Exploration

Darren looked at the System Map one more time before he resolved himself and started walking over to the border. He knew that outside his System Borders, there was nothing but untamed land and countless dangers. This wasn't just speculation too as Darren had just bought an information crystal with all the information about how newly integrated worlds developed.

It was actually quite interesting if Darren had anything to say about it. The world after being integrated initially enters a stage of flux where all it's dormant energy is released over a span of only a couple years. During this period, the life on these newly integrated worlds naturally absorbs this dormant energy and awakens their own seed of world energy. Each awakened being is then able to grow their own world energy and nourish back to the budding planet. 

This is generally how planets after awakening grow in rank. The stronger the top being residing on them is the faster they will grow. It is akin to a symbiotic relationship. In the past, as the first planets to awaken became stronger and stronger and the being on them doing the same, there emerged a grading system going from rank 1 to 9. A rank 9 planet was something Darren had no knowledge of at the moment and even the information crystol he got only mentioned it offhandedly and stated that there existed only 3 rank 9 planets.

Earth was currently a half-step rank 1 planet. and would become a full rank 1 in only a couple weeks time at the current rate of awakening. Rank 1 was marked by a planet's ability to establish a rank 3 being. Not only this but after someone on a unranked planet becomes rank 3, the planet is then permitted to initialize a connection with the being and draw from it's world energy. 

There were currently over a dozen rank 3 being on the planet including Darren. However this was not enough, a planet had to solidify it's soul to a certain degree before making contact. This was something Earth was still hard at work right now doing.

Darren continued to walk down the stream which was slowly turning into a raging river. While walking, Darren decided he would buy a few items he had set his sights on before.

[Obtained Intermediate Quality Essence Stone x5; -500 gold]

[Obtained Turtle Constitution Technique x1; -500 gold]

After getting his hands on a good warrior method and some resources to speed up the process, Darren decided to use his remaining 2000 gold on something he had been eyeing ever since he had upgraded his Territory to level 4. 

[High Quality Soul Refiner]

[Price: 2000 gold]

[Description: A device that allows the user to Refine their soul at a extremely fast pace. If an item does not have a soul, it will have a increased chance to awaken one.]

Looking over the three items he got, Darren quickly pulled out the most expensive item. The High Quality Soul refiner was just a massive cylindrical block of stone about 3 feet in diameter and 7ft tall. The circumference of the object was covered in ancient rune-like sigils that pulsated slowly with blue light. 

Darren could tell that all he had to do to be affected by the item was be within a 5 ft radius of it. Deciding to try it out, Darren stepped within the range and immediately felt the change. Deep within his gut, there was a slowly growing pit. Closing his eyes, Darren found he could picture what was happening within his body. 

Just below and to the right of the heart was a silvery globulous substance that gave Darren a sense of comfort when he focused his sense on it. It flowed and distorted under the pressure of the Soul Refiner and he could tell it was slowly getting bigger. Something from the center of the soul suddenly producing more of the silvery liquid was the obvious effect of this miraculous item but Darren also noticed another change too. The silvery glob that made up his soul was slowly becoming more and more solid. It was slowly going from a consistency of water in a vacuum to something more like thick syrup. Even the outer shell of the substance was becoming more shiny with each passing moment.

Darren watched this transformation for about half an hour then suddenly something inside him lurched and a system notification came to answer his questions.

[Congratulations! You have Awakened your soul!]

After the brief message, Darren opened his status screen to see the changes after stepping away from the large structure before him.

[Name: Darren Jones]

[Cultivation: 3] 

[Class: Farmer(Founder)] 

[Daos: Life, Water] 

[Soul:1(low)]

[Bloodline: None] 

[Gold: 13]

After looking at the new line on his status screen, Darren noticed that he now could buy information crystals about soul development however it Darren was quite poor right now and couldn't afford it for another week when he could harvest more crops. 

In the mean time, Darren decided he would continue to manage his Territory and practice the new Turtle Constitution Technique with the help of his Essence Stones.

At the moment though, Darren wanted to check up on his different departments. 

[Plant Research Department: 27]

[Animal Research Department: 33]

[Alchemy Department: 14]

[Blacksmithing Department: 11]

[Fishing Department: 19]

[Hunters Department: 20]

[Engineering Department: 32]

After the recent addition of the Thorn Brigade into his departments, Darren was quite happy with his current numbers. All the departments had enough members for at least a couple of talents in each department to make themselves known and this was what Darren had been hoping for. He couldn't have some old geezer with no talent leading a department so he had to let nature run it's course and let those capable emerge themselves. 

Darren was looking at this because in two days, he was going to hold a meeting and choose his department leaders based on talent. 

Just as Darren was was thinking this, he got a message from the system. 

[Notice! Members of your Hunters Department have made contact with a human settlement.] 

[Incoming message from Ethan Holden! Y/N]

Immediately clicking "Y", Darren was then greeted by another message.

[Ethan: Hey Boss, we found a little settlement of around 30 people in size and they seem to be led by a rank 2 archer. They look to be barely surviving by hunting weak beasts. What would you have me do here?] 

Darren read over the message and thought about his response for only a second before clicking send.

[Darren: I would like you to greet the leader and inform them of my Territory. Give them the option to join but also make it clear that if they refuse we will not harm or help them any further and will leave them alone. If they wish to join, lead them back to me.]

[Ethan: Understood!]