Kolan had laid down rules for his newly founded empire.
No church was permitted to preach within the empire. The only faith allowed was in him, the God of Life and Death!
As for noble titles, they were divided just like in other empires: Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, and Prince!
Only members of the imperial family could be granted the title of Prince.
No matter how great their achievements—even if they were Saint Realm powerhouses—the highest rank anyone else could receive was Duke!
As for the Royal Academy, it was where warriors and mages were trained, the empire's highest institution of learning.
The newly founded empire was still empty, but that was no cause for concern. As time passed, everything would gradually fall into place.
With him there to keep the entire empire in check, it would be easy.
The Gate of Life and Death, meanwhile, was established by Kolan as a place to attract talent, much like the Temple of Life founded by the High Priest and the War God Sect established by the War God.
"I hereby appoint Isabelle as Empress."
"I hereby appoint Victoria as Imperial Consort!"
After the empire was founded, Kolan became its emperor. His first two decrees appointed Isabelle as Empress and Victoria as Imperial Consort!
The empire had been founded precisely because Isabelle was pregnant, so she naturally became the Empress.
That evening, the entire capital celebrated—and, indeed, the whole empire celebrated with it.
Chefs and supplies brought in from various empires, kingdoms, and duchies were turned into an endless flow of fine wine and delicacies.
Kolan had not been idle over the past month.
Vast quantities of supplies had been brought into the new empire.
Large numbers of people had been loaned to it.
No faction dared refuse!
The celebrations would last ten days and ten nights, marking the founding of the empire and the emperor's wedding.
That evening, Kolan stayed busy until late. The Saint Realm magical beast meat and fine wine in his Space Ring were all used up.
Kolan had also drunk quite a lot.
On their wedding night.
"Kolan, it feels just like a dream. I can hardly believe it's real." Isabelle lay against Kolan's chest, gently moving her fingers.
"Yes, it really does feel like a dream." Victoria, too, could hardly believe it.
In the past, Isabelle had told her that Kolan might be a ninth-level warrior.
Though she was the daughter of a marquis, she was only a fourth-level mage. Aside from her beauty, she had nothing particularly outstanding.
Her talent was merely average.
But as it turned out, the man she had chosen wasn't a ninth-level warrior, but a god-level powerhouse.
He had founded an empire with ease, making them the most honored women in the world.
"This isn't a dream. It's real!" Kolan smiled. "One day, our child will be the emperor of this empire!"
He had founded an empire not to revel in wielding power, but for the sake of his future children.
With him around, even if his descendants lacked the talent to cultivate, they would still enjoy wealth and luxury for the rest of their lives.
As for that little bit of Power of Faith, honestly, he didn't care about it.
His Life Law had already reached the peak of the Low-God level, and he was stuck at a bottleneck.
The small amount of Power of Faith could barely help his cultivation at all.
With the Tree of Life's help, cultivating the Life Law was like riding a rocket—everything came naturally.
The Tree of Life was no longer what it used to be. It now stood more than thirty meters tall.
Of course, that hadn't come without a price: the enormous magic crystal deposit beneath it was gone!
It had been a massive deposit worth several hundred billion gold coins, and now it was gone just like that.
But Kolan didn't feel the least bit sorry.
After all, gold coins were merely worldly possessions to him. They couldn't compare to the Tree of Life or his own cultivation.
For a god-level powerhouse, the most important thing was to improve one's strength.
Strength was the foundation.
Power and money were merely fleeting clouds, insignificant by comparison.
"From now on, I won't be able to attend to you. Victoria will have to take my place." Isabelle lightly traced her finger over Kolan's chest. "The imperial palace is so vast, and there are so many halls in the harem. You could also find some beautiful women to join it."
"If Victoria gets pregnant later, that will be a blessing for this child." Isabelle took it all in stride.
How could a man like Kolan be bound to just the two of them?
Even among ordinary emperors, not to mention a god-level powerhouse like Kolan, which one didn't have a harem full of consorts?
Kolan chuckled without saying anything.
He wouldn't make too much of this sort of thing. More than anything, it came down to fate.
Without fate, he wouldn't be interested in even the most beautiful woman.
After the empire was founded and the wedding was over,
Kolan didn't let the empire's countless affairs weigh him down. He had no interest in them and simply chose to let things run their course.
Let the people rest and recover!
There were no policies or systems!
Nor was there any need for an army. The undead army was the best military force.
In fact, many undead soldiers were building new cities.
Much of the former Chaotic Territory was dotted with what were called cities, but they were really just earthen settlements—filthy, chaotic, and without any real planning.
Kolan had no use for cities like those. They would either be built anew or the old ones would be demolished and rebuilt.
Merchants from many trade associations poured into the new empire. To them, this was a vast market.
Those who entered first had an advantage.
Some families relocated to the new empire, too, since it offered more opportunities.
The Royal Academy also began accepting students.
The academy's teachers were at least eighth-level warriors or mages. There were also many ninth-level warriors and mages, and even quite a few Saint Realm warriors and mages.
This attracted many families, who sent their children there to be educated.
The empire also offered free magic aptitude tests to children in every city. Those with good aptitude could attend the Royal Academy for free.
Kolan spent little time or energy on any of this. He spent most of his time with Isabelle, watching the baby in her belly grow larger and larger.
The ever-strengthening aura of life and the baby's steady development fascinated Kolan.
When Isabelle was three months pregnant, Kolan already knew that the child in her womb was a boy.
He could clearly see that the baby was male with his soul power.
During this time, Victoria had enjoyed his attentions all to herself, but she still hadn't become pregnant.
Kolan wasn't disappointed. After all, he had experience with this.
The chances of his women getting pregnant were extremely low.
That was why he was so happy when Isabelle conceived, and why he had even founded an empire for her.
He couldn't help feeling that this might be his only child.
Every day, Kolan carefully sensed the baby in Isabelle's belly. The feeling was wondrous, and he was enthralled by it.
Watching his child grow was far more interesting than managing an empire.
As the days passed, Isabelle's belly continued to grow.
As for the Kolan Empire, although Kolan let things run their course and gave the people time to recover, no disturbances arose. The whole society remained orderly and stable.
New cities rose one after another, while others were demolished and rebuilt. The people moved into brand-new cities.
Of course, not everyone lived in cities. Many still lived in towns and villages, but their living conditions had improved greatly.
The people soon came to embrace the empire and identify with it.
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