Chapter 828: Four Sisters

Three days later.

A fleet of ten ships, escorted by the Silver‑clad Knights, set out from Longshande, sailed north up the Feiregelun River, entered the Empire's foremost great river, Na Qu Mo He, then turned east downstream and reached the dock of the Earl of Glamorgan.

The fleet had a deep draft; it was carrying only alchemical materials—various magical alloys, gems, and rare metals—worth a total of 15 million Gold Shields.

At the same time, a magical airship arrived with the fleet.

Those watching the Fu Kong Cheng transaction soon spotted the airship; its upper deck bore the banner of the Silver Star Duke. After entering the skies over Glamorgan, it did not land on the landing field but approached the Fu Kong Cheng on the ground.

The Silver Star Duke has arrived!

Since the news a few days ago that the Silver Star Duke had won the auction for Fu Kong Cheng, many have been waiting for the deal to be completed.

The airship descended onto the plain before Fu Kong Cheng's entrance under the gaze of the onlookers.

The hatch opened, and a group of silver‑clad knights riding silver‑scaled horses rushed out, spreading around the airship to form a defensive perimeter.

The entrance to Fu Kong Cheng was a massive skull, and the great gate swung open.

A tall figure appeared in view.

"Look!"

"It's the Earl of Glamorgan!"

The crowd recognized the person's identity and instantly shouted with excitement.

Lei En was accompanied by dozens of Extreme Warriors and Thundercast Celestial Soldiers; surrounded by these extraordinary fighters, he boarded the magical airship. Outside, five hundred Holy Lance Knights rode their mounts into the air, forming a three‑dimensional formation in the sky that shielded the airship at its center.

Inside the airship, the massive cargo hold was packed with large crates.

The crates contained only Gold Shields—exactly ten million—arranged neatly, leaving a clear space in the middle.

On the empty area stood a metal rack; its square base supported a massive crystal sphere two meters in diameter, emitting a gentle glow—it was the Iola Core.

The Silver Star Duke stood directly before the Iola Core, not moving an inch.

She was not alone.

Three more people, all women, were beside the Silver Star Duke.

Their appearances were strikingly similar—tall, beautiful, each with long silver hair. Though their facial features and hairstyles differed, their aura and the impression they gave were almost identical, clearly indicating they were blood‑related sisters.

All four women were Saint Rank elites.

However, Lei En had previously only met three of them: the Silver Star Duke, the Storm Queen, and Kuilu.

The remaining one wore gray‑blue dragon‑scale armor, an enchanted longsword at her waist, a half‑length short cloak tied to her back, and long‑booted leather boots—a ranger's attire. Her silver hair was neatly tied back, her eyes a deep blue like icy gems; her delicate face bore a faint smile, yet exuded a cold, distant aloofness.

Lei En recalled the legend of the Seven Sisters and recognized her at a glance.

This must be Ishina Shilhand, the famed "Blade of the North Wind," a powerful Saint Rank magic swordsman.

The Soul Eye sensed a chilling cold on her.

Level 24, approaching the th Level magic swordsman, specialized in ice power supplemented by wind elemental ability, making her speed inevitably great.

Lei En quickly made a judgment.

The Silver Star Duke summoned three of her sisters, showing how much she valued this transaction.

The Iola Core cannot be placed into a dimensional space and must be transported by conventional means. For such a valuable item, it's unknown how many are watching covertly; even Holy Soul Wizards find it hard to eliminate all covetous eyes, so she brought her most trusted sisters.

Even the Storm Queen, who usually clashes with her, arrived.

These sisters often feud in the Supreme Council, yet intervene to help at critical moments; it's unclear how many of their past arguments were performed for others.

Lei En muttered to himself.

His gaze swept over the four sisters, and he nodded, calling out, "Lord Duke, Your Majesty the Queen, Ms. Ishina, Kuilu."

Two Holy Soul Wizards, one Sword Saint, one Grand Mage.

Such a lineup is sufficient to handle the vast majority of enemies on the Prime Material Plane, ensuring the Iola Core's safety.

The four sisters' gazes fell on Lei En, each reacting differently.

"I've brought everything; you can inventory it," the Silver Star Duke, still angry, harbored resentment over Lei En's extortion of her, speaking in a very stiff tone.

The Storm Queen had been thwarted by Lei En many times and harbored a strong dislike for him.

Ishina, meeting him for the first time, was somewhat curious about Lei En, but only curious—no other feelings. Only Kuilu gave Lei En a smile; she had been living in Gotham City with the kind‑hearted Zorls these days, meeting Lei En frequently and was very close to him.

"Alright."

Lei En stepped forward, glanced a few times, and confirmed that this Iola Core had no issues.

Iola Cores produced by the same method are almost identical; whether the very first one or the ninth before his eyes, their shape, structure, and energy output are virtually indistinguishable.

This Iola Core is in a dormant state, its energy having dropped to a low point.

It is soul‑bound to the Silver Star Duke.

"Lord Duke, how do you intend to trade?" Lei En asked after examining it.

The soul‑binding of the Iola Core can be released, giving rise to two different transaction methods.

The most convenient method is for both parties to lift the binding, exchange, and re‑bind the other's Iola Core. However, this carries a risk: when both lift the soul‑binding, the two Iola Cores become ownerless, and if any accident occurs in that brief interval, trouble ensues.

The accident would not come from outside but from within, from the trading parties themselves.

If one side pretends to lift the soul‑binding, or strikes first to seize the other's Iola Core and suddenly attacks to prevent the other from binding their Iola Core…

Or, others present might develop greed.

Lei En is a principled man and would never commit such dishonorable acts, but the Silver Star Duke does not trust him, and he cannot be sure whether the Duke harbors other intentions.

This is a classic chain of suspicion.

The other method is more cumbersome: neither side lifts the binding; Lei En removes the Iola Core from Fu Kong Cheng and takes it away, then the Silver Star Duke installs her own Iola Core, making it absolutely safe without testing mutual trust.

However, dismantling the Iola Core and reinstalling another cannot be done quickly.

The Iola Core is integrated with the entire Fu Kong Cheng, not easily removed; it requires retuning the control room's rune array, consuming time, effort, and materials, and may spawn numerous minor issues, severely delaying the city's restoration.

Lei En estimates it will take four to five months before Fu Kong Cheng can ascend to the skies.

If the Silver Star Duke lacks manpower and funds, a delay of a year and a half is not impossible.

He didn't mind; after all, it wasn't his own Fu Kong Cheng, so he wasn't in any hurry. Landing in his own territory could even serve as a tourist spot, boosting the surrounding economy.

But Title: Duke Yin Xing couldn't wait.

Sure enough, she said lightly, "We each dissolve the soul binding and exchange face‑to‑face."

The Soul Eye sensed her extreme distrust of him; Lei En didn't take it to heart, but still kindly suggested, "I recommend removing the Iola Core. It may be slower, but it's safe. I can cover the cost of disassembling and reassembling the Iola Core."

The sum wasn't small—almost a hundred million Gold Shields.

Title: Duke Yin Xing gave him a glance, hummed, "You're now pretending to be generous with me, no need for that; I want to finish the deal quickly."

"Fine then." Lei En saw she was firm, so said no more.

He waved his hand.

A squad of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers entered the cargo hold, inventorying the Gold Shields in the crates. At the same time, over a hundred territorial officials at the dock, led by Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, boarded the fleet arriving from Longshande, checking the cargo ship by ship.

The four sisters observed these golden‑armored extraordinary warriors; aside from Kuilu, the other three couldn't hide their astonishment.

With her eyesight, she could plainly see that all the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers were legends!

Each of them possessed a robust physique, great strength, and subtle magical flux on their bodies—yet they were also casters.

If there were only a few, that would be fine.

But there were already more than thirty on the airship; according to Kuilu, Lei En commanded at least two hundred such extraordinary warriors—over two hundred legends! The increasingly renowned Extreme Warriors also numbered over two hundred.

How on earth did Lei En manage that?

Title: Duke Yin Xing thought of the fewer than ten legendary extraordinary subjects under their command, and suddenly felt too shabby, unable to match Lei En.

She seemed a bit disinterested, took out a scroll of parchment and tossed it over, saying, "This is the declaration of Longshande and Ge La Mo Gen terminating their vassal relationship; read it yourself."

Lei En caught the parchment, opened it and read through, "Thank you, Title: Duke."

With this declaration, Ge La Mo Gen's territory became independent, like the other nobles of Mo Du, having no feudal lord and nominally owing allegiance to the Empire. But now the Empire has no emperor; each year one only needs to pay a small tax to the treasury based on land area. For Ge La Mo Gen's size, that's about three to four thousand Gold Shields per year.

This is what countless nobles have dreamed of.

Yet almost no feudal lord would relinquish their subordinate lands; Lei En had been troubled by this before, and now it was finally solved.

"From now on, you don't need to call me Title: Duke," Title: Duke Yin Xing corrected, with mixed feelings.

Lei En, being compliant, replied, "Yes, madam."

"And this as well." Title: Duke Yin Xing took off the deep red seal ring from their hand, "It's yours now, too."

"Sister!" Kuilu gasped.

Storm Queen was also greatly surprised, "De Lai Er Sha, you barely managed to obtain this deep red seal ring; you almost lost your life for it back then, and you actually were willing to part with it?"

"I don't really need it now," Title: Duke Yin Xing said, pursing their lips.

"How could that be?" Storm Queen, well aware of the ring's enchantment, knew that just its spell‑speed boost alone made it eternally worth wearing; Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard specialized in soul‑summoning also needed faster casting. She immediately said, "You could sell the ring to me; I'm willing to pay five million Gold Shields!"

Title: Duke Yin Xing shook their head, "It's too late."

She tossed the ring toward Lei En; Storm Queen instinctively tried to intercept, but was a half‑step too late, and the deep red seal ring flashed into Lei En's hand.

Storm Queen, unwilling, shouted, "Lei En, you're a battle Wizard; the deep red seal ring is wasted in your hands—why not sell it to me?"

"Sorry, I like it a lot."

Lei En, of course, didn't sell it and immediately put the ring on.

The ornate deep red seal ring instantly changed form, becoming an ordinary enchanted ring—a plain red band with no decoration, its magical aura subdued, making it impossible to tell it was a legendary‑level magical item.

I'll keep it on for now and later hand it to Reslin.

"I'll pay ten million!" Storm Queen gritted her teeth, raising the price.

Lei En still shook his head and refused.

Storm Queen stared at him, speechless; the ring fit her perfectly, boosting power by at least twenty percent. She had coveted the deep red seal ring for years, and De Lai Er Sha had never let go of it, never expecting it to end up with Lei En.

Title: Duke Yin Xing no longer looked at the ring on Lei En's hand, said lightly, "I'll fulfill those two promises within the agreed time."

"I trust a lady's character," Lei En complimented at the right moment.

Two promises.

First, in the future within the Supreme Council, Title: Duke Yin Xing will unconditionally cast five votes for Lei En, with a validity of one hundred years.

Second, within three years deliver a soul of an ancient dragon demon.

Lei En actually didn't value the first promise much; he was already preparing to overthrow the Supreme Council, and five votes were of little worth. If he acted faster, he might not need any of them, making them worthless.

Conversely, the ancient dragon demon's soul was far more anticipated.

Soon, the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers finished the inventory; the Gold Shields in the cargo hold were normal, exactly ten million Gold Shields. With Title: Duke Yin Xing's permission, Lei En opened a portal, and the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers swiftly moved all the Gold Shields inside, delivering them to Ge La Mo Gen's castle.

The deal was only missing the final item.

Kuilu raised her hand and cast, a dark canopy descending to shield the magical airship, preventing the distant onlookers from seeing what was happening.

Title: Duke Yin Xing cast a levitation spell on the metal scaffold.

The heavy scaffold, together with the Iola Core, floated up, pushed by an invisible soul‑force hand; under Lei En's and the four sisters' protection, it flew out of the cargo hold.

The Iola Core could not be placed into dimensional space, nor pass through the portal.

Lei En led the way forward; the party entered the Fu Kong Cheng entrance, Extreme Warriors flanking the sides. Along the way a passage to the control room had been cleared, yet a foul stench lingered—the smell of undead corpses, extremely offensive.

Title: Duke Yin Xing frowned slightly, but said nothing.

The new Fu Kong Cheng had been in the hands of the Catastrophe Legion for years; the undead odor was normal, and it would definitely need cleaning later—she already had a renovation plan.

A moment later.

The group entered the control room and saw the Iola Core slowly rotating in mid‑air; the control room's doors shut behind them.

Title: Duke Yin Xing set down the metal scaffold, inspected the Iola Core of the Fu Kong Cheng, and after confirming everything was fine, took a deep breath.

She said solemnly, "Prepare yourselves; we'll dissolve the soul binding together."

Lei En nodded.

Storm Queen, Yi Xi Na, and Kuilu stepped back dozens of meters, spreading to different corners of the control room, watching Lei En and Title: Duke Yin Xing each press a square onto the Iola Core; instantly, a massive crystal sphere flashed, emitting energy ripples.

Lei En quickly released the soul binding.

The control room's rune formation immediately ceased operation, and the entire Fu Kong Cheng fell silent.

He looked at the Silver Star Title: Duke and her Iola Core; after a few seconds, the Iola Core on the metal stand also became ownerless.

"Exchange."

Lei En and the Silver Star Title: Duke almost simultaneously blinked, swapping positions, appearing beside each other's Iola Core. He had just placed his hand on it, preparing to bind, when a sudden change occurred.

A blurry black shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes!

(End of Chapter)