Chapter 832: 832:The Title Of Duke
"Your Majesty, Lord Ethan doesn’t even belong to Eldorian.Giving him such a large territory might create problems in the future."
"That’s right. He has his own forces and influence. If his territory becomes too large, he might eventually form an independent territory."
"Your Majesty, the Duchy of Blanks would be almost like a small kingdom if it controlled such a large region."
More voices followed from different parts of the hall opposing Ethan.
"Lord Ethan has only recently joined Eldorian. We shouldn’t give him so much authority so quickly."
"What if he refuses to follow Imperial orders in the future?"
"Your Majesty, perhaps it would be better to wait for a few years before granting him the title of Duke."
The officials continued raising their concerns, and the atmosphere inside the hall became increasingly noisy.
Queen Ophelia’s expression slowly darkened.
"Enough!"
Her voice rang through the entire hall, instantly silencing everyone.
The nobles lowered their heads as Ophelia stared at them from the throne.
"This had already been confirmed prior during the war."
No one dared to interrupt her.
"All other Emperors had agreed. Your disagreement can’t change anything."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sweeping across the nobles.
"Or do you want me to go back on my words and lose my face?"
Her words instantly shut them off.
The hall became completely silent.No one wanted to answer that question.
What could they say?
Can they nod and say yes we want Your Majesty to lose face?
They all knew that the decision had already been discussed with the other Emperors. The matter was no longer something that could simply be changed because a few nobles were uncomfortable with it.
Ophelia leaned back again and calmly looked at the officials.
"Prepare the Imperial Edict and send it to Blanks. I don’t want unnecessary delays."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The officials bowed together.
Ophelia gave them one final look before moving on to the next matter.
"Now, continue with the remaining reports."
....
While all of this was occurring, Ethan, who didn’t know that he had become the centre of the storm, was casually sitting deep in Frostvele.
A small table had been placed between Ethan and Gu Cheng. It was filled with fried chicken and several fast food items. There were chicken burgers, fries, fried wings, sandwiches and other food that Ethan had brought with him.
Gu Cheng sat in front of the food with a calm expression. At first, he tried to appear modest. He picked up a piece of fried chicken and took a small bite, chewing slowly as he carefully tasted the flavour.
His eyes changed slightly.
He took another bite.
Then another.
His movements gradually became faster, and before long, the modest expression on his face had completely disappeared. He grabbed another chicken leg and started devouring it. His hands moved from one plate to another as he stuffed himself with the food.
Ethan watched him silently while eating his own food.
Gu Cheng swallowed the food and wiped his mouth before speaking.
"As a Cultivator, we don’t need to eat food to stay alive. We can gather the energy of heaven and earth to survive."
He picked up another piece of fried chicken and looked at it with a satisfied expression.
"So it has been a long time since I have eaten such rare delicacies."
He took a large bite and chewed with obvious satisfaction before continuing.
"Fellow Daoist, this is really out of this world. I don’t think the food in our world can compare with it."
"You are overpraising it, Daoist Gu Cheng." Ethan chuckled and waved his head.
"It’s just because you haven’t eaten this food and you are trying this for the first time that you are finding it pleasant. If you eat this every day, it would feel the same."
Gu Cheng paused for a moment while holding the chicken leg in his hand. He thought about Ethan’s words before slowly nodding.
"That might be the case, but no one can deny that this food is awesome."
He spoke while devouring another bite of the chicken leg. After swallowing it, he licked his lips and savored the feeling before reaching for another piece.
Ethan couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment.
The man who had once been trapped and tortured for years was now sitting peacefully in Frostvele and stuffing himself with fried chicken.Anyone would be happy with such a small act of goodwill after being imprisoned for so long.After they had eaten their fill, Ethan passed the wine to Gu Cheng.
Gu Cheng took the cup and drank the wine in one gulp. He smacked his lips lightly and nodded with a satisfied expression.
"It’s a fine wine in taste, but..."
He paused and looked at Ethan before continuing.
"I didn’t mean to dampen it, but it’s no way to compare with the wine of our world."
Saying this, he took out a small jug from his storage ring and placed it on the table.
"Fellow Daoist, taste this."
Gu Cheng then poured some wine into Ethan’s cup. The wine had a faint fragrance that spread through the air, and even before tasting it, Ethan could tell that it was different from the wine he had drunk before.
Ethan thought for a moment and chuckled.
"I understand it very well. Cultivators live for several thousand years. They aged wine is several thousand years old compared to a few years ago. So how can the two compare?"
Ethan then took the cup and drank it. As soon as the wine entered his mouth, a warm sensation spread through his body, giving him a sudden jolt.
He had taken just a minuscule sip, yet it provided him with a great amount of energy. The warmth spread through his limbs, and his breathing seemed to become heavier as the energy circulated inside him.
His eyes widened in horror, and he looked at Gu Cheng, who gave him a pleasant smile.
Dazed, Ethan spoke, "I always heard people saying that wine can lift their powers, but I can’t believe it’s true."
Gu Cheng’s hand froze, and he looked at Ethan with a strange expression.
"Fellow Daoist, are you also from...?"
Now that he thought about it, unlike others, Ethan had been very familiar with his power level and their customs. He hadn’t thought much about the subtle hints Ethan had been dropping, but now that he thought about it...
Wasn’t Ethan too knowledgeable about their world, as if he had lived there himself?
"No, I am not from the world of cultivators. Rather..."
Ethan paused and looked up at the distant sky. A faint smile appeared on his face as he recalled the place he had once called home.
"I am from a world known as Earth, where no power exists and everyone is a mortal."
"What!" Gu Cheng erupted in shock.