Chapter 538: Basic Skills Requirements for the Expeditionary Corps

Under the cold, sunless white light, Muria stood amidst the devastated landscape. The glaciers, hills, and various geographical features that once adorned the land were now obliterated, replaced by scars and craters of varying sizes. These were the marks of the fierce battle between Muria and the Leopard Godspawn, remnants of their deadly clash.

The drastic transformation of the terrain bore testimony to the intensity and brutality of the fight. Muria's all-out effort in the battle had caused his foreign power to clash with the subcontinent's frozen environment, melting large expanses of frost and ice. He radiated light and heat, akin to a miniature sun, illuminating the cold tundra for an entire day and night, resulting in the formation of a lake where none should have existed under normal conditions.

Some of his strikes that hit the ground had left behind traces of his power, maintaining the lake from freezing over again, at least for the foreseeable future. The duration of this anomaly depended on how long his power lingered, but in the absence of external interference, it would likely last for centuries.

"You've lost!" Muria declared, ignoring the lake forming around him from the melting ice. Surrounded by an aura of lightning and flames, he exuded an overwhelming sense of power as he held the severed head of the frost giant level with his eyes.

"If I had a weapon like the one in your hand, I wouldn't have lost," the Leopard Godspawn muttered in deep frustration. In its view, it had only lost due to the disparity in their armaments.

"You've lived for centuries yet learned nothing. Battle is battle; there are no 'ifs'," Muria shook his head. Though the Godspawn was older by several hundred years, its mentality didn't match its age.

"I could say the same: if I were at Legendary Rank 5 and had lived as long as you, I wouldn't need these weapons or armor to defeat you single-handedly. Do you believe that?"

"Impossible, I—"

"Enough," Muria interrupted, lifting the head to eye level. "You no longer have the right to speak to me as a loser. Bring your father out to talk."

"You…" The Godspawn began to protest, but its eyes slowly closed, cutting off its speech. A powerful, sacred aura began to emanate from the severed head. When its eyes reopened, they had turned from pale gold to a more intense yellow, exuding even greater authority and pressure.

"Snow Leopard God, Sinbad," Muria greeted with a warm smile, recognizing the new presence within the frost giant's head. He felt a twinge of pity for the Godspawn. Although it had inherited a portion of its father's divine power, it came at a cost. The Snow Leopard God could override his son's autonomy at will. If the god perished unexpectedly, the Godspawn would serve as a vessel for his father's resurrection, essentially ceasing to exist. This was a common fate for many Godspawn, created as a contingency against their divine parents' untimely demise.

"Titan, you can let go. You've won this fight," Sinbad said coldly, observing the Titan who had bested his strongest forces in the mortal realm.

Sinbad had another option: he could possess his offspring's body and temporarily boost its power to the peak of Legendary Rank. That strength would be enough to defeat Muria, who was currently without the formidable power of the Dragon King. However, Sinbad valued his survival too much to consider this option.

"Release my child's body as well," Sinbad commanded, looking at the headless giant body struggling against the chains Muria had bound it with and pinned to the glacier.

"After we finish our discussion," Muria responded, glancing at the still-vibrant body pinned to the ice. It reminded him of a famous war god from his previous life.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sinbad asked.

"I need your frost giants to serve me," Muria stated bluntly.

"Absolutely not," Sinbad immediately rejected the idea. Allowing the giants to follow a Titan would render the god irrelevant.

"You need to understand, the advantage is mine right now. You can't stop me. If I wish, I can end this conversation right now," Muria calmly stated, laying out the fact that Sinbad was reluctant to face.

"Titan, you must realize the importance of the frost giants to me. Losing their faith would mean I can't sustain my godhood, leading to my downfall. You're effectively asking for my death. If that's your intent, I'll disregard your status."

"Wait!" Muria's gaze shifted subtly as he watched the headless body struggle more violently. "This issue boils down to faith. If I can provide you with sufficient faith, would you then be willing to let go?"

"Of course, but where will you get such faith?"

"Have you heard of the Frost Queen Claudia?" Muria inquired.

"Of course. The newly risen Legendary White Dragon who conquered four northern kingdoms in less than a month and withstood human retaliation. The punitive expedition of seven Legendaries was entirely wiped out. She's currently the most notorious dragon in the Depresan subcontinent. What's her relation to you?"

"I raised her," Muria replied casually. He watched as the expression on the frost giant's face morphed through a range of emotions: from blankness to shock, disbelief, and finally astonishment. It was as satisfying as eating a chilled watermelon on a hot summer day. Claudia's achievements were a source of immense pride and provided him a powerful card in negotiations with other mighty beings.

"So?" Sinbad asked after processing the revelation, staring intently at Muria. He now understood what Muria could offer.

"I can grant you the right to legally preach in the Frost Queen's territories. No one will obstruct or suppress your missionaries."

"Not enough!" Sinbad's gaze burned with intensity. "I want the Frost Queen to establish my church as the state religion and enforce laws that compel humans to worship me."

"What kind of idiotic nonsense is that?" Muria rejected Sinbad's demand outright. "You're merely a minor deity and yet you want the faith of humans from four entire kingdoms? Aren't you afraid you'll be overwhelmed? You'll only get legal preaching rights and nothing more."

"That's not enough to compensate for the loss of my frost giant followers."

"You need to grasp the situation. The Frost Queen is an alien ruler to humans. She will suppress all human churches. You'll be the first beast god to receive her permission to preach. Do you understand the advantage that gives you?"

"Fine, let's draft a contract," Sinbad conceded.

---

"Is this defense something you built using divine power?" Muria asked as he hovered over the central area of the Cold Crow Tribe, looking down at the irregular ring of steep glaciers encircling the frost giant settlement, with four exits leading out.

"It's not just for defense. Many cold crows nest in those glaciers," replied Israel, the God of Cold Crows, who had temporarily possessed the body of one of his tribe members. He stood on Muria's shoulder, his twelve-meter wingspan making him larger than a typical griffon. His eyes gleamed with divine light.

"Have them vacate the area and find temporary shelters for a while," Muria instructed.

"What are you planning to do?" Israel asked curiously.

"I've issued a relocation order. We're moving 67,000 frost giants from the Frost Wolf Tribe and Snow Leopard Clan here to the Cold Crow Tribe's area. Then, we'll build a new city for the frost giants on the original site of your tribe," Muria explained as he surveyed the ground below. "To do that, I need to clear all existing structures."

"Build a city? Is that really necessary?" Israel seemed puzzled. "It's fine as it is. This shouldn't affect your plans to form a frost giant army, right?"

"It's a significant hindrance," Muria frowned at the chaotic arrangement of houses below. He preferred orderly structures and city layouts. "The frost giants in their current state don't meet my requirements. They're too primitive. As they are, they can't form the kind of military force I need."

"The average strength of frost giants isn't bad. With proper training, they could become a formidable giant army, like the one the White Dragon Queen used to conquer the four human kingdoms in a month," Israel suggested.

"Your vision is too limited, Israel. Do you understand the kind of army I'm aiming to build?" Muria responded.

"Kaaw?" Israel was taken aback. To be told by a Titan not even a century old that his vision was limited left him bewildered.

"I want an expeditionary corps capable of adapting to various situations across different realms. For this, every soldier in the corps must be fluent in at least ten commonly used languages like Draconic, Elvish, Celestial, and Dwarvish. They need to master the use of at least three types of magitech weapons, know how to perform basic repairs on at least five different weapons, and be able to pilot floating warships. These are the basic skills required for even the lowest-ranking soldier in my corps," Muria outlined his vision, leaving the God of Cold Crows stunned.

"This is the kind of army you want to form? And those are just the basic skills for your soldiers?" Israel's eyes widened. "Are you trying to conquer the world? With such high standards, even some commanders of principalities might not meet your requirements."

"Exactly," Muria sighed. "There are far too few giants who meet my criteria. So, I'll have to invest time in training them myself."

"Kaaw!" Israel exclaimed, looking down at the frost giants below who were busy packing up their belongings.

 "You plan to train these frost giants to become the soldiers you envision?"

"Of course. As long as they're not inherently incapable, I can mold them into the soldiers I need," Muria affirmed with a determined gaze.

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