Chapter 191: The Skyreach Tower

Cassian confirmed the Domain upgrade and paid the required resources.

[Lord’s Hall advanced to Rank XII.]

[Domain area: 1,000,000 square meters.]

[New Building unlocked: Skyreach Tower.]

[New standard Hero Contract slot unlocked. Current occupancy: 3 / 5.]

The earth rumbled as Forgotten Shrine expanded. Its seven hundred thousand square meters at Rank XI became a full million, and its diameter finally passed a kilometer.

Cassian did not recruit another Hero at once. He would soon explore Swordheart, where leaving his position as Riftward’s Warden would cost him the extra slot attached to that office. He would still have room for his three Heroes, but he preferred to settle that change before filling another place.

He adjusted the positions of his Buildings, then selected three upgrades.

"Fountain of Life. Dawnwing Pool. Eclipse Muster Hall."

"Level twelve. Complete them now."

Epic and Legendary materials vanished, along with the payments for immediate completion. The Fountain and Pool rose from Level 7 to Level 12. The Hall advanced from Level 11 to Level 12.

Two Legendary Buildings and one Epic.

The Hall grew most dramatically, spreading across twenty thousand square meters. Though only Epic, it consumed dozens of times as many Epic materials as the Fountain did.

The three upgrades had nearly swallowed the profits from ten days of Worlds Market sales.

His other facilities still had their work: the kitchen’s chef-training wing, the Beacon Watchtower, and the Mindseal Tower. The Abyssal Dockyard remained at the Goblin harbor.

Cassian opened the new descriptions.

The Level-12 Dawnwing Pool had gained no new troop skill. Instead, its fourth Building trait had appeared.

[Sacred Light]

[Within 100 kilometers of this Pool, its recruited Dawnwings gain +10% to all attributes and +1 to skill levels.]

"Excellent."

An aura, like those produced by certain Wonders and divine statues. Within its range, his Dawnwings would fight as though they had gained another star—roughly the power of Legendary Two-Star troops, without spending Battle Essence on an actual star advance.

The Domain’s defenses had grown stronger again.

There was only one disappointment. Aurelia had not been recruited by the Pool, so Sacred Light did not affect her.

Next came the Fountain of Life.

[Fountain of Life — Legendary, Level 12]

[Within 50 meters: rapid recovery of injuries, Aether, and Spirit.]

[Life Reconstruction: up to 15 times per unit per Realm Day.]

[Requires sufficient Life Energy and verified Domain belonging and death state. Costs and recovery depend on the unit and its condition.]

[Sustainable daily output: Life Essence ×3 / Life Water ×100.]

"A hundred bottles of Life Water!"

Cassian’s eyes shone.

Three Life Essences a day had been what he expected. The Life Water was a much better surprise.

The long campaign had exhausted the Life Water and Clearwake Tonic set aside for his field force. With Gates sealed, bringing fresh supplies out to the hunting groups had been troublesome.

Now the Fountain could replenish those stores far faster.

"Ask for a pillow, and one appears. Perhaps the Realm really does favor me."

The Eclipse Hall pleased him most of all.

[Eclipse Muster Hall — Epic, Level 12] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

[Training inheritance: Mistveil March; Aegis Fold; Wings of the Windlord; Grain God (Grade A).]

[Facilities: Meditation Chambers ×180; Aether-Gathering Rooms ×180; Essence-Gathering Rooms ×180.]

[Trial Tower: unlocked.]

[Completed Eclipse Chapterhouses: 38.]

[Muster Fortune: 2,340,000.]

Five hundred and forty training rooms. Their number and effectiveness had both grown substantially.

Over the past weeks, he had produced more Chapterhouse Blueprints through the Hall, paying ten thousand Muster Fortune for each. The total he had given away or sold was now above forty. Thirty-eight Chapterhouses had been built.

Most had gone to the Legion or capable female Human Lords in Tidecrown. Their owners had nothing but praise for the Eclipse troops, and the line’s reputation kept growing.

The ownership restriction made Tobias and the other men painfully envious.

Grain God was too valuable to distribute so freely. Cassian had enabled it at only three branches: Elara’s first Chapterhouse, Nessa’s second, and Maelin’s fifth, the Ironwake branch Darian had paid for.

The new branch function let him spend Muster Fortune on Chapterhouse Heroes and troops, improving their training and raising Quality as far as Epic.

It would do far more for his friends than for his own already-Epic force.

Elara and Nessa each confirmed a vacant standard Hero slot and paid to recruit her Chapterhouse’s Epic Chapter Captain. Neither had recruited one before.

Cassian selected the two new Captains in the branch training panel.

"Twenty thousand Muster Fortune. Train their Command."

The payment went through. Both Captains’ Command over Eclipse troops reached Grade B.

The two armies had gained Heroes suited to leading them.

Maelin had not recruited a Chapter Captain for the Ironwake branch. Darian’s family already had more Epic Hero Sigils than it needed.

Then Cassian opened the new Trial Tower description.

[Second-floor trial available.]

[Epic Eclipse Legionnaires who complete this trial may advance to Epic Two-Star.]

[Battle Essence required. No Troop Soul required.]

"Excellent!"

Buying Troop Souls for seven hundred veterans was one thing. Buying them for twenty thousand more Legionnaires would cost a fortune. As Riftward’s Fortune rose and its monsters grew stronger, those young troops would need to advance too.

The Trial offered a route that required Battle Essence without that enormous extra purchase.

And if there was a second floor, there might be a third...

Cassian was thoroughly satisfied with the improvements to the three Buildings.

Now for the new one.

The Skyreach Tower had neither a Level nor a Quality grade.

"Build."

The image of a tower appeared on the ground he had cleared for it. It quickly became solid, an ancient bronze structure rising for several dozen visible meters before its upper reaches blurred into the Void.

It required no resources. Calling it into the Domain was closer to summoning than construction.

"At last. Time to climb."

Unless something unusual happened, the Skyreach Tower would accompany a Lord for the rest of his life. It was a major source of Battle Essence, Aether, and resources, and one of the few reliable ways ordinary Lords could obtain high-Quality items and troops early on.

More importantly, if this year’s rules had not changed, its rankings would determine admission to the coming Contest of Champions.

As Cassian approached, information entered his mind.

[Welcome, Human Lord Cassian Vale, to the Skyreach path.]

[The combined number of Heroes and troops you bring into the Tower may not exceed your personal Lord Level.]

[One entry per day. Entries refresh at midnight.]

[Deaths inside the Tower are real.]

The companion limit was the same as on the Glory Battlefield.

Celia came out of the Deep Layer with Rhea and Fara, another of the nine Praetorians. Veyra remained at the Hall.

"You called, Lord?"

Celia studied the tower with interest.

"What a strange Building."

"Come on," Cassian said. "We’re going to climb it."

Most of his stronger forces were out hunting. Today, he only wanted to learn how the Tower worked, so he had not recalled an army.

His three companions still had questions, but they followed him without hesitation.

Cassian walked up to the bronze doors. Their surface rippled like water and swallowed the four of them.