The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

"Ora, stop right there!"

Valerius almost caught up with the horse before reaching the city; its hooves were burning hot, and it was panting heavily when it finally stopped.

"Father? What are you doing here?" Aura turned around, looking puzzled.

Valerius hadn't expected his daughter to run so fast. He held his back and took several breaths to catch his breath before saying, "There's one more thing. The royal family sent a special envoy to inquire about the blessing from the God of Souls. You were still unconscious at the time, and the envoy has already questioned Ming Luochen about the whole process. They want to speak with you when you wake up."

"Special envoy?" Aura was terrified, and her voice involuntarily dropped halfway.

That was royalty—as the daughter of an earl, she had to bow even to a marquis. This was a leap of three ranks, being summoned by the royal family. She had never experienced anything like it. Her mind began to uncontrollably conjure up images of those high and mighty figures sitting before her, their eyes fixed on her intently, asking her questions and her answering them one by one, afraid of uttering a single wrong word.

Don't be afraid.

Ming Luochen's voice rang in her heart, gentle and soft, like a hand gently pressing on her heart.

You are someone blessed by the gods themselves; they should be the ones fearing you.

Hearing him reassure himself, Aura calmed herself down a bit, but then thought he was incredibly brave—not even afraid of the special envoy. She tried to recall the memories of Ming Luochen's meeting with the royal envoy, and the scenes unfolded in her mind.

The envoy was a middle-aged male swan-like being with white wings on his back, as white as snow, and whose graceful movements were like a painting. Throughout the conversation, his attitude was extremely kind, and his tone was so gentle that it didn't sound like he was asking a question, but rather like he was chatting with an old friend.

They mainly discussed three issues. Aura could sense Ming Luochen's composure and calmness at the time—that "since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it" attitude, which was completely unlike someone meeting an important person for the first time. Especially when the special envoy asked him if he came from another world and whether there was a more advanced civilization in that world, Ming Luochen only hesitated for a moment before making up a half-true, half-false answer, recounting the history of his country in the early days of liberation.

He actually wanted to pretend to be stupid and not say anything, but he wanted to find out from the special envoy how to return to his original world.

Thinking of this, Aura's mood suddenly plummeted, as if a stone had sunk into her stomach.

If Ming Luochen really goes back... what will she do? Her parents are here, can she go with him?

Don't worry.

Ming Luochen placed his palm on her stomach and patted it gently.

I won't leave.

He sighed inwardly. He had a wife here, and his in-laws treated him incredibly well; only a fool would go back.

What am I supposed to do back there? Be someone's slave? Put up with those minor internet celebrities? Shoot footage for one day and edit for three, only to find out at the end of the month my salary is 15,000?

Unless his own country is in trouble—but his motherland is very strong and doesn't need him at all right now.

Aura felt a sense of certainty in his heart, like holding onto a stabilizing force, and her whole body relaxed. As long as he didn't want to go back, that was fine.

"Come with me to see the envoy first. He's been coming to see you every day these past few days." Valerius wanted to finish dealing with the royal affairs as soon as possible, and he had already taken a step out.

"Okay." Aura gripped Ming Luochen's hand tightly, her palms slightly sweaty, and followed her father to the city lord's mansion.

The city lord's manor was far more imposing than the Raven Crest family's estate. Intricate carvings adorned the marble pillars, and oil paintings hung along the corridors, their gilded frames gleaming heavily in the candlelight. Ming Luochen glanced up, silently calculating in his mind—this one painting frame alone would probably feed his family for half a year.

"Aura, my niece, you're finally awake!"

City Lord Karen greeted them from afar, his lion-tailed face beaming with smiles, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling into a deep knot. He strode up to Aura, looked her up and down, and spoke with the warmth of someone seeing their own daughter: "Is there anything else bothering you? Shall I have your private doctor examine you again?"

"I'm fine now." Aura felt a little embarrassed by the warm treatment from the duke-level city lord, and the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

Although his father was one of his generals and he was usually quite friendly to him at banquets, he had never been this enthusiastic before—at most, he would just nod and say something like, "Aura has grown taller again."

"It's good that you're alright. You never come to see Orion and Aurora, it's been almost a year since I've seen you." Karen patted her shoulder, her tone slightly reproachful, then suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "I suddenly received an invitation from your father the other day, and found out you're getting married—you must come here more often in the future."

As he said this, his gaze swept over Ming Luochen imperceptibly before returning to his own.

With the blessing of the Supreme God, Karen dared not imagine Aura's future achievements—if she could grow up, she would at least be a duke. If she didn't cultivate a good relationship now, it would be too late to curry favor with her once she had truly risen to prominence.

"This must be Miss Aura, right?"

A gentle voice came from the inner courtyard.

A handsome man with pure white wings on his back walked out slowly. The wings shimmered softly in the sunlight, and each step seemed as if he were walking on clouds. His features were so exquisite that he didn't look real; he looked more like an angel who had stepped out of a painting.

"Greetings, Lord Fitz." Aura recognized the other party's identity—it was the royal envoy—and quickly bowed her head in a perfect, textbook-perfect manner.

"Hello," Fitz smiled warmly, his voice gentle and soothing. "How are you feeling?"

"It's all alright now, thank you for your concern, sir." Aura's voice was respectfully tense, each word sounding as if it had been weighed before being spoken.

This was the first time she had ever met such important figures. However… she secretly glanced up, then quickly looked down again—their concerned expressions and greetings seemed to have been mass-produced from the same place. The curve of their lips, the warmth in their eyes, even the rhythm of their speech—everything seemed meticulously calculated.

Fitz maintained his gentle smile, his gaze fixed on Aura. He could see the centaur girl's restraint—her fingers were intertwined, her body leaning slightly forward, like a fawn ready to flee at any moment. She was completely unlike Ming Luochen, who possessed such rudeness and unruliness.

Fearing to frighten her, Fitz decided to get straight to the point: "Your fiancé has already told me about the entire blessing process, and I have also reported it to His Majesty. His Majesty was overjoyed to hear that you are about to marry Mr. Ming Luochen, and specially ordered someone to send you a wedding gift."

He clapped his hands lightly.

Behind Fitz, a line of royal rabbit-eared maidens filed out, each carrying a treasure chest. Their steps were perfectly synchronized, and the chests jingled steadily in their hands, a testament to their rigorous training. The chest lids opened one by one, releasing golden and silver light that illuminated the entire corridor.

Fitz walked up to the first treasure chest and introduced each one in turn:

"These are two sets of mithril armor. His Majesty knew that Miss Aura loved fighting, so he personally selected them from the royal treasury."

Mithril armor—the highest grade at that—Valerios was stunned, his mouth agape for a long time.

The gleaming silver and gold armor shimmered like layers of shimmering light, each plate polished to a mirror-like smoothness. The breastplate was engraved with the royal coat of arms: a griffin with outstretched wings, holding a scepter in its talons—clearly armor bestowed exclusively by royalty. Even though he could never obtain such rare equipment in his entire life, His Majesty gifted him two sets.

Lord Karen was also terrified, though he remained outwardly calm. His heart was pounding. As expected of His Majesty, he had truly spared no expense—the value of a single set of top-grade mithril armor was equivalent to five years' worth of revenue for a duchy. This wasn't a gift; it was an attempt to win over the Raven Crest family.

Fitz walked to the second treasure chest, picked up a thick ancient book with golden runes embossed on the cover, from which a faint light seemed to flow.

"This is an SS-rank skill book called 'Courage Enhancement.' Once activated, it increases a warrior's strength bonus by 20%, making it very suitable for Mr. Ming Luochen," Fitz solemnly introduced. He had already learned about the attributes of the ring bestowed by the goddess last time, and this skill book was specially chosen for Ming Luochen.

He walked to the third treasure chest and took out a fist-sized gem. It was smooth and lustrous, with a faint golden glow, as if a ray of sunlight was sealed inside.

"Miss Aura, this is an SSS-grade experience blessing gem. It can increase experience gain bonus and is perfect for you to level up."

Fitz turned to face the two, his gaze lingering on Aura and Ming Luochen's faces for a moment, his tone solemn yet gentle: "These are all gifts bestowed upon you by His Majesty for your marriage."

The meaning has been made so clear that they should be able to see His Majesty's intention to recruit them.

Looking at these priceless treasures, Ming Luochen felt no joy, but rather a heavy weight pressing down on him.

He recalled something he'd heard while drinking and chatting with his boss and agent: once a person's wealth exceeds a certain amount, that money no longer belongs to them; once a person's ability exceeds a certain level, even they themselves no longer belong to themselves.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. What's called a gift is actually a bribe to choose sides. This gift is hard to refuse, even a bit of a hot potato. Once accepted, one will inevitably be controlled by others, and might even have to work for them… He recalled news stories he'd seen before: a celebrity accepted an endorsement fee from a brand, then the brand ran into trouble, and the celebrity was also criticized and trending on social media.

When it comes to choosing sides, choosing the right side makes you a hero, while choosing the wrong side makes you cannon fodder.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We accept this token of our gratitude and are extremely grateful."

Aura's voice suddenly rang out, clear and firm.

She sensed the resistance in Ming Luochen's heart, like a knotted rope. But she understood reality even better—this was His Majesty's gift; if she didn't side with His Majesty, would she be a traitor?

She tilted her head slightly, glanced at Ming Luochen with a hint of reassurance in her eyes, then raised her head, her voice soft but clear: "Our Raven Crest family will always be His Majesty's most loyal knights."

Fitz's eyes crinkled slightly, and a hint of sincerity finally appeared in the curve of his lips. He nodded in satisfaction—as expected, Valerius's daughter knew her manners. No wonder she had attended a noble school; unlike some summoned beasts, she didn't understand etiquette.

"I will convey the Raven Crest family's sentiments to His Majesty." His voice was lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Thank you in advance, Lord Fitz." Valerius followed suit, agreeing to take sides with a smile, though inwardly he was planning to teach his son-in-law a lesson in etiquette when they got back—he had no idea what his son-in-law was thinking, assuming he was just a country bumpkin. "When would you be free? We'd like to invite you for a simple meal?"

"I'm heading back to the capital tomorrow. No need for a meal, but afternoon tea and a casual chat would be nice," Fitz politely declined.

He'd grown tired of the lavish meals he'd had these past few days, and the sight of a table full of food now made him nauseous. Besides, this last-minute preparation meant it was probably just a "casual meal"—he didn't want to just casually go to the Earl's house for a home-cooked meal and risk being perceived as a neglected royal envoy.

"Then I'll have someone prepare some black tea and snacks right away." City Lord Karen quickly took over the conversation, turned around and ordered his servants to prepare them, his movements so fast that he seemed afraid of being beaten to it by someone else.

The group followed the city lord through a long corridor and arrived at the garden inside the city lord's mansion.

The moment Ming Luochen stepped into the garden, he paused for a moment.

Flowers bloom everywhere, with vibrant camellias encircling the stone path—red, pink, and white—each blossom both passionate and reserved. Vines climb the white archway, hanging down clusters of small purple flowers; a gentle breeze sends petals fluttering down, carpeting the ground. In the distance, a small fountain sparkles in the sunlight, its water droplets shimmering like shattered stars fallen into the pool.

It felt like stepping into a Western fairy tale world.

A garden is practically the face of every nobleman—whether inviting friends for tea or hosting a banquet, the garden holds a crucial position in terms of prestige. The type of flowers one likes and how one arranges the garden reveal the inner world and refinement of a nobleman's family.

The Aura family also hired people to manage their garden, but frankly, it was just a show of aristocratic grandeur—a few neat rows of roses, a few neatly trimmed shrubs, and a circular fountain pool. Compared to the lord's mansion's garden, which was as magnificent as an oil painting, it was like the difference between a humble family's backyard and a royal garden.

Ming Luochen followed behind Aura, his feet sinking into the soft grass, the sweet fragrance of camellias filling his nostrils, easing his restlessness—after all, this wasn't his homeland, so if his wife wanted to be a follower of the feudal empire, then so be it.