Xu Ran had just been listening with great interest, hadn't he?
Why...
Could it be a misunderstanding on her part?
Yao Yue's face was flushed with embarrassment, her blood rushing to her cheeks.
"I originally thought Yue'er was talking about knowledge like sweet nothings and giving gifts. I didn't expect it to actually..." Xu Ran feigned heartache as he spoke. He truly felt deeply distressed. The imperial palace really was a place of corruption! After staying there for too long, even a normal person could become abnormal.
How could a perfectly good loli know so much?
And to boldly say those things to him?
Wasn't she afraid that he would apply what she told him to her? *Cough cough*... Thinking this way, it really did stir his blood.
"What? I-I-I..." Yao Yue was deeply shocked. Could it really be that she misunderstood? And now, after saying all that in front of him, wouldn't her image in Xu Ran's eyes be completely shattered?
It's over, it's all over.
Yao Yue felt that she was now beyond redemption.
Actually, she was quite the lady, wuwuwu, everything she knew was hearsay, it had been a great shock to her when she first heard it, which is why she remembered it so distinctly and then told it to Xu Ran.
Ahhhh...
Yao Yue wished she could bash her head against a pillar.
Such a collapse of her persona was simply too awful!
"Wuwu, I'm going to leave first." With her face red, Yao Yue ran off. She simply couldn't bear to stay any longer.
"Lord Xu Ran, I am truly sorry, it is our lack of strict discipline that has allowed her to develop such a temperament," Princess Yao Ye apologized with a face full of regret. After hearing what Yao Yue had said, her face was still flushed with crimson.
"Princess, there's no need for politeness, I was just teasing the girl. I actually find her personality quite to my liking," Xu Ran said with a smile. Of course, what appealed to him the most were those little tricks that Yue'er mentioned.
With such a talkative girl, she couldn't possibly be another 'talkative champion', could she?
If she really put those techniques to use on herself, she might start crying out before it even began.
"You must have come here specifically to see me, right?"
"Lord Xu Ran, have you noticed?" Princess Yao Ye, thinking about how to broach the subject, eagerly followed Xu Ran's lead as he brought it up.
"Mhm," Xu Ran nodded. Walking side by side with Princess Yao Ye, he inhaled the fragrance emanating from the beautiful woman beside him, a scent of unidentified spices mixed with the pure aroma of a virgin.
"Princess Yao Ye asks for Lord Xu Ran's help to save the royal household just this once," Princess Yao Ye bit her lower lip, the hesitation obvious on her delicate face, before she made up her mind and spoke. If she didn't clarify now, she might not get another chance.
Next time, it was uncertain whether she would even get to meet Lord Xu Ran again.
The Gama Empire was facing a crisis now, and that was why Lord Xu Ran might lend them his strength this once. Otherwise, with Lord Xu Ran's powers, he would have long since stopped bothering with this trivial place.
"Save us?"
"Speaking of which, the crisis facing the Gama Royal Family was initiated by you, Lord Xu Ran." Princess Yao Ye said with a look of quiet resentment.
"What does it have to do with me?"
"Lord Xu Ran, your strength is too formidable. Merely pulling out a few things can cause upheaval in the Jia Ma Empire. Originally, the royal household's power was sufficient to deter the Empire. Other forces like the Mittel Family, although strong, still fall far short compared to the heritage of the royal household. The Yunlan Sect is powerful too, but after all, they are a sect, and our royal household's power is not weaker than that of a sect."
"However, after Lord Xu Ran arrived, the power of both the Mittel Family and the Yunlan Sect greatly increased, and even the strength of the Snake-People Tribe surged significantly. Therefore, naturally, the royal household seemed no longer deserving of its position. Fortunately, the prestige the royal household accumulated over many years has prevented any problems in the past two years, but in the future... it will certainly..." Princess Yao Ye spoke gloomily. Despite her grievances, she didn't blame Xu Ran. With Xu Ran's strength, annihilating the Jia Ma Empire would be a breeze. The strong prey upon the weak; everyone must follow these laws, and if annihilated by the stronger, one can only accept their fate.
"This indeed is my doing," Xu Ran nodded.
Due to Xu Ran's emergence, the balance among the various Jia Ma Empire's forces had been directly shattered.
Once the balance was broken, a new round of reshuffling interests was inevitable. Those rising forces would certainly not be satisfied with the previous distribution of power. The royal household for sure would become the big juicy target for all forces.
"But why should I help your royal household alone when there are so many forces declining because of the rise of the Yunlan Sect and the Mittel Family? Or should I help all those forces?" Xu Ran said in jest.
Why should a giant concern itself with the rise and fall of ants?
Nevertheless, looking at Princess Yao Yue and Princess Yao Ye, they did seem somewhat pitiable. For him, helping the royal household to stabilize their position was too easy. He simply needed to spread the word that the royal household had ties to him, Xu Ran, then it would be impossible for anyone to dare covet the royal household's status. Moreover, he could influence the actions of both the Yunlan Sect and the Mittel Family, making it easy for these two forces to look after Princess Yao Ye and the others.
For Princess Yao Ye, this was indeed a matter of critical survival, but Xu Ran could solve it with a wave of his hand.
But why should he help at all?
"This..."
Princess Yao Ye's face changed drastically. She knew that such matters couldn't be blamed on anyone. Hadn't her own family risen by stepping over the corpses of many other forces?
"If Lord Xu Ran could help us, our royal household will certainly engrave it in our memories and serve you for life, without any regrets or resentments," said Princess Yao Ye, not knowing what her family could offer to please Xu Ran. Their treasures would likely be of no interest to him.
As for swearing allegiance to Xu Ran?
There were plenty of forces in the world willing to swear allegiance to Xu Ran.
Anyone with a clear mind could see how strong Xu Ran was. Following such a figure, there would almost be no danger, but one could certainly share in the spoils. So what was the significance of such allegiance? Why wouldn't Xu Ran accept the allegiance of more powerful forces?
"The royal household offering its allegiance? That is intriguing; I had not expected you would be prepared to stoop to such a level?" Xu Ran was speechless. Members of the royal family usually held themselves in high esteem; getting them to give up their pride and submit to someone else was almost impossible. It seemed Princess Yao Ye and the others were truly desperate.
When one's virtues do not match one's position, it's like a crumbling wall that everyone is ready to push.
"Would you also pledge your allegiance to me?"
Xu Ran looked at Princess Yao Ye, whose face was serious and whose beauty was stunning. The pledge of allegiance from such a minor power held little attraction for him, with the sole exception perhaps of Princess Yao Ye and her sister, Yao Yue. As for the fighting power of the Jia Ma Empire, he couldn't care less.
Merely the Taixu Ancient Dragon alone was enough to allow him to thrash ninety-nine percent of the forces on the Continent on his behalf.
"If my lord does not disdain it, Princess Yao Ye henceforth belongs to you, my lord. Even if I must toil and slave for my lord, I would not hesitate," Princess Yao Ye knelt on the ground, speaking respectfully. If they could truly become forces under Xu Ran, it would be no disgrace for the royal household, but rather a cause for tremendous celebration.