Rayne's words were like a thunderclap.
The Soul Saint Wizards reacted intensely. Their first response was rejection, especially from the several dukes who already possessed territories. They thought to themselves that they would never give up their lands.
A territory was the foundation of one's strength!
Constructing Floating Cities, towers, and academies; educating students; conducting magical experiments and research; producing weapons and equipment; purchasing Alchemical Materials; forming Transcendent Legions under one's command; paying personnel and procuring equipment; maintaining everything—each undertaking cost money, and lots of it.
Where did that money come from? Naturally, from one's territory!
Without a territory, was a dignified Soul Saint Wizard supposed to hunt Demon Souls everywhere like a Soul Hunter and sell them for money? Hunting Demon Souls was time-consuming and exhausting. It wasn't as simple as ordinary people imagined, as though killing a few Saint-Tier Demon Souls at random could make one rich.
Saint-Tier Demon Souls were indeed valuable, but they had no market and few buyers.
They were also extremely dangerous. Even Soul Saint Wizards couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't overturn in the gutter. There were simply too many unknown things in this world.
What could truly make money were Legendary Magic Souls. Their prices were high and demand was great, but obtaining them consumed far too much time and energy. Hunting Demon Souls might be enough to cover one's expenses, but it was too grueling and damaged the dignity of a Soul Saint Wizard.
How could that compare to collecting taxes from a territory?
Not to mention that possessing a territory allowed one to establish private armed forces legitimately. If managed well, one could use the territory as a platform to exert even greater influence.
A territory could also grant noble titles, win people's loyalty, and cultivate a group of devoted vassals.