Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton
Chapter 1603 - 1164: You Really Have Good Taste

Chapter 1603: Chapter 1164: You Really Have Good Taste

Anthony and the others were right in their speculation. Emre’s fanaticism stemmed from his genuine pursuit of the Star God. If there truly was a Star God, its descent could be orchestrated to simultaneously empower everyone through controlled adjustments.

This augmentation in combat effectiveness was tens of times greater, yet the amount of energy consumed didn’t need to increase proportionately. Not everyone was focused on delivering maximum output; some were attacking, others evading, some moving, and those not within attack range were observing.

With just one Star God, the team’s strength could elevate to unimaginable heights. It wouldn’t have to be like now, where every time the Star God descends upon him, the others can only stand by and spectate. This was why Emre was so fervently dedicated to winning the Star God’s recognition.

However, having the favor of a god was far inferior to becoming one himself. If he could gain the Star God’s approval, then why not ascend and transform into the Star God? The appearance of Ursman instantly broadened Emre’s horizons, revealing a path he had never conceived before.

How could a Sword Saint, who roamed the Endless Void unhindered, remain subservient indefinitely? With a mortal body capable of cultivating such strength, Emre was definitely not one to lower himself willingly. If there were no alternative path, so be it—but now that he saw a new opportunity, he hesitated for barely a moment: "How can one ascend to become a Star God?"

As a master of psychological profiling, Emre’s reaction was entirely within Anthony’s expectations. Anthony certainly wouldn’t admit that this was deliberate provocation on his part. Instead, he gazed up and down at Emre meaningfully before changing the subject: "What are you here for?"

Seeing Anthony’s apparent reluctance to continue the topic, Emre understood. The Star God—it had always been their fervent and revered goal. Even with Anthony’s assertions that there was something beyond the Star God, such as the Origin, it was definitely not something Emre could touch casually. Undoubtedly, great efforts would be required.

As for what those efforts entailed, Emre didn’t even qualify to know yet. Therefore, his first step should be gaining the recognition of the Origin.

At that moment, Emre’s subjective initiative reached its peak. He replied, "We received orders to clear out the Undead City, eliminate all Undead creatures, and completely disperse the breath of death. What’s your connection to the Undead City, sir?"

"This is our domain," Anthony stated outright.

Emre nodded. "Alright, I’ll report back that the Undead City has already been cleared out."

Anthony nodded in satisfaction. People with strong subjective initiative were easy to communicate with. Once they decided upon something, they would wholeheartedly work toward that goal, without unnecessary hesitation or pretension—though they might come across as a bit naïve.

"What’s your relationship with the person who issued the orders? Are you on good terms?" Anthony asked.

"It was Little Joseph who sent me. Our relationship? Not great. My prestige is too high, and he often finds me irritating... Your meaning, is that he deliberately sent us here to die?" Emre pondered aloud, gradually realizing something.

"If he knew the Undead City had become our territory and still sent you all here without reason, then it’s pretty obvious. Does he know the current situation here?" Anthony asked.

Emre immediately understood. The Undead City wasn’t a newly existing place—it had been here all along. Why were they ordered to clear it now, when they hadn’t before?

The only critical question now was whether Little Joseph knew about the changes in the Undead City. If he was aware of the powerful presence here but still dispatched Emre, then it was obviously a deathtrap.

"I don’t know yet if he knows about the changes here. I’ll need to go back and investigate," Emre stated.

Suddenly, Silver Coin interjected, "The few noble scions we caught headed for Light Point Fortress previously were from the Joseph Faction."

Anthony feigned sudden realization. "Oh, right, yes—we caught some kids heading for Light Point Fortress in Fei Lie Empire before. They were from the Joseph Faction. I think their names were something like Beth Eve. Later, I traded them to Orgal. Do you know Orgal?"

Emre’s eyes gleamed with fervor. "Of course. Renowned Godslayer. He cultivates Heroic Spirit Possession, just like me. I just wonder if his Heroic Spirits are stronger than my Star Gods."

"Haha, he’s using a different name now—Registrar of Gods," Anthony said with a chuckle.

They continued to probe with a few more casual topics. Emre cooperated enthusiastically. It was evident that he could discern Anthony’s probing, yet he readily shared what he knew. Soon, he had disclosed virtually everything about himself.

Emre was a Duke from the Joseph Faction, ruling his own domain. Unlike the Prime Material Plane, the Divine Light Alliance’s territory was vast—any random duchy might contain one or two planes.

Emre controlled two Prime Material Planes, governing a population of eighty million—his domain far exceeded the scale of the average empire.

With people and land under his rule, Emre naturally possessed his own military forces: an army of over one hundred thousand, hundreds of thousands of defense troops, and an elite Star God Legion.

Being practically an independent duchy, Emre’s strength was difficult for many to gauge. They only knew it was formidable. Not only was Emre himself powerful, but his Star God Legion was also composed of outstanding individuals. While other rulers might be proud to command ten Sword Saints, Emre’s forces included an entire unit of Sword Saints and Arcane Magicians.

Such strength even made the Joseph royal family wary.

In recent years, many events had occurred. First, the appearance of Light Point Fortress caused unprecedented turmoil in the once-peaceful situation. A myriad of unprecedented changes emerged, giving Emre the sense that a major Void upheaval was looming—even the Star Gods were appearing like never before.

Emre revered the Star Gods. From an early age, he trained in martial techniques and, during his travels through Fei Lie Empire, encountered the Heroic Spirit Legion. It was then that his brilliance led him to realize that this model was the ideal way to enhance collective combat power.

Upon his return, he formed his own Heroic Spirit Legion. While others modeled their Heroic Spirits after heroes, he directly used the Star Gods—the legendary Celestial Descendant Clan that established the Divine Light Alliance.

This was precisely why his Star God Legion was so elite. For a Heroic Spirit Legion to grow strong, it required a potent shared vision. Yet now, Emre found his Star God Legion at a bottleneck. Every soldier’s body had a limit, restricting their upper potential.

For instance, the requirements of breathing and food—for all members of the Star God Legion, including himself—imposed constraints. Even though they might endure short-term breathing in the Void and maximize time between meals, limits persisted.

Half a day to a day was the maximum they could endure before needing to return to the airship for rest. This dependency prevented them from truly operating independently in the Void like the Mourning Undead Soldiers.

Human beings inherently had limitations. But what if they weren’t human? What if a non-human Star God could serve as the ’airship’? What if Emre himself could ascend and transform into a non-human Star God...

Seeing how cooperative and proactive Emre was, Anthony nodded in satisfaction and called out, "Ursman, guide him and tell him the key to ascending to Star God."

Ursman smiled as he floated over, reverting to his original form in front of Emre. As a Wise Man, Ursman was fully aware of Anthony’s strategy.

Thus, he revealed his true identity to gain Emre’s trust and, in the tone of someone who had tread this path before, said:

"To ascend as a Star God, loyalty—loyalty—loyalty is paramount. Pledge fealty to the Origin, and you will be granted a Star God Crystal. However, your current strength is far from adequate to serve the Origin. You can choose any opponent here—defeat them, and you will earn the opportunity to pledge yourself to the Origin."

Emre was furious by the time he heard this. What utter disdain! Claiming he couldn’t even beat a random person?

These three Star Gods were out of the question; that little girl with three pairs of wings and the enigmatic Anthony were similarly untouchable. Then there was the fellow tinkering with Heisuo—clearly an equipment specialist, also better left alone. But...

"Him. I choose him. I refuse to believe I can’t beat just anyone here," Emre suddenly thrust his finger toward Negris.

Negris rolled his eyes in annoyance, casually rolled up his sleeves, and floated over. "You certainly know how to pick them."

PS: Want to play Black Monkey