71

When Pef arrived over the new Xi Imperial Mansion, he noticed the lack of a pool, right away.

There was a half dug hole for a pool, but it wasn't finished. The sauna had been dismantled and moved in the second garden. Because the palace had a reception garden, for guests or visitors, and a private garden for the family.

The front of the building was being decorated even today, with stone sculptures and bas reliefs and had a large parking lot in front, for carriages or other transport means. Maybe 50 artists were hard at work, applying last minute touches.

The main building was a hive of activity, with hundreds of civil servants running around with papers, and a crying miss Yun demanding who had seen the stamp for the 104 form. Pef sighed in a bit dismay. Bureaucracy had followed him home.

To one side, there was a living complex, with rooms for the locals to live and sleep and be close to work.

The other side was a large manufactorum, with half a dozen ateliers and smithies, and he could sense Lady Lin and Jian inside one of the smithies.

In the back, there were a host of other buildings, their purpose unclear.

"Well, you got yourself a real place, husband. And with the your feats in Myrrth, I declare myself tentatively impressed. But I expect you triple all this, by 25." the silver eyed wife whispered while resting her elbow on Pef's shoulder.

"Denied! I won't gather 45 wives, just to fuel your ambitions of grandeur." the water Tyrant replied in fake outrage.

Lia snorted amused and flew by them, heading towards the smithy and Lady Lin.

Aria blew them a kiss and sped down to find her room and whatever goodies Lara had prepared.

"Well, you're durable enough, hubby. Go and face the executioner." Xie advised Pef with a friendly pat on his back.

The young hero did not such thing, instead flying to hug his valued secretary and find her stamp. The Empire had to go on, after all. The family drama could wait.

"Emperor! I'm Rumi, your assistant secretary...and a big fan..." a shy girl told him while he located the hidden stamp under a pile of stacked papers. She tried to stand straight and present her chest for inspection, but a mere B cup didn't register in the Tyrant's lust meter.

"Yes? I did hire you, back in Lacrimosa. What's up?" Pef asked with a confused shrug.

"N-nothing! Just glad to meet you..." the young girl stuttered. It should be noted Rumi was about 24, so not a girl at all, just a bit naive and romantic.

"You're still talking, Rumi. The Empire won't run itself!" the stern miss Yun admonished the flustered assistant and made her meep in fright, and run into the next office.

Pef turned to his secretary and handed the stamp, then asked about whatever problems plagued the government. But it seemed Emperors Remi and Wu had most things solved, and Lady Lin and Jian were fixing the book printers now.

He sighed in relief, and eyed his poorly dressed secretary, who still wore simple brown robes and wooden shoes. "Miss Yun, if I forget things, like decent pay or such, please tell me. I am just 21 years old, and my hobbies are mainly killing bad men or beasts." he explained a bit apologetically.

"Right. Well, the food is great here, and I have my nice room, but some copper would be wonderful as well. Not that you would know if I would pocket 20 percent of the Empire's wealth anyway..." Miss Yun explained with an amused snort.

Thus, Pef forked her 5 copper plates, as back pay and let his secretary arrange a suitable stipend for the government workers.

Then the secretary waved him away, as she had meetings with the education board and the housing committee. She was really busy and the stamp crisis was over.

Dozens of frighted Guardians saluted the Tyrant and backed away cautiously, as he walked the halls toward the second court and his actual residence.

His wives had gathered in a large living room to expect him, all dressed up and looking ravishing. He did a quick count, but no one was missing, so that was great. Deaths kinda sucked.

"Hey, my lovelies. A hug from all of you, and then I cook something?" he asked with a smile turning into a grin.

A pileup followed, although the Tyrant wives refrained and Sovereign Yuan sipped her tea with a raised eyebrow. Perhaps for the better, as the other wives were kinda fragile.

Except Lara, there weren't any Empresses among them yet, and even Lara was only an Empress in name, not in powers.

Lady Lin was close to the new rank though, and Pef made a note to cultivate her more attently.

"A Sovereign wife, Pef? Isn't that kinda too high, even for you?" Lin whispered while hugging him with all her meager strength.

"It's a long term decision, Lady Lin. Plus just like Jian, her god gave her to me. I just couldn't say no..." he answered in a mild tone. Lin glanced at the other fire qi beauty, and Jian nodded with a shrug.

"You had better brought me really good bones, husband. Or else." the smith wife warned, reverting to her old ways.

"Of course. Sovereign bones, hunted by this husband of yours. Not easy to forge though." he said in her ear in a teasing murmur, making her get hot and horny just from thinking about it.

Lin gave him a promising look, then turned away, going back to the smithy to finish whatever project she had on the fire.

"Come husband, you'll love the kitchen!" Lara demanded, her blue eyes smiling as she pointed at a door on the other end.

And indeed he loved it. Polished granite and brass stoves, large cooking bowls and a staff of three Guardian helpers with aprons and storage rings, waiting to help him cook for a whole family.

With their help, the meal was ready in only an hour, and made his wives happy and fed. The helpers ate in the kitchen, but the same meal, so they were quite happy with the arrangement.

"Lady Yuan, we need to talk" he said gently, as his beloved wives started going back to whatever training or practice they all did. Xie and Aria nodded to each other, possibly something to do with the pool.

The Sovereign nodded and twirled a finger, forming a barrier around them. "This is where, you ask to measure my body?" she asked in a fake wonder. Pef eyed her divine figure with a dry mouth and shook his head.

"See this glove? I'm certain Saren explained some things, but they are not the complete truth. Just as strong as you are, compared to a Practitioner, who is still forming the inner qi pathways for a Core, such is a Tier 8 divinity, compared to a Loose Divinity, like any Tier 1s." he said in a more polite voice, and offered his palm for inspection.

The Fire Sovereign tilted her head a bit, then a pinpoint inferno appeared atop of her fingertip and she poked the glove with it. Nothing happened of course. The glove wouldn't even heat up.

"So, it's a divine tier artifact. We kinda suspected that, for a long time." Lady Yuan concluded with a bit of sad grimace.

Pef ignited his fire sprite in his palm, holding both his hands on the table. "They are same type of creation, pretty firebird.

Only much, much stronger. When Volcanis needs it, my glove can impart the Legion method, and ascend him to Tier 2. No millions of years of prayers and sacrifice, no more desperate turf wars with petty godlings."

"How? That's against the natural order..." the Fire Sovereign whispered in horrified awe.

"A strong General has no weak Soldiers, esteemed Ignited wife. And the Legion Goddess is called General, herself a tier 8 divinity. And this glove, is her own hand. We will succeed, my lady. We will climb out of this desolate universe and ascend. It will take hard work and some time, even setbacks and loses, but the Legion always wins. Volcanis and Gaia will fight beside us, one day." Pef proclaimed in a soft voice, holding the Sovereign wife's hand gently, in his gloved hand.

The woman took a deep breath, glancing at her mangled hand, still missing a little finger, then up at Pef's eyes.

"What do I have to do?" she asked taking a leap of faith.

'Well, how long?' Pef asked his glove.

'A month would be enough. But perhaps two months, to make sure. Her constitution is incredibly resilient to disease.' the glove advised him, hinting at a special skill needing to awaken.

'Begin indoctrination, delay 10 minutes' Pef ordered his expert system, then searched the ground for the inevitable basement. Lara would have known to prepare one, in case more awakenings would come.

Then, the Water Tyrant walked around the table, and gently nudged his new wife to follow. "Come, my lady. Just like Teria, you'll have a bit of fever while the Legion method works through you. But me and your sisters will be by your side, and help you. And as a bonus, your finger will grow back!" he said in a cheerful manner.

Yuan Xi sighed and followed, having seen Ardent Teria recover, and gain so much strength, in the month she had been incapacitated in Myrrth.

The new wife kinda suffered a lot, for this display of trust, but there was always a comforting presence beside her bed, and nice meals and warm sponge baths...and Pef did get to measure her weak body, and kiss her tears away.

When the ordeal was over, the virgin Sovereign found herself at the peak, almost ready to cross into Monarch rank, a million years too soon.

Meanwhile, Lady Lin and Lara had received their cleansing meridian pills, getting stronger in the process, and with added dual cultivation, the soul smith crossed into Emperor rank, and thus able to freely forge Emperor ranked bones, and even begin working with some Tyrant bones.

In the Pef Empire, someone had discovered a nickel deposit, and another host of alloys emerged, cupronickel and gunmetal and various percentages were being added and subtracted. Thousands of smiths clamored for the precious additive, and that nickel deposit soon became an immense open mine, with hundreds of miners, aided by Lin and Jian, ripped the earth and stone appart for more nickel minerals.

The seaside road from Lacrimosa to Port Li was completed as well, guarded by a string of forts and lighthouses to guide the trading ships going along the shore.

The work on the Continental Canal was set aside for now, as the enclosed perimeter had enough arable land for a hundred million people, but only a tenth of those numbers.

Pef began to roam again, to Myrrth and beyond, taking a few wives with him every time, and returning with imported women from the former Locust citadel. With some schooling and an open mind, these immigrants would enrich the culture and the genes of the Saint continent, and they'll have plenty men to choose from.

The roamings were short escapades though, just to give his wives real combat experience in relative safety, and collect more ingredients for meridian pills.

Every qi rank gained made them stronger and more able to take care of themselves, and in the next two years, every single of one, except Lady Si, reached their Emperor rank, mostly by being showered with love and bloody guts.

His dear homely wife still Practiced for her Earth rank, but by avoiding combat, her progress was slow.

Lady Si cooking became very good instead, and her clothing almost pieces of art. She started a fashion school, and trained others into letting their imagination free and dress people with designer class wardrobes.

Lady Lara began building a fortified bridge north of Stoneport, crossing the Agate and making trade routes quicker and safer, and then she started a raised stone highway to Yellow Tear, using the freed workforce from the Canal.

She couldn't quite build it completely suspended like a viaduct, but a tenth of it was, when crossing ravines and hills, while the rest was a reinforced embankment, with large waystations where streams crossed the path, to allow caravans to get water.

And our hero, he kept his Practice, ten hours everyday, mostly his sword qi and soul forging, with some cooking and formation arrays mixed in for fun.

After two years, he could chase away beasts of Earth rank simply by laying an 'Away!' array command on a brass tablet or a very large stone.

Lady Yuan sometimes took pity and taught him a new spell or trick to do it faster, though she quickly regretted it, by being promptly hugged or kissed by the grateful husband.

It wasn't that bad anyway. She got used to him and his kind but awkward ways.

But when she called her god for guidance, all she received was 'stay beside him and keep him safe'.

The new finger or fancy robes were nice too, although she was made to wear a white-sandy armor instead of red, and a visored helmet instead of a veil.

Plus Lia, the Sun Tyrant, had become a close friend, ever since they bonded in Myrrth, and she reassured the weaker woman under the moonlight. They flew around the Saint continent, chasing evil doers and killing them.

Her husband was rapidly advancing, towards the peak of Tyrant rank, and the Tyrant wives were getting close to mid rank,

making her worry about her valued virginity. Though much less than before. The sister wives seemed very happy with the young husband, and kept trying to get pregnant.

Like it was that easy! It would take a hundred years, if they were lucky! Cultivators had a hard time getting offsprings, no wonder the Xi Emperors or most high ranks for that matter, gathered huge harems to increase the odds.

In Lacrimosa, Madam Ling and her husband, now an Earth rank, became Police Guards, keeping the city safe and practicing justified killings of bad people. It wasn't just a hobby, it was the job now.

In Port Li, Master Wong and his wife Chen, now an Earth rank, guarded the sea and trained the Sea Guard, aided by a hundred flunkies and small nobles gathering under Wong leader to receive guidance and help for cultivation.

Wong made them each armors and weapons and even small storage rings, before flying out or diving a bit into the sea, for more combat and beast bones. It wasn't easy, but Wong had his dignity, and never wanted to be used as a mace, even if by his own master.

Then one day, Pef and Lara vanished for a month, and she returned as a Tyrant as well, her face flushed and happy.

Her choice over the clouds in the Blue capital had paid off, both with a happy marriage and a great rank she only dreamed of.

Pef pointed at the pool, and Lara nodded with a grin, eager to relax and cool off a bit. Butchering 30 Tyrant ranked beasts had been exhilarating, and then congratulatory dual cultivation as well, but she needed a break. And no more sex for a month! Well, a week at least, since her sisters would need their own private time.

Pef flew into the smithy, kissing a surprised Lady Jian and then Lady Lin, while expertly measuring their bodies for any leaks.

"So, what's new?" he asked with a grin.

"Chief Quing is happy, and wants to see you." Lin answered with a small blush.

Pef scratched his cheek, mulling about this. That gruff man only would be happy about grandchild...

"Really? I got lucky?" he asked to make sure, his eyes wide in surprise.

'You sure did Aspirant. More recruits are welcome.' the glove confirmed amused.

Jian leaned into a hug, "So we know you're able, at least. But I pity you, my moron husband. The wives won't get off now. You're fucked!" the pretty Fire Empress whispered in his ear, while squeezing his ass a little.

Lady Lin hugged his other side, and licked his ear. "This generous and loving wife in particular. Reserve 10 hours for me, from tonight onwards!" she commanded in an imperial manner.

Pef gulped with a dry mouth, a bit scared of being sucked dry and drained like those poor people in Sangria.

"I better go see Mia and her dad. Still, I was really lucky, right?" he asked rhetorically.

"The heavens have to compensate for giving you so little brains, dear husband. But it's fine, we still love you, as you are." Jian whispered in a sultry voice, and kissed his neck with a hot breath.

Pef chose the honorable way, and fled in tears. Tears of joy, of course. Mia Xi was really happy too.

Then he got to drink with Chief Quing all day and half the night, until the happy grandfather passed out.

When he arrived home, a bit tipsy, and crashed in his bed, Lady Lin was there to keep her promise. For ten hours straight.

As the time for lunch came, and Pef served his wives with an exaggerated feast, he noticed their hungry eyes were aimed lower than his chest. He began planning an emergency roaming, no doubt for the same reasons all the Xi Emperors did.

To get away!

So that night, he prepared in secret to sneak out, only to meet Lady Lin and Xie waiting for him when he opened the door.

"How did you know?" he gasped in a quiet whisper.

The eyes twinkled silver on his other wife's face, while Lin just raised an eyebrow.

"You're too easy to read, hubby. And you did plan to take us along anyway, right?" Xia asked while kissing her Sovereign punch dagger.

"Y-yeah. It's going to be very cold though." the Water Tyrant said in a warning tone.

"We'll figure something out, husband. Worst case, you'll keep us warm." Lin said in a sweet voice, her arms crossed under her amazing airbags, just in case he needed a detailed explanation.

Pef wasn't that stupid though. He drew a bit of water qi to form a mist, and flew away, flanked by two loving wives, armed for bear.