Chapter 411: The Price of Victory

Merris’s appeal met a storm of fury.

The captives were not the only ones enraged. Their families and friends joined them.

[What kind of damned advice is that? Easy to say when you aren’t the one dying!]

[Where were you Governors during the battle at Breakwater? We never saw you there. Now you have plenty to say!]

[Lady Velisse, broadcast your own death first. I’ll follow you if you do.]

The Black Banner’s leaders disappeared from the Channel.

Let other people die for the cause. They had no intention of joining them.

Some prisoners had a more immediate problem. One woman broke down as she read the price beside her name.

[I’m five hundred thousand Aether short. Please, can anyone lend it to me? I’ll repay twice as much within a month!]

At almost the same moment, transfer notices began sounding in Cassian’s ears.

[Lord Orris Keld has transferred 1,500,000 Aether to your account.]

Cassian kept his word. Once payment was confirmed, the prisoner was released.

Seeing people regain their freedom removed the last doubts of those who could afford the price. The far greater number who could not began borrowing wherever they could.

In less than ten minutes, Cassian’s account passed two trillion Aether.

Even he found the speed of it startling.

"So that’s how fortunes are made in war," he murmured. "The old stories weren’t exaggerating."

Ten days later, he opened his account again.

[Aether: 17,582,400,000,000.]

He looked at the figure for a long time, thoroughly pleased.

Hundreds of thousands of Black Banner Lords had still been unable to pay when the deadline ended. Cassian had them executed.

What he did not yet know was that the sheer scale of his ransom demand had helped the Western Beacon make a momentous decision.

For now, he had a celebration to arrange.

[Finish organizing your current work. In three days, come to my Domain. We’re holding a victory banquet.]

Divine Nation’s leaders answered with cheers. Even Darian, who had never lacked money, was looking forward to this one.

Good news had arrived throughout those ten days.

[All four million War Lords in the expedition have now reached Rank XVIII, using resources taken from Black Banner Domains.]

[Nessa has led Southreach’s forces to secure the Gildwake Banks. The Black Banner’s richest fishing grounds are ours!]

[Elara led the assault herself. We’ve taken Vaust Province’s capital.]

[Boss, we’ve found a Life Stone vein in Vaust Region!]

Divine Nation’s Lords were living up to their reputation as invaders. They killed, looted, and tore down enemy holdings across Black Banner territory.

The Life Stone vein delighted Cassian most of all. Vaust’s Region had two thousand Fortune, and this was a resource he had been seeking for some time.

With it secured, Origin Gold was the last missing material needed for the additional Fountains of Life he wanted his allies to build.

Meanwhile, the Western Beacon and Dawn Coast fleet that had intended to strike Divine Province quietly turned around and sailed home.

A national war ending in a matter of days had been beyond anything its commanders expected. Once Cassian’s Crystalkin corps had shown itself and the Fivefold Covenant had been defeated, no one wanted to be the next to provoke him.

For the moment, at least.

Crown people held their heads high. Even those traveling abroad found themselves received with exceptional courtesy.

The work at Breakwater was far from finished. Dismantling its tens of millions of abandoned Domains would still take at least a month. Cassian left the Lords most in need of construction resources to that task. The rest sailed on to seize the Black Banner’s other provincial capitals.

Faced with the Crown’s advance, more than ninety-nine percent of the remaining Black Banner Lords chose to sell what they could and leave the sector.

Within ten days, Divine Nation had taken five provincial capitals, Vaust among them, and brought their maps within its formally recognized borders.

The Black Banner had never completed the Realm’s formal nation-founding process. To give its fourteen home Provinces one consistent designation, Cassian named the territory Banner Isle.

Registered Gate routes into the conquered territory now gave Divine Nation’s Lords access to its rich surrounding seas. He expected the remaining provincial capitals to fall within another half month.

——

Three days later, several dozen of Divine Nation’s leading Lords gathered in Cassian’s Domain.

The tables were laden with food. Golden Wyrmfish freshly caught at the Gildwake Banks took pride of place, alongside Enlightenment Tea brought by Darian. He had bought a leaf with two infusions already used from the Worlds Market.

"If it weren’t for this banquet, I wouldn’t have bought another thing from that Bharan farmer," he muttered.

Ever since he had become convinced that the reincarnated Farming Lord was the seller, Darian had refused to buy the tea. Today, he had made an exception.

"First, the spoils."

Cassian brought up the distribution figures prepared in advance and began sending Aether to the twelve allied Governors and Mira.

Hundreds of billions for some. More than a trillion for others.

Divine Province’s leading Lords received substantial shares as well. Darian alone received three hundred billion.

By the time Cassian finished, his account had fallen to roughly nine trillion Aether.

"Distribute your Province’s share according to each Lord’s contribution."

The recipients could barely contain their excitement. Darian was no exception.

Seren, however, checked her figure again.

"Boss, Southreach seems to have received a trillion more than it should."

"Part of your additional compensation."

Cassian nodded, then looked around the table.

"The Fenwick clan’s contribution deserves it. I doubt anyone here disagrees."

Voices rose in immediate support. The older-sector Fenwick army had fought at the front and paid a terrible price. Beyond that, everyone knew how highly Cassian valued the clan. No one had any objection to rewarding it.

Seren’s uncertainty vanished. She smiled broadly.

"Thank you, Boss. And thank you, everyone."

Cassian smiled back and prepared to continue.

He had gathered tens of millions of high-grade items over the campaign. Most were of little use to him now. Then there were Banner Isle’s fourteen Provinces and all the interests that needed dividing among his allies.

Before he could begin, a series of alerts sounded.

Golden announcements filled the Homeworld Channel.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he read them. Around the table, startled exclamations broke out.

"Western Beacon has founded its Nation?"

"Already? Where did they find a Nation-Founding Writ?"

"What ridiculous luck!"

Darian frowned.

"That doesn’t make sense. We haven’t heard of them destroying an Outer Realm Royal Court. Did a Mythic monster appear inside the Homeworld?"

Destroying a Royal Court offered a chance of obtaining a Nation-Founding Writ. The other known route was killing wild monsters of Mythic Quality or above, and that chance was vanishingly small.

"It must have been a wild Mythic," Alwin said bitterly. "Remember the Firstborn Gate, Darian?"

He looked up from the announcement.

"The Realm takes from those who have too much and helps those with too little. Divine Nation has grown so strong that we’ve upset the balance. Now it’s helping our enemies catch up."

"Let them found a Nation," Nessa declared. "We aren’t afraid. Cassian is unbeatable!"

"He is," Alwin said. "But one new Nation isn’t what worries me."

His long experience had led him to a more dangerous possibility.

"What if several of our enemies found Nations in quick succession? They could bring the Outer Realm Invasion down on us early."

The table quieted. Even Cassian’s expression became serious.

Founding Divine Nation had already opened the level limits of the native powers surrounding the Homeworld. If the new sector lost its remaining protection before they were ready, an invasion would be troublesome even for him.

Several Nations appearing in quick succession was unlikely. Unlikely was not impossible.

Cassian glanced around the table. The smiles had faded. Then he checked his stores.

Divine Nation’s strongest Lords stood far above the Homeworld’s average, but that would not be enough against the native nations beyond its borders. He would have to put a few more good things into their hands.

His decision made, he smiled.

"Don’t worry. We’ll deal with it when it comes. Come on—let’s finish dividing the spoils."