Getting married is a big deal for anyone.
Thanks to the efforts of Duke Daina and Howard, and with the Emperor's deliberate assistance, Andrew and Han Yue's wedding proceeded smoothly. The couple themselves participated in the wedding arrangements and found them quite enjoyable. However, as the parties involved, they ultimately had to heed the advice of their elders on many matters.
On the wedding day, guests flocked to the event. Almost all the nobles, large and small, from the capital attended to offer their congratulations; those below the Earl could only attend the banquet outside the mansion. It wasn't that Andrew was too arrogant; there were simply too many people.
Besides the royal family and nobles, all the Saint-level powerhouses who watched the duel that day were also present. Among them, Bart and Augustine specially presented a generous gift. Back then, they had coerced Andrew along with Baird, and now that Baird had been killed by Andrew with a single blow, the two were also uneasy, fearing that Andrew would pursue the matter further.
Andrew accepted the gift with a smile. To him, the two were no longer opponents. Having killed the culprit, Baird, his anger had subsided, and there was no need for further killing. They were all from the same Yulan Continent, and cultivating to the Saint-level was no easy feat.
To Andrew's greatest surprise, he unexpectedly saw Baru at the wedding.
To everyone's surprise, Andrew personally welcomed Baru into the mansion. Howard and the others were also very happy to see him. They had been away from the Keli Tribe for six years, and in this bustling capital, the simple family often thought back to their life on the grasslands.
"Who was that barbarian just now? Why would the Duke personally greet him?" someone nearby murmured.
"I don't know. But judging from his appearance, he's not anyone important." Another person was somewhat indignant. As a nobleman, he couldn't even enter the mansion, let alone receive a welcome from Andrew. How could a lowly barbarian receive such treatment!
"Gentlemen, it seems you are still unaware of His Highness the Duke's background," a smiling nobleman said. "His Highness hailed from the borderlands and lived on the grasslands for three years. I think that man must have been one of His Highness's friends from those days. To achieve such success yet not forget old friends—His Highness's character is truly admirable!"
"Yes, yes..." The group echoed eagerly, not caring whether Andrew could hear them or not, and just kept flattering him.
The wedding lasted all day. After the guests left, Howard and the others left Andrew and Han Yue alone.
"The fifteenth of August, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival. On every festive occasion, one misses their loved ones even more..." Andrew suddenly felt a little listless. He looked at the bright moon in the sky in the courtyard, his thoughts drifting far away.
In this world, every plane has a sun, a moon, and stars. However, the moon here doesn't have phases; it's always full.
Han Yue walked to his side, hugged his arm, and leaned against him.
" Andrew, today is our wedding, are you... unhappy?" Han Yue asked worriedly.
Andrew turned and kissed her forehead. "What are you thinking? Marrying you is the greatest blessing I've ever had. How could I not be happy? I just suddenly thought of something."
"What is it?" Han Yue asked, intrigued.
Andrew chuckled, "You're always so curious about everything. But these things are a bit of a downer, so let's not talk about them. Yue'er..."
Han Yue was very clever; she could tell that he really didn't want to talk, so she didn't force him.
"What's wrong?"
Andrew looked at her rosy cheeks, his heart burning with desire. Under the moonlight, Han Yue was so beautiful and captivating. Wearing the white wedding dress, Han Yue seemed like a holy angel.
" Yue'er, let's go back inside..." Andrew picked her up amidst Han Yue's exclamation and whispered, "Every moment is precious, we can't afford to waste any more time!
Han Yue understood what was about to happen, and stared intently into his eyes...
A night of tender emotions, needless to say...
After the meal, Andrew went to the palace.
"Oh, Andrew, you just got married, what brings you to the palace?" the emperor teased. Andrew had only been to the palace once before, when Adonis introduced him. He hadn't been back since.
Andrew smiled sheepishly. With his power and status, few people could tease him, and the emperor was one of them. Although Andrew admitted that the emperor's actions had an element of deliberate intent, no one could deny that the emperor had shown great goodwill towards Andrew from the very beginning and had provided a great deal of assistance—this was the behavior of an elder.
Andrew was filled with gratitude towards the elder who had shown him kindness.
"Your Majesty, I have come here with a request!"
The emperor was even more pleased. Over the years, he had come to understand Andrew's character. The boy was exceptionally talented and resolute, but his greatest weakness was his strong emotions, both towards family and friends. Yesterday, that barbarian had received treatment that even dukes and Saint-level experts did not receive, which fully demonstrated this point.
"Speak, as long as it's within my power!" The emperor said without hesitation.
Andrew said, "It's nothing serious. According to the rules of the Empire, a duke can establish a duchy..."
The emperor nodded. Currently, the entire Yulan Continent formally belongs to the Yulan Empire. With the strongest human being, the High Priest, presiding over it, no force dares to oppose the Yulan Empire. However, this unification is only in form; in reality, the Yulan Empire has no energy to manage the entire continent.
Due to the existence of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the Yulan Empire did not have strong control over its eastern territories; otherwise, the Pouant Empire, the Holy Union, and the Dark Alliance would not have emerged later. However, the Yulan Empire had extremely strong control over the area west of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. This situation was only broken by the appearance of the War God.
To govern this vast region, the Yulan Empire implemented a system of enfeoffment. According to noble rank, those above the Earl generally possessed territories, and some viscounts with distinguished lineages also had them, such as Viscount Frey, whose territory encompassed the area near White River City. There were also some highly important nobles to the empire, such as dukes and kings, who could establish states. Dukes could establish duchies, and kings could establish kingdoms.
The emperor was not worried that these countries would break away from the empire's control. Not to mention the High Priest, just considering the powerful figures in the Saint-level, any one of them could easily destroy a duchy.
This is the world of the strong; nations are built upon them. Nations depend on the strong, not the other way around.
"You want to establish a duchy?" the emperor asked. "With your status and strength, establishing a duchy is more than enough. However, if you desire a wealthy territory, I'm afraid that will be somewhat difficult. Currently, the core territories of the empire have already been distributed."
Andrew knew that the emperor was telling the truth.
"Your Majesty, I have no particular requirements regarding territory. How about you grant me the Chaotic Territory, and I will establish a kingdom there?"
The Chaotic Territory? The emperor is confused. That's a barren land, bordering the Dark Forest on one side and the Sunset Mountain Range on the other, constantly threatened by magical beasts. The land is infertile, and the population is small. Although the area is vast, it has almost no potential for development.
" Andrew, how about this? Large swathes of territory in the east haven't been divided up yet, and some places there are even wealthier than the west. Why don't you establish a kingdom there?"
Andrew was genuinely moved. The Emperor's words were truly heartfelt. The East was too far away, making it difficult for the Empire to effectively control. The nobles there were highly independent. To curb this, the Empire had secretly prohibited the granting of fiefdoms to nobles in the East. He never expected the Emperor to make an exception for him...
"No need, Your Majesty. I'll choose the Chaotic Territory. Actually, I'm not very interested in establishing a kingdom. I chose it for cultivation. Besides, I need to provide a better environment for my family..."
Seeing that he seemed genuine, the emperor agreed. Soon, the vast, Chaotic Territory became Andrew's domain. This news caused quite a stir.
Andrew wasn't lying; he chose the Chaotic Territory for cultivation. However, he had other plans...
"Thirteen years to achieve the Saint-level —my original plan is now ready to be implemented!"
Andrew left the palace, full of confidence.
While others might be unaware of the advantages of the Chaotic Territory, Andrew knew them perfectly well. The Chaotic Territory was close to the Dark Forest and even closer to Beirut, giving Andrew more opportunities to prove himself. Furthermore, Beirut's three children, the Purple-Gold Rat King, frequently roamed the area; if he could befriend them, Andrew's plan would succeed.
Furthermore, the Chaotic Territory was where Beirut used to cultivate. It not only contained a magic crystal mine but also a small dimensional space that Beirut himself had created. This was a sacred place for cultivators, densely populated with magical elements. Besides the seven major elements—earth, water, wind, fire, light, darkness, and lightning—it also contained four supreme energies: fate, life, destruction, and death...
Knowing this place, how could Andrew possibly give it up?
Besides these, Andrew has another conjecture.
" The Azure Dragon Ring was dropped after the Azure Dragon's death. Beirut naturally didn't care for this broken Sovereign Artifact. Later, somehow, the Azure Dragon Ring came into the possession of Doehring Cowart. Beirut actually collected the corpses of the Four Divine Beasts in a small dimensional space. This event shouldn't have happened too many years ago, and the small dimensional space is located in the Chaotic Territory. Doesn't that mean there's a high probability that the Azure Dragon Ring is currently in the Chaotic Territory?"