Chapter 143: Ch 143 : A Little King

While the Gods of the Pantheon basked in the light of their leader’s new blessings, the mortals under their care were facing trials of their own.

In the Realm of Advancement, the Kingdom of Solara was a testament to rapid, explosive growth. Twenty-four sprawling cities, connected by wide, stone-paved roads, now stood where there had once been only untamed wilderness.

The air hummed with the quiet, powerful thrum of mana-powered vehicles, gifts of engineering transported from Veridia.

Sturdy, oversized jeeps, perfect for the broad shoulders of the half-orcs, rumbled alongside the sleek, silent cars favored by the humans.

Only the spirit races remained on foot; the technology to create vehicles that could withstand the intense heat of a fire spirit or the gale-force winds of an air spirit was still a distant dream, but the engineers of Solara experimented tirelessly every day.

But this vibrant growth had come at a price. In the grand meeting hall of the capital’s palace, a heavy silence hung in the air. Ragnok, the half-orc king, sat on his throne, his expression grim as he listened to the heated debate among his ministers.

“We cannot continue like this!” a war-hungry minister, a burly half-orc with a scarred face, slammed his fist on the stone table. “They have sent yet another warning! They spit on our kingdom! They want war, and I say we give it to them!”

“And fight them with what?” countered a human minister, his face pale with worry. “Our kingdom was only established a few days ago in the grand scheme of things. Our people are still settling in. We need peace to build our foundations, not a bloody war that will cost us thousands of lives we cannot spare.”

The argument raged. The source of their conflict was a powerful, native race of the Realm of Advancement—the Gorgons. Their expansion into the fertile Sapphire Plains had encroached upon the Gorgons’ ancestral territory, and the proud, demonic race had made their displeasure known.

“Those Gorgons are arrogant!” the war minister snarled. “How dare they try to kick us out of our new home!”

“Our new home?” Ragnok’s voice, deep and calm, cut through the angry chatter, silencing the entire hall. He rose from his throne, his gaze sweeping over his ministers.

“What would you do if a foreign power appeared and built a new kingdom in your territory? A territory you and your ancestors have lived in for thousands of years?”

The war minister’s face flushed with shame, and he lowered his gaze. “I… I was wrong, my King.”

“Fighting is not the solution to everything,” Ragnok declared. “I will handle this myself. I will go and meet with the matriarch of the Gorgon race.”

“My King, that would be far too dangerous!” another minister pleaded. “They are a demonic race, after all! And their matriarch, she is…”

“Do you think a race with the heart of a true demon would send a warning letter?” Ragnok countered, his analysis sharp and clear. “No. They would have simply attacked us. They are proud, but they are not mindless beasts.”

Seeing no further objections, he stood. “So, it is settled.”

He walked from the hall to the quiet of his private chambers and sank into a chair with a heavy sigh.

He looked out the grand window at the bustling city below, a marvel of his people’s resilience. The life of a king was not the luxury he had once imagined.

It was a constant, crushing weight of responsibility, a ceaseless worry for the future of his people. There was no time to simply enjoy it.

As if sensing his burden, a familiar chime echoed in his ears.

[A New Mission Has Been Unlocked!]

[Mission Title: Save the Lost Souls]

[Mission Grade: S]

[Description: The Gorgon race, though powerful, has been isolated from the outside world for eons. Their pride has become a cage.

Make the matriarch of the Gorgon race see the wisdom of joining the Kingdom of Solara and its allies.]

[Reward: 10x Lottery Spins (Chance to obtain an SS-Grade item)]

“A chance to get an SS-Grade item?” Ragnok’s eyes lit up. His gaze fell upon the two of the five artifacts he had received as a reward for solving the beast tide.

On his neck, a pendant hummed with a cool energy, an SS-Grade artifact that drastically reduced the mana cost of his spells, especially his reality-bending Reality Talk talent.

Leaning against the wall was his greatsword, a colossal blade as long as he was tall, an SS-Grade weapon that pulsed with its own formidable power.

These tools had made him a king. This new mission could make his kingdom an empire.

With his resolve hardened, he stood and walked from the palace.

He channeled his magic, and with a surge of power, he launched himself into the sky, flying towards the Gorgon territory.

As he approached their lands, a colossal mental wave, a psychic force powerful enough to shatter a kingdom, crashed against his mind.

It was a vision of his own body turning to stone, of his bones crumbling to dust over a thousand silent years.

But Ragnok did not flinch. His will, forged in the fires of a dead world and shielded by his own divine gifts, held firm.

“I do not know if I should call you brave or foolish for coming here alone, little king,” a charming, sibilant voice echoed directly in his mind.

Ragnok landed gently before a massive cavern entrance, his gaze respectful but unafraid. “Greetings, Demigod Medusa.”

“Greetings, mortal,” the voice replied, a hint of amusement in its tone. “What is the reason for your visit? If you have come to apologize, then I forgive you. You and your people are free to leave my lands and find somewhere else to build your little cities.”

From his God space, Sunny watched the scene unfold on Thea’s broadcast, a curious smile on his face. He wanted to see what surprise this reincarnated God, his chosen champion, could pull off.

“I have indeed come to apologize for our trespass,” Ragnok said calmly. “But I have no desire to leave. It has taken my people many years to build these twenty-four cities. We will not abandon our homes.”

“If that is your only reason, then it is a trivial matter,” Medusa’s voice replied, dismissive and arrogant. “You should know that we Gorgons are gifted with earth magic. Shifting your little cities, or even creating new ones for you, is no great effort. Of course,” she added, “we would require a suitable payment in mana stones for our trouble.”

“I have a different proposal for you, Demigod Medusa,” Ragnok said, his voice steady, his gaze fixed on the dark cavern. “One that I believe will be far more beneficial to us both. Would you like to hear it?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep