...…


    "That is… You know I don''t have a wife, do you not?" Azmodeus muttered with a crooked smile.


    "Yes, we do. Which is why this proposal is feasible, as having such a strong and high-ranking noble with no connections to the Kingdom itself only spells troubleter on down the road.


    This is why we have devised a way for not only that issue to be swiftly solved but also a sure-fire method to keep our daughter''s safe and away from harm.


    In addition, it will give us all peace of mind, as we will have yet another pir of the kingdom on our side—a pir that will henceforth be dubbed ''The Sword of Azura'', assuming you ept the offer that is."


    The King held a shiny blue, golden medallion in his hands—a medallion that depicted a dark blue demon with six arms and the face of a devil slicing up entire army''s using its overwhelming might.


    "This was what I had the Royal Forger''s prepare for you, and it is the object that will allow you to bypass the rule that no ''Non-Pure Blood'' Noble can be a Duke. This not only allows you to instantly acquire a status equal to a Duke, but it also makes it so that you can use authority that supersedes even my own in times of dire need.


    And along with your Arch Professor Title, as long as we confirm that you are indeed 2000 years old and possess more than 3 professions in the Meteor Rank, we can begin processing right away.


    As for your Physical Existence Refinement and Potion Master Rank, we just need to verify your Potion Mastery. After all, we are already well aware of the fact that you are of the Early-tinum Rank, putting you at the level of an Azura."


    Following the King''s words, a contract appeared out of thin air, as he said, "All you need to do is give a voice confirmation, and then you can sign this so none of us have the opportunity to back out of the agreement."


    Azmodeus looked at the quill and paper floating through the air using some form of spiritual stone conversion. After grabbing onto the items, he brooded over his options.


    Of course, it was all just a front, as he had long since decided what he would do in order to maximize benefits!


    After all, the marriage was technically nothing but words on paper, so nothing had to be upheld on his end. Furthermore, with the numerous benefits stated in the contract, there was absolutely no downside to having this Primordial Essence Clone obtain some goodies from this little outing.


    So after a few seconds of pretending to be deep in thought, he turned his head up and said, "I''ll do it."


    "Really!? You will-!?"


    "But only under one condition." He finished his words while staring at the hopeful expressions of ancient, archaic monsters who had been alive for tens of thousands of years.


    Peak-Diamond Rank and Early-tinum Rank… Antiquated Monsters capable of evaporating singleyered infinity nes on a whim... Even singleyer infinity nes with infinite timeline continuum''s like the ones I destroyed the other day would stand no chance against these old dudes...


    People like this are practically begging me to stay connected to them one way or another…


    And since I have the upper hand in this conversation, I will take the utmost advantage of the cardsid out before me.


    An indiscernible sh of darkness shed past his crimson-colored eyes as he continued by saying, "There is one more thing that I want, and if you can fulfill this wish of mine, then I will take care of your daughter''s until the day they die."


    "!!!" "!!!" "!!!"


    Hearing the counteroffer made by the Marquis, they understood that he was no easy nut to crack, but in the end, what they wanted most was his absolute alliance.


    So without hesitation, they said, "Whatever it is that you want, we will give it to you! No matter what it is!"


    Azmodeus''s imperceptible smirk widened a little bit as he received the answer he wanted, and so he responded, "What I want is simple, really. I want the ability to send a clone out past the translucent barrier that prevents me from going past the Azura Kingdom''s borders."


    "You wish to send a clone out past the borders…?" Jing Fu inquired with a perplexed tone, his brows furrowed in confusion as he looked toward the Duke''s, only to see them just as puzzled as he was.


    None of them—including the curmudgeon Duke Doxing—could fathom why it was that anybody wished to venture out past the Azura Kingdom…


    After all, once one made it past the ''Barrier'' set up by the God''s, they would instantly be highlighted on some form of 4 dimensional map/gps. Which would enable anyone in each territory to know who and where the said ''Invader'' was from.


    In terms of the Astral ne''s geography, the whole world was like a game of tic-tac-toe, with some locations being part of the ''red'' and some part of the ''ck''.


    To be more urate and true to this analogy, the whole world was split up into squares—evenly cut squares in which the ''Square Holder''s'' (Typically Land Ruler''s) were able to open up a small hole in their respective ''Square world''.


    If one cut open a hole and entered the territory of a ''ck Square'' while originally being from a ''Red Square'', then all inhabitants of said ''ck Square'' would automatically receive information on your existence.


    This phenomenon might seem unusual to outsiders, but it was said that many, many years ago, the world was nothing but a t sphere-like object. Its entire dimensionality was determined by the Rules and Laws of a Second Layered Infinity Construct.


    And this ''Sphere'' was like this for an immeasurable number of years, far longer than the Ten Astral Principalities have been around.


    However, after countless billions of years passed within the void that encapsted the ''Sphere'', something began to change inside its clear blue exteriorposition.


    It was unknown how this change came to be.


    Some said it was because an object infused with the qualities of a Star Radiance Realm Expert fell from the endless void, and some say that it was a cause of due process.


    But regardless of the rumors that spread, the only two beings who knew the truth of the situation were none other than the ''Goddess of Light'' and the ''God of Darkness''. Both of whom were the very first existences to be born in the Astral ne following its transformation into a board of tic-tac-toe.


    ...…