Chapter 541: The Well-behaved White Dragon Queen

"A city for us frost giants!" The three frost giant chiefs were stunned by Muria's announcement. They could hardly believe that Muria would create such a massive commotion for the sake of their barbaric tribe.

"Yes, once the city is built, you all will live there and undergo the education I arrange," Muria continued, outlining his plans for their future. "You've been left behind by the times for far too long, and if you don't catch up, you will be left behind completely."

"You intend to use us frost giants as the foundation for an army, don't you?" Frostfang asked anxiously. He knew part of Muria's plan: to retaliate against the evil gods who had harmed him and to launch a counterattack on another continent.

"Ka!" The cold crow perched on Muria's shoulder flew off, landing on Coldwing's head. It tilted its head and, in a mocking tone, conveyed Muria's view on the frost giants, "You're too primitive and unfit for Muria's needs right now. As you are, you still hope to join the Titan's army? You're far from ready."

"We frost giants fight fiercely without fear of death. We fear no enemy and never retreat..." Hearing the god's avatar explain why Muria looked down on them, Frostfang, already filled with anger from dealing with the cloud giants, defended himself vehemently. The legendary frost giants from the Snow Leopard tribe shared his sentiment, looking equally indignant.

"What I need are soldiers who can fight for me, not suicide squads or cannon fodder," Muria stated without turning to look at them. "This isn't the ancient era anymore. Simply being brave and fearless is not enough to qualify as a soldier. If you want to join my army, you need to learn much more."

"Look at the engineering golems building your city," Muria pointed to the golems digging the foundation ahead. "Do you think they are moving by themselves?"

The three frost giant chiefs looked confused, as did the elders behind them. These magical constructs were unlike anything their ancestors had ever seen.

"Of course not. These engineering golems are loaded with various excavation, construction, and maintenance programs. But that's not enough. They lack basic cognitive abilities and need operators. If I gave you control over these golems, would you know how to operate them?" Muria asked the frost giant chiefs.

All the frost giants instinctively shook their heads. The golems were too advanced and unfamiliar; it was their first time seeing them, let alone understanding how to operate them.

"That's why you need to learn. In the future, when you take war golems and engineering golems onto the battlefield, you frost giants must learn to operate them and perform simple repairs when they malfunction."

Muria's words left the frost giants bewildered. Especially after he insisted that the frost giant leaders set an example by learning first, the three legendary chiefs were even more at a loss.

"Muria, I don't need to learn, do I? When the war starts, I'll lead the charge," Frostfang tried to excuse himself. Operating and repairing golems sounded complicated and difficult. Coldwing and the Snow Leopard tribe's chief showed similar expressions, resisting anything unfamiliar.

"On the contrary, because you are leaders, you need to learn even more and set an example," Muria insisted, his words familiar and causing the frost giant chiefs to exchange uncomfortable glances.

"You must learn not only to fight for me but also for the continuation and rise of the frost giants. I'm giving you the chance to break free from ignorance and savagery. It's up to you to seize it," Muria added, looking at the frost giants, who might be disgruntled. "Moreover, once you master the knowledge I provide, no other giants will dare to look down on you. After all, the root cause of their disdain is your backwardness."

...

"Terrence, how many giants are willing to teach the frost giants?" After enlightening the frost giants a bit, Muria returned to the central cloud island of Synapse and summoned Terrence, the storm giant leader who nominally managed all giants.

Currently, Synapse's primary goal in hovering over the Depreson subcontinent was to educate the frost giants, to kindle the light of civilization among them, and to build a high-quality frost giant army. Even in the event of significant losses, it would be possible to quickly replenish or even rebuild.

"Your Highness, only 226 giants are willing to leave Synapse to teach the frost giants."

"That's too few." Muria frowned. With three tribes of frost giants, plus those obtained from Claudia, he now had 120,000 frost giants. Over two hundred giants were not nearly enough.

"Your Highness, you ordered that teaching the frost giants be voluntary. Any giant who has interacted with the frost giants is reluctant to spend extended time with them. They are too savage and ignorant," Terrence explained, shaking his head. To him, the frost giants were like rotten wood that couldn't be carved.

"What if I issued a mandatory order?" Muria asked, looking down at Terrence. He didn't want to force the giants into tasks they were unwilling to do, as it would be inefficient. But if there was no other way, he would have to resort to it.

"All storm giants will obey your command," Terrence kneeled on one knee.

"Is there no better solution? I can offer rewards to those willing to become instructors for the frost giants. Weapons, armor, potions... all can be provided."

"Your Highness, if you allow those willing to teach the frost giants to live closer to you, the problem of finding enough instructors could be easily solved."

"You're suggesting I open up the central cloud island?" Muria raised an eyebrow. He currently resided above the Stormhawk's nest. The central cloud island housed an enormous building that completely enveloped the Wind King's nest.

"No need to open the central cloud island itself. Just allow those willing to teach the frost giants to live on the satellite cloud islands around it. There is plenty of unused land on those surrounding islands."

"Hmm, if that works, let's do that," Muria agreed to Terrence's suggestion.

Synapse consisted of 132 cloud islands with a total area of 12,960 square kilometers. The central cloud island, where the Stormhawk slept, was the largest, covering 8,695 square kilometers. This vast island, when Synapse's stealth system was deactivated, could block sunlight over nearly 10,000 square kilometers of land, plunging it into darkness.

"Muria, I have a small suggestion regarding the frost giants' education," Mia spoke up after Terrence.

"Go ahead."

"Should we focus our educational efforts on their children? The adults, especially the older frost giants, have fixed thoughts and ideas, making their learning capabilities extremely low. Teaching them is inefficient and a waste of resources. Instead, we should teach them basic combat coordination and let them become the foundation of the frost giant civilization, only responsible for front-line fighting."

"I agree with Mia. Children of any race are more malleable, while it takes too much time and effort to reshape fully-formed individuals," Terrence supported Mia's proposal.

"Agreed. If we focus on educating the children, we can simply wait for them to grow up," the other managers of Synapse, including Mia, Terrence, the intelligence chief Maieris, the punitive legion leader Cynthia the Red Dragon, and the trade and diplomacy head Fiona the Ancient Green Dragon, all concurred.

After a moment's thought, Muria agreed as well. "Alright, it will take only fifty or sixty years to see the results. I can be patient for that long. Besides, I don't have to stay on the Depreson subcontinent for that long. I just need to set up the main framework."

...

"So, to form your frost giant army, you sold my territory's religious rights to that leopard god?" In the central region of the four countries conquered by the Frost Queen, a magnificent, glittering ice city stood tall. In the majestic Ice Palace at its center, Claudia, the White Dragon Queen, looked up at Muria, who sat on her icy throne.

"You don't need faith anyway," Muria said, locking eyes with Claudia's light golden dragon pupils for a few moments, making her turn her head uncomfortably. "At least, you don't need it right now."

"Fine, fine. You're my caretaker. My whole being belongs to you. The lands I conquer are yours. You make the decisions, and I'll follow your arrangements," Claudia said, submitting with a touch of reluctance.

"Don't say such things. You're not some pet," Muria lightly knocked on the elegantly poised and slender white dragon in front of him. Claudia's current appearance had greatly diverged from a typical white dragon, aligning perfectly with Muria's aesthetic for dragons. If one were to describe her, she could be called a white dragon of unparalleled beauty.

"I raised you like a sister. Was there anything you wanted as a child that I didn't give you? My involvement in your territory's religious affairs is to help you suppress the human church and maintain your rule. A beast god seeking to spread faith must cooperate with you, the White Dragon Queen," Muria said, gently stroking Claudia's chin, prompting her to rest her long neck on his lap.

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