Chapter 19: The Kingdom
Linley clearly felt that when he embraced Alice in his youth, it was a different sensation. But now, holding Delia in his arms, Linley felt a warmth spreading from the depths of his heart throughout his entire body—a satisfaction that filled his very soul!
This was called happiness!
The ice in Linley’s heart had long since melted.
A joyful smile graced Delia’s face. After so many years, she had never been this happy.
“Linley, I’m so happy,” Delia whispered softly in Linley’s arms.
“Me too,” Linley said, stroking Delia’s silky hair and caressing her smooth, rounded shoulders.
Delia lay docilely in Linley’s arms, murmuring, “Linley, I feel like I’m dreaming right now… Tell me, is this real?” The strong woman who could chat casually with an empire’s emperor was now as obedient as a baby.
“It’s real, it’s real,” Linley said, feeling the warmth of Delia’s body against his, sensing a heart-to-heart connection.
Suddenly, Delia lifted her head and looked at Linley with some anxiety. “Linley, what if one day Alice comes looking for you? What would you do?” Delia was terrified, afraid that Linley might be taken away.
“Alice?”
Linley’s hand paused, then he stroked Delia’s hair to comfort her. “My feelings with her ended long ago. I have neither love nor hate for her. After all, who she likes is her own choice…” Linley touched Delia’s cheek and smiled. “Delia, don’t overthink this. I will never leave you. If I abandoned you… then I would truly be an idiot.”
“Delia, do you think I’m an idiot?” Linley looked at Delia.
Delia laughed, laughing very happily.
“A genius—you’re the greatest genius in the entire Yulan continent,” Delia said with a playful snort.
Looking at Delia’s delicate lips, Linley suddenly felt an impulse… Without any hesitation, Linley lowered his head and kissed Delia directly on the lips. Delia stiffened as if electrocuted, stunned for a moment. But then she immersed herself in the kiss…
This was Linley and Delia’s second kiss.
The first time had been that night in Wushan Township.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Delia said nothing, just nestled in Linley’s arms. Her face still bore a hint of shy blush. Linley realized how incredibly captivating Delia was at this moment.
“Ah, I can’t watch anymore, I can’t watch anymore, I really can’t watch anymore!!!” Suddenly, Bebe burst out of the lake water.
Linley and Delia both froze.
Bebe hovered in midair, grinning at them innocently. “Ah, sorry, sorry. Boss, Big Sister-in-law, please continue!”
“Big Sister-in-law?” Linley and Delia both couldn’t help but laugh.
“You were spying on us the whole time, Bebe. How should I punish you?” Linley guessed that Bebe had been secretly watching. In fact, Bebe had used the ‘Shadow Transformation Technique’ to hide directly within the shadows on the lake’s surface.
Since Linley hadn’t used his spiritual energy to scan, he naturally hadn’t noticed.
“Punish me?” Bebe thought for a moment. “Ah, then punish me with a female mouse! One as strong as me, okay? I’m pretty lonely right now too.” Bebe put on a pitiful expression.
Linley and Delia both burst out laughing.
“Too bad, a mouse as gifted as me only appears once in a thousand years,” Bebe sighed, then grinned mischievously. “Boss, Big Sister-in-law… when are you two getting married? I’m anxious for you too.”
“Married?”
Linley looked at Delia. This was indeed something they needed to discuss.
*******
Blacksoil City, Lord’s Mansion.
When Barker and the others saw Linley and Delia walking in hand in hand, so intimately, they all froze. Seth was the first to react, deliberately speaking loudly: “Lord Linley, what’s going on between you and Miss Delia?”
Due to Linley’s status, in public settings, Seth addressed him as Lord Linley.
“Delia and I are getting married,” Linley said with a smile.
This news hit like a forbidden spell, sending everyone into an uproar.
“Whoa~~~ Married?” Gates was the first to shout.
“Oh my, Sister Delia, you and Lord Linley are getting married? That’s wonderful!” Rebecca jumped up excitedly. The entire hall was in chaos, except for one person whose smile was a bit forced—Jenny. Jenny had been immersed in managing the affairs of the duchy these past days.
She hadn’t expected to receive this news so suddenly.
Of course… Jenny had long anticipated this day would come.
Linley and Delia had no secrets between them, and Delia knew about Jenny and Linley’s situation. Delia smiled as she walked over to Jenny, then affectionately took her arm and said, “Jenny, on the day Linley and I have our grand wedding, will you be my bridesmaid?”
Jenny looked at Delia’s smile and nodded slightly.
Then Delia pulled Jenny aside and began chatting intimately with her.
Linley walked over to Barker, Seth, and the others. “Delia and I have discussed it. We’ll hold the wedding directly. The date is set for July 21st, three months from now.” Linley smiled at Barker. “Barker, I want to conquer the surrounding duchies within three months. I want to establish a kingdom within that time. Can it be done?”
Linley also wanted his and Delia’s wedding to be lively.
But three months seemed a bit short to Linley.
“Three months? No need,” Barker said with great confidence. “One month is enough.”
“One month?” Linley asked doubtfully. “In one month, just mobilizing troops, conquering, and reorganizing the conquered duchies would be troublesome. Conquer the surrounding duchies in one month?”
Gates laughed loudly. “Lord, you don’t know this. Lord, take a look.” Gates walked to the military map hanging on the hall wall. “Lord, look closely at the power distribution in the Chaos Territory. This area of nearly twenty duchies belongs to the Radiant Church, and this area of nearly twenty duchies belongs to the Dark Church. And here… these have no backing at all.”
Linley immediately noticed.
The power distribution was very peculiar.
The area controlled by the Radiant Church and the area controlled by the Dark Church were both in the central and southern parts of the Chaos Territory. They occupied most of the Chaos Territory, leaving only the northernmost region closest to the Dark Forest.
The Chaos Territory was rectangular. If you cut it horizontally into four equal parts…
The northernmost part, the one closest to the Dark Forest.
Neither the Radiant Church nor the Dark Church wanted it!
“Lord, our Baruch Duchy borders the Dark Forest,” Barker explained.
“Huh, I never noticed before,” Linley said, studying the military map carefully. “The Radiant Church and the Dark Church occupy most of the Chaos Territory. But why don’t they want the northernmost territories near the Dark Forest?”
The current Baruch Duchy was the closest to the Dark Forest.
“Lord Linley,” Seth walked over, smiling. “This is why we said we can unify this region in a short time.”
“Oh?” Linley looked at Seth questioningly. “Because it doesn’t belong to either side, it’s easy to unify?”
Seth explained with a laugh: “That’s not exactly it. Rather, aside from our Baruch Duchy, most of the seven duchies near the Dark Forest will probably surrender to us directly.”
“Most will surrender directly?” Linley still didn’t understand. “Through forceful intimidation?”
Seth explained: “Lord Linley, have you forgotten about the beast tides from the Dark Forest that happen every few decades or every ten-plus years? Every time a beast tide occurs, the beasts charge out from the edge of the Dark Forest, and the battlegrounds are these duchies near the Dark Forest.”
Linley suddenly understood.
“You mean these duchies…”
“Yes. These duchies are the poorest and most miserable in the Chaos Territory,” Seth said with a sigh. “The Radiant Church and the Dark Church are unwilling to rule them because… the money, resources, and manpower spent resisting the beast tides far exceed what they can gain from these duchies.”
Linley completely understood.
This was a hot potato!
To rule this place meant being prepared to fight countless magical beasts from the Dark Forest. Linley could fully imagine the brutality of those battles… Every time, the casualties probably exceeded a million or more.
“Linley, of the other seven duchies, aside from a very few that don’t want to surrender, most want a strong backer. And you, Lord—a Saint-level powerhouse—are exactly that strong backer,” Seth said with a smile. “Not just the nobles, but even the common people want to be under your rule. That way, they’ll be safer.”
Barker laughed: “And Lord, even now, three duchies have already sent people to negotiate their surrender. It’s just that their territories don’t border ours. We need to conquer the duchy to our east first.”
Linley nodded. “Since that’s the case, act as quickly as possible.”
Gates slapped his chest and guaranteed: “Lord, in one month, a quarter of the Chaos Territory will be under your control. Of course… it’s the poorest part of the Chaos Territory, but also the region with the fiercest people.”
Linley nodded. “Seth, also arrange to send wedding invitations to some people. I’ll give you the list and addresses later.”
“Yes, Lord Linley.” Seth acknowledged, then smiled. “Should we announce your wedding to the public?”
Linley looked over at Delia, who was happily chatting with Jenny. A conviction arose in Linley’s heart—no matter what, he had to make Delia happy.
“Announce it! On the day the Baruch Kingdom is established, I will also hold this grand wedding,” Linley said boldly.
Clearly, in one month, they would unify a quarter of the Chaos Territory. And in three months… the Baruch Kingdom would be established, and the wedding would take place. A quarter of the Chaos Territory was indeed very large.
It was much larger than the former Fenlai Kingdom.
The population alone was estimated to be nearly a hundred million.
*******
At that moment, on the island in the ocean—the core of the Radiant Church, the Holy Island—a message from the Chaos Territory had been received.
On the ninth floor of the Radiant Temple, Heith watched the letter.
“Linley and his magical beast joined forces to force back Oseno?” Heith was truly shocked by this news. Oseno’s strength was beyond doubt. Especially his ‘Doppelganger Technique,’ splitting into four, which was undoubtedly terrifying.
Even Heidens, in a single encounter, would likely be severely injured by Oseno and then killed.
After all, resisting the ‘Doppelganger Technique’ was too difficult.
“Oseno is right,” Heith thought, his heart tightening. “If this continues, then…”
If it were just Linley alone, the Radiant Church wouldn’t be too afraid.
But Linley wasn’t alone. He also had the magical beast ‘Bebe,’ five Undying Warriors, and his younger brother.
“Later, when Linley reaches the Saint-level in human form, the five brothers reach the Saint-level in human form, and Linley’s younger brother reaches the Saint-level in human form… that’s seven peak ultimate warriors. Plus that magical beast mouse, no weaker than an ultimate warrior… eight!”
Each peak ultimate warrior could be called the strongest among Saint-levels.
Seven ultimate warriors, plus the magical beast ‘Bebe,’ charging up the Holy Island together. Heith could fully imagine the scene… Even if the Radiant Church fought to the death, it would probably be destroyed in the end.
“No, we must kill Linley.”
Heith looked at the Red Cardinal before him, Gilmore, and commanded, “Gilmore, quickly summon the Legion Commander of Thunder. Hurry!”
“The Legion Commander of Thunder?” Gilmore was startled.
In the Radiant Church, if the strongest was the Radiant Pope ‘Heith,’ the most mysterious and fearsome was Oseno, the most admired was the spiritual leader of the ascetics, ‘Lord Fallen Leaf,’ and if there was one who inspired the deepest fear in people’s hearts, it was the legendary commander of the Fanatical Believer Legion—Thunder!
The Fanatical Believers themselves possessed a special power.
“What are you hesitating for? Go quickly,” Heith snapped.
Heith dared not delay any longer. He had to send out ‘Thunder,’ whose strength was no less than Oseno’s. If these two joined forces… and still couldn’t kill Linley, then that would truly be strange.