Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1395 Foundations of an Empire

"You mean a great deal to her, Orion. She holds you in high esteem. She'll gladly place herself under your leadership."

Alexander bent closer, his tone turning into a rough whisper. "Aid me in honing her edge. Make sure she doesn't get left in the dust."

In all honesty, Alexander felt deep worry over Isabella's lack of progress. He'd seen Kraken and Makareth rise to Arch Lord status, pulling ahead of her. Now, Tangere had shown up—a fresh arrival with formidable strength—and the stakes were rising fast. Should Isabella get overtaken once more, the mental toll might shatter her completely.

The gap between lofty goals and harsh truth could push folks to desperate measures. Alexander's thoughts wandered to grim recollections: Witch and Clown. Those pair hadn't turned against the group from pure spite, but from a frantic, warped urge to climb higher. He refused to let Isabella tread that dangerous road.

Orion skipped any grand words. He just gave a nod, taking on the task.

"No need to coddle her too much," Alexander tacked on, his face turning stern. "I've given her relics that ought to preserve her life. Yet if she perishes in combat... that's her destiny. Falling in battle brings no shame to the Champions Alliance."

A somber air filled the chamber. Alexander's gloom hung like a suffocating fog.

"Come on, Alexander," Leonidas broke in, slouching back in his seat with an easy smirk. "Ease off. You're talking like our pal here lacks the know-how."

Orion gave a small lift of his shoulders and a subtle grin. No bragging required. Across the conflicts he'd fought, he wielded the authority to spare lives or end them.

"Now that we've covered the team's personal matters," the Deputy Commander stepped in, breaking the quiet. He glanced around the space, grabbing hold of their focus. "I've got some points to make."

With Alexander's private concerns wrapped up, the Deputy Commander steered things toward practical affairs.

"In the days when none of us had hit Demigod level, our reach stayed limited. The Champions Alliance could stay as it was—a scattered crew of warriors," he started, striding at a measured pace. "But the landscape has shifted. We're Demigods now. Our thirst for lands, supplies, and devotion stretches without end."

He halted, allowing the gravity of their changed world to sink in.

"You've each commanded assaults on other realms. You understand that for any group to seize true control, mere solidarity falls short. We demand raw might and a solid base. Luckily, we command both."

Edward's eyes roamed across the elite assembly.

"So long as this council endures, the Champions Alliance will keep surging ahead. I've conferred with the Commander, and we concur: outdated methods no longer serve. We're bursting beyond our former boundaries."

"Soon enough, more among us will earn the power to enlist recruits. Fresh recruits will pour into our forces," he pressed on. "Thus, we're rolling out a layered ranking system and setting up a core resource unit."

The idea came as no shock; it felt bound to happen. Nobody cut in. They hung on for the specifics.

"Above everyone towers the Commander. The Champions Alliance sprang from his vision; the Valkorath Realm flows from his gift. He forms our pinnacle," the Deputy Commander declared with unshakeable faith. "He anchors our assurance and steers our path forward."

No arguments arose. Commander Thresh had evolved far past simple command; he served as their soul's foundation. Even Orion, mighty as he stood, couldn't gauge the heights of the Commander's strength. He figured Thresh might be testing the outer edges of the Demigod's Sixth Circle. Who could say if dawn would bring news of their Commander achieving full divinity?

Nods rippled through the group in quiet accord.

"Under the Commander, we're forming three levels," the Deputy Commander laid out. "The Council of Demigods, taking the Speaker role. The Executive Council, made up of Arch Lords. And the Assembly, filled with Legendary rank fighters."

He motioned while naming them. "Speakers receive the Eternal Badge, marking lifelong ties to the Champions Alliance. Executive Councilors get the Platinum Badge, granting Platinum Authority. Assembly folks carry the Azure Badge, unlocking Azure Privilege."

The setup felt straightforward. It drew clear lines between Demigods, Arch Lords, and the lesser lords. Certain talks at the Demigod tier carried risks or depths unfit for underlings to catch.

"Tied to this, we're building the Public Resource Division—called the Platinum Directorate," the Deputy Commander continued, delving into the workings. "This body will split into four arms: Combat, Asset Management, Logistics Exchange, and Diplomatic Relations."

"The Platinum Directorate channels the united might of the Champions Alliance. Going forward, tapping into this might demands a cost. Expect trades or shares of gains. Should you seek the Directorate's support, you'll feed a cut of your earnings back to the common pool."

This move rang practical. It warded off exhaustion and grudges. Constant draws on the Alliance's force without returns would drain and split the group apart.

"Regarding the Azure Badge," he went on, "it unlocks the Azure Privilege. See it as perks for the incoming members. It provides ways to swap basic materials for equipment, or merits for enhancements. Plus, Azure Badge holders can request tasks from the Platinum Directorate suited to their skills."

Put simply, the newcomers could grab paid gigs to tackle the grunt work the veterans shunned, pulling their weight while advancing.

The Deputy Commander went quiet, leaving the outline to linger. It sketched a basic plan, and rollout would expose flaws, yet it proved essential. For the Champions Alliance to rival foes without getting devoured, they required a setup that boosted the whole and each part alike.

"What's funding the Platinum Directorate?" Leonidas posed. It struck as the key, no-nonsense query.

"It comes from us—the originators," the Deputy Commander answered evenly. "We supply the starting funds and staff. In exchange, the Platinum Directorate pays us returns tied to our input shares."

"As long as the Directorate stays sound and yielding, payouts will flow at set intervals."

This amounted to staking capital. They acted as backers in a vast, brutal venture. Unlike typical businesses, though, they skipped the routine toil—they simply claimed the earnings.

"Does this force our Demigod teamwork through the Directorate?" Arthas questioned, his brow creasing. Paper trails for teaming with equals would spell disaster.

"Not at all." The Deputy Commander denied it with a head shake. "The Platinum Directorate mainly serves those under Demigod status. It lets them draw on the group's power to advance, sparing us constant small requests."

The framework aimed to ease outer conquests and inner development for the everyday ranks.

"For us Demigods, the Directorate's help amounts to scraps," he stated plainly. "It's minor stuff. Also, if our bonds hinged only on gains, the Champions Alliance would've crumbled ages back."

"Personal teamwork can still skip the system altogether," the Deputy Commander reassured Arthas. "That said, the Platinum Directorate stands ready to witness or back your agreements if you want an impartial mediator."

Arthas dipped his head, content. He raised no more issues.