“Wow…” Dallion said.

When the lesser duchess had said she’d take him to the place where he’d be living, he expected something very different. As it turned out, in the world of nobles a place to live meant literally that: a plot of barren land within the city. To make things more awkward, he could feel the envy emanating from every onlooker in the area—all of them lesser nobles, awakened or not.

“My childhood estate was here,” Liya said with a hint of nostalgia. “One acre of the best location on this level of the city.”

Back on Earth, this would have been referred to as prime real-estate. The lack of structures aside, it was less than a few thousand feet from the imperial palace walls. That, in itself, made it—and by association, Dallion himself—politically significant.

“Sorry that you had to destroy it,” he said, keeping his personal emotions in check. No matter what his thoughts were on the matter, he didn’t want any of them to leak out.

“I didn’t,” the woman said with a smirk of superiority. “I just moved it to one of my other domains.”

Dallion nodded.

“A few basic rules. You’re not allowed to build towers, nothing higher than the fifty-foot mark, and no more than a quarter of it must be out of wilderness materials.”

The first two requests seemed reasonable to a certain degree. The third one—not so much. Back in Nerosal, nobles had gone to great pains to construct their buildings entirely of non-guardian materials. In no way could this be treated as a threat, especially in a place with so many overseers.

“Nothing more? Can I build it out of glass?” Dallion asked, intending it to be a joke.

“If you have the skills to manage that, why not?”

“Won’t anyone be bothered seeing me naked?”

“Do you want people to see you naked?”

Clearly, this conversation was going nowhere.

“No,” Dallion ended his attempts. “And I’m allowed to use any materials I choose?”

“That’s the point. Remember that your mansion is your face to the world. Create something you would like to be associated with.”

“I understand.”

“Oh, and one last thing. Have it done by evening.”

“There’s a time requirement?”

“No, but you’re part of House Elazni now. If you don’t prove you’re fit to occupy this spot, everyone will consider that you’ve received it through charity.”

“Right.” We don’t want that to happen, Dallion added mentally.

In all honesty, he wasn’t terribly concerned. This would only be a place for him to occasionally go to get some sleep. The recent revelation regarding his grandmother had changed that a bit. Now he’d be required to play the game of nobles a bit more, though not to the point where it would prevent him from doing what he wanted.

“Let me know when you’re done.” The duchess turned around and walked away.

Dallion was expecting her to flaunt her abilities: her speed, a rare pet, or anything for that matter. Nothing of the sort happened. The woman simply kept on walking, as if she were a non-awakened.

That’s one thing to keep in mind, dear boy, Adzorg said. The nobles here aren’t archdukes. They don’t need or want to acquire anything through strength, but through politics. Sometimes that’s far more efficient.

Right. Dallion remembered one of his awakening trials for control of a city. He had focused so much on the direct approach, acquiring allies one by one, that he hadn’t seen the soft power his opponent had used on the field. The imperial capital was an arena of sheltered awakened. Here, open strength not only wasn’t seen as an advantage, but by the sound of it made things more difficult. Those who the world saw as strong left for the wilderness to make their mark. In truth, they were only physically strong; in terms of political power, they were too weak to survive in the city.

“Vihrogon, will you be able to lend a hand?”

Of course, the dryad guardian replied. Just claim it and I’ll take care of the rest.

If Dallion were still a hunter, he would have done something crude, such as crack his fingers. Being a noble, though, that wasn’t the right way to impress his audience. Copying Liya’s stroll, he ventured into his plot of land. There wasn’t a trace of guardians there. Even the magic threads seemed a lot sparser than usual, as if someone had ripped most of them out, leaving nothing but dirt behind. Still, for what he had in mind, dirt was perfect.

REALM CREATION

The green rectangle emerged as the invisible bubble of authority spread throughout every inch of the land. Unlike last time, it took on a square shape, fitting in within the domains of others.

Name the Land you wish to create.

“Darude,” Dallion said loudly. It had been ages since he had used it for his battle cry. It had served him well for a name all this time, but he no longer had any need. After all, he was an Elazni now.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

You have created the Land of Darude – Level 1.

You have full control of the Land of Darude.

An onyxfly has been made the land’s guardian.

Defeat the guardian to change the land’s destiny.

Onyxfly? That was a guardian type Dallion hadn’t encountered before. As the name suggested, it had the appearance of a large firefly, only made of onyx.

“Shield, do you need it to grow a bit?” Dallion asked.

What’s the point? The area won’t grow in this environment. Have your building done, then fancy it up.

Using his domain ruler powers, Dallion summoned the armadil shield guardian into the new domain. The sight of the dryad did exactly what it was supposed to, causing whispers to fill the nearby area. Everyone looking at it had a reaction. Some were impressed, even if they tried to hide it; others found it amusing or threatening, depending on their own political affiliations.

“Been a while since I was the center of attention,” the dryad smiled. “Are you really alright with me getting all the credit?”

“Good one.” Dallion allowed himself a smile.

“As you wish.”

Roots emerged from the ground. Forming clusters, they continued up, yet it wasn’t tree stumps that they were forming, but walls made of wood. Like a living scaffolding, the lower floor of a mansion was built, the roots continuing further up as they formed columns of the second floor.

Should they be this surprised? Dallion wondered. Dryad guardians aren’t rare.

It’s all a matter of imagination, dear boy, Adzorg said. No one has ever thought of using them in such fashion. Keep in mind that, unlike you, the majority of the world doesn’t spend time talking with their guardians.

Wooden branches emerged at the top of the structure, twisting into an elaborate set of tiles to form the roof. Ripples went through the entire surface, filling in gaps and smoothing all imperfections, until finally a fully complete mansion was there, complete with internal floors and staircases.

“I didn’t add doors and windows since I didn’t know what you’d like,” the dryad said. “So, what do you think?”

“It’s a bit too… dryady?” Dallion ventured.

“Don’t be a critic.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just add a few personal touches.”

Now it was time to improve things. Taking a slight breath, Dallion summoned the domain guardian. One strike was enough to shatter it, bringing the area to level two. That wasn’t the main point of Dallion’s plan, though. What he really wanted was to change some of the material using the improvement selection abilities he had developed at the Academy.

Normally, wood would only be able to be improved to another type of wood, but there always were exceptions. With enough skill, one could change that to petrified wood, and from there it was the same as improving stone.

DARUDE Level increased

The LAND has been improved to petrified oak.

Interesting. The area was treated more like a mansion than an actual domain, even if he had control over it. Apparently, space remained the deciding factor.

DARUDE Level increased

The LAND has been improved to green quartz.

The walls of the structure gleamed in a deep, opaque green. If Dallion wanted to, he could have gone further, changing it into a more exotic material. However, for the moment, it was enough. He had fulfilled the unspoken requirement of his great-grandmother, and also made a comfortable home in the process.

“I still preferred my version,” Vihrogon crossed his arms.

“You can deal with the furnishing.” He turned to the dryad. “You claim to know me, after all.”

“Better than you think.”

“I’ll go check out the neighbors.”

“Of course you will. Just one piece of advice—don’t push it too much on your first day. All that makes a splash causes ripples.”

Waving his hand as he left, Dallion stepped out of his domain. The moment he did, he felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. It wasn’t painful, or even violent, just the sensation that all control had been taken away from him. While in his mansion, he had the power to control reality itself. Out here, though, he was nothing more than a guest who had to follow the rules made by the emperor.

No wonder nobles don’t visit each other willingly, he thought.

The construction of the building over, the onlookers returned to their usual life of doing nothing. Staring too much was considered poor form, and more importantly, it was an admission that someone had done a better job than them. Even as Dallion walked, several buildings changed appearance, their domain owners quickly venturing into their realm to reduce the contrast between the new building and their own. By evening, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the entire neighborhood would have gone through several level ups.

Out of curiosity, Dallion glanced at Liya. The woman was still within view, but almost deliberately didn’t turn around to check on his progress. Having the title, she did. There were no doubt dozens of echoes who had reported exactly what had happened. Her status wouldn’t allow her to show any favor or support, though.

“Not bad,” a voice said nearby.

A noble a few years older than Dallion raised his half-full glass of wine in the form of a greeting. He didn’t appear special in any single way. His clothes were made of gem threads, but by no means as intricate as most nobles Dallion had come across so far. His face was long and angular—not unhandsome, but nothing that would gain attention, even in a normal setting. Even his level was in its mid-twenties. The only thing of any significance was the emblem marking him as part of House Elazni.

“So, you’re the new kid?” The noble took a sip of his drink.

Dallion split into a few instances, looking around. There was no way someone as weak as this would challenge him alone.

“Hey, no need for that. I’ve no aspirations for the seat. I just thought I’d welcome you, cousin.”

Leeches, Adzorg said, from Dallion’s personal realm. All families have them. They’re pretty weak, so no one thinks much of them one way or another. They make it their business to be friends with everyone.

I know the type, Dallion replied.

“Good work with the shack.” He finished the glass, then tossed it to the ground. The object fell down, but instead of smashing, the ground beneath it curved to cushion its impact, preventing it from shattering. “That’s sure to turn a few heads.”

Unwilling to engage in a conversation, Dallion looked at the glass.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the other said dismissively, completely missing the point. “The overseers will take care of that. What’s the point of living in a civilized place if they can’t do that much?”

“Right…”

“So, need a guide? I know everything that goes about the capital. Well, all the important stuff anyway.”

Not really, Dallion wanted to say. In the past, he would have without question. But as a baron, he couldn’t afford such behavior, not before he became established.

“Sure. Show me around.” Dallion approached. If the leech knew everything there was, why not take advantage. “There are a few places I’d like to visit.”