Weapon seller in the world of magic-Chapter 736: Introductions

As the group began walking into the Ice Palace, still enclosed within the protective barrier, the surrounding elders, guards, and clan members instinctively stepped aside. Despite their discipline, quiet murmurs began to ripple through the crowd like wind across frozen water.

"That's the Patriarch's family?" someone whispered in disbelief. "Such a big one… three wives?"

Another voice followed, lower but sharp. "Look carefully. That woman beside him… she's an elf."

A third scoffed softly. "But she's not an ice elf."

"Are you blind? How would someone as amazing as the Patriarch would take an ice elf as his wife?" someone hissed back. "Can't you sense the divinity in her blood? That's a celestial elf. Royal blood. The highest among all elven lineages across the planes."

A hush fell for a brief moment before another murmur rose, tinged with curiosity. "Then does that mean Lady Xia is the fourth wife?"

"There's a bit of pity in that," another whispered. "I wonder if she knew beforehand."

A sharp rebuke followed immediately. "Watch your tongue. That's the Patriarch you're talking about. Do you want to die?"

The focus of the murmurs shifted again as attention fell on Mark's arms.

"Wait," someone said softly, eyes widening. "That child… the one the Patriarch is carrying. Can you sense his realm?"

"He's already fifth tier," another answered, barely believing it. "At that age? And from the mortal realm?"

"And those two babies the elf woman is holding," someone added in awe. "Second tier already… and the other little girl, she's third tier."

A quiet gasp passed through the crowd. "If children born to mortals can reach such realms so early, then imagine—"

"The child born to Lady Xia," another finished, almost reverently. "That talent would be boundless."

Someone chuckled nervously. "That's a given. After all, our Patriarch is the one who brought back our Deity, the Blizzard Pegasus, to our clan."

Then, in a moment of reckless admiration, a young disciple muttered, "Still… I must say, the Patriarch's mortal wife is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Shush!" came an urgent whisper from beside him. "Are you courting death by praising the Patriarch's wife out loud?"

By then, Mark and his family had already passed through the towering palace doors. The murmurs faded behind them, swallowed by the vastness of the Ice Palace, leaving only lingering awe, curiosity, and the quiet realization among the clan.

Amid the fading murmurs, the great doors of the Ice Palace closed behind them with a deep, echoing resonance. Warmth flowed subtly through the halls despite the palace being carved from eternal ice. Frost-patterned pillars rose like frozen waves, and soft blue light refracted through crystal walls, bathing the chamber in a calm, otherworldly glow.

They took their seats one after another. Some faces were filled with curiosity, others with visible unease. For those who had lived their entire lives on the mortal plane, the pressure here was different. Demigods moved about as attendants, guards, and officials, their presence as ordinary as elite fifth-circle spirit warriors back on Earth. Even with the suppressive bracelets and Mark's protective barrier, the disparity in realms was impossible to ignore.

Lan Jing soon excused himself. "I still have matters to attend to," he said calmly. "I'll leave you all to settle in." With that, he departed, leaving the hall quieter, more intimate.

Mark took a breath and stepped forward, his tone gentle but formal.

"Let me introduce everyone properly."

He gestured first toward Song Yue. "This is Song Yue," he said softly, warmth unconsciously entering his voice. "My Principal wife. And this is our son, Lu Shan."

Song Yue nodded politely, her hand resting protectively on Lu Shan's shoulder as the boy looked around with wide, curious eyes.

Mark then turned slightly. "This is Shen Ling, and our daughter, Shen Yi." He paused, then added, "She is the Empress Regnant of the Genesis Federation I told you about before. A year ago, when I left her, she merely took my place as a replacement, and now, she is the true Empress of the entire world."

Shen Ling inclined her head, her posture composed and regal even in an unfamiliar land, but slightly blushed as Mark praised her with such a proud face, while little Shen Yi clung to Mark's sleeve, peeking out shyly at Lan Xia.

Finally, Mark looked toward Sylvandria. "This is Sylvandria. And these are our children, Faenya and Kaelen Searvale."

Sylvandria held the twins carefully, her expression calm but reserved.

Lan Xia listened attentively, then stepped forward and bowed slightly toward Sylvandria. "I already heard your story earlier," she said gently. "Husband has told me everything. There's no need to revisit any painful explanations."

She met Sylvandria's eyes with sincerity. "You were engaged to him before I was. I will treat you as Third Sister."

Sylvandria blinked, clearly caught off guard by the straightforward acceptance. But then she said, "But you married him before me."

Lan Xia replied with a smile, "Third Sister, in our culture, getting engaged is the same as being half married. And I don't mind treating you as my elder sister."

Nearby, Shen Ling leaned closer to Song Yue and whispered with faint amusement, "She's quite understanding."

Song Yue merely glanced at her and said nothing, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Mark continued, his voice steady. "I also have brothers, but they're still on the mortal plane. It's unlikely they'll come here." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Shang Fu's expression flickered with disappointment at those words, but he quickly composed himself, offering only a slow nod.

Then Mark moved to stand beside Lan Xia. His hand rested lightly on her back as he spoke again.

"Let me formally introduce her as well. This is Lan Xia." He glanced around at his family. "She may be an immortal, but there's no need to feel intimidated. She's still young, and she's family. Treat her like a younger sister."

The room fell quiet for a moment as everyone absorbed his words.

Song Yue was the first to move.

She stepped forward without hesitation and took Lan Xia by the arms, studying her face with open curiosity. "I heard you were with Markie… ahem… Husband," she corrected herself quickly, "when he fought the Demon Cat Empress."

Lan Xia smiled faintly. Before she could reply, Song Yue added with a playful glint in her eyes, "You must have been quite shocked when he suddenly declared war, right?"

Lan Xia blinked, then nodded honestly. "Yes. At first, I truly didn't understand his obsession with the Demon Cat Empress." She paused, recalling the memories. "Later, I realized it was for the sake of a contracted beast. The Empress' son."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Mark. "He destroyed an entire empire just to save him."

A quiet awe filled the hall.

"I suppose," Lan Xia continued softly, "they must share a very deep bond."

Mark said nothing. He simply stood there, letting the weight of her words settle.

In that frozen palace, surrounded by ice and divinity, the family began to understand one another not through titles or realms, but through shared stories, choices, and the scars left behind by love and war alike.

Song Yue smiled at Lan Xia, her expression softening. "Anan wasn't some contracted beast, Lan Xia. He was like a child to us. Or perhaps a little brother," she said gently. "When we were married, we didn't really have a family of our own. And Anan was…"

"Schatz," Mark interrupted quietly.

Song Yue paused and turned toward him. Seeing the look in his eyes, she sighed lightly and nodded. Mark continued, his tone calm but firm.

"You've only just met," he said to Lan Xia. "There's no need to start that story now. If she continues, it'll only leave you with more questions than answers." He gave a small, wry smile. "Our past is… complicated. If she starts explaining properly, it'll take a week just to get through the basics. Worse, parts of it might be misunderstood without the full context."

Lan Xia listened attentively, then smiled and nodded in understanding. "That's fine. I understand."

She then turned to the rest of the family, her posture straightening slightly. "The rooms have already been prepared. If you're tired from the journey and would like to rest…"

"We need to eat first, Xia," Mark interrupted again, his voice almost absentminded.

Lan Xia blinked. "Eat? At this time?"

Mark looked at her, mildly amused. "Didn't I mention earlier? In our world, people usually eat two, sometimes three meals a day. Morning is breakfast, afternoon is lunch, and evening is dinner."