Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

During the celebration, a minister began announcing the gifts each attendant presented.

“Banto Empire, two Magic Crystal Cannons!” His voice rang clear across the hall.

“Delar Empire, five Heavenly Silk Robes!”

“Rossi Empire, five Champa Horses!”

…

Hearing the grand presents gifted by the various empires, the guests gasped appreciatively. The Magic Crystal Cannons were powerful, and was the best weapon one could use to take down cities and dispatch armored knights. Even though the magical abilities of the Banto Empire were the best in the Tailun Continent, even they did not have very many Magic Crystal Cannons. To think that they would gift two of them at one go.

The Delar Empire, situated in the northwest region of the Tailun Continent, was powerful and had many developed industries. The Heavenly Silk Robes they produced could repel most physical attacks and were a rare defensive treasure. The entire Delar Empire could only manufacture a few Heavenly Silk Robes a year. No one could believe they had gifted five sets.

The Champa Horses of the Rossi Empire were as precious as the Magic Crystal Cannon and Heavenly Silk Robe. Champa Horses could move at blinding speed, and were said to be able to outrun lightning. Having a telepathic Champa Horse might be the dream of every warrior.

The gifts of the various merchants and guests paled in comparison to the grand presents of the great empires, but each were magnificent in their own right!

Some gifted rare swords made from crystal, some gave magical staffs created in ancient times, some gave the eggs of high-level Magical Beasts… All the presents invited waves of exclamation.

After reciting all of the presents that they received, the minister closed the little book in his hand and prepared to leave, but a servant approached him and whispered quietly in his ear. The minister smiled tightly, and then announced, “Finally, we have the leader of the Magical Beast Territory who comes from the faraway Terras Forest…”

In the middle of his sentence, the minister flipped open the little book in his hands, then looked awkwardly at the servant behind him. He did not know what present the leader of the Magical Beast Territory had gifted the Emperor.

Yang Ling had not been on the guest list for the Emperor’s birthday banquet originally. His name had been hastily added after Harribell’s considerable efforts. Having been busy, the minister had not paid attention to Yang Ling’s arrival. Yang Ling did not know of the rules of the palace, and did not register his gift with a servant, which resulted in this awkward scene.

“Not even having a simple gift to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday? This is a sign of disrespect to the Emperor, in fact, this is a sign of disrespect to the entire Livenza Alliance!” The foreign affairs minister stepped up, the first to stir up trouble. His wrinkled, triangular face was the same as Robert’s. Yang Ling did not have to think too deeply to know that he was Robert’s father.

Disrespect to the Emperor?

Hearing the foreign affairs minister Grichie Banner say this, the guests present engaged in discussion, all of them looking at Yang Ling at the back of the crowd. On Grichie’s signal, a few of the nobles let out exaggerated claims, all of them attacking Yang Ling, who remained expressionless.

All this while, Grichie had been vehemently opposing the notion of supporting Yang Ling and his newly born Magical Beast Territory. In fact, he had suggested that they should forge an alliance with the Banto Empire and send out an army to exterminate Yang Ling’s faction. For this, he had even engaged in conflict with the military under the Nicholas family. He could not bear to miss the chance to attack Yang Ling.

“This isn’t just a sign of disrespect for the Emperor, this is a sign of disrespect for all of us!” cried one noble, his round belly bouncing in his fury.

“Hehe, perhaps he is so poor that he can’t even feed himself and had come to Montson to beg for some food?” someone else mocked.

…

With Grichie’s signal, the factions under him jumped at the chance to attack Yang Ling, deliberately exaggerating their claims. They inflated the disrespect to the Emperor to the disrespect of the empire Livenza Alliance. They teased and attacked the Magical Beast Territory from all sides, their voices rising in pitch and volume.

Caught off guard, Harribell hastily tried to defend Yang Ling. But faced with the foreign minister, who had the numbers advantage, her efforts amounted to not much.

At the start, the Emperor sitting on the throne had not changed his expression, allowing the people to discuss the matter. He sometimes sipped his wine, or spoke softly with the empress by his side, ignoring the people. As time passed, seeing the commotion intensify, he creased his brows as he got his servant to call the minister facilitating the event. They conferred briefly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down!” After receiving the instructions of the Emperor, the minister knew how to settle the situation. He continued after a pause, “Sir Yang Ling rushed to Montson from the faraway Magical Beast Territory to attend the banquet. This, in itself, is respect for the Emperor. It is not important whether he has an item to gift or not!”

“It does not matter the value of the gift, but him not having a gift at all is too disrespectful. Such an ignorant leader has no right to attend the banquet of His Majesty. The desolate Magical Beast Territory is not worth the support of our alliance!”

Even though the Emperor had made clear his attitude through the minister, the foreign affairs minister was not willing to stop. He was only attacking Yang Ling’s disrespect on the surface. His true motive was to attack the factions supporting the strengthening of relationships with the Magical Beast Territory, and through that achieve his intention of forging an alliance with the Banto Empire.

Back when he was in Sitana City, Yang Ling had known of foreign affairs minister Grichie’s stand through City Master Croix. He smiled a calculating, cold smile, and began to walk forward. As he walked, he retrieved a small box made of Purple Sandalwood from his Space Ring and spoke. “My territory had just been established. Even though we have rich resources in minerals, crystals, and Magical Beast Essence Crystals, we lack a large amount of crystal coins and experienced craftsmen. Please forgive me for not being able to bring any precious gifts!”

He handed the small box to the minister, and continued. “Over thousands of years, my family had handed down a small crystal, rumored to be able to give everlasting youth. I hope that the Empress would like it!”

A gift for the Empress?

The crowd was surprised when they heard Yang Ling’s words, all of them looking curiously at the small box. Even the expressionless Emperor and Empress were interested.

With the Emperor’s signal, the minister gently opened the wooden box. In that instant, light spread around the box, revealing a shiny crystal.

“My word, a high quality Crystal Diamond, am I seeing things?”

“Beautiful!”

The crowd murmured in awe.

But the potential of the Crystal Diamond was only really understood by the people who knew what it was!

The average person exclaimed at the alluring glow of the Crystal Diamond, but the Spellcasters present were shocked at the crystal’s magnificent Magical Energy. It was rumored that wearing a high quality Crystal Diamond over a period of time would allow the wearer to gradually absorb the pure energy within the crystal. It would not only slowly increase the Magical Energy of the wearer, it would also gradually improve the wearer’s constitution. It would even guarantee eternal youth as Yang Ling had said.

“In my hometown, people had often said that Crystal Diamonds are forever, and they are used to signify a person’s undying love!” After a pause, Yang Ling continued, “Only the beautiful Empress is worthy of such an alluring Crystal Diamond. I believe that the love between Your Majesty and the Empress will last as long as this Crystal Diamond!

Hearing Yang Ling say this, looking at the alluring Crystal Diamond in her hand, the Empress’s love for it deepened. After a moment’s deliberation, she whispered a few words to the Emperor.

“I believe that this is not only the most precious gift at this banquet, it is also the greatest blessing that Empress Nina and I have received in our lives!” The Emperor spoke as he stood, holding the Empress’s hand. He said excitedly, “Come, let us raise a toast to Yang Ling, who has come from so far away. Let us wish that his territory be blessed by the deities, and that his friendship with the Kaliya duchy, with the Livenza Alliance, lasts for a long time!”

Taking the Emperor’s lead, the guests began to toast Yang Ling. Even the foreign minister Grichie and his group had no choice but to raise their glasses. Of course, while they were all smiles on the surface, draining their glasses in gulps, they felt as bad as a dead fly. This was especially so for Robert, who was depressed to the point of nearly vomiting.

Originally, Robert had almost jumped and laughed in excitement when he saw Yang Ling remain silent, reading his silence as embarrassment. Who could have expected that Yang Ling would surprise the crowd so completely, even earning the blessings of the Emperor.

He could not react for the time being, the rigid smile on his face as if carved out of bitter gourd. Coupled with the triangular face he was born with, he looked even worse than someone wailing inconsolably.

Seeing Yang Ling’s adaptability, offering the rare and precious Crystal Diamond and receiving the appreciation of the Emperor and Empress, many of the people around him were awed. This was especially so for a few astute merchants, some even taking the opportunity of the celebration to get closer to Yang Ling.

Seeing the rich merchants approaching him from all directions, Yang Ling would naturally not miss such a great opportunity. He spoke about the location of his territory, and some of his plans for its development, from the large exposed sulphur mine at the Taildon Valley to the premium tree sap…

“Building a large scale harbor at the estuary of the Donau River? Not bad, that’s great!” one merchant exclaimed.

“Sir Yang, I heard that you auctioned off a forest of Anacardia some time ago. Will you auction the rights to mineral mines like the sulphur mine in the future?” another merchant asked.

…

After hearing Yang Ling’s plans on the macro scale, the merchants became more interested in the Magical Beast Territory. The Terras Forest was the largest primordial forest on the Tailun Continent. It was rich with resources, harboring large amounts of wood, minerals and Magical Beast Essence Crystals. As long as they solved the issues of shipping and safety, the Magical Beast Territory would bring the merchants vast profits.

“Sir Yang Ling, you said just now that your family has been around for thousands of years, might I ask which family that is?”

After a moment’s deliberation, a merchant in Chinese robes spoke, staring at Yang Ling. As the owner of a merchant association, he astutely picked up on the meaning behind the Emperor’s words. Even if he did not support the Magical Beast Territory, the Emperor would also not be able to follow the intentions of the foreign affairs minister and his group to forge an alliance with the Banto Empire and deal with the newly born Magical Beast Territory.

This way, as long as Yang Ling was able to deal with the various pressures put on him during the beginning phase of the setting up of his territory, then the Magical Beast Territory would undergo rapid development. The sooner he participated in the construction of the Magical Beast Territory, the more profits he would enjoy. Of course, the premise of that was that Yang Ling had to have a strong enough ability to guarantee the profits of the merchant association. The support of Yang Ling’s family would be essential.