Darius Stone sat comfortably in the meeting room of his Manor in the Inner Section of Safemoon. He couldn’t always meet guests in his Mage tower, as that would allow them to survey the core section. 

In this meeting room, he sat at the head of the table while all the other seats were occupied by various caramel-skinned men and women wearing white jackets, ornate vests, and white harem pants. 

They were all nervous as they sat before Darius, wondering why they had all been summoned like this. Many were worried that their positions at home might be usurped, but they were also filled with greed as to what opportunity the Lord of Safemoon had for them, so they came. 

Darius clapped his hands and got the attention of all the Magistrates of Ludo. 

“Hello, esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Darius Stone, and I am the ruler of Safemoon. I called you here today to establish a new era for Ludo right, here, right now.” 

The Magistrates perked up at that, realizing that their hopes might come true from the way Darius spoke. Only Shamael Bucktowar, the one who gathered them all on behalf of Darius, was a bit nervous as he felt something was wrong. 

Darius continued. “A few months ago, I partook in your Test of Mettle, and came out with an interesting new power.” 

Darius swapped his title to the Desert King and used his Pseudo-Origin Essence power to pressure the sultans. They, more than anyone else, felt the pressure as they were adept users of the Sand Arts, something that was taught to Ludoians by the First Desert King as he tore some of his own Origin Essence and shared it with all the people of the continent. 

This was certainly one of the reasons why the Desert King was weaker than other True Lords. Whatever the case, Darius released the pressure he put on the sultans, allowing them to relax as they gazed at him dumbfoundedly. 

“T-The Desert King…” Shamael muttered with confusion. 

Didn’t Darius tell him that he had failed? If he had truly succeeded, why did he hide it from the world? Wouldn’t receiving fame and adulation of the entire Ludo Continent move his heart? 

Darius chuckled. “That’s right, I’m this generation’s Desert King. If you’re wondering why I hid it, it’s simply because I have great plans for myself and for the world, but unfortunately, I cannot trust any of you enough to share it.” 

This immediately sobered up the sultans as they realized the situation. Their minds ran quickly as they processed everything. Darius was the new Desert King, but hid it because he had some plan or the other. 

He gathered the leaders here to let them in on the secret, but why was a mystery. He did mention something about collaboration, but they didn’t know what they meant by that. 

The only thing they knew was that they were slightly disappointed. Their new Desert King was someone from another Continent harboring his own plans. He would not have the welfare of Ludo in mind like previous Desert King who were born and raised on Ludo. 

However, there was nothing they could do about it now. They could only bite their teeth and listen to the arrangements of this new Desert King. 

Darius saw their hesitation and disappointment, but smiled softly. “Now, the collaborations I was talking about. Safemoon will sponsor the entire Ludoian Continent and its people with top tier resources to raise the power and livelihood of the continent.” 

“You should have seen our relationship with Andrato. A Kingdom that was pressed down by all others and treated like garbage, now able to hold its own against most foes while still rapidly growing.” 

“This time, the scale increases greatly. However, this is to be done in the shadows and slowly over time. We don’t want to alert the rest of the world as to the rise of Ludo.” 

Darius leaned forward. “What do you all think?” 

The sultans shared strange looks as their minds whirred. Now, more than ever, they wished they could manifest clones of themselves, so they could beat them up. 

They realized how foolish their initial thoughts were. Regret that he wasn’t a Ludoain? Rubbish! He was the Lord of Safemoon! He was arguably the richest and most powerful man in terms of finances in the world! 

It was akin to an average International Company from Africa suddenly having Bill Gates as their biggest Shareholder and CEO. Since he has a stake in the company’s success, of course, he was going to invest in it. 

And the kind of investment he could make would surpass anything a local African selected due to skill could produce despite having just that, the qualifications. 

Understanding this, their breathing became rough, and their eyes became bloodshot. They could see it now, the wonderful future of Ludo as it upgraded from a continent filled with poverty and disease to one that was bustling like Elysium. 

And the man who could make that dream a reality was seated right before them! 

Darius Stone, Lord of Safemoon! 

Shamael was the first to stand up. “Magistrate of the Central District of Shariah City, Shamael Bucktowar, pledges his full allegiance to the Desert King!” 

Immediately, the other Magistrates followed up, rising to their feet as they hurriedly pledged allegiance to Darius as the Desert King. Darius simply smiled and took in their show with a soft smile. 

He then snapped his fingers, revealing hundreds of Maidbots who filtered into the room while carrying thick chests. The sultans were dazzled by the ornate chest which held hundreds of Bags of Holding within, which also held resources. 

“This is the first batch of goods for the development of Ludo. Each of you will take 10 chests and use the resources within to develop yourselves as well as the people below you.” Darius revealed calmly. 

While the light of greed and selfishness roared in the hearts of the sultans, Darius spoke neutrally, and almost coldly. “Piece of advice, don’t try to bite more than you can chew. I understand that people in leadership positions must get the biggest share of the cake in reality, but do not try to eat it all.” 

Darius tapped the HoloBrace on his wrist, which was present on some magistrates, but missing on others. “My HoloBraces have full coverage on Ludo, Fallon, and a few other continents. I will know what you do with the resources at all times, and those found to be squandering it will be ‘gently’ removed from their positions.” 

Darius clapped his hands, and the Maidbots left, allowing a new batch to enter with the latest HoloBraces on trays. They stood calmly behind the various magistrates who did not have one, making their faces change. 

“In order to facilitate trust between myself and you, the leaders of Ludo, I insist that everyone is equipped with a HoloBrace. It has more functions than just allowing me to monitor your actions with the resources meant for the continent.” Darius joked blandly. 

No one laughed. 

The magistrates who already wore the HoloBraces smiled bitterly, while those who were being gently forced to wear one cursed endlessly in their minds. They hated this, being bound and monitored, but they knew they would do the same in his position. 

It was just common sense. 

After everyone was equipped with a HoloBrace, Darius smiled softly. “That brings an end to our first meeting. We won’t need to meet like this for a long time coming, as I can send you commands anywhere in the world through the HoloBrace.” 

Understanding that it was their cue to leave, Shamael wisely asked. “Lord Darius, thank you for the abundant resources. However, wouldn’t it be dangerous for us to waltz back to Ludo the same way we came with such treasure?” 

The other magistrates’ faces changed as they realized they had neglected this important point in their depression and excitement. They turned to Darius, who gazed at Shamael appreciatively. 

“I will send a contingent of my Elite Troops with each of your groups, or with your total group if you want to move as one. They each have the power of, at least, a Master and can protect you with ease.” Darius revealed. 

Wow! 

The magistrates were dazzled by this protection, feeling safe deep down. Minimum Master level troops meant that there would be some Grandmasters with them. 

No matter how many monsters or bandits they met on the way, it would take a simple glare to rend them into pieces. They had absolutely nothing to fear! 

Shamael bowed to Darius. “Thank you for the kindness, Lord Darius. We shall take our leave now.” 

Darius nodded as they field out of the manor, their faces strange as they contemplated what just happened, and what they would do next. The contrast between what they were expecting when they came here and what actually occurred here was too great, leaving them muddle-headed for a while. 

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Author’s Note: Not feeling so good. May have gotten the Omnicron thing or whatever given my symptoms. 

Sorry if this chapter was rushed, I only had a short window to write today after I took some medicine and got the energy to leave my bed. 

Hopefully, I can write tomorrow too.