Chapter 1366 Three Days

A moment later, Michael turned toward Jester again.

"By the way, do you still need to remain here?"

Jester shook his head.

"No, Master."

He glanced toward Lily and Timi in the distance.

"I'll return with Lily and begin preparing for my advancement."

Michael nodded with satisfaction.

"More importantly, Master, I need to remain by your side."

Michael raised an eyebrow.

"You miss me?"

"You jest, Master. I'm here to assist you, naturally."

Jester smiled.

"There are many matters that I can handle on your behalf. By leaving those responsibilities to me, you can concentrate on more important things, particularly your own advancement."

"As for Earth…"

He looked toward the ruined city below.

"The empire only needs to fulfill its part of the plan. Once the necessary arrangements are established, the Awakeners can gradually expand your influence through their activities."

"Our personal presence here isn't necessary."

Michael considered his words before nodding.

"Alright."

"Then let's proceed with that arrangement."

Jester bowed slightly.

"As you wish, Master."

A faint smile appeared on Michael's face.

"Thank you, Jester."

"…"

Jester appeared momentarily surprised. Then he smiled and lowered his head.

"It is my duty, Master."

***

Three days went by in a flash.

Although three days wasn't a particularly long time, Michael had managed to accomplish quite a few things.

The first matter to be concluded concerned Earth.

It had nothing to do with Michael's newly acquired influence over the realm or his plans to compete with the other three existences. After all, even if three days might seem like a long time to ordinary people, it was far too short to significantly influence the fate of an entire Major Realm.

Instead, the matters he dealt with were related to the people on Earth who had connections with him.

These were Lily and Timi.

As for why Timi was included…

It was because the youth had finally submitted his territory under Michael's Universal Cornerstone.

This was something Michael had wanted for quite some time. Although he didn't particularly distrust Timi, the youth had always been a minor concern.

Having his territory brought under Michael's authority alleviated some of those worries. As long as Timi didn't cause unnecessary trouble, Michael was perfectly willing to let him do whatever he wanted.

There was, however, something strange about the young man's behavior.

Ever since their encounter with Yū Meng, Timi had begun looking at Michael differently. His eyes seemed to sparkle whenever he looked at him.

Michael couldn't understand what was wrong with this fellow?

Also, don't ask him how he saw the sparkles in those completely black eyes.

Michael didn't know either.

In any case, he decided not to concern himself with it.

Then there was Lily…

Michael hadn't intended to do anything particularly harsh. Although the girl had acted without properly informing him, she hadn't done anything malicious.

She had merely wanted to explore Earth.

Still, considering the dangers they had encountered, Michael couldn't simply pretend that nothing had happened.

Thus, her first punishment was a restriction on her freedom.

Not a complete restriction, of course.

Michael wasn't about to imprison her.

From now on, whenever Lily wanted to leave for an unfamiliar location, she had to inform him beforehand. At the very least, he needed to know where she was going.

Her second punishment was considerably more troublesome.

Michael had decided to give her additional territorial responsibilities.

He had already been considering this arrangement for some time. And now, he finally had an excuse to make Lily handle it without feeling particularly guilty!

What a wonderful opportunity. Good for such a willful character that needed tempering!

Currently, Lily possessed a main territory and one subsidiary station under her Universal Cornerstone.

The two were located within the same territory, with the main cornerstone occupying the core region and the subsidiary station situated in another region some distance away.

This meant she still had three opportunities to establish additional subsidiary territories.

Michael had her use all three, with every single one established within the Zeroth Layer.

Furthermore, he increased the population allocated to each territory to five thousand people.

Since her main cornerstone and first subsidiary station belonged to the same territory, they were counted together rather than as separate territories.

In other words, Lily now had four territories under her management, accommodating a total of twenty thousand people!

When Lily learned about the arrangement, she nearly collapsed on the spot.

She even looked ready to cry, but Michael steeled his heart!

Besides, he wasn't doing anything unreasonable.

Lily wasn't expected to personally manage every individual living within her territories. She only needed to oversee the general administration and allow the capable people beneath her to handle the smaller matters.

It was also an opportunity for her to become more responsible.

At least, that was what Michael told himself.

But was establishing all her remaining subsidiary territories in the Zeroth Layer a waste?

Michael didn't think so.

Although Universal Cornerstones were extremely valuable, it wasn't as though Lily could never obtain another one.

If she eventually needed to establish territories in higher layers, she could simply claim another Universal Cornerstone.

There was no reason to be particularly stingy.

Lily wasn't the only person who received additional responsibilities either.

Arianne, Bok, Rina, Ace, and Lia were also included in his arrangements.

Arianne's situation was relatively straightforward.

Unlike Lily, she had only established her main territory. This meant she still possessed four opportunities to establish subsidiary stations.

Michael had her use three of them within the Zeroth Layer.

Like Lily's territories, each subsidiary station was assigned five thousand people.

This significantly increased Arianne's workload, leaving the beauty just as busy as everyone else.

Bok, Rina, Ace, and Lia received a different assignment.

Using the Universal Cornerstone fragments he had previously obtained, Michael assembled four complete Universal Cornerstones and handed one to each of them.

In other words, all four now possessed the qualifications to establish their own territories.

It was a considerable responsibility.

Fortunately, Michael didn't expect any of them to manage everything alone.

Although Lily herself wasn't particularly enthusiastic about administration, her territory had already developed a number of capable individuals.

Whether intentionally or not, she had helped train a group of people who understood how territorial administration worked.