Chapter 123: A Curse Worth a Sneeze

[Abyssal Dockyard has reached Level 3.]

[Equipment unlocked for all warships: Grapnel Launcher.]

Cassian nodded in satisfaction.

A fired grapnel could tether a target to the ship. It was one of the most useful ways to control an enemy at sea. The next time his fleet encountered something as troublesome as a Hydra, a dozen grapnels would make it struggle just to move. Escaping would be even harder.

"Keep upgrading."

Several thousand more units of resources disappeared into the Dockyard.

[Abyssal Dockyard has reached Level 7.]

[Ghost Carrier function unlocked: Building Support.]

Cassian stared for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He could build on his Carriers now.

A deck, a swimming pool, women in swimsuits. That last missing part of his plan was finally possible.

Of course, the pool could wait. There was a much more useful Building to put aboard first.

Cassian selected the Gate endpoint in the Carrier’s new construction list. The Dockyard supplied the design; he needed no separate Blueprint.

"Build. Complete it now."

He paid the construction and completion costs. A Gate took shape at Ghost One’s bow.

Cassian registered it with the Gate in Forgotten Shrine. The connection would follow this ship as it sailed, giving him a direct route home from the sea. Opening it would use one of his four Transit Links and carry the usual opening and maintenance fees.

He could return to the Fountain whenever he needed to recover his Aether, then come straight back aboard.

That alone made the upgrade worthwhile.

Cassian checked his Battle Essence reserve and gave another order.

"Ghost One. Straight to Level 5."

[Battle Essence consumed: 78,390,000]

[Ghost One: Level 2 → Level 5]

A Level-5 warship was equivalent to a Level-30 troop. Raising a Legendary warship cost five or six times as much Battle Essence as raising a Legendary Hero, sometimes more.

His daily hunting income had risen past twenty million Battle Essence. Even so, this one ship had swallowed most of what he had saved over the past several days.

It was worth it.

The bright glow faded, revealing a Carrier roughly a third larger than before. Cassian opened its new base attributes.

[Ghost One | Legendary]

[Level: 5]

[Main Gun: Power 2,500 ×1]

[Secondary Guns: Power 1,000 ×24]

[Shield: Maximum Power 3,000]

[Ghost Fighters: 60]

[Armor: 2,000]

[Maximum Speed: 120 knots]

[Energy: 60,000/60,000]

"Twenty-five hundred Power before Command bonuses. Half the Legendary Heroes at Level 30 couldn’t take a shot from that."

He looked at the fighter count next. Sixty of them now, each able to match a Griffin of its own Level. Best of all, Ghost Fighters did not use his Domain’s population capacity.

"What an incredible ship."

Cassian opened the new ship Gate, paid its transit costs, and stepped through to Forgotten Shrine. There, he paid to raise the Dawnwing Pool to Level 7 as well.

The new milestone gave Dawnwing Marshals a skill called Resurrection. It could restore a unit that had only just died.

It was not as good as Aurelia’s Life-Echo Brand, but it was still a substantial improvement to the Marshals’ support abilities.

He opened the existing kitchen’s expansion list next and paid for the Chef Training facility.

[Kitchen expansion complete: Chef Training.]

[May train high-Quality chefs.]

"More chefs, more food to sell. Another source of income."

"Lord, look out!"

Veyra’s sharp cry came just as Cassian sensed something wrong.

He turned. A shadow with blurred features had appeared from nowhere and was lunging at him.

Veyra stepped in front of him, power surging around her. The shadow passed straight through her body as though she occupied a different space. Before she could turn, it had vanished into Cassian.

[Warning: Lord Jun Kurose has used Black Death Curse on you.]

"Achoo!"

[Black Death Curse cleared.]

Cassian rubbed his nose.

"What the hell was that?"

——

Ashvale Marches.

Several Black Banner Lords knelt facing one another, their expressions solemn. Beside them, a Lord lay dead on the altar.

Commander Daigo Ashen bowed his head.

"Lord Kurose gave his life to curse Cassian to death. He is a hero of Black Banner."

His grief hardened into anger.

"If only Cassian had a shred of honor. I’ve challenged him to a duel to the death again and again in the Province Channel. He acts as though he hasn’t seen a word."

A stout woman spoke coldly.

"He slaughtered heirs of House Orwick, House Voss, and the other families. He used filthy tricks to control three heirs of House Sorn. He deserves to be cut apart slowly. Dying to a curse is too good for him."

"Cassian has received repeated Ranking rewards," Daigo said with a sigh. "His Physique must be over three hundred. It could even be four hundred. The stronger his body, the greater his resistance to curses. Otherwise, Lord Kurose wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice his life."

A man with a thin mustache raised his voice.

"He was the strongest Curse Lord Black Banner had on Tidecrown. Cassian is certain to die!"

The others joined him.

"My brother is finally avenged!"

"For every Black Banner Lord he killed in those Marches!"

——

"Lord, are you hurt?"

Veyra ran her hands over Cassian, checking him again even after she had found nothing. She looked close to tears.

"I’m fine."

He rubbed his itchy nose, puzzled.

"Kurose... Aren’t they one of Black Banner’s strongest families of Curse Lords? Was that really their curse?"

Perhaps Jun Kurose had only wanted to say hello.

Then Cassian thought of his own body.

Warbody Foundation II alone had added nine hundred Physique. There were all his earlier gains on top of that—the Life Essence, the Ranking rewards, the attributes inherited from the dead Wardens.

Attacks through dreams tested Spirit. Death curses tested Physique.

The curse might be perfectly good.

He was simply too strong for it.

Still, it had given him something to think about. He could shrug off an attack like that. Could Elara? Could Nessa?

Perhaps he should—

A video request interrupted him.

He accepted Elara’s call. She had added her mother to the conversation; Aveline appeared in a separate image beside hers.

"Lady Aveline. Good to see you."

Seeing him unharmed seemed to ease her tension, though her voice remained serious.

"We’ve just learned that a gifted heir of House Kurose is registered in Fallowmere Marches. You’ve become one of Black Banner’s most hated enemies, Cassian. I’m worried he’ll use a curse against you."

Cassian hesitated.

"Would his name happen to be Jun Kurose?"

Aveline blinked, then gave a small sigh.

"So you have your own sources. I worried for nothing."

"I only happened to learn about him just now. Thank you for warning me."

This had been pure chance. He still needed her intelligence, and he certainly appreciated the trouble she had taken to warn him.

Aveline looked pleased.

Cassian noticed the fatigue around her eyes.

"You look tired."

"She’s been trying to raise money," Elara said.

Money?

A notice arrived before he could ask.

[Lord Elara Vayne has transferred 20,000,000 Aether to you through the Exchange.]

"Payment for the Eclipse Chapterhouse," she said. "An ordinary Epic troop Building Blueprint costs a few million. But the Eclipse line gives so much more for what it costs, even compared with other Epics. We valued yours at twenty million."

"I’ve started selling family assets to put it together," Aveline said, half teasing.

A Lord with more than twenty years of development could earn money much more easily than a newcomer. She also had far more places to spend it. Opening a Gate to a distant battlefield could cost a million Aether on its own.

And lately, Cassian had kept producing things worth buying. Even Aveline’s funds had their limits.

Neither mother nor daughter liked taking advantage of him. The Chapterhouse was excellent, but twenty million was already a generous price.

Cassian did not refuse it.

"All right. I’ll accept the payment."

Aveline sighed.

"If you find anything else, I won’t be able to afford it."

"We’re definitely not buying anything else," Elara said firmly.

Cassian considered that for a moment.

"Let me send you something. Have a look first."