Chapter 37: The Meeting of Gaia and Ailin

Chapter 37: The Meeting of Gaia and Ailin

“Although I do have some worries about entrusting my precious daughter to your protection, since this is the will of the gods, I’ve decided to take a gamble on you. What do you think? Will you accept this proposal? I believe it’s a great plan for both the Ice Dragon Clan and your humans.”

The Ice Dragon King watched Gaia, waiting for his decision.

“Uh… just give me a moment, this isn’t something I can decide on my own; I need to go back and discuss it with others.”

Gaia pondered deeply. The nature of this matter was significant. Even though he was a king with the right to decide, he felt it was inappropriate for a newly crowned ruler to make such a decision alone.

“Well, I’ve anticipated this situation. After all, you are still a king. It’s not something you can decide alone. Go back and discuss it thoroughly with your people, and figure out how to proceed. I’ll be waiting here for your reply.”

Gaia’s response was exactly what the Ice Dragon King had expected.

After finishing his conversation with the Ice Dragon King, Gaia descended the mountain alone, returning to the Royal Palace.

“Ouxs, summon all members of the royal family. I have something important to discuss with them.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Upon returning to the Royal Palace, Gaia instructed Ouxs to quickly gather all those with authority within the palace. He needed to have a serious discussion about this matter.

Before long, under Ouxs’s summon, all members of the palace had gathered in the Conference Room, waiting for Gaia to reveal what he had to say.

“Gentlemen, I have a matter I’d like to discuss. It’s about my battle with the Ice Dragon King. To be frank, I didn’t succeed. It seems the Ice Dragon King was already aware of my arrival, setting a trap and waiting for me. He talked to me about a certain matter, which I want to discuss with you all because the gravity of this issue is too significant for me to decide alone.”

Before elaborating on the matter, Gaia paused to glance at everyone in the Conference Room. Each face showed a serious expression. Without a doubt, they all understood the severity of the situation.

“The issue at hand is the conflict between Panimir and the Ice Dragon Clan. The Ice Dragon King proposed a compromise. This entails that I, as your king, marry his daughter, Ailin. This way, Panimir and the Ice Dragon Clan would become allies, living together in harmony here.”

As soon as Gaia shared this information, the Conference Room erupted into chaos. Everyone had different opinions about the matter.

“I oppose! How can the Ice Dragon King be so kind as to marry off his daughter? There must be some trick behind this.”

“I actually think this proposal isn’t bad. It allows both the humans and the Ice Dragons to resolve their issues without bloodshed. Isn’t that a fantastic solution?”

“But that would mean sacrificing Lord Gaia’s own marriage!”

“I don’t see it as a sacrifice. Lord Gaia and the Ice Dragon King’s daughter will undoubtedly produce powerful offspring, leading our nation to greater strength. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Suddenly, the room filled with voices, everyone speaking their minds.

“Everyone, please be quiet!”

Seeing the uproar in the Conference Room, Ouxs couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, demanding silence.

“So, to ensure fairness, I will not use my right to a decisive vote this time. I won’t participate in the voting. The decision of whether to marry Ailin rests with all of you. So, if you agree to my marriage with Ailin, please raise your hands.”

After Gaia finished speaking, he looked at the 28 individuals seated in the Conference Room, aside from himself. The decision about whether or not to marry the Ice Dragon King’s daughter lay in their hands.

“There are 24 votes in favor of Lord Gaia marrying Ailin. It seems this matter is settled.”

Ouxs counted the remaining hands that didn’t raise, discovering only four went unraised.

“Well, since this is the consensus, I’ll make another trip up the mountain tomorrow. However, I must clarify one thing beforehand: marrying Ailin will surely stir a significant uproar within the kingdom. I will face a lot of public pressure, so I hope you all can help me manage it when the time comes. Thank you all.”

After finishing his statement, Gaia bowed deeply to everyone in the Conference Room.

The next day, Gaia set off alone up the mountain bright and early, as the decision was made, and he couldn’t leave the Ice Dragon King waiting too long.

“You’re here? I didn’t expect you to come so early.”

Just like last time, the palace doors opened for him. The Ice Dragon King sat on his throne, awaiting his answer.

“Of course! Since the matter is settled, I can’t keep you waiting.”

Gaia showcased a much steadier demeanor than before, easing the Ice Dragon King’s worries somewhat.

“So what is your answer?”

“My answer is this.”

Gaia pulled out a marriage contract from his bag and handed it over to the Ice Dragon King.

“Oh? Looks like you’ve agreed to the marriage.”

“After all, this proposal is indeed not bad for us humans, and… your daughter is quite beautiful.”

Gaia stole another glance at Ailin, standing next to the Ice Dragon King. It had to be said that Ailin truly was strikingly pretty. Gaia realized he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life. If he were to take this Ice Dragoness as his wife, he certainly wouldn’t be losing out.

“Alright. In that case, let’s not delay. We’ll proceed with the marriage contract now.”

“Wait a moment! Before we start the marriage contract, I have one more thing to address.”

Before commencing the contract, Gaia had one more agenda item.

“What’s that? Speak up.”

“It’s about this contract, and I hope Lady Ailin can help sign it as well.”

Gaia pulled out another contract from his bag and placed it on the table.

This document was different from the marriage contract—it was a slave contract. The owner’s name already had Gaia written in, but the space for the slave’s name remained blank.

“Hmm? Gaia, what do you mean? You want my daughter to be your slave?”

Upon seeing this contract, the Ice Dragon King’s expression darkened. What was this human trying to imply? He had reluctantly agreed to marry off his daughter, and now this guy wanted to make Ailin his slave too?

Not a chance!