The other Saints all struggled to contain their anger, their gazes fixed on the scene ahead!
In the center of the icy circle, the orcs, who had been in a state of despair, suddenly quieted down upon hearing the Ice Queen's proclamation. Their previously hopeless eyes lit up with a flicker of hope, staring at the holy figure of the Ice Queen in the sky, as if gazing upon their goddess.
"The far southern lands of the world shall be your refuge for survival. Do you accept this fate?" The Ice Queen spoke proudly, her robe billowing in the wind.
A silence fell over the scene for a few minutes.
One of the Phantom Venom Snakefolk, with its green eyes flickering uncertainly, asked, "Do we have no other way to survive? Can we not pledge allegiance to you?"
An Illusion Tigerperson quickly echoed, "That's right! If you provide us with shelter and food, we are willing to become your subordinate race!"
Hearing these words, the faces of the Saints darkened.
King Grey Lu almost couldn't restrain himself and was about to step forward.
Fortunately, at the last moment, the Ice Queen glanced over at Rhett and the others before turning back and coldly replied, "The defeated have no other choice. Your only path to survival is to live in the far southern lands, and you must never set foot on the mainland again!"
A cold wind blew through the air, causing the orcs to shiver.
The Phantom Venom Snakefolk, who had just suggested allegiance, remained silent for a moment before finally lowering its proud head and kneeling on the ground. "Thank you, great one, for your mercy. We will follow your command…"
"Hmm…" The Ice Queen nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on the Phantom Venom Snakefolk, seemingly satisfied with the result.
She then walked over to Rhett and addressed the other Saints, "I shall escort these orcs to the far south myself. If we leave them like stray dogs, I fear they might be wiped out by other transcendents along the way, disrupting our cooperation with the Beast God World."
"Hmph, I hope it's truly an escort. I'm keeping a close count of these orcs. I better not see them in the Ice Kingdom in the future," King Riem sneered, clearly displeased with the Ice Queen's earlier remarks.
The Ice Queen shot King Riem a frosty glance. While the humans could unite against a common enemy, it didn't mean there weren't internal conflicts. Rivalry and competition had always existed among them, only masked by the greater external threat.
"Let's wait and see," the Ice Queen said disdainfully before walking off toward the orcs.
After bidding farewell to the Ice Queen, the battlefield felt much emptier, leaving only the scattered corpses and rivers of blood.
Having disabled over ten thousand high- and mid-level orcs, Rhett instructed Tark to finish them off before returning to the group.
On the ground stood a makeshift stone table, surrounded by the Saints. Someone unfurled a large, detailed map, about twenty square meters in size, covering the entire table.
It was a specially crafted alchemical map, clear and precise, but an air of tension hung over it.
The Saints around the table all wore expressions of tension, cautiously eyeing one another, hesitant to make a move as they stared at the map.
Only when Rhett arrived did everyone seem to breathe a little easier.
King Milan extended a hand in invitation and smiled, "Rhett, you go first. As agreed earlier, you have the priority in the division of territories."
Rhett nodded, glancing around at the others with a smile, "In that case, I won't hold back."
With that, he used his spiritual power to conjure an earth-elemental pen. He surveyed the center of the map, which corresponded to the very heart of the world.
The land was vast, featuring a diverse landscape of plains, interwoven forests, streams, towering peaks, and deep valleys.
Rhett's eyes gleamed. No wonder, in the simulation, he had chosen this area for his kingdom. It was the perfect territory—ideal for human habitation while maintaining a rich diversity of species.
After a closer inspection of the details, Rhett nodded and began outlining the kingdom's border.
Without hesitation, his spiritual power traced a line along the predetermined boundary, quickly forming a sun-like pattern on the map, marking the borders of his new kingdom.
The yellowish sand glowed brightly on the map, as if the territory Rhett had claimed was radiating light!
Gasp!
The other Saints collectively inhaled sharply!
It was big!
Too big!
The area Rhett claimed for himself took up nearly half of the orc territory, covering roughly a quarter of the entire continent!
The Saints felt a wave of discomfort, their faces twitching as they exchanged uneasy glances. They wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, sighing inwardly.
"Does anyone have any objections?" Rhett calmly asked, observing their reactions.
After a brief pause, no one responded.
"Very well, I'll take that as silent approval," Rhett said, pointing to a specific location on the map. "With that settled, I plan to build my capital here. I'd like to ask for some assistance from you all…"
Before he could finish, Hypast spoke up first.
"Leave it to me! Our Circle Tower has its own construction team, led by master alchemical engineers. They can handle any building project with ease!" Hypast said enthusiastically, looking at Rhett with a friendly gaze.
Among the Saints, aside from King Milan, Hypast considered himself closest to Rhett. After all, he had helped Rhett before his rise to power, and now that Rhett was the world's most powerful figure, maintaining their friendship would benefit both the Circle Tower and Riem Kingdom.
King Milan glanced at Hypast before calmly adding, "Rhett, your kingdom is closest to Golden Kingdom. I have a royal construction team, experienced in building capitals. They were responsible for our own royal city. Their expertise will surely benefit you."
"Thank you both for your generosity, but I don't think there's a need to compete," Rhett replied with a smile. "Aside from the capital, my entire territory is in need of development, so I'll be counting on both of you for help!"
"That's no problem at all. My people are at your disposal. When construction is nearly complete, you can return them at your leisure," Hypast said without hesitation.
"Ahem, I can only lend you my team for a year. With the orcs gone, much of our own kingdom also needs rebuilding," King Milan added, scratching his nose in slight embarrassment.
"Haha, thank you both!" Rhett laughed, expressing his gratitude before turning back to the map.
"Defeating the orcs was a collective effort, with countless sacrifices from our predecessors. The remaining land is for you all to divide. I still have matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."
As soon as Rhett finished speaking, the Saints collectively breathed a sigh of relief, eagerly bidding him farewell.
Immediately afterward, they launched into a heated discussion over how to divide the rest of the continent.
After bidding farewell to his fellow Saints, Rhett waited patiently for Tark to finish off the remaining orcs before leaving the battlefield.
Since the canyon front was located near the southwestern border, Rhett's journey home was swift, taking only a few minutes before he arrived at Darkhawk City.
At that moment, thanks to the strict decrees issued by King Milan, all transcendents in the kingdom were on their best behavior. After all, anyone caught causing trouble during such a sensitive time would face swift and severe punishment.
Even the usually unruly bandits and thieves had gone into hiding, staying unusually quiet during this turbulent period.
Darkhawk City was no exception. Within the city's territories, squads of knights clad in silver armor patrolled every road.
Whether in the wilderness, villages, or cities, the watchful presence of these knights was inescapable.
On a hot summer afternoon, the cicadas' buzzing filled the air as the citizens of Darkhawk City and Deepstone Village stayed inside, resting after their midday meal, too deep in their afternoon naps to be disturbed by the noise outside.
Rhett toured his lands one last time, knowing that soon, they might no longer be his. After establishing his new kingdom, the Golden Kingdom's king would likely reclaim these lands.
While he felt a bit nostalgic, Rhett wasn't overly sentimental—so long as his family and friends were with him, that was enough. Material losses meant little compared to maintaining those relationships.
At the gates of the Greenthorne Estate, Steward Sveta stood in his usual crisp black butler's uniform, with a small green flower pinned to his chest.
Under the harsh sunlight, Sveta's black hat brim was damp with sweat, but he refused to take it off. The last time he had removed his hat, he had overheard young master Dick making a joke—calling him a "bald old man"!
Ssssss...
The small red watering can in Sveta's hand released dozens of tiny streams of water, nourishing the parched flowers baking under the summer sun.
He meticulously worked his way through the garden's flower beds, moving with focused precision.
Rachel, one of the estate's maids, called out from a distance, offering to help, but Sveta waved her off, declining politely.
Though he had been watering the flowers for a while, his other hand, usually tucked behind his back, occasionally reached up to pat his lower back. When he bent down, beads of sweat dripped onto the ground, quickly evaporating in the heat.
Despite the sweat soaking his clothes, Sveta remained determined to maintain the dignity of a noble's steward, unwilling to wear anything too casual or light. As a result, his high-quality, water-resistant uniform was drenched through with sweat.
"Ugh, it's unbearably hot. When will this scorching weather finally subside? I've got just one more flower bed to water, and then I can go back to the manor for a bath. Wait—unless that fool Sahr messes up again. He's been accident-free for three months now, but the risk is definitely accumulating… I'd better go check on his work after this."
Sveta let out a soft sigh, using his sleeve to wipe away the sweat as he approached the last row of flowers.
As he rounded the corner by the fence, Sveta suddenly noticed a long shadow cast across the ground.
"Who could possibly be here at this time? The young master and miss are all napping, and the guards wouldn't be standing in this spot…"
Sveta's professional instincts immediately sensed that something was amiss.
But when he straightened up and looked at the figure before him, he froze in place.
The watering can slipped from his hand with a thud, spilling water across the grass and soaking the ground, the moisture quickly spreading to the tips of his black shoes.
Sveta stood there in disbelief.
Had the intense summer heat caused him to hallucinate? Could he have heatstroke?
"Hey, Sveta, why did you drop the watering can before you even finished watering the flowers?"
Standing beside a bed of vibrant flowers, Rhett leaned forward to inhale the scent of a bright red bloom. Then, glancing at the dazed steward, he said with amusement.
Snapping out of his stupor, Sveta gazed at the familiar figure he hadn't seen in months, his heart instantly filled with relief and joy, as if the emptiness inside him had been replaced with a sense of security.
Overwhelmed with happiness, Sveta forgot all his exhaustion and the scorching heat.
In his excitement, Sveta found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing Sveta's speechlessness, Rhett smiled and teased, "Take it easy, my good steward. You're sweating buckets—how about heading back inside for a warm bath? Just remember, no cold water!"
"I-I'm fine. Master, when did you return?" Sveta quickly straightened the watering can and asked excitedly.
"I just got back. The war is over, so I've returned," Rhett replied, glancing at Sveta's hat. "But, Sveta, why are you still wearing that hat in this heat? I understand it might be a gift from Maru, but there's no need to overdo it—it's not good for your health."
"That's not it, Master," Sveta replied, embarrassed. He removed his hat, revealing his balding head, now gleaming under the bright sun, with beads of sweat evaporating off his scalp.
Though there were still a few sparse strands of hair in some places, it was clear that his hair loss was worsening.
Rhett blinked in surprise, staring at Sveta's head before shaking his head with a chuckle.
"I remember now—it's my fault. With everything going on during the war, I almost forgot about my promise to get you a wig. But don't worry, I'm back for good now. Even if I do leave again, it won't be for long. Before winter arrives, I'll make sure you get a fine wig."
"There's no need for that, Master! Your matters are far more important!" Sveta said, overwhelmed by the gesture. He hadn't taken the promise to heart, but hearing Rhett remember it filled him with deep gratitude.
He looked at his master, unharmed and full of energy, and a bright smile spread across his face. "Just recently, young master Relai said the war had escalated beyond control. I've been losing sleep every night, worrying about you, Tark, and young master Tyles' safety. Now that you've returned victorious, it's the best news for me, for Greenthorne Estate, and for all your lands!"