I Cannot Die [Twelve Kingdoms]

The Palace Can't Die, also known as The Palace Absolutely Must Not Kick the Bucket. "Kick the bucket" means "go die"~~

After transmigrating to the Lian Kingdom, Qionglian only wanted to hide away in Yuliao Palace and conduct research in peace, figuring out the principles behind this bizarre world and its immortals and gods.

But unfortunately, her father, Prince Lian, was a tyrant who killed people at the drop of a hat. It was said that he had nearly enraged the people, and their own kirin had already developed the Disease of the Way.

Oh my god, I don't want to be halfway through an experiment one day when a bunch of rebels storm the palace and interrupt me! I'm just afraid my hand will shake, the TNT liquid will slosh, and the entire palace will be leveled.

[The story begins in the Lian Kingdom, which never appeared in The Twelve Kingdoms, forty years before the anime's timeline. Later, it will cross over into various worlds to teach others how to become rulers.]

Worldbuilding

The Twelve Kingdoms: Around the Yellow Sea, where the gods live, lie the twelve kingdoms of Kei, Sou, Han, Ryuu, En, Kou, Sai, Kyou, Tai, Shun, Hou, and Ren, arranged in orderly geometric shapes.

Each kingdom has a king who governs it and a kirin who assists the king. The sacred beast kirin receives a heavenly revelation and chooses the king. The king receives a heavenly revelation and gains immortality. Their officials and children can also receive immortal status and become ageless immortals, until the king's reign ends. If a king strays from the Way, the kirin will weaken and suffer from the Disease of the Way. If the king repents, the kirin will recover without medicine. Otherwise, the kirin and the king will both die.

This story has a companion novel: The Emperor Can't Die. Search for it and have a look!

Theme: Technological innovation will help the palace avoid kicking the bucket.