Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 181: Month end
Slya and Tiber forced Vale to retell the details of the fight again, and they exclaimed and sucked in sharp breaths at the appropriate times. Now that the battle was done with and adrenaline had calmed, Vale realized just how crazy and overwhelming the fight had been.
And how stupid... and maybe a little courageous he had been to even involve himself at all. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew it was something that would happen again.
’...It’s stupid to put myself between the Master Knights. If not for Takoda being there, I’d be dead already... and my new tower...’
One of the things Vale learned early in life was not to have illusions about one’s power. His father taught him that when he made him kill criminals so he’d get over his first kill.
His father told him, "...Don’t ever overestimate your power or underrate it. Know what you are capable of doing and stay within its boundaries..."
It was also why Vale was somewhat surprised to learn his father had such a past with Steelclaw. He just couldn’t picture him having such emotions. Jealousy and envy? The man he knew was cold, emotionless!
’......did something indeed change when I was born and my mother died?...’ Vale sighed. He felt such complications of emotions rise up inside him. ’...Tonight, I was part of those who killed a Master Knight, one of the real prominent ranks in Knighthood... Somehow, everything is now real... Maybe when I faced death, I realized...’
"Vale? Are you okay?" Slya asked.
Vale blinked and looked around. He had been so deep in thought that she’d called him several times. They were in a room issued to him underground. "I am. Where was I? Yes, after he was trapped in a pool of darkness..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
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The two of them left for their respective rooms after they heard the story, and Vale was able to get a little sleep before morning, sleeping till the sun shone through. But of course, it was still dark underground.
First, he checked on his tower and saw that it was making good progress, but he would have to take it to a place filled with a lot of essence to speed it up.
This would also benefit Vale in speeding up filling his core.
This made him think of something. ’...can the tower regenerate even if there’s only so much as a speck of it left?... Alright... What if only half of it was destroyed?...’
After doing that, he brushed up and wore new clothes before heading up to the surface to see that Takoda was already done with the walls of his fortress. The perks of having a powerful Earth Knight.
For them, they unlock their Blightfur first before their earth-controlling power when they reach the Master rank. Of course, they could control stone and rocks since birth, but their essence isn’t sufficient for both, so they usually take the Blightfur route first.
Vale walked over to where the Chief was putting the finishing touches on the fortress wall. Just like before, it was as if three giant mountains had collapsed against each other.
"Good morning, Commander." Chief Takoda turned to him and bowed.
"You start work early, Flagbearer Takoda," Vale said.
The older man shook his head and said solemnly, "No, you are just that late in waking up. It’ll be high noon soon."
Vale opened his mouth in shock. ’....this... I’ve never woken up this late before... Is this the effect of getting my core dry together with the tower?...’
The Chief continued, "Even your subordinates are helping with the work that needs doing, bringing all our equipment back up. Come on, are you hungry? I’ve not had any food today either."
The mention of food made his stomach grumble immediately, and he smiled sheepishly, following the Chief as they entered the fortress. The houses that had been destroyed were being erected, and almost everyone was there helping, even Tower Captain Sybila.
Tiber and Slya waved at him from where they were working. Slya was forging instruments that could be quickly used, while Tiber worked as a burden beast, same as almost all the Forsaken Tribe members.
The Chief led him to a hastily built palace that looked more like four walls put together, but at least his throne was still intact. Food had already been set on a table, and they sat and began to eat.
Meat and vegetables with some light bread. Vale stuffed his stomach as fast as he could before he slowed down, took a drink, and sighed.
"What do you plan to do now, Blessed Vale?" Takoda asked.
Vale sighed. "The first business is to share the resources that we gained from the fight. We’ll go over to their fortress. The Knights will be shared equally among the three of you. As for the other resources, I will take thirty percent while the three of you share the rest. Of the artifacts, I have the right to two first-choice picks."
Vale knew he was being a little greedy with the last part, but he was giving them Knights, and that’s something they couldn’t get easily.
The Chief grunted and then smiled wearily. "You want to make the Knights rebelling our problem, if they rebel. Or if they end up betraying us. What if they don’t want to join us?"
Vale shrugged. "Get their documents to know why they are in the Borderlands in the first place. There aren’t that many free people here. Buy the rest. I want them to stay till the end of the Rift clearing."
"Also, when is the envoy from the Clan scheduled to come again?"
"At the end of the month."
Vale calculated it. "That’s eight days away. We will clear it before they come. The envoy that will come here next will likely never be here to take back taxes."
Takoda nodded. "Very likely. Alright, we’ll take the Knights. And although we’ve lost three enchanted towers, we should be able to get two back from the loot."
Vale understood what the Chief was saying. He wanted Vale to give him enchanted towers. He smiled,the Forsaken Tribes had been one of the most helpful so far. "You definitely will get yourself some enchanted towers. Now, I have a question for you."
"How does one become an Errant Knight?"
