Engagement and Marriage

Engagement and Marriage

"I want to help him, Lincoln," Aier said after a moment of thought, "although we didn't need help back then, he truly helped us with all his heart."

Lincoln nodded, but suddenly looked toward the depths of the palace, where a Deity-level powerhouse was flying over at high speed. He couldn't help but think that Aofen Lido was taking this marriage far too seriously.

The crowd saw the disheveled young man, and their attention was immediately drawn to him. They began to whisper and gossip, while the princess deep in the crowd wore a look of sorrow. Being so openly rejected in marriage in front of the nation's prominent nobles, she had lost all face. The queen felt her daughter's pain and squeezed her hand, looking at her with sorrow and comfort, but she dared not voice any opinion.

After all, this was the decision of the founding monarch of the Putuoluo Empire, the true pillar of support, and the backbone of the Lido Family: Aofen Lido. Neither she nor the King had the power to resist.

The King finally appeared at the right moment, signaling with his eyes for the Saint-level elder to drag the young man to the princess's side, and he announced, "Honored guests, please be silent. In a moment, our Lido Family patriarch, the creator of the Aofen Empire, the God of the Sky, Lord Aofen Lido, will preside over the wedding ceremony for these two little ones, Robin and Teluzake!"

"What? A wedding? Wasn't it supposed to be an engagement?" a noble asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty, this is too much of a farce," another noble minister advised, "The marriage of a princess of a nation cannot be so hasty. It will be a laughingstock if word gets out!"

"Lord Aofen Lido, does that mean we can see the legendary God of the Sky today?" some young people were excited. After all, this God of the Sky hadn't appeared in a thousand years, but everyone knew that as long as he sat in power, the empire would remain safe and sound.

"Everyone," the King said, his voice robust despite his age, "this is the decision of the God of the Sky, and we must obey. Moreover, having the God of the Sky preside over the wedding is the greatest honor and the most formal ceremony! I believe no one would think otherwise!"

All voices vanished. There was no more whispering or opposition; instead, even the great nobles who controlled vast territories were craning their necks, waiting for the arrival of the God of the Sky.

This piqued Lincoln's interest. "Aier, when things are abnormal, there must be a demon. What do you think this Aofen is plotting?"

Aier smiled, watching Teluzake, who was still struggling. "Indeed, I am also curious, but we won't have to be curious for long."

At this moment, Earl Hoken walked over with his daughter Themis and began to converse. "President Aier, Lord Lincoln, you are truly lucky. Even we are seeing the God of the Sky for the first time, and you see him on your first visit to the capital. When you see the deity in a moment, remember to kowtow deeply, lest you be considered disrespectful, which could endanger your lives."

This was a well-intentioned reminder, and Aier thanked him accordingly before continuing to chat about business matters.

After only a moment, a fierce gale suddenly rose. The wind blew directly into the hall, scattering everyone in disarray; even the Saint-level elder could barely stand. The gale condensed, revealing a tall, long-bearded old man. He was dressed in mage robes, stroking his beard, and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, the scene is quite lively. I wonder if you all welcome this old man?"

As the long-bearded old man spoke, no one dared to answer directly. Even the King, the Queen, and the Saint-level elder hurriedly knelt on the ground, shouting aloud, "Greetings to the God of the Sky!"

Of course, Lincoln and Aier remained standing leisurely in the corner, sipping wine.

"Audacious! How dare you not kneel when seeing the God of the Sky!" A noble, seeing Lincoln and Aier still standing, immediately scolded them.

Earl Hoken realized what was happening and hurriedly whispered a reminder, "President Aier, Lord Lincoln, kneel quickly! Do not disrespect the deity!"

Lincoln sneered and merely glanced at the noble. The noble's eyes immediately dimmed as he collapsed. Lincoln then turned to look at Aofen. "What? Do you want me to kneel as well?"

The noble's wife saw her husband fall and was instantly thrown into a panic. In her terror, she couldn't help but scream, "Murder! Someone is killing people in front of the God of the Sky!" Before she could shout twice, her body went limp, and she fainted.

The nobles were in a state of chaos. How could such a thing happen? They had finally seen the God of the Sky, yet someone dared to kill in his presence. Some quick-witted nobles felt they had guessed Lincoln's strength and immediately stood up, pointing at Lincoln to accuse him. "How dare you kill in front of the God of the Sky! Even if you are a Saint-level powerhouse, so what? You clearly have no regard for the deity."

They turned and knelt to Aofen again, kowtowing. "Please, Lord Deity, unleash your wrath and punish them!"

In their minds, it was impossible for a new god to suddenly appear, and a god would never lower himself to run a merchant guild. Lincoln was at most a relatively strong Saint-level!

Lincoln smiled, and that quick-witted noble also collapsed, though it wasn't Lincoln who had acted; Aier was surveying him with a sharp gaze.

Having "killed" two nobles in a row, the other nobles were so terrified they collapsed to the ground. They couldn't help but wonder, "Is President Aier also a Saint-level powerhouse?"

Themis supported Earl Hoken, but she was so terrified she couldn't even straighten up; they were right next to these two gods of death.

Is this woman a Saint-level powerhouse? she thought blankly.

Unlike the ordinary people, Aofen had scanned them with his Divine Sense before arriving. Lincoln and Aier had seemed like ordinary people, but they had knocked out these two nobles without him noticing a thing. This meant they were clearly two Deity-level powerhouses. Aofen's expression turned grave as he said, "I was unaware that two guests were visiting the Putuoluo Empire. I have been negligent."

"However, two guests, today is the day of our Putuoluo princess's wedding. Is it not inappropriate for you to celebrate in such a way?"

Lincoln sneered. "You think you're qualified to talk to me about what's appropriate? Aofen Lido, right? Not letting you collapse like those two pieces of trash is already giving you enough face! A forced marriage is no grand occasion; it is a great disaster!"

Aofen stopped stroking his beard, his face alternating between green and white. Suppressing his anger, he said, "I have never met the two of you, and I have treated you with courtesy. But today, you come here to bully the few with the many and overwhelm the host; you have no logic on your side. Although I do not know when you became deities, I, Aofen Lido, am no pushover. If you do not know when to advance or retreat, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Aofen had never even considered that they were powerhouses from the Divine Plane. According to the experience accumulated by the continent's Deity-level powerhouses over the years, it was already a miracle for one Deity-level to arrive from the Divine Plane; how could they come one after another? He knew all the Deity-level powerhouses on the continent, and the Wata Continent wasn't that large. No Laws of Heaven and Earth had descended in a thousand years. He assumed they were just two lucky newcomers who had refined a godhead. A god who refined a godhead had no room for improvement, and this small Material Plane could not possibly have a Mid-God godhead for them to refine. However, just in case, he had already used his Divine Sense to contact an old friend to come and hold the line.