Rachel Bella

As Lei Mo entered the city, Rachel Bella was busy making meticulous preparations at the new ducal estate.

Lei Mo's breakthrough to the Saint Realm had been too sudden to allow for the timely construction of a new residence, so the King had converted his former residence from when he was the Crown Prince into the new ducal estate.

There were no taboos here; strength was everything. At Lei Mo's level, he had no interest in the throne, as the pursuit of the Saint Realm was always about the elevation of one's power.

At this moment, Rachel Bella, sweating profusely while bustling about the estate, felt a sense of excitement and fanaticism.

The Duke was about to return to the royal capital; as Lei Mo's beautiful little steward, how could she not be thrilled?

A Duke, a Saint—each was a figure to be looked up to, and to have both combined in one person, who was also the founding ancestor of his own family, was extraordinary.

Rachel trembled at the thought, feeling immense pride that she could personally participate in the birth of a legend, and she wished she could offer herself to him right then and there.

If Rachel had viewed her service as a profession and a form of security back at the Viscount's estate, she now viewed serving Lei Mo as her life's pursuit.

It might sound similar, but the burning adoration and the heartfelt fanaticism she felt toward the ducal estate and Lei Mo were different, a sentiment also tied to the long-standing atmosphere of the Keaton Kingdom.

If one were to use the loyalty meters found in games, Rachel's loyalty had already broken the scale, exceeding the maximum value of one hundred.

This was the natural psychological tendency of ordinary people to admire the strong, a phenomenon that had existed throughout history.

This was also related to the kingdom's frantic propaganda over the past half-month, which had painted Lei Mo's brutal slaughter amidst the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and his enlightenment of destruction as a display of righteous battlefield valor.

It must be said that public opinion is terrifying; no one cared about the pathetic soldiers who had been pulverized into dust by Lei Mo, as they had all become mere background scenery for his fearless bravery.

The cruelty of this world was revealed at every moment, which was precisely the inexhaustible motivation behind Lei Mo's path to becoming a powerhouse.

Setting aside such trivialities, Lei Mo and the honor guard prepared by Marshal Mengba enjoyed a warm welcome all the way through Padon City.

With flowers, fine wine, and beautiful women, the soldiers ate and drank their way until they finally reached the ducal estate.

Lei Mo did not need to meet the King, which was a sign of respect for a powerhouse; after all, Lei Mo was now a Saint, and the only person qualified to hold his promotion ceremony was the founder of the kingdom, Tagore Keaton.

This also indicated that Lei Mo's title of Duke was granted by the first King, making it as enduring as the nation itself.

Subsequent or contemporary kings had no right to strip him of it.

In short, there were many hidden implications, and while Lei Mo held a gaming mentality, this was interpreted as a powerhouse's pursuit of strength and indifference toward worldly power.

They viewed Lei Mo as entirely transcendent, never suspecting the true thoughts of this rough man—that he wanted nothing more than beautiful women and fine wine.

Now, Lei Mo finally dared to relax and indulge himself; he would turn no one away. Possessing cultivation talent, he intended to soothe his lonely heart of nearly sixty years.

On the night he returned to the estate, Rachel entered the Duke's master bedroom.

One was desperate to offer herself, the fanaticism in her eyes nearly overflowing, while the other was relaxed and looking to indulge; it was a case of dry tinder meeting a raging fire, and things quickly spiraled out of control.

In the morning, holding Rachel's petite frame, Lei Mo gently stroked her head.

He comforted her, "Don't worry, you will continue to manage the ducal estate. You know what I pursue, and who knows, perhaps you might become a powerhouse yourself one day."

As he spoke, he took out a Rune Cube. Lei Mo found the Rune Cube quite useful now, so he had made several more and stored them in his spatial ring.

Lei Mo had learned his lesson this time and did not engrave a Gravity Rune; that was too difficult!

The six faces of the cube corresponded to six other runes: the Strength Rune, Sturdiness Rune, Image Rune, Illusion Rune, Burning Rune, and Light Rune.

It encompassed the four laws of earth, water, fire, and light. If she had absolutely no affinity for them, she would only be able to contemplate the eight Totem Pillars to seek soul immortality. Lei Mo would never let Rachel refine a godhead; that was a path of no return.

Because this Rune Cube was based on the enlightenment of Franklin's true form, it was far more complete than the runes carved by Tauren rune masters.

Although it still couldn't help others comprehend the laws, it was very useful as a testing tool, far superior to any crystal ball.

It seemed he had discovered the true utility of rune engraving, which instantly opened a new door for Lei Mo.

After waking up in the morning, Lei Mo summoned everyone in the ducal estate for the first time.

There were easily over a thousand people, and such a large crowd was difficult to manage.

This was the reason Lei Mo had gathered them; he needed to establish rules and prestige for Rachel.

Just for the sake of her fanatically adoring little eyes, he had to help her, even though she was clearly exhausted and barely holding on.

"In the Franklin Ducal Estate, there are no specific rules—or rather, my word is the rule!"

Lei Mo said slowly. Although his tone was calm, thanks to the kingdom's propaganda, no one dared to ignore the words of a Saint.

"When I am away, Rachel Bella is in charge of everything in the ducal estate. Hear me clearly! Everything!"

Lei Mo was very serious this time. A powerhouse's authority comes from himself and requires no checks and balances; nothing gained through strength would be lost in the slightest due to the whims of others!

"As you command, Duke!"

Over a thousand people shouted in unison, as if they had been trained. As for whether there were spies from others, who cared?

The ducal promotion ceremony was still a few days away, and during this time, Lei Mo lived a life of unbridled indulgence with Rachel, with the occasional maid joining in, though they all eventually deferred to Rachel.

Lei Mo wasn't sure if a Tauren could have children with an ordinary human, but in a spirit of experimentation, he never took precautions, which moved and delighted Rachel deeply.

At the same time, he guided Rachel in practicing battle qi. She had been given the Rune Cube for a few days; she didn't have any sensations yet, but she had successfully entered the path of battle qi.

Previously, as a member of a long-fallen noble family, she had never been qualified to learn battle qi and had only been a first-rank warrior through physical training.

Now, with Lei Mo present, there was no battle qi manual he couldn't find, and the one Rachel was currently practicing was one he had sourced for her.

It was a water-attribute battle qi manual very suitable for women, possessing a slight nourishing effect on the body.

Upon reaching the Saint Realm, one became qualified to create battle qi manuals; it was easier to simply modify an existing one to create a new one.

However, Lei Mo had great ambitions; he always wanted the battle qi he created to contain more attributes, so that he would have more choices when comprehending the laws after reaching the Saint Realm.

It wasn't that a Saint could only practice laws corresponding to their battle qi attribute, but having a battle qi attribute as a springboard made comprehending the mysteries of the laws much easier.

The prerequisite was to have a battle qi manual that could lead directly to the Saint Realm; otherwise, one could only rely on sudden enlightenment.