novelraw Chapter 103: Greed is a Virtue
Chapter 103: Greed is a Virtue
"Look at me, West. Please, look at me."
Reiya knelt on one knee before Westheid, gazing at him with the utmost seriousness as she spread her arms to display her form.
Gorgeous, dignified, and pure.
She was a member of the Radiant Holy Tree Empire’s Royal Family, the most favored child of the Radiant Holy Tree, and the only person in the Mortal World to possess a dual Divine Bloodline.
The Princess was like a completely different person from her past, pitiful self—so radiant, glorious, and noble.
"West, you are the one who gave me a new life. You gave me the courage to break my chains and embrace freedom."
Reiya took Westheid’s hand and, bowing her head, gently brushed the back of it with her cherry-red lips.
"If not for your invitation that night, I would still be a prisoner trapped in hatred and solitude. I would still be an incomplete, broken person."
Westheid said, "But you must know by now that even without me, you were still the Demigod child favored by the Divine Ancestor. You still would have had a brilliant future and become the Emperor of the Empire."
Reiya shook her head slowly but firmly.
"It’s not the same. It’s completely different. If that had happened, I would have indeed undergone a transformation after enduring a long period of torment... but even then, I would have still been incomplete."
The Silver-haired Dragon Lady’s exquisitely beautiful face held a soft warmth as she called out to him tenderly,
"I love you, West... I don’t think I’ve ever confessed to you before, but I love you. I know with perfect clarity that I love you. It isn’t some vague feeling, but an undeniable fact."
"Love isn’t instinctual desire, nor is it an impulse of greed, nor is it a sordid union of wealth and power. Love... is completion."
Reiya placed a hand on her chest and closed her eyes. Her white eyelashes fluttered as she murmured in a soft, melodic voice,
"All living beings are born incomplete—all of them are flawed and broken. And love is the missing piece of the puzzle that makes us whole... West’s love for me, and my love for West, has allowed my very being to be completed, to become whole. How could any shallow, crude emotion possibly compare to this pure sublimation?"
"Without West’s love, even if I had become a Demigod, I would have remained an incomplete hybrid, a shackled cripple."
"Only West’s love for me can complete my innate deficiencies. This is the meaning of life, the very reason I am who I am. It is beyond doubt."
Westheid: "???"
’The meaning of life? The very reason you are who you are?’
’You’re not about to go full-on love-crazy in front of me, are you?’
He no longer understood what Reiya was saying; he could only sense that it was something incredibly heavy.
Westheid felt as if he were in a powerful Force Field, his back bending involuntarily under the pressure.
Fortunately, Reiya didn’t remain lost in her reverie for too long. She soon opened her eyes and spoke to Westheid with grave sincerity.
"West, you once saved me, allowing me to stop worrying about the future and look forward to the morning sun... Now that you are facing the same situation I once was, how could I possibly stand by and do nothing?"
The White-haired Dragon Lady leaned forward, her exceptionally full chest pressing against Westheid’s.
"So, West, I will also give my all to help you."
Her magnificent eyes, a swirling mix of deep violet and clear azure, seemed to flow like liquid, emitting a mesmerizing, brilliant light full of affection.
Strands of pure, silvery-white hair brushed against the man’s face, and the faint fragrance from her hair eagerly wafted into his nostrils.
Even with Westheid’s self-control, he felt a little light-headed.
"Actually, you don’t need to be in such a hurry to help me. More importantly..."
But his daze lasted only a moment. Then, Westheid asked the most critical question:
"Since I’ve awakened this kind of bloodline Talent, in the foreseeable future, I’m bound to have countless wives and concubines. My marriages will have to prioritize family interests, and I won’t be able to decide based on my own feelings. Are you okay with that?"
"Isn’t that a matter of course?"
The Silver-haired Dragon Lady raised a delicate eyebrow and said without batting an eye,
"West is the last descendant of the Qinghui Clan. If you are to rebuild the clan, you will need to sire many children no matter what. What reason would I have to stop you?"
Hearing the answer he wanted from Reiya, Westheid finally let out a sigh of relief.
As expected.
Indeed, the reason for Westheid’s confidence was an advantage he possessed that was extremely beneficial for starting a harem.
He was a childless Branch of Prosperity.
The Empire didn’t really have any regulations on marriage. As long as you wanted, you could have as many partners as you wished; there was no concept of bigamy.
This was because everyone’s purpose for marrying was very simple: to produce offspring.
Nothing was more important than procreating. This was even recorded in the Prosperity Law decreed by the Holy Tree... The Radiant Holy Tree’s anchor and authority in the Mortal World was "Prosperity" itself.
More children, more land, more wealth... The followers of the Holy Tree were to pursue these things endlessly.
Thus, strong desire became a virtue.
This was especially true for those with bloodlines blessed by Celestial Gods, Holy Spirits... or even Demons. While they possessed powerful Talents, their fertility rates were appallingly low.
Take the previous Emperor, who committed suicide to atone for his crimes. During his life, he took in concubines on a massive scale, scouring the entire Empire for suitable partners. Any beautiful woman who was fit for childbearing had a chance of entering the Emperor’s harem.
The previous Emperor was actually quite lazy when it came to governing. He spent his days acting like a stud, sowing his seed wildly and indulging in nightly debauchery.
However, no one would accuse the Emperor of being dissolute. On the contrary, everyone who saw him would give him a thumbs-up and praise him, "Your Majesty works so hard! To toil so much for the Empire, you are truly an enlightened ruler."
This wasn’t sarcasm; it was an objective fact.
Under the Empire’s current well-established and self-consistent system, an Emperor who governed diligently for decades could not make a contribution comparable to siring one more child.
If not for the scandal that broke out in the end, Reiya’s Old Deng might have even left behind a rather fine reputation.
And for a Holy Spirit Bloodline like the Branch of Prosperity, the Direct Lineage would at most produce two or three offspring per generation. It was all too common for the line to be passed down through a single heir.
The difficult problem every Branch of Prosperity had to consider was how to produce an outstanding heir. Luyetan’s previous demand for Westheid to marry into her family was no joke; if they could produce a child who inherited a dual Holy Spirit Bloodline, it would be an occasion for universal celebration.
In any case, Westheid’s assessment of the Imperial Nobility was... they were all just *Crusader Kings* players, obsessed with playing the genetic ascension game.
Reiya undoubtedly shared this same worldview. Even for a lover she held dear, she would not stop him from using every means possible to produce offspring.
After all, causing someone’s bloodline to end was a truly despicable act, no different from murdering their entire family.
"Besides, marriage... Hah. Marriage is nothing more than a filthy transaction involving power and money, or long-term prostitution. I have no interest whatsoever in such a system. It’s best not to let it taint pure emotion."
Reiya let out a scornful laugh, expressing her rejection of the secular institution of marriage.
She then pursed her lips and looked at Westheid seriously.
"West, let me help you. I will go with you to the Qinghui Territory to break the chains that bind your freedom and win the future that belongs to you, just as you did for me!"
The White-haired Dragon Lady’s words were sincere and heartfelt, her gaze burning. If Westheid just nodded, she would place her life in his hands without a moment’s hesitation.
However, Duke Qinghui was in a bind. Beyond feeling touched, he was thinking about something else entirely.
’If you come with me, how am I supposed to farm affection points with Mivana?’