The Witch Hunter System - Chapter 1040

Vaan couldn't help but think that the unexplainable information within the star ocean map was the result of the Lord of Chaos's meddling.

It was so easy to give the Lord of Chaos credit whenever Vaan encountered unexplainable benefits. However, such a habit of thinking was especially dangerous considering the difficulty of his destiny.

After all, if he came across a problem that didn't involve the Lord of Chaos's influence or meddling, he might actually find himself unable to solve it on his own.

Meanwhile, Aeliana ruminated over Vaan's words deeply before asking, "What do you plan to do, my Lord?"

"Before I answer that, take a look at this." Vaan displayed a holographic image of Gehenna and its neighboring star realms.

Shortly after, he displayed the star ocean map of the ten sea realms.

"Chaos is a dog-eat-dog world where the strong prey on the weak. To be weak with wealth is a sin, as it only invites disaster. Wars between realms are normal here, and Pangea will eventually become part of it."

"This... Will we be fighting against other realms, my Lord?"

"It's inevitable. If we don't want to be at the mercy of others, we have to become part of the strong. Since you aren't too interested in governing a single city, how about looking into how to govern entire groups of star realms?"

Vaan was curious how the higher-tier star kingdoms could govern millions of star realms at once and keep a strong rein on them without their authority collapsing over time.

Unfortunately, Gehenna and the Celestial Kingdom didn't have any knowledge of such large-scale management. He also doubted he could learn much from the Skymagia Star Kingdom.

After all, it was only a Tier-1 Star Kingdom with a hundred or so star realms under its control.

It was nothing special within the vast sea of stars.

Vaan figured out that the quickest way to learn much more about Chaos was to join the Myriad Sea God Palace. It was also the fastest way to grow his strength. Even so, the dangers of that place were equally as great as the opportunities it offered.

As such, he didn't want to rush onto that bigger stage whilst being ill-prepared.

At the same time, he could not wait too long to join the Myriad Sea God Palace either. After all, Sea God Proteus's faction was already alerted of the Sea God Temple's activity when he opened the [Gate] to refill its energy.

After Vaan's suggestion left Aeliana thinking about the future, he went to look for Solana.

He could forget about the older cat after playing around with the younger one, especially not when the older cat had been obediently waiting for its turn.

"Lord Vaan, what brings you here?" Solana asked, feeling pleasantly surprised the moment Vaan showed up in her office. A hint of excitement and anticipation could be sensed in her tone.

"Do I need a reason to be here? Can't I come just to see you?" Vaan calmly smiled, striding forward to take Solana into his arms.

Perhaps because Solana had been holding herself back for so many days, she immediately melted under Vaan's touch. Even so, her dwindling trace of reasoning told her that they should share their intimate moment elsewhere.

"Wait, not here... This is the office—Ahhh~!"

Alas, Vaan did not fulfill Solana's weak request. They ended up sharing a steamy session in the office. The desk, bookshelf, and couch were sprinkled with their love juice, causing Solana to be distressed and embarrassed.

She would die of shame if she could not remove all their traces before someone else stopped by.

...

The following day, Vaan gathered the clan leaders of the nine leading marine clans and assigned them important tasks: to explore the nine seas, gather information, and collect precious resources.

Naturally, they were nowhere near powerful enough to survive the dangers hidden within the other nine sea realms on their own.

However, it was not a problem when they were backed by Vaan, who had become the master of the Sea God Temple. His authority with the Boundless Sea and Sky Aura superseded the intended Sea Warden position.

By tagging the clan leaders with a hint of his Boundless Sea and Sky Aura, Vaan granted them partial control over the sea monsters of the nine sea realms.

As such, the threat posed by sea monsters was eliminated.

Nevertheless, sea monsters were just one dangerous aspect of the nine sea realms. The clan leaders could only tackle the unknown environmental dangers with their own abilities and wits.

In a sense, Vaan's task was also a trial of sorts for the clan leaders.

As such, the clan leaders of the Fighting Dolphin Clan and Dragon-Serpent Clan were the most eager to prove their competency and worth. At the same time, they were excited to taste the power of the sea given to them.

On the other hand, the new clan leader of the Emperor Crab Clan was the most desperate to prove its loyalty.

After all, the Emperor Crab Clan was one of the three ruling marine clans that led an attack on the human cities. Even if it was forced to by the Celestial Kingdom, it couldn't escape the fate of being labeled as a sinner clan.

No matter what, it was undeniable that the clan led an attack on the territory of the Ocean Master.

That said, even with its army decimated, the Emperor Crab Clan did not hold a grudge over the slaughter of its kin. The aggressor and the defeated did not have such a right.

On the contrary, the Emperor Crab Clan could only feel grateful for being spared. Its crime was pardoned, and its weakened position as a ruling marine clan remained unchanged.

The mercy of survival was its greatest gift.

...

While Vaan was making arrangements with the nine ruling marine clans in the Inner Sea, a momentous occasion shortly took place in the Holy Capital of the Holy Knight Empire.

President Hugo and the state members of the Freedom Federation had personally visited with the intention of joining the UN. They had recognized the cruel reality and impossibility of their dreams.

The UN's dominance was unstoppable. It was the undeniable and unchangeable truth that everyone was forced to accept.