The Acting Representative

"Get up."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the overly young noblewoman slowly rose, folded the Dragon Wing on her back, and went to her seat.

Misha and Lang Pu was also standing at the top of the altar, looked at each other across the distance, smiled, and nodded in greeting.

"Your Lord Lang Pu."

This Imperial Prime Minister had introduced her to His Majesty and taught her a great deal about magic; it would not be an exaggeration to say that he had shown her great favor.

In Misha's mind, this hideous and ugly Ogre was like a mentor.

Duke Dolo, the Hobgoblin beside him, seemed to realize something. His cloudy little eyes glanced at Misha, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Damn it."

The Hobgoblin squeezed out a low, hoarse voice from between his teeth, but only he could hear it.

Another Half-Dragon reader stepped forward, holding a scroll in his hands, his back ramrod straight, his voice incredibly loud.

"Through overall planning and coordination of all parties, she has made outstanding contributions to the Empire's logistics. Marquis Darena is promoted to Imperial Duke."

"It's Ms. Darena!"

"Isn't this the ' Flower of North Wind Fortress '?"

Amid gasps and exclamations, Darena, dressed in a long gown, was lifted to a high platform by an invisible force, waving to the crowd below.

"His Majesty."

Darena knelt before Keosius with a smile on her face, seemingly relaxed, but her slightly trembling, pale legs betrayed her.

Who wouldn't be nervous? Finally becoming a noble duke, standing at the pinnacle of the empire's power, and achieving her goal from years ago, even Darena felt like she was in a dream.

However, the Half-Dragon announcer's loud voice continued, echoing through the crowded hall.

"Brave and skilled in battle, unafraid of powerful enemies, displaying the might of the imperial Dragonborn. Smaug is promoted to Duke of the Empire."

A hoarse howl rang out, and Mars flew everywhere.

Surrounded by several Wyvern, the Wyvern leader, nearly twenty meters long and resembling a real Red Dragon, flapped its wings and took to the air.

Finally, Smaug landed on the altar, bent his neck toward the Red Dragon, pressed his head tightly to the ground, folded his wings behind him, and let out a submissive growl.

After receiving the emperor's permission, the Wyvern came to its place, supported itself with its tail, and stood up on its hind legs.

Now, everyone's eyes are focused on the last marble seat.

Of the nine dukes, only one spot remains. Who will be the lucky one to become an imperial duke?

"Keosius above"

"I believe that Bu Luo Bro, who has commanded the infantry legion, has made great contributions and is qualified to become an Imperial Duke."

"You're talking nonsense! Do you know how many demons the artillery legion commanded by Da Tou has destroyed?"

"The Marquis of Ji Ermo has devoted himself to assisting Duke Lang Pu in handling the complex affairs of the empire for many years; he is certainly worthy of such recognition."

The audience, including humans, Ogre, Tiefling, Lizardmen, and many other races, were filled with anticipation.

Although they knew they had no chance of being selected, they still hoped that a representative of their race would become a duke.

Within the multi-racial empire of the Embers of the Burned Empire, although the official stance has always been to promote ethnic equality and meritocracy, who wouldn't want "one of their own" at the top of the empire? The imperial marquises, in particular, were filled with excitement and anticipation.

The counts, on whom everyone placed high Earl, held their breath, staring intently at the scroll in the Half-Dragon's hand, their eyes filled with longing.

However, the announcer immediately announced the name of the next candidate, much to the disappointment of many eagerly awaiting marquises, who dared not utter a word of objection.

—Because this newly enthroned duke's status is so special that they dare not utter a single question about it.

"Turning thousands of demons into ice blocks, and facing the Balor Demon, bestowing upon Tinia the title of Imperial Duke."

This was yet another direct promotion, and this time it was a leap from a commoner with no title to a duke. But this time, the recipient of the promotion was a renowned relative of the emperor, the White Dragon, who was revered as the "Empire's North Wind Wings."

"Aww—"

A biting wind swept by, and a dragon's roar echoed through the sky.

Surrounded by a chaotic herd of dragons, White Dragon over twenty meters long spread its wings and cast a shadow that enveloped the crowd on the ground.

Twenty-five meters is already at the level of Ancient Dragon for a white White Dragon that is usually small in size, while Tinia is still a minor—which shows the strength of the Progenitor Dragon Blood.

Tinia strode forward, raising her ferocious white head, flapping her broad wings with bone spurs on her back, stirring up gusts of cold wind, and flew towards the top of the altar.

White Dragon's expression was excited, a glint of light flashing in her pale blue vertical pupils. She thought to herself:

The master finally remembered her! Her actions in fighting to the death and doing her best in that war against the Demon Invasion were indeed not wrong!

"Boom"

With a slight tremor in the ground, the White Dragon descended atop the altar.

She bent her forelegs at the knees, folded her wings, and pressed her head almost against the ground, making a gesture of "submission" towards Keosius.

"Master, I witnessed your battle firsthand. You are so big and so strong, simply..."

Tinia called softly, searching her impoverished mind for the right words, her face full of fervor, her thick tail swaying involuntarily.

The enormous white dragon body moved closer to the Red Dragon, its claws scraping the ground as it moved stealthily across the earth.

Yes, the female dragon is about to reach adulthood and is at the peak of her estrus cycle.

Under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of eyes, Tinia slowly crawled on the ground, seemingly unconcerned about her image, trying to get closer to the Red Dragon.

For the sake of the imperial duke's dignity and the solemnity of the ceremony, Keosius finally couldn't bear to watch any longer.

With a cold expression, he gently raised a finger with a sharp dragon claw, and a powerful force immediately surged forth.

"Aww—"

With a panicked roar, the more than twenty-meter-long White Dragon was enveloped by a strong gust of wind, and no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free.

Then, the White Dragon's enormous body slammed heavily in front of her.

"Bang!"

Tinia lay on the ground, feeling the pain all over her body, but a look of ecstasy appeared on her Dragon Face, and drops of dragon saliva hung from the corners of her mouth and fell to the ground.

"Master... hehe, still so powerful, there's no way to resist."

Looking at Tinia's crazed face, Keosius's lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh: It seems that the White Dragon's brain cannot control the power of the Progenitor Dragon.

Otherwise, how could White Dragon like Tinia, with a head full of perverted fetishes, have been born? After this little episode, the ceremony continued, and under the eager gazes of the people, one familiar name after another was read out by the announcer.

"Promote Earl Da Tou to Marquis of the Empire."

"Earl Huo An Wilkerson is promoted to Marquis of the Empire."

"Earl Serkan is promoted to Imperial Marquis."

Who is this?

How did he become a marquis?

The onlookers discussed the unfamiliar name that had suddenly appeared, but some knowledgeable Imperial People recognized him.

"I saw this Earl Serkan in the Colonial Section of the Empire Daily. He is the head of the Fire Elemental Plane."

"I met him when I was doing business in Brass Fortress. He was a very ambitious man."

A portal radiating intense heat opened, and Half-Red Dragon clad in light armor strode out—it was Earl Serkan, the governor of the Fire Elemental Plane.

Compared to the Half-Red Dragon who remained in the empire, this Earl had a distinctive appearance; his eyes blazed with fire, and tiny flames burned in his ears and nostrils.

Having lived in the Fire Elemental Plane for many years, Earl Serkan's body has developed many elemental characteristics.

Numerous Flame Wyvern, Fire Lizard, Fire Dwarf, and Half-Red Dragon followed behind him, letting out cheers that sounded like bursts of flame.

"Promote Earl of Steel Frenzy to Marquis of the Empire."

Even after spending a long time together, the Half-Red Dragon announcer was still not used to the strange-sounding, spell-like names of these Starfallers.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers suddenly erupted among the Starfallers, and the players' clamor surged in like a tidal wave.

"Holy crap? Kuang Chao Ge has become a marquis!"

"Flesh and blood are weak and feeble, while machinery soars!"

"Praise be to the God of All Machines! Hahaha! Our Church of the Machine God is absolutely swaggering!"

"Be careful, don't shout slogans at a time like this. People from the Empire Religious Affairs Bureau came to talk to me before."

"Ring the great bell three times, and sing in unison, praising His Majesty, Your Majesty Keosius!"

"No matter what, Kuang Chao Ge is awesome!"

Some players from the Church of the Machine God even took out a miniature mechanical clock and kept ringing it.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Amidst the ringing of bells and cheers from the crowd, surrounded by members of the Church of the Machine God, Steel Frenzy strode out in high spirits, waving to the crowd.

"Hahaha! What a wonderful day! How did you know I've been made a marquis?"

Steel Frenzy pressed a button on his body, and two steel pipes immediately extended from his modified back, spewing out brilliant flames and thick white smoke.

"Whoosh—"

A mushroom cloud rose from the ground, and the Steel Frenzy rapidly climbed up, instantly reaching the hundred-meter-high altar, before slowly descending.

New players who had just entered the game and struggled even to kill a chicken stared in disbelief at the trail left by the Steel Frenzy in the sky.

Someone couldn't help but mutter to themselves, "Are we playing the same game?"

After bowing to the emperor, Steel Frenzy stood with his hands on his hips in the marquis's position, looking arrogant and indulging in the limelight.

However, he was inwardly weeping. The single-soldier flying machine, still in the experimental stage, had been completely destroyed, and he didn't know how much money would be lost. "Ma Yikong Watts led the infantry corps to guard the key location and made outstanding achievements. He was promoted to marquis."

"Ji Ermo researched weapons for the Empire and played a significant role on the battlefield, and was promoted to marquis."

"Freed, as the guide of the Dragon Oath Temple, is promoted to Marquis."

"George led his legion to reinforce the front lines, defended the high ground, and withstood the fierce attack of the demons. He single-handedly killed several Bazuite Devil, buying the empire a valuable opportunity to win battle."

He should be promoted to Earl.

"It's Baron George! The former serf from the the North!"

"By the way of Keosius, he has also been promoted two ranks and become Earl!"

"How enviable! To rise from a mere serf to become Earl."

"I used to work in the same factory as Lord George, and we were like brothers back then. Let me tell you, even then I could tell he had big ambitions, absolutely not."

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd and the gazes that were either envious or jealous, George strode forward and stood at the foot of the Istaria Great Altar.

George held his head high and took a deep breath; he could feel his heart, flowing with dragon blood, pounding in his chest.

"I've finally become Earl."

Very close, very close indeed, to becoming a truly great person.

An invisible force lifted him up, and he watched as he rose higher and higher above the ground, while the crowded people gradually became as small as ants.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. "I was once just one of these ordinary people."

"But now, everything is different."

With that thought in mind, George raised his head with a determined look, strode confidently up to the Istaria Great Altar.

Under the overwhelming pressure of the dragon's might, he forcibly suppressed the trembling of his body, but could not suppress the violent beating of his heart and the boiling surge of his blood.

But he still managed to maintain his composure, kneeling halfway in front of the Red Dragon.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."

George gritted his teeth, and beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, dripping onto the ground.

The Red Dragon slowly lowered its head, examined it for a moment, and then said softly, "George, you are quite good. You were able to actively activate the bloodline seed I left behind."

His Majesty, He actually values me so much! Upon receiving the Emperor's personal praise, George felt an immense joy welling up from all directions. The excitement almost overwhelmed him, making him dizzy.

Fortunately, he managed to calm himself down, thanked His Majesty again, and returned to his seat, but the words of Keosius kept repeating in his mind.

"George, you're very good."

"I have gained His Majesty's favor, and perhaps I can climb to the pinnacle of imperial power."

George turned his head and looked at the marquises and dukes who stood higher than him, his eyes seemingly burning with fire.

"As the Red Scale Conqueror, I am brave and skilled in battle, and have entered and exited the demon hordes many times. I'm Going to Eat Mantou Viscount of the Empire."

"He risked his life, engaged in close combat with the demons, and fought a fierce battle. He was bestowed the title of Viscount of the Empire upon the Born Battle Maniac."

"The title of Baron Luo Su was conferred."

"The title of Baron of Hu Ermu"

Amidst the mixed gazes of disappointment and envy, the Half-Red Dragon finished reciting the last name, then collectively closed the scrolls in their hands and retreated into the background.

Following this Awarding Ceremony, the empire now boasts nine dukes, twenty-six marquises, over fifty Earl, hundreds of viscounts, and more than four hundred Baron.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people, the Red Dragon slowly rose from its throne.

"What an elaborate ceremony!"

He exhaled white smoke filled with the smell of sulfur, spread his incredibly wide wings, and looked down with his pale golden eyes at the expectant and excited citizens of the empire below.

Keosius knew that the true blessing was about to descend.