Chapter 52: The Siren's Song

"Your Highness, it's time to preside over the meeting at the White Jade Temple." It was the beginning of another month, and Muria was roused from his sleepy stupor by a storm giant who had come to inform him.

"Hmm," Muria lifted his head, his eyes bleary as he mumbled a response, then rolled over to turn his back to the storm giant: "Wait a bit, I'll sleep some more."

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Muria finally felt fully rested. He sat up, stretching contentedly. This was the life he wanted—sleeping till he naturally woke up, counting money until his hands...

Well, scratch that, money was too trivial for him now. According to the storm giants' reports, several rich veins of gold and silver had been discovered on Taiji Island. But Muria hadn't ordered them mined; his castle already had more gold and gems than he could use. Gold and silver couldn't be eaten, drunk, or used for forging; they were only good for decoration.

"Hey, you're still here?" Muria turned his head and saw the storm giant still kneeling on the ground.

"Your Highness, I've been waiting as you commanded," the storm giant replied respectfully.

"How long have you been waiting?" Muria glanced at the brilliant sunlight outside the window, realizing that the storm giant had been kneeling there for quite some time.

"He hasn't been waiting long, just over three hours," a crisp, youthful voice answered Muria's question.

Muria turned to see a white-haired little girl sitting by his enormous bed, engrossed in a book: "Morning, Claudia."

"It's past morning." Claudia looked up from her book with an expressionless face, correcting him, "And you should be at the White Jade Temple by now. The representatives of the giants and the leaders of the sea clans have been waiting for you all morning."

"Cough, I'm going now." Muria coughed awkwardly. Since awakening, his immense power had bolstered his confidence so much that he no longer relied on the storm giants as the foundation of his rule; his own martial might was sufficient.

As a result, he had started to take the monthly meetings he used to preside over before his slumber less seriously. Muria didn't believe anyone on Taiji Island would dare to betray him after seeing his true form.

"I'll come with you," Claudia stated flatly, setting down her book and fixing her gaze on Muria. Attending the meetings at the White Jade Temple and watching Muria preside was a form of visual and intellectual pleasure for her.

"Sure." Muria agreed without hesitation. As the unique scholarly dragon among hundreds of five-colored dragons, Muria was extraordinarily indulgent with Claudia, almost granting her every request.

"Your Highness!" As Muria and Claudia ascended the castle platform, sixty storm giants clad in vivid armor, along with their giant eagle mounts, saluted him.

"Alright." Muria nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Among his storm giants, only about sixty had giant eagle mounts, making them the elite of the elite.

Thus, Muria had decreed that these mounted storm giants should accompany him whenever he traveled, serving as his honor guard.

"Let's go!" The thirty-two-meter-tall young titan unfurled his golden-feathered dragon wings and stooped to scoop up the relatively petite white dragon.

"Let go! I can fly by myself," protested Claudia, struggling in Muria's embrace.

"You're too slow, and no one will wait for you. Just stay still; don't make a fuss." Muria patted the white dragon reassuringly in his arms and, with a powerful flap of his golden wings, soared into the sky.

"Screech! Screech!" Behind Muria, one by one, the storm giants mounted on giant eagles followed.

Flying over the endless forest, Muria and his entourage soon saw a pristine white city bustling with giants of various sizes and colors, a scene of harmony and prosperity.

As Muria and his party flew over the City of Giants, one by one, giants of all ages and races knelt in awe, a sight that used to surprise and impress him but had since become routine.

Muria landed directly in the grand White Jade Temple at the city center, his wings folding as he stepped inside.

"Buzz! Buzz!" The hall buzzed with chatter until the gathered giants and sea clan leaders caught sight of him, and then silence fell like a heavy curtain.

"Muria, Your Highness." After a brief silence of three seconds, all the giants and sea leaders bowed deeply, their expressions filled with respect. Muria's power was enough to command their awe.

"What were you discussing? Let me hear it," said Muria, ascending to the nine-tiered dais and sitting on his expansive throne, looking down upon them.

"Your Highness, we were just discussing why you arrived later than usual today," spoke Dianna, a six-armed naga, pausing to glance cautiously at Muria before continuing.

"Oh?" Muria's brow furrowed but soon relaxed, and he smiled, looking down at the naga, "I remember you're called Dianna, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness," replied Dianna, the half-serpent naga leader, bowing her head, "It's a great honor that you remember my name."

"Hmm, as flamboyant as ever," Muria muttered under his breath upon hearing the naga leader's overly flattering words.

"I was delayed by a special matter today, so I arrived late," Muria explained to the assembly, thickening his skin a bit—he couldn't very well admit that he had overslept.

Muria's explanation made the storm giants who had followed him into the hall twitch; they knew the real reason for his tardiness, but none were foolish enough to contradict him.

The meeting proceeded as Muria used to conduct it, first greeting the giants who had arrived on Taiji Island over the past month, then listening to the reports from the giant representatives and sea clan leaders.

Cloud giant leaders typically reported on the expansion of the City of Giants, and other exiled cloud giant leaders reported on the fruit and meat production of the islands they managed.

Tide giant and sea clan leaders reported their scavenging of crystals and other treasures from the endless ocean, which Muria found quite dull.

Only the reports from the mountain giant representatives piqued Muria's interest. Many years of cohabitation with the more civilized cloud giants had enlightened many mountain giants, who had begun to actively learn and adopt new ways.

Mountain giants in the City of Giants no longer appeared as the barbaric, club-wielding, fur-wearing giants of old. They had learned to dress well, and the streets of the city now often saw them in soft robes instead of primitive garb.

As for their weapons, these too had been upgraded. Learning to forge giant weapons wasn't a short-term skill, so mountain giants still relied on cloud giants for help.

Every mountain giant who had lived in the City of Giants for an extended period had undergone a profound transformation, a fact that astounded every new mountain giant who arrived.

"I have a question," Muria interrupted the continuous reports about the reformed appearance of the mountain giants in the City of Giants, "You say many

 mountain giants are actively studying. So tell me, if I give you a large construction project, can your mountain giants complete it independently?"

"We can," replied the mountain giant representative after a moment's hesitation, his expression firm.

"Good!" Muria smiled. He had long thought that mountain giants were naturally suited for construction. He had wanted to establish a construction corps made up of mountain giants, but had been unable due to their low level of knowledge.

"I want you to plan and design a road from the City of Giants to the Five-Colored Dragon Castle. I expect to see your construction blueprints before I leave today," Muria tasked the mountain giants.

"As you wish, Your Highness," the mountain giant representatives in the hall bowed and withdrew, planning to design the blueprints within the deadline set by Muria.

"Is that everything?" Muria asked lazily, resting his chin on his hand as night fell.

"All reports are complete!"

"Have the mountain giants not arrived yet?" Muria frowned, then turned his gaze to where several sea clan leaders stood, surrounded by a dozen pale blue water spheres floating in the air. Inside these spheres, beautiful mermaids floated, their upper bodies human and their lower halves fish-like.

This was the mermaids' method of attending land meetings without having to transform their tails into legs, which was uncomfortable for them and unnecessary if they weren't planning to engage in combat.

"Sirens and mermaids," Muria noted, recalling the information from his inherited memories, his curiosity piqued:

"I've heard that sirens love to sit on rocks and sing, their voices enchanting all nearby creatures, often causing ships to wreck upon the reefs. Could the siren leaders grace me with a sample of this singing?"

"Your Highness, our songs tend to enchant the minds of most beings. It wouldn't be appropriate to sing here, would it?" a voluptuous naga with a fish tail responded hesitantly.

"How so? Siren leader, do you think your enchanting song could bewitch me?" Muria narrowed his eyes, his face expressionless as he stared down at the beautifully adorned mermaid.

"I never thought that, Your Highness," the siren replied fearfully, bowing her head, "I will sing for you now."