Editing Tytania:Volume 1 Chapter 8 (section)

=== II ===
Idris Tytania was leading a fleet of 300 ships in the vicinity of planet Ementhal.

Though Idris himself would probably hate to admit it, his ambition was fundamentally the same as Arses’. For Idris, Fan Hyulick and his companions were but mere tools to achieve merit. Fan Hyulick was the one who defeated Ariabert with new tactics. Furthermore, if he could eliminate this unruly outlaw who refused to submit to Tytania, his achievements would be undeniable.

At first, Idris couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the meaningless mission assigned to him. His opinion was that the elder brother, Zarlisch, should simply clean up Arses’ mess, but now, he changed his mind. He couldn’t let this opportunity to rack up merit pass by.

Assembling a fleet of 300 ships mainly comprised of high-speed cruisers and frigates while maintaining a high level of operability was a demonstration of Idris’ extraordinary talent. Prioritising mobility over firepower was perfectly suited to this mission’s objectives.

What made Idris perplexed was the fact that the four ships, including Arses’, showed no sign of being attacked. By alternating between faster-than-light and inertial travel, the four ships had reached a distance from Uraniborg that was between 50.3 and 50.8 light-years. Under normal circumstances, they should arrive at their destination in about a week.

This meant that Arses would safely reach the Celestial City. This unexpected turn of events puzzled Idris. He slightly frowned, furrowing his perfectly shaped eyebrows while pondering upon the situation.

Could it be that Fan Hyulick and his men had no intentions of attacking Count Arses? No, that couldn’t be. In that case, through what cunning means are they planning to exact their revenge? Are they lying in wait for Count Arses to arrive in Uraniborg?

That suspicion made Idris even more serious, but he was quick to dismiss the idea. Infiltrating the Celestial City would be far more difficult than an attack in outer space. Even if considering a suicide attack with no consideration for escape.

Idris didn’t underestimate the hardware and software of the defences of the Celestial City. Nor did he underestimate Clanner Ajman, who ruled over the place. But considering the fact that the attackers might not share Idris’ views, he abandoned the hypothesis of an attack inside Uraniborg.

In the first place, Idris’ mission was limited to the area outside Uraniborg. If Arses were to be attacked and killed inside the Celestial City, it would be the Clanner’s responsibility, not Idris’. Idris came to the conclusion that the Avengers had guessed Tytania’s intentions to some extent and were trying to make him anxious to provoke him into acting rashly.

“They’ll try to pull some petty trick. Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if they didn’t, right?”

Idris Tytania’s neat lips twisted into a sneer. He still had his composure. He wasn’t satisfied with merely accomplishing his objectives; he also wanted to enjoy the process and maximise the results and effects. That was the way of thinking that motivated him and his subordinates.

Around the time he reached this conclusion, a few pieces of information reached him. Multiple intelligence sources reported that the Avengers had dispersed their ships and had started to act independently. Idris responded with a single sentence.

“No worries, it’s a childish diversion. Let them run wild. Keep a close eye on Count Arses.”

Later, Idris would come to loathe himself for giving this order.

Idris’ pride would be wounded, but his existence was of no concern to Fan Hyulick. The same was true for Ariabert, Jouslain, and Zarlisch. In his mind, all of Tytania, with the exception of Count Arses, was an abstract enemy, and even a giant like Idris he could only see as part of the Tytanian collective.

To put it in simple terms, his interest was nothing more than “crushing anyone in our path”. In fact, he wasn’t even aware that the person setting a trap for him was named Idris. He was only chasing after Count Arses.

Meanwhile, Doctor Lee was acting on his own judgement and will. After a brief conversation with Fan Hyulick, he took his forces and changed course. This course of action was detected by Tytania’s intelligence network and reported to Duke Idris.

Doctor Lee was 27 years old, a year younger than Fan Hyulick. He was the same age as Ariabert and Jouslain, two of Tytania’s Four Dukes. Fan Hyulick was unaware of this fact, but if he were, he would probably have felt a bit displeased at being treated like a student by someone younger than him. Doctor Lee, on the other hand, would probably say, “Don’t worry about it; I don’t mind at all.”

Right before parting ways with Fan Hyulick, Doctor Lee during his conversation with him, remarked:

“Intelligence and knowledge aren’t the same thing. Did the Buddha know about computers? Did Socrates know about the theory of relativity?”

Intelligence has many facets, and one of them is the control of knowledge. Therefore, as knowledge increases, intelligence must also increase less knowledge run amok. In fact, since the practical application of nuclear fission energy, which disregarded safety, human civilisation had been on the brink of spiralling out of control and had almost done so on more than a few occasions.

The reason that Doctor Lee had cited these examples was because he wanted to use this to make Tytania aware that their power was already beginning to slip beyond the control of their central authority.

Though he didn’t say it to anyone, the subject of Doctor Lee’s research was staggering. Namely, “How did Tytania rise to power, and did it fall?” and “How will it fall?” For him, everything from the innards of an atom nucleus to the entire universe was a subject of human thought and research. After all, Tytania was merely a group of humans, and compared to an atom nucleus, it was merely a life-size entity.

Therefore, if he wanted to study the fall of Tytania, he needed to witness its demise. If he simply stood idle, Tytania’s fall wouldn’t happen during Doctor Lee’s lifespan. Therefore, he believed that it was acceptable to accelerate the process through human intervention. There were probably a few others in human society who harboured such a grandiose plan.

Doctor Lee’s desire was the fall of Tytania for the sake of his research. According to him, the universe was filled with incompetence and apathy, and no one seemed likely to defeat Tytania, so he had to take matters into his own hands, a task he found honestly troubling. However, he had never truly believed that his project would become a reality.

But with the appearance of this strange person, Fan Hyulick, the possibility arose that his plan might actually come to fruition. ''“This is becoming rather interesting,”'' he thought.

“These curs…!”

Count Arses Tytania cursed the “avengers” with deep hatred. He had legitimate reasons to despise them. His current predicament, such as having his face disfigured and being forced to abandon his beloved mansion and flee to Uraniborg, was entirely the fault of these knaves who dared to defy Tytania.

While stroking the organic ceramic mask that was covering his face, Arses groaned in physical and mental agony. Since that terrible disaster, he hadn’t looked at his face in a mirror. He lacked the courage to face it directly. He needed plastic surgery in Uraniborg.

Arses saw through Idris’ true intentions. Or at least, he thought he did. Idris intended to hand over Arses to these ruthless outlaws and allow them to wield the blade of revenge as they pleased.

It wasn’t only his elder brother Zarlisch who saw him as an enemy and intended to stand by and watch his downfall, but the entirety of the Tytania clan. No, worse yet, they were trying to accelerate his demise. How absurd was that? Had he ever harmed the interests of Tytania? His elder brother’s debauchery was forgiven, so why not his? Unable to accept this, Arses gnashed his teeth.

Arses’ discontent made sense to him, but it was something the Four Dukes could only laugh at. Arses was seen as someone who had failed to fulfil his duties and responsibilities as a Tytania, merely enjoying his privileges. It wasn’t only Zarlisch but also Idris who made no attempt to hide his resentment and contempt for Arses.

Now, the reason Idris had been so defiant towards the other three dukes wasn’t only due to his ambition. He needed to motivate himself and strive for greater heights for the sake of his family. His deliberate disregard for the other three leaders was a way of acknowledging the difficulty of standing by their side. As the youngest, he couldn’t afford to fall behind in the ranks of the Four Dukes.

Including the Clanner, they were known as the “Five Families of Tytania”. It was an unwritten rule, but the fact that the Five Family system was upheld so far didn’t mean it would last. Becoming the Clanner meant wielding absolute power over the other four families.

Idris’ father, originally healthy, suffered serious injuries in a spaceship accident and spent the last half of his life confined to his sickbed. Seventeen ceramic fragments had penetrated various parts of his body and were impossible to remove surgically. Since Idris was too young to inherit his title of head of the family, he was unable to retire. While enduring excruciating pain, he continued to perform his duties as a Tytanian official. The surname Tytania expects much from those who bear it. Enduring while suffering was one of these expectations.

By the time Idris received permission from Ajman to inherit the title of head of his family, his father’s body and mind had been worn out from overwork. Upon seeing his father’s exhausted and yet relaxed face after opium numbed his pain, Idris made a promise to himself:

“Tytania, and therefore the universe, shall sit in the palm of my hand.”

He was driven by ambition. An ambition as dangerous as a nuclear reactor during a meltdown. It became a part of his identity, illuminating the abyss of the universe and subtly twisting the future of all of Tytania.