Chapter XXIII: Scheming Queens

Night Empire Captial, Three days after Orym's departure.

"Her Majesty Queen Ingrid Macha of the Twin Kingdom!" A voice was projected and then echoed into the Great Hall by another servant.

As the veiled woman walked in, followed by her party of Envoys, the four Generals sitting at the end of the hall in place of the absent Emperor gasped. The veiled woman was one they recognized, although her eyes were now wide open and shined with a green radiance.

The elders and commanders murmured amongst themselves as the Queen approached the four thrones. She then bowed.

"Ingrid Macha greets the four Generals of the Night!"

"Hmm, how interesting." Said Gellis Vamoria, " Have you spoken to your brother?"

"No need," she replied without hesitation. She then looked to Situ Ren. Her next action shocked everyone further.

Waving her hand, four chests appeared in front of Situ Ren from her Interspatial Ring.

"It seems you have treasure after all," said Dorian Primrose, once the first Elder of the Primrose Family.

"A humble gift from my nephew." Ingrid replied, referring to the interspatial ring, "My brother and I also realized something the other powers never had a chance to,"

"What might that be?" Gellis asked.

"The Night Empire is certainly not simple. The base cultivation of your force is truly terrifying to be a mortal world force. Seeing this, we royals prepared a fitting tribute." Ingrid spoke as she performed another gesture.

The lids of the boxes flew open, revealing a plethora of herbs and beast material. The fourth box was filled with stone that many didn't recognize, though Gellis and the elders apart of the raiding teams knew right away what they were.

"Sprit Stones..." said Situ Ren. "Good. Good."

"But my son has told you the conditions of peace. What say you?" Gellis asked.

"I have a condition of my own." Said Ingrid.

"Speak." Said Lord Ironwood.

"Marriage is about bringing the completeness of two people together as one in order to grow. My completeness is fifty percent of the Twin Kingdom. Help me take it, and I'll agree to marry General Situ Ren."

"We have to know why." Said Gellis, "In our eyes, we're benefiting from a traitor. Traitors, no matter how beneficial for us, can't be trusted. This is your time to make us think differently."

"I want a child. Simple as that. In my kingdom, even under your boot, I'm under my brother's boot. He and the elders will stay true to tradition and see that my niece nor I can ever wed or have children. This is my way out." Ingrid spoke clear and true.

"That is understandable. However, if I'm not wrong, the little Emperor wanted peace. You marrying my son creates ties and maintains peace. Taking half of the kingdom, you, and annual tribute...well, we might as well destroy the Twin Kingdom outright." Grandma Xiong spoke from her seat amongst the elders.

Gellis watched as the elders agreed, and the Queen became anxious. He audibly cleared his throat, and the hall fell silent.

"How about this. Agree to the marriage. Your dowry will be fifty percent of your holdings from the kingdom, chosen by you. We'll cut the annual tribute in half as well so that your brother agrees...Are these envoys your people?"

"Half." the Queen replied.

"Then half will stay along with your people from the Kingdom. But you must know, the moment they step into this Empire, the House of Macha is no more." Gellis finished.

Gellis then stood up, and the elders followed suit to pay respects. Walking to Situ Ren's side, Gellis said, " If she agrees, you and her should stop by later."

Gellis then continued on, took Mina's hand, leaving the hall.

"Lady Macha, that was our last counter. Take it or leave it. Everyone else, attend your duties." Situ Ren announced.

One by one, the hall was emptied until Ingrid Macha and her attendants were left.

"What say you?" Situ Ren asked.

"Fine..." she answered lowly.

"Then, as dower, you can keep everything that's yours and the fourth case of this year's tribute. The Material stays with us." That was all that Situ Ren said as he walked past the green-eyed beauty.

A silver fox that Situ Ren. Wooing ladies with no effort. He had no idea his position in Ingrid's mind rose higher. To say she fell for him will be overrated, but the way she perceived him and the Night Parade as a whole changed that day.

While the Night Empire was stabilizing, My unit and I were approaching the first temple. At the same time, the eldest Macha Prince had arrived on another impromptu visit to his aunt with gifts from his latest adventure in the cultivation world.

"Oh, You also have to join me tonight to visit General Vamoria." Situ Ren added before stepping outside of the hall.

Twin Kingdoms, Queen's Palace.

"First Prince, please. The Queen is in closed-door training. No one is to disturb her." The guards at the golden doors held the recently returned prince back.

"Haa, Jake, didn't you say you were in need of few new cauldrons." the Prince spoke over his shoulder, and his platinum blonde-haired friend with crimson eyes chuckled as he eyes the female guards lasciviously.

"That's enough!" A voice ordered from behind the prince and his three friends that accompanied him.

"Ahh, Sister. Finally, someone with some sense. Tell these bitches to move aside so I can see our aunt." Said the first prince.

The Second Princess frowned as these actions were the same ones that put her and her aunt in such troubled waters, to begin with. And after all the years that passed, the princess was infuriated because her brother had yet to grow out of his fetish that was unbefitting of the human race.

"Keep this up, and father will have your head." She warned him, "Our aunt is a queen. Even in the rarest of situations that she returned your feelings, she is prohibited from intimacy. Now leave the Queen's Palace. Now!"

The Second Princess erupted with her full cultivation topping the fourth stage of the Houtian realm. That shocked her brother.

"H-How!" he stammered.

"Everything in the Queen's Palace belongs to the Order of Queens. Including your gifts that you gave to Aunt," she explained.

"Hahaha, Brother Eamon, don't panic," Jake spoke in a calm tone as he was preparing to move.

Swoosh!

Jake's hair blew in the wind as Eamon appeared in front of his sister and landed a punch in the center of her gut.

The force shook the area, and the princess doubled over before losing consciousness.

Reacting to the scene, the Old Queens's unleashed their cultivation and moved to end the first prince when the combined power from the Old Kings combated them.

"Little boy, my sister snuck off to the capital of the Red Horn Kingdom. Touch my daughter again, and I'll let my old Aunts kill you where you stand. Your secret visits to my kingdom are over. Leave now!" A great voice boomed through the Kingdom as the pressure of all the sovereigns pressed down Eamon and his friends.

"Brother E-Eamon. We can't handle this. Let's fetch your aunt and return to the sect." The Prince's friend, Derek, reasoned.

"I-I didn't expect them to be this strong," Eamon growled.

"It's not quality. It's quantity. I sense over a dozen from each side. Each of them firmly in the Xiantian Realm," Jake added.

Eamon cursed his family as he pushed off and fled his home. 'Just wait. I'll be back to crush you all! Once this prince's army is built, I'll rise by leaps in bounds!' he thought in his heart.

If I was there at that moment, I would have smelled the stench of Dorian plaguing the area around the exiled Prince.

"Hmm, that boy is already at the peak of Houtian and only twenty-eight years old." Voiced one of the thirteen Queens.

"Pft! Who gives a shit. We should have killed the little snot!" A King growled. "Say! Which one of you hags allowed the little Queen Ingrid to leave?"

The queens remained silent. The oldest of the Queens eventually spoke. "I did. A war is unnecessary. Ingrid has reported that Dark Water Royals are dead. They were nothing but banners until the board was clear. This 'Night Empire' is led by four clans from the Dark Water Kingdom."

"Their goal?" A King asked.

"The Lunar Temples. I checked with our guards and haven't received a reply." Said the eldest Queen.

"That means they're dead. The Temples are secured by the Night Empire." Another King mumbled. "I knew the troop movements were too overbearing to be that soft-bellied King Gu. Three Empires and Two Kingdoms gone. Have they stated their conditions?"

"Yearly tribute. Three chests of Herbs and Beast Material. One chest of Spirit Stones."

"Reasonable. When the Great Kings breaks through to Foundation Establishment, we'll flatten them."

The eldest Queen's forehead moistened with sweat at the thought of her twin brother. When the King's returned to their closed-door training, the Queens shared a worried glance.

"Mira, do you think Ingrid can strike a deal with those people." A queen asked the eldest.

"It's already done. Ingrid is set to marry General Situ Ren. With her knowledge of our secrets, if those people have the strength, they will surely come. Until then, the marriage must be kept from the Kings. Not even the Princess can know." Mira replied as she hoped fate would look kindly upon her and her fellow Queens.

Night Empire Capital, Vamoria Clan

"We can't wait. The Great King will break through soon. When he does, he'll become a Foundation Establishment expert and take over the Mortal Realm." Ingrid explained to Situ Ren and Gellis.

"Oh! That is bad." Gellis and Situ Ren shared a knowing look.

"Look, flattening your kingdom is the only way for us to cultivate in peace. Rest assured, it will happen. But before that happens. We need to plan the easiest route. We've fought one war already. Though the elders whole, our main force lost substantially. We need to recoup." Gellis explained.

"With that being said, if your kings must be kept in the dark about this marriage, I'll leave their envoys to you." Said Situ Ren.

Noticing the look she was receiving, Ingrid bowed before taking her leave.

"Can her tale be believed?" Situ Ren asked.

"Partly. I knew something was up when she told us that she hadn't spoken to the King. On top of that, she arrived as a veiled blind woman. Why not announce herself as a queen from the start." Gellis explained, "For now, we stall. A Foundation Establishment is an easy feat, but she must think we're hesitant. This way ensures our true strength constrained to Xiantian realm."

"You think she's a spy." Said Situ Ren.

"Hmm." he nodded, "Watch her closely. If the King Envoys don't die by her hand, you make sure they die by yours."

Three Kingdoms' Lunar Temple, Outer District.

"It's no surprise these places are picked clean." Said Situ Qing, "Let's keep going."

"Do you know what's ahead?" Shane asked.

"It should be Hunter's Forests. If you want to ascend, you have to pass through the forest. We then ascend two more floors to reach the inner district." Situ Qing explained the nine-level Lunar Temple.

"What's the test?" I asked next.

"Combat Prowess. Entry to the first floor will be the core of a Rank 2 Deamon Beast."

"That's all?"

"A rank 2 killed by you alone. At least that's what my dad told me," said Situ Qing. " Only a handful of people ever made into the first floor. They wrote of it being more combat test. Different every time. Less than a handful has made it to the second floor. They never returned."

I could tell that it was going to be a hard battle, and not everyone would make it. No matter how much I wanted to march to the top of the world as a unit. The Lunar Temple was, without a doubt, a solo tournament of the most talented.

In the Mortal World, there are Wild Beasts and Deamon Beast. Deamon Beast can cultivate. Within the Mortal Realm of cultivation, the Deamon Beast are split into six ranks. Ranks one to two range from Martial Foundation to the Peak of Houtian realm. With the thin and impure Qi of the Mortal World, Deamon Beasts of the second Rank are a dime in a dozen. But in a place like the Lunar Temple --ancient, mysterious, and thick, rich Qi, the Deamon Beast can be stronger.

"You all heard her." I shouted, "Let's move. Our goal is the fourth floor. The first floor of the Inner district. Even if we have to spend years, we'll use this place as a whetstone to sharpen ourselves. If you can't make it past the forest, don't push yourselves. Kill beasts, cultivate, and hone your Martial skills."

Marching for another fifteen minutes, we finally entered the Hunter's Forest. But none of us were expecting to activate an array the moment we stepped over the entry point. The array activated, and the entire unit was split up, sent to random locations.