As the spies from various empires confirmed the news that Mark was going to occupy the Bloodhill forest, the Emperor of the Shi Dynasty sent King Qi's troops to Bloodhill forest to stop Mark's robotic army and Fu Shen's hundred elites. Explore more stories at mvl
As for the matter with Prince Shi Chong, the Emperor promised King Qi that the prince was currently on a diplomatic mission and once he returned to the palace, he would hand him over.
Of course, as a gesture of good faith, after sending away his son, Emperor Shi returned the woman Shi Chong eloped with to her husband's side with respect.
To protect herself, she claimed that Shi Chong abducted her rather than accepting that she followed him willingly. She also had to lie that she hadn't been defiled by the Prince and the latter merely wanted to marry her, out of her fear of the societal perception and the importance placed on family honor.
The foolish king believed her words, but the upcoming days would be tough for her in his absence, as her fellow concubines and the Queen consort who are envious of her close relationship with their husband will surely not let go of this opportunity to bully her.
Who knows, she might be driven to death and they make it like suicide. Hence, she planned on making her escape when the time came.
Shi Chong reached Western Yan and stayed as a guest at the Church of Nuwa, trying to look for an opportunity to convince his nephew, whom he was close with, to return to the palace to meet the Emperor.
Meanwhile, the entire Bloodhill forest was declared a forbidden zone by the Alliance. The Kings and Emperors passed their orders to adventurers from their land not to venture into the forest anymore. Shang Wei took this opportunity to announce mass recruitment for his military.
Bloodhill forest has been the source of livelihood for the majority of adventurers within the Vermilion Bird Continent for the past 1700 years, especially those from the Northern Phoenix Empire and Leon Empire to some extent.
Once it has been sealed, many low-level adventurers will become penniless. Hence, he thought it was the best time to increase his military strength by inducting them.
Protests emerged everywhere and many adventurers weren't willing to follow the orders of their rulers; they decided on risking their lives to enter the forest and continue their beast hunting.
Their bet is on the fact that the Bloodhill forest is too big for anyone to keep an eye on.
Little did they know that there was a satellite revolving around the planet while constantly keeping an eye on the forest for several months now.
While the respective armies of the vassal states tried their best to suppress the protests, Mark's robotic army was divided into five divisions. One division followed each beast and spread into four different directions to unleash carnage everywhere, the last division headed by Ark Secundus robot of rank-9, the Deputy to Ark Prime, focused more on capturing the adventurers.
Of course, it is impossible to construct such a huge residence in a matter of six weeks. It was merely the transformation of the Divine throne. He made this treasure his home so that those who live inside (his family) will be safe from any kind of attack, in his absence.
Since he hadn't completely taken over the land, Mark felt such precautionary steps were necessary. After all, the Leon Empire had already sent an envoy with a threatening letter threatening not to break the 1784-year-old pact of not touching the forest. He couldn't care less about Emperor Shi's rants but had to be careful just in case.
Several hours after everyone settled in their new homes, Mark summoned everyone to the palace grounds, where tents were spread all over the place.
It was a little late in the evening and the moon was absent in the sky; yet, the surroundings of the entire sector were as bright as a day, due to the presence of fire lamps neatly arranged everywhere.
Everyone made it to the palace grounds and gathered at one spot, standing together in silence as Mark, alongside Song Yue and their child, was seen on a wooden platform erected not far away from the tents.
As they greeted him with a kneeling bow, Mark gestured for them to arise and then spoke, "Today, we all began a new journey in building this country together. On this joyous occasion, I would like to announce a couple of things. First of all, I would like to give you all a title as the First Citizens of Genesis Federation. What kind of benefits you have over the others who will settle here later will be announced later on."
*Murmur*
"First citizens?" "I wonder what kind of benefits we will receive?" "His Majesty gave us a new house as he promised. That's enough for us to keep hope" "Shh... His Majesty is speaking..."
Mark continued, "Anyway, secondly, very soon, all of you will be getting your Queen Consort. In the future, Princess Shen Ling will succeed me and become Empress Regnant one day. So, I ask you to show your utmost loyalty to her."
*Murmur*
"What is His Majesty saying?" "Princess Shen Ling will rule this land? Why?" "So, His Majesty is actually serious when he spoke of promoting women empowerment?" "But, even then, there is Empress Song here. How could Princess Shen become the Empress Regnant?" "Yeah, what about the Crown Prince, then?"
This time, murmurs were a bit heavy, and even Mark could sense there was a clear dissent within this large crowd.
Song Yue couldn't help but comment in a hushed tone, "See, I told you. No one would like this idea."
Mark forced out a smile and whispered back, "We'll see about that."
He then shifted his focus back to the crowd and spoke loudly, "For those who are wondering why I would appoint Princess Shen Ling as my successor when there is my son right here. Well, not everyone is a leader material. A dragon might be the strongest creature known to mankind but we don't fear it. Instead, we fear to wage war against a lion because it knows how to lead the pack. Princess Shen Ling is a capable leader, which this land needs to prosper. But, you don't have to believe my words outrightly. When we achieve the third phase where our nation is ready to take it in a million inhabitants, I'll go on a short vacation with Empress Song and Prince Lu Shan for a short period, leaving this place under her care. You could then experience her ruling firsthand. When I return, I will ask you questions about her rule and ask for an honest answer. Your decision will decide on whether she continues as the Empress Regnant or will go back to being a Queen Consort."