Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Slagor was so delighted because Orion's stance indicated that Slagor was not being sidelined. He was still on Orion's radar, still very much in the center of power.

During this time, Slagor had been in charge of guarding Thunderpeak Mountain. Although life there was peaceful and resources were plentiful, whenever he thought about the future, Slagor always felt he was being pushed aside.

"For the sake of the Stoneheart Horde, Slagor is ready to follow you to the death!"

Slagor proclaimed his loyalty loudly, but he heard no response from Orion—only a burst of thunder. By the time he looked up, Orion was already gone.

Watching the direction from which Orion vanished, Slagor fell into deep thought. He recalled the giant who had invaded the south with him in the past, only to realize he had long since been outpaced.

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In the southern border area of the Thunderwood Forest, Orion's aura had appeared, startling the neighboring Goblins. They finally breathed a sigh of relief only after Orion reined in his aura.

"Pass on this order: No one is allowed to go hunting in the northern regions or approach the border of the Thunderwood Forest."

In some underground chamber, a stern voice issued this command, and it spread among the tribe within moments.

Meanwhile, Orion continued west, eventually reaching Lysinthia City.

Lysinthia City's walls were fully intact. With the support of the Twilight Viper, Clawpincher, Tidecrab Shield Warriors, and numerous plague crows, Lysinthia had no difficulty defending her city.

A roll of thunder sounded. Even before Lysinthia could turn her head, Orion's large hand was already around her slim waist.

"Not bad. You've gotten stronger."

"Oh my god, it's my dearest master! I've been missing you so much!"

As soon as she saw Orion, Lysinthia threw herself into his arms, her body clinging to him.

Breathing in Lysinthia's scent, Orion smiled and carried her into the central castle of Lysinthia City.

A moment later, the clothes on Lysinthia's body were torn apart by Orion. She spread her legs wide, displaying her vagina for Orion to admire. Naturally, Orion did not refuse such an invitation; he took off his pants and thrust his cock directly into her…

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Half a day later, Orion and Lysinthia reappeared on the city walls.

"Master, the city walls here have all been built. Aside from the castle, we've also constructed many tunnels underground."

"We've placed the Tidecrab Nest in the passageways."

In fact, along with the Tidecrab, there were swamp crocodiles and giant swamp pythons, also housed in nests below the surface. Lysinthia City's underground expanse was extensive, and it was even safer and more magnificent than the area above ground.

"Take me to the forbidden zone in the castle. Lysinthia City needs a bit of an upgrade."

Lysinthia nodded and led Orion into the depths of the castle.

There, Orion placed a Lord's Stone without any particular attribute. Afterward, the central castle and the arrow towers along the walls were all enhanced.

As the Stoneheart Horde's coastal city, Lysinthia City would play a vital role in the future. One could even say it would become the first port city in the Horde's grand plan. So Orion did not hesitate to merge a Lord's Stone here, as well as several arrow towers.

When things settled in the Valkorath Realm, Orion intended to get more Sea Tribe forces from the Kraken. Starting with Mist Bay, he would gradually explore outward.

Orion had visited Dragon Territory once and knew of a long-distance intercontinental teleportation array there. That array had originally been enormous, but was destroyed thousands of years ago. It was only two years prior that it was partly repaired by a group of brilliant human mages—and even then, it could only teleport around a dozen people at a time.

That meant relying on the array to maintain communication and commerce between continents wasn't practical. Opening sea routes, finding new places to trade, and launching new maritime routes would be the best course.

However, such endeavors were still beyond the Stoneheart Horde's current capacity, because it involved not only a naval force and merchant fleets but also the various sea races inhabiting the waters.

Nevertheless, Orion had to prepare early and set the right course for everyone's future. Otherwise, if they waited until the moment they needed to act, the Stoneheart Horde would lack the resources and would only run into setbacks and regrets.

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Stepping out of the castle, arriving at the city walls, and following along the row of arrow towers, Orion and Lysinthia halted at the wall closest to the sea.

"Master, my race originally comes from out there!"

Under Orion's surprised gaze, Lysinthia raised her delicate hand and pointed toward the vast ocean. Orion turned, his expression growing serious as he studied her.

Perhaps because they had just made love, Lysinthia's face still looked slightly flushed with sensual allure.

"Our branch of the serpentfolk clan has ancestors who came from the sea."

"It's said if you ride a sea serpent and drift for three years in that direction, you'll come across a great island."

"We call it Serpent Isle, and it's home to many serpentfolk."

Once, inside Orion's tent, Lysinthia had told him of her homeland. Back then, Orion had assumed she came from the other side of the desert. It surprised him to hear her mention it again now, pointing out to sea.

A Serpent Isle stood somewhere in the boundless ocean. By extension, if there was a Serpent Isle, there could be many other islands out there—some might be uninhabited, while others could hold mysterious races.

"How big is that island?"

Orion asked casually, clearly intrigued.

"I'm not sure. It's apparently huge. My ancestor's serpentfolk clan only lived in one corner of the island."

"From the tales I've been told, it should be a very large place."

Orion fixed his gaze on the ocean. The horizon was blanketed in mist, making it impossible to see how far the water stretched.

"One day, I'll take you back to see it."

After a while, Orion spoke softly.

"Yes!"

Lysinthia murmured in agreement, resting against Orion's arm. She also gazed out at the sea.

Before nightfall, Orion gently patted Lysinthia.

"Leave Clawpincher in charge here. Get ready, bring Twilight Viper, and head back to Blackstone City to await orders."

Lysinthia nodded. She would gladly accept any mission Orion gave her.

"Master! Greetings!"

Not far away, Clawpincher and Twilight Viper emerged at the surface of the water. Clawpincher saluted, slapping one pincer against the other in his unique way. Twilight Viper lay flat on the ground, showing submission to Orion.

"How goes it? Have you scouted out the entirety of Mist Bay?"

Nodding, Clawpincher turned, pointing toward the far depths of the bay as he spoke in his deep voice.

"In accordance with your command, Master, we have now explored the entire Mist Bay."

"There were many sea beasts lurking deep in the bay; we cleared them all out."

"So far, we haven't found any trace of the Sea Tribe here!"

Orion nodded. Mist Bay now belonged to the Stoneheart Horde, and he had no intention of letting any other race gain a foothold—not even the Sea Tribe.

"Next, I want you to guard the bay's entry and exit. Don't let any Sea Tribe inside."

"As you wish!"