"Do you want to establish a principality?" After listening for a long time, As finally spoke.
"Well, it seems that only by applying to establish a principality, can we recruit legions more effectively."
Sitting cross-legged on the side of the attic, facing the man, the girl said softly, "After becoming independent in the future, we should try to live without relying on other forces as much as possible so that we can go further."
The waters of the empire are very deep.
To stand unshaken, one must have a solid backing.
If one were to pursue the historical relics of the underground city, it originally belonged to an independent entity.
Or, the underground city is the birthplace of human civilization on the planet of As.
It's just that time has passed too long, so long that many people have forgotten this. Because it has been abandoned, no one cares about it.
Before the third prince moved in here, besides the hidden Rock clan and scattered monsters lurking in the darkness, it was difficult to see other life forms.
The former glory of the underground city will be forever recorded in history books.
Perhaps Yu Xiaoxiao herself had not realized that she was tracing the trajectory of history.
As asked, "Why?"
A meaningless "why" made Yu Xiaoxiao stunned for a moment.
She added, "You chose me among so many people at first, and I didn't want to disappoint you. Besides, the salary of a steward is so high, I don't want to be a person who just eats and waits to die."
The salary of a steward is so high that in her lifetime she probably could not earn it doing other jobs.
Apart from her curiosity about the crystal of Ineng and her love for the underground city, the only thing she wants to do now is to be worthy of her title.
This is probably what is called responsibility.
Especially after coming into contact with slimes, dwarves, and red fairies, Yu Xiaoxiao increasingly felt the weight on her shoulders.
As sat on the ground and looked at the necklace on the girl's chest, a faint purple crystal shimmered.
Steward.
These three simple words carry so much weight, and there are few people who can bear it.
Thinking about the former steward and the one in front of him, they are incomparable.
"To establish a principality, you need to submit an application to the Kaluya Union department," As said.
"OK, I'll do it." Yu Xiaoxiao straightened up and asked, "What should I pay attention to?"
"If you don't understand, you can ask Roko."
"Got it."
Roko is the chief steward of the palace, and he must be very knowledgeable about this.
Yu Xiaoxiao was planning to leave the attic.
But she found there was no ladder. After hesitating for a moment, she turned and said, "Can you send me down?"
As did not speak.
He raised his hand slightly, and a cold air enveloped her body, sending her to the lower level.
The attic door closed.
Yu Xiaoxiao stood firm, bent down, and lifted the ladder beside her, putting it back in its original position.
After doing all this, she happily ran to the first floor and sat in a chair to contact Roko.
"Do you want to establish a principality in the underground city?"
"What did the Third Prince say? Did he agree? Speaking of which, each prince can establish his own principality. As the most favored son of the king, if the Third Prince speaks, the king will definitely agree."
"In that case, I will send you the format first. Remember to write it according to the requirements."
"Remember, every Monday is the only day the Military and Political Alliance hold the public conferences for the Duchy. You need to come on that day. Um, what is the Duchy called?"
Yuxiaoxiao was stunned.
The name? She hadn't thought about it yet. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "As for the name, I need to discuss it with the Third Prince."
"He won't be interested in this kind of matter." Roko in the video said with a smile, "You should decide for yourself."
Can she decide the name of the Duchy herself?
Other officials would be extremely envious if they found out! A lord like the Third Prince, who "delegates authority," is very rare!
"Asgard Duchy?" Yuxiaoxiao thought of the word "Asgard" first.
The Asgard she knew always wore a clown mask and stood coldly outside the crowd.
Roko reminded, "It's the same name as our planet."
"Then, Lord Duchy?"
This is the territory of the Third Prince, so it should be fine to use his name.
"The prince's name cannot be used."
"Well..." Yuxiaoxiao thought hard. She remembered what the slime had said before, that the capital of the Kalia Empire was also called the City of the Sun.
And the underground city is a place where light is never seen.
She murmured, "Empire of the Dark Night?"
Roko in the video was stunned for a long time.
Yuxiaoxiao asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Is this name not good?"
"No," Roko's voice trembled slightly.
He gazed at the screen, as if looking into Yuxiaoxiao's eyes:
"This name, is very good. Because you are an alien and do not understand the meaning of these two words to us."
"A long time ago, there were two most powerful empires on the Asgard planet, the Empire of Light and the Empire of the Dark Night. Later, facing external invasion, these two great empires formed an alliance, and thus became the present-day Kalia Empire."
Listening to this history, Yuxiaoxiao looked puzzled, "But the records I have seen about the underground city did not mention the Empire of the Dark Night?"
Roko fell silent.
After a long time, he said, "Both the light and the dark have merged into one, so there is no need to deliberately distinguish between them."
"Not just you, many descendants and subjects have long forgotten their original belonging."
For some reason, when Roko said these two sentences, his voice seemed very desolate.
Perhaps it was a nostalgia for his own homeland.
But it's not just that.
After thinking for a while, Yuxiaoxiao said, "The blazing red and heat of the sun, the only thing that can compare to it is the flame."
Roko's smile returned to his face.
It seemed like it wasn't him who had lost his temper just now.
Yuxiaoxiao's tone became more determined, "Flame Duchy."
"Good name," Roko praised.
Roko sent over the application file.
Continuing the previous topic, he said, "When Monday comes, you bring the completed file over. You will participate in the meeting with the envoys of the other Duchies."
"Okay, I will go on time."
The video call ended.
Yuxiaoxiao sat alone in the small restaurant, figuring out how to write the application file.
Because there was a sample to refer to, she quickly drafted one.
It was getting late.
She had to prepare dinner for the Third Prince.
At that moment, As descended from the loft.
He was wearing a gray coat and dragging his tail, coming to the bar counter.
Yuxiaoxiao casually said, "I named the Duchy, Flame. Do you think it's okay?"
"Okay."
As stood in front of the cabinet, looking at the ingredients inside, and asked, "No wine?"
"No wine? Maybe Victor has given it to the dwarves. They've been working hard recently with the tight schedule."
Yuxiaoxiao put down what she was doing and walked over, trying to reach for the bottle on the top shelf.
But she couldn't reach it.
The girl tried hard several times without success.
At this moment, As turned his head and glanced at her.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
He turned back to continue washing the radish, showing no concern for the "dilemma" the girl faced behind him.
Yu Xiaoxiao: "..."
She brought a stool, stood on it, and took down the glass bottle.
"This is the pickled sour beans from before, for you."
Yu Xiaoxiao placed the glass bottle on the bar. As silently finished washing the radish and picked up a knife.
"Sister—" A green little fellow ran in from outside like a gust of wind.
Standing on the high stool in front of the bar, it tried to reach, saying, "I still want the fried egg rice from last time. Here, take this. If it's not enough, then put it on the tab, and I'll have my brother pay you back when he returns."
Vivien still wore a small yellow flower on her head, and her round nose looked as if it had just come out of the water, still moist.
There was a silver coin on the bar.
"I'll, do it," As awkwardly spoke up.
"Hello, clown brother," Vivien curiously looked at him. "On such a hot day, how can you still smile so happily? But the underground city is much cooler than the capital. I like it here."
As didn't respond to her.
He cut the carrots with the knife, his technique much more skilled than before.
Yu Xiaoxiao stood by watching, and she put the silver coin into a small bottle containing flowing sand on the bar.
"Congratulations, Vivien. You are the first guest of our Five-Star Restaurant, with a special gift."
Vivien showed a surprised expression, excitedly saying, "Sister, sister, is it a super value set of fried fish fillet!"
Yu Xiaoxiao smiled.
"Yes, a food platter consisting of various snacks. And, one hundred trial tasting coupons."
After a pause, she said, "We haven't finished making the trial tasting coupons yet. When it's completed, I'll have Victor deliver them to you."
As had already started frying the eggs.
He stood next to the stove, with his tail quietly behind him.
As usual, he wore white gloves and held a spatula, flipping the eggs.
With just one attempt, it was as skilled as if he had done it countless times.
The enticing aroma filled the air, and Yu Xiaoxiao also began preparing the snack platter.
She chose fried fish fillet, pumpkin pie, french fries, grilled chicken wings, cheese shrimp rolls, and steamed scallops, six small snacks.
Soon, the restaurant was filled with a delightful fragrance.
The soft light fell on the two people concentrating on cooking, and they seemed to be as tacit as partners who had been cooperating for many years.
Vivien looked blankly at Yu Xiaoxiao.
For some reason, she always wanted to get close to her. She supported herself on the edge of the bar and sat up there.
"Sister, get married."
"What?" Yu Xiaoxiao was making a shrimp roll and didn't understand what Vivien was saying.
The little green creature looked at her fair face and said word by word:
"If you can marry our Third Prince, you can stay in the underground city forever!"
Yu Xiaoxiao: "..."
She never expected Vivien to say this suddenly.
The little creature had an expression of certainty.
"Brother said that no matter how well a steward performs, they will be driven out of the empire. But if it's the Third Prince's wife, there will definitely be no problem."
"The Third Prince has a bad temper and is very ugly, but he will definitely treat you well."
What Vivien said was too outlandish.
But Yu Xiaoxiao couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"Because by marrying a beautiful wife like you, he can improve the gene pool."
Yu Xiaoxiao: "..."
Ahem, the master is standing right there.
Yu Xiaoxiao hastily said, "You mustn't say such things recklessly. The Third Prince has a distinguished status, and we can't aspire to that. And I think, I should be able to hold onto the position of steward for a long time, right?"
"Um..." Yu Xiaoxiao seemed to be convincing herself. "I should be able to."
Vivien continued, "But the previous stewards were all driven away. Some were killed by the Third Prince, and some were personally dealt with by the king."
As was next to them, making fried rice, seemingly completely oblivious to the chattering next to him.
He held a spatula and stirred the rice, sprinkling chopped green onion, diced carrots, and fried eggs on top. A few seconds later, he poured in-- vinegar. The color of the vinegar quickly blended with the rice, just like soy sauce, making the rice look more appealing.