Chapter 330: Six Blood Emperors

The Firstborn Gate’s inventory appeared before the waiting Lords.

[Equipment Advancement Writ — Mythic | Stock: 1 | Price: 10,000,000 First-Age Coins.]

[Domain Advancement Writ — Legendary | Stock: 2 | Price: 1,000,000 First-Age Coins each.]

[Warship — Legendary | Stock: 5 | Price: 500,000 First-Age Coins each.]

[Hero Soul — Legendary | Stock: 10 | Price: 400,000 First-Age Coins each.]

The list continued far below those first four entries.

"An Equipment Advancement Writ..."

Sighs passed through the crowd. Some sounded relieved. Others decidedly did not.

"Now Cassian gets another piece of Mythic equipment," someone said bitterly.

That was the value of a World Wonder. Even the Firstborn Gate, far from the most highly ranked of them, offered at least one Mythic item whenever it opened. In more than ninety percent of the Homeworld’s newcomer sectors, Lords could go ten years without seeing a single one.

Gavin let out the breath he had been holding.

"It could have been worse. I’d much rather he gained a piece of equipment than a Mythic Hero Sigil, Troop Soul, or Domain Advancement Writ."

He looked farther down the list and managed a smile.

"There are more than a hundred Legendary items, along with the special goods. Once he’s finished, there should still be plenty for us."

The others brightened a little. Divine Province had first choice, but the next nine Provinces all belonged to Western Beacon. Legendary goods could still make a tremendous difference to their strength.

They watched the list, trying to guess what Cassian would buy.

The Mythic Writ grayed out first. No surprise there.

Then both Domain Advancement Writs disappeared from sale. All five warships followed.

One entry after another turned gray. The Legendary goods vanished, then the valuable special items, including every Absorption Stone.

Gavin’s smile was gone.

"Forty million," Piers whispered. "They gathered at least forty million First-Age Coins. What sort of drop rate does Divine Province have?"

Roughly a thousand lesser items remained. Looking at them after watching the entire Legendary stock disappear only made the loss worse.

The complaints came from far beyond Western Beacon.

[Did he have to take everything? He hasn’t left us a scrap!]

[Norman Province gathered nine hundred thousand coins. Are we supposed to keep them until the Gate opens again?]

——

Back in Cassian’s Domain, Nessa was laughing so hard she could barely sit straight.

"I wish I could see their faces!"

Cassian smiled and brought out his purchases. He kept the Equipment Advancement Writ, Absorption Stones, and Sealing Talismans, then set the rest before his friends.

"Take what you need."

There had been a time when one Legendary item could leave them speechless. Now they leaned over the pile and chose what suited their forces. Mira took charge of distributing the remainder among Divine Province’s other loyal War Lords.

Darian picked through the goods, then sighed.

"An equipment Writ is good. A Mythic Troop Sigil would have been better, especially with Race Ascendancy so close."

The others agreed. Give Cassian a squad of Mythic troops, and who would stop him?

Nessa suddenly looked up.

"Cassian, remember what you lent me?"

The remark meant little to anyone else. Cassian understood at once. He reached over and ruffled her hair, saying nothing.

After his guests left, he closed the Domain’s Gate permissions and took out a deep red chalice.

He had thought of it the moment he saw the Writ.

Race Ascendancy demanded strength. He already had thousands of Legendary and Epic fighters. What he needed most was more power at the very top.

Divine Dragon Amber could call a Dragon, but only one. If he was going to improve a piece of equipment, a summoning item offered the greatest promise.

He had two to choose from: the Blood Chalice and the Undead Dragon Flute. The Chalice’s requirements were more demanding, yet it could summon more troops. How much that advantage would grow at Mythic Quality remained to be seen.

"If only I had a Realm Simulator. I could test a few different items before choosing."

He could wish for one. For now, he had to make the decision himself.

Cassian took out the Writ, turning it carefully between his fingers. Three colors shone across its surface.

"Advance the Blood Chalice."

The Writ broke into drifting lights and sank into the cup. The Chalice lifted from his hands. As it hovered before him, an unmistakable Mythic aura began to spread.

[Blood Chalice advancement complete.]

He opened its new description immediately.

[Blood Chalice — Mythic]

[Absorb and store Blood Essence from creatures of Legendary Quality or above to summon Bloodkin troops.]

[Maximum simultaneous summons: 6. Maximum Quality: Mythic. Summon Level cannot exceed the holder’s Level. Duration: 1 hour.]

[Summoned troops may be bound as Domain troops. Bound summons retain their memories between summons and occupy Domain population.]

[After binding, summon time may be stored.]

[A Bloodkin Artifact of this power is closely connected to the River of Blood.]

[Eligible Blood Essence stored: 0.]

Cassian read the panel, then burst out laughing.

"Half a squad of Mythics! As long as I can feed them..."

That particular problem was manageable.

He opened several warehouses. Containers of powerful Blood Essence flew out, gathered from Demons, the Deep Sea races, Dragons, and even Bloodkin. Qualifying blood materials from his campaigns had accumulated into a vast stock.

The Chalice absorbed them. Its counter stopped at three hundred and forty thousand.

His smile grew wider.

"Summon a Blood Emperor."

[Blood Essence consumed: 1,000.]

Thick blood poured from the Chalice, drawing itself into the shape of an elderly gentleman. Awareness settled into the Bloodkin’s eyes as he received the Realm’s information. He bowed with practiced grace.

"Thank you for awakening me from the River of Blood. Valdemar, Blood Emperor, is at your service."

Cassian examined his attributes. They were below those of the Divine Dragon and Lethria, but he could summon six Blood Emperors like this one.

Better still, Valdemar possessed the Blood River Array.

The expense was formidable. Every two seconds he remained, he consumed another unit of Legendary Blood Essence. Cassian went straight to the question that mattered.

"Could you use the Blood River Array to draw water from the River of Blood and make it a permanent part of my Moat?"

He raised a hand.

A river emerged from dimensional space, winding around the Domain. Its course seemed solid in one place and almost unreal in another, enclosing the city from every direction.

Since reaching Rank XVI, Cassian had paid for the Moat’s construction and chosen its Building Evolution Path. He had used enormous quantities of Legendary materials. The result could move through the Domain’s folded space, guarding far more than the ground beneath its walls.

Valdemar studied the river with sudden attention. His new Lord was clearly no ordinary Human.

After considering the question, he answered carefully.

"If you summon all six Blood Emperors, my lord, we should be able to do it."

Cassian paid to summon the other five. The six Bloodkin set to work, drawing upon the great river to which the Chalice connected them.

An hour later, he stood admiring a Moat filled with blood-red water.

Only weeks ago, he had been wondering whether water from the River of Blood—or perhaps the River of Souls—could improve his new defense. Now the first possibility had become real.

A permanent Blood River Array around his city.

No, something stronger. The Moat itself strengthened the defense, and its course protected the whole Domain. With the Barrier behind it, his city was a fortress he could be proud of.

Cassian watched the red current a little longer before hiding the Moat again. It slipped back into dimensional space, leaving no visible trace.

While the Blood Emperors had been drawing in the water, Odette had sent him a message. Western Beacon intended to destroy Divine Province while its strongest Lords were away at Race Ascendancy.

He had already suspected as much. Her warning confirmed it.

Only a few days remained. He meant to compete for Humanity’s Paragon, and he meant to leave Divine Province secure while he did it.

Cassian sighed.

"It looks as though I’ll have to let them see the Five Elements Temple."