Chapter 740: Welcome To Blessed Land, Solenne [Bonus - ]

Chapter 740: Welcome To Blessed Land, Solenne [Bonus Chapter]

FZZZT!

Without a word or a rustle of cloth, the Elf princess simply stopped being by the bookshelf.

A faint wisp of purplish mana hung where she had stood... Less than two seconds later another quiet ripple parted the air beside the desk.

POP!

Aeliana reappeared at Silas’s elbow.

In one hand she carried a heavy cut-crystal jug of cold purple juice and in the other a tall glass cup already beaded with frost.

She leaned down with easy grace and poured the chilled juice into the cup without spilling a single drop.

The scent of wild mountain berries and cool spring water filled the corner of the office then she held the cup out to him with both hands.

"Thanks, Aeli," Silas said, smiling as he took it.

He tipped it back and took three long greedy gulps.

The sweet tart juice hit his throat like liquid ice and sent a sharp refreshing chill through his chest, washing away the last taste of Central City’s dry dust.

He set the empty cup on the desk with a clean clink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Alright," he said, looking around the room at the women. "The rest of you can go for now. Unpack, wash up, get some food... I’ll come around and attend to the different matters one at a time."

Aeliana inclined her head with her golden hair sliding across her shoulders.

FZZZT!

With another soft flicker of purplish mana she vanished from the office without leaving so much as a footprint.

Down by the desk Rika slowly pushed herself upright, her long hair tumbling over her face.

She blinked her calm gray eyes and rubbed the sleep from them with a knuckle as the little phoenix at her collar gave a soft chirp and puffed out a tiny ring of odorless white smoke that faded against her jaw.

Silas looked at the beast goddess, and his mind went straight to her Beast eggs.

...Handling them, preparing the nests and seeing what kind of companions they would hatch into was right at the top of his list, and honestly he couldn’t wait to get started.

’Though, honestly...’ Silas thought, scratching his cheek as his eyes lingered on Rika’s ancient serene face. ’Do we actually need an egg incubator? She’s literally the Goddess of Beasts... Does she even need gears and heat runes to hatch an egg, or does she just sit on them like a giant hen?’

The mental image of the dignified goddess perched awkwardly on a nest of giant spotted eggs nearly made him choke, but he kept a perfectly straight face.

However Solenne came first... The artificer was standing right there practically vibrating, and her work needed to be set in motion right away.

"Rika," Silas said gently, "go on ahead to your room and wait for me there. I need to get Solenne settled first, but I’ll be on my way right after... We’ll handle the Beast eggs together."

Rika blinked, and a faint pure smile broke across her calm face as her gray eyes warmed with complete trust.

"I’ll wait, Master!"

She turned and padded across the woolen carpet, her soft leather boots making no sound at all.

She pushed the heavy oak door open, slipped into the hallway and pulled the latch shut behind her with a gentle click.

That left Morwenna.

The raven-haired pirate hadn’t moved toward the door... She had sauntered over to the tall arched window in the western wall instead, and with her stormy gray eyes narrowed she unlatched the heavy iron bar and shoved both casements wide open.

CREEEAK!

A blast of bitter freezing wind howled into the office and sent the parchment on the desk fluttering wildly as the sudden cold made Silas shiver inside his dark jacket.

He let out a long pained groan and squinted past the open window at the sky.

’Fuck...’

The sky over the valley was heavy and bruised and choked with rolling banks of thick fog tumbling down from the jagged ridges.

The pine forests below were wrapped in gray mist, and the damp freezing draft carried the sharp smell that always came before snow.

"Dammit," Silas cursed under his breath, glaring at the clouds. "It’s foggy as hell out there... It’s probably going to snow again."

Morwenna leaned her hip against the stone sill and crossed her arms beneath her chest.

She glanced back over her shoulder with that wicked toothy grin she usually saved for stupid actions.

"A little frost builds character, Captain," she teased. "Keeps the deckhands from going soft..."

Her eyes drifted toward the lower rooftops. "I’m going to go find Eluned."

She hopped lightly onto the windowsill and crouched there like a panther about to spring then she paused and looked back at him with her gray eyes sparkling with pure mischief.

She brought two callused fingers to her lips, blew him a loud kiss and dropped her voice into a lazy purring drawl.

"See you later... Master."

Before Silas could even process the word, Morwenna kicked off the sill and threw herself backward out the window!

WHOOSH!

"Hey!" Silas choked as a sudden bright heat surged up his neck and into his cheeks.

’Master?!’

His mouth opened and closed soundlessly as he stared at the empty window frame with the cold wind blowing his bangs across his forehead.

’She knows damn well she only calls me that to get a rise out of me! That smug woman... jumping out of windows like they’re a staircase!’

He shook his head hard to clear the heat out of his ears and pointed a finger at the open window.

With a quick flick of wind mana he caught the heavy wooden casements in an invisible draft and slammed them shut with a loud bang before locking the latch tight against the gale.

The office went still and warm again.

Silas turned his chair back around, cleared his throat loudly to recover his dignity, and looked at the only person left in the room.

Solenne was standing in the middle of the carpet with all nine silver tails wrapped tightly around her shins like an oversized fluffy muff.

Her long fox ears were pinned back slightly, and her golden eyes darted between his red face and the closed window with wide nervous uncertainty.

"A-Ah," she stammered, fidgeting with the brass buckles of her satchel. "Does Lady Morwenna always leave through the windows? From this height she’d hit the ground at thirty miles an hour..."

"Don’t worry about Morwenna," Silas sighed, waving a hand as he leaned forward over the desk. "She’s tougher than a naval cannon... She probably landed on an awning, rolled off a rain barrel and she’s already raiding the pantry."

He looked at the flustered kitsune, and his expression softened into an easy welcoming smile.

"Solenne," he said, calm and steady. "Welcome... This is Blessed Land. You should do your best to get to know everyone here and find your footing. There are a lot of people living and working here, so it’ll feel like a lot at first, especially coming from a workshop of your own but everyone here is on the same side."

Hearing his gentle tone, Solenne’s nervous posture finally loosened.

Her ears shot straight up.

Her nine silver tails unwound from her shins and fluffed out into an enormous halo of silver fur that swayed with bright eager energy, and a hopeful smile broke across her face.

"Y-Yes, Lord Silas!" She nodded so hard her silver bangs bounced. "I’ll do my best! I’ll learn everyone’s names and everyone’s tools, and I won’t let anyone’s gear wear out!"

Then her golden eyes lit up with unstoppable engineering fever, and she took an eager step toward the desk with her hands clasped tightly together.

"B-But, my Lord... where do we start making the golems?! And the cannons in your Inventory! Do we have casting crucibles? Do we have to assemble the dampeners by hand? My fingers have been itching ever since we left the Sterling depot!"

Silas couldn’t help laughing. The moment the conversation touched gears, alloys or runes, every scrap of her shyness evaporated.

He stood up, walked around the desk and stopped two paces in front of her then he held out his right hand.

"Hold on," he said. "There’s something we need to do first."

Solenne blinked at his open palm, and her silver ears tilted to one side.

"Something we need to do?"

"You’re here as our artificer," Silas explained gently, his dark blue eyes on her golden ones. "But if you’re going to build defenses for this territory and run our workshops, the territory has to recognize you... You need to become a real member of Blessed Land, just like the Greyrock dwarves did."

Solenne looked at his outstretched hand, then down at her own trembling grease-stained fingers.

"How... how do I do that, my Lord?" she asked softly.

"It’s simple," Silas said. "Take my hand and hold on tight. Then proclaim that you want to join Blessed Land. Say your name and mean it... The territory will handle the rest."

Solenne swallowed hard, her pulse fluttering in her throat like a trapped sparrow.

She reached out with both hands and clasped his large warm palm.

Her grip was tight and her fingers trembled a little against his skin, and her silver ears tipped forward in complete focus.

She took a deep steadying breath, lifted her chin and looked straight into his eyes with total sincerity.

"I’m Kitsuna Solenne," she said, and her voice rang clear in the quiet stone office. "I give my craft, my mind and my nine tails to this land. I want to join Blessed Land!"

The moment the last word left her lips, the territory answered.

HUUUUUUM!

A warm radiant pulse of golden light burst from their joined hands!

It didn’t burn or blind... It flowed up Solenne’s arms and wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak of molten sunlight, then washed over her entire body and sank into her skin.

It lit up all nine silver tails behind her until every strand of fur shimmered like spun glass.

Solenne gasped softly.

A deep warmth settled into the center of her chest, a tie that bound her to the stone of the Keep and the land beyond the walls.

The golden glow flared once more, rose toward the rafters and faded gently into tiny sparkling motes that melted into the air.

PING!

A crisp translucent blue window appeared in midair in front of Silas:

[New Troop Registered!]

[Unit: Kitsuna Solenne (Chief Artificer / Golem Architect)]

[Affiliation: Blessed Land]

The text lingered in the air for three long seconds before it chimed softly and folded itself away.

Silas smiled warmly and gave her hands a gentle squeeze before letting go.

"Welcome to Blessed Land, Solenne," he said. "You’re one of us now."

Tears of overwhelming relief pricked the corners of Solenne’s golden eyes.

She wiped them away quickly with her sleeve while her nine tails swished in wild happy sweeps that practically stirred up a breeze in the room.

"T-Thank you, Lord Silas!" she cried, bowing deeply at the waist. "I won’t let you down! I’ll build you the strongest golems in the whole world! I swear it!"

"I know you will," Silas laughed.

He leaned back against the edge of the desk and crossed his ankles.

"Now, about those golems," he went on, a sly grin tugging at his mouth. "You’re our Chief Artificer, but you’re not the only genius working with metal around here... There’s someone who’s dealt with our golems from the very beginning. She forged the bodies of our mining golems, and she’s a genius in her own right when it comes to raw metal and foundry work... She’s probably down there right now covered in soot and swinging a hammer."

Solenne gasped and her silver ears twitched with fierce curiosity.

"Another master? A foundry specialist?! Does she work with high-density compression?! Has she made heat-tempered mana seals?!"

"You’ll have to ask her yourself," Silas chuckled, nodding toward the door. "She has... a very unique personality, but her skill’s the real thing. Why don’t we head there now?"

"Yes! Yes, please, my Lord!" Solenne beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her tails puffed out like clouds of silver cotton. "I’ve got my calipers ready!"

Before he turned for the door, Silas focused his thoughts and called up the newly registered profile.

’Status.’

SHING!

A detailed glowing blue panel unfolded in front of his eyes:

[Troop]: Kitsuna Solenne

[Title]: Chief Artificer

[Class]: Golem Artificer (A-Rank)

[Mana]: 2100 / 2100

[Skills]:

[Artificer’s Ear]: Reads the temper, grain and flaws of any metal or alloy by tapping it and listening to the resonance.

[Golem Architect]: Designs and assembles golem chassis, joints and core mounts at greatly increased speed and quality.

[Precision Forging]: Raises the quality and durability of anything she builds or repairs.

[Nine-Tail Focus]: Channels spirit energy through her nine tails to work on several components at once.

Silas skimmed the panel, the healthy mana pool, the skill list without a single attack in it and that ridiculous multi-tail crafting focus.

’Cool, she’s a Support troop.’