Chapter 260: Assignments of Conquest

[: 3rd POV :]

The Grand Hall slowly calmed after the initial shock.

Although the impossible requirement of conquering one thousand High Tier Planets, ten thousand Mid Tier Planets, and one hundred thousand Low Tier Planets still weighed heavily upon everyone’s minds, Daniel remained composed.

His calmness gradually spread to everyone else.

If their Progenitor could remain this confident...

Then perhaps the impossible truly could become possible.

Daniel slowly looked toward the two girls standing nearby.

"Mika."

"Erika."

The two immediately stepped forward.

"Yes, Big Brother."

"Yes, Daniel."

Daniel folded his arms.

"You’ve both already searched for suitable planets, haven’t you?"

Mika nodded confidently.

"We have."

Erika smiled proudly as though waiting for praise.

"We’ve been searching while everyone was busy preparing for today’s gathering."

Daniel smiled faintly.

"I expected nothing less."

The two girls exchanged delighted smiles.

Mika gently raised her hand.

Immediately...the space above the center of the Grand Hall rippled.

Countless streams of light gathered together before forming an enormous three dimensional star map.

Gasps immediately echoed throughout the hall.

The rulers instinctively stood.

"What..."

King Thrain stared with wide eyes.

"A complete star map..."

Summoner Emperor Eldric adjusted his glasses in disbelief.

"The amount of spatial information contained inside..."

"It shouldn’t even be possible."

The stars slowly expanded.

Then...thousands upon thousands of glowing planets appeared.

Some shone brilliantly.

Others appeared dim.

Different colors represented different planetary rankings.

Mika pointed toward several clusters.

"We specifically avoided planets that belong to the major powers."

Everyone immediately became attentive.

She continued.

"The planets marked in silver are independent worlds."

"They are not under any Pantheon."

"They do not belong to any Faction."

"No Sect."

"No Clan."

"No Sovereign."

"No Monarch."

"No Alliance."

"They survive entirely on their own."

Aurelius Solvain narrowed his eyes.

"So these planets are...neutral?"

Mika nodded.

"Exactly."

"They’re the safest starting point."

Erika suddenly stepped forward excitedly.

"There are lots of them!"

She waved both hands enthusiastically.

"We found thousands!"

"Some are isolated."

"Some have only recently evolved."

"Some are actually looking for protection."

Dragon Empress Sylthara blinked.

"Looking...for protection?"

Erika nodded repeatedly.

"Not every world wants war."

"Many planets are constantly threatened by pirates, wandering factions, void beasts, and dimensional raiders."

"They simply don’t possess enough strength to survive."

Spirit Empress Sylvene looked thoughtful.

"So rather than invading..."

"They may willingly accept integration."

"Exactly."

Mika smiled.

"Conquest doesn’t always require bloodshed."

Daniel quietly observed the star map.

"This is why I wanted both of you to investigate first."

He pointed toward one glowing cluster.

"We are not conquerors who destroy for pleasure."

"We’re building something."

"Our objective is to strengthen Mika."

"To strengthen Vahl’Zareth."

"If a planet willingly joins us..."

"They will become family."

"If they refuse peacefully..."

"We leave."

"If they attack..."

His golden eyes became colder.

"Then we end the conflict."

No one questioned those words.

Everyone already understood Daniel’s principles.

He never sought unnecessary slaughter.

But neither would he tolerate anyone threatening those under his protection.

Void King Noctyrr Malphas quietly spoke.

"How many planets have you selected?"

Mika enlarged another portion of the map.

Immediately...

Thousands of silver lights became highlighted.

"For the planets thats nearby the Blue Way, a galaxy that we’re part of, currently we have 100 Hundred High Tier, 1000 Mid Tier 10K Low Tier Planets. If we managed to conquer all of these planets, we would accomplished 1/10 of the requirements"

The rulers collectively inhaled.

"So many..."

Kaelgor muttered.

Mika nodded.

"They’re spread across several nearby star regions."

"Most possess civilizations similar to ours before Daniel appeared."

"Some are stronger."

"Some are weaker."

"But most importantly, none of them surpasses us and we’ve checked the prowess of their worlds"

"And none possess enough influence to attract the attention of the major powers."

Eldric folded his arms.

"A wise choice."

"The fewer eyes upon us..."

"The better."

Daniel nodded.

"Exactly."

"The Universe is already watching Vahl’Zareth."

"We don’t need additional enemies not for now where our main focus is upgrading the planter’s tier"

Beauty Queen Lily smiled knowingly.

"Keeping a low profile..."

"While quietly becoming stronger."

"I like that."

Daniel smiled.

"That’s the plan."

Phoenix Force Ignivara crossed her arms.

"But eventually..."

"The major forces will notice."

Daniel nodded without hesitation.

"They will."

"There is no avoiding that."

"The moment our planetary rank reaches Divine..."

"Our existence will become impossible to ignore."

Silence followed.

Everyone understood what those words meant.

Eventually...

Vahl’Zareth would collide with the true rulers of the Universe.

Pantheons.

Factions.

Sects.

Clans.

Monarchs.

Sovereigns.

There would be no avoiding it forever.

Daniel looked at everyone.

"But by then..."

"We won’t be the same people we are today."

His voice carried unwavering confidence.

"We’ll be far stronger."

"We’ll possess more worlds."

"More resources."

"More people."

"And more importantly..."

"We’ll possess experience."

The rulers slowly nodded.

He was right.

Battles forged warriors.

Conquests forged civilizations.

Every planet absorbed would strengthen Vahl’Zareth as a whole.

Daniel then looked toward Mika again.

"Out of those planets..."

"Which should be our first target?"

Mika moved several glowing planets closer.

1110 worlds floated before everyone.

"Most of them are peaceful, or suffering from internal conflict, or possesess abundant resources but is constantly attacked by void creatures, or finally...

She paused.

"...is the weakest."

"But they’re on the verge of being conquered by another independent world."

Erika puffed her cheeks.

"I wanted the second one."

"It looks fun."

Several rulers laughed softly.

Daniel smiled.

"You always choose the dangerous option."

Erika proudly placed both hands on her waist.

"Because Big Brother always wins."

That simple statement caused everyone nearby to chuckle.

Daniel shook his head helplessly before returning his attention to the projection.

He carefully studied every detail.

Population.

Resources.

Military strength.

Planetary size.

Mana density.

Potential.

Nothing escaped his observation.

After several moments...

He pointed toward the first planet.

"Alright, we can start from here. I will personally handle those planets that have problems while the rest handle those that looks for protection or can be easily conquered"

Everyone looked toward the glowing world.

"Easily subdued means unnecessary deaths."

"If we intervene..."

"We save lives."

"We stabilize the planet."

"And we gain allies rather than enemies."

Melira smiled proudly.

"I knew you’d said that."

Daniel looked toward everyone gathered.

"This will also become a test."

"A test of Vahl’Zareth’s new strength."

He slowly turned toward the fifteen rulers.

"I have complete confidence in every one of you."

The rulers immediately straightened.

"Your newfound Genesis Manifestations..."

"Your rewritten foundations..."

"Your new powers..."

"They’re more than enough to deal with worlds like these."

Kaelgor grinned.

"You really trust us that much?"

Daniel answered without hesitation.

"I do."

"I’ve never doubted any of you."

Those words struck far deeper than any compliment.

The rulers looked at one another before smiling.

King Thrain laughed loudly.

"Hahaha!"

"Then we’d better not disappoint our Progenitor."

Dragon Empress Sylthara’s gemstone eyes glowed brilliantly.

"It has been a long time since I last looked forward to battle."

Zephyron smiled.

"My lightning has been itching to stretch itself."

Ignivara’s flames burned brighter.

"I wish to see what this new power can truly accomplish."

Even Noctyrr, who rarely displayed emotion, gave a faint nod.

Daniel looked around the hall one final time.

"As for unexpected dangers..."

He spoke calmly.

"You don’t need to worry."

Everyone looked toward him.

"If anything beyond your ability appears..."

"I’ll know."

Melira tilted her head.

"You’ll know?"

Daniel nodded.

"As the Progenitor..."

"My connection with every member of Vahl’Zareth is absolute."

"If any one of you is threatened..."

"I’ll immediately sense it."

"My abilities will alert me."

"And if necessary..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I’ll personally come."

The room instantly fell silent.

Every ruler suddenly felt an indescribable sense of reassurance.

No matter where they fought...

No matter how far away they traveled...

Their Progenitor would always know.

He would always be watching over them.

Daniel’s gaze swept across everyone one last time.

"So..."

He smiled.

"Let’s begin conquering the Universe."

At that moment...

No one felt fear anymore.

Only anticipation.

Because the first step of Vahl’Zareth’s expansion...

Was finally about to begin.