453: The snowy northern country has really become a dowry

“My Lords, we have arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”

Just as Qiu Yan was scrutinizing Zhan Tianxiong,

A palace maid with a delicate face bowed respectfully.

Only then did Qiu Yan realize that he had reached the site of the banquet.

The lavishness of the imperial family assailed him.

In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, hundreds of dancers gracefully performed to classical rhythms.

They held colorful ribbons, their dance elegant, like Fairies from the heavens.

In the air, prayer lanterns floated like fireflies.

The entire Supreme Imperial City was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

“This is the sleepless city I imagined.”

“This prosperous era is as I wished.”

Qiu Yan praised with clicks of his tongue.

In the past, the Nine Provinces had never seen such a luxurious banquet.

That was because the national strength did not allow it, and the Sages also constrained each other, constantly fighting.

But now, just by looking at this peaceful and prosperous banquet, one could feel the nation’s destiny at its zenith.

As an expert in the economic Domain, Qiu Yan felt he had much to accomplish.

“You two, come and take your seats, we must at least have a couple of drinks today.”

As Qiu Yan was thinking, he heard Si Zhenfeng’s voice.

At the Sage’s exclusive table, Si Zhenfeng and Han Chen had already taken their seats, waving at him.

Currently, there were six Sages in Shenzhou, and apart from two imperial relatives, their former colleagues were all present.

“Alas, the five of us can never get together.”

“Either Han Chen is missing, or Zhan Tianxiong isn’t here.”

“Now that we finally have a chance to gather, Zhang Lingxiao has been promoted again.”

Qiu Yan sat down with a chuckle; he truly hadn’t expected to be dining at the same table as Si Zhenfeng.

At the mention of Zhang Lingxiao, Zhan Tianxiong was filled with anger and cursed:

“It’s good that guy isn’t here; not a single word he says is trustworthy.”

“He said he wouldn’t fight, but he was the most ruthless, how many years did he deceive us?”

Si Zhenfeng also complained, “And he said he didn’t care about official positions, but he’s the closest to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known he secretly sent equipment to Your Majesty.”

“I was wondering why he became the Imperial Advisor while I almost lost my job, even though we both slacked off. Turns out he was secretly improving all this time?” Han Chen chimed in.

“Alas, Dao Sage is still too well-rounded,” Qiu Yan said with a wry smile.

Dao Sage Zhang Lingxiao was like that annoying person found in every company.

After meals, he was always brought up for criticism.

Just then, a voice rang out.

“The Divine Emperor arrives.”

Upon hearing the announcement, all officials immediately stood up from their seats, knelt solemnly, and bowed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

As the drum music began to play,

The Divine Emperor and his imperial relatives emerged from one side of the hall.

“Rise, rise.”

The Divine Emperor spoke twice, his face beaming, clearly in a good mood.

He swept his imperial robe and sat on the Dragon throne;

The other imperial relatives also followed suit and took their seats.

Apart from Lin Xuan, who wore plain clothes, the Empress Dowager and the Retired Emperor were both dressed in elaborate attire, noble and graceful.

The Empress and the Consorts were even more adorned with jewels, a flock of beautiful women, all peerless beauties.

However, Qiu Yan noticed three unfamiliar faces among them.

One woman, dressed in a blue palace gown, had a graceful figure and a gentle demeanor.

Another, dressed in a green palace gown, was petite and exquisitely proportioned.

However, what surprised the Sages the most,

Was the alluring Demi-human woman with nine fox tails.

“So these three are also Your Majesty’s Consorts?” Qiu Yan asked the three Sages in front of him.

Zhan Tianxiong shook his head: “Two of them appeared on the battlefield, but I didn’t know they were Your Majesty’s Consorts.”

Among the Sages, only Si Zhenfeng had seen the three from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

He introduced them one by one: “The one in the blue palace gown is Consort Zhen, the one in the green palace gown is Consort Zhao, and the Demi-human woman is Consort Su. They all come from other worlds, possess extraordinary skills, and rarely appear in public.”

Qiu Yan asked curiously, “I see Consort Su’s seat is only second to the Empress; her status is not low.”

Zhan Tianxiong shrugged: “Why do you care about that? Are you planning to send gifts and build connections again?”

“If I could beat you, I’d beat you once a day.”

Qiu Yan rolled his eyes, too lazy to explain to Zhan Tianxiong.

This brute simply didn’t understand the significance of a Demi-human woman appearing by His Majesty’s side.

Since the large-scale appearance of Demi-humans, humanity had confirmed the existence of the Myriad Worlds.

Beyond the Human World, there were also the Demi-human World, the Elf World, and the Orc World.

Due to limited understanding, humans harbored an innate fear and resistance towards these worlds.

Even in the past Nine Provinces, there were numerous policies restricting and discriminating against Demi-humans.

This time, the Divine Emperor allowing a Demi-human Consort to appear must be to convey some signal.

He had once mistakenly regarded Qin Yang as a rival and had quite a bit of research on this Divine Emperor.

Despite the Divine Emperor’s youth, he was extremely shrewd; describing him as cunning and calculating would not be an exaggeration.

Every action he took in public was imbued with meaning.

He allowed a Demi-human Consort, who had never appeared publicly, to make a public debut, and her seat was second only to the Empress.

This indicated that he was laying the groundwork for subsequent events.

“Could it be…”

“The Divine Emperor intends to advance into the Demi-human World?”

Qiu Yan speculated.

At the mention of the Myriad Worlds, Han Chen became spirited.

He smiled meaningfully: “Not just the Demi-human World, but also the Elf World. From today onwards, our journey will enter the Age of Discovery, only we will be sailing the Annihilation Sea.”

“Annihilation Sea.”

Hearing these three words, everyone shivered.

The Annihilation Sea was a forbidden zone that humans found difficult to traverse.

To this day, only Lin Xuan and Zheng Yunfei could travel through the Annihilation Sea; other Emperors could not.

As a Monarch Tier, Han Chen was considered a strong individual in this world.

Yet, once he entered the Annihilation Sea, he was lost for nearly twenty years.

This was only twenty years for the Human World.

If one truly accounted for the time distortions, Han Chen had drifted in the Annihilation Sea for a full century.

Look at this guy, his hair has turned white.

If not for his naturally slightly chubby baby face, he wouldn’t look much younger than Lin Xuan.

At this moment, hearing that the Divine Emperor intended to advance into the Annihilation Sea, the Sages all had their doubts.

With humanity’s current strength, did they have the power to navigate the Annihilation Sea?

The world was not yet unified; was it a bit too early to look outward now?

Qiu Yan muttered to himself, not daring to speak his thoughts aloud.

However, there was a stubborn person beside him.

Zhan Tianxiong said, “There are still many great nations outside of Shenzhou. Shouldn’t the immediate task be to sweep across the six directions? Even if this is a long-term plan, shouldn’t we first take down the nearby Snowy Northern Kingdom?”

Qiu Yan was startled and moved his chair aside.

He had already confirmed that this Zhan Tianxiong was the genuine article.

Just then, the Divine Emperor in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony stood up.

With a beaming face, he said with a smile.

“My beloved officials.”

“Today, I have two pieces of good news and one major announcement.”

“The first piece of good news is that the Snow Queen of the Snowy Northern Kingdom has agreed to a marriage alliance and will marry into the Supreme Imperial City.”

As the Divine Emperor’s voice fell, the square in front of the hall immediately fell silent.

A moment later, a burst of congratulations erupted.

“Congratulations, Divine Emperor! Congratulations, Queen!”

“The two nations were already on good terms, and now they are united in marriage; this is a beautiful story!”

“The Divine Emperor’s heroic bearing and the Queen’s peerless beauty make for a match made in heaven.”

Hundreds of Shenzhou’s important officials offered their congratulations, and the atmosphere was fervent.

However, they all had a question in their hearts.

If the Queen became a Consort, what would happen to the Snowy Northern Kingdom?

They should surely get a new ruler, right?

Otherwise, wouldn’t the entire nation be treated as a dowry and merged?

Just as the officials were speculating,

Qin Yang continued, “From now on, there will only be the Snowy Territory, no Northern Kingdom.”

“Ah?”

The front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony suddenly fell silent.

The hundred officials, including the Sages, were all stunned.

Well… the Snowy Northern Kingdom really became a dowry!