Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 577: The distribution of benefits

Those four frost wolves required a total of ten clumps of Alpha-level life essence to all advance to the Alpha-level.

The one with the poorest aptitude among them consumed four portions of Alpha-level resources consecutively before successfully advancing.

Such consumption pained Dace and the others greatly.

However, the good news was that after the four frost wolves successfully advanced, the difficulty for Dace and his group to hunt fungal creatures also decreased somewhat.

The significant initial investment was finally yielding returns.

The strength of the four guards—Dace, Otho, Beyn, and Torba—was also steadily increasing.

Improving were not only the guards but also Rendall and Slagor.

"Hahaha... Arch Elder, do you regret giving away the taming collar?"

Seeing Dace and his team kill fungal creature after fungal creature, Slagor was envious.

Slagor had already decided that upon returning this time, he absolutely had to tame a high-aptitude swamp crocodile mount.

He wouldn't hesitate even if it meant raising one from a hatchling.

With so many fungal creatures in the Valkorath Realm, as long as one was diligent, they could certainly rapidly increase their mount's strength.

"There's nothing to regret. I'm already very content with my current achievements."

Rendall hefted his spiked club, found another fungal creature, and swung wildly, his attacks ferocious and unrestrained.

Initially, excluding Onyx, Orion had gifted each of the four senior elders in the horde a taming collar—a valuable item capable of directly taming Alpha-level mounts.

Thundar used his collar to tame a dark fiend, and Delilah used hers to tame a four-winged blood bat.

Only Rendall hadn't used his collar; he gave it to his daughter, Ursa.

Fortunately, Ursa used the collar to tame a dark fiend, and using this as a foundation, she achieved numerous battle merits for the Stoneheart Horde.

"Can I still climb to higher levels?"

Since arriving in the Valkorath Realm, Rendall had constantly pondered this question.

While desperately killing fungal creatures, Rendall continually interrogated his own heart, digging into his potential.

Rendall's strength, which had long stagnated, also saw improvement after consuming some life essence.

These changes transformed into fragments of confidence, constantly nourishing Rendall's self-belief.

"Perhaps, progress is still possible for me!"

...

Titanion Realm, Soaring Bird City.

With the arrival of Orion and Aldous, the atmosphere in Soaring Bird City became serious and tense.

If not for Prince Theodore temporarily residing here, the local merchants would have thought the Stoneheart Horde and the Ogres had united to launch an invasion against Soaring Bird City.

"Giant King Orion, Lord Bluehide, welcome to the Human Kingdom."

"This is Soaring Bird City, the first stop upon entering the Human Kingdom."

Outside Soaring Bird City, Prince Theodore, accompanied by a retinue of subordinates, came to welcome Orion and Aldous.

After settling the accompanying giant armies and ogre armies outside Soaring Bird City, Orion and Aldous entered the city accompanied by Prince Theodore.

Soaring Bird City, apart from some towers and fortresses beneficial for military defense, didn't feature many tall or magnificent buildings.

The streets were mostly lined with two-story stone houses, and numerous temporary tents were clustered together in the square.

Orion could see that the Human Kingdom's investment in Soaring Bird City was not particularly significant.

This was understandable. Soaring Bird City bordered foreign territories and could become a frontline of war at any moment.

Those human nobles were clever; investing too much was risky, fearing they might not recoup their losses.

Besides, this wasn't truly their territory.

Strolling slowly and sightseeing, even Aldous was filled with curiosity about the human city.

Fifteen minutes later, Prince Theodore led Orion and Aldous towards the palace.

Inside the palace, within a large, modified hall.

A magic crystal lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, bright light.

The floor was covered with a layer of wool carpet, exceptionally comfortable to walk on.

Even in the corners, there were potted magical plants in bloom, emitting fragrance.

At Prince Theodore's invitation, Orion and Aldous came to the dining table, where human maidservants brought out dish after dish of delicacies.

"Your Excellencies, Soaring Bird City is newly built and lacks resources. Please forgive any inadequate hospitality."

Prince Theodore raised his goblet to invite them to drink. Orion and Aldous exchanged a glance, then picked up the nearby wine barrels, looking at Prince Theodore with gazes that were strange yet tinged with provocation.

The warm smile on Prince Theodore's face froze for an instant but quickly relaxed. He put down his goblet and also picked up a wine barrel.

"Haha, drinking like this is more interesting!"

Orion chuckled, broke open the barrel's seal, and took a deep swig.

Heavy drinking was the preferred way for barbaric races like giants and ogres to enjoy strong liquor.

"Giant King Orion, as long as you enjoy it!"

While Orion and Aldous were chugging from their barrels, Prince Theodore matched them drink for drink.

Orion lowered his barrel, looking at Prince Theodore with a newfound appreciation for the human prince.

Unfussy, composed in the face of events, smooth in handling matters—this temperament greatly appealed to Orion.

"Your Highness, I won't waste time with pleasantries."

"The lizardfolk race allied with Lokiviria to invade ogre territory, affecting the trade route that runs through the territories of our three peoples."

"The alliance between our three races has been damaged and threatened."

Orion was stating this as a conclusion, pointing out that the Stoneheart Horde, ogres, and humans were allies, and this relationship had been compromised.

"Our caravans were plundered by the lizardfolk, and many of our people died as a result."

"The lizardfolk race must be punished!"

Only by framing it this way could their actions be considered legitimate.

Even if lords from nearby regions raised questions, Orion and his allies would have justification.

Prince Theodore joining this battle carried a certain probability of provoking a coalition and questioning from some northern lords.

Now, Orion was coordinating their narrative with Prince Theodore, setting the tone for this invasion.

Because neither the Stoneheart Horde nor the Human Kingdom wished to incite a large-scale war.

This time, they would only conquer the territories of Lokiviria and the lizardfolk, which seemed unlikely to provoke a united resistance from nearby lords.

However, taking precautions was always wise.

"Rest assured, after we leave Soaring Bird City, my father the King will issue an explanation to the lords of the nearby regions in the name of the Kingdom regarding this matter."

"We will not, and cannot, enter the territory of other lords."

Prince Theodore was echoing Orion, while also revealing their bottom line.

Orion glanced at Aldous. Both nodded in response to Prince Theodore.

"Then let's talk about the distribution of benefits!"

"The Human Kingdom obtains the lizardfolk territory, the Ogre race obtains the Insectoid territory, and the Stoneheart Horde obtains the Lord's Stone."

"Any objections to this division?"

As Orion finished speaking, silence fell within the hall.

Aldous had no issue; he and Orion had already divided the benefits before coming.

The proposal was now primarily directed at Prince Theodore.