Compass Carburettor was seated in the same position as before, calm, slowly getting up as he saw the crowd of people that had arrived. He then glanced at the goods they were bringing along, feeling a headache. 'It'll take me around ten trips to bring everything.'
Recently, after obtaining his third Personal Fragment, his talent as a Puppeteer had improved drastically. But, he didn't have experience in controlling more than two Spydragons at a time.
Besides, if he tried to control more than two at present, it would be sloppy. And, that would blow away his façade and destroy his purpose. So, even though the extra trips would waste a lot of his Mental Energy, it was worth the expense, in the end.
After all, they would become another potent source of Mental Energy. Not only would their prayers generate him Mental Energy, but also the orbs and pearls they collect.
And, if any of those orbs had a powerful ability, he would benefit from it. From an entire sea's worth of orbs, at least one or two would be pretty powerful and helpful to him, right?
Besides, he was also able to observe the orbs of the horned men through Info Scanner. This was why he didn't engage in mindless slaughter and sought out long term benefits instead.
The abilities of the horned men were at a minimum on par with the mongoose. They were a treasure trove of abilities. But, if he killed them all, then the orbs he harvested from them would be the only batch.
But instead, if their population grew, then more and more horned men would be born. And that meant a greater supply of their orbs. And, thanks to Info Scanner, he would be able to sense their abilities.
That way, he can just target the individual with the ability that he needed. And, in the desert, with nothing to hinder or threaten their survival, their population would explode in short few years.
So, he was counting on long term benefits.
With that, he could stomach the expense. Still, the entire journey for transporting everyone only cost him 1000 Mental Energy. It wasn't much in the grand scale of things, considering how he was able to earn around that much in a month through the form of prayers.
Moreover, he was able to gain around 100-150 Mental Energy daily through Golda. And once it grows its fourth horn, it should be able to generate even more.
If he was talking in terms of Darlac alone, the entire trip would have cost him around 10,000-20,000 Darlac. This showed how efficient Mental Energy was.
'But, its recovery is slower as compared to Darlac. But it's fine in the end. I'll continue to accumulate more Mental Energy in the future.' He thought, watching the horned men explore the desert city that he had built.
The three-horned woman assigned various houses to the settlers according to their needs. There wasn't any competition since there were more houses than people to fill them.
A group of horned men carried a bag of seeds and planted them in the open spaces within the dome that were allocated to such things, watching the seeds sprout within an hour and grow into tiny saplings.
"I never knew it was possible without the goldfish." Compass Carburettor said in surprise. In truth, he wished to probe their means to see if they were self-sufficient or not.
"We used the goldfish to modify the seeds of various plants so that they have similar growth and vitality as the grass but are harmless to us. They are still harmful to every other living organism though." The three-horned woman uttered in pride.
"This way, this could never be stolen from us." She said, "That's why, even when the goldfish was killed, we weren't concerned. It was because we had already gained all the necessary benefits from it."
"Though, if it had been around, our growth would have been a bit faster, but this desert environment would aid enough for that." She spoke.
"That's pretty great." Compass Carburettor nodded before he showed her to an underground floor in the centre, opening the door to reveal a massive water reservoir, "There are ten such wells throughout this city. They contain enough water to last a population of hundred thousand for a month."
He then showed her one corner, displaying an array of tools, all made from his energy blade solidified through Apocalypse Pearl. "If you need any items like this, you only need to ask."
He then told her through telepathy, "You can communicate with me like this. Unless I'm fighting, I should be able to respond to you. Also, get them to pray towards the symbol I've put everywhere in this city. I'll hear their thoughts too and would be able to take action if necessary."
"Consider it done, Lord Gahrat." The three-horned woman said before kneeling on the ground, asking, "Can you show me your true form?"
"Sure," Compass Carburettor nodded when she riled up everyone before him. When they were informed about it, everyone looked at him with eyes of expectation.
His clothes were instantly shredded as his Haggon form appeared, alarming everyone, causing them to take a step back in shock.
Body Layer—Apocalypse Pearl!
A layer of pearl formed on his body, acting as toughened armour that covered most of him, painting him with a regal aura.
Upon seeing the Haggon using the same material that formed the buildings in their city, not to mention its striking similarity to the pearls in their bodies, everyone kneeled on the floor, buying his identity as a mountain deity.
"The desert is your home. Live freely and expand your community." Leaving behind his set of words, the Haggon began to walk towards the exit when its body turned jet black before shrinking in size.
Body Layer—Mental energy!
Now, in his human form, he was covered by a jet-black layer on which countless glitters formed, twinkling like stars in the night sky. The scene made him seem like the God that ruled over darkness, further etching the sensation in their minds.
Slowly, he exited the building, condensed his pair of wings that too were covered by his body layer, further enriching his performance.
He slowly flew away and quickly disappeared in the middle of the night, turning around after flying for some distance, watching the domes glow like gems in the darkness, displaying the abundance of vitality within.
Smiling in content, he continued to fly away.
