Read Novel Full Chapter 1653: A Tour of Conquest
Chapter 1653: A Tour of Conquest
He let the command hang in the air for a second before adding, "Once this world is consumed, the World Tree’s roots will grow vastly more powerful. Whatever treasures or traps lay hidden in the remaining two worlds, they will be far easier to handle with a strengthened foundation."
He spoke the plain truth. No one wanted a grueling battle of attrition when overwhelming power could make the job effortless.
"We hardly need you to tell us that," Archbishop Kysar sneered. He shot The Lifeless Dreadgod a dirty look before turning his dark, brooding gaze toward Orion. "I have a proposal. We, the Cult of Four, offered up these three major worlds. I am the one anchoring them. Any remaining treasures hidden within them rightfully belong to us."
Orion didn’t even dignify that garbage with a response. The Lifeless Dreadgod, however, let out a harsh bark of laughter.
"Rightfully yours? Go ahead, call out to the divine heart fragment! See if it answers you! If it does, I’ll gladly hand it over!" Hand it over? I’ll hand you my boot, he added silently.
Kysar’s skin was thick enough to deflect the mockery entirely. Ignoring the Dreadgod, he turned his attention to Moriphara. She stood much taller now, radiating newfound confidence. A Progenitor Insect phantom, boasting an aura far denser and more menacing than its predecessor, coiled around her shoulder. She had clearly executed a rapid, massive sacrifice on The Swarming Continent to resurrect the beast.
"Those two reaped all the rewards while we received nothing," Kysar addressed her. "I propose they be barred from interfering in the next two worlds. Do you agree?"
A sharp, affirmative chitter from the Wyrm echoed through the air, and Moriphara gave a slow nod. With her backing, Kysar turned back to face Orion and The Lifeless Dreadgod.
"If you refuse, I will sever the anchor and abandon the worlds," Kysar threatened openly. "If I get nothing, neither do you. The Titanion Realm’s growth benefits all of us, not just me."
It was naked extortion. Bitter over losing the divine heart fragment to the Will of the Realm—only to watch it be gifted to Orion—Kysar was nursing a massive grudge. He was seriously reconsidering whether he wanted to continue aiding the Titanion Realm’s ascension. Even though his life and soul were bound to the plane, he had no qualms about using mutually assured destruction as a bargaining chip.
"I have already secured my path forward. I have zero interest in whatever trinkets lay hidden in the remaining worlds," The Lifeless Dreadgod drawled.
Orion’s eyes immediately flicked toward him. This bastard is as greedy as a dragon and twice as treacherous. There is no way he’d willingly surrender a fortune like that.
Orion stared hard at the Dreadgod’s phantom, trying to dissect the reasoning behind the sinister, raspy chuckles. But the Dreadgod merely met his gaze with a smile that grew increasingly cryptic and malevolent.
"I have no objections," Orion finally agreed, expertly feigning the pained expression of a martyr sacrificing his own gains for the greater good of the Titanion Realm.
In reality, Orion had no intention of walking away from free loot. But with The Lifeless Dreadgod playing along, Orion had to match his play. He needed to see what trap that ancient, scheming bastard was setting. Besides, even if he couldn’t openly contest the spoils, he could easily manipulate the World Tree’s roots from the shadows to skim the cream off the top. Calling Kysar’s bluff right now was simply bad business; he couldn’t risk the Archbishop cutting the anchor.
"Do not try any underhanded tricks. I will be watching you both," Archbishop Kysar warned. "If I sense even the slightest anomaly, I will instantly sever the anchor."
With that final threat hanging in the air, his phantom will dissipated, retreating to his throne.
...
Timira, the realm of the Snail-Dragon.
Elara rode her newly hatched pet Snail-Dragon along a winding cobblestone path. Emerald grasslands stretched endlessly on either side, where luminescent grass drifted through the air, scattering seeds like dandelions on the breeze.
"Your Highness, Timira is a picturesque realm of eternal spring, painted in vibrant greens and embraced by nature." Grand Magus Rhazuun walked beside her. Gripping a wooden staff and draped in a pale-grey cloak, he looked every bit the archetypal planar traveler.
"You’re right. Timira is like a pearl gleaming in the river of time," Elara agreed. "The morning light is soft, the grass rolls like ocean waves, and the air carries a rich, sweet fragrance."
Through her eyes, the realm truly was a vision of beauty.
"It is also a world steeped in magic," Rhazuun continued. "The natives specialize in summoning. They bind Snail-Dragons, repurposing their discarded shells as homes and using the shells of smaller breeds as currency. It is a perfect world for travel."
Catching the look of sheer enjoyment on Elara’s sunlit face, Rhazuun felt his efforts were justified. Escorting the eldest daughter of the Stoneheart Horde across Timira was a small price to pay to win her favor. Besides, he found the realm quite enjoyable himself.
"What do you think of this world, Anubis?" Elara ignored the Grand Magus, turning to the Gnoll trailing behind Slowpoke. She had named her mount Slowpoke for the obvious reason—Snail-Dragons were notoriously sluggish.
"It’s alright. The meat here is delicious!" Anubis grunted. He carried a massive rucksack on his back, packed with whatever oddities and shiny trinkets Elara had deemed amusing. He also clutched a pair of giant meat skewers in each hand, tearing huge bites from them with clear relish.
"Eat as much as you like if it’s good!" Elara smiled, pleased with his answer.
She then turned back to Rhazuun. "Grand Magus, the Order of the Dandelion hasn’t shown enough sincerity. Compared to the Saint Gran Council, or the Mycelial demigod, or the demigod champions guarding The Bastion Wall... your offerings fall short."
Rhazuun could only stare as she smiled at him from the shadows, her expression framed by a sky full of drifting luminescent grass and faint rainbows.
"Speak plainly, Your Highness. What do you need from us?" Rhazuun asked, his gaze hardening. He knew this trip was never just a simple sightseeing tour.
Elara chuckled and shook her head, sidestepping the question. Instead, she brought up something that caught him completely off guard. "Grand Magus, have you heard the news? The Stoneheart Horde will soon elect a new Tian King."
"I have," Rhazuun nodded. The news had already swept across the continent. Everyone was placing bets on which of the four giant princes would claim the throne.
"Did you know, Anubis?" Elara asked over her shoulder.
"I know!" Anubis mumbled, tearing off another massive chunk of meat.
"And who do you think will be the next Tian King?" Her face was bright, her smile radiant.
"You, of course, Your Great Highness!" Anubis roared, raising a half-eaten skewer like a weapon. He looked strikingly like his father in that moment. "Your name rings throughout the Horde! I will slaughter your enemies and spread your glory across the continent!"
Elara laughed, a bright, genuine sound. "Well then, Grand Magus. Who do you think will be the next Tian King?" She tilted her head, letting the wind toss her hair, and leveled a teasing, almost mocking gaze at Rhazuun.
Rhazuun froze. A cold spike of panic hit him. The Order of the Dandelion strictly avoided entanglements in the succession wars of other factions.
"Your Highness, surely you are joking?" he asked after a long pause, swallowing hard.
"Hehe... The Horde’s succession is based purely on martial merit and glory." Elara’s tone was breezy, her smile wide. "Tell me, Grand Magus. If I conquer this Snail-Dragon world and offer it to my father, do you think he’ll choose me as his heir?"
She already knew the answer. Knowing Orion, adding an entire realm to the Horde’s dominion would guarantee her the throne. It was the law Orion had laid down, the absolute rule of the Horde. Bloodlines and gender mattered little; by perfectly inheriting the Stoneheart Titan bloodline, she possessed every right to vie for the title of Tian King and seize absolute control of the Horde.
"Your Highness, Timira is beautiful. Its people are peaceful. We should not bring war to their shores," Rhazuun pleaded.
"If they submit, there will be no war," Elara replied instantly.
"War will destroy the Snail-Dragons’ habitats. Surely you don’t wish to see such gentle mounts driven to extinction?"
"The Horde’s vaults hold countless breeding lairs. I won’t let them go extinct." Her smile never wavered.
"People will die, Your Highness. The locals will fight and bleed for their freedom, and the warriors of the Stoneheart Horde will perish alongside them."
"They are warriors. Their fate is to live by the blade and die beneath it. That is their glory."
She glanced back, as if to prove the point.
"Anubis, what is a warrior’s destiny?"
"To die for Your Highness! To die for the Horde! To die for the glory of the Gnoll!" Anubis barked. "From the moment I left my father, I swore never to tarnish his name or our family’s honor!"
Elara’s smile grew even more radiant as she turned her gaze back to the Grand Magus, letting the Gnoll’s fanatical declaration shatter his arguments.
"Your Highness, I will not aid in tyranny," Rhazuun said firmly. "The Order of the Dandelion will not intervene in this war."
"How do you know the Order of the Dandelion won’t agree if you haven’t even asked them?" Elara’s smile took on an eerie, knowing edge.
Rhazuun suddenly felt completely outmatched. She stood leagues above him, holding all the cards, while he was boxed in at every turn.
"We wouldn’t!"
"You haven’t asked."
Rhazuun fell silent. He had no counterargument. A sinking realization hit him—his superiors had explicitly ordered him to accommodate Elara’s every demand, even the unreasonable ones, just to secure her favor.
"I will crawl forward, step by step, carrying a heavy shell..." Elara sang softly. "Eyes wide open to see this beautiful world... Wearing the brightest smile, watching the most vibrant flowers bloom..."
Leaving the Grand Magus speechless was victory enough for Elara. She gave Slowpoke’s reins a gentle tug, humming the melody Orion had taught her as she continued her tour of the world.
Or rather, her inspection of her future territory.