Chapter 128 – The Border Ledger.

The purple sun of the Second Circle had barely cleared the crown of the courtyard willow when Diana opened her eyes.

Rhea was still sound asleep beside her in the wide bed, her calm breath warming the collar of Diana's shirt, the tip of her silver tail resting over the sheet.

Diana rose without making a sound, put on her combat trousers and black leather coat.

She went down to the manor's meeting room, lit the crystal lamp on the mahogany table, and called Kael, Aurelia-Elysia, and Seraphina for a general debriefing.

Rhea came down right behind them, her silver hair already brushed and both Dragon Daggers strapped to her waist, sitting glued to Diana's side at the table.

Diana rested her gloved hands on the wooden tabletop and activated [Command Eye] with her 84 Perception points.

She wanted to see the exact numbers.

During the two weeks she had been isolated in the Third Circle, the squad had not merely been tending the house. They had trained in the runic gravity matrix under four times normal weight, fulfilled escort contracts for the Silver Legion, and cleared border dungeons.

Diana cast her eyes over the status sheet of each member:

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[SQUAD TACTICAL AUDIT]

- Kael (Level 37 - Shield Guardian):

- HP: 930 / 930 (Base 880 + 50 from Heavy Dragon Armor) | MP: 30 / 30

- Attributes: Strength: 58 | Vitality: 88 | Willpower: 17

- Defense: Volcanic Shield reinforced by Master Volkan, reflecting 35% of all direct physical damage.

- Aurelia-Elysia (Level 37 - Support Priestess):

- HP: 60 / 60 | MP: 870 / 870

- Attributes: Intelligence: 87 (+6 Mantle = 93 INT) | Wisdom: 57 | Perception: 17

- Spell Arsenal: [Triple Protection Barrier], [Greater Area Heal], [Purifying Light Spear]. Casting time reduced by -40%.

- Rhea (Level 37 - Phantom Blade of Greed):

- HP: 270 / 270 | MP: 70 / 70

- Attributes: Strength: 53 | Agility: 101 (+8 Gear = 109 AGILITY!) | Perception: 13

- Stealth Damage: +50% stacked with Dragon Daggers and Silk Cloak.

- Seraphina (Level 40 - Crystal Soul Summoner):

- HP: 480 / 480 | MP: 1,250 / 1,250

- Attributes: Intelligence: 81 | Wisdom: 49 | Perception: 25

- Ancestral Grimoire: Three active pages (Level 38 Quartz Titan, Level 37 Amethyst Wolves, and Level 38 Crystal Serpent).

- Diana (Level 43 - Commander of Arcane Greed):

- HP: 650 / 650 | MP: 1,460 / 1,460

- Attributes: Strength: 18 | Agility: 23 | Vitality: 65 | Intelligence: 193 (+20 Crown = 213 INT!) | Wisdom: 38 | Perception: 84 | Willpower: 8 | Luck: 3.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

***

Diana analyzed the data for several long minutes.

The team was no longer a band of novices reliant on luck or desperate ambushes.

Kael had nearly a thousand hit points and reflected a third of any strike that met his shield. Aurelia had enough mana to sustain continuous barriers for a full hour of combat. Rhea moved with over a hundred Agility, and Seraphina had three heavy Level 38 summons to lock down the battlefield.

Diana crossed her arms over the map of the Third Circle spread out on the table.

She laid out both sides of the equation with cold detachment:

“We have a strategic choice right now,” Diana said, meeting the eyes of each member. “The conventional option is to stay in the Second Circle, hunt Level 30 to 35 dungeons for another three months until everyone hits Level 50, and cross through city hall's official portal with formal clearance.”

She paused briefly:

“The clandestine option is to head down tonight through the Abyssal Worm's bore. Enter the Third Circle from below, occupy the Lower Cauldrons Estate that I have already leased in the south sector, and hunt Level 45 to 52 monsters in the wild rifts.”

Kael leaned his torso forward, listening intently. “What are the risks of heading down right now, Commander?”

“The risk is that the baseline there is Level 50,” Diana explained clearly. “If a patrol of Beelzebub's guard stops us on the city's main street, we don't have an official transit pass and could be cited for unlawful entry. But the advantage... is that a single nest of Level 48 manticores down there yields more experience and gold than an entire floor of the Amethyst Labyrinth.”

Diana looked at Seraphina:

“Down there, you can gather the fifty gold coins to buy back your family's core before the end of the month. And we will reach Level 50 in weeks instead of months.”

***

Kael slammed his iron gauntlet onto the table, a broad grin spreading across his face.

“Commander, I spent two weeks training my healed arm in that gravity courtyard. I don't want to spend three months swatting weak gargoyles up here. I want to see if Level 50 monsters can bend my shield again!”

Aurelia-Elysia raised her crystal staff, her eyes shining with resolve: “My mana is at its absolute limit. If the Commander says we can take the Third Circle, we head down today!”

Seraphina held the silver grimoire against her chest, nodding her head: “House Vesperis has never fled from deep dungeons. I stand with the faction.”

Rhea merely rested her shoulder against Diana's, clasping her leader's hand beneath the table with a firm, silent squeeze. She needed no speeches. Wherever Diana went, she would follow.

Diana looked upon the four members of her squad.

The decision was unanimous.

“Pack your bags,” Diana commanded, rising from her chair with the upright bearing of an Archdemon. “Take only weapons, pure healing potions, rare reagents, and traveling kits. Leave the furniture and glass inventory locked down under the Silver Legion's watch.”

She glanced at the manor's wall clock:

“At midnight, we descend to the Black Worm Docks. The Third Circle awaits us.”

Kael, Aurelia, Seraphina, and Rhea stood up in the same second, dispersing throughout the manor with crisp military discipline to ready their travel gear.

The balance of 480 Silver Coins (48 Gold Coins) rested securely in the vault.

The preparation phase in the Second Circle was officially closed. And the Arcane Greed Faction was ready to cross the border in full force.