The True Extraction Domain receded as the battle ended. Michael ignored the earlier comment he made and looked deep into the quivering eyes of the Blessed Child opposite him.
"I'm Michael Fang, Lord of the Untamed Jungle and the person you're supposed to work for," He introduced himself calmly, "But I think you gathered that by now."
Jason got up from the ground. He was just about to say something when Michael added.
"I don't really like your attitude. The Forest Elves won't be given any Soultraits and Soultrait Upgrades for the next four weeks."
Jason's eyes widened, "You can't do that!"
"I can, and I did," Michael responded with a shrug.
"But–..."
"6 weeks no Soultraits."
Jason's lips parted, and Michael followed suit right after. However, before Jason said a word, he stared at Michael. He considered what to do momentarily and shut his mouth again.
"Good. You understand the basics of keeping your lips sealed when nobody asked for your opinion," Michael approved in a ridiculing tone. He teased Jason with a thumbs-up, "That means you also understand that I can do whatever I want and that you are the sole reason your people won't be given a Soultrait for the next six weeks."
Jason grit his teeth and clenched his fist in anger. His face turned beet-red, and it was obvious that Jason wanted to throw something at Michael.
"Keep this attitude, and you will have to leave the Untamed Jungle. If you act up again, I will expel you from my territory and have everyone hunt you down if you dare to come back again. Get on my nerves, and I will rip your Soultrait out of your soul while you're still alive. Your compatibility with your Soultrait seems pretty high. You will die an excruciating death."
Michael's vigorous golden eyes weren't ice-cold and ruthless as he spoke. There was no single emotion in his voice or eyes as he spread out the hard facts in front of Jason.
Jason's eyes widened, but he remained silent. He finally understood with what kind of person he was going to work.
Michael nodded slowly, "Good job."
His expression changed, and a smile blossomed on his face.
"Now that the introduction has been concluded, we can move on," Michael said, acting like nothing had happened earlier.
"First, you should know some facts about the Untamed Jungle. I'm sure the Elders have already told you, but the territory is connected to the Savannah Region under the Valyr's control, and the Zentika Empire. The Valyr are our allies. Some consider them my workforce because they earn a fortune for our territory, but I don't like to call them like that. They deserve to be named properly and acknowledged as an independent territory."
[They're still your workers, though. You can tell them they're amazing powerhouses and other nonsense, but at the end of the day, they're your cushion, treasure trove, and reinforcements in case your territory faces destruction.] Danny pointed out.
'Zip it. The Valyr are the Valyr. We have several deals with them, ensuring that both sides gain something. Even if I gained a lot more than them, we were the ones who claimed the Savannah Region. They're paying the price of buying the Savannah Region from me!'
[Yes, yes. I never said that you're lying. But it is a fact that the Valyrs would do almost everything to please you. They act more like your servants than your allies. Isn't that fun?]
'Fun? If you think so?' Michael shrugged inwardly. He didn't think that it was fun.
"Either way, the Zentika Empire was - or is - our enemy. They caused lots of trouble, but their existence and constant attacks are also how I managed to grow stronger quickly.Still, they're annoying. I desire to deal with a few powerhouses of the Zentika Empire in the future, but the situation over there is very…difficult. The Zentika Empire is on the verge of breaking apart. In fact, it's possible that the Zentika Empire has already collapsed - unofficially, that is. Officially, they're still holding their fort against dozens of Lords."
Jason was forced to listen intently to Michael, but he noticed something amiss.
"I read in the reports that you desire to kill someone called Taros and his Red Dragon. Is he part of the Lords, who've been rebelling against the Zentika Empire?"
Michael didn't care much about Jason's interception. He had a good point by mentioning Taros. It was one of Michael's wound points, but the injury had already healed. Masked Saber might have died in the blazing flames of the Red Dragon's mother, but Danny was here with him.
"I will kill Taros, yes."
"What about the Red Dragon?" Jason asked, his curiosity picked.
He might not have recognized Michael as the Lord of the Untamed Jungle, but he'd heard various stories about him. Jason was still unsure why he hadn't been given a picture of Michael alongside the countless documents the Elders had thrown at him to read through carefully. Maybe the Elders had been hoping for this result…for him to be humiliated and fail miserably.
'Everyone is against me!' Jason growled in his mind. He clenched his fist again.
"If the Red Dragon can be subdued, I might subdue it. After all, I know that it's not at fault for Danny's death. Taros stole it when it was still an egg. How was it supposed to do anything against Taros' kidnapping?"
Michael knew that the chances were slim to tame it, but he figured that the Red Dragon would be a suitable companion. Of course, it was highly likely that it got attached to Taros and would desire to kill Michael to obtain rid of Taros, but it was not impossible that the circumstances were different.
Some rumors stated that the Red Dragon rebelled against Taros and didn't listen to his commands. There was a decent chance that the Red Dragon had been forcefully submitted when it was still in its egg – or shortly after it hatched.
Michael wouldn't kill the Red Dragon before he knew more.
"Either way, let's obtain back to the main business," Michael said, pointing at the large Summoning Gate.
After a long time, Kraft Viton produced the essence needed to initiate the Summoning Gate's upgrade. The Intermediate Summoning Gate didn't look much different than the Basic Summoning Gate except for the difference in size. The Intermediate Summoning Gate was three times larger than the Basic version. It could store up to 100 Summoning Cores as well.
That was the crucial part. Michael installed 12 Intermediate Summoning Cores and 29 Basic Summoning Cores in the Intermediate Summoning Gate, therefore summoning 53 Summons every single day.
Intermediate Summoning Cores would each summon two Summons every day. That was only twice as many as the Basic Summoning Core summoned, but it was important to know that the Summons from the Intermediate Summoning Cores had much higher potential.
Their average star-rating was only slightly higher than the basic version, but their innate potential to grow was several times bigger.
That was all Michael needed. Summons with the potential to become powerhouses!
After all, he had the means to transform them.
