"..." Muria was left speechless, stunned by the Dominion Spirit's response. Seriously, what kind of logic was this? Well, she wasn't human—or even a living being, for that matter—but what did she mean by "random" being based on her mood?
So, if he wanted a better world, it all depended on her mood? Did that mean he should have been buttering her up beforehand? He could have done that if he had known. Maybe if he tried flattering her now, could he still salvage the situation?
Muria gazed at the stone axe in his hand, lost in thought. From the look of this token, it seemed likely that the Dominion Spirit had assigned him a world of low quality. So, should he try to appease her now and improve his chances?
"Damn it, what a waste of time," Muria grumbled with a frustrated expression as the Dominion Spirit sent him back to his residence on the Titan Isles.
"Your Highness, have you received the medium world token assigned to you?" Cassio appeared immediately, as usual.
"I have," Muria replied, his face still clouded with displeasure. He held up the stone axe for Cassio to see. "I was assigned a medium world called Yinhuang. Just by the name, I can tell it's probably in a primitive state, with little development."
"Your Highness, you might be misunderstanding something," Cassio said, her eyes glowing as she accessed the archives to retrieve detailed information about the Yinhuang world.
"The Yinhuang world has already birthed a primitive civilization. It has been managed by two Titans before you, so you'll be the third one. If everything goes as expected, you shouldn't have too much trouble conquering this world and forming a military force there."
"Two Titans have already settled in this world?" Muria's eyes widened in surprise. After reaching the mid-legendary stage, a Titan could take over a world. They would typically stay in that world for over 500 years, building up their power until they were ready to lead their army into the void.
Given this timeline, the Yinhuang world must have been under Titan management for over a thousand years, which meant the previous Titans should have left significant traces in this world. As the third Titan to take over, Muria expected to find considerable resources and assistance, possibly even becoming the world's ruler as the Dominion Spirit had suggested.
"Your Highness, I've received nine world coordinates," Cassio suddenly announced, looking at Muria with a hint of surprise.
"How many of them are for small worlds, and how many are for medium worlds?" Muria asked eagerly. After spending so much time sweet-talking the Dominion Spirit, she had finally agreed to allocate him some good world coordinates. But how good were they really? This allocation process was entirely at her discretion, so Muria couldn't be certain. After all, she could have just given him nine small worlds, and he wouldn't have much ground to complain. Of course, in practice, the Dominion Spirit wouldn't do something that unfair.
"Three medium worlds and six small worlds," Cassio replied, her expression complicated as she revealed the nature of the coordinates.
"Only three medium worlds?" Muria frowned slightly, feeling a bit dissatisfied. However, Cassio seemed more surprised by what the Dominion Spirit had granted him.
"Your Highness, what did you do? According to clan regulations, a Titan typically receives coordinates for one medium world and eight small worlds. How did you end up with three medium worlds?"
"Well, I managed to sweet-talk the Dominion Spirit into giving me this special privilege. How about that?" Muria grinned, feeling proud of himself. In his own territory, there was no need to maintain a stoic façade; he could afford to relax and enjoy the moment. After all, why go through life stressed out all the time?
"My Lord, do you really think you got a good deal?" Cassio couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Muria, but she knew she had to speak up.
"Why wouldn't I? Other Titans only get one medium world coordinate, but I got three. Isn't that a win?"
"Your Highness, did you know that the worlds managed by the Dominion Hall, although nominally assigned to Titans, include many untamed, undeveloped worlds? The coordinates you received are for such worlds. While a Titan may have left their mark, they've never truly managed or cultivated these worlds. You'll have to conquer and subdue them yourself before you can establish control.
"Moreover, according to my records, a Titan typically receives coordinates for one medium world capable of fostering a military force and eight small worlds that provide resources. All these worlds need to be taken by force and ruled through strength.
"But since you requested additional medium worlds from the Dominion Spirit, it means you've reduced the number of resource-providing worlds from eight to six. You've essentially cut your own benefits by two worlds. And because this was your request, you can't ask your grandfather to change it."
"So, after all that effort, not only did I not gain anything extra, but I also ended up reducing my own perks." Muria's face darkened.
"Exactly."
"But you could also think about it differently, Cassio. The resources of a small world can never compare to those of a medium world, right? If I manage to conquer all these medium worlds, I won't have lost out!" Muria said, trying to see the bright side.
"But can you conquer them, Your Highness?" Cassio asked pointedly.
"A medium world? It's not like I haven't done it before," Muria said, feeling a bit smug. He had already conquered one medium world and seven small worlds even before the clan officially allocated worlds to him.
"Your Highness, I think you're underestimating what a medium world truly entails," Cassio said, exasperated. She realized Muria might not fully grasp the challenges such a world posed.
"I know it's difficult. If it weren't for a certain cute little helper, I might not have been able to conquer my first one," Muria admitted, recounting how he had taken over the Soros Locust World.
"Your Highness, do you really think a medium world that an imperial princess used as a wager was that powerful? From your description, it sounds only slightly stronger than a small world. You said it had fewer than twenty legendary figures after plundering seven small worlds. That tells you how resource-poor it must have been," Cassio pointed out.
"..." Muria fell silent, realizing that the Soros world was indeed at the bottom end of the medium world spectrum. It made sense, given that it had been used as a bet. It had no prestige.
Cassio then went on to educate Muria on the true nature of a medium world. A typical medium world could easily give rise to double-digit numbers of legendary figures. In some particularly powerful medium worlds, there might even be a pantheon of gods supported by the faith of its intelligent beings, with some gods rivaling those with mighty divine powers. Of course, such worlds were not within the purview of legendary Titans to conquer.
The worlds allocated to legendary Titans by the Titan clan were more standard, typically housing between twenty and thirty legendary beings, with the occasional presence of a handful of deities. For a Titan who had just advanced to the fourth tier of legend, conquering such a world could take hundreds of years. When a Titan reached the peak of the legendary stage, they could suppress such a world with their power alone. However, brute-force suppression was exhausting and did not equate to true rule.
Generally, a single medium world was more than enough for one Titan. Most Titans didn't have the time or energy to control multiple worlds. However, some far-sighted epic Titans, recognizing the potential in exceptionally talented clan members, allowed them to be assigned up to nine world coordinates, although most Titans would only make use of one or two.
"We'll deal with these nine world coordinates later. I'm different from other Titans; just because others can't do something doesn't mean I can't," Muria said, gripping the stone axe in his hand. He had resources and power that most Titans could only dream of.
"Now, take me to the Yinhuang world. Let's start by eating the meal that's already on the table."
...
"Achai! Congratulations, today the Great Priest will hold your coming-of-age ceremony!"
In a cavern filled with signs of excavation, nine youths with youthful faces crowded around one of their friends, offering their congratulations.
"What's there to congratulate? You'll all have your coming-of-age ceremonies sooner or later," replied a tall, muscular boy with messy hair and a rough appearance, smiling as he spoke.
"But it's not the same! Our ceremonies won't compare to yours. Your father is the strongest hunter in the tribe, so the offerings he's prepared for your ceremony will definitely be the best."
"Hey, what do you think Achai's father will hunt as his offering? I bet it's going to be a Steeljaw Tyrannosaur! That's the fiercest beast in the great forest to the west."
"I think it's going to be a Black Marsh Crocodile."
"..."
As the boys excitedly debated what beast would be used in Achai's ceremony, one of them suddenly turned with a mischievous grin to a small, thin boy sitting sullenly in the corner of the cave.
"Hey, what do you think Heizhen will get for his coming-of-age ceremony? I bet it's going to be a One-Eyed Tapir!"
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