The Jade Orchid Empire's Olive Branch?

Flowing Frost City.

Bart's Manor.

Hearing the familiar voice,

Barte Lei's body stiffened.

That crushing pressure, like a mountain, lodged in his chest.

Neither rising nor falling.

He could not breathe.

The dragon's wings.

A slender figure leaped down from above.

He had lost some immaturity and gained a little blade-like resolve.

But even if those eyes turned to ash, Barte Lei would recognize them.

Lei Wen.

The surprise was not over yet.

Behind the dark-haired youth, an even smaller figure poked out.

"Father! Mother!"

Lian Qiu called out cheerfully.

She jumped down from Lei Wen's back and ran toward Xue nearby.

"Aunt Xue!"

Xue scooped Lian Qiu into her arms.

Yet her gaze remained fixed on the young man who had returned.

"Lei Wen..."

Seeing his mother's reddened eyes,

Lei Wen quickly walked to her side and revealed a brilliant smile.

"Lei Wen!"

"My child!"

Xue stretched out a hand and pulled Lei Wen into her embrace.

Tears streamed down her face.

Five years of longing and five years of fear burst forth completely in that instant.

"Mother!"

"I'm back!"

Lei Wen somewhat stiffly patted his mother's back.

This reunion was harder for him than facing a Ninth Rank Warrior.

On the other side.

Barte Lei stood rooted to the spot, his hands quietly gripping his heavy sword.

He looked at the green-haired little girl.

Then he looked at the Icefrost Giant Dragon whose wings blotted out the sky.

His throat felt as though he had swallowed a mouthful of sand.

The giant dragon lowered its head, its enormous pupils staring at Barte Lei as six streams of white frost poured from its nostrils.

The grass and leaves on the ground instantly froze over.

It was real... alive.

It was real... a Sacred Beast.

"Th-this... this big fellow..."

Barte Lei pointed at the giant dragon, his finger trembling.

That was an Icefrost Giant Dragon at the peak of the Saint Domain!

The terrifying pressure made Barte Lei, a Ninth Rank Warrior, feel fear from the depths of his heart.

"Little White."

"Too big. Find another place."

Hearing Barte Lei's words,

Lei Wen pushed away from his mother's embrace and spoke to Little White in the sky.

As soon as his words fell,

Barte Lei's heart began pounding wildly.

That was a Sacred Beast!

A dragon race famed for intelligence, proud to the bone!

How could it listen to him—

"Roar—"

The giant dragon gave a low cry.

Its massive body actually began to twist and shrink.

The terrifying hundred-meter-long body rapidly contracted at a visible speed.

Light scattered.

A small, snow-white dragon over half a meter long appeared.

It leaped onto Lei Wen's shoulder and even rubbed him with its head.

So obedient.

Absurdly obedient.

Barte Lei felt as if his worldview had shattered.

As a Ninth Rank Warrior, he knew very well what this meant.

Magical beasts only submitted to beings stronger than themselves.

Especially dragons.

To make an Icefrost Giant Dragon at the peak of the Saint Domain become a mount...

That required more than strength.

It required absolute suppression.

"Gulp."

Barte Lei swallowed hard.

Looking at the little girl who had lived with his family for five years, he felt as though he were looking at a monster.

"Lei Wen."

"Y-you... have you reached that realm?"

Barte Lei's voice trembled as he asked in disbelief.

Lei Wen smiled but said nothing.

Yet the pressure around him slowly spread.

"Boom!"

It lasted only an instant.

That vast, unfathomable might enveloped Barte Lei.

The pressure vanished.

But Barte Lei understood completely.

"Hahaha..."

"Saint Domain!"

"It really is the Saint Domain!"

"My Bart family has finally produced a Saint Domain expert!"

"..."

At the same time.

Jade Orchid City, the imperial capital.

Deep within the imperial palace stood a magnificent hall glittering with gold.

A middle-aged man dressed in a golden robe and wearing an imperial crown sat upon a lofty throne.

He was the Emperor of the Jade Orchid Empire, ruler of six generations.

At that moment.

This king, who held the fate of countless lives in his hands, was reading a magical secret letter jointly delivered by six deputy commanders.

Below the hall.

A middle-aged general knelt on the ground, forehead pressed against the icy floor tiles, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Have you verified it?"

After a moment of silence,

the Emperor finally spoke.

His voice was low and heavy, carrying an innate authority.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Lord Carver of Blackstone City personally received the report."

"The master of that Icefrost Giant Dragon is indeed suspected to be Lei Wen Bart."

"Lord Carver said that Lei Wen Bart's aura... was even stronger than his!"

The middle-aged general answered respectfully.

At those words,

the Emperor's pupils contracted sharply.

Who was Carver?

He was an old Saint Domain expert of the Jade Orchid Empire, famous for a long time.

Even Carver admitted inferiority?

"How old is that boy this year?"

The Emperor rubbed his brow and asked again.

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

"Lei Wen Bart turned twenty-one this year."

Twenty-one.

That number was like a heavy hammer striking the Emperor's heart.

He was even somewhat terrified.

At twenty-one, what was his own strength?

Fourth rank?

That was already a genius.

Yet this Lei Wen Bart had already reached the pinnacle of the continent!

The Saint Domain!

Across the entire Jade Orchid Empire, the number of Saint Domain experts known publicly could be counted on both hands.

Each one was a stabilizing pillar of the empire, an ancestor who had to be revered.

And now, such a young Saint Domain expert had suddenly appeared.

What was even more terrifying was that Lei Wen also possessed an Icefrost Giant Dragon magical beast at the peak of the Saint Domain.

That was equivalent to having six Saint Domain combatants.

If such power could not be used by the imperial family, it would be far too dangerous.

But if he could win him over...

A glint flashed through the Emperor's eyes.

The Bart family.

He remembered that family. A thousand years ago, it had once been glorious before declining afterward.

The current family head, Barte Lei, was a Ninth Rank Warrior. He had earned the title of Earl through military achievements and was considered a loyal subject of the empire.

"Barte Lei has raised a fine son!"

The Emperor rose and paced several steps before the throne.

He quickly calculated in his mind.

Directly bestowing titles upon Lei Wen?

No.

At such a young age, his heart must surely be very proud.

Gold, beauty, power—these held limited appeal for a Saint Domain expert.

What he sought was the ultimate path of power, the legendary realm above.

Using worldly shackles to bind him might instead provoke resentment.

Besides.

Since Lei Wen had entered the Saint Domain at twenty-one, his future would certainly not end there.

Becoming a god!

That was practically inevitable.

Once he became a god, he would be an existence above imperial power.

Therefore, he had to treat him with the attitude used for a future son-in-law.

They had to win them over.

They had to play the family card.

The Emperor's gaze fell on the name "Doge Bart."

Since they could not win over the son, they would win over the father.

As long as they tied the Bart family to Nina's family...

They would be family, after all.

Lei Wen also stood by Nina's side.

"By imperial decree!"

"Doge Bart, Viscount of Flowing Frost City, has taught his son well and, together with Nina, raised an unparalleled talent!"

"We hereby specially promote Doge Bart and Nina to hereditary dukes!"

"Flowing Frost City and the three surrounding provinces are hereby granted to the Bart family as their fief!"

"If Duke Doge wishes, he may establish the Bart Duchy and enjoy the privileges of a first-rank duchy!"

"Furthermore."

"Select the finest magical items from the treasury and send them to the Duchess."

"Find out what that daughter-in-law Alice likes and send it over quickly!"

"As for etiquette, show them the utmost respect. Treat their entire family as if they were members of the imperial family!"

"..."