Chapter 110: Out to Sea

[Muster Fortune consumed: 500]

[Veyra — Mistveil March: Basic → Proficient]

[Muster Fortune consumed: 2,000]

[Veyra — Mistveil March: Proficient → Mastery]

Veyra went still, drawing her attention inward as the power spread through her. Cassian watched the changing entry in the Hall’s panel with satisfaction.

[Mistveil March — Mastery]

[Added Attributes: Physique +600 | Aether +600 | Spirit +360 | Load +360]

Cassian’s smile widened. Those were the bonuses from a single Training Art, on top of the strength she already possessed.

The next stage offered even more. Unfortunately, the Muster Fortune it required was still beyond him.

This would do very nicely for now.

After a while, Veyra opened her eyes. She had steadied the new strength, and the look she gave him was anything but calm.

"Mastery," she murmured. Then she drew him down beside her with a smile. "Now it’s my turn to thank you."

Cassian returned her kiss, and the rest of the night passed behind closed doors.

——

"I may have miscalculated."

Cassian sat up the next morning and rubbed his face. He had thought only of giving Veyra a useful improvement before his trip. He should have known she would want to celebrate it.

Breakfast helped. He ate enough for several people, then had fourteen bottles of Life Essence set aside from the Fountain’s accumulated stock. Its daily production had been building up steadily; these were bottles already in storage.

He drank one and let out a long, satisfied breath as its warmth spread through him. Now he felt ready for the day.

The other thirteen went with him.

Cassian went to Crystal Bastion before heading for the harbor.

The main keep rippled as he approached. The Crystal Mother’s face emerged from its surface, looking down at him.

"Lord Cassian. Your rate of growth is remarkable."

Her people showed little emotion, but he could hear the surprise in her voice.

"You’re too kind. I’ve come for a second batch of twelve Maiden Embryos."

If she devoted her production to them, the Crystal Mother could produce roughly one a day. He preferred to collect enough for a full squad at once.

She nodded, then hesitated.

"There is something I would like to ask of you."

Cassian frowned.

"Legendary Crystal Maidens?"

His Maidens hunted here often. Their advancement could hardly have escaped her notice.

The Crystal Mother paused. She had not expected him to guess so quickly.

"For one Legendary Embryo, I would give you twelve ordinary ones."

Cassian shook his head.

"You must be joking."

"Twenty-four."

She was more determined than he had expected. He considered the offer for a moment.

"Thirty-six. That’s my price."

He had no objection to her getting stronger. But the resource he used to raise an Embryo to Legendary was valuable, and he had plenty of uses for it himself.

The Crystal Mother was silent for a long time.

Then she answered calmly.

"Agreed."

They had settled the rate for a future exchange: one Legendary Embryo for thirty-six ordinary ones. Cassian kept that offer for another day.

"For today’s twelve, will you take twelve bottles of Life Water and one Life Essence again?" he asked.

The Crystal Mother agreed to the price. Cassian handed over the Water and one of his remaining bottles of Essence.

Twelve bloodcrystal bats rose from the keep, each carrying an Embryo. They flew down to him and laid out the full batch.

He collected all twelve.

——

Cassian traveled through the Gate and the portal to the Goblin harbor. His first Ghost Carrier was already waiting at the dock.

Harriet’s thirteen Dawnwings flew out to meet him, taking up positions on either side. Mina’s projection appeared on the deck.

"Lord, it’s an honor to carry you."

Aurelia and Celia boarded with him, followed by his nine Eclipse Praetorians and a contingent of Legionnaires. Harriet’s squad remained aboard the first Carrier. Heloise and her squad were still at sea with Liora.

Cassian walked to the bow.

"Take us out."

"Yes, Lord."

The huge ship eased away from the harbor and headed downriver.

The Tearflow River had no shortage of monsters. Within minutes, dozens of Mermen, freshwater Naga, and river fiends were closing around the hull. Several began climbing its sides.

"Keep them off the deck!" one of the Praetorians called.

The Eclipse troops moved to the rails. The first creature to haul itself over met their weapons, and the others fared no better. His guards could handle ordinary river monsters easily enough.

Cassian left them to it and returned to the broad, open deck. He took out the twelve new Embryos and set them in a row.

Twelve bottles of Life Essence remained.

He used one on the first Embryo. Light spread through the crystal as it absorbed the Essence, and its Quality changed.

[Crystal Maiden Embryo: Epic → Legendary]

Cassian smiled and moved on to the next.

One bottle for each Embryo. By the time he finished, all twelve were Legendary.

"Recruit."

The Embryos opened, and twelve Crystal Maidens emerged before him.

His second Legendary squad. Together with the twelve Level-20 Maidens he already had, that gave him twenty-four. These new recruits still had their Levels and training ahead of them, but their Quality was already where he wanted it.

"Good."

Cassian looked over his new troops with pleasure. Ships, housing, soldiers—he had been spending heavily, and everywhere he looked, he could see what that spending had bought him.

Darian’s hundred million for the Writ had arrived at just the right time.

The Carrier’s high sides gave Cassian a clear view over the river. He settled into a reclining chair and let the morning breeze wash over him. Water slipped past below; hills stretched away on either bank.

He had rarely felt so comfortable.

His thoughts wandered back to the Domain’s income. Moonrice and the other food his people produced, unwanted equipment, spare Sigils, Blueprints—none of those streams had stopped just because he had gone out to sea.

And now there was another product he could sell.

Diluted Life Water.

That idea had started with the dark circles under Celia’s eyes. She had wanted to use Life Water to clear them, but applying the concentrated liquid seemed wasteful. So she had mixed a little with ordinary water.

The result had led to more tests. Even diluted a thousandfold, it could still match a Rare recovery potion, enough to help ordinary troops recover Aether and heal injuries.

That changed how much use he could get from every bottle. He could offer the diluted potion openly as a Domain product while keeping the full-strength Life Water for his own force.

Useful income. But the contest for command of the Marches promised far more.

"This time, I’ll open a betting pool. No buying votes. No chasing people for support."

Cassian smiled at the passing river.

"Surely they won’t all bet on me if I do that."

At the rate his fleet was collecting Ballots, he could make a great deal of money.

Mina’s projection lingered nearby, looking particularly pleased.

Eleven Ghost Carriers, and her ship was the one carrying the Lord himself. She had greeted him formally at the harbor, but she could not quite hide her smile now.

Cassian was comfortable on her deck. That seemed to please her even more.

——

A shudder through the ship woke him.

Cassian opened his eyes. Someone had draped a blanket over him, and the sun was already low in the sky.

He had fallen asleep.

All that sunshine and an open deck, and he had slept through most of it. A few swimsuits would have completed the scene. Well, there was always tomorrow.

Celia stood nearby. She noticed him stirring and glanced toward the water.

"We’d only just entered the sea when a six-armed Naga found us. Level fifty-nine. Epic. Aurelia is pursuing it."

"We’re at sea already?"

Cassian pushed back the blanket and stood. Beyond the bow lay open salt water, stretching to the horizon.

Celia smiled faintly.

"With this many strong troops aboard, the monsters haven’t held us up for long."

Cassian nodded.

"Hold the Carrier here."

Cassian contacted Liora. Aurelia returned to the deck while they waited.

A magic circle soon appeared on the deck. The lines brightened, and the mage stepped out of them as though she had passed through an ordinary doorway.

She gave a graceful bow.

"Good afternoon, Lord."

"Aurelia. Celia. I’m Liora. It’s a pleasure to meet you both."

Celia watched the magic circle fade.

"So that’s how your Teleport works. Remarkable."

Aurelia studied the last traces with interest.

"How far can you travel with that?"

"My specialty is Order Power," Liora said. "At my present strength, a few hundred kilometers."

She smiled.

"More than enough for this part of the sea."

After taking command, Liora had assigned a hunting area to each of the eleven Ghost Carriers. She could direct the fleet while moving between its ships, bringing Dawnwings to any Carrier that encountered a strong monster.

The Hydra had fallen that way. She had gathered two Dawnwing squads and concentrated their fire on it.

Once the introductions were over, Cassian turned to her.

"Liora, tell everyone about the trouble you’ve run into."