Chapter 419: A Chance in the Panic

A countdown appeared in the upper-left corner of every Homeworld Lord’s vision.

After twenty quiet days, the fourth Nation had been founded. The Realm had started the clock at once.

Three months. That was all the time they had left to prepare.

Until the Homeworld opened, any Outer Realm Lord who entered it would have their Level suppressed to the highest allowed by its maps. Fendrel had faced that restriction, as had Sylvara when she was still an Elven Queen rather than Cassian’s Hero.

It was why Cassian had not feared offending the Elves even when his Domain was only Rank XII and theirs were generally Rank XX.

Once the Homeworld opened, that protection would disappear. They could face native Lords at Rank XXIII or even XXIV, bringing troops as high as Level 125.

Cassian leaped onto Nine’s back, still considering the announcement. He ignored the chaos in the Homeworld Channel and started a video conference.

They had been holding one every day lately.

Divine Nation’s leaders joined the call one after another. All looked grim. Their strength had grown enormously in secret, but three months still felt far too short.

Darian began as soon as his image appeared.

"Western Beacon and the Jade Court bribed the Governors who joined. At least a hundred billion Aether each!"

That explained it.

Cassian possessed more than ten trillion Aether, but he was hardly an ordinary example. A hundred billion was enough to make most Lords abandon whatever principles they claimed to hold. No wonder those Governors had ignored the fury of the entire Homeworld.

"How is the fighting in the Hundredblossom Court going?" Cassian asked.

Darian’s expression eased a little.

"We’ll need a few more days. We could take Hundredblossom Palace today if we were willing to accept heavy losses."

Cassian nodded. Once the Palace fell, the Court’s organized defenses would be all but broken. The remaining Hundredblossom Lords could still resist, but they would be much easier to hunt down for Battle Essence.

"You’ve all seen the announcement. We have three months. I’ll start with what we need to do."

He went straight to the point.

"First, Domain Ranks. I want every War Lord in Divine Province at Rank XX by then. Rank XXI would be better.

"Second, Battle Essence. At the very least, keep your main combat troops at the Levels their Domains can support.

"Third, clear as many native Lords as we can before the invasion. For now, the Courts are still fighting separately. Even their Channels haven’t been joined. We need to use these three months."

He looked around the call.

"What else?"

Alwin answered immediately.

"Among the hundred or so Courts around us, five belong to races in the top thousand of the All-Races Ranking: the Divines, Machines, Angels, Dreadborn, and Elder Buddhas. Those five will almost certainly be our greatest enemies. Everyone should study their weaknesses and prepare accordingly."

The others nodded. It was sound advice.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Five powerful races.

Against Divines, his golden Battle Name, Godslayer, granted an extra thirty percent to attributes. On top of its normal enhancement, that advantage was almost like having another Sovereign office.

Perhaps he should make a move before...

A bold idea began to take shape.

Before he could think it through, Nessa’s eyes lit up.

"Look at the Exchange!"

The others opened their interfaces, puzzled. It took them only a moment to see what she meant.

"Level-100 Legendary equipment for five million Aether? How did it get that cheap?"

"Someone’s selling a Legendary Troop Sigil! Eighty million!"

"And the prices are still falling."

Elara understood first.

"They’re convinced the Homeworld will fall. They’re selling everything they can to cut their losses."

The war between civilizations was now fixed at three months away. Few people believed the Homeworld could survive it.

Lords who were slow to react were still cursing Western Beacon and the Black Banner in the large Channels. The quicker ones had already begun selling equipment and resources.

Legendary items were a particular problem. They could not simply be taken back into the main world. Even for goods that could make the journey, transport was limited. From Rank XVIII onward, Lords had to wait half a month between returns. Over the three months remaining, a Lord could carry back no more than sixty inventory slots of goods.

Most of what they owned would have to be sold.

Wait until the Homeworld fell, and it would be too late to recover anything.

Seraphine laughed.

"Don’t buy yet. Give them time. The prices will drop further."

"Those items will probably settle around half price," Cassian said. "Legendary equipment, Hero Sigils, Troop Sigils. Below that, they might as well list them on the Worlds’ Market. Traders from other Human Realms may come to buy them for resale, too."

That made sense. And half price was already very attractive.

Alwin’s eyes shone.

"I’ll ask the family for funds. I won’t compete for equipment and Sigils. I’ll buy bulk supplies."

Potions, scrolls, materials, food—vast stocks that their owners could never carry home within the remaining transport allowance. With nearly ten billion Lords trying to unload them, prices could collapse.

The other Lords grew eager as well.

They knew better than anyone how much stronger Divine Nation had become. Its present strength bore little resemblance to what it had possessed a month earlier. To them, the panic looked like a chance to make a fortune.

It was still a gamble. Win, and they could make at least ten times their money. Lose, and everything they bought would be gone.

Whether to take that chance depended on their nerve.

Even Cassian was tempted. No one had more confidence in repelling the invasion than he did. He would not claim to be completely certain, but he put their chances at seventy percent.

Then he discovered that someone trusted him even more than he trusted himself.

Nessa looked at him hopefully.

"Cassian, could you lend me some money?"

He stared at her for a moment.

She wanted to borrow money to stockpile goods?

The discussion continued for half an hour. Everyone had suggestions, and eventually Cassian brought the meeting to a close.

"That will do for today. Darian, Elara, Nessa, Seraphine, Dain—stay on the call."

The others were curious, but none asked why. Their images disappeared one after another, leaving the six of them alone.

"You’re getting very good at sounding like a ruler," Darian said with a crooked smile. "What do you need us for?"

Cassian took a deep breath.

"What comes next stays between the six of us. No seventh person hears about it. That includes your elders."

Their expressions changed. None of them had seen him quite so serious before.

"Now you’re making me nervous," Darian said. "Perhaps you should leave me out of it."

"No." Cassian shook his head. "Anyone else could go without knowing. You can’t."

"Why me?"

Cassian ignored his exaggerated dismay. Once all five had nodded their agreement, he opened the authority panel for Human Sovereign.

"Time is short. I’ll help you break Hundredblossom Palace now."