NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Command
"After the two cloud giant leaders left, a storm giant stepped forward to advise, "Your Highness, you are too merciful. Those who disrespect you should be directly exiled."
"Heh, if I exile them, who will plant fruit trees for me, who will domesticate and breed lower-tier monsters?" Muria laughed. "Besides, this matter is also related to me."
After arriving at Taiji Island, apart from building the castle, Muria had hardly arranged anything or established any rules.
Among the four types of giants on the island, apart from the organized cloud giants, the other giants were loosely organized, with none directly under Muria's command.
Thus, on Taiji Island, without a comprehensive system, the cloud giants, being the most numerous and organized with leaders, naturally became the strongest force, taking charge of most of the island's affairs.
Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that some cloud giant leaders developed undesirable thoughts.
"Let's go to the Baiyu Divine Palace. Summon all the cloud giant leaders, notify representatives of the tide giants and mountain giants, and all the storm giants on Taiji Island must attend," Muria stood up, instructing the ten storm giants in the room to notify the giants he wished to summon.
...
As Muria, accompanied by Mia and twenty storm giants, was preparing to head to the Baiyu Divine Palace, a majestic and ferocious red dragon blocked their way in the wide, bright corridor.
"Renata." Muria looked at the little female dragon blocking him, moving awkwardly, "Why are you blocking my way?"
"Lord Muria, are you going to the Baiyu Divine Palace? Can you take me with you?" The little female dragon looked at Muria with hope. Compared to the Baiyu Divine Palace, built with various precious stones, the Five-colored Dragon Castle, constructed from various types of stone, seemed like a slum.
For instance, the lighting in the Baiyu Divine Palace's corridors was made from the rarest light element crystals, covering the ceiling and making the palace as bright as day even at night.
In contrast, the Five-colored Dragon Castle used daylight stones for lighting, a visually appealing but not very valuable fluorescent stone. Due to its abundance, it could be described as common.
"No." Muria looked at the hopeful gaze of the little female dragon and rejected her request without hesitation. This seemingly pitiful creature had repeatedly stolen crystals and gems from his castle, no less than her siblings. Hence, Muria was determined not to let her out.
"Why?" The little female dragon's big red eyes began to sparkle with tears, and Renata shamelessly clung to Muria's leg, "Lord Muria, please, take me out with you. I promise I won't steal your gems anymore."
"Heh!" Muria looked at the little female dragon sideways, tired of hearing such promises. Suddenly, Muria noticed something odd about Renata clinging to his leg and tilted his head in thought...
"I've got it!" Muria's eyes brightened with excitement, "Renata, you can go to the Baiyu Divine Palace, but you have to do something first. If you complete it, I'll take you."
"What do I need to do?" The little female dragon looked curiously at Muria.
"Here." Muria took out a spellbook from his space necklace and handed it to Renata, "Fourth-level spell, polymorph."
The little female dragon, Renata, looked dumbfounded at the spellbook pressed into her embrace, her entire being confused.
"As long as you learn this spell and can freely transform into human form, I'll take you to the Baiyu Divine Palace." After saying this, Muria peeled the little female dragon off his leg, placed her aside, and proceeded with the storm giants.
...
In the Baiyu Divine Palace, Muria sat on a throne carved from a whole fire element crystal, adorned with purple lightning element crystals and green wind element crystals for decoration.
This throne was much more stylish than the stone chair he had in the arena. Although he couldn't use elemental crystals as building materials like the Gold Dragon Mother, using them as decorative items for furniture was feasible. He had hundreds of tide giants scavenging the ocean's endless treasures for him every day.
"Has everyone arrived?" Muria, sitting high on the throne, looked down at the many powerful giants below. His voice echoed in the vast hall, giving a sense of loneliness.
The hall, one of the three largest in the Baiyu Divine Palace, was designed for meetings. Its grand scale was beyond ordinary imagination, with the dome reaching 180 meters high from the ground, showcasing the grandeur of the Baiyu Divine Palace.
"Lord Muria, two cloud giant leaders haven't arrived," a cloud giant leader reported.
"I've assigned those two cloud giant leaders a significant task, so they can't come. Don't worry about it," Muria said with a smile. "Besides them, has anyone not arrived?"
"All storm giants have arrived!"
"All mountain giant representatives have arrived!"
"All tide giant representatives have arrived!"
"All sixteen cloud giant leaders have arrived!"
"Good!" Muria, though youthful in appearance, commanded a sense of majesty with his dragon wings and horns.
"Now, I will announce some matters." Muria decided to take control of Taiji Island and not let things run their course without any regulation.
"First, I've decided to establish a royal guard dedicated to my protection," Muria declared solemnly. "As for the selection of royal guards, giants who have reached the fifth tier of gold can join."
The storm giants exchanged looks, then joy appeared on their faces, barely containing their excitement due to the setting.
Muria's command was tailored for the storm giants. On Taiji Island, only storm giants were all at the fifth tier of gold, unlike other giants limited by their racial bloodlines.
"Your Highness, isn't this restriction too high?" A cloud giant leader spoke up from below the throne. Joining the royal guard meant staying close to Muria, but the conditions were too steep for cloud giants, who only reach the first tier of gold upon adulthood.
"The royal guard values quality over quantity," Muria explained. "As time goes by, my power will increase, and one day, it will cover all of Taiji Island, strengthening the giants. Therefore, the selection criteria for my royal guard will only rise, not lower."
With Muria's clear statement, no giant had anything to say. He wanted only the strongest giants as his royal guard.
"Second, I'm forming a giant corps tasked with maintaining the island's stability and preventing any conflicts on Taiji Island. The initial recruitment is set at two thousand, with the strongest prioritized regardless of race; any giant can join."
The principle of might makes right was an eternal rule. All giants in the hall, including the cloud giants, had no objections, though they were the weakest.
"Third, on the first day of every month, I will hold a meeting here. Unless there are special circumstances, everyone must attend and report all significant events on Taiji Island to me. Any action requiring more than ten giants must have my approval."
"Yes!" Led by the storm giants, all giants agreed to follow the command. Muria's first order had already won the allegiance of the island's strongest giants.
"Fourth, I've been informed that giants are continuously joining Taiji Island. All giants
, unless malicious, will be accepted.
I've also heard many new giants wish to meet me. I've decided to satisfy them, still on the first day of each month, after the meeting, right here, to accept their homage.
Although today is not the first day of the month, I've overlooked these matters, so today is an exception. Notify all new giants on the island that I will accept their homage here and now."
With Muria's command, storm giants quickly left the hall to notify the new giants to come to the Baiyu Divine Palace to meet Muria.
...Muria felt like a clay idol in a temple, maintaining a majestic demeanor and accepting worship without needing to do anything.
Cloud giants, tide giants, mountain giants, and the migrating mist giant tribe, even eight new storm giants... On seeing Muria, all were overjoyed, confirming the rumors were true.
Rumors of a Titan and Dragon's child on the Titan Islands, willing to accept all giants' allegiance, had led many to abandon everything and brave the Thunderstorm Ocean to join Muria.
"Great child of the Titan, we mist giants pledge to follow you forever," declared a group of ten-meter-tall giants with milky white skin and silver-white hair, muscular arms, kneeling before Muria, some even crying on the spot...