Titan King: Ascension of the Giant - Chapter 477

Chapter 477: Money turns people greedy
Valkorath Realm, Battlefield Frontline.

This marked the Stoneheart Horde’s third deployment to the front, and Orion’s third descent into battle. This time, accompanying him were two Alpha-level subordinates, Earthshaker and Gronthar.

Orion hovered in the air, overseeing the frontline.

Lich Vexis held the rear, directing the overall strategy.

On the front, bolstered by Blood Sharing, Earthshaker and Gronthar led the charge, tearing through the slime mold mutants with ruthless efficiency.

Gronthar, in particular, thrived in this chaos—his wide, sweeping attacks perfectly suited for such a sprawling battlefield.

Wherever his war axe swung, slime mold mutants fell in droves.

With no Legendary-level foes lurking in the slime mold layer, Earthshaker and Gronthar unleashed their full strength, racking up kills and reaping battle merits.

“Hahaha… After this, I’ll be able to take another step forward!”

Gronthar’s morale soared higher with every clash, alternating between roars of fury and booming laughter.

Earthshaker let out a couple of deep bellows, equally ferocious in cutting down enemies.

Orion took it all in, keeping a protective eye on his subordinates while scanning the surrounding slime mold layer.

Though the slime mold brood mother had been gravely wounded, there were still plenty of Legendary-level slime mold mutants out there. It wasn’t out of the question that the brood mother might send them into the fray.

So, Orion didn’t dare let his guard down for a moment.

The battle raged on for three days.

As their rotation drew near, both Vexis and Orion breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging thoughts via telepathy.

“Lord Orion, it seems the slime mold mutants have given up on targeting you for now!”

Vexis’s voice carried a hint of awe—Orion’s strength made her feel far more at ease.

“Given up? I wouldn’t bet on it!”

“The slime mold brood mother’s been crippled. I suspect those Legendary-level mutants have been summoned back to guard the main nest.”

“Once she recovers, there’s no way she’ll just sit back and watch us slaughter her mutants.”

Orion trusted his instincts on this.

His exchanges with the Champions Alliance had taught him that the slime mold brood mother was an arch lord at her peak.

A being like that would be wary of true powerhouses like Arthas, Leonidas, and Alexander.

As for someone like Orion? She’d likely want to kill him and claim his body for her own use.

“My master has ramped up resistance, and the slime mold layer is starting to pull back.”

“Lord Orion, if you want to build your city in Valkorath Realm, now’s the perfect window.”

Vexis offered this as a friendly heads-up. Orion nodded but didn’t elaborate.

He did want to establish a city in this realm, but he needed to bide his time.

Soraya hadn’t yet reached Legendary level, so for now, Orion had to stay put in Cryptopolis City.

“Let’s head back and regroup. We’ll return to the front in three days.”

Orion sidestepped Vexis’s suggestion, shifting the topic.

Vexis took the hint. As a dedicated support, she’d given her advice— the decision was Orion’s to make.

When Orion led his forces back to Cryptopolis City, the troops under Earthshaker and Gronthar erupted into celebration.

From his throne, after settling all matters, Orion’s mind sank once more into the Survivor’s Platform.

This time, he was flooded with messages.

Most came from grain merchants under the [Horn of Harvest] banner, while some traders had directly initiated delayed transactions with him.

Orion casually opened a message from one grain merchant, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Dear friend, what kind of grain are you looking to buy? How much? What species is it for?”

At first glance, it seemed innocuous, but on closer inspection, this merchant smelled like they were fishing for intel.

Orion didn’t reply, skipping to the next message.

“Dear Hulk, I’ve got authentic alpine wheat—fake it and I’ll pay you tenfold. My wheat’s the cheapest on the entire Survivor’s Platform.”

“I’ve already sent you a delayed transaction. Don’t forget to confirm it.”

This came from a grain merchant named Seven of Swords. Orion skimmed it—alpine wheat, tenfold guarantee, delayed transaction—and after a moment’s thought, checked his pending trades.

Sure enough, Seven of Swords had sent him ten delayed transactions.

Each deal was for 100,000 tons of grain, priced roughly at market rate, slightly higher than Scarecrow’s rates.

Orion didn’t hesitate, confirming the trades. His crystal cores dwindled quickly.

But by the seventh transaction, the grain price suddenly spiked tenfold. Orion, about to confirm, froze and pulled back.

Thinking he’d misread, he double-checked several times before confirming it wasn’t his eyes playing tricks.

Frowning, he reviewed the remaining delayed trades. The eighth was also ten times the price, while the ninth and tenth returned to normal.

A scam. A blatant trap. Orion saw through it in an instant.

Seven of Swords was preying on the careless and desperate—those too rushed to double-check their grain deals.

Orion didn’t get mad. Calmly, he confirmed the ninth and tenth trades, leaving the seventh and eighth hanging.

Thanks to Seven of Swords’ little stunt, Orion grew warier. He outright rejected all other grain merchant messages.

Next, he meticulously cleared out his delayed transactions, one by one.

Any hint of fraud? Declined.

Slightly pricier but within his budget? Purchased.

By the end of it, Orion had secured another hefty batch of grain.

“Seven of Swords… In tarot, that card means deception. Is this guy openly admitting he’s a con artist?”

“Merchants, huh. Money turns people greedy—makes them chase profit above all else.”

“These types are probably thinking, ‘Scam one, and it’s a win.’ Greed’s got them blind.”

Orion added a few honest grain merchants to his friends list, then let the matter drop.

The merchants’ antics reminded him once again: not every survivor was a saint.

Meeting Arthas and the Champions Alliance? That was dumb luck—divine favor, even.

Shifting his focus to the Champions Alliance public channel, Orion scrolled through his allies’ latest chatter.

Kraken: “Hey, big shots, I don’t know why, but fungal creatures are pouring into the deep sea lately. The slime mold layer’s spread from shallow waters all the way down.”

Kraken: “I ran into a Legendary Peak level parasitic creature this time. Good thing I’m fast, or it’d have been curtains for me.”

Edward: “Kraken, you’d better relocate your operations. That area you’re in? It’s spillover from Leonidas’s zone.”

Arthas: “Where’s Leonidas?”

Arthas: “Are you helping out—or just making things worse?”