Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Chapter 1430: Sincerity as a Weapon

Nico bared his teeth in a grin, speared a chunk of fatty pork, and tossed it into his mouth, chewing with exaggerated delight.

"That settles it, then. I’ll see you out."

Kadir stood and helped Tristan down the stairs.

At the entrance, they met Adelina, the young maid who had been waiting faithfully, along with a knightly retainer from the Greymount household. After handing Tristan over to their care, Kadir climbed back up to the second floor of the Silent Goblet.

He pushed the door open. Nico, who had been slurring and bleary-eyed just moments ago, was now sitting upright, pouring wine with steady, elegant hands.

Two glasses sat before him.

"Come. A toast to my good friend," Nico said, his voice crisp. "After years of hiding your light in the Colosseum, your day has finally come."

"Praise the great Giant King. May his glory shine upon us brothers."

Nico raised his glass. Kadir joined him. As two of the earliest humans to join the Stoneheart Horde, they shared a history and a joy that required few words.

"Praise the Giant King."

Kadir offered the toast with genuine reverence before taking his seat. He popped a small, dried mana-seed into his mouth.

"Well?"

Only after swallowing the seed—and its sobering properties—did Kadir speak, his voice low and serious.

He had brought Nico along for two reasons: to establish a business link between the Colosseum and the new guild, and to let the fat man’s predatory eyes assess Tristan Greymount.

"Passionate. Sincere. Ambitious. He has vision, and his temperament is solid."

These were the highlights Nico had cataloged. His judgment was harsh and exacting; he rarely gave such high praise to anyone.

"You know that’s not what I’m asking," Kadir said flatly.

Nico chuckled. He knew his oldest friend wouldn’t be satisfied with surface-level observations.

He clamped another piece of fat between his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, savoring the grease with a slow, deliberate chew.

"He’s too young."

It took a long time for Nico to swallow and deliver that verdict.

Kadir didn’t respond. He waited.

"According to our intel, Tristan went missing for ten years. He only started his rise after he returned home," Nico mused, his eyes narrowing into slits that gleamed with cunning. "I don’t know what he went through in that lost decade, but it’s undoubtedly the reason he secured the position of Guild Master for the Cross-Realm Trade Guild."

"The Greymount family is second-rate. They have no deep foundations to offer the Horde. The only thing of value," Nico tapped the table, "is our new friend, Tristan."

"My friend, it’s obvious. Everything hinges on those words: ’Cross-Realm’."

"It is a massive, entirely new track. It has far more potential than my Colosseum."

Nico didn’t know the specifics, but he could read the winds.

"The Colosseum isn’t as simple as you say," Kadir countered seriously. "It is a magical construct. The better you run it, the greater the rewards. They will exceed your imagination."

"You fat bastard, your future might truly rest on that arena."

"You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?" Nico asked softly.

"I don’t think they are rumors," Kadir said. "The return of the Battle Elders and the Wardens is proof enough. The changes in the two Princes... those were the harbingers."

"As long as we remain loyal and do our jobs, the God-touched blessing will eventually fall upon us."

Kadir spoke vaguely, but Nico understood perfectly.

The construction of the cross-realm teleportation array had required materials partially sourced from the Colosseum’s stockpiles. Furthermore, whispers of the Stoneheart Temple had been circulating within the Giant race for some time. Everyone was waiting.

Bloodline transformation. Potential enhancement. Becoming a Lord, an Archlord... living longer.

For humans like them, with lifespans of barely a century, such ambition was the ultimate temptation.

"I haven’t been to other worlds, but I know the Stoneheart Horde conquers them," Kadir continued. "If the Colosseum performs well enough, do you think the Horde won’t expand it to those new territories?"

It was a hint, and a goal for Nico.

Nico ran the Colosseum successfully, but he lacked a certain spark—a drive to climb higher. Perhaps it was because he knew his human potential was capped. He looked energetic on the outside, but inside, his spirit was aging.

"Besides," Kadir added, "once I officially take office, I will be traveling to these other worlds."

"I believe I can find a way to increase our potential out there."

It was a promise to a friend, and to himself.

"Old friend," Nico laughed, breaking the tension. "I didn’t know you had such a sentimental side."

"For that alone, we need another drink."

Nico didn’t tear up or get emotional. He simply laughed and raised his glass.

Everything that needed to be said was in the wine.

Stoneheart City, The Streets

In the carriage, Adelina fed Tristan a small red pill. Within moments, seven-tenths of his drunkenness evaporated.

Tristan rubbed his temples. The flush on his face had faded, but his skull still throbbed.

"Young Master, why didn’t you take the pill beforehand?" Adelina asked softly, dampening a handkerchief with water to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "When you went to banquets in the past, you always took one first."

"You don’t understand."

Tristan winced at the headache, but his face was radiant with success.

"I am weak on my own. Aside from the trust of the King and Lilith, those two men are the keys to my rise."

"I desperately need their experience in the Stoneheart Horde, and I need the behemoth that is the Colosseum backing me."

"Becoming friends with them will save me from detours, losses, and making enemies of the wrong people."

Nico and Kadir might not be household names to the common folk, but to the upper echelons of the continent’s major powers, they were critical functional figures. They were the gatekeepers. Through them, one could gauge the Stoneheart Horde’s attitude and access vital intelligence.

"Heh... if you want to make friends, you have to be sincere."

"Taking a sobering pill beforehand? That’s just going through the motions. It’s patronizing."

Tristan spoke slowly, using the moment to educate Adelina.

He had achieved his goal of entering the Stoneheart Horde far earlier than expected. He needed to accelerate his assistant’s training immediately.

Tristan had ambition. He wanted to use the Stoneheart Horde to build a merchant dynasty that would last for generations.

"Do you think they wouldn’t know? That they couldn’t tell?"

"Adelina, capable men can read volumes from a single look or a single gesture."

"Sincerity is the sharpest weapon in friendship," Tristan said, closing his eyes. "Sometimes, it can even move an enemy."