Merchant From Earth in the Magical World-Chapter 538 - 378 Marriage Agreement_2

"Alright, My Lord."

As Yan Xing sat behind his own desk, Hibel pushed the door open and walked in.

She had changed a lot; recent events had made her even more mature.

Yan Xing gestured to her and said, "Please sit... I thought you would stay in Nuta City for a while, but I didn't expect you to come back so soon. You could actually take some time off. I think there must be many things within the Theodore family that need your attention."

Hibel didn't speak, but kept fiddling with the ring on her finger.

Chui Chui brought over two cups of tea and set them in front of Yan Xing and Hibel.

Seeing Chui Chui, Hibel seemed to find a topic to ease the atmosphere.

"It's really surprising. I buried your body in Nuta City, and now I see you again here. Is death something different for you and for us?"

Chui Chui tilted her head and thought seriously, "Death is the same for you and me; it's just that we Heart Demons have a rather special way of surviving. Seventy-eight years might be considered a long life for a human, but it's just the beginning of adulthood for an Elf. Miss Hibel, please do not be overly sorrowful. Have a sip of tea; this is a sweet tea specially brewed by Chui Chui."

Hibel took a sip of tea from the cup.

"It's really sweet, and very delicious."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Hibel."

Yan Xing also took a sip of the tea.

He actually didn't like tea with added ingredients, but Chui Chui enjoyed adding a little something to it.

"Hibel, I feel like you have something you want to tell me. Between us, there is nothing that can't be spoken openly."

Hibel finally revealed her purpose for coming.

"Anderson said before he died that Father's last wish was... was for you to marry me."

"COUGH COUGH..." The tea that Chui Chui brewed was already a bit too sweet, and after hearing Hibel's words, Yan Xing couldn't help but spit out all the tea he had just sipped.

Fortunately, Chui Chui reacted quickly. She used magic to suspend all the tea Yan Xing spat out in mid-air, then waved it all into the wastebasket beside the table.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH..." Yan Xing took a paper towel to wipe his mouth. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? It could be that Anderson was talking nonsense before he died."

Hibel said, "No... Every time I went back to Nuta City to see my father, he always asked about my relationship with you. It was clear he very much wished for me to marry you. His lifelong wish had always been to see me married, to continue the glory of the Theodore family."

"So you mean to say... you came to see me this time to continue the glory of the Theodore family and to select one of our children to inherit the Theodore surname?" Yan Xing looked at Hibel, his expression not as kindly as before.

Hibel took off the ring from her finger and placed it in front of Yan Xing.

"Please don't treat me as a fool, thinking I can't guess what Father and Anderson might have discussed. Thank you for allowing him to leave with dignity. I know what led him to that decision; he valued this family too highly. Yet, as Chui Chui just said, death is the same for everything, including a family. There are no nobles in the Eternal Domain, yet it still operates smoothly. Perhaps, for the Theodore family to vanish in this way might be the best ending. I once said that I, Hibel, will marry a man who is stronger than me... Moreover, it was my father's wish."

Yan Xing hadn't expected Hibel to say such things, but they fit her character; she was never one to be confined by the strictures of nobility. Still, her readiness to let the Theodore family end astonished Yan Xing greatly.

Yan Xing grabbed the Theodore family Clan Leader's ring and casually tossed it into the wastebasket.

"Hibel, in my eyes, you are a flawless Knight, a woman unshadowed and full of sunshine. It would be my honor to marry you... and I mean no flattery by this.

"Even I think marrying me would be an indignity to you.

"Running the Eternal Domain has changed me a lot. Looking at myself now through the eyes I had a few years ago, I am a completely different person.

"My hands are stained with the blood of many innocents, and my heart is filled with conspiracy and darkness. Perhaps, after my untimely death, history will paint me as an evil tyrant.

"My historical responsibility dictates that I must continue down this path, and you... you deserve a better ending; you will become a hero endowed with honor."

Yan Xing himself faced an uncertain future. The time for the confrontation against the "Contrarian," the "Executioner," and the "world mechanics" was drawing near. He did not want to let Hibel down. Just as he had appraised Hibel. Even if she were to follow a tyrant reviled by posterity, she could still leave a striking mark on history with a positive image. If she became the tyrant's wife, that would be another biography altogether. Yan Xing was very fond of Hibel and didn't want her to sink into this mire with him.

Chui Chui said from the side, "No matter what the Master does, Chui Chui will always stand firmly by his side."

Yan Xing looked at Hibel, waiting for her decision.

Hibel likewise looked at Yan Xing.

"I may not know some things you've done, but I know 'Lord Yan Xing, a man of his word.' Whatever you've promised, you've always been able to do. History will also make a note of it. And... since the Theodore family no longer exists, why should I care about how future generations judge me. I just want, just want to fulfill my father's wishes... and my own."

"Just to fulfill wishes?"

"Yes." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Hearing Hibel's response, Yan Xing turned and smiled, "Well, the Eternal Domain does indeed need a Lady right now. I will choose a good day to hold our wedding."

"Thank you."

Hibel stood up and left Yan Xing's office, her expression carrying a faint disappointment.

Once Hibel had left, Chui Chui plopped down on Yan Xing's desk.

"Even though both of you have feelings for each other, why does this feel like a political marriage? Master, should I call Miss Hibel back so you two can do it over again? I think Miss Hibel would certainly leave smiling."

Yan Xing laughed and said, "That would just make us both more embarrassed. She is not one to express her feelings, and I... truly feel unworthy of her. This way is also good; a political marriage is a kind of protection for her. We'll explain everything to her slowly after the war is over."

At that moment, Chui Chui wiggled closer to Yan Xing.

"Master, now that you're going to marry Hibel and there's a child in the real world, perhaps you could consider adding another? The original purpose of creating the Heart Demon was to please you... but that body hadn't even been touched before it was gone. This body is new; let Chui Chui accompany you tonight."

Yan Xing handed the empty teacup to Chui Chui and said, "Focus on work, don't get distracted. Go... pour me a cup of tea... don't add sugar or anything else at all. I still have a lot of work to do here."

"Master, you're so mean!" Chui Chui took the teacup to make tea.

「Cloud Tower.」

On a floating island, a city-sized Gao Ta stood in the middle of the island.

In a sealed Alchemy Laboratory at the top of Gao Ta, a black-haired, black-eyed boy was stripped of his clothes and restrained on an operating table.

Three aged Mages surrounded him.

One Mage cut open the skin from the boy's chest to his abdomen. There was no blood. The organs inside glowed with magically charged elements.

"Test subject number 1,247 has survived for 96 days, the longest surviving test subject to date. I am getting even closer to divine authority."

"Don't be too optimistic just yet... The spleen is showing signs of rejection. We need to adjust the alchemy formula inside again, hoping he can survive the night."

"The Elder Council has cut down our supply of alchemical materials. The war has depleted Gao Ta's reserves. Now all the Mages in Gao Ta have been mobilized to prepare for the final battle with Thunderous Swamp."

"That has nothing to do with us. Elemental Mages have had their brains damaged by elementalization; we just continue with our experiments. I feel... we are on the verge of success."