Sovereign Envoy Ninisha, the Unexpected Zijing Sovereign

"Sovereign Envoy?"

Ninisha was stunned for a moment, then a look of joy appeared on her face as she plopped down onto her knees.

Becoming a Sovereign Envoy meant receiving a Sovereign Artifact bestowed by a Sovereign, and potentially being granted Thunder Sovereign Power. This was an honor that countless Highgods in the divine planes yearned for, and Ninisha was no exception.

Moreover, aside from a Paragon Highgod, no Asura would ever refuse to become a Sovereign Envoy, nor would they have the qualifications to decline a Sovereign's invitation.

"What kind of Sovereign Artifact do you want?"

Hope did not bestow one immediately, but instead spoke slowly, asking for Ninisha's preference.

Generally, when a Sovereign takes on an envoy, they are taking on a convenient servant, and they would simply produce a Sovereign Artifact they deemed suitable without needing to ask for the envoy's own wishes.

However, Ninisha possessed the aptitude of a Paragon and had a chance to become a Thunder Paragon in the future, so Hope had sufficient patience for her.

"Sovereign, I would like an offensive spear Sovereign Artifact!"

Upon hearing this, Ninisha pondered for a moment before stating her request.

Hope nodded slightly and waved his right hand. Three clusters of light floated in mid-air; one of them was a purple-gold spear emitting faint traces of electricity, the pressure of a Sovereign Artifact radiating from it.

Another was a circle of translucent small bottles, eleven in total. The largest contained about a hundred drops of Thunder Sovereign Power, while the remaining ten each held ten drops of Sovereign Power from other elements. The final item was a Magic Rune Parchment emitting special patterns.

Seeing this, a flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the Zijing Sovereign, and Leisijing's eyes widened, filled with shock.

Theoretically, it was enough for a Sovereign to just grant an envoy a Sovereign Artifact; Sovereign Power was not necessary. Some Sovereigns might casually give a little, while others couldn't be bothered.

However, even if they did give Sovereign Power, they would either give the attribute the envoy was proficient in or their own attribute. Bestowing Sovereign Power of eleven different attributes was a level of treatment that could be described as extremely high regard.

As for the Magic Rune Parchment used to summon a Sovereign, it was even rarer. Usually, only the children of Sovereigns possessed them; Sovereign Envoys were not qualified to receive one.

The Sovereign Envoys who could use them were, without exception, subordinates who had served the Sovereign for many years and also held positions like Sovereign Legion Commander. Dili was one of them, though the one Dili could summon was Palhouse.

These legion commanders might need to communicate with their Sovereigns regarding the layout of the Plane Battlefield at any time, so they were specially granted the parchment by their Sovereigns. Other Sovereign Envoys—at least as far as Leisijing knew—did not have Magic Rune Parchments, including his mother's two envoys, Leihong and Busili.

"I grant you a Thunder-attribute offensive Sovereign Artifact. At the same time, this is Sovereign Power of various attributes, along with the Magic Rune Parchment to contact me. You are now the second envoy under my command!"

Hope ignored the suspicious expressions of Zijing and Leisijing, his tone remaining calm as he spoke.

He had done the same when he took on Palhouse and Bayer as envoys years ago, so naturally, he would not treat Ninisha differently.

"This... thank you, Sovereign!"

Hearing this, Ninisha was dazed for a few seconds, her small mouth slightly agape, her face filled with shock. Fortunately, she quickly regained her composure and knelt to express her gratitude.

"Very well, you may continue your travels for a while. After some time, go to Cangming Island in the Water Elemental Plane. Dili, you accompany her."

Hope nodded slightly, then turned his head to speak to Dili, who was standing behind like a wooden statue.

"Yes, Sovereign!"

Dili bowed slightly, suppressing the shock in her heart, and replied neither servilely nor overbearingly.

"Alright, you may withdraw."

Hope waved his hand, not saying anything more. Although Ninisha had the aptitude of a Paragon, she was not one yet, and he did not need to deliberately show too much.

Dili and Ninisha exchanged a glance, bid farewell together, and quickly exited the small room of the restaurant, leaving the two Sovereigns and Leisijing behind.

"Sovereign, you seem to think highly of this Ninisha!"

After Ninisha left, the Zijing Sovereign spoke slowly, her heart still somewhat surprised.

In the Zijing Sovereign's memory, Lord Hope, the Sovereign of Water, had only ever taken on two envoys from beginning to end: Palhouse and Bayer. Now that Palhouse had become a Sovereign, only Bayer remained.

Since the beginning of the world, countless powerhouses had been born in the Water Elemental Plane, including many special divine beasts, but none had ever caught the eye of the Sovereign of Water.

Therefore, when Hope accepted Ninisha, Zijing was not calm inside, and she couldn't help but wonder: could this Ninisha also have the aptitude to become a Paragon?

"I do think quite highly of Ninisha. If you don't mind, it wouldn't be impossible for me to take Leisijing on as an envoy."

Hope said this simply, then glanced at the bald youth standing beside the Zijing Sovereign and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Eh? Is that possible, Sovereign?"

Hearing Hope's words, Leisijing exclaimed, responding subconsciously.

"Jingjing!"

Zijing glared at her son with a hint of reproach, then shook her head slightly.

Although there was no explicit rule among Sovereigns that their children could not serve as envoys for other Sovereigns, no Sovereign's child had ever done so.

"Leisijing, if you were to become a Sovereign Envoy, your mother would likely lose face."

Hope also laughed in spite of himself and shook his head slightly. As a Super Divine Beast, Leisijing was naturally qualified to be a Sovereign Envoy; after all, Super Divine Beast Highgods were extremely rare existences.

The children of the Four Divine Beasts only possessed half the bloodline; although they could use their Innate Divine Ability, the power was far inferior to the Four Divine Beasts, and they could not perform Innate Divine Ability fusion. In comparison, Leisijing could be considered unique.

However, a Sovereign's child represented the Sovereign themselves. Serving as an envoy for another Sovereign would, to some extent, cause their parents to lose face.

Although, given Zijing's care for Leisijing, she might not mind too much—after all, Leisijing could gain an extra Sovereign Artifact by becoming an envoy—as the Sovereign of Destruction, Zijing's actions represented the face of the Sovereign of Destruction to some degree, and she still had to consider the thoughts of the Sovereign of Destruction.

Hope had only said it casually, not expecting Leisijing to be so excited.

"Alright, I've been on the Zijing Continent for quite some time, and having taken on a new envoy, it is time for me to leave."

Hope set down the teacup in his hand, slowly stood up, and spoke.

"We respectfully see off the Sovereign!"

The Zijing Sovereign slowly stood up, bowed slightly, and spoke.

Hope nodded, his figure vanishing in an instant. The dining room returned to its calm, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Mother, what is so special about Ninisha that the Sovereign of Water would value her so highly?"

After Hope left, Leisijing could not help but speak up immediately. As someone who had fought Ninisha at close range, Leisijing admitted that her strength was not weak.

However, he truly could not see what Ninisha possessed that was worth the Sovereign of Water's attention. If he were to set aside his status as the child of the Zijing Sovereign, he might not even be able to become a Sovereign Envoy at his current level.

"Regarding this, Jingjing, you only need to remember one thing: in the future, you must never offend Ninisha."

The Zijing Sovereign rubbed her temples, then looked at Leisijing with a serious expression and earnestly instructed him.

"This? For now, that is not a problem, but why exactly? What is so different about Ninisha?"

Seeing his mother's serious attitude, Leisijing softened his tone significantly, but he still could not help but mutter to himself.