novelraw Chapter 704 - 703 - Unchallenged Emperor
Chapter 704 - 703 - Unchallenged Emperor
Lind was not entirely sure what month it was. He knew when he went to his room, but time became very subjective after that. Cultivators at his level no longer needed sleep, food, or drink unless in dire straits near their limits, but due to that, time became a slippery slope.
The moment he thought of 'slippery slope' his face turned a deep shade of crimson. Perfect recall could be damned inconvenient at times!
Lind was currently in his office, expecting a mountain of paperwork but strangely there was very little. It took him a while to track down Shi and Kin to find out they had been working with Romana to keep things running as smoothly as possible.
Gravis had been in charge once before so he was able to sift through most of the pile that did not need my personal attention but detailed reports had been left.
Emigration was completed which floored Lind entirely.
That was supposed to take months! It had taken months.
He also noted Shi and Kin were looking at him strangely. He confirmed his crimson robes were normal but he might have been grinning like an idiot a bit. He could not help it!
He had been without his wives for nearly 1500 years. He had been faithful and thus very much looking forward to resuming his time with them. He just forgot he was a dragon and how vital his damned stamina could be!
He vaguely recalled not having a say about how things unfolded now that he thought of it but pushed it all to the back of his head.
"Will Lady Lysanna be rejoining us soon?" Lind blushed instantly at Kin's question.
"Um, ah, well not immediately." Ethry, Kora, and Cyntilla were fairly resilient it seemed but the rest needed some time to recuperate it seemed. At least that was the excuse given to him before he was kicked out of his own rooms!
He knew why, they had truly lost track of time! He was not sure whose bracelet went off but the moment they figured out why, Lind had to leave! It was easier to remove the source of temptation alone and get their heads back in the game.
Kin blushed at him deeply but thankfully they were interrupted.
"EMPEROR LIND!" A young girl came sprinting at him. Not a single emerald cloak stopped her so it could only be one person.
Benny bowled him over, or tried to, but he at least stopped himself from falling over. He noticed she too was now an Immortal! How did they have such a high success rate?
His question must have been evident as Shi spoke up.
"Lady Romana has actually put forth the theory that the Law Binding restriction was actually very beneficial as well as the teachings you encouraged over the centuries. Further, the constant exposure to Laws lets us grasp them far more easily than normal." Lind had not thought of that!
It was perhaps why he was able to reach grade 7 as well!
"Benny, I am glad to see you too, but bring me up to speed. How many issues do I need to resolve?" Benny had always been good at finding trouble. Now she used that skill to find those resistant to his plans.
In the Law Binding that was relatively easy but in the wider world it would become very difficult. There were places even the Alliance had yet to contact after all. That was how big the Heaven Realm was.
"Issues? Oh, none!" Her answer, however, left him confused. He again looked at Kin and Shi but they simply shrugged at him. What was with that reaction?
"The number of Immortals in our empire currently sits at about 2 million and increasing. There are a few that have held back as they felt some issues when getting ready but in the next 100 years it is not impossible we could stand head and shoulders above all the powers for the next million years." Shi gave an answer that sounded insane.
The Sanctuary Empire alone had more Immortals than in recently recorded history!
Wait, that was not quite right. While the number of Immortals had been much lower before, a large part of that was the war. The Immortal Fiends would happily consume or kill their counterparts to let them move the battle line forward.
Perhaps it was like his Mortal Realm where once cultivators reached the peak, they could choose to ascend or polish their Immortal breakthrough. It made a bit of sense as ascending to the Celestial Fields was far dangerous below the Sliver Tier according to what Lanbao taught him.
Still, how could there be no issues since he was technically hoarding the most Immortals?
"Surely some are complaining or wanting to recruit some?" Lind was shifting back to his normal mode when discussing imperial issues so Shi and Kin became more serious but Benny simply smiled ear to ear.
"They all pledged their loyalty to our empire before Heaven and Earth!" Lind now looked grave.
"Who told them to do so?" The smile vanished from Benny's face but she still seemed happy.
"No one forced us. You liberated us and then led us out of the Law Binding like you promised. Further, you defeated the Fiends left and right on your return. We want to keep following you!" Lind calmed at her words but it would still need addressing.
"Inform Fey as she is currently the oldest Immortal here. She will be in charge of those that wish to fight and those that wish to use alchemy. She is in grade 7." All 3 women snapped up at that piece of news.
How did their Emperor know something they did not? He smirked as 3 badges appeared on his chest for the first time in a very long while.
All 3 were now sparkling prismatic but nearly see through. The weaving badge had to be made with new materials but it was possible since unlike the other 2, it was merely a refined badge in the Heaven Realm.
All 3 women smiled wide as it meant their Emperor had been certified officially which made him technically on the same level as Immortals. Further, since there were 3 professions, it was much harder to simply treat it as luck!
"I want to set up meetings with the Alliance in the next few months once we are settled. The Fiends will not be pulled back forever and can recover much faster than most think." Lind had no doubt the Immortal Fiends killed, especially Zerod, would leave many resources for new Fiends to rise.
Time was not on their side forever.
All 3 bowed and he moved down the tower since he had little paperwork compared to his expectations. As he moved lower, he noticed many changes since he had been occupied but the emerald cloaks were clearly all Immortals.
It shocked him at how many succeeded once more but it seemed there were benefits he and Lanbao had overlooked. He was about to reach out to her when he recalled she was gone. A flash of grief went over his heart but he sighed as it was not as bad as he feared.
Was he so simple?
He dismissed that dark thought for another day as he had to do something else. He took to the skies but made sure to let the guards know he was not leaving the city.
He was glad to see the vast stretch of well laid out main roads completed with many side roads and buildings already erected. His destination was a certain area.
After so much focus on Lanbao, he had a duty to others.
He found a small area with a few graves. It broke his heart in a different way. A single woman was currently tending to the weeding but she did not seem as lost as when he last saw her.
"Yeren." A slim woman looked up. She had an eyepatch on her left eye and her arm was heavily scarred but her body was fine otherwise. Her beauty was still clear and she was smiling up at him.
"Lind." He saw her about to approach when she seemed unsure how to proceed before he pulled her into a hug.
"My friends are always welcome to talk to me like always in private." He felt her nod then a firm grasp as they turned to the small round stones in the garden.
Lind felt a tightness in his heart as he ran a hand over the name 'Wyndam.'
"He saved the children. I wish you could have met them but they are out helping at the moment." Lind nodded but he saw a stone for Pelea as well as a name he did not know personally but was their eldest son.
They sat quietly for a time.
"So, you are Emperor now?" He laughed at her question. He recalled when her sister and she had come to try and trick the Cygnus Clan to marry their precious scion to get a certain technique the clan lost.
"I did not think I would ever do it for real but circumstances taught me some harsh lessons. I am quite slow, as you know." He heard her laugh and both looked at the stones. "I wanted to talk with him so much when I got back but now I don't have the chance."
She leaned against him and patted his back.
"I gave all his notes to Lady Lysanna. I thank you for this place." He nodded.
"I promise, your family will always have a home here. I will give a home to all my friends alive and dead. I am not letting you go." She giggled once more before bringing out some tea. They began to talk about the past and the joy of having a family.
Lysanna spoiled her nephews and niece. The lost child broke them all but the war was not kind nor something they could ignore.
"What will you be doing for now, Lind?" He paused as he looked at the stones.
"I have many friends to visit and a few to say goodbye to. I heard about Tessa." The smile vanished from Yeren's face. She nodded slowly.
"He is doing ok, but I heard he had a rough patch there for a bit. The Hellfire Sect is annoyed with you about Kal. He refuses to join any demonic power." Lind smirked but knew he had to address that issue.
"I will see him and see all that made it up here. I will also make it clear. My friends are my family. I do not care what path they walk." For a moment at the end, Yeren saw the Emperor side of Lind and shivered.
Any fool that tried to stop him would pay a steep price. Any that could not see the way the winds blew was blind. She smiled at him as they went back to chatting before he had to leave.