Chapter 328: A Prize Still Undecided

Months had passed since Cassian reached Rank XV.

His workforce had gathered the necessary resources and completed the paid growth of all three Pocket Parks to Level 12. With the final conditions met, he paid the advancement costs and the fee for instant completion.

[Your Lord’s Hall has advanced to Rank XVI.]

[Building unlocked: Moat.]

[Domain area increased to 2,400,000 square meters.]

[Building Evolution Path available: Moat. Compatible features detected: Domain Aether Vein / Folded Sanctuary.]

"Another one."

Cassian opened the details with interest.

Choosing the City path at Rank XIII had continued to reward him. The Barrier had offered a route into a Void Shield, while the ordinary Pocket Parks had improved life within the Domain. Now the Moat offered another possibility.

Would the Monument unlocked at Rank XVII have something for him too?

The Moat’s evolution route had three main features.

[1. By integrating Folded Sanctuary’s spatial power, the Moat may pass through dimensional space. Its course must remain within the Domain’s boundaries.]

[2. The Quality of the construction materials will affect its strength.]

[3. Special waters may grant the Moat additional properties.]

"A river that moves through dimensional space..."

He had yet to build or test it, but the possibilities were attractive.

"If I use Legendary materials throughout, could it rival a Legendary defensive Building?"

Another thought followed immediately.

"What if I filled it from the River of Blood? Could it form a Blood River Array? Or what about water from the River of Souls?"

He was getting ahead of himself. That did little to restrain his imagination.

——

In a virtual conference, Gavin Roswell addressed three Black Banner representatives.

"Lady Vaust. Lady Velisse. Lord Morvane."

Nerissa Vaust sat beside Isolde Velisse and Dorian Morvane. Two women and a man, all watching his projection.

"We have provided extensive evidence, including the memory fragments of several Lords," Gavin said. "I trust that demonstrates our sincerity. The Peace Shell was indeed fired by Divine Province."

He paused before continuing.

"The entire affair began with Lord Kestrel’s betrayal of our alliance. Now that he is dead, perhaps we can put this dispute behind us. We still share an enemy in the thirteen Crown Provinces."

His eyes strayed toward Isolde.

She was beautiful, though hardly beyond every woman he had ever seen. Her expression was cold. Yet one glance sent a rush of heat through him, and he quickly looked away.

This was only a holographic projection.

House Velisse truly deserved its reputation as a favorite of Lust. Isolde might even be one of the god’s Divine Servants.

Nerissa forced a small, formal smile.

"Your evidence is conclusive, your explanation thorough, and the motive entirely convincing. To continue doubting you would be unreasonable."

She kept her voice even.

"We have reviewed the circumstances ourselves. The vessel carrying the Peacebringer was a Mirage Ship, not a Meridian cruiser. Divine Province was responsible."

She hated saying it.

Memory fragments? Who did they expect to fool? Once material passed through the Homeworld’s systems, a recording of a memory could be fabricated. With the right means, even the memory itself could be altered.

But the decision had come from the military’s senior leadership. Her task was to carry it out.

Gavin could see her resentment. He was scarcely happier with the situation himself. General Graves’s words came back to him.

Belief could be a choice. The Black Banner would choose to believe.

The old man had understood exactly how this would end.

Gavin returned to the matter that had brought them together.

"When Race Ascendancy begins, Cassian and more than a dozen of Divine Province’s strongest Lords will be forced to leave the Homeworld. The Province will be at its weakest."

His smile became more confident.

"By then, Western Beacon will also have secured the Firstborn Gate’s Mythic rewards. If we want to destroy Divine Province, we will have an excellent opportunity."

——

Another twenty-odd days passed. The settlement of the Contest of the First Age finally arrived.

Not long before it, the Black Banner’s government had announced the supposed truth of the Peace Strike. Divine Province, it declared, had been responsible for everything.

The public reaction was furious. Lords accused their leaders of humiliating the nation to please Western Beacon. Demonstrations broke out across the Homeworld, and the military eventually sent troops to suppress them.

At eleven fifty on the day of settlement, the Exchange betting pool closed.

Everyone checked the final stakes.

[1. Sunhaven Province — 23,800,000,000 Aether.]

[2. Divine Province — 19,200,000,000 Aether.]

[3. Concord Province — 1,200,000,000 Aether.]

[4...]

"Nearly twenty billion on us?" Seraphine said. "There are plenty of clever people around."

Divine Province’s Lords did not know Cassian’s exact coin total. They knew what their own hunts had produced, though. That was enough to estimate the scale of the Province’s gains.

Its chance of taking first was excellent.

Add Cassian’s record of winning almost everything since the sector opened, and it was hardly surprising that so many had increased their wagers.

Darian raised a hand.

"Don’t look at me. I’m not trying to take all Cassian’s winnings. I only put in a billion this time."

"Ten billion of that is mine," Cassian said openly.

Nessa nodded with satisfaction.

"He’s already leaving plenty for everyone else. He could have put in several times that much."

Cassian smiled without denying it.

The Sunhaven expedition had cost an immense amount. He could still have found tens of billions more for the wager. There was little reason to crowd everyone else out, especially when this pool was far smaller than the last one.

Fifty billion Aether in total.

Western Beacon’s bettors were less pleased. Those who had committed heavily to Sunhaven stared at Divine Province’s stake and felt their confidence weaken.

Did Cassian really know something they did not?

No one risked mocking him in the Homeworld Channel. They waited for the minutes to pass.

At noon, the announcements began.

[The results of the Homeworld’s second Provincial Ranking will now be released.]

[100th Place — Gaul Province. Governor Lucien Marceau: all attributes +100. Resident Lords: all attributes +10. Provincial National Fortune +2. Fortune Talismans ×200.]

[99th Place...]

Soon, cheers erupted in Southreach.

"Ninety-fourth! We made the top hundred!"

"Ten thousand years to Lord Cassian!"

"Nine thousand to Nessa!"

Nessa looked immensely pleased. Only a thousand years behind Cassian. That sounded quite respectable to her.

Seraphine and the others exchanged peculiar looks.

Across the other Crown Provinces, Lords were smiling for a more practical reason. Leaving aside veterans descended from older sectors, Southreach had the weakest newcomer force among them. If it could reach the top hundred, they should have no trouble.

The following announcements proved them right.

Cloudrest. Hidden Dragon. Ironpass. Westreach.

One after another, all twelve of Divine Province’s allied Provinces appeared on the list.

They had only reached the top hundred, yet the news darkened faces throughout Western Beacon, the Black Banner, and the Golden Lion’s western allies.

In the Jade Court’s Plain Yellow Province, Corven Talcrest came close to smashing his own Hall.

Western Beacon’s Lords recovered some of their smiles when the top ten began. Every Province named from tenth onward belonged to them.

There was one awkward detail.

With each Western Beacon Province that appeared, Divine Province moved closer to first place.

Fourth place had been announced. Across the Homeworld, Lords held their breath and waited. Even great figures in the upper Realms, Edran among them, were watching through special relays.

Could Divine Province really take the prize from Sunhaven?