O'Kexi descended to the center of the lake and simultaneously shed the black robe wrapped around his body. Beneath it he wore formal attire, looking for all the world like a gentleman attending a banquet.
"Lord Desley, I have long heard of your great name. To finally meet you today is a tremendous honor." O'Kexi smiled and bowed, then glanced at Wuseno and the others beside him. "Oh, Wuseno—who is this beside you?"
Lei Ming spoke in a booming voice: "Commander of the Fanatic Corps, Lei Ming!"
"Mr. Lei Ming." O'Kexi smiled and nodded.
"Grand Master Lin Lei, ten years ago our Church of Darkness already extended an invitation to you. Unfortunately, the Church of Light simply refused to let you go back then." O'Kexi looked at Lin Lei and grumbled as though greeting an old acquaintance.
Lin Lei merely offered a polite smile.
"Very well." Desley said with a faint smile. "Everyone should be aware of this matter by now. Secular wars involving Saint Realm powerhouses are simply inappropriate. The Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire, for instance—neither employs Saint Realm experts in their ordinary conflicts. They serve only as a deterrent."
Desley sighed. "I have lived in the Lands of Chaos for several thousand years and have no wish for things to grow any more chaotic than they already are. Therefore… I propose that in the war among the three of you, no Saint Realm experts shall participate. Are you all willing to accept?"
"I am." Wuseno nodded.
Lin Lei smiled and nodded as well.
Desley immediately turned to O'Kexi. O'Kexi grinned. "Does that even need asking? Of course I accept."
"Good." Desley's expression turned solemn. He flipped his hand and produced four sheets of paper along with a pen. "Now the four of us shall jointly bind ourselves by this agreement. Should any party violate it… the other three will join forces to annihilate that party!"
Lin Lei's eyebrows rose. O'Kexi and Wuseno were equally startled inwardly.
If you counted all four factions, the strongest was naturally Desley's—after all, behind him stood powerhouses like Higginsen and Hayward.
"Sign your names," Desley said. He quickly wrote out four copies of the agreement and handed them to Lin Lei, Wuseno, and O'Kexi.
O'Kexi smiled faintly and was the first to lower his head and sign. Lin Lei did not hesitate further and added his own signature.
"Signed!" Wuseno also took the pen and wrote his name.
"Excellent." Desley smiled. "Each of us keeps one copy of this agreement. Of course… the agreement is sustained by our personal honor. Should someone shamelessly deploy a Saint Realm fighter and then dispose of the body to cover it up, and so on… but know this—nothing is ever foolproof. The moment it is discovered, the other three parties will immediately eliminate the offender."
Evening arrived. Sunset clouds filled the western sky.
Lin Lei and Dilia were enjoying the tranquility that belonged to them alone.
"Starting today, life is going to be very peaceful." A look of happiness graced Dilia's face. "No more worries from now on. Lin Lei, do you think you'll ever regret today's decision? Honestly, even if you hadn't agreed today, I think Desley would still have helped you."
Lin Lei could feel that Desley had indeed been on his side.
Even if Lin Lei had refused, Desley would not have allowed the others to kill him.
"No—I will never regret today's decision." Lin Lei held Dilia in his arms. "Because if I hadn't agreed, with my strength I could barely protect myself, but protecting you would have been beyond me. If you had died… I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life!"
It was precisely the thought of Dilia, and of his family and brothers, that had led Lin Lei to choose compromise.
"Thank you." Dilia buried her face against Lin Lei's chest and whispered.
Feeling that warmth, Lin Lei became ever more convinced that he had done the right thing.
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of the year 10010 of the Yulan Calendar, Baruch City—at the former site of Black Earth City—was bustling with excitement. The inner city of Baruch City had now been completed. In truth, it had been built upon the foundations of the original Black Earth City with extensive improvements. The construction of Baruch City prioritized simplicity and practicality.
The royal palace did not occupy a large area—roughly two li in circumference.
Construction had begun even before the Baruch Duchy was formally established and had taken five months. Most of the buildings were a single story, with the tallest reaching only two. The main hall of the palace was vast, easily able to accommodate several hundred people.
And today, that main hall was packed with guests.
"His Majesty Lin Lei, on behalf of the Emperor of the Luoao Empire, I extend the most sincere blessings to Your Majesty." A middle-aged man addressed Lin Lei with a respectful bow. Lin Lei held a wine glass in his hand while Dilia stood beside him with her arm linked through his. The two of them smiled and raised their cups.
The two of them were worn out from the sheer number of guests, but they were happy about it.
"The number of people who've come today is really something." Wotton walked up to Lin Lei's side. "Brother, the Luoao Empire, the Rhine Empire—even an envoy from the O'Brien Empire is here. Oh… look, there's even a delegation from the Far Eastern Steppe kingdoms."
"Great His Majesty Lin Lei, on behalf of the King of the Muhan Kingdom, I convey the most exalted greetings and blessings to Your Majesty." An envoy from the "Muhan Kingdom" of the Far Eastern Steppe also came to pay his respects to Lin Lei. Naturally, Lin Lei could not afford to be discourteous.
Lin Lei and Dilia exchanged a smile.
"Lin Lei, you seem exhausted?" Dilia said softly.
"It's all right." Lin Lei forced a smile. Receiving guests was what Lin Lei disliked most, but today was his wedding—he could not back away. Dilia whispered, "How about this—for guests of lower rank, I'll handle them for you."
Dilia had been a diplomat in her past life, and she handled conversation with effortless fluency.
She was nothing like Lin Lei, who could manage only a couple of stiff sentences.
"Cardinal Gilmore of the Church of Light has arrived!" The announcement rang out from beyond the hall, and the entire room fell briefly silent. Many people knew of the grudge between Lin Lei and the Church of Light—after all, word that Lin Lei had slain the six great angels had spread across the continent.
And now, the Church of Light had actually sent a representative.
"Your Majesty Lin Lei." The moment Gilmore approached, he bowed with deep humility.
Lin Lei still remembered that ten years ago, Gilmore had recruited him from Ernst Academy. Ten years had passed, and Gilmore was still a Cardinal. Yet Lin Lei himself had become the king of an entire kingdom—even the Church of Light had to come to terms with him.
"Mr. Gilmore, please do come inside and rest." Lin Lei smiled.
"The disciples of the Martial God Gate have arrived—"