"This island looks promising." In the sky, Muria looked down at the island below. In the Titan Archipelago, most of the islands were wild jungles inhabited by various powerful beasts and monsters.
Only a small number of islands were inhabited by intelligent races.
They were the races recognized by the Titans, possessing things that were beneficial to the Titans, so they were granted the right to live there. As for the vast majority of other races, they were of no use to the Titans and would naturally not be welcomed to settle in the Titan Archipelago.
So, for most of the islands in the Titan Archipelago, Muria could pick any one he liked, as long as it looked good to him.
Below, the island Muria chose was not like the one where the Crystal Castle of the Golden Dragon was located. It was not located on the outermost edge of the Titan Archipelago. The position of this island was quite far from the outermost edge of the archipelago.
As for how far it was from the center of the Titan Archipelago, Muria didn't know. He only knew that the archipelago was very large, but without a map, he had no idea how large it really was.
The island Muria chose had two characteristics. The first characteristic was that it was very large in size. With Muria's flying speed, it would take nearly an hour to fly around the island. The exact size would need to be verified by giant leaders who understood measurement knowledge. Muria couldn't determine the exact area with just a glance from high in the sky.
The second characteristic of this island was its extremely regular and special overall shape. At first glance from high altitude, Muria thought it was a very close approximation of a circular island. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the edges of this island had eight very obvious protrusions, making the overall shape of the island resemble an octagon.
In general, the outer shape of this island was between an octagon and a circle. However, this was not the most remarkable aspect of the island. The real reason Muria decided to live here was the surroundings of the island.
Around this island with a very special shape, there were eight long and narrow islands, each corresponding in an orderly manner to one side of the octagonal island.
Although the shapes of these eight islands were all different, their positions, combined with the circular island they guarded, immediately conjured up a very ancient and profound pattern in Muria's mind. The Tai Chi Bagua.
"I've decided that from today onwards, I will live on this island." Muria pointed down towards the island he had chosen and said to the dozens of giant leaders gathered around him, "And this island, from now on, will be called Tai Chi Island."
"As you command, Your Highness Muria." The giant leaders answered respectfully. Most of the islands in the Titan Archipelago were nameless, so Muria could name them as he pleased. The name "Tai Chi" seemed a bit strange to the giant leaders at first, but after reading it several times, they felt that the name seemed to contain something profound.
With six young dragons, as well as numerous cloud giants and fog giants, Muria descended onto Tai Chi Island.
"Squawk!" "Roar!" "Hiss!" As Muria and the giants approached Tai Chi Island, the continuous cries of frightened beasts and monsters echoed. They were terrified by so many golden giants.
"Rumble..." The ground trembled as the beasts fled. The resources of the Titan Archipelago were so abundant that they had produced a large number of beasts and monsters. Thus, a circular tide of beasts emerged from where Muria and the others landed...
"Hold on a moment!" Seeing the tide of beasts, Muria raised his hand to stop the cloud giants from descending further.
...The fresh scent of grass and trees filled Muria's nostrils as he felt the vigorous vitality of the island. However, the ground beneath his feet was covered with withered branches and leaves, filled with decomposing organic matter, indicating intense competition here as well.
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"Tell all the giants that, unless they are in danger, they should drive away the island's creatures rather than harm them." Muria looked around at the cloud giant leaders. "After all, it's us invading their territory."
"...?" The giant leaders looked at each other, somewhat incredulous at Muria's command. But after a few of them moved their lips, they ultimately didn't voice any opposition.
At this moment, the giant leaders remembered that they were following someone who not only had the blood of the Titans but also the blood of the Golden Dragon, the chief of benevolent dragons. Among dragons, the Gold Dragon was renowned for its strength, justice, and kindness throughout the world.
"As you command, Your Highness." Twelve cloud giant leaders obediently went to convey Muria's orders. Because this command was not unreasonable, most of the island's creatures had already fled from the area where the giants descended, leaving only plants.
Meanwhile, at the seaside of Tai Chi Island, storm giants walking on the waves, hill giants riding sea creatures provided by the sea tribes, and tidal giants swimming ashore caused another tide of beasts to form.
As night fell and the stars filled the sky, Muria stood with his six young dragons and Mia on a small hill in the center of Tai Chi Island, silently watching the giants below, cutting down sturdy ancient trees to clear a large area.
"Mia, today I scared away many of the island's native creatures. Do you think I went too far?" Muria remembered the events of the day and asked his trusted maid with a smile.
Mia blinked her bright eyes. "Ah! Young Master Muria, I didn't even think about that. You actually considered the island's creatures; you're so kind. If only my noble lord had one-tenth of your kindness, my childhood wouldn't have been so difficult."
"Haha, Mia, I'm not such a kind and gentle presence to the island's native creatures. I've made many animals have to find new nests and fight with other monsters for territory," Muria chuckled softly, but his attention wasn't on the island's beasts. He believed he had handled them as best as he could.
"You mentioned that you were the daughter of a fallen noble, right? Even so, your life should have been much better than that of ordinary commoners. How could it have been so difficult?"
"Master Muria, although my family still carries the name of nobility, in reality, we're no better off than ordinary commoners. The main reason is that the lord collects so much tax, and my family, in particular, has it rough. In the city where I live, people starve to death every year, and in winter, you can often see frozen bodies on the streets."
"Even so, don't those lords reduce taxes?"
"In my memory, taxes have only increased and never decreased."
"Aren't there any rebellions against these lords?" Muria found it hard to believe. If taxes were high enough to starve people, in ancient times, any ruler who dared to do this would have been dethroned, if not worse.
"There are, but they've all been killed by the lord's guards, and then their bodies are hung on wooden frames at the city gates. Rebellion, apart from bringing death, serves no purpose." Mia said with a hint of sadness.
"...," Mia's words made Muria silent for a moment. At this moment, he began to realize the cruelty of this world. The nobles in Eralcia were not like the useless nobles in Muria's previous life; here, the nobles possessed extraordinary strength corresponding to their status. The commoners couldn't possibly resist them.
"How many lords are like this?" Muria asked again.
"In the cities around where I live, several lords are like this. As for those farther away, I don't know, but they should be about the same." Mia thought for a moment and replied.
"Is that so?" Muria smiled. He revealed his white teeth to Mia and said, "After I come of age, I will travel to various continents. If I encounter the kind of noble lords you described, I will break into their castles, drag them out, and in the most crowded place..."
The maid, who was originally curious, listened to Muria's words. But as she listened, the young girl's expression turned shocked. Eventually, she heard the last few words Muria said: "Publicly execute these scum."
"Young Master Muria..." The girl was stunned by Muria's words. "I have never heard of anyone treating a lord like that, and with your words, there could be unpredictable consequences."
"Never before, but now there is," Muria said with a smile. "As for the consequences, I believe I can bear them when I come of age."
The girl fell silent, unable to speak. Even though she was as brave as she was, she couldn't imagine what Muria said. Mia had no doubt that Muria would be able to do what he said in the future, so she felt a strange anticipation for Muria's future travels.
"Your Highness. We're extremely sorry for not providing you with a suitable place to rest." Just as Muria, Mia, and the six drowsy dragons were plunged into a calm atmosphere, many cloud giant leaders, along with some powerful storm giants, tidal giants, and hill giants, approached Muria, kneeling beside him to apologize.
"That's nothing," Muria waved his hand, indicating that it was not a big deal.
"No, Your Highness, letting you camp in the wilderness is our greatest negligence as your followers." Abbott, one of the cloud giant leaders, lowered his head to speak. "But we've already planned to build a castle that befits your status."
"Building a castle for me?" Muria was somewhat surprised, but then he understood. "There's no need to rush for that. You can first build residences for your people, and then my castle."
"Your Highness, we rugged men can stay in the wilderness for as long as needed, but we can't let you do the same. It's an insult to your status as a Titan's son," a burly hill giant, slightly taller than his companions, grinned. He was not a leader of the giants but was representing his kind in the discussion.
In fact, except for the eighteen cloud giant leaders born from large gatherings, the other three types of giants did not have leaders of that level.
"That's right, Your Highness!" The words of the hill giant representative were echoed by several cloud giant leaders.
"Your Highness, please entrust the task of building the castle to us hill giants. We promise to build you the tallest, most magnificent castle in the shortest time possible." Another hill giant representative spoke.
"Letting these barbarians build a castle for me? Hmph, when it's built, will it still be a castle?" A cloud giant leader sneered at the hill giant wearing a skirt made of animal skins. "What else can you do besides digging holes in the mountains?"
"Do you dare to look down on us hill giants?" The hill giant representative who came to discuss with other tribes got angry and lifted the large wooden club in his hand, ready to strike the disrespectful cloud giant leader.