Baron Venar of Rema looked out from his star sailer its great expansive solar canvas shimmering with enchantments sailed through starlit expanse. His Uncle the Venerable Grand Duke of the Canesai had long prepared for the expansion of his realm. The foolish King of the Benaiese had long sense granted the right of expansion to the three grand dukes who says the edges of the Kingdoms domain. The Kingdom of the Benaiese controlled 140 inhabitanted worlds, the Grand Duchies were former pre-intergration worlds whose population had been subjugated by the Benaiese. The Baron gripped at the railing of his ship the magical alloy began to flex and bended under the might of a Rank Four's strength. The Baron relaxed, he was dwelling upon the past to fuel his drive to the future.
The Canesai were what the Terrans would equate to orcs though the crude depictions of them would have to be changed after the world has been vandalized. However before that could happen a leader amgost those low humans would rise. The Benaiese playbook was to let the world unify before steam rolling the new overlord and then using that native ruler to subjugate their own homeworld. At the same time the new native ruler would marry an outlying member of the subjugated world in order to make their descendants a mix. As much as Venar hated Benaiese blood flowed through his veins.
They had already created a profile of the hundred individuals who hit the leader board using light reflections from before the integration. Afterall Venar had watched the Terrans progress from their first step into prominence on their planet. Venar had been a especial fan of the brutality of the mongols. Alas they had long broken from supremacy, though one of their descendants was the [Baron of Siberia].
Looking back at the fleet following his he saw thousands of similar sized craft as his. Most would be starting relay outposts for the invasion. Others still would began colonizing the few non-sapient worlds. Some would be tagging worlds for Terra forming. In the region of space that been 'granted' at the intergalactic convention was small compared to the vast regions granted to the Major Empires but for Veran and his family hell even for the Kingdom it was a sprawling territory.
"Pa, why do spend so many resources conquering worlds after letting them develop, why not kill the infant in the cradle?" The soft voice of one of my many sons spoke up, looking back at him I rembered. It was Veyen from my third and second most recent litter.
"Stand by my side Veyen" I told him and the young tatooless child stood a glimpse of wonder at the stars.
"Yes Pa" He stated as an after thought.
"Do you know why most pre-intergration worlds are more diplomatic and all about peace and don't check their emotions, swaying in emotional ranges like a lead in the breeze" Veran asked his son looking fondly at the small child.
"Cause their wimps?" Veyen stated unsure of his answer.
"They would be if they were born and raised under the embrace of the system, but no the reason why is two fold they rarely gain from the acts of murder upon each other, and by gain I mean in territory, mates, money, vengeance, and honor, for these reasons pre-intergration societies tend to only kill for ideals or material gain." Veran explained the basics of it glossing over the nuance of topic.
"How about their emotions and rapid excess that my mentors told me about?" The glisten of curiosity beamed in the childs eye.
"That's due to the fact they have little to no mana and hence their impression on the lower plain is relatively unnoticed versus if someone say the Emperor of Vellaheim were to partake in the similar levels that some of the Terran's elite do then demons would latch onto it immediately, remember the son the stronger one gets the more they must watch their emotions" the Veran explained to his son before the quite whisper of his steward alerted him to something of import.
"Unfortunately Veyen I must go duties of Lordship" Veyen nodded an understanding and then his eye caught on of the knight's son who was about Veyen match in years.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"Alright Father I'm going to go play fight!" Smiling as my son ran over and the two younglings began to wrestle.
Smiling to myself similar memories of my own childhood flashed before my eyes. Dismissing the thoughts I nodded to my steward.
"What is it?" I asked my steward.
"Milord, the chantries have sent their forecasted strong points for Terra" the Steward whispered, one of his skills made it so his whispers couldn't be overheard below a certain volume. Hmph, Veran didn't even want to think of Chantries of the Benaiese. They had the ability to forecast the future, they were supposedly apolitical but were anything but. They used their abilities to become filthy rich and influential by finding the hidden gems. Low-born prodigies and the like, what pissed Veran off is the very son he had left. They seemed unduly interested in the boy.
Now though they were for more interested in helping claim Terra. They were giving dungeon foci points, natural treasure, and now stronghold point, forecasts. With the uncertainty of fate only half of the information was bound to be of any use. The price though the price they stipulated it as Terran nicknamed [Lord of the Earthen Depths] by the system, in the top ten during the pre-tutorial stage.
The contract was several pages long but if This Lord character became the native Lord of the planet then they would only require one of his non-heir offspring. That put Veran more on edge then to calm him, if they were interested in them then so was Veran.
"Tell me the Strongholds" I commanded and my steward handed me a scroll bound in by the wax of the Chantries. Breaking the seal I saw a long list of somewhat memorable and unremarkable Terran places names.
...
The Following Information is granted by the permission and privilege to the Baron Veran of Rema by the Chantries of the Kingdom Benaiese. The following locations are denoted as regions of potential power or wealth of the world of Terra in ranks of probability.
High Probability Regions
Specific Region | General Region
-Irukutsk | Siberia
-Alexandria | Northern Egypt
-Coari | Amazonas
-Seosan | Korean Peninsula
-Wenzhou | Zhejiang
-Jiwani | Gwadar
-Cave City | Kentucky
-Sparta | Achaia
...
The scroll was don't of potential information that due to the rules of the Chantries only he could read, and Veran both blessed and cursed the knowledge. He would read the near endless middle, low, and insignificant probability locations. Though he only had a base understanding of the current geography of Terra he knew several of the cities or at least the region they were in. Irukutsk was probably the [Baron of Siberia], same with Cave City and the [Lord of the Earthen Depths] Character. Alexandria returning to world wide prominence wasn't odd as it was interesting. Important historical cities typically held significance to both the people and the world and so typically rose to new heights after integration. The Amazon as the Terrans called it used to be home to one of the five pre-intergration magical societies so that wasn't a surprise.
Hey! Sparta was coming back, heh those guys really loved to fight hopefully that carry onto their distant descendants. However Veran possessed a deep breath of new tasks to deal with and moved to retire to his quarters.
...
Pocket Realm of the Tutorial, The Fungal Folk
Lord Alvest's P.O.V
...
Their had been chaos when the giants came, however they bore the power of the Monarch upon him. Along with great stone castles and river of lava, we had to hold back the Brownies form scouring the palace for inspiration. I however felt a flicker of Divinity, and the source was a battle field stopped in time. Stone figures caught in their last moments, but they didn't have the terror one would expect of mammals in their last moments. No they had a look of peace, one that Alvest was a customed to and had seen it amongst the other Treants plenty.
The merging of the two shards had been anti-climatic the young giantlings being taken on by the Lithoni warriors as apprentices. Though the youth had a understandable wreath of sadness about them this grove that Alvest stood in was a bulwark against melancholy for them. The Divinity that permeated this area allowed them to more easily commune with their loved ones beyond. Alvest stood at a cliff, he could turn back but a thought that had long been alien to the treant wouldn't be shaken off. Worship, the Lithoni new that the ants and the Deep Elves had various spirits and Daemons that they worshipped but for whatever reason the fungal folk felt no such calling.
It wasn't hubris but moreso a lb apathy towards the whole ordeal. No though Alvest stood in the battlefield thick groves of stone in the telltale signs of Kien fighting and his blood had soaked this place. Here something deep inside of Alvest called and he dared to answer.
A system alert appeared before Alvest as he allowed himself to give in.
...
[Racial Evolution Requirements Fulfilled]
You have completed the requirements to evolve into a [Noble Fungal Treant]. This is due to a connection to a higher Planar being, Fungi based Sapients tend to shy away after the death of their god. By giving willing reverence to a Divine a spark of your fallen progenitor has awakened.
...
