"HAHAHA, Alex. I am not joking. Tell me, will you take my daughter, Selena Cliff as your wife. I can see that my daughter also likes you. No need to rush, I know that Anna is first in line. So you may also discuss with your family. If there's no problem then we can talk ahead." Master Clayton said.
Before Alex could reply, Aunt Meg spoke first.
"Master Clayton Cliff, there's no problem on our side. We have already accepted Anna as our daughter-in-law and Anna also treats your daughter like a sister. If Selena is happy to accept my son as a husband then both I and his Uncle Jack would be very happy."
Aunt Julie also agreed and said, "Alex is also our son and I would be happy if he married Selena."
"What about you. Would mind sharing your future husband with my daughter?" Master Clayton was happy to hear their response but he didn't forget to ask Anna if she was alright with Selena marrying her beloved. For a stable future, it is necessary to clear any doubt before proceeding ahead so as to save them from any embarrassment.
Anna's gave her response by holding Selena's hand sitting beside her. She then gave a nod that she didn't mind.
Selena also had relief that Anna had agreed but then she thought of the most important person in question has still not accepted her. She nervous again and peeked at Alex face who sitting across her.
Everyone also did the same as they were waiting for his reply.
Alex didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His family had already accepted and he too didn't hate marrying such a beautiful girl. Another reason was that Selena had a good heart as he had already seen this in their several meetings and she had all the qualities that he wants to have in his wife.
"If Miss Selena doesn't mind having me as her lifelong partner then I would be dumb not to agree." Alex as looked straight into Selena's eyes.
Anna poked her from beneath the table after which Selena woke up from her blissful heart and nodded with her head.
Since both of them agreed then now it was the matter between adults to discuss further on their engagement, marriage date, location and all that. They wanted to Anna and Selena to marry Alex on the same day.
But they have to cancel that thought because Alex was adamant on marrying Anna only after she turns sixteen. Anna was a little sad when she heard this but Alex assured her to his reason so that she could agree readily.
"There's no harm in organizing a wedding for Alex and Selena first. Next year, Alex can take Anna as his wife on the date as he wishes." Julie said and Meg also agreed. For them, there was no difference as to who would be Alex's first wife.
It might have been a problem if the marriage was between Noble Families as they had to decide the rightful descendant who would take his father's place in the future and the child from the first wife is usually treated as the next in line by default.
Alex soul was from the modern civilized world so he believed in only empowering his children with knowledge and ability to live on their own after they become adults. As for inheritance, it would depend if the inheritance is in terms of money or power.
Money could be distributed equally but power needs to be only given to those who could use it in a responsible way. But Alex didn't need to worry about such things this early in his life. With the help of cultivation, he could himself live for centuries and even millenniums.
Since Alex agreed to marry his daughter first, Master Clayton would of course not disapprove.
They then agreed to keep the wedding date after the next month. Julie and Meg would first ask their husbands and then finally give the dates.
The two families have become a lot closer than before.
"Oh right Master; I made a breakthrough in my cultivation this morning. I have become a 7th grade Body Tempering Realm Cultivator, so I wanted to ask if you can teach me ahead."
"What!! You..how?" As much as Master Clayton had seen the world, he couldn't believe what Alex had just said. It has been only some weeks before Alex was just a 5th-grade cultivator. Now he was saying that he had broken through two grades in such a short time. This was simply unbelievable. Everyone else was just as surprised as Master Clayton was.
"No need to shout. It's because of this." Alex took out a pouch from his pocket. He then opened it to show them the numerous low-grade spirit stones filling the whole pouch.
Only Master Clayton and his daughter Selena were able to identify the spirit stones in one look.
"Spirit stones!" They both exclaimed together.
Meg and others were surprised and almost rushed to see the legendary spirit stones that they have heard so much about.
"My subordinates defeated a pirate group occupying a faraway Island that is in the south direction. They got a chest full of Spirit stones and some money from them. I used this to advance in my cultivation and had brought some of them with me to use it first. The rest of it is being kept safe."
Alex then went in his room to bring many pouches filled with spirit stones to the brim.
"Here. Take this. Use them to speed up your cultivation." Alex gave one to each of them. Master Clayton and Selena were also included.
"Hah!... Alex, I want to thank you because I have an urgent need for these spirit stones. It's very difficult to acquire it from the merchants."
"I can give you more if you want." Alex smiled as he said.
"No. This much is enough. Save the rest for yourself and your family members. These are very rare to find around here." Master Clayton rejected the offer.
Selena and her father took their leave as it was getting late. They had to reach their manor before City army imposes a regular curfew on the major streets at night.
Alex saw his family rushing off to their respective rooms to play with the spirit stones. They all wanted to catch up with Alex as he was rapidly advancing in cultivation.
He also went back to his room to listen to the report about the plans in progress from the puppets.
Blackbeard stated some of the problems they are facing to start the town development project on Greenedge Island. Stones are very scarce on that Island and large amounts of it need to be imported from somewhere else.
This problem cannot be solved, for now, therefore Alex told Blackbeard to prioritize the pier and the shipyard that would be needed to build more ships.
Alex used some of the currency and merit points to purchase Blueprints of different types of wooden-metal ships available in the Book of Myriad changes. But these ships only used normal materials that were easily available in the surroundings.
Other mythical types of ships were not available for purchase nor did he have the resources to buy the blueprints and the materials needed for it to be built.
The normal ships were still better than the largest and the strongest ship used in these waters around the Island.
