Chapter 303: Within Cannon Range

The battle had been decided, but finishing it took until noon the following day.

Not one coalition ship escaped. Even the Meridian cruisers, with their brief ability to phase through space, were hunted down. Divine Province’s strongest fighters pursued them for thousands of kilometers and sank them one by one.

Cassian returned to Ghost One and opened the Exchange.

Navigation was an unusually scarce Epic skill, especially in a newcomer sector. Killing so many enemy Heroes had supplied him with four copies. He traded one book, together with fourteen million Aether, for a complete Legendary edition.

Liora used it at once.

Next came the figureheads.

An eight-million-Aether payment, together with one of the battle’s drops, secured a Legendary Siren Figurehead. More trades followed. By the time he finished, sixty-eight of the dropped figureheads had been exchanged for Legendary replacements.

He bought the additional figureheads needed for the rest of the fleet as well. Ghost One kept its Hydra figurehead. Every ship would now have a Legendary figurehead of its own.

The new Battle Essence gave him plenty of room to expand.

At the Abyssal Dockyard, paid materials, construction, and completion fees produced another Carrier, twelve Heavy Ghost Battleships, and twenty-four Light Ghost Battleships. He paid for their growth, then released two more Meridian cruisers bought through the Exchange and paid their growth costs before bringing them into service.

The Skyreaver joined them. Cassian released his prize and paid its growth costs, finally turning the little model into a ship he could use.

He now owned a hundred and fifty vessels. Fully outfitted, the expanded fleet was stronger than ever.

"Liora. Take the fleet into Black Banner waters."

One Mirage Ship, three Meridian cruisers, twelve Ghost Carriers, thirty-six Heavy Ghost Battleships, and ninety-six Light Ghost Battleships departed under her command.

Cassian kept Ghost One and the Skyreaver for his own use.

For the immediate future, he doubted anyone would launch another major attack on Divine Province. Certainly not before the Provincial Ranking settled.

Mira soon arrived with the first full accounting of the battle.

"Even with your strongest fighters and the Dawnwing and Eclipse corps supporting us, our losses in ships and troops came to roughly twenty percent. Most were among the lower and middle Qualities."

No one was surprised.

The seven-nation coalition had brought more than ten thousand Legendary flying troops alone. Its ground forces were larger still. Before the battle, every other Lord in Divine Province combined had owned only a few thousand Legendary troops, excluding Cassian’s force.

Elara lowered her eyes.

"Eight of my Hill Kings died."

"Thirty-two Bone Dragons," Mara said.

"It’s war. We can’t avoid casualties altogether," Cassian told them. "I lost dozens of Dawnwings too."

His Eclipse corps had fared better. Despite being only Epic Four-Star, its soldiers had come through unhurt beneath the protection of Aegis Fold.

The losses hurt. The gains made them look small.

"Our total number of ships at Rare Quality and above has actually increased," Mira continued. "By at least two thousand, according to the preliminary count."

That drew the first startled exclamations.

"We’ve counted a hundred and three Legendary Troop Sigils from the battle. Those include a Tempest Wyvern and a Golden Behemoth. Seven hundred and eighty Epic Sigils. More than fifty thousand Rare ones."

She looked down at the next part of the report.

"Four thousand pieces of Legendary equipment. As for Epic equipment..."

The list went on. Each new figure drew another round of delighted disbelief.

Mira finished with a smile.

"Of course, well over half of all this belongs to Cassian, Darian, Elara, and Mara."

"As usual, let Divine Province buy what it can use first," Cassian said.

He looked at the woman holding the report. While everyone else fought, explored, or trained, she had an entire Province’s administration to manage.

"You’ve worked hard, Mira. The Golden Behemoth Sigil will go to Darian, and the Tempest Wyvern Sigil to you. Any objections?"

There were none.

——

Across the Homeworld, Lords were struggling to revise their judgment of Divine Province yet again.

[I thought this invasion would destroy them. They made winning look easy.]

[Have you noticed that every major battle in our sector has revolved around Divine Province? It started with the Fortune Temple.]

[Of course it has. Boss Cassian is the man of this age!]

Lords from the thirteen Crown Provinces were the most enthusiastic, joined by plenty of neutral observers. They could make rough guesses about the Battle Essence earned. They had no idea how rich the item drops had been.

The seven invading nations were much quieter. So were the western powers closest to Western Beacon. Their confidence seemed to have sunk with the fleet.

For several days, the victory dominated the Channel.

Then a Black Banner Warden posted a furious message.

[Someone attacked my fleet! Every ship is gone!]

[Half a year’s work! Three Epic warships and more than a dozen Rare ones! All destroyed!]

His rage was plain in every word.

Within half an hour, dozens of Lords based on Breakwater Isle reported attacks of their own. Several who had been aboard their ships died with them.

One Lord managed to send a blurred recording before his death.

A dark Energy beam rose from the sea and punched through the deck.

Everyone in the Homeworld recognized that sight.

[Nerissa Vaust: Cassian! This is Cassian’s doing!]

[Are we sure? Three days ago, his fleet was still in Divine Province’s waters. Breakwater Isle is a hundred and forty thousand kilometers away.]

[Even Legendary warships can’t travel that fast!]

Nerissa hesitated too.

Mira removed any doubt.

[Mira Calder: To defend Crown territorial waters, Divine Province is clearing out vessels that have entered them without permission. We accept responsibility for these operations.]

[Our forces uphold justice and act on sound reason. We reject all attempts to label us aggressors or accuse us of tyranny.]

[The Channel is not beyond the reach of consequences.]

[Any nation, organization, or individual Lord that slanders Divine Province should be prepared for us to defend our good name by force.]

[This is our official statement.]

Legendary Navigation, combined with the fleet’s Legendary figureheads, had done exactly what the doubters believed impossible. In three days, Liora had crossed the vast stretch of sea and brought the fleet into the Black Banner’s home waters.

The Homeworld Channel erupted again.

[They really did it!]

[Out of our harbors and straight into theirs! Let them see what the Crown can do!]

["Sound reason." I like that. Reason carries a long way when it’s backed by cannons.]

The celebration spread far beyond the thirteen newcomer Provinces. Crown Lords everywhere cheered the news. Some wept openly.

[How many generations have watched the western powers bully us at our own gates? Finally, we can hold our heads up.]

[Claiming two hundred thousand kilometers of sea is a bit outrageous, but I can’t pretend I’m not enjoying it.]

[Outrageous? Was it reasonable when the Black Banner and its western allies took our Provinces and demanded reparations? Whose side are you on?]

[Yours! Did you miss the part where I said I was enjoying it?]

[Two hundred thousand kilometers seems perfectly reasonable to me.]

[Agreed. We uphold justice. No slander accepted.]

Black Banner Lords answered with fury.

[The Crown has gone too far!]

[Justice? They dare call this justice?]

[Gather the fleets! Drive the invaders out! Defend our homeland!]

[Where is the Homeworld Council? We demand intervention!]

[Sanction Divine Province! How long will the Council tolerate this menace?]

After the Legion Contest, the outcry across the Homeworld had forced the Concord Society to punish Malcolm. A new councilor now represented the Council in the newcomer sector: Odette, a blonde, blue-eyed beauty from Western Beacon’s Skull faction.

With appeals flooding the Channel, she finally spoke.

[Councilor Odette: Lord Cassian, are you here? Divine Province’s actions are becoming an abuse of power. I call on you to stop these operations immediately.]

Cassian answered without bothering with a speech.

[Cassian Vale: One question. What if I refuse?]