Chapter 379 - 373 — The Customer’s Experience

Elarion — Council Chamber,

Aurethar had claimed the warm stones beside the fireplace long before anyone else arrived.

The golden dragon lay with his wings folded comfortably against his sides, his tail curved around the hearth like a lazy cat. When Ironbreaker dragged a heavy wooden chair nearer the fire, Aurethar opened one eye.

"You could leave some heat for the rest of us," the dwarf grumbled, hauling the chair over the stone floor.

"Come closer, Shorty. I don't charge for it."

Ironbreaker froze, dropping the chair. "Call me that again, you oversized cat, and I'll have your favourite chimney bricked up."

"Take a ladder when you do so, Shorty. I'd hate for you to get halfway through it and fall off."

Brakka coughed into his beard to hide a snort while Ironbreaker pointed a finger at him before pulling his chair closer and dumping himself into it.

"Laugh laugh laugh all you want,i will see if you can laugh when he starts sleeping on your roof."

"If he keeps taunting you like that," Brakka said dryly, "I might have a chimney built for him."

Lucien entered just as Lucas was setting out the last neat stacks of paper. Malen and Cedric sat beside each other, their reports already open. Dray had brought a thick roll of naval blueprints, while Gandalf hovered near Maerath, his iconic beard hanging just above the floorboards like a drifted snowbank.

Lucien looked from the sleeping dragon to the two scowling dwarves. "Have you started without me?"

"We were discussing chimney repairs," Aurethar replied smoothly. "Ironbreaker has offered to undertake one personally,aint it."

"Keep talking," the dwarf muttered into his beard.

Lucien took his seat at the head of the table before the argument could develop any further. "The assessment of Elarion is complete. We have fulfilled the requirements for Tier Three."

Dray lowered his drawings. Brakka gave the table a satisfied, solid tap, while Gandalf leaned forward with a keen glint in his eye.

"And the reward, my lord?" Ironbreaker asked.

"A million points, along with several other significant benefits."

The dwarf's hand stopped dead over his papers. Lucas watched him glance immediately at Brakka.

"Before either of you begins," Lucas interrupted calmly, tapping his ledger, "we will hear requests in proper order."

"I haven't said anything!" Ironbreaker protested.

"You have already pulled out another list."

"It's the same list!"

"Then why is this one three inches longer?"

Lucien opened the document case while the rest of the council laughed. "We will get to the purchases. First, there are these."

Four pale silver-blue cards lay beside one featuring a rich, deep-gold border. He passed three of the pale cards across the polished table to Malen, Gandalf, and Maerath, keeping the fourth beside his own papers.

"Ascendant Advancement Cards. One for each of you, one for myself, and the fifth has already gone to Lucas."

Gandalf caught his card by its edges. For a moment, the old wizard seemed to forget the room entirely. He studied the intricate, glowing emblem, then raised wide eyes to Lucien.

"Ascendant, my lord?"

"That is the destination."

Maerath turned his card over slowly, marveling at the weightless parchment. Malen held his between two fingers, taking considerably more care with it than he usually showed anything that didn't have a sharpened edge.

"Can we use them now, my lord?" Malen asked, looking up.

"Yes. We can accept the advancement immediately. The breakthrough itself will remain dormant while the continent's shield prevents us from reaching that rank."

Maerath's thumb stopped against the card's edge. "I have spent years trying to pass that limit, my lord. Having something waiting beyond it is far more than I expected when Lucas called this meeting."

Gandalf gave a slow, solemn nod. "Thank you, my lord."

Lucien looked toward his military commander. "You understand what this means for our present plans, Malen?"

"I do,My lord."

"Good."

Aurethar lifted his massive head from beside the fireplace, his golden scales catching the hearth light. "And the one you are keeping away from the dwarves, Lucien?"

Ironbreaker frowned. "Nobody was keeping anything away from us!"

"You've already checked twice whether the border is real gold," Aurethar noted.

Lucien took the remaining gold-bordered card and walked over to the hearth. Aurethar shifted a massive foreclaw, allowing Lucien to place the card on the warm stone.

"This one is yours."

The dragon lowered his head, sniffing the card before lifting his gaze.

"A Paragon Advancement Card," Lucien explained. "It can take an Ascendant to Paragon. It requires the recipient to have already reached Ascendant, so it cannot carry someone through the earlier ranks."

Aurethar's slit-pupiled eyes remained locked on the shimmering card. Then he raised his head far enough to look directly into Lucien's eyes.

"Your shop is becoming considerably more interesting, human." The usual teasing amusement in his voice had softened into genuine respect.

"Your strength is suppressed here," Lucien continued, "but you have already attained Ascendant. You meet the requirement."

"The Greater Shield will still prevent the breakthrough," Aurethar observed.

"Yes. Ending the suppression around this continent would restore access to your existing strength. Reaching Paragon requires freedom from the Greater Shield's restriction as well."

Aurethar touched the fine edge of the card with the tip of one claw. "I have waited without such a promise before. I can certainly wait with one." He looked up again. "Thank you, Lucien."

Lucien smiled. "I thought it might get you away from the fireplace."

"Let us avoid making unreasonable demands on a single card," the dragon drawled, lowering his head back down.

Ironbreaker snorted loudly into his beard.

Lucien returned to the table and picked up his own card. Lucas drew the fifth Ascendant card from his inner coat pocket.

"The instructions are simple," Lucien told the room. "Hold it and consciously accept the advancement."

He went first.

The pale emblem brightened beneath his thumb. A soft, radiant light spread through the card, dissolving its edges before sinking seamlessly into his palm.

A sleek system notice appeared before his eyes:

Advancement Accepted.

Destination: Ascendant

Immediate Effect: Transcendent Knight (Rank IX — Legendary Limit Achieved)

Status: Ascendant Rank Dormant. Shield restriction remains active.

Lucien exhaled as a sudden wave of condensed aura settled into his core, stopping right at the continent's ceiling.

"It has accepted the use," Lucien reported, feeling the raw strength. "I've hit the Legendary limit for now—the rest is queued."

Malen closed his fingers tightly around his card. Silver light slipped between his knuckles, and when he opened his hand, the card was gone. He felt his aura expand upward from Peak Knight, steadying cleanly at the next threshold while the final jump to Ascendant waited in reserve.

Gandalf and Maerath followed suit without hesitation. Blue arcana flared around Gandalf as his core instantly bound itself to the Legendary Mage boundary, while Maerath—already standing at the continent's maximum limit—felt the card settle cleanly into his soul, waiting for the sky to open. Lucas took a steadying breath, smooth as ever, before accepting his own reward.

At the hearth, Aurethar rested a heavy foreclaw against the Paragon card. Its rich golden light moved across his scales like liquid sun and vanished, leaving the stone bare.

The dragon examined his claw, flexed it once, and felt no immediate shift—his current suppression held firm, and Paragon lay beyond the Greater Shield itself. He settled back down comfortably.

Lucas flexed his fingers experimentally, checking his own newly bolstered baseline before reaching for his quill once more.

"You can leave that alone for a moment," Aurethar murmured lazily from the floor. "Nobody intends to steal your ledger."

"They might add something to it," Lucas countered smoothly.

The dragon glanced sideways at the thick stack of papers waiting in front of Ironbreaker. "A reasonable concern."

Lucas recorded the recipients, then flipped to a fresh page.

Lucien opened the milestone Exchange window. Its glowing interface remained visible only to him.

"There is also a limited sale. We have seventy-two hours from this morning, with discounts ranging between fifty and ninety percent. Each offer can be purchased only once."

Ironbreaker practically threw himself forward against the table edge. "What is available, my lord?"

"Enough that reading everything would keep us sitting here until the sale timer expires. Tell me what your departments need most. I will check the relevant section, read out the offers, and we can decide which are worth buying."

"And whether we can actually use them," Lucas chimed in smoothly. "A cheap machine requiring a workshop we do not possess is still just an expensive way to decorate a room."

Brakka gave the administrator a reluctant nod. "Aye. That's fair enough."

Lucien turned toward his military commander. "Let us begin with the military. What would help most right now?"

Malen rested his forearms on the table, leaning in. "My lord, the rewards we have just received will matter greatly when the restrictions end. But the commandos must deal with threats inside those restrictions now and their current strength needs to be increased too."

Cedric nodded in agreement. "Their weapons give them tremendous striking power, my lord. But during an operation, a high-tier enemy may survive the first strike, close the distance rapidly, or force them to maneuver."

"What are you asking for?"

"Greater personal strength, if the shop offers it," Malen said simply. "Something strictly within the continent's limit. Better body protection would be my next request."

Lucien selected the advancement tab in the Exchange.

There were individual cards, class bundles intended for particular magic paths, and specialized offers whose prices remained unpleasant even with ninety percent of the original figure slashed out. He passed those by and stopped at a featured bundle.

"Listen to this," Lucien said, his eyes scanning the listing.

> Peak Knight Advancement Cards — Bundle of 50

> Destination: Peak Knight — Rank VIII

> Effect: Direct advancement to the stated rank.

> Regular Price: 1,000,000 Points

> Milestone Price: 100,000 Points

> Discount:90%

> Purchase Limit: One bundle.

Lucas's quill stopped dead mid-air. "One hundred thousand for all fifty, my lord?"

"For the complete bundle."

"That is two thousand per card!"

Malen leaned over the table, his eyes bright "That is a good bundle"

The commander looked instantly toward Cedric, who had already pulled an operational sheet from his folder.

"We can select fifty elite commandos who would benefit most, my lord," Cedric said. "Men who have already completed advanced tactical training and proven utterly dependable in service."

Lucien looked at Malen. "And the usage?"

"A good battering ram."

"And their equipment handling?"

"They already know the gear inside and out," Malen replied. "Greater physical strength would let them carry heavier ordinance, move faster under load, and survive when a covert operation turns into a brutal close-quarters fight."

Ironbreaker rubbed his thick beard, a dangerous grin spreading across his face. "Fifty Peak Knights carrying the kind of terrifying weapons we forge for those bastards..." He glanced sideways at Brakka. "I would hate to be the fellow who answers the door when they come knockin'."

Aurethar opened one golden eye from his spot by the fire. "For once, Shorty, you have considered the customer's experience."

"They aren't customers!"

"Neither are they likely to leave a bad review afterward."

Lucien glanced at Lucas, half-expecting an administrative objection about spending a tenth of their milestone grant in one click.

The administrator was carefully checking the figure he had just copied down. "I fully agree with the purchase, my lord."

Ironbreaker stared at him in disbelief. "That was fast!"

"I object to bad expenditure," Lucas retorted smoothly, without missing a beat. "You usually supply enough of it that nobody notices when I approve the good stuff."

Brakka barked out a laugh while Lucien tapped the screen.

> Purchase Confirmed.

> 100,000 Points Deducted.

A long, shallow velvet case materialized smoothly on the oak table.

Malen drew it toward himself and lifted the latches. Inside, the cards lay fitted in neat, precise rows, each carrying a deep silver emblem. He counted the rows carefully before closing the lid with a firm snap.

"I will prepare the roster with Cedric immediately, my lord."

"Bring the names to me before distribution. These are for the commandos, and I want every single card going to someone who has earned it."

"Yes, my lord."

Lucien was about to leave the advancement tab when another highlighted listing caught his eye further down the sale list. He opened it, read the parameters, then looked back up across the table.

"There is a second bundle."

Lucas dipped his quill. "How much, my lord?"

"Fifty thousand."

"For how many?"

"Five Legendary Advancement Cards."

The quill remained frozen suspended above the inkwell once more.

Maerath set down the report he had been reading. "Legendary, my lord?"

Lucien read the entry aloud for the council:

> Legendary Advancement Cards — Knight Path, Bundle of 5

> Destination:Transcendent Knight

> Effect: Direct advancement to the stated rank.

> Regular Price: 500,000 Points

> Milestone Price: 50,000 Points

> Discount: 90%

> Purchase Limit: One bundle.

Malen stared at the closed case sitting right in front of him.

The first bundle would give fifty of his commandos physical strength equal to his own past rank. This second bundle would instantly vault five of them to current him.

"Those can take full effect here as well," Maerath noted thoughtfully. "Rank Nine, Transcendent Knight... Legendary is the absolute ceiling of this continent."

Lucien nodded. "Exactly."

For a long moment, nobody reached for another paper.

Five Legendary-tier combatants were a completely different strategic asset than another shipment of advanced rifles. They could lead assault teams through narrow breach points, hold a defensive choke against overwhelming odds during an extraction, and personally duel heavy demonic entities that would otherwise force an entire squad to fall back.

Aurethar looked over toward Malen with a playful snort. "Five men at your new rank, and all five still have to obey you. A splendid arrangement—for you."

Malen's mouth twitched slightly. "Someone must decide which dangerous assignments they receive."

"Spoken like a true commander," Aurethar chuckled.

Lucien tapped his fingers on the table. "These five cards go to the commandos as well. Would you group them into a single strike team or distribute them across separate squads?"

Malen weighed the tactical options carefully. "That would depend on the mission, my lord. Keeping them together gives us an unstoppable spearhead force. Separating them allows us to attach a Legendary guardian to multiple covert teams operating against magical threats or high-tier targets."

Cedric pulled his roster closer. "We should maintain operational flexibility, my lord. We select five men who already have seamless teamwork, then deploy them together or independently based on the mission parameters."

Lucien gave a firm nod. "Five different recipients from the fifty receiving the Peak Knight cards. There is no point wasting two cards bringing the same man to a rank the second card grants directly."

"Understood, my lord," Malen said.

Lucas finished tallying the figures and laid his quill flat. "My lord, buy the second bundle too."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. "You sound surprisingly concerned that I might refuse."

"For once, my lord, I am terrified you might keep talking until the discount timer runs out."

Lucien laughed and clicked the purchase button.

> Purchase Confirmed.

> 50,000 Points Deducted.

A second, smaller wooden case settled right beside the first. Malen opened it, revealing five cards etched with a brilliant, pale-gold emblem. He stared down at them for several breaths in absolute silence before gently closing the lid.

"Thank you, my lord."

"Make certain the men understand the gravity of what they have been handed."

"They will, my lord. I'll make sure of it."

Lucas drew a bold, clean line beneath the two transactions. "One hundred and fifty thousand points spent, my lord. Eight hundred and fifty thousand of the milestone grant remains."

Ironbreaker peeked at the ledger. "And we've barely even started!"

"I am painfully aware," Lucas replied dryly.

Aurethar shifted near the hearth, stretching one long, scaled foreleg toward the dancing flames. "Try to enjoy it, Lucas. You've just bought fifty-five massive rank advancements without having to pay a single copper for housing, rations, or barracks."

"The day is still young, dragon."

That drew a loud laugh even from the usually stoic Maerath.

Lucien closed the advancement tab and turned back to Malen. "You mentioned personal protection as your next requirement."

"Yes, my lord. I would like to see if there is specialized armor suited to their work. Something that dramatically improves their survival against high-tier attacks without weighing them down, hindering covert movement, or preventing them from boarding an aircraft or carrying a wounded comrade out of a hot zone our current armor though useful isnt anything mircale and we are also reaching limits of what we can add."

"Check magical defense options as well, my lord," Cedric added sharply. "Plate steel does not answer every curse or elemental spell they might run into."

Gandalf nodded in agreement. "And any protective gear must synergize cleanly with their own aura channels. We should examine the specs carefully before choosing."

Lucas reached for a fresh sheet of paper. Lucien noticed the movement and smirked.

"You expect another long list?"

"I have Ironbreaker on my left, Dray on my right, and you staring into a system shop with eight hundred and fifty thousand points burning a hole in your pocket, my lord."

Aurethar lowered his great golden head back onto his forelegs with a long, rumbling sigh. "He has finally identified the single most dangerous position in all of Elarion."

Lucien laughed and clicked open the equipment catalog.