Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1425 Cross-Realm Merchant

As the sole survivor among the Eight Great Knights, Aldwyn stood alone.

He'd sworn his blade to serve Ava, yet his kin lingered back in the southern human realms. Not long before, he'd ventured off to bring them home, aiming to shift his entire clan to Soaring Bird City.

Yet the abrupt heavenly chaos had compelled Ava to forsake Soaring Bird City entirely.

Aldwyn hurried back, only to discover the city stripped of its rulers, leaving his daughter exposed to a realm overrun by rampant sin and disorder. He had to extract them immediately. His goal lay with the Stoneheart Horde; he planned to trail the Princess's route onward. The mere idea of abandoning his wife and child in this cursed place for another instant twisted his gut.

"Can we really rely on those mercenaries?"

Unlike their daughter, Aldwyn's wife fretted deeply over the perilous trek to come. The path they'd taken so far had been savage; they'd clashed with hordes of magical creatures and the spreading bug infestations. Without Aldwyn's fierce combat skills, both mother and girl would have ended up as prey for some monster ages ago.

"I'll watch them closely," Aldwyn promised her. "With such a long journey ahead, they'll be wise enough to see the strength in unity. A bigger party scares off the beasts."

Aldwyn tossed extra wood onto the fire crackling in front of him. The desertion of Soaring Bird City held some silver lining; they'd swiftly claimed a sturdy, empty dwelling for refuge. Provided Aldwyn guarded the primary entrance, his wife and daughter could rest peacefully through the night.

Still, deep into the darkness, a restless Aldwyn snapped alert at the soft, steady clicking sounds.

Death's stench hung in the air.

"What's that noise?"

Having blocked the door with rubble, he squeezed a look through the gaps in the nailed-shut window. The evening swallowed everything in blackness, and with the city mostly emptied, no glow pierced the gloom. Nothing came into view.

Suddenly, the City Lord's estate burst into blazing inferno.

Bursts of power and arcane detonations illuminated the heavens. In the wild dance of the blaze, Aldwyn spotted them: crawlers. Insect-like horrors swarmed over more than half the streets.

Aldwyn's loved ones had fortune on their side; the horde had invaded from the far end of Soaring Bird City.

"Damn it all!"

"Flee! Right now!"

The blasts yanked his wife and daughter from sleep. Aldwyn skipped any words of warning. He surged power into his fist, smashing the window's barriers in one strike. Scooping up his family, he leaped from the chamber, dropping straight onto the back of his beast-blood steed tied up nearby.

A knight through and through, Aldwyn's ride was no common animal; hauling the trio proved no burden at all. At its rider's urging, the beast-blood mount vaulted over the yard's barrier in one leap, charging headlong toward the gates.

Aldwyn wasn't alone in his drive to survive.

Along the escape route, he glimpsed mercenary groups bolting in terror and outlaw packs dashing for safety. A few grew bold enough to lunge at Aldwyn's steed, arms raised in attack, but he dispatched them swiftly with his spear.

Thanks to the mount's swift pace, Aldwyn soon broke free from Soaring Bird City's bounds.

By that point, the clamor of combat and the wails of the fallen thickened into a nightmarish roar. Flames surged upward, devouring the horizon.

Now at a safe remove, Aldwyn couldn't help but look over his shoulder. His eyes widened in horror.

It was an Insectoid.

Perched on Soaring Bird City's battlements, the beast unleashed a shrill cry as it flung spears nonstop, impaling the escapees scrambling below the fortifications.

"Hyah!"

An Insectoid soldier. A disaster incarnate.

Seeing this horror, Aldwyn refused to hesitate another heartbeat. He whipped his mount onward, carving out every scrap of separation from the doomed city he could.

The bug scourge had descended on Soaring Bird City.

Stoneheart Horde, Stoneheart City

With the teleportation portals always humming, plenty opted to delay their trip back to Stoneheart City post the bonfire event. Lilith, swamped in leadership tasks, had come back ahead of the crowd.

At that moment, inside a chamber of the fortress, Lilith snatched up a spy dispatch, her gaze sharpening.

"Tristan Greymount. Possible Awakened?"

Awakened. The word puzzled Lilith somewhat; she'd picked it up from Orion.

For a stretch now, the Stoneheart Horde's spy network had sought out folks matching this label. The clearest sign of an Awakened showed in unmatched smarts and foresight—the knack for crafting the sharpest choices in dire straits.

And this newcomer Tristan, fresh to the Stoneheart Horde, matched the signs perfectly.

"Guards. Seize this Tristan. Do it without a fuss."

After weighing it thoroughly, Lilith issued the order.

Two days on, Lilith made her way to the northern bastion of Blackstone City.

In the grand chamber of the Horde Hall, Orion loomed on his seat of power, staring down at the limp body of Tristan.

"From what our scouts say, the Greymount clan's ascent ties deeply to this fellow's counsel," Lilith detailed, nestled easy in Orion's embrace. "He's the brains steering the Greymount family. The hoarding of Stoneheart coins started under his direction from day one."

Her fascination with Orion's "Awakened" idea burned strong.

Orion stayed quiet. He projected his godly essence, delving into Tristan's mind's depths.

Following a heavy pause, Orion let out a breath tinged with regret.

"He's not the kind I'm after."

"That said," Orion continued, "his coming aids the Stoneheart Horde."

Tristan's real role was that of a Traveling Merchant.

Here, a Traveling Merchant went beyond a simple hawker. It meant those exceptional souls who handled trade across dimensions. They existed as lone figures roaming worlds to barter, hailed as impartial by countless grand forces.

To be precise, a vast impartial guild focused on inter-world commerce backed Tristan.

Tristan served as just one operative. His foothold in the Stoneheart Horde marked that the Horde's wares and ways had at last drawn that guild's notice.

"I'll rouse him. I've got designs for his use, but you'll lead the talks."

Lilith gave a nod. The man still sparked her interest.

Soon after, guided by Orion's godly force, Tristan stirred from his daze.

His skull pounded like it'd taken a battering ram's blow. Even through the ache, his survival sense flared, and he quickly eyed his setting. Spotting Orion and Lilith on the throne, his pulse raced wildly, erasing the pain in a flash.

"Tristan. Of the Silent Coin Trading Alliance. Greetings in the Stoneheart Horde."

Orion's words—profound, booming, commanding—echoed through the space before Tristan could utter a sound.

No force pressed down, but a surge of reverence flooded Tristan's chest unbidden. He recognized it well. That was the raw response to confronting a being of utter dominance.

As an inter-realm trader, he grasped the full weight of it.

"I am Tristan Greymount. It's my privilege to face the mighty Giant King. Your splendor bathes the whole land!" Tristan dipped into a deep bow. "As a wanderer from distant shores, I cherish your protection. Tristan pledges his true loyalty."

A sharp youth who sensed the winds and respected rank. In Orion's view, Tristan's worth climbed clear as day.