Reforming was not Michael's main task. He was busy picking out suitable Awakened instead. Alice told Michael that she would spend the next few days with her parents and that she would return to the Origin Expanse afterward. Michael would have loved to talk a little bit more with Alice, but he wasn't against the idea of her spending some quality time with her parents.
In the first place, coming to the Tritan Alliance was something Alice did to talk to her parents and figure out what she wanted to do now. Michael came along, but that didn't mean he had to be with her for every minute of their lives. It wasn't like that before, either. Still, Michael was happy to have come and that he could get some interesting reactions out of her. She might not be fully in love with him just yet, but the seeds of liking had been sown.
Michael was one step closer to properly reuniting with Alice.
He let her be and focused on choosing suitable Awakened to take with to the Untamed Jungle. He had more than enough Teleportation Tokens and lots of space to bind weaker and stronger Awakened to his War Rune. More than 100,000 Awakened had registered at the Awakened Agency, but less than a quarter met Michael's requirements. Even fewer weren't affiliated with other nobles, which would complicate the whole process of binding them to his War Rune. Thus, he discarded most of them as well. That was until he found Hiraku's fianc. His ex-fianc, to be precise.
She had also registered at the Awakened Agency, but her reasoning was unusual. Hiraku's ex-fianc had already a powerful Soultrait, and she was still a Lordess. Still, she applied nonetheless, stating she would give up her territory if Michael took her in. Why would she go that far? Because Hiraku was ghosting her.
Michael burst into laughter, wondering what kind of sick joke she was playing until he realized she was serious. Hiraku had once mentioned something about a fianc from childhood and that their families had always been close. Hiraku ended the engagement, terminating it without asking his fianc what she wanted or how she felt. Given how willing she was to abandon her territory and give up everything she had worked for in the last few years, she must have had a different opinion from Hiraku.
'I think this is going to be very interesting. Hiraku doesn't approach others first and always rejects other women, saying he has been in love for years. He is probably in love with his ex-fianc and misunderstood somethingright?'
[I don't particularly care, but if you are mistaken about this, you will transform the Untamed Jungle into a battlefield for this couple. Hiraku is not too shabby, but this woman doesn't seem as weak as the rest of the Tritan Alliance's weaklings.]
'You enjoy this, don't you, Fenrir?' Michael asked the Best God, who yawned in response.
Either way, Michael decided to accept Hiraku's ex-fianc temporarily and talk to her first before completing his decision. With that in mind, Michael continued searching for suitable Awakened to become his Subordinates. He found a bunch of very talented children who had bad backgrounds, no money and were among the weakest Soultraits he had ever seen, but their determination and willpower were several times greater than the Awakened Agency's tests required to pass. They passed with flying colors and were considered the cream of the crop, if not for their Soultraits, financial situation, and possibly their weak energy paths.
Michael could solve each of these points. He could provide enough resources to empower their Soultraits and give them more Soultraits before solving their weak energy path issue and financial situation. Resources were something Michael had a surplus of. He had a lot of surplus resources for various things. His Subordinates wouldn't have to worry about going to bed with an empty stomach or being deprived of all resources. If anything, as long as they worked hard enough, they would be among the richest fellows in the Tritan Alliance within a few years.
"Jacqueline Orlando as well? When did she lose her territory?" Michael scratched the back of his head, realizing only now that he knew so few things about the people he'd gotten to know when he was still active in the Tritan Alliance.
[That's how life is. Sometimes, you cross paths with others for a while. Then your paths separate, and you will never see each other again. Or only occasionally, like it is here with Jacqueline or whatever her name is.]
Jacqueline Orlando not only lost her territory but also wanted to become one of Michael's Subordinates. She didn't ask him directly, and even Frederik must have told her that he couldn't make such a request. That was a good decision because Michael would have disliked his position if Frederik had made a request like that.
It was better for Jacqueline to join the Awakened Academy and work tirelessly without informing Michael about it. That was also why he added her to the list of Awakened, whom he would accept into his territory. There was no hesitation after reading her exam results.
Michael didn't waste any time picking out the best of the best, but he was not in a rush either. He worked meticulously and made sure not to miss any precious gems that had to be polished first. Many Tier-1 and Tier-2 Awakened never had the opportunity or means to grow stronger. That was a shame, which Michael could take advantage of.
He accepted many Tier-1 and even some Tierless Awakened into his retina. Sometimes, Michael followed his gut feeling, but most of the time, the provided data especially the statements as to how the Awakened lost their territories and what they were currently doing in the Origin Expanse, IF they could do something in the Origin Expanse, in the first place was the most helpful. It helped Michael discover the Awakened's potential, how desperate they were, and much more.
Once he was done picking up his precious unpolished gemstones, Michael decided to talk to Hiraku's fianc, Jacqueline, and all the polished gemstones. He liked what was written in their results and the other documents, but before he would let them into his territory, Michael needed some questions answered. Furthermore, Michael wouldn't let them into his territory without going through their minds using Mind Watcher. Maybe that was a little exaggerated, but it was an important clause. He wouldn't allow Awakened from the Awakened Agency into his territory without first going through their minds. It was a safety measurement that had to be completed.
If the Awakened didn't like their minds to be seen through, they could always reject his inquiry. Of course, that meant Michael wouldn't accept them into his territory. The term was not negotiable, but that was well-known by everyone. If they applied to become his Subordinates just for fun, Michael wouldn't want them in the first place without reading all the clauses properly.
He cleared his schedule and prepared all meetings with 1200 Awakened, who may or may not become members of his territory.
The Super Awakened of his territory would expand dramatically soon. Michael looked forward to it.