The Golden Road in the Desert!
On an oasis beyond the desert, a magnificent temple stands.
The image of the Holy Beetle was engraved on the pillars, and countless humans dressed in bronze armor stood guard outside the temple, holding spears.
Because the king of Solon lived in this temple.
The stars were shining brightly tonight, and the king was having a sweet dream when a voice suddenly woke him up.
The king opened his eyes and found himself alone.
"Is it you, God? Is it you calling me?"
The Insects stood before the king, but the king could not see it.
He wanted to reprimand the king, but he held back...
That idiot is still sleeping like a log, completely unaware that someone has already reached the borders of Solon!
Only Insects saw it.
Those sandworms were his eyes and ears; he watched the army come from the north, cross the desert, and reach the Oasis City.
If he wasn't mistaken, the female general leading the group was at least at the Mid-Tier Third Order rank!
The hundred people besides her were all at the upper level of the Second Tier. The rest were ordinary people, but their numbers and their weapons and equipment...
Who the hell is this person's relative?
"A group of outsiders dressed in armor have crossed the border of Solon and are coming with weapons."
They came with weapons?
That means they've come to fight!
Upon hearing this, the king instantly lost his composure. "Then, God, please use your divine power to drive those outsiders out!"
The Insects nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this!
'If I could do it myself, would I need to call you?!'
What a piece of trash!
The Insects chose this person as their king simply because he was the most obedient.
But besides being obedient, he has no other redeeming qualities.
If there's something you can't solve, you should pray for divine help!
It was one thing before, but this time is different!
They spent two years hollowing out the mountains there and extracting countless ores.
Among them is Purple Gold Ore, which they call purple gold, while Starry Sky Principal calls it Purple Iron. They just have different names, but it's the same thing.
Besides Zijin, they also discovered many other minerals such as Palladium Copper, and coal.
Their country has such abundant mineral resources that they are so extravagant that they use metal to build palaces.
However, despite their abundant resources, their technology is underdeveloped.
Zijin is the hardest mineral ever mined, but it contains too many impurities. Without a refining process, Purple Gold Ore cannot be effectively utilized.
Moreover, purple gold is very heavy, cannot be purified, and is easily damaged, so they had to settle for using Palladium Copper to forge tools, weapons, and armor.
Palladium Copper is far less hard than gold, but there's nothing that can be done about it.
There are probably only a handful of civilizations today that can master the art of purple gold craftsmanship.
Unfortunately, the army that entered the border of Solon was all wearing purple and gold armor and carrying purple and gold weapons!
Putting aside the difference in strength, just considering the difference in weapons, isn't it like beating up a primitive man when the purple-gold weapon is used against the Palladium Copper?
And this might not even be the enemy's full force!
Now that their location has been exposed, and their foundation is here, moving is impossible; they have no choice but to grit their teeth and fight!
"God, why are you silent?"
You're speechless.
Seeing that the king was of no use, the Insects had to think of their own solutions.
His ability is to control insects. Over the years, he has created many interesting insects and has even reached a higher rank.
Yes, I've risen to a higher rank.
Remember Insects said before? If ordinary insects want to advance to a higher level, they have to be able to cultivate!
Unfortunately, this method actually works!
This world is fundamentally different from Earth.
This is a world brimming with energy, originally born from the world of the Starry Sky Principal, with a much better starting point than Earth.
Taking advantage of this, the Insects devoured each other to reproduce, and they actually discovered a kind of insect that could cultivate.
But...
"The time was too short."
Those insects had only barely reached the first level of cultivation.
The Insects have bred two types of insects that can cultivate. One type is the sand worm from the desert, which is at an average level of mid-first rank.
This insect evolved from a stone worm and can crush rocks and even minerals.
It is thanks to them that the mountains were leveled so quickly. They feed on rocks and soil and roam underground.
They absorb energy from the soil and rocks, and then pull out a pile of sand.
In principle, they are similar to those Star Dependent, absorbing energy from objects, which is why this place has become a desert.
There is another type of insect that is modeled after the Holy Beetle.
They originally fed on flesh and blood, Insects used this as a starting point, allowing them to grow by absorbing the energy from the flesh and blood.
This has also become a form of criminal law in this country.
Those who break the law will be thrown into a coffin along with a bunch of Holy Beetle, where the Holy Beetle will devour their flesh and even their bones.
This method of execution is extremely painful; the screams of the deceased can last for a long time, making one's legs go weak just listening to them.
This is also a means for Insects to consolidate their divine authority.
We must show those people what happens when they disobey God, and instill fear in them.
If this trend continues, the prospects are promising.
But the enemy came too fast!
The next day, early morning.
As dawn broke, another army stepped into the borders of Solon.
But that was not the Star Expeditionary Army, but the army of another civilization.
They rode horses, with carts pulling behind them, forming a huge caravan piled high with all sorts of supplies.
The leader directly requested an audience with the king and explained his purpose.
They came to make a deal, and they said the god behind them was the God of Wealth.
The Insects immediately realized who the other party was: 040, the Golden King.
So he ordered the king to summon his ministers to receive the merchants.
The king himself certainly couldn't go, since these people's real purpose might be to assassinate him.
During the meeting, the other side went straight to the point, stating their intention to implement their monetary system and demanding the opening of trade routes.
The Insects pondered for a moment, "Is this an attempt to imitate the Silk Road?"
Monetary systems have been implemented in all civilizations. With money comes transactions and the awareness of private property.
And this can lead to the evolution and development of rudimentary social forms.
However, there is currently no standard for the specific monetary system, and most of it is based on barter.
Because the country didn't have the money to mint coins.
Without any foundation, advocating for financial credit is nothing but empty talk.
However, the Golden King directly launched a complete monetary system and defined the currency as gold, silver, and copper.
They come with goods, and if you want to trade with them, you must first sell them goods in exchange for their currency.
Everything the Golden King sells is hard currency!
From all sorts of rare seeds to silkworm eggs, mules, horses, cloth, and so on.
Just as the Insects was pondering, the Golden King revealed his true form and appeared before it, Insects, "Do you still remember our deal?"
Trade.
Of course I remember. The Insects owes the Golden King a favor and promised to help him once.
But...
"I'm barely able to take care of myself right now, so if you're in any trouble, there's nothing I can do to help."
The Golden King chuckled and said, "That's quite a coincidence. I can help you solve your current troubles."
"Condition?"
"Form an alliance with me."
Number 040: Golden King