Chapter 470: Dragon Faith

Duke Augustus!

The title sounds pretty good, Lei En's thoughts flipped instantly, and he saw that everyone's gaze at him was very complicated; the locals of Kangjiatuo needn't be mentioned, and Waluogen, Dinglaji, Duke Fisher and the others were all shocked, while Dilan Laobodil was especially uncertain.

Even the two Speakers from Weizelan were somewhat envious.

A ducal domain spanning over fifty thousand square li, with three million people, rich in resources, including a forest of enormous potential whose value is incalculable; even Kaidejia, who is usually indifferent to fame and fortune, felt moved.

Speaker Kelaoaosi, as a red dragon, almost agreed on Lei En's behalf.

However, Lei En himself was not dazzled by the huge temptation; this far exceeded the reward Ai Mi Li Si had promised, even more than tenfold!

Territory is always the most important foundation for nobles and the cornerstone for rulers; even a king or an emperor would not readily part with such a vast land, for it would be like cutting flesh from oneself—harmful with no benefit.

Ai Mi Li Si does not seem that generous either; after all, dragon‑born are essentially dragons cloaked in human skin.

Unless there is a greater profit, she would never betray the greedy nature of a great dragon.

Ai Mi Li Si's charming face bore a faint smile, her eyes holding a hint of expectation, and she asked softly, "Lei En, are you willing to accept?"

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Lei En.

If he answers affirmatively, at this moment Kangjiatuo's history will be rewritten, and he will witness the birth of a new duchy with his own eyes.

But what people could not understand was that Lei En remained silent for a long time.

"Lei En, what are you still thinking? Hurry and agree!" Kelaoaosi couldn't help urging, assuming Lei En was stunned by the investiture and was momentarily dazed.

Lei En stayed silent, and the atmosphere in the hall grew a bit oppressive.

Ai Mi Li Si lightly furrowed her brow, showing great patience, but Lei En's Soul Eye detected something amiss; her emotional fluctuations were intense, as if she dared not meet his gaze, her demeanor subconsciously flickering and evasive.

"She indeed has something hidden from me."

Lei En was certain; his eyes swept over the people beside Ai Mi Li Si—Waluogen, Dinglaji, Astan, and three close legendary Scale‑blood Guards—but they all seemed normal, likely unaware of the inside story, and he turned his gaze back to Ai Mi Li Si herself.

Aside from a slightly nervous demeanor, she had no other issues.

Lei En couldn't immediately understand what Ai Mi Li Si could be hiding from him.

After all, the restoration plan had progressed this far, on the verge of retaking the Iron Throne; the ten‑thousand‑li Long March was only one step away, and she still dared to cause a side complication?

"No." Lei En suddenly snapped awake, "Precisely because she wants the restoration to succeed, she has begun preparing to rule Kangjiatuo in the future."

Regaining the throne is only the first step; next is to revive the glory of the Zhuogengbao family.

And that requires more dragon‑born.

Lei En immediately recalled the night in Hai Tuo Ke when Ai Mi Li Si killed her cousin Weiserlei, and her request of him.

His gaze shifted from Ai Mi Li Si's face downward.

Ai Mi Li Si sensed it, her body moved slightly, and instinctively she placed a hand over her abdomen—a move that essentially confessed, yet could not block the Soul Eye's perception.

Kangjiatuo's weather was cold; since landing in Kangjiatuo she had been wearing a thick, warm robe. Although for a dragon‑born with red‑dragon blood, naturally able to wield fire and resist severe cold, it was somewhat redundant, everyone else was dressed heavily, so it didn't seem odd.

Lei En didn't think much; normally the Soul Eye only scans people's heads, since that is where the soul resides.

At this moment, however, he saw another soul in Ai Mi Li Si's abdomen.

One body, two souls!

The soul was extremely weak, as if newly born, fragile yet brimming with vigor, constantly growing; the tiny soul gave him a sense of familiarity, as if it were tightly linked to himself.

Lei En's gaze changed instantly.

Ai Mi Li Si gave him a gentle smile; although a hint of nervousness remained in her eyes, the maternal radiance was hard to conceal.

She is pregnant!

Lei En's mind cleared; no wonder she had been deliberately avoiding him lately, not creating opportunities for them to be alone, and they hadn't been intimate for a long time.

No surprise her figure had undergone slight changes, often feeling fatigued and sleepy.

All of this has an explanation.

Lei En had lived two lifetimes without ever being a father; an odd, complex feeling surged—surprise, joy, stupefaction—but the next second his complexion darkened, as the Soul Eye saw that within the unborn child's soul lurked the Blood Soul Curse!

Ai Mi Li Si called softly again, "Lei En?"

Lei En remained silent for a few seconds, gave her a deep look, raised his hand to open a Portal, and said, "Come with me." Then he stepped inside.

Everyone in the hall was baffled.

Only Ai Mi Li Si herself understood what was happening; she nodded at the crowd, rose, and stepped through the Portal with Lei En.

When she emerged, she found herself on the highest tower of Dragon Spine Fortress, the tallest point of the entire city, overlooking Dragon Spine City built on the hills.

The battle had ended; the city was filled with centaurs and the Transcendent Legion, who kept order, corralled the Filton family guards into one place for supervision. Although the dragon‑born army did not harm any resident of Dragon Spine City, nor commit slaughter, it still caused massive panic.

People hid in their homes, peeking through door and window cracks at the dragon‑born troops on the streets, both fearful and curious of the sky‑borne great dragons and fire dragons.

Amid the sounds of all things, countless low murmurs could be heard.

Lei En stood atop the stone tower, looking down on Dragon Spine City—this would be his domain and his people.

He turned and asked, "When did you become pregnant?"

Ai Mi Li Si's emotions had settled, a look of "I knew you'd find out" on her face, she replied honestly, "Six months ago."

"Six months ago…"

Lei En was somewhat surprised; it was much earlier than he had guessed. Six months ago was when they were still in Gelamogen, the period when they had just become intimate.

She had planned it from the start, not a notion that arose only in Hai Tuo Ke.

He had still underestimated this woman's scheming.

At that time, she didn't know she was free of the Blood Soul Curse, yet she deliberately became pregnant—not to bear a dragon‑born, but to bind the child tightly to herself, thereby advancing her restoration plan.

Later, after learning in Hai Tuo Ke that she had lifted the curse, her motive grew stronger; she could both bear a dragon‑born and secure a beneficial bond—a win‑win.

Lei En let out a hum.

"If I hadn't lifted the Blood Soul Curse and couldn't bear a dragon‑born with you, what would you do?" he stared at Ai Mi Li Si and asked.

Ai Mi Li Si's expression showed a hint of panic; she opened her mouth but gave no explanation.

Damn it!

Lei En muttered a curse under his breath.

What else could be done? Of course we can only produce another dragon descendant with her cousin Wei Se Lai! Otherwise the Zhuo Geng Bao family cannot regain its glory; when this queen dies, the dragon descendants will be extinct, and the restored dynasty will survive only one generation before collapsing again.

Given Ai Mi Li Si's temperament, she wouldn't dare tell me this; she would certainly be secretly making a child with Wei Se Lai behind my back.

Even though it didn't happen, Lei En still felt annoyed; he had almost been cheated.

More importantly, he had explicitly refused Ai Mi Li Si, not wanting to have children for the time being, to prevent his offspring from falling into the Zhuo Geng Bao family's incestuous cycle, yet Ai Mi Li Si still went against his Willpower.

"Sorry!" Ai Mi Li Si said apologetically, "I didn't know your thoughts at the time; to restore the dynasty, I had no choice."

Lei En exhaled; he despised people who act first and report later!

Since that day at Haito Ke, he had been very cautious during intimacy with Ai Mi Li Si, and both being legendary transcendants, procreation is difficult; their chance of pregnancy is far lower than ordinary people. He thought they had taken all precautions, yet they had been infected months earlier.

"How did you manage that?" Lei En asked, puzzled.

Ai Mi Li Si lightly bit her lip, "Our family possesses a secret technique; combined with a unique dragon blood demonic elixir, it can greatly increase the success rate of pregnancy. It was created to solve the inheritance difficulty of dragon descendant bloodlines, but each female dragon descendant can use it only once in her lifetime."

"Only once?" Lei En asked carefully.

"Yes," Ai Mi Li Si nodded gently, "The technique is taxing on the body; it draws my bloodline to strengthen the offspring against the Blood Soul Curse, so they are naturally stronger than other dragon descendants, with higher talent, and usually become the next heir when grown."

The Soul Eye showed she was not lying.

This lifted Lei En's mood a bit; part of his reluctance to have children stemmed from the Blood Soul Curse.

This dreadful curse is the greatest infant killer among Ai Lun E Si humans; newborns have weak Willpower and struggle to resist the curse, with nearly thirty percent dying within six months of birth. Though people have become accustomed to the tragedy, he does not wish to endure it.

Lei En carefully sensed the child in Ai Mi Li Si's womb.

He suddenly found it odd; after six months of pregnancy, her belly had not swollen much, and the child's soul could not be discerned for gender.

Logically, a six‑month‑old fetus should have developed sexual characteristics.

Ai Mi Li Si sensed his gaze, gently stroked her abdomen, and whispered, "A dragon descendant conceived with the secret technique takes three years to be born."

Lei En was stunned for a moment, his complexion turning oddly strange.

Three years of pregnancy!

Is this going to produce a Nezha?

He earnestly sensed Ai Mi Li Si's soul state; previously he hadn't examined closely, but now realized that although she appears normal, her soul power shows no increase, her physical condition is regressing at a very slight rate, strength fading imperceptibly—clearly she has sacrificed much to nurture this child.

"You've worked hard," Lei En said soothingly.

Ai Mi Li Si was greatly delighted; this meant Lei En accepted the child's existence. She had been anxious for months, guessing Lei En's reaction, even preparing for the worst.

Fortunately, Lei En was not that ruthless a man.

A faint smile curled her lips, and she felt a bit proud; her judgment had indeed been correct, and the adventure half a year ago yielded the greatest reward.

Lei En read her thoughts, shook his head helplessly, and said, "You want to confer upon me a Title: Duke—what are you thinking? If it's only so I won't hold you accountable for secretly bearing my child, that's unnecessary; it would only cause dissent among your subordinates."

"It's not solely because of the child," Ai Mi Li Si moved closer, whispering, "Lei En, I need more of your support."

"What do you mean?" Lei En frowned.

"Two aspects of support," Ai Mi Li Si regained the queen's wisdom and bearing, saying, "First, the Zhuo Geng Bao family's strength is still too weak; five thousand centaurs are not my army, they will eventually return to the northern grasslands, the Scale‑riding Guard lacks manpower, and with only two hundred of them I fear I cannot hold the other duchies."

Lei En nodded in understanding.

"Just like when I first arrived at the Gra Morgan domain?"

"Yes," Ai Mi Li Si seemed to recall the startling scene when she first met Lei En two years ago, her eyes full of smile: "Back then you needed manpower to govern your lands; now the roles are reversed—I need your manpower to help rule the kingdom. The dragon descendant army truly belongs to few of my people; only you and I can be trusted."

Lei En hesitated slightly, "The Extreme Brigade and the Gun‑Wing Knights also lack manpower; together they total fewer than two hundred, and I fear we cannot hold the entire Kangjiatuo."

"So I need you to become the Augustus Title: Duke."

Ai Mi Li Si explained, "The Title: Duke is only one of your titles; more importantly, you are the chairperson of Weizelan. With that position, you can legitimately bring Weizelan's Wizards into Kangjiatuo's affairs."

"It doesn't have to be a Title: Duke, does it?" Lei En sensed something off, "Grant me a countship, and that will suffice."

"A countship is insufficient," Ai Mi Li Si shook her head mysteriously.

Lei En could not guess her intention.

Ai Mi Li Si stared silently toward some direction in the sky, daydreamed for a moment, then suddenly activated a Soundproof Force Field, enveloping the tower's summit, rose onto her tiptoes, leaned close to Lei En's ear, and whispered inaudibly, "I wish to convert to the God of Magic."

Lei En's eyes widened instantly.

Ai Mi Li Si continued softly, "Not only me—later the entire Zhuo Geng Bao family, all dragon descendants, and the peoples of the Zhuo Geng Bao Duchy and Augustus Duchy will devote their faith to the God of Magic, becoming its most loyal followers."

Having finished, she stepped back two paces, her eyes shining as she looked at Lei En.

Lei En remained speechless for a long while.

In the Ai Lun E Si world, changing devotion to a deity is no trivial matter—it can be a top‑priority affair, especially when altering the faith of vast regions and tens of millions of people, which can rouse multiple deities; mishandling it could even spark a divine war!

(End of Chapter)