Chapter 492: Massive Source Crystals

Ai Mi Li Si completed the coronation, and immediately followed it the investiture ceremony.

This was also the part people looked forward to most; whether the meritorious officials who had served the queen for years or the newly forced heirs to titles, all awaited this moment.

Wa Luo Gen produced a scroll and began to read names: "Please, Ryan Augustus, step forward."

Except for a few senior officials who knew the inside story, the overwhelming majority were very surprised.

Lei En's name is now known to everyone in Kangjiatuo, and his deeds in the Empire have spread; for this hero who seems to have stepped out of an epic, people feel awe mixed with alienation, a resistance to an external conqueror, believing he will eventually leave Kangjiatuo and return to the Empire.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Lei En stood up.

Clad in exquisite armor, Lei En was tall and upright, his looks so handsome that the men present felt jealous; yet when one considered his power and background, as well as the Extreme Warrior and spear‑wing knights outside the temple, even the most dissenting could not show any sign of defiance.

Lei En ascended the steps, knelt on one knee before Ai Mi Li Si's throne, yet did not lower his head; given his height, the posture placed his eyes roughly level with the seated Ai Mi Li Si.

This did not conform to protocol and appeared extremely presumptuous.

Ai Mi Li Si was unfazed; she gave Lei En a slight smile, gently placed the dragon‑blooded scepter of royal authority on his shoulder, and solemnly said: "I, Ai Mi Li Si of Zhuo Geng Bao, in the name and authority of the Kangjiatuo king, invest you, Ryan Augustus, with the following lands: Dragon Ridge City, Stream City, Feiwood Fortress, Wind Valley City… Great Dragon Forest, merged into the Augustus Duchy… Ryan Augustus Title: Duke…"

As Ai Mi Li Si's words spread, the Great Dragon Temple quickly erupted in a roar.

As she continued to enumerate the territories, the commotion in the crowd grew louder, turning into a massive clamor that nearly drowned out her voice.

The uproar was so great that many overlooked a detail: Ai Mi Li Si's investiture did not mention the dragon god Bahamut; she invested Lei En in the king's name.

Ai Mi Li Si had to raise her volume, causing the temple to hum, suppressing the crowd's noise as she quickly finished.

"I am willing to serve His Majesty loyally."

Lei En immediately agreed, completing the entire investiture process.

He stood, turned to face the people below, and saw faces of shock, bewilderment, and faint anger and opposition.

The majority were native Kangjiatuo nobles; they did not wish to see an Imperialer seize vast lands, establishing an eighth duchy, especially one so large and strategically placed deep within Kangjiatuo's heartland.

"Hmph!"

Lei En let out a light hum, quiet yet heard clearly by everyone in the temple; a subtle dragon aura pierced their hearts, shaking the dissenting nobles profoundly.

"Who opposes the king's investiture? Raise your hand," Lei En asked in a deep voice.

His gaze swept over the agitated noble lords; those he regarded showed timid, down‑cast expressions, unwilling to meet his eyes. Everyone knew they weren't fools; seeing that the several dukes seated in the front row gave no response, they understood the matter had long been decided, and anyone now…

The establishment of the Augustus Duchy hurt the Lao Bo Di Er family the most; Duke Di Lan remained silent, leaving no room for them to object.

The Great Dragon Temple fell silent for a few seconds, filled with an unsettling atmosphere.

Ai Mi Li Si on the throne watched coldly, like a spectator.

This had been prearranged by the two; anticipating dissent during the investiture, they assigned Lei En to play the villain, while she remained neutral, allowing outsiders to suspect she was coerced, which would later help unite the nobles.

Lei En forcefully suppressed the dissenters, then retrieved the investiture document from Ai Mi Li Si's hand and returned to his seat.

Wa Luo Gen announced the continuation of the investiture and called up the second recipient.

However, everyone's thoughts in the temple were elsewhere; people kept glancing at Lei En seated in the front row, watching his back as their minds surged like tides, their expressions a mix of shock, anger, jealousy, and envy.

Augustus Duchy!

Kangjiatuo thus birthed its eighth duchy and a duke from the Empire, backed by the massive Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, making the kingdom's future full of variables.

Some sharp‑minded observers inferred a shift from the signs, their faces thoughtful.

Today will be a day destined to be recorded in Kangjiatuo's annals.

On this day, the Zhuo Geng Bao dynasty was restored, over thirty‑million subjects welcomed a new queen, four of the seven duchies saw new dukes succeed, and more than twenty noble lords were invested at once, including a brand‑new duchy!

The hours‑long ceremony concluded, and Ai Mi Li Si departed under the crowd's farewell.

"Lord Duke!"

The neighboring Fei She Title: Duke was the first to congratulate, beaming: "Congratulations on becoming the founder of the Augustus Duchy; we shall be neighbors henceforth."

Prince Duolang of the Mo Er Si family laughed: "The Mo Er Si Duchy as well."

The crowd rushed to congratulate Lei En.

The newly formed Augustus Duchy borders four duchies: to the north lies Zhuo Geng Bao Duchy, Mo Er Si Duchy to the west, Fei She Duchy to the southwest, and directly south is Lao Bo Di Er Duchy.

This was Ai Mi Li Si's meticulous design.

In this way, should any of those three duchies change in the future, the centrally located Augustus Duchy could react immediately, its strategic importance second only to the capital's Zhuo Geng Bao Duchy.

Lei En responded to everyone in turn, paying particular attention to his three neighboring duchies.

Newly appointed Lao Bo Di Er Title: Duke forced a smile, somewhat hesitant…

Lei En patted Di Lan's shoulder, smiled, saying everything without words. After bidding farewell to the crowd, he opened a portal and returned to Red Dragon Fortress to continue constructing the transmission array.

After working continuously for dozens of hours, he finally forged the last piece of mithril plate.

While testing, Xi Ka Liu Si rushed in.

"Boss, the items have been found!"

Xi Ka Liu Si's footsteps pounded the floor, booming, shaking half the hall and rendering the transmission array slightly unstable during testing.

Lei En was unfazed, asking eagerly: "Where?"

"In a warehouse at Long Ya Bay Port, if we delayed another half‑day it might have been loaded onto a ship and shipped away," Xi Ka Liu Si replied. "Don't worry, boss; the brothers have it under control."

"That's good."

Lei En has always trusted Xi Ka Liu Si's work; they were speaking of a batch of source crystal ore.

The night Jin Si Lan fell, Ai Mi Li Si dispatched people to scour Red Dragon Fortress inside and out, inventorying the treasury, only to discover a massive loss of mithril, including source crystal ore shipped from Dragon Ridge City; the ledgers recorded the total source crystal ore at over one hundred thousand pounds!

Mar Ke's treasury had been empty for years, accruing huge debts; Mar Ke had to borrow from Duke Dan Si to sustain his rule and the expenses of the Giant Deer Legion.

This was also why Mar Ke, aware of the queen's affair, turned a blind eye to it.

This batch of mithril and source crystal ore were the treasury's most valuable assets.

Yet during the war, someone seized the mithril and source crystal ore from the treasury amid the chaos, their whereabouts unknown. Ai Mi Li Si, enraged, ordered Wa Luo Gen to pursue the matter vigorously, finally obtaining a lead.

Lei En opened a portal, taking Xi Ka Liu Si to Jin Si Lan Port.

People at the port gathered around a warehouse, pointing and chatting from a distance.

The warehouse was heavily surrounded outside by centaurs, and a few Extreme Warriors guarded the entrance. Seeing Lei En approach, they shouted loudly, "Boss."

Lei En entered the warehouse and saw Waluogen, who had just been ennobled as Marquis Li Si, interrogating a middle‑aged man dressed in noble attire.

"Title: Duke," Waluogen bowed in greeting.

Lei En nodded, glanced at the blood‑stained prisoner, and asked, "So he stole the treasury?"

"Yes." A flash of shame crossed Waluogen's face; he bore a large share of responsibility for this incident, having let someone steal the sovereign's treasure right under his nose while his own intelligence network failed to notice, and the once‑wise reign was nearly ruined.

"He is one of Ma Erke's most trusted lords and has a secret friendship with the chief steward of Red Dragon Fortress…"

Waluogen was about to explain when Lei En cut him off.

He had no interest in those matters; as long as the items were recovered, that was enough. He said, "I'll check that batch of treasure to see if there's anything I need."

"Title: Duke, please follow me."

Waluogen led Lei En into a storage room guarded by the Scale‑bound Blood Guard, where sacks of wheat were piled high—but it was a cover. The wheat bags were overturned, revealing large wooden crates beneath; a rough count showed at least thirty to forty boxes.

"Open them all," Lei En said.

Xika Liusi, with several Extreme Warriors, opened every crate. The front crates contained golden dragons, gems, alchemy materials, mithril, and so on; the rear ones held box after box of crystalline ore.

Source crystal ore!

Lei En was overjoyed; the amount of source crystal ore far exceeded his expectations, easily over one hundred thousand pounds, perhaps double that. He stepped forward, picked up a piece, and examined its metallic feel—the purity was about one in twenty‑five, exactly the grade from the mithril mine of Dragon Spine City.

After tallying, there were eight full crates of source crystal ore, totaling two hundred eighty thousand pounds!

"So much!"

Lei En's breathing grew a bit labored; this must be the result of Ma Erke's years of accumulation. Kangjiatuo calls source crystal ore "Heavy Silver," which is virtually useless to most people and can only be shipped overseas, to places like the Empire or the New Continent.

But even the Empire cannot absorb so much Heavy Silver; alchemists rarely use it, so it remains unsold.

Oversupply leads to price drops.

In Kangjiatuo, the market price for a pound of source crystal ore is about five Gold Shields, far below the Empire's thirty to forty Gold Shields, and because demand is so low, even shuttling the ore between the two regions yields little profit, rendering the market stagnant.

The Empire itself also produces source crystal ore, already in sufficient supply.

That makes everything cheap for Lei En.

Two hundred eighty thousand pounds of source crystal ore, after refinement, can yield over twelve thousand pounds of pure source crystal—nearly ten times all the source crystal he has ever obtained before!

Lei En thought of the Titan Elder's exchange list; this amount of source crystal could trade for a great many valuables.

Finally, he made a fortune himself!

"Marquis Li Si, how about handing these Heavy Silver ores over to me?" he asked with a smile. "Or, as before, record them on my account, and when the loot is divided, deduct the corresponding golden dragons from my share first."

Waluogen naturally did not object; he had already received orders from the queen that everything was at Lei En's discretion, and whatever Lei En wanted would be given to him.

"Title: Duke, you may now take the ore away."

"Thank you."

Lei En swept his hand, opening a portal, and ordered, "Xika Liusi, brothers, move everything out."

The Extreme Warriors together lifted the crates into the portal, placing them beside the soon‑completed teleportation array.

Lei En was about to follow in, when a thought suddenly occurred to him.

He had promised Ma Erke to look after his illegitimate child, a promise still unfulfilled. The address Ma Erke gave seemed not far from the harbor.

After informing Xika Liusi, Lei En slipped out of the warehouse alone, activating his invisibility ring.

While invisible, he passed through the port and entered a secluded alley not far from the dock. A foul stench rose from the roadside gutter, and the low, cramped houses felt oppressive. Most residents were the destitute lower class of Jinsilan, who owned no farmland and survived by dock labor or menial work in taverns and shops.

At the alley's end stood a solitary courtyard.

Although the courtyard covered only a dozen or so square meters and was walled off, it contained two narrow huts, which, compared to other families on this street, were far better.

Lei En floated to the wall's edge, observing the interior.

Amid the ambient sounds, he heard a breathing and heartbeat, strong and powerful, far beyond that of an ordinary person, emanating from a corner of the room; the breathing was long, as if in meditation.

That person must be Ma Erke's illegitimate child.

Lei En waited patiently for over half an hour; finally, the person in the room moved, emerged holding a long sword, and began sword practice in the courtyard. When he saw the other's appearance, he finally understood why Ma Erke could not fully trust this illegitimate child.

She is Ma Erke's daughter, not a son.

From her appearance she seemed a thirteen‑ or fourteen‑year‑old girl, about 1.5 m tall, her frame as slender as a bean sprout with no curves, plain‑looking, with average features, yet possessing a pair of extraordinarily lively black eyes. Even without considering her looks, those eyes alone could evoke an inexplicable awe and a faint, refreshing chill.

She reminded Lei En of Viola.

Viola is a Half‑elf, and the girl before him is also a Half‑elf; Viola's mother is a Moon Elf, and the girl appears to share Moon Elf blood.

It had to be said—what a coincidence.

Her current appearance is merely a disguise; her true visage is no less striking than Viola's.

"How did Ma Erke get involved with a Moon Elf?"

Lei En muttered to himself; his Soul Eye saw additional information that perhaps even Ma Erke did not know—his daughter was far from an ordinary Half‑elf, her soul concealed a secret that even she seemed unaware of.

(End of Chapter)