Ordering the personnel stationed on the island to make a few rounds had given the young emperor far away in Ryan an eye-opening experience.
The exhibition areas that had already been completed were packed to bursting. He had never imagined business could be conducted in such a manner in this world.
No direct transactions took place—only demonstrations.
All manner of pre-recorded memory crystals played around the clock, displaying everything from the handling of raw materials to final fabrication.
Although only some of the less critical crafting steps were recorded, people in the background were always shouting slogans at the top of their lungs: things like "Authentic materials, tenfold refund if counterfeit!" and "Dragon scales must bask for a full one hundred and eighty days to achieve peak efficiency!" There were also displays of finished magical equipment—enchanted armor capable of taking several Fireballs head-on, magical weapons boasting all manner of exotic effects... turning the entire exhibition hall as bustling and chaotic as a battlefield.
Exaggerated yet irrefutable advertising slogans like these, combined with stunning footage of massive industrial processing, made it remarkably easy for onlookers to believe the motto: "God of Alchemy Selected—Always the Finest!"
Once you bought into that slogan, you would naturally follow instructions into the back rooms to negotiate bulk orders with dedicated liaisons. They wouldn't even entertain transactions below a hundred thousand gold coins, catering strictly to high-end business.
After a quick walk around, the young emperor witnessed deals worth several million gold coins being concluded.
Given this, Ange Watson really couldn't be blamed for spending gold like running water. This lich was utterly ruthless; hardly anyone could withstand such temptation.
To the young emperor's frustration, however, he still couldn't find a single shred of intelligence regarding those magical patterns.
It wasn't that Ryan's imperial archives lacked relevant records, but rather that only scattered fragments remained. The most critical parts were missing entirely, either devoured by bookworms or smudged into illegibility by ink stains.
He had applied the power of time to them and painstakingly restored the texts, only to find them even more incomprehensible. Much of the writing was repetitive and logically incoherent.
After combing through materials for half a day, his final conclusion was that this magic formation originated from an ancient magical civilization. Which one, he couldn't tell; from what era, he didn't know. But it appeared to be a formation designed to gather colossal magical power, allowing its user to attain strength transcending the mortal realm.
"Magic like this actually exists?"
The young emperor frowned.
To be completely honest, the reason he dared treat Ryan as his personal testing ground and engage in all manner of suicidal gambits wasn't merely because the Empire of Ryan wasn't his to care about squandering. Most importantly, it was because of the power he personally possessed.
The might of a time dragon was invincible in this mortal realm.
Back then, Arthur Ryan had won by an absolute fluke. Not only had the Demonic Dragon Tyrant lost his artifact, he hadn't even taken Arthur Ryan—a "mere human"—seriously during their duel, resulting in a baffling defeat.
Given a second chance, Arthur Ryan's odds of winning wouldn't even reach ten percent.
Knowing that lich's habits, since he was already aware of his identity and had Arthur Ryan by his side, he had likely deduced the effects of the power of time.
Yet even knowing all this, he had still invited him to attend the conference.
That meant the lich had already found a countermeasure against a time dragon, and that countermeasure was very likely the magic formation enshrouding the entire island.
The deduction was entirely reasonable, and the young emperor felt he had grasped the crux of the matter.
If his power of time were suppressed once this ancient magic formation activated, would he have anything else to rely on?
Although there was no immediate answer to that question, he remained supremely confident.
There were plenty of Ryan people staying behind on the island. Sabotaging the magic formation quietly wouldn't be difficult; planting a few alchemical bombs set for delayed detonation would suffice. Alternatively, he could locate the formation's control hub and seize command of it directly.
Conspiracies and underhanded schemes were only at their most dangerous when kept secret. Now that he had deduced the formation's mystery, there were countless ways to handle it.
"Sigh, I really don't want to stand on opposing sides with that lich. With his assistance, the future empire would never face a shortage of money. Hopefully, before the war begins, I can persuade him to take my side. If Arthur Ryan could do it, so can I."
The young emperor stopped scouring ancient tomes and turned back to inspect the financial ledgers instead, checking how much gold he could scrape together to bribe the lich.
What he had seen on the island taught him that the current lich was truly wealthy enough to rival entire nations; offering a trifling sum would only invite his mockery.
It wasn't just Ryan—everyone was preparing for the upcoming conference.
Yet the busiest among them were neither the Ryan delegation nor Anbaixiu, the host, but rather the people of the Raging Tide Kingdom.
Because Talos was getting married—right on this small island, on the very day of the conference.
In the eyes of other kingdoms, Talos's wedding was an affair that only the high-and-mighty deities needed to care about; mortals were merely there to observe the ceremony.
Even the revived Demonic Dragon hadn't paid much mind to the matter of Talos's marriage.
Deities were forbidden from meddling in the mortal realm at will. This was Ao's divine law, and even Talos had to obey it. Even if the Lord of Storms found an excuse to strike down the Ryan Emperor, he could not unleash his full divine might, but would be restricted within mortal boundaries.
Just like Aeolus, whom Talos had forged back then—at the end of the day, he was merely unkillable, his personal combat prowess not exceptionally formidable.
And as long as deities didn't intervene personally, the power of time was the ultimate shield and spear; he feared no one who came.
Consequently, most of the guests felt largely detached from the proceedings. At most, they would serve as witnesses to see how a god held a wedding.
For the Raging Tide Kingdom, however, that was impossible. Talos was their patron deity, and for their primary god's wedding, every last one of them was worked up into such a state of frenzied excitement that they couldn't sleep for days.
A deity manifesting an avatar to descend to the mortal realm and hold a wedding—what an immense honor that was! Nothing of the sort had ever been heard of since the founding of the Raging Tide Kingdom; or rather, nothing like it had ever occurred in the recorded history of their entire faith.
What were they supposed to do without a precedent?
Who knew what rituals a deity's wedding called for, what procedures had to be observed, or what offerings were required for sacrifice?
The priests of the Raging Tide Kingdom pored through every ancient text until the pages were worn ragged, arguing vehemently for days on end. In the end, their squabbles spilled into the dueling arena, leaving several people severely injured, yet they still failed to reach a final consensus.
Her Royal Highness Princess Ariel was equally helpless. There truly was no precedent to follow for a god's wedding, and if any detail of the ceremony was mishandled, it would constitute the grave sin of sacrilege. Left with no choice, Ariel could only pray for an oracle.
Yet the reply Talos gave left Ariel speechless.
"Leave it all to that lich to handle."
That was Talos's answer.
Ariel had frozen in disbelief at the time. Just who was the devout follower of Talos here? Why entrust everything to that lich?
Yet a deity's command could not be defied. Ariel had no choice but to rush over to Anbaixiu and ask how the wedding was to be arranged.
Anbaixiu seemed prepared well in advance, producing a thick wedding itinerary and handing it to Ariel.
Flipping through the first few pages, things seemed normal enough. They were simple yet grand ceremonies derived from the worship of Talos, including storm priests performing hymns to Talos using lightning, ancient war dance performances, and the like—the Raging Tide Kingdom possessed relevant records for all of these, so carrying them out wouldn't be difficult.
Further down, the contents took a slightly bloodier turn, though this too was a traditional custom of the Raging Tide Kingdom: a Duel Before the Gods.
Talos's tyrannical temperament relished such forms of sacrifice; warrior duels were an indispensable component of his faith.
"However, you want the various kingdoms to send champions to participate in duels... will they ever agree to that?"
Ariel was no longer the sheltered princess who understood nothing of the world; after enduring so much, she naturally considered the broader picture.
Anbaixiu was actually scheduling attending guests to take part in lethal duels—who would accept such terms?
Anbaixiu merely said with an air of mystery, "Don't worry, the gods have agreed. They will all give Talos some face. When the time comes, every kingdom will send forth their champions to duel."
"The gods agreed?" Ariel's eyes went wide.
How could that be? The Elven Gods were hardly on good terms with Talos, and the Lord of the Dawn was his sworn enemy.
No matter how she looked at it, this made no sense. Would the Lord of the Dawn permit his own followers to duel others at Talos's wedding, risking their lives just to entertain him?
Anbaixiu said with supreme confidence, "Rest assured, I will handle this matter. Since Talos said to leave the wedding arrangements to me, Your Highness need only carry out my plan."
Although Ariel remained reluctant to believe it, the oracle was unmistakable, so she had no choice but to accept Anbaixiu's arrangements.
With the duel settled, Ariel continued flipping through the wedding arrangements, only to discover another bizarre detail.
"Master Ultraman, it says here that everyone attending the wedding must wear a specially crafted ring? Does this ring hold some special significance?"
Ariel had assumed it was some ritualistic ornament or ceremonial regalia, until Anbaixiu slipped an exquisite ring onto her hand and explained, "This is a ring used to detect lies. At Talos's wedding, no one will be able to lie; otherwise, the ring will glow red. At a deity's wedding, we certainly cannot speak insincerely and commit sacrilege against the gods, don't you agree?"
"No one can lie?" Ariel looked puzzled. Something felt amiss.
Anbaixiu nodded, offering a gentle smile. "I'm sure Talos will thoroughly appreciate a wedding brimming with sincerity."
Ariel turned her wrist, caught Anbaixiu's skeletal claw, slipped the ring onto him, and asked, "Master Ultraman, are you sure you haven't lied to me?"
Anbaixiu was taken aback. What had gotten into her?
"Your Highness, what do you mean by that? It was Talos who instructed you to follow my arrangements."
Ariel did not let go. Clamping down firmly on Anbaixiu's hand, she pressed, "The god indeed told me to consult you, but your arrangements are far too bizarre. Is doing this truly for the Lord of Storms's wedding? Master Ultraman, have you really not lied to me?"
Ariel was no fool. Who didn't harbor secrets? Even the closest confidants had moments of deceit. Forcing every guest into an inability to lie—what chaos would that unleash? If anything went wrong, the entire wedding could be ruined.
If any disaster occurred and Talos placed the blame, the Raging Tide Kingdom would be doomed.
As a princess of the kingdom, Ariel had to settle one thing no matter what. Minor details could be overlooked, but she had to know what this lich was truly trying to pull.
Anbaixiu shook his head. "Everything I have arranged is known to Talos and permitted by him. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to verify it with your deity."
Ariel glanced down at the ring on Anbaixiu's hand; it showed no reaction.
Ariel knitted her brows. Remembering something, she pressed further: "That's not right. You didn't give me a straight answer. I asked whether you lied to me, but you replied that the god knows everything."
Anbaixiu felt a flash of awkwardness. When had this silly girl gotten so sharp? Truly, shouldering responsibilities had a way of sharpening one's wits.
Seeing electric sparks begin to flicker in Ariel's eyes, Anbaixiu quickly said, "I haven't lied to you..."
The moment the words left his mouth, the ring began glowing red.
Before Ariel could explode, Anbaixiu rushed to add, "To say I haven't lied to you at all is impossible—in my partnership with the Raging Tide Kingdom, I certainly pocketed more than what was on the books. I trust you can understand that; after all, I'm a businessman. But on the matter of the wedding, I swear I have not lied, let alone deceived you."
The red glow on the ring finally dimmed, and only then did Ariel release Anbaixiu's hand.
The princess said smugly, "Actually, I knew all along. The renowned Master Ultraman wouldn't truly make so many concessions for the Raging Tide Kingdom. But hearing you admit it yourself is satisfying enough. Still, now that you've confessed, we can negotiate the profit-sharing ratio again, right?"
Ariel beamed from ear to ear, leaving Anbaixiu visibly astonished.
This princess had truly matured quite a bit.
Fortunately, she still had no idea what the real lie was.
Chapter 504