The afternoon sun hung low on the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of orange and crimson. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves as Clark stepped out of the palace, his steps slow and thoughtful. The heavy doors closed behind him with a quiet thud as he made his way down the stone path toward the peach garden.
The garden had become one of the calmest places within his growing domain. The unique peach trees, already thriving under the combined effects of divine soil, domain buffs, and Lilith's growth talent, stood tall with vibrant leaves swaying gently in the breeze. The faint aroma of young fruit perfumed the air.
Clark's gaze swept across the flourishing fields, but his mind was elsewhere.
Everything had progressed far faster than most would believe. He had gathered materials, raised loyal followers, and even obtained powerful divine skills that many young gods could only dream of. Yet, despite his considerable stockpile of resources, one obstacle stood in his way: the Rank 2 God's Palace Upgrade Token.
It was the final requirement he lacked for upgrading his palace. Divine crystals, wood, iron, stone, divinity—he had all in abundance. The Divine Core fragments were also piling up. But the token itself remained elusive, unavailable even in the special trade area.
Clark exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the distant horizon.
Standing silently under the soft glow of the setting sun, Clark opened his interface, pulling up the global chat once more. His fingers moved slowly as he scrolled through the flood of messages. He didn't expect much — in truth, almost none of the gods were likely to have what he sought.
Most of the young gods had only recently upgraded from their initial novice palaces to rank 1. After all, the first palace upgrade didn't require a token, only basic resources and some divinity. Beyond that, few even considered developing their domains further.
For many, the moment they acquired a sponsorship and gained a steady flow of divine crystals or divinity, their focus immediately shifted. They raced to strengthen their personal ranks, ascending quickly through the early god ranks while leaving their domains underdeveloped. The divine sponsorship made it possible to ascend faster, but only to a point—sooner or later, the lack of followers and territory would catch up to them.
Most of them, by now, had already reached the middle tier of rank 1 gods. Their limited numbers of followers, however, created a bottleneck that none could easily break through.
Clark narrowed his search, applying filters to refine the flood of messages into something more useful. He specifically searched for information regarding palace tokens.
To his surprise, a wealth of information emerged. Many gods actually knew far more than he expected. Most of them had learned directly from their sponsors, who casually revealed such matters to their protégés. Some discussions were theoretical; others were practical accounts from those whose sponsors had guided them.
The truth became clear.
Palace tokens weren't something that could be purchased through simple trade or earned by just gathering resources. They were rewards tied to battle and conquest — marks of having severed another god's path to divinity. A token would drop upon defeating another god of the required rank and shattering their territory's divine core, cutting off their future as a god entirely.
But there were alternatives. Evil gods, twisted abominations from the darker corners of existence, and void creatures—beings that lurked in the chaos beyond stable domains—could also drop palace tokens upon defeat. These creatures, however, were far more dangerous than young gods. Many fell attempting to confront them.
Some gods who had no means of obtaining such tokens personally were already selling tokens acquired by their sponsors. The sponsors would eliminate the threats or capture enemy gods, then pass down the tokens to their protégés, who in turn sold them for massive amounts of divinity to finance their own rapid growth.
Clark's eyes sharpened as he scrolled through trade offers.
"[Trade] Rank 2 Palace Token available. 300 divinity. Sponsored by Guardian-tier patron."
"[Auction] Palace Token (Verified) - opening bid 250 divinity. Void creature drop."
"[Limited Sale] Evil God Palace Token - 2000 divinity."
Most prices being mentioned hovered between 250 and 350 divinity. For many young gods, this was a steep price, but for Clark—who now stood with abundant wealth—it was nothing more than a minor transaction.
Clark's eyes narrowed as he examined the posts. Clearly, many of these tokens had been obtained not directly by the sellers themselves, but through the assistance of their powerful sponsors—ancient and monarch-tier gods who had hunted evil gods, void creatures, or rival gods on behalf of their protégés.
Then, one particular message stood out to him.
"[One Rank 2 Palace Token available. Direct trade only. Clean origin — Abomination Core Extraction. Trustworthy buyers only. DM if interested.] — Silent Thorn (Rank 3, Sponsored by Guardians of Souls")
The name carried a faint weight in the chat — Silent Thorns was known for being cautious and relatively neutral among young gods. Clark felt this might be the safest choice.
Without hesitation, he opened the private channel.
"I'm interested. Is the token verified and clean?"
The reply came quickly.
"Yes. Secured personally by my sponsor. No marks, no hidden clauses. Direct transfer — 300 divinity."
Clark briefly considered. The price was fair, well within the common range. There was no need to haggle.
"Agreed. Prepare for transfer."
The transaction initiated smoothly. Moments later, the system chimed:
[Trade Complete — Rank 2 Palace Token acquired.]
The token materialized into his divine storage — a crystal shard of dark azure, pulsing faintly like a fragment of condensed authority.
Clark exhaled softly. Finally, the last required piece for his palace upgrade was in his hands.
He opened the Territory Interface, bringing up the [Divine Palace] tab. The screen shimmered to life before his eyes, revealing the full requirements for the upgrade from Rank 1 to Rank 2.
[Divine Palace Rank-Up Requirements: Rank 1 → Rank 2]• Divine Crystals: 50,000• Stone: 50,000• Wood: 50,000• Iron: 50,000• Divine Core: 1• Divinity: 100• Rank 2 Palace Upgrade Token: 1
His gaze swept over the figures.
He had the materials. He had the divinity. He had even managed to acquire a Divine Core after cracking open that golden chest. And now, the token — the final piece — had just been added to his inventory.
Clark closed the interface without initiating anything yet. His heart was steady, but his instincts urged patience. Upgrading the palace wasn't just about growth — it would trigger attention. Unwanted attention.
For now, he simply stood still, watching the peach trees rustle gently in the wind, quietly planning his next steps.