Editing Tytania:Volume 1 Chapter 3 (section)

=== I ===
Evaluating Tytania’s power, military might, and wealth was no easy task. While her armada of 100,000 vessels was unmatched by any single power, combining the 9 empires, 38 kingdoms, 8 grand duchies, 40 duchies, 151 republics, and 449 interstellar cities in the universe would exceed a million vessels.

And yet, these entities have never united to form a coalition that could stand against Tytania. Some small-scale pacts and short-lived alliances did form but suffered repeated defeats and disintegrated in the face of Tytania’s military might and diplomatic manoeuvres.

It could be said that Tytania’s real strength was in her unity and cohesion. This held true not only in the spiritual realm but also in the physical dimension. Tytania displayed her masterful hand in dividing potential and real hostile forces and instigated conflict between them.

“Uraniborg<ref>“Celestial city” is here pronounced “Uraniborg”.</ref>”, the Celestial City. It was the stronghold of clan Tytania, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the centre of the universe from a human geographical standpoint. It was a vast artificial city orbiting around planet Ryutehi, the capital of the Vardana Empire. Its construction had started during the days of Neville Tytania and was completed in those of Nuri.

Nuri had coldly dismissed his father’s project as “a mere paper tiger floating around in space”, but he didn’t abandon it and, in fact, completed it upon inheriting it because he knew well that in human affairs, such paper tigers could exert some influence.

And thus, the “Celestial City” that was constructed became a symbol of Tytania’s power as ruler of the entire universe. Nuri probably was smirking as he oversaw the armaments of the “Celestial City”. It was a wet dream for any weapon enthusiast. A city built as an artificial disc with a diameter of 52.5 kilometres, covered with 12 layers of transparent domes. Equipped with 4,000 electromagnetic catapults, 2,860 large-calibre laser cannons, and 14 military satellites, it looked down from above upon the capital of the Vardana Empire.

1st of June. The four Dukes of Tytania were relaxing in the private salon, gazing down at the blue light of the planet below. Ariabert spoke to Jouslain.

“It appears that Fan Hyulick has escaped from Lord Arses and gone into hiding.”

He probably had no intention of advancing his career under Tytanian command. They had no choice but to interpret his actions as a declaration of intent.

“How regrettable. While there are geniuses among military strategists, there are no prodigies<ref>Ariabert here is playing on the nuances of two words with similar meanings: ''tensai'' (天才), a person with superior innate talent, and ''shuusai'' (秀才), a person with superior knowledge, usually through hard work and dedication.</ref>. It is the same for the arts. Natural talent takes precedence over effort. I had thought that Fan Hyulick was close to being a genius.”

Although it was Ariabert Tytania who was saying these words, there was no hypocrisy coming out of his mouth. His handsome face, though lacking in individuality, wore a composed expression. Though the youth seemed somewhat nervous, it was apparent that he had recovered mentally from his defeat in Cerberus.

“I was amused by the thought of ordering around the man who defeated me, but I guess it is not to be.”

His wry smile was aimed at Idris Tytania. His eyes gleamed with a merciless and bitter sparkle.

“Given the situation, it seems that we cannot avoid having this Fan Hyulick become our enemy. We must ensure that his existence becomes a thing of the past before it encourages the forces that are hostile to Tytania.

''He likes to be fixated on things'', thought Jouslain. He wasn’t underestimating Idris’s abilities by any means, but Idris’ eagerness to bridge the two- to three-year age gap was sometimes excessive, which left a troubling feeling.

There would be plenty of opportunities in Idris’ life to refine his character, but he would likely clash with Jouslain along the way. Paying no heed to these needless worries, Idris continued to speak about the extermination of anti-Tytania forces through the cosmos.

A world divided in two camps, the Tytania faction and the anti-Tytania faction, seemed a bit too dull. The world was better off being diverse, so the existence of “anti-Tytania” should be allowed to exist. If Tytania were to categorically reject them, then her own capacity would be neither broad nor deep. If Tytania’s capacity was broad and deep, her lifespan might increase in proportion.

“The sun is at its zenith; it must not set.”

It was an Earthling of ancient times who left this maxim. ''Isn’t that an apt remark?'' wondered Jouslain. Decline and destruction shall inevitably befall Tytania. Those who didn’t believe this would surely believe that the Roman Empire and the Mongol Empire<ref>“Great Mongol Empire” (大蒙古帝国) is here pronounced “Yeke Mongɣol Ulus”.</ref> were still currently in existence.

That being said, there was, of course, no certainty that Tytania’s downfall would occur during Jouslain’s lifetime or that he had any intention of contributing to it. He was a Tytanian and held fast to the values of serving Tytania’s interests. This didn’t contradict the slightest his ability to foresee Tytania’s downfall within the scope of a historical point of view. It was only through such foresight that measures could be taken to avoid such a fate.

Jouslain Tytania was pondering the psychology of Clanner Ajman. Did he possess the heart of steel of the Second Clanner Nuri, or did he not?

Through history, very few pessimistic prophets had been welcome. They were often subject to scorn and could even suffer persecution and oppression. Jouslain was one of the Four Dukes of Tytania and, depending on the circumstances, could become the ninth Landless Clanner.

His freedom of speech and action may seem to be protected by his power and influence, but in reality, it might not be the case. If Jouslain frankly spoke his mind, he would no doubt incur the displeasure of Clanner Ajman and the other Three Dukes, and would surely be stripped of his position. The blood in their veins might be the same, but their mental lineage wasn’t.

Jouslain spoke up. Ariabert, who was once more returning to the front lines, had sought his cousin’s advice on military strategy. This is what Juslain had replied:

“How about employing the tactic used by Fan Hyulick in Cerberus Sector?”

Ariabert’s shoulders slightly shifted. The young Tytanian looked at his cousin with a faint spark of sharpness in his gaze. He didn’t scream “Don’t be ridiculous”.

“What is your reason for recommending this?”

“First, it is an effective tactical approach. Second, by properly recognising your rival’s tactics, your own abilities will also be properly recognised.”

Ariabert’s gaze softened. He was, by no means, a narrow-minded person.

“I see, that opinion is worthy of being heeded.”

“As sinister as it sounds, even if it fails, it would still be fine. No one would try to surprise Tytania with this tactic ever again. It is a trick that can only be used once.”

“Lord Jouslain, you are quite the tactician.”

It was with a tinge of mockery lingering in his voice that Idris offered this assessment. He was the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Vardana Empire, and his duty didn’t simply lie in guarding Emperor Harsha VI, but especially in keeping an eye on him. And yet, he left the surface to come to the “Celestial City” because of a single motive.

While many speak of military rule and righteous government, how many rulers throughout history didn’t tread upon the Path of the Hegemon<ref>A play on words lost in translation. “Military rule” (覇道) in Japanese literally means “path of the hegemon”, while “righteous government” (王道) literally means “path of the king”.</ref>? If one were to remove the paving of the Path of the King, it would reveal the muddy Path of the Hegemon. By choosing not to rule over a single nation, Tytania became the ruler of tens of nations and dominated the universe. Since there is no actual Path of the King, events had to be measured by the point of view of the Path of the Hegemon, and since Tytania’s Path of the Hegemon is the greatest of all, then isn’t Tytania the greatest entity in history? Such was Idris’ line of thought.

Zarlisch, who had maintained a solemn silence until then, shifted his stiff beard and spoke.

“Have you not yet married, Lord Jouslain?”

Suddenly confronted with a mundane topic, Jouslain blinked.

“What about you, Lord Zarlisch? Is there no one in your beautiful flower garden<ref>Flowers are a common metaphor for women in Japanese. Jouslain is essentially hinting at the fact that Zarlisch has many lovers, or a harem, and is asking if there is one in particular he wishes to marry among them.</ref>?”

“I am unable to decide. Even the flower that comprehends<ref>“The flower that comprehends” is a metaphor that means “beautiful woman”. It comes from a quote from a Chinese emperor: “Even the beauty of the lotus cannot compare to the flower that comprehends words”.</ref> can be both greedy and poisonous. From what I’ve heard, Lord Jouslain, your favourite lady-in-waiting is a demure young woman, though.”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Francia’s smile appeared faintly across Jouslain’s mind. He certainly thought her to be a decent and honest girl, but it was also true that he found her somewhat lacking something. ''“Could this be the arrogance of a man who obtained influence at a young age?”'' he reflected, but he had no intentions to tie himself to a family life.

“Lord Jouslain, as surprising as it may seem, you appear to be living in luxury.”

Zarlisch laughed heartily. One wouldn’t expect him to have a brother like Arses. As he made that observation, Jouslain was curious about which of the two brothers felt the strongest aversion for the other.