Clark stood in the quiet stillness of his divine domain, golden light washing over the grassland from the half-set sun of this new world. Beside him, Seraphiel kept silent watch—her black-silver wings folded neatly, eyes half-lowered, awaiting his will.
But for now, he had a different task.
"Open Trade Area."
The interface shimmered into view again, separating neatly into labeled sections. This time, he moved with intention.
First, the **Construction category**.
The list was long, but only a few options were marked as "Available."
> Available Orders:
> • Small Village Construction Order
> Price: 2,000 divinity
> Description: Constructs the foundation for a small village within your domain. Population cap: 500. Enables future settlement growth and passive faith generation.
Clark didn't hesitate.
"Purchase."
A golden scroll formed in his hand, warm to the touch. He stored it for now—its use would come soon.
Next, he selected:
> • Divine Mapping Order
> Price: 500 divinity
> Description: Reveals the full layout of your current domain, including terrain quality, hidden nodes, and divine-grade resource points. Unlocks resource tracking features.
Another glow. Another scroll.
Useful—especially with expansion on his mind.
Then he turned to the **Special Items section**. There were only two items listed.
> • Divine Transmute Card
> Price: 1,000 divinity
> Description: Allows the user to transmute any item of C-rank or lower into a higher-rank version. Limited to one use. Does not affect living beings.
> • Unknown Temple Template (Damaged)
> Price: 10,000 divinity
> Description: A shattered divine temple of unknown origin. Once repaired, it may restore one of many lost functions or systems. Repair cost and requirements unknown.
Clark frowned slightly.
That last one was expensive. To anyone else, it would have been reckless—insane, even. But not to him.
He still had over 80,000 divinity.
"Buy both."
The items appeared in his inventory. The temple template was jagged and gray, wrapped in crimson chains of light. Its mere presence felt ancient—older than this divine continent itself.
Clark closed the trade interface.
Four shimmering scrolls floated gently in his divine space, waiting to be used:
* **Village Construction Order**
* **Divine Mapping Scroll**
* **Divine Transmute Card**
* **Damaged Temple Template**
The purchases had cost over **13,000 divinity**.
And he'd made them all in less than five minutes.
To anyone else, such a move would've been suicide. But to Clark—it was simply step two.
He turned away, gaze shifting toward the empty field beyond the palace. The earth here would soon shift and grow. His territory had taken its first breath.
Far away, in thousands of other small domains scattered across the Divine Continent...
A different kind of ripple began.
---
**[Regional Chat – 00:47]**
**@WarSoul\_13**:
"Who the hell just bought a *village construction order*?! That thing costs two thousand divinity."
**@NightMoon**:
"Not just that. Mapping order, transmute card... even the broken divine temple template."
**@SageFrost**:
"That's over **13K divinity**. No one has that much. Is this a glitch?"
**@CrimsonLotus**:
"I saw the system logs. It's real."
**@IronBull**:
"Only explanation: it's an alliance pooling resources. Someone's organizing already."
**@VoidEyes**:
"Or... we've got a hidden bigshot."
**@BrightWing**:
"He's hiding his divine name. Smart."
**@BlightCrown**:
"This is going to upset the balance fast. Whoever it is just claimed the early game."
---
The regional chat swirled with speculation. Whispers spread to other continents and merged into the growing global conversation.
Who had that kind of power?
What kind of innate talent did they receive?
And more urgently—were they a threat, or a future ally?
---
Clark, meanwhile, said nothing.
He stood calmly beneath the silver sky, arms crossed, reading the reactions in silence.
He closed the chat with a blink.
They were all guessing.
And they were all wrong.
But that was good.
He preferred it that way.
******
Clark walked a few steps from the palace, his boots pressing gently into divine soil. He stopped at a natural plateau about a hundred meters from the palace gates. A breeze swept across the land as he summoned the scroll glowing in his inventory.
"Use Village Construction Order."
The scroll dissolved midair, and light exploded outward, carving intricate circular glyphs into the ground beneath his feet. The soil trembled.
A golden outline spread across the land, expanding into the rough layout of streets, foundations, and central structures. The blueprint of a fledgling settlement came to life before his eyes.
> System Notification:
> "Village Construction Initialized. Estimated time to complete: 12 hours (acceleratable with divine crystals).
> Tier: Basic Divine Village
> Population Cap: 500
> Faith Generation: Passive – Based on population and loyalty."
Clark opened his inventory again.
He had **1 million divine crystals**.
"Accelerate build – Full completion."
> 5000 divine crystals consumed.
The moment the command was given, a burst of radiant energy surged through the lines on the ground. Stone lifted from the earth, beams formed midair, and within moments, buildings took shape as if time itself bent to his will.
A **central plaza** materialized first, encircled by simple but elegant divine-style housing—white stone walls, sky-blue roofs, and glowing lanterns. A **watchtower**, a **community hall**, and basic **resource storage buildings** followed.
The once-empty field was now a forming village. Primitive, yes—but divine in nature.
> System Update:
> "You have established a Divine Village. Faith generation will begin once followers arrive. New functions unlocked:
> • Population Management
> • Resource Allocation
> • Faith Metrics
> • Village Reputation"
Clark scanned the new interface tabs. Each one offered deeper control—he could track settlers once they arrived, assign roles, and even name the village.
He paused at the prompt:
> "Name Your Village: _________
He thought for a moment.
"Golden valley"
The name locked in. The system confirmed.
--
He pulled open his inventory and retrieved the Divine Transmute Card. It glowed with a rich violet hue, pulsing in rhythm with his own heartbeat.
> **Item: Divine Transmute Card**
> "Allows the transmutation of one divine structure, system, or framework into a higher form. Single use. Effects vary by target."
Clark glanced over the silent village—fresh stone buildings, a central plaza, storage houses, yet no life.
"Use Transmute Card on the village core."
The card ignited in midair, dissolving into a stream of violet-gold runes that spiraled downward into the Community Hall. A deep hum filled the air. The ground beneath Clark vibrated as an enormous divine glyph expanded from the center of the settlement outward, encompassing every structure.
Then, it happened.
Stone reshaped. Roofs lifted and elongated. Decorative towers rose at the edges of the new plaza. Fields expanded beyond the edges of the buildings, and divine sigils embedded themselves into the walls of new, upgraded structures.
A sharp chime echoed.
> **System Notification:**
> "Village Transmutation Successful.
> Golden Valley Village (Large Divine Village) established.
> Population Capacity: 1,000
> Passive Faith Output: +3000/day
At that moment, **ten golden portals** shimmered into existence across the plaza. From them stepped humanoid figures—each cloaked in divine aura, marked by glowing runes on their foreheads. Unlike basic villagers, these weren't ordinary at all.
The first, a broad-shouldered man with silvery-blue eyes and calloused hands, stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"I am Harkon, Divine Mason of the First Pillar. I offer my strength to the founder of Golden Valley."
One after the other, they came:
* A divine blacksmith, her forge spirit coiled around her wrist like flame.
* A graceful herbalist, whose presence drew soft green motes from the soil.
* A beast tamer, two shadowy creatures at his heel.
* A priestess, radiant with passive faith aura
---
**\[Global Notification – Broadcast x3]**
**"Congratulations to Divine Name: ???
For being the first to establish a Large Divine Village: Golden Valley Village.
Reward: Ascendant Treasure Chest has been granted."**
---
**Regional Chat – 01:12**
**@AshClaw**:
"What the... a *large* divine village? Already?!"
**@SteelRider**:
"Ascendant chest reward? That's no joke. Someone just leaped ahead."
**@BloomStar**:
"This hidden god again? Same one who ascended first?"
**@Dusksoul**:
"Nobody normal gets divine transmute cards this early. Either a beta tester… or a monster."
**@ArdentSpear**:
"I'm forming an alliance. Whoever you are, join us. Let's talk terms."
---
Clark closed the chat window again.
The noise didn't matter.
Mostly the main function of villages was to provide faith.
He looked around at the growing divine village, the ten chosen now organizing themselves, silently beginning construction and preparation.
From the palace to the village, from barren land to living settlement—his domain had become something real.