Chapter 10: Count Evil

Mercedes VII was very pleased with this etiquette. Hearing the words "long live," he felt particularly comfortable in his heart. Humans cannot reach the age of ten thousand, nor can demigods. Only gods can!

"Please be seated," Mercedes VII said as he sat down, watching his subjects take their seats. Then he continued, "Today, there is a major announcement. Kevin Laine, my legion commander, please come forward."

Count Laine walked up to Mercedes VII and knelt on one knee. Mercedes VII stood up, placing his right palm on Count Laine's head. "May the Earth God be with you! Peter Youcain Mercedes Laine, your achievements in the empire are unmatched, and your sincerity is as clear as the moonlight! In the name of Mercedes VII, I confer upon you the hereditary title of Duke of the Dynasty, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dynasty, and the Commander of the Lion Legion. I also grant you the three cities of Northern Water Lily, Rose, and Rosemary!"

This conferment immediately drew shocked gazes from the assembled nobles!

Currently, the Tudor Dynasty only has a nominal duke. Now, Kevin Laine is the highest-ranking duke of the Tudor Dynasty! And he's a hereditary duke at that. Such honor is usually only bestowed upon founding fathers or those who have achieved feats crucial to the survival of the dynasty. There are currently no major wars, so why would Mercedes VII suddenly bestow such a title?

The nobles speculated, and even the Prime Minister had a similarly shocked expression on his face. They could guess that the King hadn't consulted anyone about this conferment; it was a completely unilateral decision. But why?

When they heard about the cities granted by Mercedes, the nobles began to suspect that the dynasty might be preparing for war! The "Great Sun Dynasty" in the north has been restless, constantly harassing the borders of the Tudor Dynasty. And now, by conferring these cities upon Kevin Laine, facing the "Great Sun Dynasty," it seems the dynasty is preparing for war!

After the shock, the nobles had no major objections. Although they might find Mercedes VII's conferment a bit abrupt and might even think Kevin Laine isn't qualified yet, considering Mercedes VII's unilateral decision-making style, whoever opposes it will be unlucky! Who here isn't a shrewd person? They all raised their glasses to toast Duke Laine!

Only one person, while raising his glass in congratulations, couldn't hide a trace of murderous intent in his eyes. This person is another legion commander of the Tudor Dynasty, the Panther Legion Commander, Count Pantheon! He sat below the Prime Minister and used his raised glass to conceal the killing intent in his eyes.

After the congratulations, everyone sat down neatly. However, the banquet table continued to produce discordant sounds, which drew side glances and mocking looks from many people.

What sounds?

That's the sound of Li Xie eating and tearing food!

Feeling the gaze around him, Li Xie stopped his actions with food still in his mouth, mumbling unclearly, "Why are you all looking at me? Don't worry, I won't snatch it. There's so much food here, I can't finish it all by myself anyway."

After saying that, Li Xie ignored everyone and continued to focus on the battlefield of dishes.

Actually, the banquet hadn't officially started yet. At least, Mercedes VII hadn't spoken. Apart from the wine, no one would touch the food on the table. Moreover, few people would actually eat the food, as they were all nobles who had eaten enough and didn't want to invite gossip!

However, our Mr. Li couldn't care less about these things. What etiquette? What congratulations? In his eyes, they were all hypocritical. Isn't it just a meal? If you're hungry, why not eat?

Moreover, Li Xie had been bitten on the palm and hadn't replenished the energy from sucking blood, so his body felt weak and he easily felt hungry. And this meal was his first one today; he had already started eating when Mercedes VII conferred the title.

While eating, Li Xie was also planning to pack some for a midnight snack!

"Hahaha..." Mercedes VII laughed as he looked at Li Xie, pointing at him and said, "It seems that my nephew has successfully attracted the attention of all of you."

Nephew?

Mercedes VII was the only son of Mercedes VI, with no brothers, so where did this nephew come from?

Li Xie also stopped and looked at the Emperor of Tudor, wanting to see what kind of identity this man was going to give him! A swindler is not enough, now there's a nephew? What's going on?

Mercedes VII continued to laugh, pointing at Li Xie and said, "I understand your confusion, my nephew's full name is Ferukio Lamborghini Mercedes Xie, the Earl of Evil!"

What's going on? It sounds impressive!

Li Xie was completely confused, but he understood that his surname was "Li" and had been changed to "Xie." He understood the word "earl," so he had become a noble! And he was even an earl!

Of course, Li Xie didn't understand, but the nobles present understood very well!

In the Tudor Dynasty and even in the entire continent of the gods, the full name follows the format: ancestral surname? clan surname? title surname? family surname? name.

Taking Li Xie's full name as an example, Ferukio is Li Xie's ancestral surname, the surname of his ancestors. Lamborghini is Li Xie's clan surname, indicating that Li Xie belongs to the Lamborghini family or clan. Mercedes is Li Xie's title surname, which can be multiple titles bestowed by superiors or titles between clan and family surnames. As for the family surname, it's the surname Li Xie takes from his parents, which could be from the father's or mother's side. The name doesn't need explaining.

The Tudor Dynasty does not have the surname "Xie" in its mainstream surnames, but "Ferukio Lamborghini" was the ancestral and clan surname of a prominent family in the Tudor Dynasty!

Twenty years ago, the Tudor Dynasty had "Dual Dukes," one of whom was the Duke of Lamborghini! However, after the "Rose War" twenty years ago, both "Dual Dukes" fell, and the Lamborghini family was annihilated in the "Rose War," with none of the mainline descendants surviving! There are no longer any individuals in the Tudor Dynasty with the surname "Lamborghini"!

Now that Li Xie has been given the surname "Lamborghini," it means that he will be the sole heir of the Lamborghini family! Although the Lamborghini family has been extinct for twenty years, the territories owned by the Duke of Lamborghini have not all been reclaimed by the dynasty. At least one city remains under the name of the Duke of Lamborghini — Chrysanthemum City — the birthplace of the Duke of Lamborghini. To commemorate his achievements, the dynasty has not reclaimed this city!

The deeper meaning behind Li Xie's full name is that he may potentially become the Duke of the Tudor Dynasty! Although the title of Duke of Lamborghini is not hereditary, it is inheritable by descent, but as long as the achievements are sufficient, it is much easier to be promoted to the title of duke than others. Even if he cannot be promoted to duke, the title of marquis is definitely within reach; it's just a matter of time!

And being a marquis with a city under his control is a status far beyond that of most "title nobles" present! It means that Li Xie will be one of the few true nobles in the Tudor Dynasty with real power!

"He's the grandson of the Duke of Lamborghini?" The voice of the Right Minister Elwyn Hayes was somewhat gloomy. His thin appearance didn't reveal his specific age, but his slender eyes half-closed made him seem unapproachable.

Mercedes VII chuckled lightly, "Exactly, my brother, Sean Lamborghini's son! The grandson of the Duke of Lamborghini! I only learned of this a few days ago and went through great efforts to bring him to the capital, to preserve the last drop of bloodline for the Lamborghini family, which is also a consolation to the spirit of my brother in heaven!"

Sean Lamborghini was the sworn brother of Mercedes VII, so when Mercedes VII referred to Li Xie as Sean's "bloodline," he became a nephew by extension. And Li Xie naturally inherited his "father's" marquis title and became the "Earl of Evil."

"I've never heard of Sean having offspring. Could there be something fishy about this?" The Right Minister voiced his doubts, but it sounded more like questioning and suspicion!

"Hmph!" Mercedes VII snorted coldly, "My Right Minister, are you questioning Li's identity or questioning me?"

The Right Minister was startled and quickly clasped his fist, "Your Majesty, I dare not."

"Hmph! Stay in your place! Just help me arrange a leisurely position for the Earl of Evil in the capital. As for the rest, let's wait until the Earl officially inherits the Lamborghini family inheritance." Mercedes VII ignored him and raised his glass. "The banquet begins, my dear ministers, help yourselves."

"Gurp..."

With a prolonged belch, all eyes turned to him again. While Mercedes VII and the Right Minister Elwyn Hayes exchanged glances, Li Xie had already eaten his fill.

Sitting back in his chair, rubbing his belly in contentment, Li Xie once again drew disdainful looks from the nobles.

"My nephew here is a country bumpkin, don't mind him, hahaha..." Mercedes VII laughed heartily again. The cruder Li Xie behaved, the less he was respected. The less noticeable his divine presence, the happier Mercedes VII was. Especially since Li Xie's vulgar behavior seemed so natural, not contrived.

But Li Xie didn't care. He knew he was considered a divine incarnate and would become a god-descended master. The significance for a dynasty was profound enough to change a country's fate! With this in mind, he paid no attention to the gazes of others!

Hmph, looking down on me? I'll make you all bow before me sooner or later!

Li Xie inwardly swore, then smiled at Mercedes VII, "Your Majesty, would you mind if I pack some food for a late-night snack? Of course, if you have late-night snacks available, I won't need to pack."

Late-night snacks? Packing food?

Mercedes VII had never considered such a thing in his life! For a moment, he didn't know how to respond and could only laugh again, with the nobles beside him following suit. A banquet had just begun, and the main course hadn't even been served, yet everyone was already so joyful.

The main course, "Snow Sturgeon Dragon Fish," was quickly brought out after Mercedes VII announced the start of the banquet. Li Xie couldn't help but complain silently because this was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life. Unfortunately, his stomach was too full to eat more. These Snow Sturgeon Dragon Fish were so precious that even nobles found it hard to come by. Despite the abundance of leftovers on the table, these few Snow Sturgeon Dragon Fish were devoured to the bone, crushing Li Xie's idea of taking some home.

After the banquet, there was a ball, and many noble families attended with their relatives. However, Li Xie had already exhausted himself and was snoring loudly in a corner, adding an out-of-tune beat to the melodic music of the ball. This left a lasting impression on many young nobles, but it was one of dislike and disgust. If it weren't for their elders warning them that this person would be the real power of the dynasty in the future, few young nobles would have wanted to greet this new "Earl of Evil" who slept so heavily. Unfortunately, Li Xie paid no attention to any of them throughout the night.