DND Realms: The Rise of the Titan-Dragon Prodigy

"However, the space within the demi-plane is limited, and it's impossible for all the residents of the kingdom to take refuge there. Only a select few will have this opportunity."

Muria briefly introduced his plan to open the demi-plane for refuge, "Undoubtedly, it's the human elites who will have priority, such as high-ranking alchemists, artifact crafters, formation masters, and inscriptionists, as well as their immediate families who will have the right to enter for refuge first."

Some clenched their fists in frustration at Muria's words, angry yet helpless. As a ruler, what's wrong with prioritizing the protection of the nation's elite talents?

If these high-level talents were not protected first but instead the common folk, it might seem kind and people-oriented, but it would be foolish, not understanding priorities and emergency measures.

"And as members of the demon-hunting brigade, your families will also have the opportunity to enter the demi-plane for refuge. However, you will need to exchange demon kills for merit points to secure these spots."

"How many merit points are needed to secure one spot?" Yiheng, the youth with the axe, asked again.

"One thousand merit points."

"What level of demon needs to be slain to obtain one thousand merit points?"

"A Silver Tier Level 3 demon should suffice."

"That's good," Yiheng sighed in relief. A Silver-tier demon was just within his capability to handle comfortably.

"Remember, demons now appear in groups, and it's not easy to kill a Silver Tier Level 3 demon," Muria kindly reminded.

...Under the influence of honor, merit, and the pride of the young talents, all finalists in the martial contest joined the demon-hunting brigade, with none opting out. Regardless of how many were genuinely committed or simply motivated by the rewards, the outcome was overwhelmingly positive.

It's worth mentioning that, aside from those with noble backgrounds, nearly all the support role talents who qualified for the finals were recruited by Muria. Although some of the recruitment processes were less than graceful, the results justified the means.

After all, it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. Naturally, these support talents were not taken to the demi-plane controlled by the Skarlette family, but to a nearly desolate one under Muria's control.

Muria provided these rune and inscription masters with sufficient blueprints and materials to not only restore but also enhance the ancient mage tower's defense systems. This tower, millennia old and technically outdated, now could benefit from the most advanced magitech and formations.

For the alchemists, Muria set a nine-to-five work schedule, calculated their average potion crafting speed, and assigned them tasks accordingly. After completing their assignments, they were free to do as they pleased.

He also provided ample materials for the artifact crafters and set tasks for them. Anticipating future high consumption of weapons and potions, Muria was keen to stockpile these as war reserves.

...

After the martial contest, the citizens of Rockman Kingdom were astonished to find a nearly hundred-meter-tall crystal monument suddenly erected at the most bustling center of their city.

The monument featured lifelike images with names densely packed and arranged spectacularly, its radiant aura imbued with a mysterious essence, something they had never seen before.

"What is this? It wasn't here yesterday, and it appeared this morning. Is this a miracle?" one devout believer speculated under the early morning sun's shimmering light on the crystal monument, somewhat unsure.

"Don't tie everything to divine intervention without knowing anything. Do you think any god would bother to manifest a miracle in our small, broken town?" a passing pedestrian, who had witnessed the monument's erection the previous night, retorted with displeasure.

"If it's not a miracle, then how do you explain the sudden appearance of such a grand and beautiful crystal monument? Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Quite coincidentally, I did see it last night. I watched as eight majestic cloud giants, accompanied by dozens of griffins, lowered this crystal monument from the sky and placed it right in the center of the city."

"Ah, so it's something created by Grand Duke Muria. No wonder," hearing the pedestrian's account, the crowd around nodded in realization. Due to recent tax reforms, most of the kingdom's citizens greatly admired Muria and wished he could rule indefinitely.

"How could such a large crystal monument come down without any noise?"

"Are you daft? Haven't you heard of magic? No need for physical impact."

"True, but who are the people in those images on the monument? They look so familiar. Nobles?"

"Your memory must be failing you. Is it because you were too busy making babies with your wife last night? Can't you remember who these people are, and it hasn't been that long?"

Laughter erupted in the area as the local commoners enjoyed a light-hearted

 joke. They were not as reserved as the nobles and took pleasure in their candid exchanges.

"Look closely, those are the talents who went to the capital, Skarlette, for the martial contest."

"Ah, that makes sense now. But why make such a huge monument and put all the talents' images on it? What's the intention?"

"I don't know, Muria is a Gold Dragon. He may look young, but who knows how old he is? Such figures think far ahead, their thoughts aren't something we simple folk can guess."

"That's true. Hey, look, some of the images are moving, and numbers are appearing below them—do you see? How much is that? One thousand, one thousand three hundred, two thousand two, and it keeps increasing. What's this all about?"

"Not just one person; many of them have numbers appearing below, and these numbers are also increasing."

As the city's residents watched in bewilderment, the crystal monument that had quietly risen in their city center overnight underwent mysterious changes. The lifelike images with names and continuously changing numbers moved rapidly up and down, left and right on the monument, creating an eerie spectacle.

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