Chapter 207: The Final Ranking

During the preparations for the contest, Elara had completed the remaining requirements for Rank XII and paid the resources and upgrade cost. Her Domain was ready, and she had earned more than a hundred War Intent.

She confirmed the challenge. One point of War Intent was deducted.

[You have challenged Lord Armand Bellmont’s Domain. His supported candidate is Galen Tervain.]

Elara and her four hundred and eighty main combat troops appeared outside a Black Banner Domain.

Before Elara could inspect the Domain before her, a series of golden announcements appeared at the top of the Province Channel.

The third Marches Ranking had finally arrived.

"As expected. The final Ranking and the Governorship contest are one event."

She quickly read the rules.

[The Third Marches Ranking has begun.]

[Ranking event: Governorship Contest.]

[The Marches whose Commander becomes Governor will take first place. All other Marches will be ranked by their Lords’ combined performance in the Provincial Capital.]

[First place: Commander, all attributes +100; residents, all attributes +40. The Commander’s Region gains 10 Fortune. Every other Region in the Marches gains 2 Fortune.]

[Second place: Commander, all attributes +50; residents, all attributes +20. The Commander’s Region gains 5 Fortune. Every other Region in the Marches gains 1 Fortune.]

[Third place: Commander, all attributes +30; residents, all attributes +10. The Commander’s Region gains 3 Fortune.]

[Fourth through tenth place: Commander, all attributes +20; residents, all attributes +5. The Commander’s Region gains 2 Fortune.]

[Settlement: When the Governor is chosen.]

Everyone had expected this. Even so, the announcement set the Channel buzzing. The Black Banner Lords were especially excited.

[If Lord Tervain wins, every Region in our Marches will have two Fortune!]

[Idiot. Once he’s Governor, he’ll control residency. We can all move to Riftward! Their Regions already average four Fortune!]

[Exactly. Riftward has always belonged to the Black Banner. We’ll have to change the name, of course. How does Tervain Marches sound?]

Some privately cursed the speaker’s shameless flattery. In public, they hurried to agree.

The Crown Lords could no longer be bothered to argue with them. In Riftward’s Marches Channel, Darian was busy rallying his own side.

[Darian Frost: Come on, everyone! Win the Governorship, and every Region in our Marches will have at least six Fortune. Consolidate that Fortune, and we could all enjoy Regions with a hundred or more.]

[Darian Frost: Perhaps Riftward won’t be the greatest Marches of all time. But it will be one that comes along once in a thousand years!]

The promise was irresistible. Riftward’s thirty-six thousand Lords were fired up.

[Fight to the death!]

[I got lucky. My Domain landed on a Combat site! I’ll try to hold off a few waves of Black Banner Lords.]

[I couldn’t earn a hundred War Intent. But I’ve donated every one-use item, every piece of Rare equipment or better, every Troop Sigil, treasure, and potion I had. Give them hell for me!]

Their spirits had never been higher.

Then a Lord from the Crown’s military posted in fury.

[A Dawn Coast Lord just challenged me! Those treacherous bastards have finally shown their colors!]

[Colonel Mercer: Lady Rook. What is the meaning of this?]

[Selene Rook: My apologies to our Crown cousins. Your people are descended from ours, after all. But as we say in the Dawn Coast, never back a losing side. I suggest you stop this pointless resistance too.]

The replies came at once.

[Who the hell are you calling your cousins?]

[That’s your saying now? Of course it is. Just like the entire universe.]

[So switching sides makes you wise? I’d call you a treacherous rat.]

Until now, the Dawn Coast had been evasive without openly attacking. The Crown Lords had swallowed their anger rather than gain another enemy. That restraint was gone.

[Selene Rook: You can deny history if you like. There’s no need for insults. Have you no manners?]

[Lydia Venn: Don’t waste your breath arguing with her. Like the Black Banner’s, their history books are written by fantasy novelists. Whatever makes them feel grand goes on the page.]

[Selene Rook: Written by novelists? We ruled the universe four and a half billion years ago, when your ancestors were still nothing but proteins! We only retreated to the galaxy two billion years ago because of dark matter. Then black holes drove us back to the solar system five hundred million years ago. We wiped out the dinosaurs along the way.]

She was only getting started.

[Selene Rook: A few thousand years ago, Alexander the Great of the Third Realm defeated us and drove us back to the Homeworld. House Brightmere? That was a branch of House Rook we left behind during the retreat. It’s all in the records.]

The Crown Lords fell silent as she continued her lesson.

What could anyone say to that? Trying might kill them from sheer frustration.

Galen, however, was delighted.

[Galen Tervain: A learned woman indeed, Lady Rook! Rest assured. Eliminate a thousand Crown Lords, and your people may continue developing freely in Tidecrown.]

They had plainly settled the terms in private. With Galen saying them aloud, Selene stopped pretending.

[Selene Rook: We will complete our task as agreed.]

Austin, silent until now, joined the conversation.

[Austin: Once you become Governor, I hope you will keep your word this time.]

[Galen Tervain: You have my assurance. Our Marches will be handed over to Free Will immediately.]

No one knew what else Black Banner had offered to secure Free Will’s cooperation. Still, the agreement would give the consortium what it had wanted from the start: a Marches with at least two Fortune in every Region.

Black Banner, the Beacon League, the Dawn Coast, and the Sunspire Federation were dividing Tidecrown’s spoils before they had won it. Even the Crown’s ally, Northbear, could only resentfully declare neutrality under Black Banner pressure.

Elara calmly closed the Channel and studied the Domain ahead.

Her eyes narrowed with interest.

"A Fortress site. A technological one, too. Most of Riftward’s other War Lords would have to turn back from this."

Fortress sites strengthened a Domain’s defenses and could improve the attributes of its defending troops. This one had walls more than twenty meters high, covered in laser towers, sniper towers, and missile towers. The site had supplied an entire defensive system, like a fortified shell fitted over the Domain.

"You’re... Elara Vayne? Riftward’s current Commander?"

Armand Bellmont stood on the battlements. His eyes lit up, and he burst out laughing.

"The Sun Mother favors me! What a fine catch. I hope you won’t tuck your tail between your legs and run like Cassian!"

Elara’s gaze turned cold.

She did not bother answering. Bronze light flashed at her brow as she activated her Battle Name.

"All forces, attack. Take that Domain."

Brogan Stonecrown, now a Legendary Hero, led the charge.

"For Lord Cassian! Charge!"

Elara almost stumbled.

It was a good thing she and Cassian were such close allies. Otherwise, she might have had to worry about which Lord Brogan meant to serve. Her Eclipse troops answered to Cassian too.

She and Nessa still owned their own Domains. Yet when she looked at her army, she felt just as dependent on his help as Nessa was.

Her thoughts returned to Cassian. What trouble had he run into?

The roar of cannon fire dragged her attention back to the battle.

The fortress’s defenses had opened fire. Beams of light and missiles poured down on her advancing force.

"A Steward’s daughter who got lucky enough to gain access to a Royal Hall," Bellmont shouted. "That’s all you are! I’ll show you what a real opponent looks like!"

He had no Legendary troops. But as the heir of a powerful Lord family, he commanded several squads of Epic troops, with Rare troops filling the rest of his army. If the Glory Battlefield hadn’t limited how many companions he could bring, he was certain he could have earned a Battle Name too.

Then his grin began to fade.