Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 842: The Ice Phoenix Palace

In the Emerald Dream Realm, Red Moon Valley.

After Lumi’s departure, Orion’s mirrored avatar remained to personally guard the valley alongside Soraya and Lorelia. Having promised Leonidas he would join a mission with his other brothers-in-arms, this avatar entered a state of seclusion. It was not for cultivation, but to meticulously organize its equipment and catalog its trump cards.

To prepare for the mission ahead, this avatar needed to be exceptionally well-prepared. Orion knew that any task requiring Leonidas to personally recruit help would be no simple matter, and he had to arm himself with every possible advantage.

Meanwhile, in a nearby cavern.

"Aww, the Master has shut his doors to us again!"

"Sister Soraya, don’t you think Lorelia City is just so boring?" Lorelia whined. "It can’t even compare to Blackstone City! All we have here are little spiders and small scorpions. It’s so monotonous!"

She was exaggerating, of course. Lorelia City saw its share of other faces. Giants, Gnolls, Beastfolk, Bearmen, and bloodline warriors from every army frequently came to seek an audience with Orion. Still, in the aftermath of the war, the city did feel somewhat desolate.

Furthermore, most members of the Stoneheart Horde were reluctant to stay for long. Everyone knew this place was a terrifying Nest of spiders and scorpions.

Many had witnessed the horror of the swarms on the battlefield. Even knowing the creatures wouldn’t harm them, most people instinctively chose to keep their distance from the chittering, crawling masses.

Besides, with all the major races having been granted their own fiefdoms on the Dusk Continent, why would anyone choose to stay in Lorelia City when they could be free in their own territory?

"Lorelia, you should focus on completing your own task," Soraya chided gently. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Though the war of invasion was over, and the main armies and cannon fodder troops were getting time to rest and recuperate, with many bloodline warriors on leave, things were different for Lorelia and Soraya. They were their races’ broodmothers. Their very existence was defined by the number of their subjects.

In the Dusk Continent war, Lorelia’s cave spiders had been almost entirely wiped out, save for her personal guard. Consequently, as soon as the war ended, Orion had tasked her with breeding her population back up to over a million. As for Soraya’s scorpions, the more, the better.

Since ascending to Archlord and learning the wonders of avatars, Orion had come to a clear understanding: for a faction led by an Archlord, war was a fact of life. To expand one’s territory, war was inevitable. Even if he wished for peace, he had to maintain a basic military foundation at all times.

In the Champions Alliance, Leonidas, Alexander, Kraken, or even Isabella might request to borrow his forces—specifically Soraya—at any moment. It was the same principle that allowed him and Leonidas to borrow the undead lords under Arthas’s command. As a team, relying on each other and providing mutual aid was an obligation, and a prerequisite for seeking help yourself in the future.

For all these reasons, the two broodmothers of the Stoneheart Horde would have no time to rest.

"Oh, the little spiders? Hatching them is simple. As long as I have the resources, it’s no problem at all." Lorelia sounded rather smug. Though most of her subjects had died, the resources she had been allocated were more than enough to birth several million more. She was quite confident she could handle Orion’s task.

"Lorelia is so pitiful!" she suddenly declared, her tone shifting dramatically. "Ever since Pallas was born, the Mistress doesn’t love Lorelia anymore, and now the Master doesn’t love me either!" She lowered her head and pretended to wipe away tears that weren’t there.

Soraya couldn’t fathom where, in a Horde defined by savage conquest, Lorelia had picked up such a flair for melodrama.

"You," Soraya sighed, shaking her head. "Since you have so much free time, why don’t you go and comprehend your Lord’s Stone? Don’t you want to advance to the Legendary tier? Have you forgotten what Lady Vexis told you?"

Soraya offered the reminder kindly. In truth, even though Lorelia had not yet reached the Legendary tier and had a tendency to play the victim, Soraya was fond of her. As fellow broodmothers, they had much to talk about. Their perspectives on many matters were strikingly similar. Soraya genuinely liked Lorelia and saw her as a mischievous but adorable little sister.

"Advance to Lord?"

Soraya’s reminder seemed to jolt Lorelia into remembering her grand ambition. A look of anticipation shone in her crimson eyes.

"Sister Soraya, I’m going into seclusion, just like the Master! I will definitely become a Lord, and when I come out, I’ll astound you all!"

Lorelia raised a small fist, and after waving goodbye to Soraya, she scuttled away on her eight spider legs toward her own cavern.

Soraya covered her mouth and laughed. "That little one is certainly interesting."

In the Titanion Realm, the Northern Icefield.

Lumi glided back on the wind, floating through the vast, cold expanse. The wind howled, blizzards of snow filled the air, and the ice below was as hard as steel and as smooth as glass. Amidst the downpour of snow, the world was a boundless, endless white.

At the edge of that whiteness stood a glacier. On its side, where her ice cave once was, now stood an exquisitely crafted palace. Through the swirling snow, Lumi’s keen senses, heightened within her own domain, perceived it clearly.

She frowned. This was her territory.

When was a palace built here? Have outsiders occupied this place?

A series of questions filled her mind, but they were quickly dispelled by a deep, resonant voice.

"Do you like it?"

"It’s a gift for you. A special Ice Phoenix Palace."

Lumi drifted closer on the wind. Orion’s figure emerged from the palace, followed by two neat lines of maidservants.

"This is the Ice Phoenix Palace. It is perpetually shrouded in dense ice and water elements, which will be very beneficial for your cultivation."

Orion appeared at Lumi’s side and pulled her into his embrace.

Lumi was a woman who truly deserved his affection. Though she had not been on the front lines of battle, she had silently guarded the cross-realm teleportation array, dedicating herself to him and the Stoneheart Horde without a single word of complaint or a single request for reward. Such quiet devotion made Orion particularly fond of her.

"And they are?" Lumi asked, tilting her head to look from Orion to the two rows of maidservants at the palace entrance.

"They are the maids of the Ice Phoenix Palace, a special race birthed by the palace itself," Orion explained. "Whenever the elemental density within the palace becomes sufficient, it will birth a number of these Ice Maidens. Don’t underestimate them. They carry a trace of Ice Phoenix blood in their veins, and their talent for combat is not to be dismissed."