Announcement - 717

The entire Imperial Capital was in a state of excitement as the day passed. The next day, directly at noon, the vast majority of people within the Imperial Capital, including all of the nobles, gathered in a large crowd.

As a bell rang, the Emperor walked onto a large stand. 

The Emperor was old, but not old enough to have trouble taking action. In fact, for his age, he seemed astonishingly agile. Next to him stood the Imperial Scholar, who had trouble walking, but made it up the stand.

When the Emperor appeared, the entire Imperial Capital quieted down. 

They all looked up with respect and awe. The Emperor looked down below and spoke.

"As seasons pass, so must those we hold dear. People who once ran the Empire retire, and new people fill their positions. Today, I am announcing the retirement of the Imperial Scholar."

With his words, everyone confirmed what was happening. They all knew what would be said next.

"In addition, I will be announcing the next Imperial Scholar." As he finished speaking, a new figure appeared on the stand.

Skymender stepped forward, standing next to the Emperor and the Imperial Scholar.

"I hereby announce the anointment of Imperial Scholar Skymender." The Emperor announced.

The crowd erupted into cheers, extremely happy to see such an event take place. Many knew of Skymender's genius, and held high hopes for the future. 

Although he wore a blindfold and could not see, Skymender could imagine the scene below him, with countless people cheering. It did not necessarily make him happy, or give him a feeling that what he had done was worth it.

In fact, it only felt natural. He was absolutely qualified to be the Imperial Scholar, and he was no doubt at the top of the Empire. 

The Imperial Scholar spoke to him while looking down. "Since you can't see it, I suppose I should let you know about some of the people cheering below. I see the kid you call Fatty, his father, your parents, most of your siblings, your fiance, and countless scholars from all around the Empire."

Skymender nodded, thanking him.

Soon, they all headed back inside the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor turned to Skymender, speaking to him no longer as a child, but as the Imperial Scholar. "Go ahead and do what you need to do. In three days, you will begin your work, and you will be hard pressed to find free time. We have a lot to do. In the meantime, do you have any objections to coming and helping for now."

His last sentence was directed at the Imperial Scholar. "I can. It is only natural that I, Fei Luzi, serve the Empire."

The Emperor and Fei Luzi walked deeper into the Imperial Palace, while Skymender left it. He did indeed have some things that needed to be taken care of. 

He quickly made his way to his house, where he found a bunch of people waiting. 

"Welcome back, Skymender." They said in unison. 

Skymender nodded. 

All of them noticed the blindfold on his face, and began to ask questions.

When they heard his explanation, most of them, especially his parents, sighed.

"First a face mask, now a blindfold. And you still have that glove. If you weren't able to heal your throat, your face would be completely unseeable."

Many laughed. 

After a while, his family left. Those who had visited him were Skybelle, his father, his mother, and a few other siblings. Unfortunately, Skymerge was nowhere to be seen. In fact, when he asked his parents about it, they had told him bad news.

"A few years ago, Skymerge disappeared. We haven't seen or heard anything about him since."

There was no information on the matter at all, as if he had simply stopped existing. He had simply been sleeping in his room, and when his parents woke up, he was gone. 

Skymender did not focus on it too much. There was nothing he could possibly do about it. 

Instead, he focused on Melly. It was finally time to fulfill the agreement made many years ago. Her parents and his parents were in the Imperial Capital, waiting until tomorrow. Then, he and Melly would get married. He did not have any romantic feelings for Melly, and merely viewed it as fulfilling an agreement, but she was very clearly happy.

With the announcement of him becoming the Imperial Scholar being made, Melly's parents were thrilled that their daughter would be marrying Skymender, a full reverse to how they felt when it was first mentioned.

In addition, his parents decided to make it an open wedding, and spread the news about it. The wedding would be held outside the Imperial Capital, though just a walking distance away on a hill.

Everything had been set up, and the next day, Skymender was dressed by servants, sent by his parents, and brought to the venue. The amount of people that showed up was in the thousands. After all, the announcement of him being the Imperial Scholar had happened only just yesterday. In addition, a shocking surprise occurred. The Imperial Family, along with the previous Imperial Scholar showed up.

Even Skymender was surprised to see the Imperial Family. He immediately went over to see the Emperor. 

"How could I miss such an event when my Imperial Scholar is the main event." He laughed. 

It was a smooth and ordinary wedding, simply with a shocking attendance.

In the end, Skymender kissed Melly, sealing their marriage. Afterwards, they went home. 

Nothing else happened. Skymender and Melly simply relaxed until it was time to sleep. That night, Skymender left the house. He moved quickly, reaching an area of high altitude. He sat in that area and stared at the stars thinking about the events of today. 

After an hour, he sighed. "It is peaceful, but it is not the type of life that I will live. My ambitions do not stop here. Even if I have to sacrifice everything, I will continue onwards. No complacency, no wife, no family, no loyalty could ever stop me."

He felt as if every word he spoke was being etched into his heart, making it even firmer. His eyes grew cold, and so did his heart.

"So let's continue on with this game."