners snapping on both sides.
At the center of Yin, atop an altar that had been urgently expanded and repaired, the grand enthronement ceremony began right on time.
Lo Quen wore imperial robes that were as splendid as they were solemn.
Under the gaze of civil and military officials, foreign envoys, and countless Yin citizens who had gathered of their own accord, Lo Quen ascended the jeweled steps of the Altar of Heaven, one measured step at a time, until he reached its highest point.
As a long, solemn melody began, the ceremony unfolded.
When the rites were complete, Lo Quen turned to face the masses below the altar and accepted their thunderous acclaim.
"Long live the Son of Heaven! Long live the Great Empire of the Dawn!"
The roar of voices surged up like a crashing tide, rolling across the capital and soaring into the sky.
Overcome with emotion, countless people dropped to their knees, offering complete submission and the most devout blessings to their new emperor and to this newborn empire.
That night, grand celebrations continued within the imperial palace.
And in the emperor's private chambers, Lo Quen and his beautiful queen naturally shared a deep and most enjoyable intimacy.
...
A month later, Lo Quen set out on his journey to Leng.
He had never forgotten the promise he made to Khiara, the Empress of Leng, to cleanse the blood-magic creations lurking beneath the island.
Only when Blooddancer's massive wings swept over Leng's northern coast did Lo Quen truly grasp the land's unique character.
Calling it an island hardly did it justice. It was more like an emerald jewel floating upon the Jade Sea.
What surprised him even more was the sight that greeted him when he followed Khiara into the northern coastal city of Lei Yiq. Everywhere he looked were tall women with healthy complexions.
They wore brightly colored, sheer garments, boldly displaying their graceful figures, and their gazes toward Lo Quen were open and unabashedly fiery.
"The balance between men and women on Leng has been skewed since ancient times."
Khiara looped her arm through his, her crimson lips curving upward.
"Women outnumber men five or six to one. This land is ruled by a queen, and all important positions are held by women."
She paused, a sly glint flashing in her eyes.
"I specifically had you arrive on dragonback so my people could see for themselves what kind of ally their empress has brought home."
When Blooddancer descended into the central plaza of Lei Yiq, the entire city erupted.
The crimson dragon gleamed like a gemstone in the sunlight, its wings stirring gusts of scorching wind.
The women of Leng let out excited screams, and some of the bolder ones even tossed their undergarments into the air, hoping to draw the attention of the Son of Heaven of Yi Ti astride a legendary dragon.
"Looks like you're very popular."
Khiara's voice carried a faint trace of jealousy.
That night, she did not take Lo Quen underground at once. Instead, she "entertained" him with Leng's distinctive passion in the seaside palace, from dusk until dawn.
The sound of waves crashing against the rocks could not conceal the lingering, intimate echoes from within the chambers.
Days like this continued for a full month.