Chapter 36: Chapter 36: On the Right Track Chapter 36: Chapter 36: On the Right Track “So weak…” Muria peered down at the Mist Giants below, his first thought upon witnessing these giants. Dressed in rags, many were missing arms and legs, and looked extremely pitiful.

Most importantly, their strength was weaker than that of the average Cloud Giant on the island, which was only of Gold First Level. Most of these Mist Giants were only of Silver Rank, with only a small portion of them at the Gold First Level.

“How did you reach Taiji Island?” Muria stared at the Mist Giants below and suddenly asked.

“We used the majority of our tribe’s savings to commission humans to build a large ship so we could cross the sea…” The scar-covered Mist Giant leader, hearing Muria’s sudden question, began describing their arduous journey across the sea.

These Mist Giants didn’t have the talent of the Cloud Giants. Before reaching the Gold level, most of them could not fly, so they had to rely on tools and seek help from other creatures.

The Mist Giant Tribe had asked their close relatives, the Cloud Giants to accompany them on the ship. However, a group of lower Gold level was far from enough to cross the sea. Thus, they had to pay a “toll” to the Sea Clan they encountered on their journey to avoid attacks.

That was still tolerable. They could exchange their treasures and resources for safety. Although they ended up penniless, they still had their lives.

What truly terrified the Mist Giants were the powerful Sea Monsters they sometimes encountered. Some Sea Monsters were powerful yet as unintelligent as beasts. Unable to communicate, they attacked the Mist Giants instantly. Each encounter with these Sea Monsters resulted in heavy losses for the Mist Giant Tribe.

“How many of your tribe’s Mist Giants are left, compared to when you first set off?” After hearing about the hardships the Mist Giants went through, Muria felt a stab of sympathy, and he began to realize that Titan’s significance to the Giants was more profound than he had thought.

“Only half of the adult Mist Giants in my tribe are remaining from when we first set off…” His eyes welled up with tears as he spoke, “But their sacrifices were worthwhile. We got to meet you, the great Son of Titans and Dragons.”

“…I accept your allegiance. From today, you will settle on Taiji Island. I will order the Cloud Giants to build houses for you,” Muria reassured them after some thought.

With all that said, a Storm Giant stepped forward to guide these tormented Mist Giants away to make room for other Giants waiting to meet Muria.

“Wait a moment, we still have something to present to Prince Mureya.” Seeing the Storm Giant making a gesture for them to leave, the Mist Giant leader quickly took off a small ring from his neck.

For any Giant, this ring seemed pathetically small. Thanks to Muria’s sharp vision, he could actually see what the Mist Giant leader was removing from his necklace.

“Such a small Space Ring must have been made by humans!” The Storm Giant next to the Mist Giant leader judged upon seeing the ring in his hand.

“We only have this Space Ring left. All others have been given away.” The Mist Giant leader lowered his head in embarrassment when he heard what the Storm Giant said.

Except for powerful humans, all other humans are looked down upon by Giants. They regard humans with contempt, scorn, and indifference. For them, to use human-made items is shaming.

“Do you intend to offer this Space Ring to Prince Mureya?” A mighty Tidal Giant asked with a smirk, assuming that this Space Ring was probably the most valuable possession of these impoverished Mist Giants, who could barely cover their bodies with a rag.

“Hehe” “Haha”…

The Tidal Giant’s words elicited suppressed laughter. Even Muria couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“No, no, having seen the castle Prince Mureya resides in, we wouldn’t dare present him with a humble human-made ring,” The Mist Giant leader looked even more embarrassed amidst the laughter. Then, he activated the Space Ring and took out a piece of metal from it.

“Uh!” “Hic!”…

Upon seeing the object in the Mist Giant’s hand, the laughter in the hall vanished instantly. Some Giants, unable to suppress their laughter all at once, made strange sounds, looking rather awkward. But no one cared about them. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the metal in the Mist Giant leader’s hand.

It was a piece of irregular, oval-shaped black metal about three meters long and over one meter wide. On the surface of this metal were spots of radiant starlight. Looking at it was like gazing at the starry sky on a clear night.

In front of this metal that seemed to contain a whole starry sky, the Magic Crystal sculptures and the gold and gemstones inlaid in the hall suddenly lost their shine, becoming as insignificant as roadside stones. Even Muria’s splendid palace seemed ordinary in its presence.

“Legendary Metal, Void Star Gold!” The Storm Giant standing beside the Mist Giant leader declared the name of the metal in his hands in an almost lyrical voice.

“You plan to gift such a large piece of Void Star Gold to me?” Muria asked from his throne, “Do you know the value of this Legendary Metal?”

“I understand. That’s why we want to offer it to Your Majesty.”

“You could easily use this piece of Void Star Gold as collateral, to exchange for the protection of a legend, thus obviating the deaths of many in your tribe,” Muria said in a low voice.

“…” The leader of the Mist Giants bowed his head and remained silent.

“I accept your offering.” Muria didn’t pretend to be modest. After learning the value of the legendary metal, he found it difficult to refuse these metals of rare availability.

Next, Muria met all the new giants who had arrived on Taiji Island. Many of the giants presented him with treasures, but none were as precious as the Void Star Gold offered by the leader of the Mist Giants.

Another noteworthy matter was that eight new Storm Giants, upon the suggestion of their kin, collectively asked to join Muria’s Personal Guard when they paid respects to Muria. Muria agreed to their request on the spot, causing some envy among the other giants.

However, it was hard to argue. Who could dispute the raw strength of the Storm Giants? Muria wanted only the strongest giants to serve as his personal guard, and what could possibly be wrong with that? The world has always respected the strong.

In fact, the only reason the two cloud giant leaders reported to Muria was the pressure from these eight Storm Giants. Ever since coming to Taiji Island, they had constantly demanded to gain audience with Muria.

After delaying for a while, the cloud giant leaders found the pressure unbearable and decided to report to Muria. After all, there were not just eight Storm Giants on the island, but ninety-seven more.

“The fifth issue.” When all the giants had paid their respects, Muria once again pronounced his decision, “I plan to start construction of a city centered around the White Jade Divine Palace. The Cloud Giants are to design the blueprints, and the Mountain Giants are to provide the materials. I wish to see a City of Giants, a City of Jade.”

“Your Majesty, what are your requirements for the Giant City? How long is the estimated construction time?” Asked Ebute, the leader of the Cloud Giants from below. He sensed some dissatisfaction from Muria towards the Cloud Giants, but he didn’t know why. As one of the three cloud giant leaders who followed Muria to inhabit the Five-Color Dragon Castle, he was unaware of what transpired beyond the castle.

“The design of the city’s buildings must be orderly and neat, not chaotic. My city doesn’t need a wall, and it also should be designed with the possibility of future expansion. As for the construction time, there is no strict deadline. Just ensure the quality and then try to speed up the construction process,” Muria put forth his demands.

“As you command, Prince Muria.”

“And finally, the most important matter,” Muria looked around, “tell all the Tidal Giants and any oceanic race that is willing to heed my command that helping the giants who wish to come to Taiji Island while searching for treasures in the sea is their utmost priority. Task of finding treasures can be postponed.”

“His Majesty is merciful!” This time, the Mountain Giants led the cheer. Of all the giants on the island, they were the most stifled. With their power over the earth, being on the ocean brought unimaginable frustration. Most of their powers were simply useless here. They knew all too well the hardships of sea crossing.

“His Majesty is merciful!” All the giants started to shout in praise of Muria’s decision.

As a result of Muria’s orders, Taiji Island, which was somewhat chaotic, started to get back on track. On the first day of the new moon when Muria officially called a meeting, a tribe of the Sea Clan requested to pledge allegiance, also seeking the permission to attend meetings in the White Jade Divine Palace.

After considering for three seconds, Muria accepted the allegiance of these Naga and Merfolk tribes while also allowing their leaders into the White Jade Divine Palace. After all, these sea races had done a lot for him, and their effort should not go unrecognized.

So, on the first day of every month, Muria first received new giants and then listened to reports from the Cloud Giant leaders, the representatives of the giants and leaders of the Sea Clan on major events that occurred in the previous month.

The Cloud Giants reported on the progress in the construction of the Giant City, the Tidal Giants and the Sea Clan reported on the number of saved giants and the treasures collected during the month, and the Mountain Giants reported on the number of White Jade bricks manufactured.

Speaking of the Mountain Giants, Muria thought they were most suitable for infrastructure construction. He even contemplated forming an Infrastructure Corps, recruiting all Mountain Giants to join.

But unfortunately, all Mountain Giants were real savages. Their lack of knowledge made them unable to independently construct even slightly complex buildings. They needed assistance from the Cloud Giants.

But this situation was improving. Some Mountain Giants were starting to actively learn architecture. Their savageness was not due to stupidity, but the lack of an opportunity to learn.

As for the Storm Giants, even those newly arrived, each and every one of them were recruited by Muria into his Personal Guard, serving as the core power of his rule over Taiji Island.

The Storm Giants fortunate enough to be accepted as personal guards were all loyally executing each and every command from Muria, supporting him with utmost determination.

With the strongest group of giants on Taiji Island as his backup, Muria spent the next five months successively ordering six cloud giant leaders and their subservient cloud giants to be exiled to the other six islands surrounding Taiji Island for development.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read