Chapter 83: Three Original Men

On the Continent of Gods, marriage is both sacred and open.

A man can take multiple wives, and a woman can have multiple husbands!

As long as both parties agree, it's permitted. If they can't agree and engage in extramarital affairs, they will face severe punishment.

Additionally, marriage on the Continent of Gods embodies the Chinese cultural notion of "following your partner wherever they go" to the fullest extent.

Once married, either party must give up many of their rights and status to follow the other.

For instance, if a male viscount marries a female count, the male viscount must abandon his surname, family, and noble title to take the female count's surname. Conversely, if the female count marries the male viscount, the viscount is the dominant party, and the female count must give up these things to follow him.

This rule applies to marriages between people of different nationalities as well. For example, if a count from the Golden Sparrow Empire marries a viscount from the Tudor Kingdom, the count must not only give up their title and other privileges but also change their nationality, becoming a citizen of the Tudor Kingdom.

This particular rule is why Li Xie is targeting these students and helping Fan Di Se pursue Amanda!

The students are easier to persuade, but Amanda is a different matter altogether.

A tenth-tier mage, if Fan Di Se manages to win her over, Juhua City would gain a powerful tenth-tier mage.

Although various countries interfere to some extent with the marriages of their powerful citizens, strong individuals may not comply. After all, they have painstakingly earned their strength, and if they can't even decide their own marriages, what's the point of having such power?

Of course, this situation goes both ways. If Fan Di Se manages to win over Amanda, Juhua City gains a tenth-tier mage. However, if Amanda manages to win over Fan Di Se, Li Xie would be in a tough spot!

Li Xie certainly won't let that happen!

"You all know," Li Xie smiled, "I am the lord of three cities. However, I am always eager for talent. If any of you want to work in another country, you can come directly to my city. Currently, I am based in Juhua City. You don't have to decide now; take your time, discuss it with your friends when you return to the Golden Sparrow Empire. If you decide to come, bring your friends along. The pay is excellent! And if you don't want to work but just want to visit Juhua City, you're welcome too. I'll cover all your expenses, including travel costs!"

"Wow! Really? Even if we don't come to work, we want to visit!"

"Yeah, yeah! Brother Xie, I'll definitely tell all my friends!"

...

As soon as Li Xie spoke, the students immediately started excitedly chattering, mostly about visiting Juhua City for tourism rather than work.

Li Xie narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, his small fang flashing.

"Heh, once you all arrive in Juhua City, you'll never want to leave! Hmm, it seems I need to cultivate a group of handsome men and beautiful women to seduce swordmasters and magicians from other countries. Tsk tsk, right now Juhua City has nothing but people! Strange, why do I feel like a pimp?"

At this moment, Li Xie was still plotting to lure these students, unaware that this fleeting thought would become a cornerstone for his future well-staffed army!

"Your Grace, this isn't very honorable, poaching students right in front of their teacher," Amanda said with a smile, expressing her discontent.

Li Xie chuckled, "Miss Angel, that's not right. A good teacher should teach students skills, help them integrate into society, and seek a bright future. Now, here I am, opening a door to a bright path for your students. You should be grateful to me!"

Amanda smiled, "No need to trouble Your Grace. I've already planned paths for my students."

"In that case, having an extra option isn't bad." Li Xie noticed Amanda's wariness and decided to change the subject, "Alright, let's not talk about this. I won't poach your students. Let's drink, eat, and play some games. How about a riddle game? The loser drinks a glass of wine and has to draw a circle on their face."

"Sure!"

Young people love to play, and at the mention of games, the students started cheering.

"Ahem..." Li Xie cleared his throat and nudged Fan Di Se. Playing such a childish game wasn't just a random act; drawing circles on the face might be fine for students, but not for a teacher like Amanda. Now was the perfect time to get her away.

Luckily, Fan Di Se wasn't clueless. He immediately stood up and smiled, "Angel, this game seems a bit childish for us. How about we go over there and chat?"

Li Xie chimed in, "Exactly, you two haven't seen each other in a while. Go catch up. This game is for kids, and as a teacher, you might find it inappropriate."

Amanda indeed didn't want circles drawn on her face, so she nodded and walked aside with Fan Di Se.

With the gentle sunset, the cool breeze, and a glass of fine wine, it was the perfect setting for romance. Meanwhile, Li Xie was fooling around with the young students. They ended up conspiring against Li Xie and Zain, painting their faces black.

Time flew by, and dinner, which lasted nearly two hours, felt like it ended in a blink.

Looking at the moon's position in the sky, Li Xie, without a watch, estimated it was around eight in the evening. They were about 2000 kilometers from Manny City. With Li Xie's flight speed of nearly 500 kilometers per hour, it would take about four hours to reach.

With dinner over and enough rest taken, Li Xie glanced at Fan Di Se, who was still chatting earnestly with Amanda. Shaking his head, he said to the students, "It's time for me to go. Thank you all for your hospitality."

"Brother Xie, are you leaving so soon? Stay a bit longer!"

"Yeah, why not ride with us on the airship to Manny City? Even though we won't be as fast as you."

"Right, Brother Xie, it's still early."

The students didn't want to let go of this man who had given them fine wine and who, despite his noble status, had a special charm and approachability.

Li Xie wasn't in a rush, but staying on the airship to play boring games with these students wasn't appealing either. Talking with them, Li Xie completely overturned his previous perception of students.

When he was a wanderer, he used to envy students going to and from classes, thinking they were very cultured. Now, Li Xie suddenly realized he might have become too mature. Perhaps it was due to his wandering life, where he attended the 'university of hard knocks' too many times, or maybe because of his current noble status, dealing with high society and having a broader perspective.

In any case, he didn't want to stay on the airship until it reached Manny City.

Besides, he had almost finished swaying these students, and Fan Di Se didn't seem to be making any progress with Amanda. Staying longer wouldn't change anything, so it was better to leave it for another time.

Li Xie smiled and said, "I have important matters to attend to, so I can't stay with you. But remember, if you want to work, come to my Juhua City. The pay is excellent! If you want to travel, also come to Juhua City. I'll cover all expenses, including bringing your families! Also..."

Li Xie chuckled and continued, "See? My old friend seems to really like your teacher. Help me say good things about him. Remember, if any of you come to Juhua City for a visit and manage to bring Teacher Amanda along, I'll reward you with ten thousand gold coins! If you come in a group and bring Teacher Amanda, I'll give each of you ten thousand gold coins!"

"Really?"

The students' eyes sparkled with excitement!

Regardless of their family backgrounds, ten thousand gold coins was a significant amount for them. Moreover, they loved causing a ruckus and would be thrilled to help their teacher have a special romantic story.

"Hey hey, have I ever lied to you?" Li Xie stood up, calling Ze En Nade along. "Fandi, time to go."

"Huh?" Fan Di Se was still enjoying himself and hadn't expected Li Xie to leave so soon.

"Huh, what?" Li Xie walked over. "Miss Amanda, thank you for your hospitality, but we have urgent matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."

Amanda smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the wine. It was wonderfully mellow, but not quite strong enough. I wonder if I'll have the chance to taste the Tudorian 'Burning Fire' someday..."

"Hahaha..." Li Xie laughed heartily. "Juhua City has a seventy-year-old bottle with a fiery taste! We'll be waiting for you, Miss Amanda!"

"Of course, please."

"Please. Let's go, stop dawdling!"

The three of them bid farewell and resumed their flight.

Fan Di Se, with a troubled expression, flew next to Li Xie. "Sir, I'm useless. I wasted your fine wine."

Seeing Fan Di Se's expression during his conversation with Amanda, Li Xie knew there hadn't been much progress. He sighed heavily. "You really are useless. Luckily I was there, or you would've been swept away by Amanda."

"Sir... what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? That girl likes you."

"What? Sir... you said earlier she had a bit of a thing for me, but now... now you're saying she likes me." Fan Di Se looked surprised but couldn't hide the smile spreading across his face. He was clearly thrilled.

"Ugh, you're not passionate enough, got it? She said you're too serious, not proactive, not passionate. If you keep being clueless, she'll take the initiative, and then, by the grace of Master Mian! Oh! Sell the dog! My tenth-tier Sword Saint will be lured to the Golden Sparrow Empire by that girl!"

"Sir! I won't leave you. Whether in life or death, I belong to you!" Fan Di Se declared with conviction.

"Ugh, why are you only able to say these sappy lines to me?" Li Xie said irritably. "Alright, that girl likes you, just waiting for you to make a bold move! It wasn't the right place on the airship, but I've already convinced those students to bring Amanda to Juhua City. Don't worry, once Amanda is in Juhua City, I'll make sure she becomes your wife!"

"What?" Fan Di Se was shocked. "Sir, you... you can't! Please, leave Angelique to me."

"Ugh! Who said I wanted her?"

"You just said... Juhua City's wife."

"Aren't you from Juhua City? Isn't Juhua City yours?"

"This..."

"Ugh, you usually aren't like this, why are you acting brainless now?"

"Sir..." Fan Di Se smiled wryly. "I just don't understand these things, otherwise, I wouldn't still be..."

Fan Di Se suddenly realized he had said too much and stopped abruptly.

Li Xie had already caught on, his eyes widened. "Whoa! You're still a virgin?"

"..." Fan Di Se's face turned a deep purple.

Li Xie chuckled. "Perfect, so am I. But I'm a fresh sprout, you're nearly a withered tree!"

Noticing Ze En Nade's uncomfortable expression, Li Xie raised his eyebrows. "You too? Oh my, you've practically turned to stone!"