Chapter 211: A Gift of Legendary Swords

At the military headquarters on the Homeworld, General Xavier gave the order no one had wanted to hear.

"Tell our Lords in Tidecrown to prepare to withdraw."

He looked around the command room.

"I’ll submit a request to central headquarters. The hundred thousand and more Crown Lords still holding on there should all receive veterans’ benefits from now on."

"The Fenwicks have stood by us too. General Lionel Stroud in Southreach and I enlisted together. I’ll speak to him and ask him to look after their family."

Edric Stonebridge watched the orders go out and sighed.

"Victory and defeat are part of war. With our own authorities obstructing them, those young people have already done remarkably well."

Xavier knew that. It did little to ease his frustration.

"We were so close. Tidecrown could have made military history. Riftward could have become the greatest Marches the Homeworld had ever seen."

Then his thoughts turned to someone still missing.

"Cassian isn’t the sort to desert them. If he still hasn’t returned, he must be in real trouble."

Stonebridge frowned.

"Julian was a famous talent a hundred years ago. By all accounts, he’s a dangerous, unpredictable man. I wouldn’t put it past him to use Residency Writs as bait to kill promising young Lords. At least Cassian’s troops are still alive. That means he is too."

The two men continued their subdued conversation until a messenger rushed into the room.

"He’s back! Cassian is back!"

The young man was so excited that he forgot to announce his report. Neither general cared.

Xavier sprang to his feet.

"Good! Wonderful! He’s alive. That’s what matters. Arrange an Advanced Relocation Writ for him immediately. Get him out of Tidecrown, preferably straight into the Crown’s heartland. No more risks!"

"Sir..." The messenger hesitated. "As soon as he returned, he killed one of House Ross’s gifted Lords from Free Will. Then he moved his Domain into the Provincial Capital."

"Into the Capital?"

Xavier slapped his thigh.

"Foolish boy! The Governorship is already lost. Even if he’d been here from the start, one man’s strength couldn’t change the outcome."

Stonebridge had thought of something worse.

"Does he have enough War Intent to force a withdrawal?"

Cassian’s main force had spent all this time exploring Swordheart. How much War Intent could the troops he had left in Riftward have earned?

If the Black Banner kept his Domain under constant attack, he could be trapped in the Capital.

Xavier turned to the messenger.

"Order every military Lord who still has War Intent to reinforce his Domain. They must keep Cassian safe, whatever it costs. Even their lives!"

——

Thunder Step carried Sigrid and the Stormlance into Claire’s Domain with a series of crashing booms. Their bodies blurred as they raced toward the Lord’s Hall.

Several unlucky squads of Rare Nano Warriors stood in their path.

The Stormlance didn’t even slow down. They struck the defenders head-on, smashing their bodies apart.

A moment later, twelve lightning spears slammed into the Lord’s Hall’s barrier.

The whole Building shook. Cracks spread across its walls. Through the flickering light, Claire’s terrified face was just visible.

That was what had happened during those few seconds of frantic messages.

[You have defeated Lord Claire Ross. Relocate your Domain to this site?]

[You have priority for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, all Lords may attempt to occupy the site.]

"Relocate."

Cassian did not hesitate.

A huge pillar of golden light descended. His Domain had barely spent ten seconds back in Riftward before moving again, this time into the Provincial Capital.

[Your Domain has entered the Provincial Capital. Capital site bonuses stack with your Regional bonuses.]

Only then did Cassian look around.

During the contest, each Domain site occupied its own separate space. Blue spatial barriers enclosed it, leaving enough room for a battle around the Domain.

He had taken a Fortress site. An elemental defensive system appeared across his walls: Storm Towers, Frost Towers, Lightning Towers, and more.

He hardly needed them. Still, they looked magnificent. He wouldn’t have minded paying for the view alone.

A notice he had skimmed over during the relocation held a much better surprise.

[Warning: Local Regional Fortune has fallen to 72. Your Domain Aether Vein has regressed to Intermediate, 0%, where its grade is temporarily maintained.]

[If local Regional Fortune has not reached 100 within 30 days, the Vein will regress to Basic.]

"It can stay at Intermediate?"

Cassian laughed in delight.

He had expected to lose the Vein’s higher grade as soon as he left Swordheart’s extraordinary Fortune. Instead, he could keep producing swords with its Divine Favor.

A month to bring Riftward’s Fortune to a hundred?

He was certain he could do that.

Messages began pouring in. Cassian opened his Channels.

[Nessa Fenwick: You’re finally back! I missed you so much!]

Her greeting was followed by a rush of questions and concern.

[Elara Vayne: I’m sorry, Cassian. I couldn’t hold our Marches.]

[You’ve done more than enough, Lady Elara. We should have been stronger.]

[Boss, what happened in Swordheart? Are you all right?]

[Wait. Why is your Domain in the Capital? Get out! Once someone challenges you, you’ll have to force a withdrawal!]

[We can’t win the Governorship now. Let’s leave Tidecrown and develop somewhere else. In eighteen years, you can lead us back!]

Darian had another idea.

[Darian Frost: Killing Claire that quickly must have cost you. Elara and I were planning to spend the rest of our War Intent taking a few important Black Banner Lords with us before we leave. With you back, we have a much better chance. Let’s kill that loudmouthed Bastian Norell.]

Between them, they quickly filled Cassian in on the situation.

He had arrived late, but no one blamed him. Not even Darian, who was rarely shy about voicing his complaints. They were only worried about him.

For all Cassian’s concern with his own interests, he could not help being moved.

[Cassian Vale: Sorry, everyone. I ran into a problem in Swordheart. Leave the rest to me.]

At that moment, the third update appeared.

[Current candidate Occupation Progress:]

[1. Galen Tervain — 68%.]

[2. Elara Vayne — 35%.]

The Black Banner was gaining ground faster and faster. At this rate, Galen could reach a hundred percent in one or two more updates.

Riftward had gained just three percentage points in three hours.

Cassian considered the figures, then smiled.

"Elara, give me back the Commander’s office."

She was startled.

"If we change Commanders now, we lose all thirty-five percent of our progress."

Darian took it more easily.

"There’s no hope of winning anyway. Let him be a candidate before we leave. He won’t enter a newcomer Sector again. This is his only chance."

Then he addressed Cassian.

"I have an Advanced Relocation Writ for you. Come to Cloudrest Province with me afterward. It’s deep in Crown territory. My father bought me a Marches there. We’ll build up our strength for a few years, then come back and take Riftward."

His father had bought him a Marches?

These rich families were unbelievable.

"Let’s finish this battle first."

Cassian did not explain further.

He could have supported Elara’s bid, then had her transfer the Governorship to him afterward. That would even have made winning easier.

But he would miss the attribute reward.

A hundred points in every attribute mattered less than something else. Darian was right about one thing: Cassian would never have another first run through a newcomer Sector.

He had taken first place all the way here. Ten thousand years from now, when he stood above the countless races among the stars, did he want this one gap in his record?

Elara transferred the Marches Commander’s office back to him. With his authority restored, Cassian began making arrangements at once.

"I’ve saved up a supply of Clearwake Tonic. Use as much as you need."

He sent ten thousand bottles from his accumulated stores to each of Riftward’s leading fighters.

A single bottle of Life Water could be diluted into a thousand bottles of the tonic Celia had first used for her dark circles. To his exhausted allies, the deliveries were a blessing.

Then Cassian continued.

"Darian, Seraphine, Elara, Nessa, Lyra... I have some equipment for you too. It should help."

Exchange notifications rang out one after another.

This time, the recipients could not contain themselves.

"Heartsense Swords! Identical Legendary weapons! You really found the Swordgrave!"

"A Legendary Swordgrave? We thought Julian’s was Epic!"

"A whole Legendary forge! How did you build it? Where did you get that many Legendary materials?"

"I know! Swordheart! Its old Fortune can’t have faded completely. There must still be resource points there with the materials to build a Legendary Swordgrave!"

Someone sighed theatrically.

"How am I supposed to repay a gift like this? I’d offer myself, but I’m a man."

"Are you hinting that I should offer myself? I don’t think Cassian likes flat chests..."

Thirty Legendary swords had been shared among them. Even Darian, heir to one of the Crown’s richest Lord families, sounded like a country boy seeing treasure for the first time.

"These are far better than ordinary Legendary weapons. Cassian, they’re incredible!"

None of them knew why he had ordered the Swordgrave to produce so many swords. A large enough batch gave him more chances to get the best combinations of effects.

Every sword he had just sent them had failed to trigger either Enchantment or Divine Favor.

To him, they were the lesser blades.

To Darian, they were prizes even among Legendary equipment.

"One last thing."

Cassian addressed Mira Calder.

"Mira, make a list of the ten enemy Lords in the Capital who pose the greatest threat. Put them in order, then post it directly in the Province Channel."

He intended to make it a death list.