Titan King: Ascension of the Giant - Chapter 543

Chapter 543: Human merchant
“Blood elf territory?”

“The Dwarves and the blood elves’ territory are quite far apart. Do we know their purpose this time?”

There was a long silence from behind the curtain, indicating that no one had that information—or at least no one dared to investigate too openly. After all, that dwarven envoy was a Legendary-level being.

“Never mind. Pull back the scouts who are following the dwarven envoy. I’m certain they’ve already been discovered.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

Delilah pondered for a while before issuing further orders.

“Anything else to report?”

“The human lord you asked us to keep an eye on left Stoneheart City after purchasing a large quantity of goods.”

“What goods did he buy?”

“Minerals, young beasts, magical plants… and some powders that can enhance libido.”

With those words, a small list drifted silently onto the table in front of Delilah, detailing everything Torin had bought in Stoneheart City—items and amounts.

“Send undercover agents to Soaring Bird City. Gather whatever information you can there, and keep an eye on that human lord. Remember, I don’t want a single tie between Soaring Bird City’s affairs and our Stoneheart Horde.”

Delilah’s tone was cold and ruthless.

“Understood.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

“Go on.”

“Our statistics from the Colosseum challenges are out. The biggest winner is a human merchant named Nico.”

“A human merchant?”

“He’s also one of the people offering to purchase those unused shop lots in the busiest part of the outer district.”

At that, Delilah’s eyes immediately lit up. Those empty shops in the bustling area of the outer district were no ordinary storefronts; they were bait Orion had specifically chosen. Anyone who recognized their value was certainly perceptive.

In other words, they were talents.

Right now, what Stoneheart Horde needed most were comprehensive managerial talents with sharp insight. Without them, the fallback plan was to lure, if not simply seize and capture them.

That was Orion’s idea. After all, it wasn’t very realistic for the Stoneheart Horde to cultivate an entire generation of high-level talents in a short period of time.

The human merchant Nico had caught the eye of the Sentinel Corps because of his performance in the Colosseum, as well as his bid to purchase those shops.

“Keep a close watch on him. Give me every piece of information about him as quickly as possible.”

Delilah’s voice now carried a trace of pleasure. She suddenly realized just how important Orion’s advice—words he would whisper to her after they had sex—truly was.

“Always remember: Stoneheart City belongs not only to the giants, but to all the races within the Horde. Military defense, managerial authority, and the city’s prosperity must all be firmly in our hands. Make sure we have eyes and ears in every corner of Stoneheart City.”

Orion’s words echoed in Delilah’s mind. In particular, that last remark had prompted her to establish an entirely new department in the Sentinel Corps—dedicated to recruiting and managing informants throughout Stoneheart City. Only now, having seen how valuable this new department was, did Delilah realize that intelligence work is anything but simple.

“Anything else?”

The shadow behind the curtain did not leave, which meant there was more to report.

“Your Majesty, small detachments from the Sea Race have been spotted frequently in the coastal region to the west. Several times, some of them even came ashore and attacked our outposts along the coastline.” (*Sea Tribe → Sea Race*)

Delilah froze at this news. She straightened from her relaxed posture and asked solemnly, “Were our warriors harmed?”

“Yes. Seven guards stationed on the coast were killed, and more than a hundred were wounded.”

“Keep monitoring the Sea Race. Report to me the instant you have any updates.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Pass my order along: Have Elder Dirtclaw lead his gnoll armies to guard the western territory.”

Once she issued that command, the figure hidden behind the curtain finally faded away. Delilah herself furrowed her brows.

Truth be told, she didn’t have the courage to make any drastic moves against the Sea Race. This wasn’t because she lacked strategy; she just understood that she herself was no Legendary being, and her status and power didn’t allow her to learn the deeper secrets behind the Sea Race.

Even Orion had taken a careful, watchful stance when it came to the Sea Race. Keeping his attitude in mind, all Delilah chose to do for now was reinforce defenses near the coastline.

“What does the Sea Race want? Did they learn about the arrival of the dragon envoy and decide to spark a war?”

Delilah guessed at the Sea Race’s motives, sinking into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, also in the outer district, inside a small inn, Nico and Kadir stood by a bedroom window, gazing out at Stoneheart City.

“Kadir, we should make up our minds soon. We need to find a place and a business of our own in Stoneheart City. Do you realize I’m spending two Blackstone coins a day just to stay in this inn?”

Though Nico sounded like he was complaining, Kadir could tell his friend was actually brimming with excitement and anticipation for the future.

“You made a tidy sum of Blackstone coins at the Colosseum. Are you really that upset about spending a couple of Blackstone coins a day?”

Kadir raised an eyebrow at Nico, then shifted his gaze to the city outside. It was surprising that such a prosperous place existed in a Horde formed by giants, succubi, beastfolk, orcs—and more.

Racial integration was nothing new; Dwarven, Human, blood elf, and Draconic territories all boasted multiple races as well. But, in most places, these other races were slaves, whereas Stoneheart City was dominated by a variety of non-human peoples.

“Let’s hold out a bit longer. You’ve got plenty of Blackstone coins, so for the moment, we’re not exactly short on funds.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kadir offered his assessment.

“Wait longer?” Nico asked. “You think the Stoneheart Horde will stumble into war, get wiped out by another faction, and all this prosperity is just an illusion?”

Nico knew Kadir well—otherwise, they wouldn’t have journeyed together or become friends in the first place.

Kadir was extremely cautious. He was still evaluating Stoneheart City. Though he was satisfied with the living environment and business climate here, he remained unsure about its security.

And security isn’t something you can simply sum up with a few words; it takes time to gauge.

“If you don’t want everything you’ve built to go up in smoke when war comes knocking, then you should listen to me and stay patient.”

“All right. For now, we’ll treat it like we’re just traveling and settling here temporarily.”

Nico relented, trusting Kadir’s judgment.

Kadir had always had a much broader vision when it came to the big picture, a gift that allowed this once fallen noble—along with Nico—to flee the human kingdom and dodge the pursuit of more powerful nobles.