Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Moonshadow Valley, Chieftain's Tent

It had been nearly half a month since Orion had officially taken over as chieftain.

Moonshadow Valley was no longer just a tribe of giants. It had transformed into a mixed settlement of four races: Giants, Succubi, Buffalofolk, and Obsidian Golems. The area outside Moonshadow Valley had been renamed Blackstone Town, and the tribe itself was now known as the Stoneheart Horde.

Along with the birth of the Stoneheart Horde came the establishment of the Four Elders to assist Orion in managing Blackstone Town. These elders were:

- Elder of Discipline: Rendall

- Elder of Combat: Thundar

- Elder of Stewardship: Delilah

- Elder of Prophecy: Prophet Onyx

In essence, these four elders were Orion's way of delegating responsibilities, each overseeing law, combat, administration, and strategy, respectively.

After weeks of hard work, Orion had finally completed the initial restructuring of the horde. The once chaotic Moonshadow Valley was now showing signs of order and progress.

"Chieftain, Rockwell has found a deposit of black marble. This stone is incredibly durable and perfect for building the walls," Rendall said as he entered the tent with Rockwell, both of them grinning.

"This black marble is hard, waterproof, resistant to wear and weathering. If we use it to build the walls, they'll last at least fifty years," Rockwell added. "And since we're sourcing it locally, it'll be easy to maintain."

The Obsidian Golems had a natural affinity for earth elements, and their knowledge of stone far surpassed Orion's. Originally assigned to the combat forces, the Obsidian Golems had been temporarily reassigned by Orion to serve as laborers for the construction of the walls. Rockwell, their chieftain, was currently overseeing this project.

"Rockwell, I trust you. Use the stone you've selected to build the walls," Orion said. "If you need more manpower, speak to Elder Delilah."

After sending Rendall and Rockwell on their way, Orion fell into deep thought.

The walls of Blackstone Town needed to be at least 50 feet high to effectively hold off most of the dark creatures that might attack. It was a massive undertaking, but fortunately, the labor force under Orion's command—aside from the succubi—was composed of physically powerful races. For the Giants and Golems, moving massive stones was as easy as eating or drinking.

"The hunting teams are running smoothly, the town's construction is on track, and the rules of Blackstone Town are starting to take shape. Now, the next challenge is population growth..."

When it came to population, Orion couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

Despite being a mixed horde of Giants, Succubi, Buffalofolk, and Obsidian Golems, the total population of Blackstone Town was less than 35,000. Of these, the succubi had the largest numbers, while the Buffalofolk had the fewest, with most of them being elderly, weak, or infirm.

The population issue was one of Orion's biggest headaches. While the intelligent races of this world didn't have reproductive barriers, the chances of producing offspring were extremely low, especially when it came to cross-species reproduction.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by these problems, Orion decided to open the five Survivor Chests he had left, hoping to find something useful.

Impatient, Orion opened three chests in quick succession. Each one gave him a standard-grade spear. Disappointed, he didn't even bother inspecting them and tossed them into the stockpile of throwing weapons.

The last two chests, however, were from Tigran and the Spider Queen Arachne, and Orion had higher hopes for them.

The chest from Tigran turned to ash, leaving behind a long whip in Orion's hand—a weapon of elite level.

As he looked at the whip, an image flashed in his mind: Lilith, gazing at him with sultry eyes, handing him the whip, silently begging him to use it on her...

Orion shook his head, dispelling the thought, and quickly opened the final chest.

A small egg, about the size of an apple, appeared in his hand. Orion squinted as he examined its properties, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

[Cave Spider Egg Sac]

Type: Insect Egg (Unfertilized)

Description: It is crystalline and pure white, a pearl among spiders. This egg sac has the potential to hatch a new Cave Spider Queen, but it must first be fertilized by a male spider.

The egg sac had the potential to produce a new Spider Queen, but it needed to be fertilized by a male spider first.

Orion immediately thought of the Shadow Spinner in the first layer of the Abyss. If he could get it to fertilize the egg, he could potentially raise a new Spider Queen.

He stored the egg in Bagbird's stomach and, as he looked out at the busy horde members outside his tent, his eyes narrowed with a sharp, calculating glint.

The image of countless cave spiders swarming Moonshadow Valley flashed through his mind, and a wild idea began to take shape.

However, this idea would require careful experimentation and cultivation.

The spider egg had reinvigorated Orion's spirit, filling him with renewed energy and determination.

But just as Orion was getting fired up, Dace rushed into the tent with bad news.

"Chieftain, the hunting team has sent word!"

"They've spotted a group of Swamp Rats in the eastern part of the territory, where the Buffalofolk used to hunt."

Orion raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment before responding.

"Summon the four elders. Tell them we're holding a council meeting."

"Yes, Chieftain!"

---

Half an hour later, the Elder of Discipline, Elder of Stewardship, and Elder of Prophecy had gathered in Orion's tent. The Elder of Combat, Thundar, was out leading a hunting party and couldn't attend.

"There's a group of Swamp Rats in the eastern part of the territory. What do you make of it?" Orion asked directly, wasting no time with pleasantries.

The tent fell silent for a moment before Succubus Queen Delilah spoke up, her voice filled with confusion.

"The eastern territory? Isn't that outside the Buffalofolk's land, beyond the Black Forest? There's a group of Trolls living there. Why would Swamp Rats show up?"

Delilah had once ruled the eastern part of the forest, so she was familiar with the power dynamics in that region. Normally, the presence of the Trolls would have prevented Swamp Rats from entering Buffalofolk territory.

"Chieftain, Swamp Rats are vassals of the Poison Dragons. They serve Slagor, the leader of the Poison Dragon Swamp," Prophet Onyx said, his deep voice breaking the silence as he explained the origins of the Swamp Rats.

At the mention of Slagor, Orion's expression darkened. He turned to one of his guards and said, "Dace, go fetch Thrym for me."

"Yes, Chieftain!"

A few moments later, Thrym entered the chieftain's tent.

"Thrym, tell me again, in detail, about how your supplies were stolen during the Myriad Races Invasion."

Thrym speaking, his voice filled with bitterness.

"After Chieftain Clymene and the five elders were killed, we received orders from the Lord of the Four Domains to retreat."

"On our way back, we were intercepted by a Shaman, one of Slagor's subordinates. He stole all of our supplies."

"We survived by hunting beasts along the way."

"Chieftain, that Shaman was from the Swamp Rat tribe. His name is Myst. He could summon swamps and was incredibly difficult to deal with. We couldn't defeat him!"

"Later, we went to Slagor to plead for the return of our supplies, but he said you would have to come and retrieve them yourself..."