Weapon seller in the world of magic-Chapter 723: The invitation for the banquet.

"In a couple of days... maybe three," Mark replied, stroking her back. "I wanted to settle matters here first. And..." He hesitated, exhaling heavily. "I don’t know how long I’ll be gone."

Lan Xia lifted her head again, her eyes filled with worry.

Mark looked away at the ceiling, his voice grave. "It’s easy to bring Song Yue and the children here. But Shen Ling... convincing her is another matter entirely. She’s the Empress Regnant there. The first female monarch of the Rosefall Empire. How do I ask her to give up everything, to leave her throne and come here as an ordinary housewife?"

His voice grew heavier with each word. "My marriage with her is different. With Song Yue, we were lovers before anything else. With you... We were companions who grew close over time. But with Shen Ling... it was political. Purely political. She wanted the throne. I needed resources to build my weapons."

He ran a hand across his face, looking exhausted. "Convincing her might take weeks... or months. Even if I let her stay there, rule her kingdom, and only meet her occasionally... what about my daughter? Shen Yi is only sixteen months old. How can I tell Shen Ling to keep her separated from her siblings? Her own father? And if the imperial palace already knows about my children..." His jaw clenched. "I don’t know how far their spies have gone and when they will act."

Lan Xia rested her chin lightly on Mark’s chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns along his skin as she continued thinking.

Then, with a sudden clarity in her gaze, she asked, "Tell me... does she actually feel emotionally attached to those particular citizens? Or is she more attached to the throne itself?" The question was so direct that Mark blinked, caught completely off guard.

He hesitated before answering. "I... guess the throne. After all, the citizens she currently rules aren’t truly her people in the first place." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Lan Xia nodded as if she had expected that answer from the start. "Then she can rule this dominion instead," she said calmly. Mark frowned in confusion. "What?"

Lan Xia lifted herself slightly, her expression sharp with logic. "You made this region independent anyway. You’re turning this dominion into a sovereign power, one with its own laws and its own identity. So why not build a proper palace, an administrative palace, and make her Queen Regnant here? The real power will remain with the Lan Clan and with you as the Patriarch and Sect Master. But you can split the administrative duties. Let Shen Ling manage the governance while you handle military, cultivation, and sect affairs."

Her voice grew more confident as she continued. "You could let her rule the entire Sector 197 as its monarch under your dominion’s protection. Wouldn’t that be better for her? She gets her throne. She gets her political stature. And you get your family together. The only thing you need is to make a proper pact with the Imperial Palace, one that acknowledges her position as the nominal ruler of Azure Frost Dominion. After that, you can also convince the citizens of her old kingdom to migrate here. You once mentioned they were only a few hundred thousand in number. Offer them incentives, jobs, housing, safety, and food. That way, she won’t feel she’s abandoning her people. They’ll be migrating with her."

Mark stared at her for a long second, as if the heavy fog in his mind suddenly parted.

Every line of her reasoning fit together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle that had been buried under his own stress.

What mattered to Shen Ling was authority, political legitimacy, and stability.

Azure Frost Dominion could give her all of that, and more. And if he built the capital on the Moon itself, none of the neighbors could threaten it. He could create layers of protection, a place safe enough for his children to grow without constant fear.

His eyes slowly widened as realization, relief, and excitement washed through him. "You... you’re right," he whispered, staring into her bright, confident gaze. "Everything fits. Everything actually fits."

Lan Xia smiled softly, pleased that he understood.

Without warning, Mark wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly into his embrace, pressing a firm kiss against her lips. The sudden intensity made her let out a surprised laugh that melted into warmth. "You really are a wise one," he murmured, eyes soft but burning with affection.

Lan Xia giggled as he rolled her beneath him, her laughter bubbling through the room as he once again began to play with her body.

As she looped her arms around his neck, her voice came out breathless but playful. "Then show your gratitude properly... Patriarch."

*

Two more days passed quietly, and Mark waited for the reply.

The morning sun barely rose when an attendant rushed into the clan hall with an ornate scroll bearing the imperial seal.

An invitation from the Heavenly Ocean Empire, formal, grand, and addressed not just to the Lan Clan, but to all major powers in the surrounding dominions. It was a rare event, spanning several days, one that only the top circles of authority were invited to.

Mark gathered the Lan Clan elders in the grand meeting hall, including Lan Jing, Yuxuan, Grand Elder Lan Ming, and, importantly, the former patriarch, Yujin.

The atmosphere stiffened the moment Mark broke the seal and read aloud the contents.

The banquet would last five days, held directly in the Imperial Palace, involving sect heads, clan leaders, powerhouse commanders, and old monsters who rarely left seclusion.

This was the kind of event emperors used to observe potential threats and new rising forces.

But Mark lifted his gaze calmly and addressed the hall. "I was actually informed about this unofficially a while ago," he began, his voice steady, "but I will be leaving the clan for a few days, regarding personal reasons."

Several elders stiffened, some anxious and some curious, but Mark continued before the murmurs could spread. "Still, this banquet invitation is to the clan head, and since we are in the middle of negotiating a peace treaty, I cannot send an ordinary elder or unrelated representative. It would seem disrespectful."

His eyes shifted toward Yujin, who stood with his hands hidden behind his back, an unreadable expression on his aged face. "Therefore," Mark continued, "I was thinking of sending former patriarch and Grand Elder Yujin to the palace in my stead. And during the time of my absence, Lan Xia will be the acting head of the clan."

A ripple of surprise swept through the elders. Some glanced at each other uneasily, aware of the tension that had simmered beneath the surface between Mark and Yujin since the succession. Others remained silent, knowing better than to question a sect master’s decision directly.

Yujin’s brows rose in genuine shock for a moment before he masked it behind a calm nod. "If this is your command," he said slowly, "I will accept the responsibility." Outwardly, he appeared loyal, dignified, even honored. But deep in his eyes, a flash of cunning glinted like cold steel.

Good, he thought, the corner of his mouth twitching imperceptibly. ’You dug your own grave by doing this, boy. A five-day absence... that gives me enough time to meet with those who oppose you, to arrange an alliance, to prepare a plan with your enemies. When you return, you will face a blade from every direction.’

He lowered his gaze respectfully as if humbled by the task, but inside, he was practically laughing.