CHAPTER 171: CHAPTER171-THE CONVERSATION

Before all of this, Winterhold Castle had never been considered a major stronghold within human territory.

Its only significance was its proximity to the Abyss, which made it a strategic fortress meant to defend against abyssal threats. That was the sole reason it had been built in the first place.

Because of its remote location—far from the heartlands of the human race—Winterhold Castle had always been neglected.

However, the moment Daniel’s fiefdom was designated here, everything changed.

The entire northern frontier, along with Winterhold Castle, immediately became the most desired region among the human population.

Even before the influx of ancient knowledge, Winterhold Castle had already become as important as the capital of humanity.

And now—with the addition of those priceless books from the Artists—it was no exaggeration to say that Winterhold Castle had become the most important city in all of human civilization. Period.

Moreover, under Daniel’s deliberate guidance, the northern frontier had been equipped with more Anygates than any other region.

Using these Anygates, Daniel strategically positioned all his [New Life] units at the gates of the Abyss.

In fact, he went even further—constructing Anygates directly on the massive bodies of these [New Life] creatures.

His goal was simple: to be able to instantly deploy these terrifying beings to any location within seconds.

Still, for the civilians living in the northern frontier, seeing those monstrous creatures up close was deeply unsettling.

After all, these were diamond-rank lifeforms—beings so powerful they hadn’t even been mentioned in legends.

If this had been any other time, merely catching a glimpse of such a creature would have been enough for someone to boast about it for the rest of their life.

...

Inside Winterhold Castle, the Human Emperor stared at Daniel, his emotions difficult to untangle.

"Daniel," he said slowly, "if I’m not mistaken... you were the one who eliminated the Artists, weren’t you?"

Daniel nodded, not bothering to hide anything from the Emperor.

"That’s right. I wiped them out."

The Human Emperor’s gaze darkened slightly. "So the Primordial Core Weapons... they’re all in your possession now?"

"Correct," Daniel replied calmly. "But they’re extremely dangerous. The only way to ensure they’re not misused... is to keep them with me."

The Human Emperor couldn’t help but twitch at that answer.

So this brat isn’t even going to entertain a discussion about the weapons.

It was obvious now—Daniel had no intention of relinquishing even the slightest bit of control over the Primordial Core Weapons.

And in that moment, the Human Emperor felt a subtle shift in the balance of power between them.

"...Very well," he finally said. "Then they’ll remain with you."

He didn’t press the issue any further. Honestly, there wasn’t much he could argue.

These weapons were Daniel’s spoils of war, and he had acquired them with his own strength.

Who else would be qualified to hold them, if not him?

Perhaps... leaving them in Daniel’s hands really was the safest option.

"Daniel, I trust you’re a rational man," the Emperor continued, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "But even so, be careful when using the Primordial Core Weapons."

"Their destructive power is... beyond terrifying."

Daniel nodded solemnly, signaling that he understood.

The Human Emperor fell silent and turned to gaze out the window—toward the distant figures of the [New Life].

"Now can you tell me," he asked, "how exactly did you manage to get these things?"

Daniel didn’t hesitate. "I stole them from the Artists."

That answer... left the Human Emperor dumbfounded.

Wait, what?!

Did you just say you stole the diamond-rank creatures?

Don’t joke around!

These aren’t coins or swords—they’re massive beings! How the hell do you steal something like that?

And twenty-one of them at once?!

...

After a long conversation, the Human Emperor finally understood the gist of what had happened.

He looked deeply at Daniel, a growing realization forming in his heart.

He could no longer keep up with this young man.

"In any case," he said at last, "this entire crisis was resolved thanks to you. If it weren’t for your actions, the Artists would still pose a massive threat."

Through Daniel’s account, the Human Emperor finally grasped just how terrifying the Artists truly were.

The Primordial Core Weapon was only the tip of the iceberg.

Had Daniel not acted first, and the Artists had launched a full-scale attack...

The consequences would have been unimaginable.

The Human Emperor didn’t intend to keep Daniel’s deeds hidden.

Instead, he said with great sincerity:

"All of your accomplishments will be officially recorded in our histories. And I will personally ensure that the entire human race learns of your heroism."

As he said those words, he felt a bit awkward inside.

After all, Daniel had already looted everything valuable from the human vaults.

What more could he offer him in reward?

It seemed like the only thing he had left to give was... the throne.

The Human Emperor was now convinced—he needed to help Daniel reach Tier 20 as quickly as possible, and then abdicate the throne to him.

That was the only proper path forward.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Oh, by the way—about the Infinite Divine Temple. I’ve already issued a public decree."

"From now on, anyone in human territory is free to build Infinite Divine Temples. It’s been officially recognized as our national religion."

"This... is our symbol of goodwill. I hope the god behind it will recognize our sincerity."

Hearing this, Daniel felt a flicker of guilt.

What god?

Wasn’t the god of the Infinite Divine Temple... himself?

But Daniel’s current strength didn’t feel very "godly."

Out of habit, he pulled up his interface to check:

[Infinite Divine Temple]

Current Believers: 10 billion

Current EXP Boost: 100x

Next Tier-1 Unlock: Requires 1 trillion believers

To be honest, the Infinite Divine Temple didn’t provide that much value to Daniel right now.

A 100x EXP boost sounded great—but Daniel leveled up quickly anyway.

His real bottleneck wasn’t experience. It was completing the Star Upgrade Quests.

Still, while the Temple didn’t benefit him much directly, it had become immensely valuable to his followers.

Many mortals had converted their faith to the Infinite Divine Temple.

And once they believed, they gained boosts in their skills—and even received entirely new abilities as blessings.

The effects were so profound that they could elevate an awakener to an entirely new power tier.

Across all the lands Daniel controlled, Infinite Divine Temples were being built rapidly.

Awakeners came from far and wide to pray at the altars.

Now, with the Human Emperor’s full support, Infinite Divine Temples began appearing throughout every corner of human territory.

And so, in a remarkably short time, Daniel’s number of believers surged by the billions—and continued to rise by the second.