118 Chapter 118 - Birthday?

As the sorcerers of Ashaya finished discussing potential attack targets and Bellam gained a rough understanding of the global situation, he decided to urgently head to Meereen since magical creatures like dragons had been last sighted there.

In a hall within one of Meereen's pyramids, Daenerys and her advisors finally concluded their discussion on the contract points proposed by Asmodeus. With a list of items requiring further discussion in front of her, Daenerys spoke with subtle flashes of cunning and playfulness in her eyes.

"Lord Morningstar, we've discussed the contract points, but there are specific details requiring clarification."

"Please, go on."

"Well, then, I believe we should start with the two most important points to us."

"Oh, and what would those points be?"

"Firstly, the contract, as I see it, is concluded on behalf of the Supreme Council of Wizards, yet only one of its thirteen members is present. Therefore, we request a more formal process. Can the remaining members of the Supreme Council attend the meeting?"

"Oh? Does my position as council chairman not suffice?"

"Lord Morningstar, as I understand from the contract you proposed, the council chairman does not have the sole right to independently decide the fate of our country. Thus, at such an important meeting, at least 9 Supreme Wizards must be present to vote in favor of supporting our agreement."

"Well, if that's what you desire..."

Asmodeus realized that Daenerys wanted something from the other wizards, and he was curious about it. He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a symbol identical to the one in the contract header they were about to sign.

A round table stood on the planet's surface, while a dragon flew overhead, spewing flames into the air. Asmodeus touched the symbol with his finger and muttered an incantation.

"Contractum magicaevos vocoet socios mli!"

The dragon on the symbol stirred and seemed to fly away somewhere, leaving the council symbol incomplete.

"They will be here soon."

And he was right.

One by one, teleportation gates appeared in the hall, and small pops from apparition spells echoed in the room.

Within just a couple of seconds, twelve people stood behind Asmodeus. First came Albus with Grindelwald, the sound of their apparition resonating through the air.

They received the coordinates as soon as Asmodeus initiated the magic to summon all council members.

Following them was Nicholas, using a peculiar form of magic... it seemed he utilized the gates of Kamar-Taj, but he fell out of them, descending from above.

Then came Rowena, also utilizing the gates, but like Asmodeus, she had an element, and hers was wind. Thus, if it weren't for the image from the other side of the gates, people might have thought a tornado was beginning in the room. And so they continued to appear: Salazar, Godric, Helga, Newt, Valchar, Kostos, Vinda Rosier, and Aberforth...

Yes, Aberforth. Slughorn said he had enough work at the academy, the lower house council, the potion research group, and so on. He also mentioned that everyone in the council except Asmodeus was so old that he didn't have the right to collect them... Rowena beat him up for that...

Daenerys' subordinates, and she herself, watched with great interest as the wizards appeared and interacted.

They immediately recognized the voices of Albus and Grindelwald, those who had been in the North of Westeros. Rowena, Asmodeus' companion who behaves like a wife...

Honestly, Daenerys compared herself to Rowena and realized she had no chance of seducing Asmodeus to negotiate better terms... When Daenerys isn't burning people alive, she arouses in men the desire to protect her and help her. She is petite, lovely, and beautiful. Rowena's aura is almost completely opposite. A playful smile on her face, a proud gait, elegance in every gesture, and a gaze that says, "I am untamable!"

But beyond that, people seemed stranger and stranger. Salazar appeared with a bunch of different vials levitating around him. And his gaze, semi-mad, when he looked at one of the vials of blood, was unsettling. Helga apparently had just finished planting with Pomona and was covered in dirt. This added to her strange aura of a motherly figure.

Then came Newt, a strange man who carries a trunk with him...

Two people arrived by the most exclusive method, stepping out of the flower that stood on the table... Literally, the flower grew to the size of a large arch, and from it emerged two men dressed in clothes made of leaves and sticks.

Then emerged another stunning woman, Vinda Rosier.

Daenerys' company noticed Dumbledore glancing a couple of times at Vinda and Grindelwald, as if analyzing something.

Then the last one came out... The old man, well-groomed though, also in wizard robes, but still old... and he bore a striking resemblance to Albus externally.

Of course, after a couple of seconds, they realized why he looked similar; they were brothers... For a couple of minutes, the group of wizards greeted each other and laughed.

Until Asmodeus spoke, "Alright, friends, you've received my message already, as I cannot personally represent the council, I was asked to summon you."

"Oh, for such a useless thing, I have to postpone my experiment... Asmodeus, when you return, there will be a surprise waiting for you, I guarantee it!" Salazar exclaimed.

"Looking forward to it, Salazar. Just don't breed some sort of offspring in a vial; I don't want a couple of dragon kids popping up out of nowhere." Asmodeus replied.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Myrtle is the main experimental subject."

"Poor basilisk..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, you imagined it."

"Hmm."

At this time, Rowena, looking displeased, said while looking at Asmodeus, "Alright, since we're here, can we sign the contract and leave? The Academy and Hogwarts are waiting for me, while someone here lounges around. Hm."

Asmodeus gently embraced her waist and said, "Thank you so much for taking care of these matters for me. I am incredibly lucky to have you by my side." He then tenderly kissed Rowena, who didn't resist.

"Ahem, ahem. While I understand displays of affection and all, isn't it a bit much to do it in front of strangers?" Albus asked.

"Oh, come on, ready to bet such behavior is normal in this part of the world. Am I right?" Rowena responded, glancing at Daenerys provocatively.

"I don't know about you, but in our world, lovers are accustomed to showing their affection regardless of circumstances. Of course, within reason," Missandei replied.

"Oh, what a lovely little girl," Missandei blushed as Rowena appeared right in front of her and lifted her chin, saying this.

In everyday life with Asmodeus, Rowena behaves exactly like this. She is a very individualistic person; yes, she embodies the wisdom of the magical world, but she is also extremely mischievous, as expressed in things like the stairs in Hogwarts and the door to Ravenclaw Tower. She is proud but not arrogant. Her gaze always carries a certain mystery and challenge. By the way, Rowena in bed... If Asmodeus were asked who is more aggressive, Rowena or the ten hottest girls in the Fire Nation, he would choose Rowena without hesitation.

But despite all this, she firmly stands behind Asmodeus and supports him in his work and research, even when she has her own projects. She is happy to help Asmodeus first because she chose him as her man.

After letting go of the now blushing Missandei, Rowena appeared with a clap on one of the tables and, stretching, said, "How nice it is to apparate after such a long time of using gates and teleportation halls. Maybe we installed them for nothing?"

Asmodeus sat down next to her and said, "Absolutely not. Apparition is the worst thing wizards ever invented. Couldn't they have seen it through to the end? Make it comfortable...?"

"You can pluck feathers from Fawkes. If you apparate with a phoenix feather in your possession, the negative effects of apparition won't affect you. Anyway, why are you, with the strongest body after Nicholas, so sensitive to a little space compression?"

"I think it's related to the process of my transition to your world... But the idea with Fawkes is good..."

Hearing this, Dumbledore wanted to pray to Merlin for Fawkes, and somewhere in Hogwarts, the red bird sneezed like a human. But upon hearing Asmodeus' response, Rowena took his hand seriously and said, "Our world."

Asmodeus smiled and said, "Yes, ours."

As everyone settled into their seats and prepared to discuss additional points, Valchar said...

"Um, guys, just a heads up, I have less than an hour left in this form, and so does Kostos. So don't be alarmed if we suddenly change," Valchar warned.

At this moment, Tyrion asked, "Um, excuse me, Lord Valchar, what do you mean by 'change'?"

"Oh, you'll see, you'll see, ha-ha."

"Alright, Valchar, Kostas, we got it, let's not get distracted. Your Majesty Daenerys, please continue," Asmodeus intervened.

Daenerys collected her thoughts and spoke again, "Since we've addressed one of the two main issues that concern us, I suggest we move on to the second."

"What is this problem?" asked Rowena.

"This problem lies in the nature of your Wizard Council's existence."

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Morningstar, since we're discussing signing a contract that will essentially make me and my people your vassals, I intend to speak frankly. The Wizard Council possesses military, economic, and human resources that are unattainable for our world, not just in Westeros, but in our entire world combined. Under such circumstances, how can we guarantee your compliance with the contract? Don't mention the footnote at the bottom of the contract; we've all seen that it's a magical contract, and anyone who violates it will be punished. The problem is that you possess magic and we do not. We understand that you're not obligated to negotiate with us on any of the points at all, but this aspect concerns us, and we request further discussion on it."

"So you think the council will break its oath?"

"Sorry, Lord Valchar, I mean no offense. Perhaps in your world, oaths do hold true, but in ours, they're nothing more than paper to wipe with. My brother swore to protect the king, but then he stabbed him with his sword. Joffrey swore not to harm Ned Stark, but he quartered him..."

"Stop, stop, stop, if I understand correctly, both examples are your relatives?" Salazar asked, looking at him strangely.

"Ahem, ahem. I didn't mean that. I mean, although we believe that oaths in your world are indeed true, we are concerned about the aspect of the Wizard Council's uncontrollability."

"Haha, what difference does it make what mere Muggles think..."

"Stop it, Grindelwald. I'm interested in what Lord Tyrion suggests," said Rowena, who already had a thought...

"Thank you, Lady Rowena. So, we're not demanding, but we would like, besides the council, another party to be responsible for resolving disputes and disagreements, should they arise."

Rowena smiled. "Whom do you propose as such a guarantor?"

Tyrion fell silent, and Daenerys spoke up, "Lord Morningstar. He can act as the guarantor, but for him to be able to do so, he will need a status equal to or higher than the status of the Wizard Council's chairman."

The people on Asmodeus's side didn't quite understand why, but Dumbledore, who discreetly peeked into Daenerys's mind, was a little puzzled and thought, 'Um, for such a silly reason...?'

Rowena replied, "I thought we were speaking frankly, although your reasons somewhat make sense, you're being deceitful."

Daenerys smirked bitterly and said, "Well, you noticed. Alright, this time I'll only speak the truth. Because of the remaining shred of pride, I don't want to become a vassal to all of you at once. And so, I propose that Lord Morningstar take a position higher than the council, for example... an emperor?"

"!!!!?"

"!!!!?"

"!!!!!?"

On Asmodeus's side, including Asmodeus himself, they exclaimed in surprise. They couldn't understand how one could elevate the status of a suzerain in negotiations about accepting vassalage.

But Rowena, smiling, said, "Is that all? Alright, I nominate Asmodeus Noren Morningstar as the emperor of the Adastra Empire, encompassing all the subordinate lands of the High Council. The High Council will remain unchanged, and Asmodeus Noren Morningstar retains his position as the council's chairman, but in contentious matters, he will vote separately, as the owner of the territories where the council operates. The city of Ad Astra becomes the capital of the empire, and the territories of the new world in the future will be considered vassals of the empire, and the Wizard Council will be obliged to coordinate its actions in Westeros and Essos with the emperor!"

Asmodeus listened with his mouth agape, not understanding what was happening.

"Alright, stop. What nonsense is this? Why do this? Not that I'm against becoming an emperor, but this is a meaningless position, considering we have the Wizard Council," he exclaimed.

At that moment, Rowena approached him and loudly said, "Asmodeus, first listen to what the other council members have to say."

"But... ow!"

Rowena pinched Asmodeus's waist when he tried to say something. She nodded to Grindelwald, who was next in line to speak.

"To be honest, I don't care. I sincerely consider Asmodeus my friend and savior. If it weren't for him, I'd be sitting in a tower in Nurmengard, waiting for death. But he fulfilled my dream; wizards haven't died out, and Muggles no longer exist. So if he wants to become something like a king - I don't mind," Grindelwald said.

Dumbledore also spoke up, saying, "If obtaining this title will allow us to smoothly annex new lands, then count me in."

Then Nicholas chimed in, "Haha, Asmodeus the emperor. HAHAHAHA, can you imagine how quickly the Bank of Adastra will become the world's leading bank? Although, honestly, I don't care. You've given me a reason to keep living, made me young again. And I don't see anything wrong with occasionally calling you 'Your Majesty' at official meetings."

The Druids, Newt, Vinda, and Aberforth were not against it; on the contrary, they expressed more approval than indifference.

Asmodeus looked at Rowena, who had a cunning smile on her face, and tiredly asked, "So why do this? Just for fun?"

Rowena whispered quietly into his ear, "If we have children, maybe it wouldn't be bad to give them a country as an inheritance?"

Asmodeus also replied quietly, "I have Adastra city and the academy. No matter how bad any potential children might be, they won't be able to squander these savings. And also places in the council. How is being an emperor different from that?"

"Because the Wizard Council manages the world, and the emperor is the guarantor of this world's existence! You are the only one who can communicate with Primis."

Asmodeus was left silent by Rowena's words and watched her leave, then turned to the other council members.

"Now that no one has any objections, I appoint Asmodeus Noren Morningstar as the emperor of the magical empire of Adastra. He is the guarantor of this treaty. Is Asmodeus's status high enough now?" Rowena cunningly asked, looking at Daenerys.

"Enough, more than enough! We are ready to sign the vassalage treaty; we submit to the jurisdiction of the Wizard Council but are vassals of Emperor Morningstar," Daenerys replied.

"So be it!" Rowena waved her hand, and some lines in the document changed accordingly.

Finally, she turned to Asmodeus and asked, "Well? How do you like my birthday present?"

"Huh? It's not my birthday..."

"But it's the day you entered our world."

"...."

Asmodeus said nothing, and approaching the contract, he cut his finger and dripped blood onto it. Turning back, he kissed Rowena and said,

"Thank you for believing in me."

"You're welcome..."

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Please give me some stones