Chapter 354: A Seat at the Table

"What kind of monster is Cassian?" Helena Grey lowered the report. "Could he really be some great Lord reborn? I thought House Frost had already ruled that out."

In her youth, Helena had been hailed as the greatest talent her home province had produced in decades. Now she commanded its military forces. After all those years on the battlefield, she had thought there was little left that could surprise her.

Cassian kept proving her wrong.

"I’ve met him quite a few times," Aveline Vayne said with a smile. "If he is an ancient Lord reborn, he’s a great deal less dignified than I would have expected."

Cassian had not seen Elara’s mother for some time. With disturbances along the Mythic Ancient Road growing more frequent and the fighting in Sector 632 becoming more urgent, Aveline had transferred there from Sector 642.

Moving to an older sector carried far fewer restrictions than descending into a younger one. In her case, paying the transfer fee had been enough.

Helena was a few years older than Aveline, and the two women had known each other for more than twenty years.

"Speaking of him," Helena said, "I hear Elara is very close to Cassian. They say she has nearly a thousand Legendary troops now, thanks to his help. Is that true?"

"There’s nothing so remarkable about it. They’ve simply been close since their early days here."

Aveline made a modest little gesture, though her smile rather spoiled the effect.

"How is your troop research coming along?" she asked. "Any progress with the Greywing Legion?"

Helena immediately brightened.

"If I can work some of the ideas behind Cassian’s Eclipse defenses into the Greywings, they’ll become far harder to kill. That could be enough to bring their rating up to Epic."

She shook her head in admiration.

"The way that young man’s mind works... No wonder he managed to create his own troop line."

Aveline was excited too. Greywing troops were already widely used across the war zone. An Epic version would take a considerable amount of pressure off the front.

Then Helena’s expression changed.

"What is it?"

"The Jade Court has revoked my War Office."

"What?" Aveline’s smile vanished. "Those fools! Do they ever do anything except make matters worse?"

Helena had held a Senior Third-Rank War Office. Its attribute bonuses surpassed even those of a Grade A War Talent, and it gave her the authority to appoint subordinate officers.

The situation at the front had only just begun to improve. Losing those benefits would make it worse again.

"The Court still controls the national offices available to Crown Lords in the Seventh Realm," Helena said quietly. "For generations, whenever another Crown faction has founded a Nation—or even tried—the Court has done everything in its power to crush it."

She looked at the report in her hand.

"Perhaps Cassian can finally break that hold."

For many Lords, a lifetime of struggle came down to gaining wealth and a higher office. Those powerful attribute bonuses let them rise above their rivals, obtain better resources, and reach toward the distant promise of a longer life.

Across all the long histories they knew, neither woman could name a Lord who had reached the very summit without such an office.

Even Lords who despised the Court’s betrayals often swallowed their anger and continued to serve it. Giving up their appointments cost too much.

If Cassian founded his own Nation, Crown Lords would finally have another choice.

And the Court would attack him with everything it had, just as it had attacked Peace and Haven when they tried to build a future beyond its control.

——

By nightfall, Divine Province’s leading Lords and the Governors of the other twelve Crown Provinces had gathered in Cassian’s Domain.

They had all heard about the Five Elements Temple. Excitement ran through the gathering before the first dish reached the tables.

The Beacon Watchtower bathed the banquet grounds in bright light. The Tavern’s kitchen had prepared a feast, with Golden Wyrm fish as the main course and Legendary Moonrice, Moonfruit, and Azuremist Fruit filling the tables around it.

"Whatever else we get out of following the boss, at least we can always count on a free feast," Seraphine said.

Laughter broke out around her.

Lana Whitmere had a more urgent question.

"Boss, can we use the Temple’s Elemental Imbuement? We’re willing to pay an extra fifty percent as a commission."

The other conversations quickly stopped. Everyone looked at Cassian.

The improvement Elemental Imbuement could give their equipment was too valuable to ignore. It would make all of them stronger.

"Of course you can." Cassian saw no reason to refuse. "As for the commission, an extra ten percent will do. That can go to Lyra for handling the work."

"Me?" Lyra stared at him.

He smiled. "You’re still the Temple’s Second Administrator, remember?"

She sighed at the work he had just handed her.

"Fine."

Before the meal began, Cassian repaid the sixty billion Aether he had borrowed for the Labyrinth, including Darian’s thirty billion. Every lender received the full amount owed.

With his current resources, the payment scarcely troubled him.

Then he waved a hand, and a mountain of items appeared beside the tables. Orange and gold light spilled across the ground.

There were millions of them.

Rhea and the Eclipse troops had spent the day sorting the haul. Even the least valuable item in this pile was Epic, and nearly a tenth of it shone with the gold of Legendary Quality.

Cassian’s friends from Divine Province were somewhat used to sights like this. The twelve visiting Governors were not. Several simply stared, forgetting what they had been about to say.

And this was only part of the haul.

Earlier that day, Cassian had already given Mira another million useful items to distribute within Divine Province. He had also held back a large stock of Epic Hero Sigils, Troop Sigils, training manuals, Skill Books, Population Writs, and Domain Advancement Writs.

"Take a look," he said. "Choose what you need and pay what you think is fair."

He could afford to be casual about the price. None of his guests intended to repay his generosity by cheating him.

"I knew you went into that Labyrinth to restock your warehouse," Darian said.

He waved a hand as well. A second mound appeared, also containing at least a million items, though most of his were Rare.

"Mine aren’t as good, but I might as well make a little on the side."

Nessa looked from one pile to the other.

"Then count me in too!"

The five friends who kept paying for Shared Blessing had enjoyed roughly the same hundred-and-twentyfold drop rate as Cassian in the Labyrinth. Their loot lacked the extra Quality increase from Dragon Amber, but in a place packed with bosses, each of them had still collected more than a million items.

The visiting Governors lost all interest in dinner.

Soon, the money Cassian had just repaid began flowing straight back to him. Some purchases went beyond even those funds, turning him from a borrower into a creditor.

Once everyone had begun to settle down, he brought up the next matter.

"What do you all think about the Outer Realm expeditions?"

"Heaven’s Will has temporarily opened the Gates to destinations beyond the Homeworld Realm," Lyra said. "Before you came back, Dain and I went out with a group a few times."

"How did it go?"

She let out a breath.

"Dangerous. Monsters above Level 100 are one thing. The native Lords are another. If we run into a powerful one, even people like us can’t be sure of getting out safely. Ordinary Lords would have it much worse."

"Good thing we didn’t use Expedition Writs," Dain Torren added in his deep voice. "If someone seals the space around you after you’ve moved your Domain in, the whole place could be trapped there."

Cassian nodded. That matched his expectations.

Most of the monsters in the Homeworld Realm were wild creatures without Domains. At most, they had a single Hero leading them. Something like the Crystal Mother was a rare exception.

Native Lords had Heroes, Talents, and often a complete system of national offices behind their armies. Their troops were far stronger than ordinary wild monsters of the same Level.

Over the next half hour, the others added what they had learned. Cassian gradually formed a clearer picture of the territory surrounding their Realm.

"Look at it this way," he said. "Divine Province has fewer people, but we have the highest proportion of strong Lords. The harder these expeditions are, the better that works for us. Killing above our Level also brings extra Outer Realm Kill Points."

That was true. Several people nodded.

He considered it for a moment, then continued.

"I’ll go out tomorrow and take a look first. Give me anywhere from three days to a month. I’ll clear a safe area, and then you can come over."

The Lords exchanged glances.

Clear a safe area in the Outer Realms? Then bring everyone else in?

Their boss had just won an extraordinary victory, but was he getting a little carried away?

No one wanted to say that outright.

"There’s no need to rush, boss. Take it one step at a time."

"And be careful. These expeditions are everyone’s responsibility. You don’t have to carry all of us."

Cassian could guess what they were thinking. He did not bother to explain.

Darian raised his hand. "I’m going too."

"Me too!" Nessa paused in her attack on the food long enough to lift a hand.

"All right," Cassian said. "But you should go as a group. Going alone is too dangerous."

With their strength, they should be safe enough unless they encountered a particularly powerful native Lord or were surrounded.

The Labyrinth victory and Cassian’s new title gave everyone plenty to celebrate. Cups were raised, dishes passed around, and even Cassian drank a few more cups than usual.

Several hours later, the dozens of guests were thoroughly fed. Nessa had drunk enough to sway in her seat, smiling foolishly whenever she looked at Cassian.

The sale had brought him more than a hundred billion Aether. Counting his other holdings, his total assets were approaching a trillion.

As the guests began preparing to leave, he spoke up.

"Nessa, stay a minute."

Everyone looked at the tipsy young woman, then exchanged meaningful glances.

"He isn’t even trying to hide it anymore," Darian muttered.