The next day, Kanoru heard a knock at the door.
When he opened it, he saw two officials accompanied by several guards standing outside.
After a brief exchange of greetings, he learned they had come to deliver his prize.
As he accepted it, Kanoru couldn't help but feel that yesterday's competition had ended somewhat anticlimactic.
He had wanted to fight both Lu Yao and Wen Yu, but he also understood why the King had prevented it.
Their strengths were too close, and one wrong move could have caused irreparable harm to one another.
Later, Fu Qinzhu revealed the true identities of Lu Yao and Wen Yu.
Both of them were members of the Ming Dynasty royal family.
Lu Yao's mother was the daughter of the current emperor, while her father was from the Lu family, an ancient and millennial clan.
Meanwhile, Wen Yu's father was the son of the current emperor, making him directly related to the throne.
Moreover, both Lu Yao and Wen Yu were married into the Gu royal family—to a prince and princess, respectively.
Thus, the three of them were either royal family members or relatives of the King.
In the King's eyes, declaring all three as winners was the best possible choice—it preserved stability and avoided offending any royal faction.
---
After receiving his reward, one of the officials unrolled a large map marked with red and green symbols.
Upon closer inspection, Kanoru realized it was a map of the Desert Kingdom.
The official explained that the red markings indicated occupied oases, while the green ones represented unclaimed oases.
As one of the champions, Kanoru was given the right to choose an unoccupied oasis as his fief.
Together with Asuna, he studied the map carefully.
They eventually selected an oasis located in the southernmost and westernmost part of the kingdom.
It was positioned beyond the barren, white-sand desert, close to the ocean.
The strategic location was perfect—by using the ocean, they could travel back to their homeland.
Once they made their decision, the officials formally recorded the fief under Kanoru's name before taking their leave.
---
The next day was uneventful, with a quiet morning.
But by evening, Fu Qinzhu arrived, carrying Kanoru's wedding attire for the ceremony scheduled for the following day.
He also explained the ritual traditions they would follow.
---
On the day of the wedding, Kanoru married Gu Mingzhu in a grand ceremony held at her palace.
The celebration concluded with Kanoru and Gu Mingzhu spending their wedding night together.
This surprised Kanoru, as he hadn't expected to have a wedding night until after he won the Royal Hunt and Gu Mingzhu claimed the throne.
However, the following day, Fu Qinzhu subtly revealed the true reason behind the early marriage.
Although Fu Qinzhu didn't state it outright, their conversation made Kanoru realize the truth.
The reason was his fief—the small oasis he had just acquired.
Even if he failed to win the Royal Hunt, Gu Mingzhu would still have a foothold in the kingdom through his oasis.
It also provided the Fu family with a base of influence.
They wanted his permission to develop the oasis into a thriving territory.
Kanoru agreed without hesitation.
After all, he had no connections in the kingdom, and it would have been difficult for him to develop the oasis on his own.
However, he made one condition—they had to construct a canal connecting the oasis to the ocean.
This would allow Asuna's family to reach the fief through the sea, creating a link to their homeland.
The Fu family quickly accepted the condition.
For them, the canal would open a new trade route, making the oasis even more valuable.
They also promised that after two years, they would give Kanoru 50% of the profits generated from the territory.
---
The next morning, Kanoru left the palace and made his way toward the Royal Library.
Upon arriving, he stood outside for a moment, watching as the servant who had escorted him walked away.
The Royal Library was an imposing structure, built in the style of Ancient Greek architecture—a design reminiscent of his past life.
Its white marble façade gleamed in the morning sun, and its four towering stories gave it a majestic presence.
As Kanoru approached the entrance, the guards stationed outside blocked his path.
Without a word, he held out his token, and after a brief inspection, they allowed him to enter.
---
Just beyond the library doors, he noticed an old man with a long white beard sitting by a desk, reading a book.
Without looking up, the old man said in a calm, raspy voice,
"Token."
Kanoru held out his token once more.
The old man glanced at it briefly and then said,
"You're allowed to read anything on this floor and may take three books for free from the first floor. However, you are not permitted to access the second floor."
Kanoru gave a brief nod and walked directly toward the staircase, climbing up to the first floor.
---
Once there, he began browsing the rows of bookshelves, eventually stopping at a section dedicated to Avatar Spells.
He pulled out a few books and started reading, but he was unable to decide which one to choose.
Only the introductions were visible—the rest of the content was sealed by a spell.
With his limited knowledge of Avatar Spells, he found it difficult to make an informed decision.
So, he wandered through the aisles, searching for a book that might explain Avatar Spells in detail, but found none.
Feeling frustrated, he descended back to the ground floor.
After a few minutes of browsing, he finally discovered a shelf with several books on Avatar Spells.
He picked one up and began reading, gradually gaining a deeper understanding.
---
From the text, he learned that Avatar Spells were only effective for Middle-Rank Warlocks and above.
This was because the rune formations required for Avatar Spells were based on the spiritual spell runes drawn during the Lower Rank and Apprentice Warlock realms.
To cast an Avatar Spell, one had to form talisman rune formations with their spiritual energy on the surface of their skin.
These talismans would then connect with the base runes in their spiritual space, completing the spell.
However, Kanoru's expression darkened as he muttered to himself,
"I don't have spiritual energy…"
All his spiritual energy had been swallowed by his chakra.
But then, a thought crossed his mind—
"Can chakra form runes outside my skin?"
Before his chakra devoured his spiritual energy, he would have dismissed the idea entirely.
But now, things were different.
Although chakra could only circulate inside his body through his chakra channels and couldn't emerge externally before, that had changed.
When he began visualizing and opened the gate to his spiritual space, spiritual energy poured out.
His chakra, upon swallowing the spiritual energy, was suddenly able to manifest outside his body, creating a shimmering layer over his skin—almost like a second skin of flowing energy.
Still, he wasn't entirely sure if he could use Avatar Spells.
Clenching his fists slightly, he murmured,
"I'll have to test it with a spell first."
---
Returning the book to its place, Kanoru ascended the stairs once more.
He walked slowly through the first-floor aisles, carefully reading the introductions of every Avatar Spell he could find.
The spells were divided into the five main elements:
Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, and Earth.
He sighed softly when he realized there wasn't a single Wind-element spell.
Wind was his first choice, but he understood why it wasn't included.
Thus, he turned his attention to the Fire and Water spells, the two that intrigued him the most.
---
Fire and Water were equally powerful, but Kanoru weighed their pros and cons carefully.
Both required special resources to build the formation base in his spiritual space—except for the basic spells, which didn't require external resources.
However, Water Avatar Spells consumed significantly more energy during combat.
In prolonged battles, they could drain his reserves faster.
Considering his current limitations, Fire Avatar Spells seemed more efficient.
With a final glance at the water spells, he made his decision.
He reached out and selected a book titled:
"Fire Elemental Avatar".
With the book in hand, Kanoru left the section, determined to test his theory and see if his chakra could truly replicate the talisman runes required for Avatar Spells.