C’thlyanu spoke up.
"Well, we’ve come to the final consideration for the candidates. Although strength is an important criterion for a member of the council, prestige and wealth are also very important in order to ensure you can keep a strong hold over the other members of your Domain. We have done research into the financial state of all the candidates, and from that information, we’ve found that some worlds lack the financial independence necessary to take on this seat."
C’thlyanu looked over the candidates as his mind travelled back to the investigation that they had done. The Lizardmen of Parital and the Northern Solstice Alliance Magical Academy both had more than enough funds and trade allies to make them a suitable pick for the next Overlord. Their gold reserves were plentiful, and if they were just a bit stronger, then they would have gotten a significant lead in the race for candidacy! But everyone in this room knew that there were only two people who really stood a chance of becoming the next Overlord. Jason Marc and Queen Diane. And right now, Queen Diane was the one with the strongest lead over all the other candidates. Queen Diane checked all the boxes that she needed to perfectly! Not only was she strong, but her world was also powerful enough to be a Rank III, and she had strong trade deals as well as a sizable mineral reserve that ensured the world of Bengari could make as much money as it needed! If these three candidates had been the only ones fighting for the seat, then there was no doubt that Diane would have definitely won it already! The only thing stopping Diane from taking that seat was the existence of Jason Marc! But even though Jason Marc had a very legitimate claim to the seat! It appears that his world was seriously holding him back! Earth was not only too weak, but it was also too poor! [A/N: He literally just called us broke lol]
C’thlyanu spoke in a calm tone.
"I have personally analysed the finances of all your worlds, and it appears that Earth is the only one that does not have sufficient gold or mineral reserves to be seen as a suitable candidate. I fear they will be seriously lacking in the resources needed to take care of their Domain if they were chosen."
Diane’s lips immediately split into a wide smile when she heard this from C’thlyanu! This was perfect! Diane knew that this backwater world would eventually be thrown out for being too useless! How dare some foolish man from a Rank II world challenge her? Diane was going to make sure she punished Earth severely once she takes the seat as the head of their Domain! Diane turned to look at Jason, and she was already prepared to rub his loss in his face, but Diane was surprised when Jason slowly stood up from his seat! There was an aura of calmness around Jason, like he didn’t care about what C’thlyanu had said, and for a moment Diane wondered if Jason was going to leave the hall. But instead, Jason simply raised his hand, and ten shadow soldiers suddenly rose from the ground around him. Diane’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the soldiers, and she immediately knew that these were the Legion that she had heard so much about!
Each one of those soldiers was around SSS Rank or higher, and from what Diane had heard, Jason had thousands of these soldiers! Diane shook her head to get rid of the distraction, and she watched as nine of the shadow soldiers moved towards the council members while one of the soldiers knelt in front of Jason and presented something to him.
’Wait, what is that?’
Diane frowned as she noticed that all the soldiers were holding something in their hands! It was some sort of blue stone that glistened in the dim light of the room, and for some reason, Diane could feel her anxiety rising just by looking at that stone!
’Where have I seen that stone before? It looks so familiar, but I can’t put my tongue on it!’
Diane frowned dangerously as she tried to remember what that stone was! But it just wasn’t coming to her! The shadow soldiers floated up to the seats of the council members and handed them the stones that they held, and Diane finally noticed the looks on the faces of all the council members! The members were all looking at the stone with shocked expressions! It was almost like Jason had just handed them some precious item that they had never seen in their lives! Even C’thlyanu had been stunned into silence, and when C’thlyanu finally spoke, it was in a low voice that showed just how surprised he was.
"Jason Marc... where did you find this?"
Jason smiled calmly as he allowed the council members to appreciate the samples that he had given them, and it was only after a few seconds had passed that he finally spoke.
"What you have in your hands is a sample of the last remaining deposit of Aqualith Mineral in existence. I was lucky enough to come across a rather large layer of Aqualith Ore during my travels, and seeing as the ore was unpossessed by anyone at the time, I rightfully took it under my possession as it’s founder."
The council members were staring at the ore like they had just been given pieces of heaven itself! There wasn’t a single person there who didn’t understand the importance of this mineral! This Ore was not only one of the most useful magical stones in existence, but it was also one of the rarest! There had been entire expeditions sent out to look for this Ore, but there wasn’t a single world in the Primordial Expanse that had it! The only world that had it was Aquinas, and since it had vanished a long time ago, there was no way to get any more of it! This... could change everything! This meeting had become something larger than just a selection for the Overlord candidate of the Sixth domain! It had literally become a meeting to determine the economic future of the entire Primordial Expanse! C’thlyanu was one of the only council members who managed to remain calm in the face of such a shocking discovery, and he spoke up with another question.
"You say you found this stone unpossessed, is that right, Jason Marc? Well, if so, then just how much of it did you acquire?"
Jason’s smile turned into something twisted, and even before he spoke, C’thlyanu could already tell that the amount would be unbelievable! Jason looked at the length and breadth of the room they were in, and he hummed before he spoke.
"Let’s say it’s enough to fill up this entire room... five hundred times over."
Gasp!
T’arigan had actually gasped in shock when he heard the amount, and he stood up from his seat with a desperate look on his face! As one of the best craftsmen in the Primordial Expanse, T’arigan was one of the only people who truly understood the gravity of what Jason was presenting to them here right now! Aqualith was a water-based magic stone with higher magical conductivity than Dragonstone and a higher capacity for storing mana than some of the best Mana stones out there! Just a single piece of it that was large enough to fit in a hand would probably sell for millions of gold coins on the market! If what Jason was just saying was true, then this could change the entire world!