Lucian read over the options that were currently available. His focus was on a planet that could provide some mixture of food, water, wood, or other materials to expand his influence.

"If expanding the influence of my Domain can allow me to unlock Microlinks, that's almost as necessary as food and water," Lucian muttered. After unlocking the [Endurance I] Microlink, he felt he could survive, though uncomfortably, for another month without sustenance.

Not that he wanted to risk it.

A planet that could provide more than a single one of his needs would take priority. After that, he would focus on exploring and expanding.

Now that Lucian had time to look at the Map, he could see that multiple options were available, though he only had a single Psyon remaining.

"What's this?"

There were now three new tiles dimly lit aside from the six Tiles adjacent to his initial Planet, Borol. Two of the hexagons were ringed in red, and there was no name or information available, while the final only had a red name. He focused on this red named Tile that was to the northwest of his current location.

[Velison]

[Cost: X]

[Planet Grade: 29]

[An inhabited planet in the Troon Sector. Known for its venomous creatures. Eating the cooked meat of these beasts is known to heal wounds and cure illnesses]

"That's incredible!" Lucian blurted. "Though, the cost is exorbitant, isn't it?"

[The further a Tile is from the Inaugural Line, the more Psyons it costs to unlock, and the higher its planet grade will be]

"Oh? What's the Inaugural Line?" He asked curiously.

[Inaugural Line]

[The Tiles that extend East and West belong to the Inaugural Line. All one billion contestants spawn along this line. Hosts then have to choose to extend their influence to new lands or to conquer other Host's Domains]

"What?! So someone is on the next Tile thinking about killing me?!" Lucian's heart began to beat fast, and he clutched his knife tightly while looking in either direction.

[Six Tiles are placed between contestant Starting Tiles. Total cost to unlock Tiles is 1,222 Psyons. If two adjacent Tiles are part of a Host Domain, the barrier will collapse]

Lucian sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how others were fairing compared to him, but he'd only earned three Psyons. He refused to believe someone else had already acquired more than twelve hundred!

"Alright, so I need to be prepared, but I should be safe for a while. Thanks, Ed," He muttered, embarrassed by his impetuous outburst. "Can you explain the planet grade to me?"

[Planet Grade]

[Like Host's Milestone and Wave Grades, a Planet is Graded in three categories. The beauty of the Planet, the usefulness of the resources on the Planet, and the threat level of the Planet. Each has a grade of 1-100, and the Planet Grade is the average of all three]

"So, a planet with a Grade of 29 like this one could be a 100 on the danger scale, with just a few points in beauty or resources..." Lucian looked at the black wall of nothingness that separated the Tiles with a hint of trepidation. It wasn't likely that a planet full of venomous creatures was beautiful. He assumed the Grade was increased by the danger of the animals and the usefulness of their healing properties.

"What makes this Planet such a high Grade then?" His eyes scanned the Tile on which he currently stood. It was barren aside from a few small boulders. The ground was solid and the same greenish-brown color of the saber-cat. The gravity was neat, but he didn't think that would tie into any of the three categories. "Resources then?"

The tiger had been dangerous for him, but he wasn't naive enough to believe it was a top Grade threat. He would rather face it again than some of the crazy creatures that swam in Earth's oceans. That only left the final option.

"One thing at a time, Lucian," He chastised himself. "Let's focus on food and water before adventuring. Ed, is this Tile part of my Domain now?"

[To claim a Tile, Host must build a defensible structure. During the Waves, Preservation and Efficiency Grades are based on how well Host's Domain is protected. This includes Host's facilities and other lifeforms under Host's protection]

"Why does this have to be so complicated?" Lucian sighed. The Tile with the venomous creatures was too expensive for him, so he turned to the other two new additions to the Map. Both were outlined in red. No Planet names were available, but the cost...

"One hundred Psyons?" He asked, confused. "What's the pattern here?"

[Beginning from Host's Starting Tile, adjacent Tiles to the East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest cost a single Psyon to unlock. Traveling in a straight line in any direction away from the Inaugural Line, the Tile's cost will increase by ten times the previous.

This fact does not hold true for Tiles that are not on a direct path from Starting Tile. Before accessing a Tile not on the direct path, Host must first unlock the required Tiles surrounding it.

Example: To unlock the Tile to the West of Vorikan, Host must first unlock Velison and the Tile that lies two spaces west of Starting Tile]

All of the Tiles on Lucian's [Map] disappeared that weren't part of Ed's example. There was the Starting Tile [Borol]. Two tiles in the Northwestern direction were slowly highlighted in blue. Once that was done, the two Tiles directly to the East were highlighted. Once all four of these were highlighted, the Tile that conjoined the two turned from red to blue.

"I understand, but I don't," Lucian sighed. "I can see how it works now, but why is it like this, and what makes those Tiles more expensive?"

[Tiles that are not in the direct path of starting Tile hold rarer resources, creatures, opportunities, or chances to gain more Psyons]

Lucian pouted, "That's a good reason, I guess."

"Alright, let's look at the Tiles surrounding the Starting Tile then," He stated. "I damn sure can't afford the other ones."