Die, princess, the devil is mine!

The next day, the sun rose three poles.

Lynn and Natasha strolled around Mount Bright, their love evident.

His wife and children will take some time to arrive; right now, only Natasha is with him.

Originally, according to Natasha, he should have stayed in bed all day. Although Lynn's physique could withstand Natasha's intense output of squeezing every last drop of fandom out of him, doing it like this would have a really bad impact. His reputation was already pretty bad, and if it were to be tarnished any further, it would be too extreme.

Mount Light is the center of the entire Bright Empire, where the royal family and the Holy See reside. So while the natural scenery here is average, everything else is world-class.

If Lynn hadn't already reached the maximum level in his main profession but was keeping his secondary profession at a lower level, his training efficiency here would normally be more than twice as high as in other places.

Of course, this sacred mountain is filled with the power of light, but the levels he is missing are the demon level. If he were to cultivate here, he would probably be burned so badly that he wouldn't gain any experience at all.

At noon, Claire, whom he hadn't seen for a while, suddenly came to visit, bringing with her a gift from the royal family of the Light Empire.

Because of her recent change of identity, Claire has stopped wearing the uniform of the Lightbringer and instead changed into a beautiful princess dress.

Although it's true that beautiful people look good even in a burlap sack, it always feels like something's missing when girls with professional attire or government jobs wear regular clothes instead of their uniforms.

It's like wearing white stockings, but if you're wearing a proper short skirt or a matching nurse's uniform on top, the feeling is definitely different.

“Lord Lynn, this is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor. This divine artifact can only be passed down as a family heirloom for our family to admire, but in your hands, it will surely be able to play its due role.”

Claire, with the snow eagle slung over her shoulder, stood properly in front of Lynn and handed him a beautifully packaged box.

Xue'er couldn't stand it any longer on her master's shoulder, so she jumped to the ground and started kicking Claire's legs repeatedly.

Look at you, so pathetic! This is a family heirloom ring you're giving away, and you're just standing there giving it to me?
If you don't have any flowers, then kneel down on one knee! Do you really think that being handed over to Lord Lynn means everything will be fine? If you don't do anything extra, you're just an ordinary concubine!

Lynn was puzzled by the snow eagle's actions, but Natasha secretly gave it a thumbs up. Although it was urging its owner to come and steal its food, such a loyal pet still deserved praise.

"Okay, okay, stop kicking me, I know!"

Claire raised Xue'er from a bird egg to this big bird. Although they weren't on the same wavelength yet, Xue'er could still understand such obvious hints.

"Lord Lynn, please...please accept my gift."

Claire blushed and knelt on one knee, presenting the box containing the heirloom Holy Emperor Ring to Lynn. To follow the proper procedure, she even opened the box, turned the ring inside towards Lynn, and then handed it forward.

Lynn stood in front of Claire, looking at the girl who seemed to be proposing to him, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

In his mind, Claire had always been an aloof and mature woman. Players rarely had normal conversations with her during games and quests. She was the kind of person who could immediately become a trending topic if someone could say three sentences to her outside of quests.

Lynn was an old acquaintance of hers. Although they hadn't had much contact, he was quite fond of her aloof and mature persona.

However, after meeting her in real life, apart from the first few minutes of their first meeting, she no longer had that cold demeanor she once had.

If this kind of change were put into a novel, it would definitely be criticized for ruining the female lead's image before it was even established, saying it's not even as good as a template.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. The power of the divine medal was just that great. For Claire, who possessed the bloodline of the God of Light and was His most loyal follower, Lynn holding the divine medal was practically the same as having her permission to use it.

Well, it's a little disappointing. It's not that we missed out on the fun of exploring the icebergs, but rather that after eating so many hot dishes, it's easy to crave something chilled.

"Claire, if I accept this ring, then you're mine. If I'm in the mood, you can tell your family you're not going home tonight. Have you thought it through?"

Lynn said that he would let Claire think it over before giving it to her, but he was quick and didn't give Claire any time to think or react. He grabbed the ring and the box together.

Claire wanted to say that she had already made up her mind, but before she could even open her mouth, Lynn snatched the "engagement ring" away.

So you mean I can send a message right now saying I don't need to prepare my dinner?

Natasha blinked at Lynn and Claire, wondering if she should find an excuse to take Cheryl with her and slip away, leaving the two lovebirds with plenty of time and space.

However, although Lynn was greedy, he was not insatiable and was not so impatient.

The main reason is that if his wife and children from the Heavenly Mandate Empire arrive quickly, they might arrive tonight. How could he possibly delay picking up his wife and children just to have a taste of something new?

Besides, the fish is already in the cage, so there's no way it can escape, and there's no need to rush.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. You're practically my wife now, how could I possibly bully you? I really liked your gift, so as a return gift, here you go. You should still be able to use it."

Lynn casually put the box away. He didn't even glance at the level 999 artifact of light, but instead carefully browsed through his collection.

After working for a while, he finally found a suitable return gift. Since Claire's ring was actually a gift from the royal family of the Light Empire, his return gift would naturally not be in Claire's hands. So Lynn did not find a ring for her to wear, but instead handed her a medal.

The medal's design was somewhat similar to the divinely bestowed medal of the God of Light, but its grade and level were quite different. In fact, it was a level 700 artifact-grade equipment. Because it was an equipment for the medal slot, the artifact's various stats didn't increase much, but its artifact effects were incredibly powerful.

Increases affinity with light by 300%.

This single point, if given to a non-Light-elemental powerhouse, might only slightly outperform a +10 Strength bonus. However, for Light-elemental individuals, this artifact is more useful than other artifact-level weapons of the same rank, as it increases cultivation speed and elevates Light-elemental talents. Furthermore, if given to a descendant of the Light God King, this item could even enhance the purity of divine blood, potentially granting the wearer a sliver of ancestral reversion.

Anyone with the surname Windsor would be unable to walk after seeing this thing.

However, in the real world, equipment attributes aren't displayed as data on paper. So, after receiving Lynn's gift, Claire simply felt refreshed touching it, but didn't know anything more. She decided to take it back for her brother, the Emperor, to study.

"Does Lord Lynn have any other instructions? Do you need me to pay the reward in advance?"

Having completed the gift exchange, Claire had achieved her goal for this trip, and staying any longer seemed pointless. Oh, well, we'll see if he needs it now...

"There's nothing else. If you have something to do, go back first and prepare for the expedition to the Divine Protection Continent. Once my whole family arrives, it will take three to five days at most, or one or two days at least, before we set off."

Lynn waved his hand, telling Claire to go about her business. He seemed to have a lot of free time, but he wasn't so free that he had the time or inclination to clear land.

"Well... all the princesses from various countries have arrived and are currently staying in the embassy district at the foot of the Holy Mountain. Lord Lynn happens to have some free time, would you like to go and visit them?"

Claire hesitated for a moment before asking the question with some hesitation. She didn't really want to say it, because it seemed too much like treating princesses from various countries as commodities and Lynn as the owner, and then inviting him to "inspect the goods".

But to be honest, that's just how it is. Lynn understands it perfectly well, and her group of future sisters are also fully aware of it.

Apart from Claire, none of them had even met Lynn yet, so there was no affection between them. It was simply an unspoken deal between the Seven Empires and Lynn.

However, this deal is a great thing that benefits the country and its people, and even has lasting benefits. It is about taking back the homeland of the Divine Blessed Continent. Let alone sacrificing only seven princesses, even if it were seventy or seven hundred, as long as Lynn asked, they would provide it. Even if they couldn't gather that many right now, the emperors could give him a batch now and order another batch.

"There's no need for that. You don't really think I decided to make a move because I'm lusting after a few princesses, do you? Although I'm not very resistant to seduction, I won't force anyone when it comes to getting a wife."

"When you get back, you can tell those princesses that if any of them don't want to marry me, they can bring it up beforehand. There's room for discussion."

Lynn does have free time now, and the embassy district below Mount Saint is not far, but he has no intention of going there to visit.

Ultimately, given Lynn's attitude of "better to kill the wrong person than let them go" and his principle of "it would be a waste to give them to someone else," he felt that it was not appropriate to meet the princess of the seven kingdoms right now.

Because they were handpicked by the seven great empires, they were very confident that they could be used as bargaining chips to lure him into making a move. Lynn did not trust the character and morality of the emperors of the seven great empires, but he would not question their aesthetic sense.

If the seven dukes selected by "God's Blessing" all have a level of skill like Claire, then after seeing them, they will probably be obsessed with them, which is too easy to distract him.

"You mean... if any of your sisters don't want to marry you, you can discuss it and decide not to?"

Claire was clearly surprised; she never expected Lynn to be so easy to talk to, letting her take what was practically in her mouth.
"That's not it. What I meant by discussing is that we can postpone the wedding. I can wait until she comes to a decision."

Claire: "..."

As expected of you, I guess I was overthinking it...

"Then I shall take my leave. By the way, His Majesty the Emperor is still trying to offer you another gift, which is also a component of the Holy Emperor Set. However, that artifact is the most cherished possession of an old nobleman. Although he is not surnamed Windsor, he is still an Imperial Grand Duke whose lineage has been passed down for more than ten generations. My younger brother has only recently ascended the throne, and his prestige is not yet enough to make him reluctantly part with it."

"So...it might take a little longer."

Before leaving, Claire reported to Lynn on the respect the Windsor family showed him, not only by parting with their family heirloom, but also by working hard to assemble a set of divine artifacts for him.

"Don't rush, don't try to take it by force. If necessary, you can ask him what he wants, and maybe I can exchange it with him."

When Claire mentioned this, Lynn deliberately adopted a nonchalant attitude and told her that whether he wanted it or not, or whether he was in a hurry to have it, was up to her to guess.

"This is a gift to the Divine Envoy, so of course it must be of impure origin. We will try our best to find a way. If we really can't do it, then we'll just have to ask the Divine Envoy to spend the money."

After Claire finished speaking, she bowed to Lynn and then obediently withdrew. However, her passive and unproductive performance obviously did not satisfy Xue'er. Thus, the scene of the eagle devouring its master occurred once again. Claire walked along and kept flapping her large wings, although she only used the tips of her wings to gently scratch them. But she had to make her attitude clear!
The fat cat's owner has already enjoyed the first soup, while its useless owner hasn't even gotten a single hair. It's really making the cat feel inferior in front of the cat.

After Claire and Cher had gone far away, Lynn sent Natasha away, asking her to go to the Light Church's dining hall to get two lunches. He then returned to his room, frowned, and took out the Holy Emperor's Ring, which had been presented to him by the royal family of the Light Empire.

This is part of the same set of equipment as his Holy Emperor's Sword and Holy Emperor's Armor. They are all level 999 max-level endgame gear, and their quality is also the highest level of divine artifacts.

If it were in the past, he would have been overjoyed to receive this top-tier artifact ring as if it were free.

But in the current situation, what kind of magical artifact is it? You can just look at it and do nothing. Would you dare to use it?
Lynn placed the box containing the Holy Emperor's Ring on the table, glared at it fiercely several times, and finally, not believing in the superstition, decided to test it out.

"Sigh~~"

Without even looking through the box, Lynn reached for the Holy Emperor's Ring with his bare hands, and unsurprisingly, he was burned by the powerful divine light.

The intense burning sensation wasn't just physical pain; otherwise, Lynn wouldn't have been completely unable to bear it.

"Sigh, even an ill-fitting mage's Demon Emperor set is this terrifying. If this Divine Warrior's Holy Emperor set could be used, I wonder how powerful it would become..."

Gently rubbing his aching right hand, Lynn looked at the Holy Emperor's Ring, which was only for display, and couldn't help but sigh.

(End of this chapter)