It was the luck of the Saint continent, that it was somewhat remote and devoid of rare resources and qi that the angry godlings finally stopped wasting their world energy with constant attacks on the upstart Sovereign.
Also, it was somehow counterproductive, as instead of massive human deaths or panic all they could achieve was deplete nearby stocks of beasts, and expend time and resources in a sink pit.
The Guardians actually grew strong and experienced, by fighting beasts, then forging their bones or cooking the meat, and eating it. For one whole year, they gained lots of experience.
The Volcanic Fire sect became more powerful from all this, expanding all over the Red Dew and the Yellow Marshes continents, and setting up a hundred new firecones with their new Tyrants in all the sizable towns.
The druids finally managed to reduce the cults on their home continent, the Green Gea, with the aid of the new Sovereigns and
Blue Xi started a new branch of their Wall, to create 12 new provinces someday. For now, it was only one, Ang Xi's son who emerged as an Emperor, but every Tyrant could ask to raise a new province for an heir, as long as the Wall Command had enough troops to support an expansion.
Wixtal supported the initiative as well, as his heir had indeed reached Emperor rank, even if she was a woman.
She'd have to rule along with a husband, but Pef had already arranged that, the crafty little bastard.
More and more trade airships began flying among the civilized continents, as merchandise could be easily stored in storage rings, and books or metal were valued anywhere.
The new metalsmiths from firecone Fuji had managed to melt iron and the news spread all over the world on snake wings.
Then Lithos and his smith wife managed to create steel, by experimenting with various alloys, and produced a tiny handbook for the Patriarchy, which allowed the new million smiths to duplicate the results, if they had iron and charcoal at hand.
And with steel, higher concrete constructions could be poured safely, and without walls that thick. A meter at the base, and half a meter walls over 10 meters high was considered a safe norm, once the concrete was reinforced.
Some discoveries spread to the Pef Empire as well, although they only found iron on the Black Magma continent, not daring to dig into the Tian Mountains. The worm wasn't aggressive, being content to simply refine qi in whatever manner the beasts did, but the locals had myths of ancient times, when the Sword Saint had battled the worm and forced it to retreat into the mountains.
Pef escorted a hundred Fire Guardians to the city of Jovis, where they would melt and pour iron and steel, and Practice as smiths. His Sky ranked Majors, Merri, Chu and Ren were setup as governors, and given a dozen Earth rank Guardians as garrisons.
It wasn't enough, but our hero wasn't going to risk dispersing his wives on another continent.
They were kept busy near the capital, or Carthage or Smithtown, mostly.
Pef was lazing in his sauna again, when Yuan and Lia entered and sat in front of him, naked and pretty.
"I have already lost, my smartest wives. Just tell me where to sign." he admitted without shame.
Lia smiled kindly, since her husband was smart enough to realize when the odds were not favorable. Not that he seemed to care, most of the time.
"You're perhaps a decade or two still away from your Monarch rank, husband. Unless..." Yuan said in a fairy smile, then glanced at Lia as a hint.
The Sovereign sighed in defeat. Damn oracles.
"I already said yes." he explained in a somber tone.
"Lia, Lin and Lara. You have three golden auras, that need to rank up, young husband. And here, they will grow slowly. Safely, but slow. And you want more than two druid Sovereigns, don't you?" Yuan asked with a deep breath, making her chest jingle in a mesmerizing way.
'Should we, my glove?' Pef asked his main adviser.
'The Monarch has a point. Your Tyrants aren't 60 thousands years old sword masters. And you have always compensated training with ranks.' the system answered after a few long seconds.
"Everytime I roam, the godlings get angry and attack en masse..." Pef answered instead, worried of another huge beastwave.
"Aria and Jian can guard the coast west of Port Li. Perhaps Pela as well. Mia and Yen will prefer to stay close to the kids." the oracle argued instead.
Pef glanced at his groin then towards Lia, with an eyebrow raised. His beloved oracle visited him perhaps once a year, and it showed. They were a bit cold now, as if this marriage was a job and not a joy, for her.
"And I want lots of love. Mountains of love..." he demanded with a charming smile.
Yuan had to pay the oracle a gold plate for some reason. "I knew you would say that. Damn it. Why can't I be wrong?" Lia asked rhetorically.
Pef scratched his cheek, thinking deeply. "If it's such a bother...then forget it. I could ask Zhong, if he likes..."
"Damn idiot! Not all women are the same, no matter what you think. You got spoiled and even got lucky in love. But my job means killing people, Pef. A million people, with a million separate sword strikes, every time holding life or death in the balance. Judging and executing people. And most of them are heinous men. You know what kind." the oracle said with a sob, and hid her face in her palms.
The young man didn't have so many moral qualms though. He had killed innocents as well, to save them of worse fates.
But seeing a woman cry broke his heart, and he stepped forward to hug and pat his dear wife.
"We leave next week, you two. Don't spend all week in bed." the Fire Monarch said in a weak voice, then left with an impressive speed. Yuan was bit jealous, since she could only watch and yearn, for this kind of deep love.
In the end, these two kinda spent all week in bed, or near one, using Pef's penthouse as a retreat.
But when the golden party was gathered for departure, Lia was a bit less cold and distant. Not very warm, but almost normal.
By now, everyone in the group had a Monarch ranked polearm, and Monarch rings or breastplates.
They were difficult to use, but at least Sovereign bears wouldn't break the Tyrant ranked wives arms with a glancing hit.
It would take a full hit.
Guardsman Pirel was again at his post on the roof, still an Earth rank but with wind spirit, so he could fly in emergency.
"Hey boss, you should bring two beauties this time. One for me!" the man demanded in a secret bro code.
"So, I should tell Rumi to expect a sister wife?" Pef wondered curious.
"Actually, pretend you didn't hear me. I'm not a god's chosen, to be rewarded with understanding wives..." the man muttered in more subdued voice.
Lin smiled sweetly, as she loved being called understanding. "You hear that hubby? Two more sisters, for your understanding wife!" she proclaimed as she took off into the sky.
Lara winked at her husband, kinda hoping for a new hot sister.
Lia just sighed, knowing how it will end anyway.
And Yuan watched all this and asked herself again, what in god's name was she doing here?
Soon enough she found out, as Pef took out the Anaconda, and had her push the airship, to train herself more.
While Pef lazed in the nacelle's couch, being fed grapefruits and getting a neck massage.
But such was the way of the Legion. The stronger ones worked even harder, to shore up the weaker links.
The city of Frigia was a place of contrasts, with high raising palaces made of stone and animals bones, but also dilapidated wooden huts or ever tents made of leather.
The street were narrow and packed with dense snow, as the climate was mostly cold, for three fourths of the years.
Also, people were diverse and highly contrasted, from rich masters wearing furs of beasts as trophies to simple people trembling under blankets and ponchos.
But what they all had, was fervent belief in Artus, the god of winter, and the cold wind whispering in their hearts.
The city wasn't especially large, perhaps 50 thousand people, of which perhaps 70 were cultivators and 5 were at Sky rank.
So when 5 new cultivators of unknown rank descended in their city, the locals were quite curious and excited.
Children looked with wide eyes at the strangers, four women and a man, all wearing bluish armor with wolf fur trimmings.
"Mister, are you from the Fire lands? Or maybe the Blue lands?" a brave child asked the only man, since he looked young and friendly. The women beside him, looked old and scary, in his eyes.
"No. I am from the Saint continent." Pef explained with a kind smile.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He glanced around at the curious city, trying to perceive what problems could appear. There were no slaves or crazy cults around, that he could discern, only hardy people, struggling to survive.
Yuan blinked at her husband, as he again did something unexpected. This time chatting friendly with a young boy about 10 years old, and gifting him trinkets and sweets.
The boy's mother was a bit circumspect, but didn't seem scared, even though there weren't strong cultivators around. Well, except their group.
Pef arranged with his new friend for a tour, and got them introduced to the important buildings or places. The reindeer market, the seal market, the fish market, the winter temple...
"Let's go take a look, I guess. Never seen a winter temple in my life!" the Sovereign proclaimed in an enthusiastic manner.
"You can go, mister, but be polite. Lady Winter is kinda cold and harsh..." the young boy said in a fake whisper, then ran back to his mother.
Pef nodded wisely and walked inside the temple looking around curious. Motifs of ice crystals and snowflakes, even some cold climate animals or plants were sculpted and painted inside the building, and he smiled when he realized some support beams were actually Morse tusks, like he had used for his lance.
There were some stone benches and clever windows made from translucent beasts parts, like retinas. This whole temple seemed old, very old. There was no wood inside, at all. Only stone or bones, durable enough to have withstood thousands of years with little erosion.
Towards the back, there was a stone slab with a sword resting on top, and it made Pef gape in wonder, when he realized that sword was of Monarch rank. Blue light filtered through slits in the ceiling, giving the whole place a holy aura.
'You should leave this place, at speed. Actually, it's too late. Just be yourself, Aspirant' the glove advised Pef as an afterthought.
The young man smiled a bit sad. A person had appeared in front of the sword altar, so fast or skilled that he only noticed the shape a few seconds later. There had been no qi warning, nor had his water domain been disturbed.
"Hello, I'm Pef Xi. You must be Lady Winter?" he asked politely while peering intently at the new arrival.
The woman had piercing azure eyes, and platinum blonde hair with azure highlights, and wore only a simple white robe, with a wide leather belt and a pair of leather sandals. But as much as Pef tried, he couldn't discern her age or strength, only a feeling of cold and distance.
"Visitors... You brought me gifts, or sword methods?" a profound and icy voice came from the woman, almost like Xia could use, in her special moments.
Pef checked around, and even scanned behind the walls, but there were no rooms or tunnels from where this strange priestess could have come.
"Well... I haven't invented ice cream yet, but I have other things. I'm a great cook and smith..." he explained serenely, and heard some wives snort in the back.
"Hmmm. You wear a messenger's skin, all of you. Locust, I think. But it was that Fire Monarch who made them. Not that I have use for armor..." the woman observed in a flat tone, like it was something evident or obvious.
Our hero pointed his wives to sit while he advanced a bit closer, and sat on the first stone bench, right in front of this woman. A thousand possibilities roamed though his mind, as he searched the huge inventory in his rings and glove.
In the end, he took out a copper tray, and a steel knife, and began squeezing some oranges in a tall glass.
Then he took out some lemons and a jar with honey, and made a fast dessert, right in front of Winter.
"Sit and try it, my lady. Orange juice and candied lemons from my home continent." Pef offered, pointing at the seat beside the tray.
An amused snort resounded from the azure haired woman, and she instantly appeared seated at the offered spot.
The Sovereign, continued making more juice and desserts, adding bananas and apples to the menu, which he also ate, to test for quality.
"Tian and Magma fruits. Haven't tasted these for many years. You are quite brave, venturing this far. Are you the new Patriarch of the Xi?" the woman asked after tasting a dozen fruits and drinking a liter of orange juice for free.
"Nah, old Deng is still alive...that stubborn bastard will bury us all." he explained with dejected voice. It seemed this woman knew the Patriarch, so she might be quite old.
The azure eyes measured the young Sovereign slowly, stopping for a second on his glove.
"Hmph! Young Deng is still around, but you wear his precious glove. Perhaps his godblade as well?" she wondered glancing towards her sword, with inscrutable eyes.
Pef sighed and nodded in defeat. Another old monster, and a sword master no doubt.
"I have a Veritas Legion knife, but it's not the Patriarch's one. This puppy was damaged and cracked, but I'm slowly attuning it..." he whispered and unfolded the knife for inspection.
The knife floated around a bit, even tapping the woman's hand for a second, before circling around and returning to the glove.
There was no blood or scratch on that hand though, suggesting a few things to this visiting Sovereign.
The woman was a Monarch, or perhaps more.
She glanced at Pef, then towards the women in the back, examining each with her strange gaze. "Show me something nice, young Xi. The oracle is a good start, but I've seen a dozen."
Pef grinned and cleaned the bench, removing the tray with snacks, then began depositing various medicinal or meridian pills or school books, even formations or array metal plates and captured scrolls and jade crystals.
The priestess set aside the White and Green pills and the penicillin box, then a book about water and its various uses, from boats to irrigation, then saunas or steam engines, and again one book about metals. "It seems humanity has advanced a bit, since I last explored the world. That worm is still there, in the Tian mountains?" she asked a bit curious, after scanning through all the other items with disinterest.
Pef froze for a second, then patted her hand with his gloved hand. A flood of information came through, confirming his worst suspicions. "En! It is still quiet, that Rock Worm. You scared him good, Lady Saint."
"I must have, if people still remember it. I hope that forest grew back..." she said with a far away look, possibly trying to remember that fight.
"Well, the meridian pills might shorten your ascension by a million years Lady Saint, but there's still a dozen more, at the rate you're going. So, any advice how to meld my qi and soul?" the man asked cheerfully, now that he had an expert nearby.
The atmosphere in the temple decreased by 100 degrees, as the Saint narrowed her eyes at the rash youngster.
"Just master your soul, and train it to obey. Formations and forging, or soul shields. Isn't your Monarch teaching you?"
she wondered as it should have been obvious.
"Ah, that was an accidental ranking. Volcanis gave me this sprite...and I donated it to Lady Yuan. But, now I got another, so it's all good. Except my Ignited wife advanced in rank, before we could... cultivate" Pef said with an embarrassed chuckle.
The Saint smiled faintly, as the young Xi produced a flaming sprite in his left hand.
She held her palms up and two icicles formed at once, to show she knew exactly how it goes.
"I see. Very similar to my promotion, a long time ago. So, you actually want to learn the sword?" the old woman, who looked around 50, but in a good way, replied with a wise nod.
"Truthfully, I'd prefer to take you with me, and drain you of everything you know, Lady Saint. You're wasted here." he admitted with a shrug, while passing his glove over the bench to collect back the items, the scary woman didn't select.
Yuan coughed in surprise, while Lia just smiled amused. Their husband was back at his own games, collecting allies with insane ideas and childish demands. Lin kinda wanted to object, but who could refuse a Saint, if she came willingly?
The Sword Saint appeared next to the sword altar, and picked up her sword with grace and reverence.
"And I would prefer to exterminate anyone who presumes this much. But we rarely get what we want, isn't it so?" she replied with a serene voice.
Pef gasped audibly, as this was a threat, and not a small one." Or you can spar with us a bit, and relieve boredom. My wives and I need practice, and the Lady Saint could use some friends to talk to." he said while scratching his head, a bit awkwardly.
"Friends... I could have friends...to make fun of..." the woman mused out loud, covering herself in ice from head to toe, then vanishing somewhere.
'Was that, a yes?' Pef asked himself in wonder.
'You're still alive, Aspirant. This Saint had the right idea though, you're great at making fun of...' the orange glove answered amused.