Alex was exploring his new manor residence alongside his entourage. Although the property still retained its modest furnishings, the grandeur of the estate was evident in its spacious courtyards and majestic halls. The ancient stone walls and high ceilings imparted an air of magnificence to each room, while the finely carved furniture and richly adorned tapestries added a touch of elegance and sophistication.
Despite the modesty of the furnishings, the residence exuded a sense of opulence and distinction. As Alex and his entourage wandered through the various halls and chambers, they discovered details that revealed the history and prestige of the house. From the imposing marble fireplace in the main hall to the ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the family's history, every corner of the residence resonated with the splendor and grandeur of bygone times. Alex felt a torrent of emotions as he envisioned his own descendants growing up in a house steeped in their family's history.
As they strolled through the lush gardens surrounding the residence, they encountered elegant terraces and marble fountains that added a touch of serenity and beauty to the environment. Along the shaded paths stood white marble statues that paid homage to ancient ancestors, reminding them of the nobility and grandeur of the lineage, which amazed Alex, even though it wasn't his lineage.
With each step, Alex and his entourage marveled at the beauty and majesty of their new manor residence. Although there was still much to discover and explore, they could already feel the weight of history and prestige that surrounded their new home.
"I see you like your new home, my lord," someone remarked.
"Indeed, much more than I thought I would. What about you guys?" Alex asked.
"It's nice," one replied.
"A bit overwhelming, to be honest," said another.
"Yes, it's too ostentatious," someone else added.
"I'm not used to so much luxury, hehe," another chimed in.
"I see. It's true that I find the details excessive, but the spacious courtyards will be useful for training. Plus, there's a stable to keep our Fheres. What do you think, Kragash?" Alex inquired.
"I like it, sir. For some reason, I feel the need to return home and remodel your house to resemble this one. However, there should be statues of you instead of these random people," Kragash replied.
"Haha, true, I feel the same way. I'd love to have sculptures, murals, and busts that represent our history. But we must earn that right. Are you motivated to become legends?" Alex asked.
"Yes!" they responded enthusiastically.
"Let's do it!" Alex encouraged.
"My mother would be proud," one said.
"Awooo!" another howled.
Alex's followers raised their fists alongside him, motivated and energized. They didn't need this motivation to fight at the moment, but Alex hoped they would use this short period of time to deepen their cultivation and acquire some of their abilities. Kragash had recently demonstrated that this was possible; he could now activate his Bastion ability, which, although much less powerful than Alex's, was still compatible.
"Very well, Kragash, help me assign the rooms. We'll keep our fighters together in one of the properties and use it as barracks. Let it be the one closest to the courtyards so they have access to training. The auxiliary staff will live in this other house and take care of household duties. You will sleep in the main mansion," Alex instructed.
"Understood, my lord. I'll make sure everyone has their place. Also, I remind you that we will need to restock the pantries soon, as well as acquire food for our Fheres and some clothing and utensils," Kragash responded.
"I understand. If you want, I can accompany you to the market to make the purchase, though honestly, I would like you to start networking and trading on your own," Alex said.
"Of course, sir," Kragash agreed.
"Anything else, sir?"
"Nothing else for the moment…"
Suddenly, something startled Alex. A strange sensation coursed through his body, one that all those belonging to the Kingdom of Iretar felt, but to Alex, it seemed invasive, a kind of power that wasn't his and traveled through him without paying any tolls.
Finally, a translucent window with a distinctive blue hue appeared before him, very similar to the ones that appeared during his last moments on Earth when he traversed the Trial.
"What the hell, the system?" Alex murmured to himself.
Indeed, a system message had appeared before him with the following message:
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Congratulations to the Kingdom of Iretar for being officially recognized by its peers. You have entered the list of the top 300 and will have the honor of defending Glamoria, and the privilege of commanding its resources. Keep working hard and increasing your ranking to earn more rewards.
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Alex was genuinely surprised and overwhelmed by what was happening. The system had reappeared after so long, and he didn't know what to do. He sought out his personal office to be alone and began to examine the available information.
The first and most pressing fact was that they had been accepted into the top ranks officially by their peers. This meant that only factions in the ranking could participate in this prestigious defense of the planet. However, he didn't know exactly how the ranking worked. It couldn't be solely based on power, as the message specifically mentioned they were accepted by the recognition of their peers. Alex wanted to know who exactly these peers were, as few knew of his faction, and none knew the true depth of its forces.
Alex began inspecting the window and realized that although it aesthetically resembled the one he used during the Trial on Earth, it was not comparable. This functioned more like a ledger of governmental affairs and, most curiously, international agreements. Although there was a store that used a currency he didn't know how to obtain nor why he had some points, it didn't offer specific rewards like weapons or techniques. Instead, it offered things that by their names implied some sort of terraforming.
"I see, one of the mages explained this to me. Apparently, there are methods to create spiritual barracks, places of high energy concentration that help warriors progress better in their cultivation. Currently, I have a basic level one that I can barely maintain thanks to their help," Alex murmured.
The exchangeable rewards, however, were thousands of times better, allowing for the creation of cultivation and training zones from high energy areas to master cells for individual training. However, all these options had an astronomical cost compared to the little he had, and they also required daily maintenance to pay for. For the moment, he could barely manage with the little he had.
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Most of the rewards were related to this aspect, so Alex soon set it aside. He was too poor to activate even the minimum terraforming effect for sale.
However, another window caught his attention, labeled "Government." Within this window, a colossal amount of information was displayed, quickly overwhelming Alex. However, since most of it seemed slightly blackened, it gave a clear impression that it was not currently active. Alex had to scroll all the way back to the beginning to see the only things that were active.
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Ethos of Foundation:
God-King: This kingdom was founded by a mythicized figure who performed heroic and unparalleled acts against incredible odds. The rumors and praises sung in his name elevate his figure beyond any trace of humanity, and his government has an aura of grandeur. Massive increase in authority and maximum cohesion when active, massive decrease in authority, cohesion, influence, and stability when not active.
Chain Breaker: This kingdom was created with fugitive slaves and outlaws as its base, founded on the immorality of slavery and has prohibited its existence. Minor increase in authority for the liberation of slaves, significant loss of authority for taking slaves.
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This information left Alex genuinely confused. What did it mean? Would it be like the Trial again? However, it didn't feel like anything similar. He couldn't acquire anything immediately; on the contrary, from the little information he had received along with the system, he knew that somehow this represented reality more than modifying it. These definitions were how Glamoria understood the formation of Alex's kingdom and took into account the opinion and actions of all who formed it, which gave him goosebumps. God-King meant that as long as he was worshipped and revered as invincible, he would enjoy an incredible amount of authority, but the moment faith in him was lost, everything would collapse.
Alex felt a heavy pressure in his chest, but he resolved not to cower before this challenge. He had known from the start that his journey would be a difficult one. Everyone else had decided to help him along this path, so this new definition wasn't a problem. In fact, it now seemed like a testament to the support and hope he inspired in them, a reflection that made Alex feel slightly better.
Beneath the Ethos of Foundation was a series of concepts called Forms. Initially, he didn't know what they referred to until he read the first one.
Power Distribution: Federative Monarchy (Upgradeable)(Reformable). A central monarch oversees a variety of distinct, scattered, and disparate states. Penalties to authority, cohesion, and stability. It can be upgraded to enhance its advantages or reformed into another form.
National Identity: Broken Raffa (Upgradeable)(Cornerstone). Raffa is the ancient concept of Unity among the Avianthros, alluding to the sense of belonging everyone has with their community, allowing the integration of different and disparate cultures. Currently, it is broken, causing significant penalties to authority, cohesion, and stability. It can be upgraded. This reform is a cornerstone of the kingdom and cannot be changed without collapsing it.
Alex finished reading and began to stroke his chin as he processed the information. This was how Glamoria interpreted his government. At the moment, it was true that it didn't have much form. Not many government institutions had been established, nor had any councils been convened. Most situations were resolved through Alex's orders, whose voice held authority—an authority everyone understood as intrinsic, stemming from him simply being who he was. This was why he was seen as the God-King; it was just because he was himself.
“No sense in dwelling on this further. Reforms will come when necessary. For now, I'm hungry,” Alex said to himself.
As he got up from his chair, he realized he had been in the room for hours. The sun was already setting, indicating how absorbed he had been in understanding the system's various aspects.
“Ugh, so hungry.”
Alex left his office to find someone, but there was no one in sight. The mansion's size didn't help, as he found no one even when checking room by room, and he couldn't quite remember where the common rooms or kitchen were supposed to be.
“Now that I think about it, maybe we brought too few people,” Alex mused.
Finally, he found most of the Gnolls training in the courtyard.
“It’s really difficult to feel the connection with others when I use Bastion. As soon as I try, I lose internal balance and my energy disperses.”
“That’s because you’re approaching it too invasively. When you try it with someone of your level, you need to be gentler, like giving a hug. You need to slowly feel the other person. It’s only when you deal with weaker individuals that you can let your energy envelop them more intensely.”
“Oh, Kragash, I understand. Let me try again.”
The initiate tried to expand his aura to envelop Kragash, and although it started well, the aura soon became unstable and dispersed.
“What happened?”
“Although your approach was correct, you still need to adapt more quickly to others' frequencies. When I use my aura, I can modulate others to match my frequency. That’s how the aura helps enhance others'. I have to do it gradually so as not to overwhelm the troops.”
Alex shared his insights about his ability to help the other initiates improve theirs.
“My lord, thank you very much for your advice. May I try?”
“With me? Of course. You should know that when you try to connect with another's aura to empower them, you must match both the intensity and frequency of your aura. When you do this with regular soldiers, it’ll be easier to give them a mold to follow, and they’ll adapt to you. In my case, I’ll try to modulate the intensity so you don’t have to use too much energy. But know that, since I have a much higher refinement of our cultivation, my frequency will be much higher than yours, so you won’t be able to maintain the connection for long. Step forward and try, one at a time.”
The initiates lined up, and one by one, they attempted to connect with Alex and empower him through their auras. It was obviously very difficult for them to connect in the first place, but most made some progress before running out of energy. Only one initiate besides Kragash managed to connect with Alex for a few seconds, though it was immediately clear that the enhancement Alex received barely amounted to 1% of his power.
“Great job, everyone. This time, I’ll show you from my perspective, helping you modulate your auras with mine. Then Kragash will try to add his over yours.”
Alex stood surrounded by his followers, activated his tattoos, and began to radiate his crimson aura.
Instantly, his followers felt his presence and the revitalization it brought, as well as the gradual increase in their aggressiveness. This time, knowing what to look for, they could see immediately what they needed to do to provoke a slow change in others, to make the auras merge and create a multiplying effect.
The most impressive part came when Alex signaled Kragash, who began to influence them with his own aura. The young Gnoll didn't try to influence Alex; rather, like a multi-tiered cascade, he received Alex's aura and transformed part of it to create a different effect, which he then transmitted to the rest.
If there was a flaw in Alex's aura, it was that the increase in aggressiveness became too powerful at a point, leading his troops to fight recklessly. This was necessary but not the best solution. This was where Kragash’s aura proved extremely useful, as the young Gnoll knew how to complement his leader and, through his own aura, control the explosive aggressiveness, converting it into bravery that allowed the soldiers to hold the line against the fear of death.
By the end, when Alex released them from his aura, most were extremely mentally and physically exhausted.
“Alright, everyone, we deserve a break. Go ask the maids for something to eat, and then you can bathe. Congratulations on a good training session,” Alex encouraged the group with pats on the back as they left.
“You were also amazing, Kragash. I hadn’t realized how much your techniques and cultivation had advanced.”
“It’s thanks to all the advice from you, my lord. I wouldn’t have the face to be in your presence if I couldn’t be ahead of the rest after all the materials and cultivation aids you’ve given me.”
“Bah, even so, it’s not easy to reach this level. You should know that the cultivation of the Ashen energy that serves as the basis for our cultivation is tailored for humans. Even though I modified it using forest energy, it’s still extremely difficult for others to use it.”
“I really admire you for that, my lord.”
“For what, boy?”
“You used a unique technique of your species, a sacred technique of your race, to strengthen us Gnolls. I’m sure not even the Matriarchs would be willing to share the unique cultivation techniques of the Gnolls. In fact, I don’t think anyone in history has gone this far to help another race. I feel like the others take advantage of your generosity.”
“I don’t know, for me it just feels natural. Don’t think too much about it. We needed a way to fight against our situation, and that was the best way. No need to dwell on it.”
Alex patted Kragash’s head.
“My lord Alex, my lord Kragash, your food and drinks are ready in the dining hall. The others are waiting for you,” a maid announced, bowing slightly.
“Since when do Gnolls have these customs?” Alex asked, puzzled.
“The maids who came with us were carefully chosen from those who once had experience serving in a renowned house. Some used Gnolls because they were much cheaper to maintain than members of their own race.”
“I see. No need to delve into that. Let’s go, Kragash.”
“Yes, sir.”