Chapter 23: The Grand Wedding
O'Casey landed in the center of the lake, simultaneously shedding the black robe that had wrapped around him. Beneath it, he wore a formal outfit, like a gentleman attending a banquet.
"Lord Desri, I have long heard of your great name. To finally meet you today is truly an honor." O'Casey bowed with a smile, then noticed Wuseno and the others beside him. "Oh, Wuseno, and who is this next to you?"
Thunder rumbled, "Thunder, Commander of the Fanatical Believer Legion!"
"Mr. Thunder." O'Casey nodded with a smile.
"Master Linley, ten years ago, our Dark Church invited you. Unfortunately, the Radiant Church insisted on clinging to you back then." O'Casey looked at Linley, complaining as if to an old acquaintance.
Linley merely smiled politely.
"Enough." Desri said with a faint smile. "Everyone should be aware of this matter. In secular wars, it is indeed inappropriate to involve Saint-level powerhouses. For example, the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire—they never deploy Saint-level experts in their ordinary wars. Saint-level experts serve only as a deterrent."
Desri sighed. "I have lived in the Chaos Territory for thousands of years and do not wish to see it descend into greater chaos. Therefore, I propose that in the war between your three factions, Saint-level experts shall not participate. Do you all accept?"
"I accept." Wuseno nodded.
Linley nodded with a smile.
Desri immediately looked at O'Casey. O'Casey grinned. "Do you even need to ask? Of course I accept."
"Very well." Desri's expression turned solemn. He flipped his hand and produced four sheets of paper and a pen. "Now, the four of us will jointly establish this agreement. If any party violates it... then the other three parties will unite to eliminate that party!"
Linley's eyebrows rose. O'Casey and Wuseno were also startled.
If counting the four factions, the strongest was naturally Desri's side. After all, behind Desri stood experts like Higginson and Hayward.
"Sign." Desri quickly wrote out four copies of the agreement, then handed them to Linley, Wuseno, and O'Casey.
O'Casey smiled slightly and was the first to lower his head and sign his name. Then Linley hesitated no longer and also signed his name.
"Sign!" Wuseno took the pen and signed as well.
"Excellent." Desri said with a smile. "Each of us will keep one copy of this agreement. Of course... this agreement is maintained by our personal honor. If anyone is shameless enough to send Saint-level experts into battle and then destroy the evidence, etc., remember... nothing is foolproof. Once discovered, the other three parties will immediately eliminate that party."
...
In the evening, the sunset glow filled the western sky.
Linley and Delia were enjoying their moment of tranquility.
"From today onward, life will become very peaceful." A blissful smile appeared on Delia's face. "There's no need to worry about anything anymore. Linley, will you ever regret today's decision? Actually, if you hadn't agreed today, I think Desri would have helped you."
Linley could also sense that Desri was indeed on his side.
Even if he hadn't agreed, Desri wouldn't have let the other side kill him.
"No. I will never regret today's decision." Linley embraced Delia. "Because if I hadn't agreed, with my strength, I could barely protect myself. But I wouldn't be able to protect you. If you died... I think I would regret it for the rest of my life!"
It was precisely because he thought of Delia, of his family and brothers, that Linley decided to compromise.
"Thank you." Delia buried her head in Linley's chest and whispered.
Feeling this warmth, Linley became even more convinced that he had done the right thing.
*******
On Yulan Calendar 10010-07-21, Baruch City (formerly Blacksoil City) was bustling with activity. The inner city of Baruch City was now complete. This inner city was primarily an improvement on the original Blacksoil City. The construction of Baruch City emphasized simplicity and practicality.
The royal palace was not large, covering an area of about two miles in radius.
Construction had begun before the establishment of the Baruch Duchy and took five months to complete. Most buildings were single-story, with the tallest being only two stories. The main hall of the palace was extremely spacious, capable of accommodating several hundred people.
Today, this main hall was filled with guests.
"Your Majesty Linley, on behalf of my Emperor of the Rohault Empire, I extend our sincerest blessings to Your Majesty." A middle-aged man said respectfully to Linley. Linley held a wine glass, with Delia holding his arm. The two smiled and raised their glasses.
They were exhausted from entertaining, but also happy.
"So many people came today." Wharton walked up to Linley. "Brother, envoys from the Rohault Empire, the Rhine Empire, and even the O'Brien Empire are here. Oh... look, there's also a kingdom from the Far East Prairie—"
"Great King Linley, on behalf of my King of the Muhan Kingdom, I extend the highest regards and blessings to Your Majesty." An envoy from the Muhan Kingdom in the Far East Prairie came to pay respects to Linley. Linley naturally couldn't refuse.
Linley and Delia exchanged a smile.
"Linley, you seem tired?" Delia whispered.
"I'm fine." Linley forced a smile. Entertaining guests was something he disliked the most, but today was his wedding, and he couldn't back out. Delia whispered, "How about this: I'll handle the lower-ranking guests for you."
Delia had been in diplomacy before, so she spoke smoothly and effortlessly.
Unlike Linley, who could only manage a few dry phrases.
"His Eminence, Cardinal Guillermo of the Radiant Church, has arrived!" A voice rang out from outside the hall, causing a brief hush inside. Many people knew a little about the enmity between Linley and the Radiant Church, as Linley's killing of the six Seraphim had spread across the continent.
Now, the Radiant Church had actually sent someone.
"Your Majesty Linley." As soon as Guillermo approached, he bowed humbly.
Linley remembered that ten years ago, Guillermo had recruited him from the Ernst Institute of Magic. Ten years had passed, and Guillermo was still a Cardinal. Meanwhile, Linley was now the king of a kingdom, and even the Radiant Church had to compromise with him.
"Mr. Guillermo, please go inside and rest." Linley said with a smile.
"Disciples of the War God's Gate have arrived—"
The arrivals were Castor and two other personal disciples.
"Lord McKensie has arrived—"
Another Saint-level powerhouse.
"Lord O'Casey of the Dark Church has arrived—"
...
Listening to the continuous announcements, the envoys from the various kingdoms and empires quietly whispered among themselves. Good heavens, they were all Saint-level powerhouses.
"Three disciples of the High Priest of the Yulan Empire have arrived—"
Linley and Delia immediately went to greet them. Seeing the arrivals, Delia excitedly shouted, "Brother!" Among the three disciples was Dixie. Dixie and his two senior brothers walked over and offered their blessings to Linley.
"Linley, you didn't disappoint my sister after all." Dixie finally showed a hint of a smile in front of Linley.
Back at the Ernst Institute of Magic, Linley and Dixie had been hailed as two great geniuses.
Dixie suddenly leaned close to Linley's ear and whispered, "Linley, I'm warning you: don't ever make my sister angry. Otherwise, even if I can't handle you, I'll have my teacher personally deal with you!"
"No need for your teacher to step in. I'll punish myself." Linley laughed.
Today, Linley felt unusually close to Dixie. Seeing Linley and Dixie like this, Delia was overjoyed.
Just then,
"Disciples of the 'War Saint' of the Far East Prairie have arrived—" The voice from outside the hall made Linley a little puzzled.
Who was this 'War Saint'?
Desri, who had arrived early, walked over to Linley and whispered, "Linley, there are currently four people on the Yulan Continent who are on par with me. The strongest of the Far East Prairie, the 'War Saint' Tullily, is one of them."
Linley understood.
The five Saint-level limit powerhouses: one was Fain, one was Desri, and the third was this Tullily. What about the fourth and fifth?
A middle-aged man from the prairie, wearing a turban, strode in. Behind him followed two others. Seeing Linley, the prairie man smiled and said, "Your Majesty Linley, I, Mao'e, represent my teacher in extending our sincerest blessings to Your Majesty."
"Thank you, Mr. Tullily." Linley smiled.
The prairie man, Mao'e, brightened. "Oh, so Your Majesty knows my teacher's name. Ah, Lord Desri." Seeing Desri, Mao'e immediately bowed.
Mao'e had seen his teacher, Tullily, chatting and sparring amicably with this Desri. His teacher had personally said that Desri's strength was comparable to his own. Naturally, Mao'e was very respectful.
"The Saintess of the Ice Goddess Temple has arrived—"
Desri, Belsamine, and others immediately went to greet her. Linley and Delia naturally followed. Linley was very curious: how powerful was this mysterious Ice Goddess Temple?
The Saintess had emerald hair and was cold and unapproachable. Behind her followed two beautiful women.
"Sister." Belsamine was overjoyed.
Desri whispered to Linley, "Linley, the Saintess of the Ice Goddess Temple, Rosalie, is the strongest of the Ice Goddess Temple. Her strength is on par with mine." Hearing this, Linley understood that this Rosalie was one of the five Saint-level limit powerhouses.
Now, four of the five Saint-level limit powerhouses were known: Fain, Desri, Tullily, and Rosalie.
"Who is the last one?" Linley wondered. Unfortunately, until the end of the wedding banquet, this last powerhouse never arrived.
In the main hall of the Baruch Kingdom, there was a large gathering of Saint-level powerhouses. Imperial envoys conversed with imperial envoys, while Saint-level powerhouses conversed with Saint-level powerhouses. Desri, Rosalie, and the others were together.
The hierarchy was clear.
"The special envoy of the Yulan Empire has arrived—"
The arrival was George.
"Second brother." Linley laughed heartily. George also rushed over excitedly, then deliberately gave a deep bow. "Ah, great King Linley, I, George, on behalf of my Emperor... Ugh!" Linley directly slapped George on the shoulder, cutting off his words.
"Enough, not with me." Linley was overjoyed. "Come, come meet Fourth Brother."
"Fourth Brother is here too?" George was extremely excited.
He hadn't seen Reynolds even once since they parted seven or eight years ago.
"Fourth Brother!" "Second Brother!"
As soon as Reynolds and George saw each other, they happily embraced. Just then, before the announcement of "The President of the Dawson Conglomerate has arrived—" had even finished, Yale rushed into the hall. He spotted Linley, Reynolds, and George together.
"Haha, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, your Big Brother is here!"
Yale laughed loudly and charged straight over.
Most of the people in the hall looked at these four brothers. If ordinary people had been fooling around in such a setting, they would have been scolded long ago. But no one dared say anything about Linley and his brothers.
Ten years had passed, and this was the first time all four brothers had gathered together.
"Hey, this kid Linley, now that he's a king, the whole setup is different. The attendants even asked me for an invitation and who I was. What a hassle!" A lazy-looking middle-aged man in a loose robe appeared very abruptly inside the hall. He took a wine glass from the side and took a few sips with great enjoyment.
"Mmm, not bad." His expression was one of pure bliss.
"Lord Hise?" Buck, who was in the hall, suddenly spotted this middle-aged man. He would never forget the divine-level powerhouse who had saved his life.