| PN | Alliance | 187
When Zhang Cheng received a message from Superman, he was in his studio doing research.
As a scientist, Zhang Cheng's time was very precious. Apart from work, the remaining hours were dedicated to his doll, Ayao.
When he saw the long-unheard-message from Superman, his eyes lit up, and he immediately replied: 【Hello, Superman. It's been a long time. I wonder how you and your partner are doing now?】
For Zhang Cheng, Superman was a special presence. When he was struggling, even considering giving up hope, it was Superman who saved his family member, Ayao, and with his humorous and carefree attitude, he made something so important to Zhang Cheng seem small.
He was like a true superhero, pulling him out of the darkness.
Superman hadn't contacted them in nearly six months since the treatment was over. This was the first message he had sent.
【Is something wrong?】
Zhang Cheng suddenly felt anxious, afraid that something might have happened to his lifesaver.
Perhaps because Zhang Cheng's state was different from when he was immersed in his research, Ayao, who was originally at the counter making coffee, noticed his concern and walked over anxiously, poking Zhang Cheng.
"It's nothing."
Zhang Cheng shook his head at Ayao. As soon as he saw a message pop up on his holographic screen, he instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
It turned out to be about the heir election.
Recently, the issue of the royal heir had caused a huge stir. Even someone like him, who spent all his time in the research lab, had heard of it.
【Do you have someone in mind?】 Zhang Cheng quickly asked.
【Yes, if you don’t have someone you favor, you can consider Elliton.】
Even when Superman was campaigning for votes, he did so with politeness, never once using past favors as leverage.
Zhang Cheng looked at the message, unable to understand how there could be someone so capable, yet so restrained and polite.
It was as if he didn’t realize how much of an impact his actions had on others. Zhang Cheng still vividly remembered the scene of his puppet, who had been like family to him, lying in the vacuum chamber, so weak that it seemed like it could slip into an eternal sleep at any moment.
The fear and anxiety of having a life hanging by a thread—Zhang Cheng never wanted to experience that again in his life.
He turned to look at Ayao, who was thoughtfully moving the hot coffee towards him, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart. He then lowered his head and typed: 【Of course, no problem.】
Their research institute had high standards and could be considered part of the empire's top-tier intellectual talent. Two-thirds of the members were eligible to participate in the royal heir election.
In the past, the technical specialists like them would simply vote for whoever they liked, since, regardless of who won, their research funding would remain unaffected.
But this time, even if it was to repay Superman, he would make sure that his colleagues in the institute voted for Elliton!
No sooner said than done, Zhang Cheng dragged Ayao to the workstations of his colleagues, ready to do some persuasion.
He even adopted an approach where, as long as they agreed to vote, he would promise to accompany them in researching projects they had previously shown no interest in.
In order to repay his kind and considerate benefactor, Zhang Cheng was determined!
The same thing happened with Si Qi and Ge Si. Both of them, like Zhang Cheng, had received help from Superman, and after receiving his message, they didn’t hesitate for a moment. They immediately agreed to support Elliton.
One of them was a leading businessman, and the other came from a noble family, treating their thoughtful and obedient puppets as their lifeblood.
They had always felt that the help Superman gave them in restoring their puppets was worth more than just a few gold coins, so when the opportunity to repay him arose, they naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Although they didn’t know the exact relationship between Elliton and Superman, they were sure that anyone supported by someone as kind-hearted as Superman couldn’t be an incompetent ruler or a tyrant who exploits the people.
Of course, unlike Zhang Cheng, who was a pure tech geek, they had more considerations to take into account.
However, as voters, they needed to make their choice. Rather than supporting those with higher chances of winning, it would be better to invest in Elliton. If Elliton really won, they would be in a better position to benefit.
With this thought in mind, the two of them not only reached out to their friends and family to rally votes but also reconnected with Superman to arrange a meeting with Elliton, so they could get to know him in advance.
Naturally, Qi Chao had no objections.
He passed on the contact details of the two to Elliton and then continued helping Elliton gather votes.
Shen Yuxi sat beside Qi Chao, looking at the people in Qi Chao’s holographic screen, feeling a bit surprised. Even he hadn’t realized that during their time at Shop No. 3, Qi Chao had made so many influential connections.
But it made sense.
Those who could afford to buy puppets and were willing to spend a large sum on them would naturally have significant assets and status.
"Actually, there are quite a few people in the empire who care about puppets," Qi Chao suddenly said.
Shen Yuxi’s gaze fell on the holographic screen. The chat interface showed that hardly anyone rejected the requests for votes.
From this, it was clear that they did indeed care about puppets.
"However, most still view puppets as tools or toys," Shen Yuxi paused for a moment before speaking softly.
Even he, if he hadn’t met Qi Chao, wouldn’t have treated his puppets with special regard.
Qi Chao didn’t disagree. He tightened his grip on the holographic device. If Elliton became emperor and established laws to protect puppets, it could indeed improve the situation.
But that would only be an improvement.
In order to ensure that puppets would not suffer harm, their own willpower needed to be strong.
Only when they became beings who could thrive independently from humans would they be able to fundamentally change humanity’s perception of puppets.
As Qi Chao thought about this, he became somewhat lost in thought.
When Shen Yuxi gently called his name, Qi Chao snapped back to reality. He quickly set aside his previous thoughts and continued his efforts to rally more votes.
The immediate priority was to get Elliton onto the throne and stop the research on abilities. Only after these matters were dealt with could he continue to consider his next steps.
Meanwhile, after Elliton had decided to compete for the throne, he wasn’t idle. He reached out to some familiar contacts to inform them of his candidacy and then went to find the president, who was an easy target for his plans.
The president had no idea that he would be discarded after serving his purpose. When Elliton came to him, he proudly introduced the candidates he had already managed to sway, saying, “Trust me, I’ll help you secure the throne.”
“I believe in you,” Elliton said with a smile.
When the president wasn’t paying attention, Elliton discreetly took a picture of the list and sent it to Qiao Sheng.
Then, he added, “If we succeed, I’ll be sure to repay you well.”
The president grinned, showing his satisfaction.
He was already imagining that in the near future, no one would be able to shake his position as president. He would still be the emperor’s confidant, enjoying power and honor that no ordinary puppet masters could ever dream of.
Meanwhile, Qiao Sheng, upon seeing the names of those who had already been swayed, pulled out the voter registry and crossed out the names of those who supported Elliton.
He then selectively picked a few voters who had not supported Elliton, heading to their homes to use Chao Yang’s ability to charm their minds.
This power was very convenient, and afterward, the voters would not suspect anything.
However, due to the limitations of Chao Yang’s mental energy, the number of times he could use this charm was limited. That was why Qiao Sheng had asked Elliton to get the list, essentially to prevent wasting Chao Yang’s ability.
It could be said that among the royal heirs, no one else had so many "cheat codes" as Elliton.
To begin with, the extent of Superman's network was nothing to scoff at.
In addition, Qi Chao's own background was impressive enough to make people reconsider their allegiances.
Now, with the backing of the president and Qiao Sheng, by the day of the election, Elliton had undoubtedly become the next emperor.
The election results left many netizens and competitors astonished.
【No way? Did I see that right?! Why did so many people, as if coordinated, vote for Elliton?!】
【Isn’t Elliton a master-level puppet master? He’s just joining the emperor race for the fun of it, and he actually won?!】
【Tsk tsk, did you see that? The tech geeks from the empire look like they can’t stop smiling. You can tell they got what they wanted. It’s strange though, why are they so close with Elliton, a puppet master?】
【Oh my god, why does it feel like there are puppet masters everywhere now? I can already predict that once this master-level puppet master takes power, the first thing he’ll do is raise the prices of puppets. Tsk, they’ll be even harder to afford now.】
No matter how much netizens whispered among themselves, once Elliton was elected, the result was final, and they had no choice but to accept it.
Compared to the uncertain and uneasy netizens, the president watched Elliton on the stage with a smile full of affection and pride.
Elliton looked down at the president, smiling in return.
Qi Chao sat in the position designated for the Qi family’s voters, watching the exchange between the president and the newly crowned emperor.
For some reason, he suddenly chuckled.
He found it amusing.
He wondered what the president’s reaction would be once he learned that his association was about to be dissolved.
But that wasn’t his concern. Qi Chao thought to himself as he lowered his head to find his three apprentices.
He paused for a moment, then sent them a message: 【The election is over. I’ll be looking for you in the next few days. Keep working with Bugu and meet some of the puppet masters you like.】
The Puppet Master Association was going to be disbanded.
But the organization for puppet masters couldn’t simply vanish. From the moment Qi Chao arrived in the Capital District, he had plans to start a new association.
He had instructed his three apprentices to stay with Bugu and get to know other puppet masters, knowing that this day might come.
Qi Chao had been dissatisfied with the association from the beginning.
He knew that the association discriminated against lower-level puppet masters, monopolized all the puppet-making information, and that the first lesson given to new members was that puppets were mere tools, meant to be discarded for personal gain whenever necessary.
Such an organization had significant flaws.
Initially, Qi Chao had just wanted to gather puppet masters who genuinely loved puppets, but now that Elliton intended to disband the association, he saw an opportunity to push for a new Puppet Master Alliance.
In this way, those puppet masters who had lost the protection of the association but still truly loved puppets could join the new association, helping to eliminate the profit-driven mentality of the association.
Qi Chao’s vision was grand, but whether it would succeed was still uncertain.
Meanwhile, Elliton had already gone backstage to change clothes, preparing for his coronation.
Qi Chao’s gaze shifted to Qiao Sheng, who was in the corner, noticing that he was getting up, seemingly heading somewhere.
After a few moments of thought, Qi Chao also stood up, following him.
Based on his understanding of Qiao Sheng, Qi Chao figured that Qiao Sheng was likely preparing to reap the rewards of his efforts.
If Elliton hadn't intended to disband the association, what awaited him might have been a charming hypnotic session, courtesy of Chao Yang's abilities.
Qi Chao followed closely behind Qiao Sheng, not bothering to hide his footsteps. It seemed that Qiao Sheng wasn’t trying to shake him off either.
They moved with an uncanny sense of synchronicity.
Although Shen Yuxi and others around them kept emphasizing that Qi Chao was a good person, he didn't view himself that way.
Whether Elliton wanted to disband the association or not, the only path forward now was to dismantle it. Qi Chao wouldn't allow Elliton to backtrack at the last minute.
Of course, Qi Chao was confident that his judgment of people wasn’t so poor.
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