Chapter 452: Live Broadcast Ritual

The Baihe Hall was silent.

Duke Feishe maintained the bearing of a duke, at least outwardly with a calm expression, but his vassals dared not even breathe, occasionally looking up at the several important figures on the steps.

The dragon‑born seated on the high‑back chair wore a smile, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Lei En had already returned to her side, expressionless, a pair of deep eyes scanning the lords. He did not emit any Qi, observing like an ordinary person, yet somehow the lords felt a surge of fear and inexplicable pressure; some lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact, while others forced a flattering smile that looked awkward.

The attendants and guards trailing the lords, as well as the Feishe family's sturgeon warriors, shivered even more.

In the stifling atmosphere of the great hall, time ticked by second by second.

Duke Feishe and the lords felt for the first time how slow the passage of time could be; each minute was a prolonged torment.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour.

Lei En flashed again to the center of the hall, a blue light igniting on his left palm; after a minute of casting, he summoned a large teleportation portal.

Bang bang bang…

The Extreme Warriors rushed out of the portal, scattering around the hall.

They had just finished a fierce battle, yet none bore blood, their armor showed no marks, and no one fell; the aura they exuded shocked the lords, as if a terrifying legion had emerged from the Abyss. Some attendants and sturgeon warriors could not bear the mental impact and instinctively stepped back, trying to keep distance.

Both squads of Extreme Warriors returned quickly, none missing.

Xika Liusi was the last to step out of the portal; his 2.4‑meter‑tall frame was like a wall, casting a shadow that blocked the portal.

He carried a middle‑aged noble dressed in fine robes.

"Boss, the person has been captured alive."

Xika Liusi's voice came from beneath his helmet, a low grumble revealing a fierce demeanor, and he casually tossed the captive onto the steps below.

"Viscount Wadefulei!"

The lords recognized the noble on the ground and were startled into silence.

They were not unfamiliar with Viscount Wadefulei; some were even close to him. The lord of Lenghecheng's family was founded on the 'Blade‑tooth Crocodile' bloodline, not as prestigious as Kangjiatuo's seven great families, but it was the highest‑ranking extraordinary bloodline in the Feishe Duchy.

Viscount Wadefulei had cultivated for years and become legendary; his strength was among the top of all the lords.

However, at this moment his limbs were broken, his body riddled with blood holes, unknown how many arrows had struck him, and from massive blood loss he clung to half a breath of life.

Seeing the barely breathing Viscount Wadefulei, the lords exchanged glances.

Duke Feishe could no longer remain composed.

As a lord with fiefdom, Viscount Wadefulei always had extraordinary guards, and his castle housed an extraordinary army of over two hundred; even the Feishe family would find it hard to breach the castle, yet it was annihilated in less than a quarter of an hour, leaving the lord himself a captive.

And the cause was merely a command from the young man before them.

Duke Feishe despised Viscount Wadefulei's betrayal and entertained thoughts of punitive action, but he did not wish to see Wadefulei eliminated in this manner; at least he thought he should be the one to act.

He looked at his vassals; each had unmistakable terror in their eyes, and the few lords who had previously hesitated to dispatch troops had their petty thoughts vanished.

Clearly, this was the effect Lei En wanted.

"Alas…"

Duke Feishe sighed lightly and released a water therapy on Viscount Wadefulei, stopping the bleeding; his injuries quickly improved, and his pallid complexion regained a hint of redness.

Viscount Wadefulei's consciousness cleared; he immediately saw Duke Feishe before him, froze for a moment, then shouted loudly: "Lord Duke, quickly save me and Lenghecheng! A terrifying enemy force came from nowhere and breached the castle…"

Halfway through his speech, he suddenly saw the Extreme Warriors standing around the hall and let out a startled cry.

"It's them!"

"Lord Duke, they killed my clan members and guards…" Viscount Wadefulei shouted, and as he kept shouting he finally realized something was wrong: how did I end up in Baihe Hall, with other lords present, all staring at me expressionlessly just like the Lord Duke?

Who are those standing on the steps?

His voice gradually lowered, his face filled with terror.

"Wadefulei, why did you refuse my summons?" Duke Feishe asked coldly, "Refusing the summons is a betrayal of me; I think you know the consequences clearly."

"I… I… Lord Duke…"

Viscount Wadefulei, too nervous, could not utter a single defense; the pain from his wounds surged, and a large cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead.

Duke Feishe had no intention of hearing his explanation.

He bowed to Ai Mi Li Si and said respectfully, "Your Highness, please allow me to deal with this traitor."

Ai Mi Li Si neither affirmed nor denied, "That is your authority; I will not interfere."

A vassal's vassal is not my vassal. This aristocratic principle is almost universal across all human realms of Ai Lun E Si; a vassal is responsible only to the sovereign they serve, and the sovereign's allegiance target has no subordinate relation to oneself.

Duke Feishe's spoken request was merely a statement.

He raised his hand and shot a stream of water that coiled around Viscount Wadefulei; the water, like a python, bound his body tightly, forced him to rise from the ground and kneel before him, even sealing his mouth.

The Qianhe Blade fell into his hand and was positioned on Viscount Wadefulei's neck.

"In the name of the River God Oshenna, witnessed by Queen Ai Mi Li Si of the Kangjiatuo king Zhuogengbao family, I, Lifusi* Duke Feishe, hereby declare Viscount Wadefulei guilty of treason, stripping him of his title and the fief of Lenghecheng, and sentencing him to death."

During Duke Feishe's trial, Viscount Wadefulei thrashed wildly, his eyes bloodshot, yet a faint sound emerged from his mouth.

Puff!

As the verdict fell, the Qianhe Blade also cleaved Viscount Wadefulei's head.

The headless corpse was enveloped by water, preventing blood from staining the freshly swept floor; the Baihe Hall fell silent, and the lords, staring at Wadefulei's body, were as mute as cicadas.

Beri Xi gave a glance, and two sturgeon warriors immediately came to carry away the corpse and the head.

Duke Feishe sheathed the Qianhe Blade, his face showing no emotional change, as if he had done something trivial, and asked, "Your Highness, may we begin the ceremony?"

Ai Mi Li Si looked at Lei En beside her.

"Lord Duke, please wait a moment," Lei En smiled, and under the puzzled gazes of Duke Feishe and the lords, Speakers Kaidejia and Kelaoaosi began casting.

The magical fluctuations were intense, and the casting time was long, indicating the spell was at least seventh‑rank.

This made the lords in the hall uneasy.

About two minutes later, the casting finally finished; an illusory image flew from Speaker Kaidejia's staff, swept across the entire hall, rose into the sky and vanished.

Kelaoaosi's spell was even more concealed, appearing to have no effect, leaving the lords baffled.

But both chairmen were maintaining the spell, their expressions very focused.

"What spell is this?"

Someone couldn't help but ask aloud.

As soon as the words fell, a booming voice rang across the sky of Torrent Fortress and entered White River Hall: "What spell is this?"

"Who's speaking?" the lord jumped in fright.

"Who's speaking?" the voice from the sky echoed, like a recorder.

A murmur rose in the hall, and the noise from outside grew louder. Duke Feishe had already sensed the cause and was about to ask when a sturgeon knight rushed in shouting, "Lord Duke, an image has appeared in the sky outside, showing everything happening here."

Kadejia waved his staff, making the dome of White River Hall transparent. Everyone looked up and instantly saw, hundreds of meters above Torrent Fortress, a massive image displaying exactly the scene inside White River Hall.

Not only were all the people in the hall identical, but every arrangement was the same, like a reflection on water.

The reflection was magnified dozens of times, allowing every resident of Baroske City to see it clearly, complete with the spoken voices.

"Everyone, please remain calm."

Lei En raised his hand and pressed down, explaining, "This is the effect of the two chairmen's spell. The investiture ceremony is so important that His Highness wishes his people to witness the Dragonborn's return firsthand. Lord Duke, you shouldn't oppose that, right?"

Duke Feishe's face tightened; his hands clenched and then released.

A smile appeared on his face, "As long as it is His Highness's Willpower, beneficial to His Highness's restoration plan, I am willing to do it. Earl of Glamorgan, rest assured."

"Very well," Lei En said, nodding with satisfaction, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

That was his idea.

Duke Feishe has ruled the duchy for centuries. Though he has verbally pledged allegiance and accepted the three conditions presented by Ai Mi Li Si, the Soul's Eye sees clearly that Duke Feishe has not given up entirely; he still harbors the possibility of defecting, merely well concealed.

Today's oath ceremony must announce the Dragonborn's return to Kangjiatuo, and the grander the better, with as many witnesses as possible.

But Duke Feishe chose White River Hall as the venue, and the participants were only his own vassals.

If in the future Duke Feishe turns hostile, as long as he and his vassals present a unified front denying the ceremony's existence, even if everyone knows it was real, the participants' denial will render it as if it never happened.

If the residents of Baroske City see the ceremony, that would be different.

Duke Feishe can silence his vassals, but not the people's endless tongues. Once the ceremony is broadcast, unless the Feishe family abandons its millennia‑old family creed and betrays its oath, they will be bound to the Dragonborn's vessel forever, never to disembark.

This "live broadcast" was achieved through "Silent Illusion" and "Voice Transmission".

Both spells required few circles, but the caster was Legendary High-rank; after the two chairmen studied them and coordinated, they barely achieved the desired effect.

Lei En's All‑Things Voice heard surprised shouts echoing throughout the city.

Not only was the caster a rare Kangjiatuo, even the Empire's citizens seldom witnessed such a scene; hundreds of thousands of residents stopped, some rushing out of their homes to stare at the image in the sky.

"What is that up there!"

"White River Hall! I've been there once. Oh, look, that's Lord Duke!"

"Why isn't the Lord Duke sitting up there? Are the people in the White River the invaders from yesterday? Where did they come from, and what exactly happened?"

"Oshenna above, is this magic?"

"What did I hear?" someone shouted, "Lord Duke intends to pledge loyalty to the Dragonborn, welcome back the Zhuogeng Bao family's rule, and also campaign against the king?"

More people were stunned by the scene, their expressions blank.

The entire attention of Baroske City was drawn here; everywhere the clamor of people rose, and the city boiled.

The lords in White River Hall realized that every move they made would be broadcast, allowing the whole city to see and hear them, as if on display. They instantly grew tense, their limbs stiff. Some nobles were furious, outraged that they were being watched by commoners yet dared not speak out.

Duke Feishe looked at the smiling Lei En, feeling as if he could slash him with a sword, but his strength would not permit it.

"This young man..."

He had lived for centuries, and for the first time felt helpless, also the first time encountering an opponent that made him despair, as if the other could read all his thoughts.

Such an overt plot, he could not handle at all.

"Enough!"

"The stronger his power, the greater the chance of the Zhuogeng Fortress dynasty's restoration. The Feishe family's first defection may not be a bad thing. Berrisi was right: chaos is a ladder; this is the Feishe family's chance to rise, we must cut off the rear and seize it."

Duke Feishe took a deep breath, completely extinguishing his wishful thinking.

He straightened his clothes, walked to the foot of the steps, performed a solemn bow to Ai Mi Li Si, then turned and shouted, "Lords, my subjects, allow me to introduce a lady of unparalleled nobility: she is Ai Mi Li Si of Zhuogeng Fortress, daughter of the late King Xiruiya of Zhuogeng Fortress, Princess of Dragon Crystal Island, and Kangjiatuo's sole legitimate heir!"

With the spell's effect, Duke Feishe's voice reached every ear in Baroske.

Even though people already knew, hearing Duke Feishe say it himself still deeply shocked them.

Ai Mi Li Si's three‑headed dragon also revealed its true form at the right moment, soaring from Torrent Fortress into the sky; its massive wings blocked the sun, and its roar reverberated through the heavens.

Dragonborn returns!

The Zhuogeng Fortress dynasty is returning!

People's minds held only this thought, then they heard Duke Feishe denounce Marq Laoberdir, condemning Marq as a usurper, recounting his past crimes and the unforgivable atrocities he committed against the Kangjiatuo people.

In short, the Feishe family today formally welcomes Queen Ai Mi Li Si, and will lead vassals to campaign against Marq, restoring the Zhuogeng Fortress dynasty.

After the oath, Duke Feishe knelt on one knee and shouted, "Hail, Your Majesty the Queen!"

The lords in White River Hall also knelt together, shouting, "Hail, Your Majesty the Queen!"

(End of Chapter)