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"Extreme North Snow Plains, Morti, pays his respects to Lord Luo Ya!" By the shore of Jingshui Lake, a young man with snow-white hair and a silver horn growing from his head bowed to the black-haired young man seated by the lake.

"Morti, I've heard of you. Is there something you need from me today?" Luo Ya raised an eyebrow and gave Morti a brief look.

Ice God Morti's true form was actually a Saint Realm magical beast, a Silver-Horned Snow Lion Beast. In human form, he was tall and slender, with an exceptionally handsome face. Paired with his flowing snow-white hair, which reached his hips, he looked every bit the aloof young nobleman.

"My lord, by killing Bradic, you gave Morti a new lease on life. I owe you a great debt!" Morti remained bowed as he spoke. "If you don't mind, Morti would like to follow you from now on and serve you."

"Repaying a debt?" A hint of surprise showed in Luo Ya's eyes.

When he killed Bradic, he had indeed saved quite a few people in the process. But aside from the two who had come to thank him of their own accord, no one had ever offered to become one of his followers.

Followers had a higher standing than servants, but they were still considered subordinates.

There had indeed been people throughout history who had followed their benefactors to repay a debt. But Luo Ya had never expected to encounter such a thing himself.

"You're a thoughtful one." Luo Ya found himself looking at Morti with considerably more favor.

"Since you're willing, I certainly won't refuse." Luo Ya would hardly turn away a follower who had offered himself.

"But following me won't do you much good for now. And I may be heading to the Supreme Plane in a few years to seek adventure. If you don't want to go then, you can stay in the Valen Plane." Morti showed no surprise at hearing that Luo Ya planned to head to the Supreme Plane before long.

Throughout history, no genius had ever failed to yearn for the Supreme Plane.

"Without you, my lord, Morti would have been lost forever. It would be my honor to follow you to the Supreme Plane and brave its dangers." Morti had a clear sense of his place.

A follower naturally had to put the person he followed first. In a crisis, giving up his life to save his master was only right.

Though given the vast difference in strength between them, Morti was unlikely to get such a chance.

"Good. In that case, you'll be under my command from now on." Morti would be the first God-level powerhouse under Luo Ya.

"As it happens, I have something that needs taking care of, and I need someone to handle it." Luo Ya had originally planned to have Ignis do it once he became a god. Now that Morti had offered himself, he could get started sooner.

"Please give me your orders, my lord." Morti quickly settled into his role as a follower.

"Go to Thunder Sacred Mountain in my name and help me remodel the place. I have a use for it."

"Also, there's the matter of spreading faith..." The Power of Faith was quite beneficial to a god's cultivation.

The Power of Faith from a single Material Plane might not be of much help, but it was still better than nothing.

"Oh, and when you spread my name, don't use names like 'Thunder God,' 'Ice God,' or 'God of Darkness'..." There were certain rules to spreading a god's name across a Material Plane.

If the name wasn't tied to a specific person, but was instead something vague like "God of Darkness" or "Thunder God," then more than ninety-nine percent of the Power of Faith would go to the seven Chief Sovereigns of that element. Only a tiny fraction would reach the corresponding god residing outside the Material Plane.

"Yes, my lord..." Though Morti had once been a magical beast, he was clever enough to have become a god. He understood all the details with a word or two, so Luo Ya didn't need to spell out every instruction.

Tasks like these were certainly less important than cultivation, but they took a lot of effort.

That was why having a follower or two could be quite convenient.

After seeing Morti off, Luo Ya returned to the lakeside and relaxed beneath the shade of a tree with Milia.

"You're planning to take over Thunder Sacred Mountain. Why?" Milia asked, puzzled when she heard the news.

They were living quite happily by Jingshui Lake on Wind Forbidden Island. Why move somewhere else?

"I'll admit, the scenery here at Jingshui Lake is lovely, and it's a good place for us to cultivate. But Milia, Wind Forbidden Island belongs to Uncle Karen. I can't stay here forever as a live-in son-in-law, can I?" Luo Ya said with a smile and shook his head.

The scenery on Wind Forbidden Island was indeed refreshing, but Thunder Sacred Mountain was lovely too.

Besides, as Luo Ya had just said, Karen and his wife had recently been nudging them toward marriage. They simply hadn't made it too obvious, given how powerful and influential their future son-in-law was.

"Marriage? Isn't it a little sudden?" Hearing Luo Ya bring up her parents' attempts to hurry them along, Milia was delighted, but also a little bashful.

Though she and Luo Ya had spent most of their time cultivating lately, their relationship had grown closer during their breaks. They had done just about everything couples were supposed to do—and even a few things they weren't.

It really was time to talk about getting married.

A soft breeze brushed their cheeks. The black-haired young man held the golden-haired girl with her hair tied in a bun close, greedily breathing in her fragrance. Then he spoke tenderly. "Milia, ever since we first met, I've dreamed of this day."

That wasn't an exaggeration. He had already thought up names for their children back then.

"Mm." Milia sat obediently in Luo Ya's arms, her head tilted as she listened closely. The golden-haired girl, usually so valiant she seemed like a knight, was now quiet and serene, like a gentle imperial princess.

Tightening his arms around her, Luo Ya continued, "Milia, I'm a bit of a dull person. For a long time, cultivation was my only goal in life. Then I met you... and realized my life needed another color. So I think it's time I said something."

The golden-haired girl gazed up at him, her lovely eyes narrowing slightly.

Luo Ya went on, "That time we went to Qianyan Island and met Nilo—the things that happened then weren't exactly happy, but they finally made us lay our feelings for each other bare..."

To be honest, Luo Ya and Milia's relationship had been a simple one. Their few encounters early on had been limited to sparring, fighting, and discussing cultivation.

To a large extent, they had ended up together because two geniuses had recognized and admired each other.

Their journey hadn't involved any earth-shattering events or heart-wrenching love story. The process had been somewhat uneventful.

But for them, it had been more than enough.

Beside the shimmering lake, Luo Ya released Milia and turned the captivating golden-haired princess to face him.

Milia gazed at Luo Ya with her bright silver eyes, a hint of eager anticipation in them. Luo Ya met her gaze, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "Milia... marry me!"

"Milia, marry me!"

"Marry me!"

His powerful voice echoed around the lake, sending ripples across the water. They lingered for a long time, while Milia's silver eyes brimmed with joyous laughter.

She held Luo Ya's arm tightly and softly replied with a single word: "Yes!" Luo Ya paused for a moment, then smiled with contentment.

One word was worth more than a thousand unspoken ones.

By the quiet lakeside, the two held hands and nestled close together once more, gazing at the beautiful lake before them.

At that moment, nothing else mattered. Simply feeling each other's warmth was enough.

The author isn't very good at writing love stories, so this is about the best the romantic part gets. Please bear with me.