Upon hearing the Emperor's affirmative reply, Gongsun Rou quickly accepted the command.
"Your humble servant shall immediately attend to the selection of concubines. I am confident the ministers will actively cooperate once they learn of this."
She rose gracefully, her curvaceous figure fully displayed.
Xu Mo reminded her, "The selection of concubines must not involve coercion. It requires the willing consent of the individuals!"
He did not wish for his consorts to be forced into marrying him. Such a forceful selection was something he would not do.
Gongsun Rou looked at Xu Mo with fervent eyes and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The women of Da Gan all yearn for you in their hearts. Not to mention becoming your concubine, they would even be willing to serve as your maids."
Xu Mo had appeared out of nowhere, not only the strongest in the Eastern Domain of the Great Barrens but also the founding emperor of Da Gan. Furthermore, he was incredibly handsome, the prince charming for all the women within Da Gan.
He was also the object of fantasy for many young maidens awaiting marriage. Even in her own heart, there was only His Majesty.
Gongsun Rou could foresee that once the news of the Da Gan Emperor's concubine selection spread, all the women of the Da Gan Dynasty would go mad, scrambling to secure a spot.
Xu Mo thought this was plausible and said no more. He waved Gongsun Rou away, indicating he wished to rest.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gongsun Rou departed to prepare for His Majesty's concubine selection.
The Emperor's selection of concubines was a major event that had to be treated with utmost solemnity!
Left alone in the sleeping quarters, Xu Mo looked at the jade slip sent by Fan Cheng, a sense of wistfulness washing over him.
He had been in the Great Barrens for over a hundred and forty years. The memories of Earth had always been buried deep within his heart.
Today, a pattern that strongly resembled that of Coca-Cola had completely stirred his memories, reminding him of some things on Earth.
"More than a hundred years have passed. I wonder how Earth is doing now and what stage its technological development has reached?"
Xu Mo murmured to himself, then shook his head. "Whatever happens on Earth has nothing to do with me anymore. I can't go back anyway."
He was an orphan. If there was anything on Earth he still cared about, it would be his close friend and sworn brother, Qin Cheng.
But after one hundred and forty years, Qin Cheng would long have turned to dust, swept away by the wind.
...
Pacific Ocean.
The mist on the sea surface had not yet dissipated, though it was much thinner than it had been a day earlier.
The Nix was adrift in this unknown sea for two days, and the passengers on the cruise ship remained in a state of panic.
"It's been two days. Why haven't we left this misty area yet?"
"Are we trapped in this mist and can't get out?"
"Nonsense! Don't jinx it. We're sailing in one direction. I don't believe we can't get out!"
The crowd began to argue, some holding pessimistic views, while others believed the cruise ship would eventually leave the misty area.
Lin Xue was wearing a dark gray suit today, which accentuated her beautiful figure, but the weariness in her eyes revealed that she had slept poorly last night.
"Xiao Xue, why don't you go back and rest? Don't worry. The cruise ship has been out of contact for two days. The outside world must know by now. Perhaps warships are already on their way to rescue us."
Lin Wencheng looked at his granddaughter's tired appearance with concern and a hint of guilt.
Originally, this trip was only for him. But it happened that Lin Xue and her brother were on vacation, so he decided to take his granddaughter and grandson along for the trip.
He hadn't expected to encounter the bizarre phenomenon they were now facing. If anything were to happen, he would be consumed by guilt.
Lin Xue noticed her grandfather's gaze and quickly said, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'm fine. I'm not scared by our current predicament. It's just that the ship's rocking so violently, it affected my sleep."
"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with this cruise ship. It was fine before, but it's been rocking so much since we encountered the mist. It's really strange."
Lin Zihao rubbed his dark circles under his eyes, also having slept poorly.
He took out his latest model phone with satellite communication, but it still showed no signal. This indicated that the Nix had not left the unknown waters.
Lin Zihao couldn't help but exclaim, "What sea is this? Why can't we get out after sailing at full speed for two days? Could we have run into a 'ghost wall'?"
The Nix could reach a speed of 80 knots per hour at full throttle. Sailing at full speed for two consecutive days was enough to travel from the East China Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Lin Wencheng's expression was grave. He had long sensed that something was wrong. It wasn't just him; many people on the cruise ship felt the strangeness.
The misty sea area the Nix had entered gave people a heart-palpitating feeling, even evoking thoughts of mysterious legends.
"We haven't encountered any danger yet. Let's wait. The ship's supplies can last for half a month, which should be enough to hold out until external rescue arrives."
Lin Wencheng said, but he felt a bit uncertain in his heart. Could they really wait for rescue?
At this moment, the ship's broadcast announced, carrying the captain's voice.
"Esteemed passengers, I have good news for you. The mist has begun to weaken. We have also gradually regained control of the cruise ship."
"Our crew spotted land through the binoculars directly ahead of the ship! Yes, that's right, land!"
After speaking, the large screen in the cabin displayed an image.
It was a hazy sea obscured by mist, and in the distance, the outline of land could be vaguely seen.
There were large expanses of land, confirming it was not an island.
Upon seeing this, all the passengers erupted in cheers!
Seeing land meant they were saved and would soon be sailing out of this incredibly bizarre sea.
"Thank God, we're finally leaving this damned misty area!"
"I was almost despairing just now. I didn't expect to see land so soon. It seems we are lucky."
"Now we don't have to be on edge. I wonder which continent lies ahead? Or is it our destination, the Americas?"
"That's unclear. The cruise ship lost its way. Perhaps it's Africa or Australia ahead."
"Thank heavens, as long as it's not Antarctica..."
Everyone's hearts settled down. They began to chat and laugh, even pouring red wine and champagne.
Lin Xue and the other two did not join the celebration but also relaxed.
It was fine as long as there was no danger. Even if the continent ahead wasn't the Americas, it wouldn't matter. They could adjust their course to head for the Americas later; it would just take more time.
However, Lin Xue no longer wanted to travel by cruise ship. She had developed a lingering fear and felt that flying was safer.
Once Lin Zihao's mind was at ease, he became somewhat excited!
When they returned to school, he would tell his classmates about this experience. Those guys would surely be envious and admire his adventure!
Lin Wencheng did not fully relax. He stared at the outline of the land on the large screen, a vague sense of unease lingering in his heart.
The experience of an elder told him that they might be celebrating too soon and that things would definitely not be that simple.
Otherwise, if they could already see land, why was there still no satellite signal?
And the mist around them, though starting to dissipate, had not completely vanished, still covering the entire sea.
...