Sera opened the tab and found a list of her interactions through the day, as well as any orders she had given directly, at the top of the list, was the previous message she had seen congratulating her on her test completion, and her Diamond Grade Territory, but there was a second message under it that she hadn’t seen listing her rewards.

Reward 1: 5000 gold coins

Reward 2: 2x Experience for 30 days

Reward 3: Level 3 Building (Inn) added to Starter Territory

Reward 4: 50% increase in migration influx for 30 days

Reward 5: 1x Potential Increase Token

Reward 6: 1x Gold Grade Weapon (Bow of Night)

Reward 7: Blessing of the Nine Heavens (Skill: Of Many Tongues)

Rewards 3 and 4 were already grey, so Sera assumed this meant they were already granted considering she’d clearly seen the Inn outside. The first reward, Sera knew was a lot of money. She’d clearly seen the pricing of the businesses in her town and knew that none of them dealt in gold, it was bronze, or the rare exception of silver. Sera was also aware of her own private safe in her study, so elected to place 100 gold coins there for her own funds and move the rest to the territory treasury which was currently in the Barracks.

Reward 2 clearly had something to do with her individual level. Growing twice as fast for 30 days would be satisfactory for her. Reward 5, the Potential Increase Token, was clearly something to do with the potential stat that everyone possessed, but Sera would have to do more research before she decided whether to use it on herself or one of her subordinates.

The weapon she was granted appeared before her when she hesitantly reached her hand towards the hovering screen to click on the words. The bow was beautiful, a dark blue almost black wood with light grey lines. It was a recurve bow, and elegant. She loved it wholeheartedly.

The final reward, Sera wasn’t entirely sure of, but if it was a blessing from the Nine Heavens she was sure it was good. After clicking on it to accept it, she felt a knowledge she had not been previously aware of appear in her brain, and for several moments her head ached as her brain processed it. As Sera recovered, she realised it was a blessing of language, though she had no indication of what language or languages she had been given knowledge of.

After accepting her rewards, Sera opened the Territory Classification Guide and began to read.

Within the Nine Heavens, there are varying Tiers and Grades that classify Territories. A Territory’s ‘Grade’ cannot be changed once granted, and higher Grades are granted higher blessings by the Nine Heavens.

Common Grade Lands are those that predominantly have not been claimed by a Territory, or lands with no blessings. Many refer to these lands as the ‘Wilds’.

Copper Grade Lands are the lowest Grade lands granted as Territories by the Nine Heavens. They have minimal blessings and are barely better than Common Grade Lands. Granted to those with a 60-69% Completion Rate on the Territory Development Test.

Bronze Grade Lands are typically 10-20% better in blessings than Copper Grade Lands, but less commonly granted. Granted to those with a 70-79% Completion Rate on the Territory Development Test.

Silver Grade Lands are typically 30-40% better than Copper Grade Lands. Granted to those with a 80-89% Completion Rate on the Territory Development Test.

Gold Grade Lands are widely considered the best of granted Territories, typically being 50-75% better than Copper Grade Lands. Granted to those with a 90-94% Completion Rate on the Territory Development Test.

(The following information is only given to those granted these lands, and is a close-kept secret of the Nine Heavens)

Diamond Grade Lands are the best Territories that can be granted by the Nine Heavens and not all worlds possess individuals with the capabilities to be granted such a territory. They typically have double the capabilities of Copper Grade Lands. Only those who have a Completion Rate of 95-99% in the Territory Development Test are granted Diamond Grade Lands. It is widely believed by the Nine Heavens that a 100% Completion Rate for the Territory Development Test is impossible, as never before has it been done.

For the first time, Sera understood just how important and significant her Completion Rate of the Test and the Diamond Grade Territory she had been granted, were. It made her curious to know if anybody else from her world had been capable of what she had achieved. It also made her terrified of anybody finding out what she possessed. With this in mind, she read on.

In contrast to a Territory’s Grade which cannot be changed once granted, a Territory’s Tier can be, and it is a common goal of every Territory Ruler to upgrade their Territory. Each Tier is given a certain amount of levels, and reaching the next Tier upgrades the Territory. The Tiers of Territories are as follows:

Tier 1 = Levels 1-10 > Lord’s Territory

Tier 2 = Levels 11-20 > City State

Tier 3 = Levels 21-30 > Small Kingdom

Tier 4 = Levels 31-40 > Intermediate Kingdom

Tier 5 = Levels 41-50 > Large Kingdom

Tier 6 = Levels 51-60 > Empire (1 world)

Tier 7 = Levels 61-80 > Baronet Empire (2 worlds)

Tier 8 = Levels 81-100 > Viscounty Empire (5 worlds)

Tier 9 = Levels 101-120 > County Empire (10 worlds)

Tier 10 = Levels 121-150 > Marquisate Empire (50 worlds)

Tier 11 = Levels 151-200 > Ducal Empire (100 worlds)

Tier 12 = Levels 201-300 > Archducal Empire (500 worlds)

Tier 13 = Levels 301-500 > Royal Empire (1000 worlds)

Tier 14 = Levels 501-1000 > Super Empire (10,000 worlds)

Tier 15 = Levels 1001-2000 > Heavenly Empire (100,000 worlds)

There are countless Empires throughout the Nine Heavens, but only 9 Heavenly Empires. Those who rule the Heavenly Empires are descended from Bloodlines that began with the inception of the Nine Heavens.

The following guide will list the minimum requirements for the upgrading of a Territory. The most basic requirements of a Territory’s upgrade will always include its Population and its Geographical Area. Other requirements may include but are not limited to; buildings or sites of significance, the percentage of a population involved in military pursuits, the dominance or diversity of a faith or faiths, and the percentage of a population that meets a certain level of education.

Sera was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that there were Empires that spanned a minimum of 100,000 worlds. Such a thing was something beyond her imagination, and she was well-aware that her small Lord’s Territory would not even be a chore for such an ancient and powerful Empire to either stomp out or absorb. She understood now why they were given 6 years to ‘acclimatise’ to the Nine Heavens. If they were simply taken there without warning or preparation, they would be all too easily squashed. As it was, they had little chance of standing against such figures even if their entire world was united.

The Empire of 1 world against a Heavenly Empire of 100,000 worlds…it wasn’t even a competition. They would be crushed.

It was at this juncture that Mimi knocked and asked if she should prepare dinner.

For a moment, Sera was tempted to tell her not to bother. However, her mind wondered to what she had done to pass the Territory Development Tests. She had been given this territory because the Nine Heavens had determined her to be worthy of it. She would not be worthy if she decided now to throw in the towel because of a Heavenly Empire that may or may not threaten her territory in six years. Six years was a long time. It was more than enough time for her to develop her Territory into something that might, at the very least, make those giants pause.

“I’ll take dinner in here when it’s ready, Mimi,” said Sera, then she went on to read about the requirements of building her Territory up.

She may have been at Tier 1, Level 1, but despite the missing buildings and infrastructure, what she lacked most was population, which, if this book was right, she could reach within the first two weeks considering her population boost blessing.

To get to Level 2, a Territory had to have a minimum population of 100, and an area of 2km².

She already had area, and with her migration influx, she could have the population sooner rather than later.

According to the Guide, a migration influx only occurred as a guarantee for a territory in the first 6 months of its inception. Depending on a Territory’s Grade, a number of new migrants would arrive every 3 days. 2 migrants for Copper, 3 for Bronze, 4 for Silver, 6 for Gold, and 10 for Diamond. With her 4th reward, Sera would be getting 15 new citizens every 3 days. In 15 days, she’d have 107 citizens if nothing went wrong.

The population was appreciated, but the massive influx presented another problem. She hadn’t the room in the already prepared buildings to house them all, and the population would continue to increase every 3 days for 6 months.

She’d have 182 citizens by the time 30 days were up. When six months passed, she’d have another 513 on top of that. And that was just the normal migration influx, if there were other villages erected by the Nine Heavens in the space she would no doubt have to expand into, she’d automatically be taking them in as well.

She needed a builder and a logger. A stonemason would be good as well. She also needed citizens to explore the unexplored areas so she knew which directions were safe to expand her territory in.

She needed Carpenters. Definitely more than 5 guards as well. And more than 1 hunter.

This felt like the hardest management game she’d ever played, not that she’d been given access to many in her life. Still, Sera felt that the pressure was more because these were actual lives she was dealing with.

Lost in her thoughts as she ate, Sera made a long list of jobs she desperately would need covered within the next week or so if not sooner, jobs she would need covered before they reached Level 2, and jobs that needed to be covered within a month. She also made a note of desirable skills as well.

Taking account of her funds, she made a mark next to each job to indicate what she was willing to pay. She then told Mimi to put the lists up outside the meeting hall.

She also made a list of buildings that she thought were necessary, and not just because they were required for upgrading the Territory. This list she kept for when she encountered a builder, which she hoped would be within the next week.

The final list she made was one related to the military. Her Private Guard were sufficient for now, but she would need both more in her own Guard, and to establish an actual Territory Military. She needed to outline training and requirements for that training.

As harsh of a teacher as he had been, Lance had taught her brilliantly, if she had an army of Lances, she’d be set, but that was an ideal more than an actual reality.

Finally, as she settled in to bed, Sera read a book she had found in her private study on the levels and tiers of individuals.

From how the book explained it, Tiers were stages at which one could rise to a higher level of power and ability. Levels were secondary to them, but were a more steady measure of power and ability increase.

Everyone started at Tier 0, Level 1. Tier 0 was essentially the Mortal Grade. Once one reached level 20, they would reach the end of their journey unless they had what was called an ‘enlightenment’ which would upgrade them to Tier 1. This, Sera imagined, was similar to Cultivation in the sense that in Tier 1, you opened your body, mind and soul to the possibilities of Mana – a key energy of the Nine Heavens.

At level 50, one once again reached the end of the road unless they underwent enlightenment to upgrade to Tier 2. This Tier was where one started to comprehend Mana and its purpose.

At level 100, one reached the level requirement for entering Tier 3, where the body would have a qualitative change that represented a half-step into a higher realm of existence. Where Tiers 1 and 2 may have extended one’s life expectancy, Tier 3 slowed aging almost to the point of stopping it. Level 180 was where one could become Tier 4. This was where aging was left behind entirely. One couldn’t die from old age after Tier 4, and their power and abilities would easily level cities.

Level 270 was where one could upgrade to Tier 5, a demigod level of power and awareness. Most never reached Tier 4, let alone Tier 5, so the few that did were revered.

Tier 6 however, was the highest realm one could enter, that of a God of the Nine Heavens. Only a very special few ever passed to receive enlightenment at level 400, and usually they were fated to do so. They were unrivalled existences. To challenge one was a death sentence to the unprepared. They had knowingly destroyed worlds, with little more than a wave of their hands.

The knowledge of what she had learned in just one day was enough to show Sera the gravity of what being brought to the Nine Heavens meant. It was indeed a boon of opportunity, but it could just as easily be a death sentence for those who did not tread carefully.

Sera would have to plan both her Territory’s and her own development carefully.