Chapter: 70. Respect
Seeing the tone of the Demon King, he must have thought of a reward with considerable depth and value, one that ordinary people cannot fathom.
Dizna deliberately chuckled coldly, delaying his speech for a moment, building suspense with mystery before glancing at Livra, his eyes sparkling with pride.
After Livra tilted her head, confused about the situation.
Dizna stood up and declared proudly!
“I have decided! I reward the kingdom’s hero, Xialet, five hundred magic gold coins, five hundred magic silver coins, and an additional five hundred magic copper coins! Hero, there’s no need to thank us for our generosity. As someone trusted and valued by Xue Fei, these are the rewards you deserve!”
“……”
Xiya didn’t even bother to say thank you.
The main reason is… Xiya felt it was quite speechless, right?
After all that thinking, it turns out you’re giving direct cash in the most mundane way?!
It’s not that Xiya is dissatisfied with the reward, but the gap between what she imagined and the reality was too large, and it was somewhat cringe-worthy.
She didn’t speak, so the Demon King must have thought she was stunned by the bountiful reward, right?
Behind Dizna, a dark vortex emerged, indicating the state of the Storage Magic activating without incantation.
Without needing to be fetched by hand, several exquisite large boxes flew sequentially from the Storage and landed on the ground in front of Xiya, the lids automatically opening upon hitting the ground, making a noise that drew everyone’s attention to the boxes.
Golden light burst forth.
Inside the boxes were filled to the brim with the general currency of the Demon Territory.
The purchasing power of the Demon Race’s magic gold coins is roughly equivalent to five times that of Aulus gold coins, and the same goes for magic silver and copper coins.
Therefore, in terms of monetary amount, this cash is indeed quite a lot, even considered a tremendous amount.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Demon King’s gaze turned to the thoughtful Livra, chuckling quietly, feeling incredibly proud.
Did you see that, Princess of Aulus? When your kingdom’s king rewards Xue Fei, they reportedly can only offer land and titles, ingredients and gifts, but they can’t put out any real wealth?
How amusing.
This embodies the financial gap between the Demon Territory and your Aulus Kingdom!
There’s no helping it, the desire to flaunt military and financial power is deep in the hearts of the Demon Race, and it’s the unworthy ambition of the Demon King.
Below, Xiya glanced around at the boxes filled with gold coins, originally thinking of politely refusing since she didn’t lack money, but it seemed inappropriate to reject these as rewards from the Demon King.
Until Xiya noticed the silver-haired little figure hastily approaching the boxes, drawn in by the smell.
Xiya immediately made up her mind, feeling clear in her heart.
“Hmm, alright, Your Majesty, the Demon King, I will accept these rewards. Thank you.”
“Hahahaha! Accepting is right! We of the Demon Territory don’t lack money!”
Xiya responded with a bitter smile and nodded, then without waiting a moment, walked over to Xue Fei and gently patted her little head.
“Xue Fei, let me help you store these away, you can keep them.”
“Eh?! Really for me? Hehehe, this is a bit embarrassing!”
“Hmm, it’s not like it would do me any good to have so much money, you should buy some donuts, right? You should be able to buy quite a lot!”
“Hehe… Thank you, Sister Xiya~”
“So you finally know how to sweet-talk now, huh? Little clever girl.”
The Demon King appeared dumbfounded.
Seeing Belis also pulling money from her pocket and hurriedly shoving it into Xue Fei’s hands, the Demon King furiously slammed his throne and stood up!
“Why are you all giving this brat money?! Xialet, what do you mean by this? This is a reward from me to you, and you just turned around and gave it away?! Though… it’s to my daughter, so… it shouldn’t be too inappropriate?”
Hearing this, Xiya temporarily paused her actions of moving the boxes into Xue Fei’s Storage Magic, turning to politely respond to the Demon King’s question.
“Your Majesty, it’s my money, and we usually spend it together. In other words, my money is Xue Fei’s money. Is there anything wrong with that? Didn’t you say these gold coins are a reward for me?”
“That… uh, the problem is… uh? Where did the issue arise? How strange.”
The Demon King usually doesn’t want to give his eldest daughter too much pocket money; she spends too frivolously. Even if she can’t eat all the donuts, she has to collect them, and the speed at which she buys fish fry to open lakes is outrageous. Plus, she wants to spend money on materials to research all sorts of weird magic, resulting in explosions.
Seeing Xue Fei happily collecting those boxes of gold coins with a beautiful smile, Dizna felt terrible.
A strategic blunder!
This time, Timani was no longer sulking; having heard that dragon races like treasures, she walked over to look at those gold coins. Though she didn’t particularly like them, she knew that one magic gold coin could feed her for a month, and seeing this spectacle still surprised her.
“Fire Lizard… let me tell you, if you want to be a dragon, you should have some class. Don’t think about getting something for nothing.”
“Humph, do you really think I would rob your gold coins?”
“Of course, I’m not worried. Look, it’s all gone, nicely packed away!”
“Damn… it’s just money… I can wash dishes to earn! I still have several copper coins left!”
“… How about I give you one later…?”
“No need for your pity!”
Oh, now I understand why she was sulking; it’s a poverty mentality, and it’s incurable.
Having accepted all the boxes filled with gold coins, Xue Fei fervently expressed her gratitude to Xiya, but didn’t notice—Xiya’s corner-of-the-mouth smirk of triumph.
Xue Fei… there’s a saying, receiving gifts makes you indebted.
So, does this mean Sister might have more say from now on?
In the evening, Sister wants to see how sweet your words can be.
Exchanging for the greatest rewards with the least concern was a rare moment where Xiya felt she had outsmarted herself!
Dizna slumped into his throne, having lost his gold coins, no longer wanting to speak.
And this seemed to represent the conclusion of this playful family award ceremony.
However…
The previously silent Queen Herlith adjusted her gold-trimmed blue crystal crown, stepping forward steadily as if moving in a straight line, standing before the throne.
She patiently waited for the children to recover from their ecstasy over the gold coins.
Then waiting for them to gradually quiet down and naturally turn their attention her way…
The Queen suddenly put away her full smile, transforming her demeanor into one of seriousness and dignity, waving her sleeve.
Thus, she proclaimed.
“In the name of the Hald family, I declare Xiya Hald the new lord of the Border Fortress Lide Qidu, granting her the title of Honorary Duke of the Border, enjoying the autonomy of the territory, and may travel freely on the road from Lide Qidu to the Royal City of Canbino without being questioned at the border, enjoying all the rights of the nobility of the Demon Race!”
Her clear yet gentle voice echoed, sudden and unexpected.
As her words fell, before the echoes had faded and everyone blinked, not yet realizing the implications.
Herlith’s seriousness vanished, and from the lofty, dignified Queen, she slowly transformed back into that smiling, nurturing mother.
“Well then, how does that sound? Are the children satisfied?”
“Ah…” Only then did Xiya organize her thoughts about the content of the proclamation, “Th… thank you, Your Majesty, but I…!”
“Wow! Xiya, now you’re also a lord of the border! We’re even now!”
“Eh?!”
Is this already confirmed?!
Xiya had no room to refute, as Xue Fei had already jumped into her arms in joy, holding onto her beloved, leaving Xiya no thoughts to counter or discuss the Queen’s decision.
While Xiya, Belis, and Xue Fei were caught up in their commotion, Herlith suddenly turned to Livra with a tilted smile.
“Princess Livra, with this, you should feel reassured regarding your position.”
“Ah… Do you mean… hmm, now that you mention it… indeed! Thank you very much, Your Majesty! Boohoo, actually, you didn’t have to consider me.”
“That won’t do, you are also a friend trusted by Xue Fei, and as her mother, I must at least express something.”
“Riding on others’ coattails, boo, this time it’s really due to Teacher Shaya.”
“Hahahaha, don’t put yourself down; you are an excellent child. Have more confidence.”
“Hmm! Thank you for your understanding!”
This conversation might sound somewhat confusing.
But Livra, with her clever mind, could still grasp the meaning.
The Queen appeared to only be rewarding Xialet, but actually, she was giving Aulus Kingdom a reassurance.
Previously, Xue Fei had also received the title of Honorary Duke of the Border, concurrently serving as the lord of the Border Fortress Corutis, and afterward, the King of Aulus announced an alliance with the Demon Territory.
Now, the Demon Queen had granted the same treatment to the kingdom’s hero.
This essentially conveyed a friendly signal to Livra, emphasizing the sincerity of cooperation between the two countries once more.
Of course, the Demon Race wouldn’t publicly disclose the hero’s identity; they would only say that this lord was a child found from the collateral branch of the Demon Royal Family, Xiya Hald.
That was sufficient.
Livra, being the Third Princess of Aulus Kingdom, possibly a future heir to the throne, understood the facts and didn’t need to explain anything to the subjects of the Demon Race. It was enough for Livra to comprehend the Demon Territory’s stance.
Moreover, the geographical positioning of the Border Fortress Corutis of Aulus and the Border Fortress Lide Qidu of the Demon Territory is closely linked by the national border, which is also a significantly meaningful arrangement.
Originally powerful, the Demon Race does not need to make statements to Aulus even if cooperating, but the Demon Queen still chose to express a stance.
Livra smiled foolishly, feeling even sweeter in her heart as she laughed.
Hehe… it’s great to follow Teacher Shaya.
Out in the world, even her character is receiving great respect!
