Trident Archipelago, Origin Island, Eastern Capital!
This was the heartland of the Gendaya Royal Court. After the fall of the Western Capital, it had become the absolute center of the Gendaya People, with extraordinarily tight defenses.
Mage towers stood tall on every side of the city, thick beams of light shooting from their spires straight into the sky.
Elemental mana surged around the beams. Under the effect of defensive spell formations, it formed a translucent shield like an inverted bowl, enclosing the entire city.
At each of the Eastern Capital's four corners and in its center stood a kilometer-high tower that soared into the clouds, translucent and sparkling as though carved from crystal.
Sunlight passed through them and refracted into dazzling rainbow light.
These five towers were called Space Detection Towers. They came from Planet Guta, one of the five great high-magic planets, and were among the Eastern Capital's most important defensive facilities.
The Space Detection Towers could detect spatial fluctuations within a certain range, promptly sound an alarm, and seal off space to prevent enemies from launching surprise attacks using teleportation and other spatial abilities.
During the Twilight War, the Crimson Alliance had used the abilities of spatial ability users to deliver large numbers of high-yield nuclear bombs. The terrifying series of nuclear explosions had directly wiped out several of the Dawn Empire's main forces, making it one of the Alliance's most famous victories.
After that, the major powers on Planet Oklo had raised the importance they placed on research into spatial detection and confinement by several levels.
Buratino Royal Palace.
The seven cabinet ministers sat around a table, with technical data on strong vibration steel and red crystal gunpowder projected above it.
Royal Court meetings were divided into three levels according to their importance.
The royal council was attended by the king of Gendaya and the seven cabinet ministers.
Cabinet meetings were attended by the seven cabinet ministers.
The clan assembly, also called the thousand-person assembly, was attended by the clan leaders of the Gendaya Tribe.
In theory, the clan assembly should have been the highest decision-making body. After all, the clans were the backbone of the Royal Court.
In practice, however, the Royal Court's true rulers numbered only a few, and power was highly concentrated. This was also the norm for major powers.
Hold a big meeting to handle small matters!
Hold a small meeting to handle big matters!
Absolute democracy would inevitably lead to absolute chaos; absolute order would inevitably give rise to absolute power.
The balance between strong authority and democracy could only be maintained by a relatively loose system of order.
It could be neither too loose nor too tight!
The Gendaya Royal Court's power structure illustrated this well. It could both concentrate its strength to accomplish major undertakings and fully draw upon the immense strength of ordinary tribespeople.
With the Gendaya Royal Court's throne currently vacant, the cabinet meeting was the highest decision-making body.
Grand Duke Lieyuan, the right chancellor, tapped his fingers lightly on the table. After looking around, he said, "Let's hear it. What should we do about this?"
"We'll follow the usual rules: a share of the profits, promotions in office and noble rank, resource rewards, and more tribal contribution points!" Grand Duke Tielin said in a muffled voice. The other ministers nodded.
The Gendaya Royal Court had stood for more than seventeen hundred years. Established procedures were already in place for many matters, and there was plenty of experience to draw on.
This was not the first time a clan had handed technical data over to the Royal Court. Although the technology the Red Maple Clan had submitted this time was highly significant, handling the matter was not difficult.
Grand Duke Lieyuan turned his gaze to the middle-aged man across from him: Alex, the Royal Court's left chancellor, the second-ranking figure among the seven cabinet ministers, his greatest political rival, and the leader of the New Blood Faction.
For the Royal Court's decisions to be fully implemented, the right and left chancellors had to agree. Otherwise, there would be resistance at every turn.
"I have no objections!" The left chancellor nodded slightly, then added, "We should do our best to meet the Red Maple Clan's requests. Our outposted tribespeople are already in an awkward position. We can't cause them any more trouble!"
"Of course!"
Grand Duke Lieyuan felt the same way. Strictly speaking, the Outposted Faction was an independent, emerging political force that belonged to neither the Old Blood Faction nor the New Blood Faction.
But under the influence of old traditions, the Outposted Faction leaned more toward the Old Blood Faction, placing importance on preserving the superior status of pure-blooded tribespeople.
Since even the left chancellor had no objections, Grand Duke Lieyuan, the Royal Court's right chancellor and leader of the Old Blood Faction, was even less likely to object.
"Then let's discuss how to reward them!"
Red Maple Clan!
In the city lord's residence's meeting room, the leaders of the seven great families, Logo among them, took their seats.
The old earl stood at the front, reading aloud the decision and commendation order the Royal Court had just issued.
Logo had made the greatest contribution and was granted the title of honorary earl.
Titles of nobility among the Gendaya Tribe represented not only glory but tangible benefits as well.
Many important positions required a sufficiently high noble rank.
To exchange for the rare extraordinary resources in the Royal Court's treasury, a person needed enough tribal contribution points, but noble rank was also an important criterion.
Noble rank represented one's level of access. If it was not high enough, certain precious resources were unavailable for exchange, no matter how many contribution points one had.
The rank of earl also represented Logo's status, much like a military rank, placing him on equal footing with Herbert.
The heads of the other six great families all held the rank of viscount. They stood a rank below him whenever they met him and even had to salute him!
If anything happened to Herbert, Logo, as the highest-ranking noble, could even take command of the troops directly under the clan as a matter of course.
That was a full three legions, nearly two hundred thousand troops, well equipped and well trained. They were one of the foundations of the Red Maple Clan's foothold in the Sunset Jungle.
Besides his three-rank promotion, there was the distribution of tangible benefits.
The Gendaya People drew clear distinctions in this regard.
The two materials, strong vibration steel and red crystal gunpowder, were handed over to the Royal Court.
The Royal Court would handle production and sales, while Logo, who held the patent rights, would receive a share of the profits.
He received the lion's share of seventy percent, while the remaining thirty percent went to the clan.
Logo could originally have taken one hundred percent of the profits. He had personally provided the technical data, and it had nothing to do with the clan.
He gave up thirty percent mainly to improve his prestige and standing within the clan.
Logo's future goal was very clear.
He would develop his forces to support his study of alchemy. After becoming an alchemy master, he would introduce advanced alchemical technology and weapons to arm the forces under his control, creating a virtuous cycle.
Once he was strong enough, he would destroy the Dawn Empire and the Thousand-Eyed Civilization!
After that would come the Floating Light Civilization.
Since he had inherited the Aslant Civilization's legacy, he had to shoulder the responsibility of revenge. At least, that was how Logo saw it.
To develop his forces, the Gendaya Tribe was a natural power base, and he had to bring it under his control.
To take control of the entire Gendaya Tribe, the Red Maple Clan was an important stepping stone. Only by using it as a foundation could he extend his reach across the whole tribe and ultimately achieve his goal of ruling the Royal Court.
As for tribal contributions, Herbert got what he wanted: a large sum of contribution points.
He had already accumulated quite a few points, and with this addition, he had enough to exchange for another Legendary resource and make a second attempt to break through to Legendary.
At the thought, the old man could barely keep the corners of his mouth from reaching the sky.
Logo also received a large number of tribal contribution points, even more than Herbert.
He had long since planned how to use them.
Besides the rewards above, the Red Maple Clan also received a franchise for the Royal Court's related equipment, covering the entire Angedora Bay.
This included the territories of the four great lords on the southern coast, the Xiya Archipelago, and the Seven Magitech Nations in the north of the Tia Continent.
In other words, in the future, the Royal Court would relinquish its right to sell strong vibration steel and Crimson Crystal series weapons and equipment in these regions, leaving the Red Maple Clan entirely in charge of sales while the Royal Court handled only production.
Although the Red Maple Clan was only acting as a middleman, the profits involved were still enormous.
At the front of the room, the old earl read the Royal Court's orders with great excitement, spittle flying.
Below him, apart from Logo, the other six family heads wore bewildered expressions.
How had such a windfall suddenly fallen into their laps?