Empire Of Souls - Chapter 174

At the center of the Steppes was a vast valley which was surrounded by mountains on the north and south. This valley began somewhere around the center of the Steppes and stretched all the way west until it touched the sea. These mountains were almost entirely impassable from both the north and south, except for the only entrance which was a pass at the eastern end of the valley.

When Alek’s original world had been reshaped and merged into the God Nexus, it went through drastic changes. The Steppes were a perfect example of this. If one were to be looking down at the immense land from high up, it would look much like someone had hobbled together the region by smashing large landmasses together to form the shape it had become. However, something happened when the landmasses met with the center area which was where the Tower of Babel had once stood. It was as if the valley had been protected by some powerful force and because of this, the land there was different from the rest of the Steppes.

The valley was truly a magnificent marvel of nature with lush terrain and beautiful scenery. There was a wealth of resources, life, and everything one would need to grow a thriving civilization. The immense valley had yet to be properly explored, but what they had already seen was a treasure trove. The development of the new capital city, which would herald the coming of Aleks’s empire, was under intense and meticulous construction. There were many buildings which were nearing completion. These were mostly residences, small shops, and also craftsmen workshops.

The capital city had been divided into districts with the majority of the planned residential housing and small businesses making up a large residential district. There was a much larger commercial district planned, but this was not a priority at the time and it was much more ideal to make sure there was enough housing and businesses which could meet every day necessities. The residential district also housed bathing facilities and other important institutions for the welfare and health of the citizens. Since they were constructing a capital city from the ground up, much care was taken to ensure that the city could accommodate millions of citizens with all the necessary facilities.

Grobak had been gone for a couple of months now and he was completely shocked by the progress that had been made since he was last in the valley. He rode astride his giant wolf with several hundred thousand barbarians in tow and gaped at the changes. The great wall which would guard the entrance of the valley had already begun construction and the various sites planned for fortresses were also being prepared at the entrance of the valley. The capital city was undergoing constant construction on a level none had ever seen before. Aleks didn’t lack for a labor force, and the scale of construction was truly unprecedented. He had put everyone to work, whether they be magic casters or warriors. It didn’t matter, everyone could contribute in one way or another to the construction.

Those barbarians who followed behind Grobak were even more shocked at the sight. They had never seen anything like this and they had lived most of their lives as nomads moving from place to place. There were some fixed settlements on the Steppes which the tribes might travel to and from or would stay for a time, but nothing like this. Even the prior capital of the Steppes, The Canyon, had been tiny in comparison.

The capital city already had around a million people in the area, and now that number had doubled. Although they weren’t all present in one small part of the valley, there were still many hundreds of thousands of barbarians laboring about. Some had been allocated to build the defensive structures and great wall which would enclose the entrance of the valley, while others had been sent on a variety of jobs. There was a plethora of people of a diversity of races busily moving about on an unprecedented scale.

There was an innumerable amount of livestock which needed raising and many had been tasked with caring for them. There were also barbarians who were being taught to farm the land outside the city. Others were exploring, patrolling, training, ridding the wilderness of dangerous creatures, surveying and prospecting, etc. There was much work to be done and there was no one who was idling about. Building a nation was tiring work and the only person who could be considered to have any time for leisure was Aleks himself.

When Grobak finally arrived before Aleks, he was once more lounging on his throne with servants seeing to his needs. It seemed as if he was idling his time away, but this was only a facade. In fact, he had very little free time at all. Although he wasn’t laboring or doing some form of physical work which was visible, he was probably working hardest of all. There was much to analyze, including the study of Laws and the system of Babel. Through his use of Babel, there were many of his followers who needed the benefits that came with their worship. This included new abilities, class development, etc. Because he hadn’t yet fully ascended, this was a much more tedious task which required some of his attention and energy. The mask and Babel itself helped him immensely with this, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have time for anything else.

There were also many new ideas he was developing and he had spent a significant amount of his time either discussing with his gnome and dwarven subordinates, or researching the avatar he would soon develop. As of late, his research into developing his avatar had been mostly on his mind. This was an important matter which would affect his future development and he didn’t wish to make a poor decision. It was clear that creating an avatar that specialized in magic was the best option for him.

Not only would a magic caster allow him to have a greater understanding of laws, but it would also help him in research and development. Magic was the thing he understood the least about this new world. He possessed no magic of his own and his abilities all stemmed from the soul, there was no magic involved. Of course, once one became a god, everything relied on divine power which also came from the soul. Nonetheless, an understanding of magic was the quickest way to understand the laws of the universe. The universal laws were what magic originated from. What Aleks lacked most of all were the basics. In some cases he was quite lucky because he already possessed a soul which bordered on divinity, and that was the most difficult part of ascension.

Not wishing to disturb his master, Grobak stood before Aleks’s throne and waited patiently. The wait was somewhat awkward and he began to wonder whether his master was even aware he was standing before him. There were servants and guards within the throne room scattered about, but none of them said a word. It was a strange and awkward scene which caused Grobak to scratch his head. Finally, losing his patience after several minutes of silence, Grobak lightly coughed.

Aleks turned his head just slightly, “Oh.. Grobak, you are here.”

Grobak smiled awkwardly, “I have been here for a while already master.”

“Is that so? Why didn’t you say anything then?”

Grobak wanted to hit his head against a wall, but he still forced himself to say respectfully, “Master, you are well aware that I arrived in the capital since you have been with me the entire way.”

“Hmm.. I have been preoccupied with an important matter and lost track of the time.”

Aleks waved the servants away who were fanning him. He had all the women replaced with ones he found more appealing after what Lenia did. Even if he was a Demigod, he was still a man who enjoyed and appreciate beauty. He had already given Lenia a stern warning and knew she wouldn’t try anything anymore. It was easy to replace his servants, once he gave out the call, many were practically begging for the honor. He had Lariel take care of the matter and she didn’t disappoint. She was very keen on what his tastes were since there was nothing she didn’t know about him.

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me master, I am just a servant after all.”

Grobak did his best to hide his annoyance, but it didn’t escape Aleks’s discerning eye. However, Aleks only chuckled and didn’t mind it. He knew very well about Grobak’s temper, he had created him that way after all.

“So, you have gifts for me?”

Grobak jumped to attention when he heard Aleks’s question and he was no longer annoyed. Much like a child waiting for their gift he excitedly explained to Aleks how many souls he had harvested. Aleks was already aware of the number, but he didn’t want to dampen Grobak’s enthusiasm.

“The souls of 10,000 Advanced class beings is just what I needed. I can finally push ahead my plans to create my avatar and this should give me enough extra ‘Soul Potential’ to provide for my people. You did well Grobak and I am pleased with how you have handled yourself. You have met my expectations and will be duly rewarded.”

Grobak gave a toothy grin which practically stretched from ear to ear. He was overjoyed at Aleks’s promise of reward and very excited. He was hoping to gain some new abilities or perhaps some other rewards.

“Now, I hear we have some guests?”

Grobak was awoken from his excitement and his expression grew serious.

He nodded, “They are waiting outside the throne room. I asked them to wait until I reported first.”

“Bring them in.”