"You’re going too?"
Reiya furrowed her brow. Luyetan had ntioned this before, so she wasn’t opposed, but she did raise a key question:
"Can you even help West? You’re not even at the Legendary Celestial Rank."
Hearing this, Luyetan put on a pitiful display, frowning and clutching her chest as she said:
"My deepest apologies for not having ascended to the Legendary rank. I am, after all, just a pampered young lady, unable to fight and struggle all day like you. But everyone desires to advance, don’t they? I was just hoping to ride Duke Qinghui’s coattails and make a push for the Legendary Celestial Rank myself. As a mber of the Branch of Prosperity, it would be far too embarrassing not to even reach the Legendary rank in this day and age."
Westheid spoke up, explaining on Luyetan’s behalf:
"Luyetan can actually be a great help."
Stroking his chin, he said, "When dealing with a Demon, combat power isn’t the key. You should never wage a direct, straightforward war against a Celestial God’s Shadow. In the Mortal World, it’s incredibly difficult to deal with one through conventional ans. Even I’m not entirely confident. That’s why we need to use strategy—to attack their minds."
Having dropped a pile of riddles, Westheid offered no further explanation. After lunch, he went to et with Xavier.
"Duke Qinghui!"
The Elf Execution Officer’s expression was much better this ti. His face was no longer stiff and cold; instead, he greeted Westheid eagerly, saying:
"You may have already heard from Yuanxi Palace, but Her Majesty the Queen and the Grand Law Officer have both agreed to the alliance."
"This is the treaty drafted by the Royal Court. If you find no issues with it, you may give it your preliminary signature."
Xavier solemnly placed a dark gold contract on the table. Upon it, an oath jointly made by the Wind Law Queen and the Grand Law Officer was inscribed in ink-black text.
[We swear to our God and Ancestor, Emperor Qianlu, to recognize the alliance with Duke Qinghui.]
This kind of incredibly solemn alliance was sworn in the na of each party’s revered Divine Ancestor. Even though such oaths were no longer magically binding in an age where gods and mortals were separated, the public trust and inseparable sense of honor they carried were enough to grant the treaty unparalleled weight.
This was especially true for the rulers of the Realm of Order, who would never dare break an oath sworn to their Divine Ancestor.
’Hmm, it seems the Royal Court is sincere and determined enough. What reason do I have to refuse?’
Duke Qinghui carefully examined the treaty and found no issues with its contents. It offered his side rather generous terms; the treatnt for allies was clearly better than that for rcenaries. At the very least, they would no longer be re sellswords working for coin but would enjoy various rights and privileges within the Thousand Laws Royal Court as if they were locals.
The crucial point was for Westheid himself. As the commander of the allied forces, he could now openly and legitimately enter and exit the Central Royal Court and engage in its social circles.
Thus, Westheid signed his na without hesitation and gave his own oath:
"I swear to the Pure Holy Spirit and all the ancestors of the Qinghui Clan! I will strictly uphold the oath of this treaty!"
’It’s no burden at all,’ Westheid thought. ’Whether it’s my unworthy ancestors or the past Qinghui Patriarchs, they’re all just old relics to . Their greatest use was coughing up so gold, so to speak.’
As both parties made their vows, the dark gold contract took effect imdiately. The ink-black text was flooded with gilded runes, testifying that this oath was as eternal as gold.
"I will muster my troops as soon as possible and provide a list of all personnel who will be entering your territory. As for the ti... how about the day after tomorrow?"
Westheid said as he stood up.
Xavier pondered for a mont, then nodded. "The day after tomorrow... that works. When the ti cos, I will personally welco you and lead your army through the barrier of the Land of Rhythm to the Royal Court."
Mivana and Reiya naturally stayed behind in the Yuanshi Territory. There was little left to do on the Imperial side, other than cleaning up the widespread ss. The next crisis they would face would be the "Return of the Dragons," but that was still so ti away. This gave Westheid the perfect opportunity to snag the Thousand Laws Ceremony first. Otherwise, when the Dragon Group descended, the fight might prove to be quite difficult.
Legendary True Dragons were just too terrifying, after all. A whole group of them, especially, was the stuff of nightmares.
After temporarily parting ways with Xavier, Westheid imdiately began mustering his troops.
Since the Royal Court had barred both Reiya and Mivana from joining, he couldn’t bring their personal forces—the Royal Forbidden Army and the Beastman Warriors. It wasn’t that he couldn’t command them, but it would be inconvenient. Overstepping his bounds to command another’s subordinates would feel strange, after all.
Therefore, Westheid only brought the Qinghui Guard, who had campaigned across the land with him and beco an elite force through vast experience, along with a large contingent of the Gale Heart’s core Knights, led by phit. Of course, he didn’t forget the Witches of the Ring of Clear Skies. For this trip, Westheid brought the most outstanding among the Witches, as their aid was essential in confronting the Demon.
Once Westheid had finished assembling his legion at the port in Yuanshi Territory, the troops led by Luyetan also began to board the ships. Compared to the battle-hardened Qinghui Legion, the warriors of the Yuanshi Territory lacked extensive combat experience, but they were well-funded in their training and equipnt, so their combat strength was nothing to scoff at.
"I’ll work on building connections as quickly as possible on this trip. I’m sorry, but you might have to stay here for a while longer."
Westheid said to Reiya and Mivana, who had co to see him off.
"Waiting and temporary partings are a common affair. There’s no need to feel reluctant to leave."
Reiya wrapped her arms around her lover’s neck, pressing her cheek against his as she spoke softly.
While she and Westheid didn’t spend enough ti together to be considered joined at the hip, they were certainly together a lot. She wasn’t about to make a fuss over sothing like this.
The sa was even more true for Mivana. The Wolf-eared Maiden was simply disappointed that she couldn’t fight alongside Westheid. The fact that phit, instead, would be serving under the Knight King annoyed her slightly.
Standing at the prow of a Wave-Breaking Ship, Luyetan had, for once, shed her elegant and aloof white dress. In its place was a suit of exquisite, form-fitting military attire. Watching the scene unfold, she chuckled lightly and said:
"Are we ready to depart? It seems Lord Xavier has been waiting for quite so ti."
"Of course. Let’s set sail."
Westheid also boarded a Wave-Breaking Ship. Departing from the port of the Yuanshi Territory, hundreds, even thousands, of vessels began to leave the harbor one after another. Their Magic Guide Sails unfurled, shining brilliantly under the sun.
The ships and supplies were all prepared by the Royal Court and the Yuanshi Territory. The Qinghui Guard and Yonglan Knights only needed to bring their weapons and armor to board this vast fleet. They would travel along the channels of the Thousand Lakes, heading for the Land of Rhythm—a place that had been shrouded in mystery and closed to outsiders for millennia.
Setting out from the waterways of the Yuanshi Territory, they passed by bustling water cities. At the end of the wide river channel, the waters converged into a vast and boundless clear lake.
This great lake marked the border of the Thousand Laws Royal Court. Dozens of magnificent, colossal statues stood tall, linked together like battlents watching over one another. A faint blue curtain of light descended from the sky to the lake, shielding everything within from outside eyes.
A soothing, ancient lody drifted from the colossal statues, invigorating the spirits of all who heard it and inspiring a sense of reverence.
"Because of the unique nature of the Land of Rhythm, we generally don’t use Floating Battleships for transport. The sky is full of nodes where the lodies travel."
Luyetan rested her hands on Westheid’s shoulders, propping her fair, pretty chin on the back of her hands as she said:
"So those Floating Battleships you’ve been so fixated on won’t be of any use here."
Now that they were away from Reiya, the lady of Yuanxi Palace dropped her pretense. She acted so intimately, as if no one else were around, that anyone who didn’t know better would assu sothing had happened between them.
Oh, wait. Sothing *had* happened between them, but at the sa ti, nothing had happened at all.
Westheid glanced at the charming and captivating young woman and said:
"You’re just begging for it, you tramp."
However, this cold response only made Luyetan bolder. She covered her mouth and giggled:
"You’ve gone too far, Duke Qinghui! I am still a virgin, yet you slander so... How rude of you."
User Comments
0 comments from readers