Chapter 154 Honoring Ceremony
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters
"Xue Qinghe" left Spirit Hall City and returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, mentioning Amon to Emperor Xue Ye.
Upon hearing that a genius powerhouse like Amon was willing to be close to the Heaven Dou royal family, Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help but reveal a hint of joy. However, the subsequent request made him hesitate.
The five duchies and kingdoms within the empire were already giving him enough headaches, and adding a fief duke who wasn't very controlled by the royal family would have an unpredictable impact.
Therefore, he decided to discuss this matter in the court meeting to gather ideas.
Prince Xue Xing was the first to stand up and object: "Royal Brother, this is absolutely impossible. It's obvious that Amon will not be under our control, and the extent of his loyalty to the royal family is also unknown. At that time, I'm afraid there will be another duchy!"
Although he spoke with righteous indignation, he actually didn't want "Xue Qinghe" to have more help.
"Xue Qinghe" retorted: "All we need to pay is a barony. Even if he can swallow so much territory from the Star Luo Empire and establish a duchy, it's not a bad thing for us. A duchy that nominally obeys Heaven Dou is better than a powerful Star Luo Empire."
"Your Majesty, if Amon is enfeoffed as a duke, will the Star Luo Empire think it is Your Majesty's intention when he expands outwards, and thus launch a counterattack and start a war? This point must be guarded against," said an experienced official.
"Yes, we must guard against it. Under your Majesty's governance, Heaven Dou's national strength is steadily improving. We cannot fall into the quagmire of war at this time," Xue Xing said loudly.
"Xue Qinghe" argued earnestly: "I have already explained this to Amon. He said that he does not need our military support, we only need to be prepared in other directions.
"In addition, he also promised that he would not launch a war within three years and would try to solve the problem in other ways.
"Also, the most important point is that we are not his only choice. If we refuse, he may accept the Star Luo Empire's solicitation. As long as Star Luo can offer similar conditions…"
"How dare he!" An official shouted angrily.
"Is he still a member of our Heaven Dou Empire? He's actually thinking of defecting to Star Luo."
"Traitor!"
"Betrayer!"
Emperor Xue Ye pondered for a long time before finally making a decision: "Agree to his request, we must not allow such a strong person to be drawn to the Star Luo Empire."
Amon had created the image of a powerhouse comparable to a Limit Douluo in the Soul Master Competition, which made it impossible for anyone to ignore his opinion. Even Emperor Xue Ye had to fully consider his attitude.
The next day, "Xue Qinghe" told Amon, who had also come to Heaven Dou City, about this news.
"I put in a lot of effort for your title," "Xue Qinghe" said, looking at the wide lake with his hands behind his back in a pavilion in the middle of the lake.
"Thank you for your assistance, Your Highness. Between Xue Beng and you, I will stand firmly on your side," Amon promised.
"Xue Qinghe" revealed a smile and suddenly asked: "What about me and the Spirit Hall?"
Amon smiled and did not answer directly: "I am a duke of the empire."
The knighting ceremony was held together with other Soul Masters who were also being conferred by Emperor Xue Ye.
At the main entrance of the imperial palace, two rows of knights wearing gold and red interwoven armor stood on both sides.
Emperor Xue Ye stood quietly at the highest point of the steps.
There were also a group of nobles watching the ceremony around.
Amon, Romier, and some others walked through the middle of the honor guard on the red carpet.
There were many familiar faces among those being conferred, all of whom were contestants in this Soul Master Competition. Amon also saw Bing Lan and Gong Chengyun.
The two sides nodded to each other as a greeting.
The conferred Soul Masters stopped in front of Emperor Xue Ye and stood in a row.
Xue Ye picked up medals from a brocade plate held by an attendant and placed them on the chests of the Soul Masters respectively.
Each time a medal was placed on someone, the master of ceremonies would announce the name, title, and fief of the Soul Master in a loud voice.
The Soul Masters who were granted titles all showed excitement on their faces. For many people, this was a lifelong honor.
The general members of the top five teams in the preliminary round were granted the title of Baron, while the captains and vice-captains were granted the title of Viscount.
Bing Lan and Gong Chengyun were also granted the title of Viscount because the Northern Academy ultimately won the Soul Master Competition.
Romier, as the vice-captain of the Northern Academy, was granted the title of Earl.
The other Soul Masters who participated in the knighting ceremony looked at him with envy. This time, their titles were obtained relatively easily. But there would be no such good opportunities in the future, and many people would stay at their current titles for the rest of their lives.
Finally, when it was Amon's turn, Emperor Xue Ye's attitude was obviously different.
When putting medals on others, he looked down from a high position, while when putting a medal on Amon, he specially walked down a step and stood on the same level as Amon.
When Amon saluted him, he returned the salute in the same posture.
This made the others dumbfounded.
When the master of ceremonies announced that Amon was granted the title of Duke, it immediately caused an uproar.
Even Bing Lan and Gong Chengyun were slightly surprised, this was a real fief duke!
Emperor Xue Ye returned to the highest point and said in a deep voice:
"In the past, you were excellent students. Now, you have transformed into nobles of the empire and become my subjects. I hope that in the days to come, you can also be as humble as in the past, constantly improve yourselves, serve the royal family, and contribute to the prosperity of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Your will is our mission." Amon, wearing a black and gold brocade dress with a gem-encrusted gold medal on his chest, put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
After the knighting ceremony, it was noon, and Emperor Xue Ye ordered people to prepare a banquet.
The magnificent hall, the crystal chandeliers, the windows painted with brilliant colors, and the well-made, obviously expensive tables and chairs made Romier's eyes go straight.
"It's really luxurious, much more extravagant than the nobles in the north," Romier exclaimed, tearing off a duck leg from the roast duck on the table and chewing it directly.
Bing Lan was a little absent-minded, her eyes frequently looking towards "Xue Qinghe".
Gong Chengyun was holding a three-foot-long lobster, clumsily cutting the pincers with a knife.
"What's wrong with Ice Cube?" Romier asked, his mouth full of oil.
"It seems like she's in love," Gong Chengyun said slyly.
"Ha... Who did she take a fancy to?" Romier raised his eyebrows, gossiping.
"It should be His Highness the Crown Prince."
Amon and Emperor Xue Ye sat at the same table, only the two of them.
Emperor Xue Ye picked up a glass of red wine, took a sip, and asked: "Duke Amon, I remember you are twenty years old this year?"
"That's right. Actually, I myself am very surprised that I can sit here at this age and talk to Your Majesty. I am very honored," Amon said with a smile, leaning back in his chair.
"Haha, the honor is mine, to be able to see a future Limit Douluo rise in my lifetime," Emperor Xue Ye said with a smile.
Suddenly, he changed the subject and asked: "I already had a wife at your age. Do you have a girl you admire? Do you want me to introduce one? There are still princesses of marriageable age in the royal family, and this old man is heartbroken for their marriage."
Amon raised his right hand, stroked his monocle, and said softly: "I appreciate your kindness, but I have no plans to marry for the time being. Women will only affect my cultivation speed."
Emperor Xue Ye made a slightly disappointed look and said: "No wonder you can have such achievements in the way of Soul Masters. Talent is certainly important, but hard work is also inseparable."
He sighed and shook his head, saying: "Unfortunately, I didn't understand this at the beginning and wasted the best time, otherwise I would also have the possibility of glimpsing the title."
Amon shook his head, half complimenting:
"You just spent your cultivation time on governing the country. The Heaven Dou Empire can change its previous decline, gradually reverse the situation, and go from being weaker than Star Luo to being able to compete with it, which is inseparable from your efforts."
Emperor Xue Ye felt slightly happy in his heart. This was his greatest achievement in his life, but the joy on his face did not last long before being replaced by a worried look:
"The threat of the Star Luo Empire is gradually decreasing, but another behemoth has begun to show its fangs... Duke, you have also been to Spirit Hall City, right? What do you think?"
Amon sat up straight and said in a slightly solemn tone: "The Spirit Hall has deviated from its original intention and has become a factor affecting the stability of the empire. It cannot be allowed to develop... As far as I know, there are several factions within the Spirit Hall, perhaps Your Majesty you can try to win them over and divide them."
Emperor Xue Ye nodded, "Some people have proposed such a plan over the years, but the effect is minimal. Qinghe is working hard for this, but there are many difficulties."
"Xue Qinghe" has connections with some people in the Spirit Hall, and it is impossible for Emperor Xue Ye not to know this, but she put these connections on the table in a reasonable way to cover up her true relationship with the Spirit Hall.
After all, no one would have thought that the dignified crown prince of a country would actually be a member of the Spirit Hall.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, our views are consistent on this issue. I also don't want a behemoth that can monopolize the development of Soul Masters to exist," Amon smiled, "Perhaps the Star Luo Empire will also be our help in curbing the Spirit Hall."
"The Star Luo Empire..." Xue Ye pondered slightly, his eyes deep.
Compared to the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire hates the Spirit Hall even more. If the Spirit Hall had not intervened, the Star Luo Empire would have sent troops to destroy Heaven Dou and unify the continent a long time ago when Heaven Dou's national strength was weak and Star Luo was in its prime in previous years.
Although "Xue Qinghe" was talking to other people, her attention was always on Emperor Xue Ye and Amon. Although the two of them were not talking loudly, it was very clear to her.
Listening to them plotting how to deal with the Spirit Hall, she couldn't help but feel amused.
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters