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Chapter 18 Demanding Fiefdoms
The main fortress of Haiyan City is called Gull Fortress.

The walls of Ravenburg are pure black, while the walls of Gullburg are painted entirely white, which shows that the Fahre family really has no talent in aesthetics and only knows how to paint a single color thickly.

It's perfectly reasonable for ugly people to not understand what beauty is.

Inside the Gull Castle, in the banquet hall.

Plump and beautiful maids moved among them, bringing out sumptuous dishes and fine wines.

The men of Fahre raised their glasses, laughing and talking loudly, eating and drinking, or pulling passing maids into their arms and groping them while lifting their skirts. The entire hall echoed with boorish and unrestrained laughter.

Only Raine sat alone in the front row, politely declining all the maids' flattery, and simply letting Dia silently pour him wine.

Ellina sat beside him, elegantly and coldly rejecting the advances of the human men around them.

Marquis Fahre sat at the head of the table, looking at the seemingly ascetic young master Renn, and felt a slight displeasure.

No matter how you look at him, you can hardly see any of the characteristics of a man named Raine Fahre.

However, it is said that most high elves value appearance, and perhaps only his handsome face could capture the heart of such a beautiful high elf nobleman.

"Raine!" he suddenly raised his glass and shouted, interrupting the lively atmosphere in the hall. "Now that you're back, tell your brothers and uncles where you've been and who you've met all these years of traveling!"

“Yes, tell us, Renn!” the others chimed in.

Renn sneered inwardly, knowing that what Marquis Fahl really wanted to know was "the origin of this high elf noble lady beside you".

He stood up under everyone's gaze and said loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to keep this short."

“One night eight years ago, I made up my mind to leave without saying goodbye. It was not that I intended to betray the glorious name of Fahre, but that I did not want to lie on the back of my family’s glory and live a life of mediocrity.”

"I began to travel the world, my footsteps covering every corner of the continent. I crossed the frost-covered plains where snow never melted, and fought with the barbarians of the north; I trekked across the vast red plateaus, and worshipped and received blessings in the Radiant Temple atop the clouds."

“I also visited the warm and humid Gem Islands, where I met my love, the beautiful Miss Ellina Fladsikar.” Renn embraced Ellina’s slender waist and said affectionately, “She also chose to leave her family to travel and adventure because she did not want to live an ordinary life, which is exactly what I was thinking.”

"We had a simple wedding in a small chapel by the sea, vowing to know and cherish each other for the rest of our lives, until we both return to the embrace of the gods."

Despite being suddenly attacked by him, Ellina showed no sign of panic and remained smiling politely and appropriately.

Meanwhile, Dia, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded, not even noticing the wine overflowing from her glass.
What? Rein and Ellina are already married?

He still wants me to sleep with him and warm his bed every night?
The Marquis Fahre, seated at the head of the table, finally received the answer he most wanted to hear, and the wrinkles on his face stretched out in a smile.

Although this son is unlike me, being handsome has its advantages. Even the high elf nobles, who have always been closed off from the world and refused to have any intermarriages with other races, have all been won over by my son, haven't they?

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there as your father on your wedding day." He forced out a few tears, then raised his glass and said, "To true love!"

The Fahrenheit people looked at each other in bewilderment: What is true love? Can it even add to the fun?

But since the clan chief had spoken, they could only follow suit, raising their wine cups and calling out in a scattered manner:
To true love!

Ryan raised his glass to toast everyone, then drank it all in one gulp, and said:
“Father, now that I have a family, I need my own fiefdom.” The hall fell silent.

The imperial system of fiefdoms for nobles varied across provinces and territories. For example, in the four core territories of the empire, land had been almost entirely granted, so the "primogeniture system" was strictly enforced. The other sons who were capable were assigned to manage the clan's business, while those who were not were sent out to make their own way.

River Bend Province did not have this concern. As a border colony of the Empire, it had vast unclaimed lands everywhere, so each son could receive a fief upon reaching adulthood.

According to the tradition of the Fahre family, if the son is more favored, he can choose the simple mode, and his fiefdom will be arranged in the flat northwest direction, which is closer to the fertile lands to the north in terms of geographical environment, and it is very comfortable to collect taxes from passing merchants regularly.

The less favored son is likely to enter a more difficult phase, often being enfeoffed in a village nestled in the southern mountains. The less favored he is, the closer his fief will be to the southernmost Ravencrest, increasing his chances of being attacked by wildlings and elves.

Of course, there is also a hell mode, which is the salt island overseas.

Salt Island is located northwest of Sea Rock City, and consists of fragmented islands scattered overseas. Many of the islands lack fresh water, have saline soil, are extremely difficult to access, and are infested with highly venomous cobras.

Therefore, the Fahel descendants who were granted the Salt Island would generally refuse the title and quietly leave the family to make a living on their own. "They've already granted me the Salt Island, why would I be so shameless as to stay in the family and suffer their contempt?"

Marquis Fahre looked at Ellina, and quickly came up with an idea.

The elf's surname is Fradishkael.

The High Elves have long been isolated from the world, so the outside world knows very little about their nobility. However, the Faher family has been involved in smuggling for so long that they must have some informants in the Gem Isles, so they can ask about the origin of the surname.

If he truly is a high elf noble, then let's confine Raine to Seven Rivers City...

Marquis Fahel was pondering when he heard Renn say:

"Father, I want Salt Island."

The hall erupted in an uproar: What was Renn doing? Had he lost his mind?

"Salt Island, are you sure?" Marquis Fahl asked, frowning. "There are no secret gold mines for you to mine on Salt Island, only some poor villages where people make a living by fishing."

“Yes, I want Salt Island,” Raine insisted.

The surroundings quickly quieted down, and everyone fell silent, pondering the significance of Rein demanding Salt Island from the Marquis.

Raine Fahre was clearly not a fool, because it was impossible for a fool to disappear for eight years and return unharmed, even bringing back a high elf noblewoman as a wife.

But as Marquis Fahre said, Salt Island has absolutely no redeeming qualities:

Farming is out of the question, and trade is no match for Haiyan City. The island has almost no natural resources; at most, one can fish, make salt, and then beg for food and money from Haiyan City every month.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be stuck here until now; it's a considerable territory after all.

With her slender waist held by Raine, Ellina's bright golden eyes darted around, and she was absolutely certain that this inherently evil necromancer was brewing some kind of nefarious conspiracy.

It's okay, I'll keep an eye on you.

(End of this chapter)