"A solution?" Half of the ears in the chambers perked up. The remainder of them were a little sceptical about whether Shin could really solve the problem that plagued the High Council and the Alliance for this long.
"That's right," the youth repeated himself assuredly. "Before that, I would like to make one thing clear… Senior Zishen!" Shin turned back to the azure-haired man, who stood lazily by his side. Rolling his serpentine eyes, the man walked forward with an apathetic groan.
"The Prince has decided to relinquish his claim of Celestial Island, barring the Celestial River. The Eight Clans of Water will continue their control over the island without the interference of the Prince. However, in return, the Prince hopes that any deal with the Lantis Republic be void and renegotiated. That includes his own five-year-deal and the contract his comrades had signed."
"T-That..." The High Elders in the room were instantly stupefied. Shin had inherited the Celestial Dragon, which meant that he held the heir of the most bountiful land in the Republic. If the Eight Clans of Water dared to renege on their oath, the Azure Dragons and the thousands of Spirit Beasts that would flock to Shin would chase them out with boundless fury. Furthermore, even if Shin weren't the heir, his tremendous talent would almost guarantee him a spot in the future Spirit Saints. The High Elders would be stupid to piss the young man off.
Jingyu Shenxian crossed both her hand and leaned forward. She wanted to examine every wrinkle in Shin's face, just to be sure she wasn't missing anything. "Are you thinking about returning to the Himmel Empire?" That was the fear of the Eight Clans of Water. Shin didn't grow up in the Lantis Republic. All of his childhood years, be it good or bad, were all spent on foreign land. If Shin brought the Celestial Dragon back to the Himmel Empire, it would be a catastrophe on the highest level.
"No," Shin immediately denied that claim. "I have no intentions of abandoning the Lantis Republic." No matter what, the Lantis Republic was the place most conducive for Shin to train in. The Longyu Clan has treated him well, and most importantly, they had given him a new lease of life by letting him take the Trial. Shin wasn't the type to return goodwill with malice. Nonetheless...
"I'm afraid that the current status quo would restrict my future movements," Shin explained. "I want to have the autonomy to decide all my actions. I can't have the Lantis Republic breathing down my neck every time I try to do something..."
"You don't want our invigilation?" One of the High Elders questioned.
"Your supervision is more than welcomed, but I need to have the power to decide my own fate." Shin elaborated. "That's why I'm proposing that we work hand-in-hand."
"..." The High Council looked around, taking short glances at one another. They weren't particularly thrilled about the idea of losing Shin. Based on his terms, the twins' deal would also be annulled, which meant that they didn't have anything to tie the youth to the Lantis Republic.
"Young Master Shin… You must understand that there would be some apprehension from our side..." Jingyu Shenxian took the lead in the negotiations. "If you just decide to run off and leave the Lantis Republic in the dirt, wouldn't we lose our one and only heir?"
"Yes, I see that," Shin wasn't unprepared for this scenario. Just like his battles against the Luminaries, Shin had thought this through multiple times. "So, here's the alternative… I create an organisation. Its headquarters will be located right here in the Lantis Republic. Near my territory at the Celestial River to be exact. It'll be protected by Senior Zishen and the rest of the Azure Dragons. My family would have the option to move to either my base here or the branch in the Himmel Empire. Some of them might want to form contracts with the Lantis Republic, others wouldn't. It's entirely up to them. However, you can't force them to do anything. And one more thing… I promise to serve a few months per year under the Lantis Republic's flag."
Shin rapid-fired all of his conditions in under a breath. It was a lot to digest, but the High Council immediately got to work. They thought carefully about each one of those demands. Most of them were quite reasonable from their point of view. However, there was one glaring question…
"Organisation? What kind of organisation do you want to form?" The Chancellor questioned.
The young man smiled and looked back at his fellow comrades. On cue, Kanari, Shizen and the twins stepped forward, while Lady Seph and Kesyl stood at their rear. "That brings me back to the solution I was talking about earlier on," Shin chuckled. "We're going to form a mercenary troop to combat Payircis."
"A mercenary troop?" Jingyu Shenxian raised her brow.
"Not just that!" Shin knew that there was a need to 'wow' the crowd. He closed his eyes and funnelled out the mana he had in his Spectre Soul. The young man's skin began to gleam even brighter as spiritual energy flowed out from every one of his pores.
Whhhhhhhhhhhhhammmmmmmmm!!!
The High Council Chambers erupted with a burst of dense elemental energy. At the same time, Shin's Celestial Dragon leapt out with rainbows coming out from its back, decorating the world in its glorious majesty. Every single High Elder jumped off their chairs. They felt a magnetic pull from the Celestial Dragon that was barely able to coil around Shin. In due time, the Spirit would grow to ten times its current size, but that was still a long time coming. Perhaps after Shin advances into the Spirit Saint realm.
"The Celestial Dragon..." One High Elder exclaimed. His cheeks flushed rosy red, and his eyes sparkled with immense joy. They had seen the Spirit just once after Shin conquered the Celestial River, and even that was just a short glimpse from afar. Now that they were standing face-to-face with the legendary Spirit, their blood started to boil in increased fervour.
One had to understand how important the Celestial Dragon was to the Lantis Republic. It was part of their culture, their Spirits were all descendants of the mythical creature… Heck, even their most valuable island was named after the Celestial Dragon. Just watching the gorgeous dragon spiral around the youth gave them a reason to kneel.
Shin ignored the gasps and groans, unleashing his Domain of Dreams. The chambers were dyed in an array of vivid colours, bringing life into the dull stone room. Spiritual and elemental energies lifted the High Elders' mood and their jaded bodies instantly felt rejuvenated.
"This is..." They all uniformly glanced down at their bodies. Spirit Venerates weren't that easily affected by the mana of a Rank 40 Spirit Spectre. So something foreign... Something mystical must be responsible for this change.
Shin saw the look of confusion in the High Elders' faces and beamed, "When my Sovereign Koi evolved, it changed some of my abilities as well… The Domain of Dreams now has a boosting effect, and my Celestial Dragon now has a passive aura that improves one's cultivation. Of course, for Spirit Venerates, the effect is minimal due to the cultivation rank discrepancy. However, for Spirit Spectres and lower, that is another story..."
The High Elders all dropped their jaws. They were leaders of the nation, and they clearly knew what Shin's new ability brought to the table. What would happen if the Luminaries of the Lantis Republic trained under the effects of Shin's domain? Could they double, or triple their cultivation speed? Adding to that, they were all actively going on missions to combat the Black Masks. Conflict encourages growth. Was it possible that in ten years, all of the Luminaries would attain the Spirit King or Spirit Emperor status?
An impish smile crept up Shin's face as he looked up at the High Elders' faces of comprehension. 'Time for the finishing blow...'
"For the next ten years, whenever I'm going to cultivate, anyone from the Lantis Republic is free to join. Ah, there should be a limit of a hundred people per session. I don't want to overcrowd the sacred land."
Shin's words brought smiles all about. Who didn't want their future generations to succeed? For the High Elders, if Shin could use his aura to train the younger generation, that would be more than enough.
"I plan to make a mercenary troop that not only specialises in taking down Payircis, but it'll also serve as a place for talents to come and train," the youth declared. "The Allfather and the Black Masks have been scheming for far longer than we know. We need to use everything at our disposal to combat them, and that includes increasing our overall firepower! All cultivators will have to advance at a much faster pace! However, to do so, I'll need the help of the Alliance."
Shin explained his reasoning behind breaking the agreement that the Lantis Republic had with the Himmel Empire. In the end, Shin's loyalty didn't lie with either one of the countries. Yes, Kanari was a future Duchess of the Himmel Empire, and he would do anything in his power to save the Highgarden Duchy from complete ruin. However, that didn't mean that he pledged allegiance to the Himmel Empire.
It was the same for the Lantis Republic. He was grateful for all the opportunities, the doors that he'd opened by being part of the maritime nation. However, Shin didn't have the loyalty to serve the country whole-heartedly. He only had two goals in his life. Defeating the Black Masks and ascending into the Immortal Realm. Anything that helped in that process was a tool to be used, and that includes the two superpowers that kept trying to win him over.
"I plan to charge an entrance fee for every person that wants to cultivate within my domain, but since the Lantis Republic has given me the opportunity to evolve my Sovereign Koi, I'll waive the fees for the first ten years." The cunning merchant skills of Elrin rubbed off on Shin even without him knowing. "A hundred slots will be opened, and fifty would be reserved for the Lantis Republic. The rest would be distributed evenly by the Himmel Empire and Kori Federation. What do you think?"
Shin looked at the crowd, cautious not to overextend. In the end, he was against one of the three superpowers. So what if he had the Celestial Dragon and the support of the Azure Dragons? If the Lantis Republic so desired, they could just kick him out entirely.
The High Elders seemed to be talking telepathically. Their eyes were the only ones that moved, though their lips did tremble a little. After one gruelling minute, the Chancellor stood up from her chair and approached the young man. "Young Master Shin, it seems like we've been underestimating you all along..."
The woman tapped on Shin's shoulders and observed the Celestial Dragon above his head. She then looked straight at the influential group that stood behind the man. When Shin first came to the Lantis Republic, the High Council thought that he was a prospective Spirit Saint. That's all. As it turns out, the young man was far superior to any Spirit Saint. If Shin had grown up in the Lantis Republic, how great would it have been?
Sighing, Jingyu Shenxian said: "Not only are you a great cultivator, but you also possess a terrifying mind… We accept your conditions..."
'Yes!' Shin cheered mentally as he fist-bumped the air behind his back. Kanari and those from the Himmel Empire had to stifle their laughter after watching that childish display from the man.
"We do have some other conditions to lay down as well… Do you mind if we went through them?" Jingyu Shenxian wasn't just going to let Shin reap all the benefits though. There were still many things that had to be discussed.
"Sure, go ahead..."
The discussion went on in the High Council Chambers for over three hours. They went through various terms, such as the specific number of days Shin needed to serve. Which Payircis Shin wanted to conquer. Even how many children Shin must have with Kanari or some other woman. Everything was so precise that Shin felt dizzy after the whole ordeal.
And thus, the next chapter of Shin's journey in the Lantis Republic had finally begun...
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