Chapter 110: A New Position

Marcus sat alone in his office after instructing Van to show Ethan to his new room in the Inner Fortress, the quiet of the empty chamber settling around him at last.

To think that piece of junk was the Mercenary King’s Legacy... He shook his head slowly, still hardly able to believe it. It seems the old man didn’t bring back some decorative piece of scrap metal from that ruin after all.

Marcus’s thoughts drifted back to his father, to the countless hours he and Adrian had spent, years ago, trying to identify whatever the black box actually was as their father didn’t mention anything about it. Beyond confirming it was some unusually resilient, unidentifiable metal neither of them had ever managed to uncover anything more. Eventually, they’d simply given up, left it sitting in Northwatch’s treasury, and let it rot away in the dark alongside the other forgotten relics.

He’d been genuinely startled when Ethan asked for the box as his reward, weeks ago now, and felt a small pang of guilt settling into his chest at that time, realizing he himself had been the one to first mention its existence to Ethan, years earlier, back when the boy had come to him with questions about his grandfather.

Marcus had shared stories of Severus’s legends across the Empire, which he assumed had sparked Ethan’s curiosity to request the Black Box in the first place. He hadn’t denied the request, believing Ethan needed to bear the consequences of his choices early on and learn from them. Yet he never could have imagined that fate had entirely different plans for his nephew.

It seems the kid’s luck really is something else entirely or is it even luck. He didn’t know which it is, but he was really happy for Ethan.

I really do want to see the look on Duke Albright’s face, he thought, a grin spreading slowly across his features, once our alliance is finalized with House Bluemoon and the Grand Mage Tower formally reveals the Gold-Grade Patent, and the elixir along with it.

Ethan had specifically asked the Mage Saint to have only House Bluemoon’s name attached to the patent when it was made public, and she’d agreed without so much as a moment’s argument, meaning Ethan’s own name would never appear on the record at all.

Marcus turned his attention back to the document Ethan had left with him, reading through it carefully a second time. The elixirs would be sold to House Ravencrest at fifty percent of standard market price, on the condition that they maintained a steady, reliable supply of monster cores, rare northern herbs, and considerable quantities of Whisperthorn and Frostfire Moss besides.

His gaze lingered longest on those final two herbs which were considered nothing more than medicianal weeds, a faint crease of confusion forming between his brows—he couldn’t quite work out why they’d been specified so precisely, or in such unusually large amounts. But since he had no real understanding of the refining process itself, he decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on, and let the thought pass.

Before leaving, Ethan had also pressed a handful of Rare-grade and Epic-grade elixirs into his hands, insisting Marcus judge their potency for himself rather than simply take his word for it. Marcus had uncorked one without much ceremony and drank it down in a single swallow, and felt its effect almost immediately, a warm, spreading sensation flooding through his chest and limbs, subtle shifts moving beneath his skin that he could track with practiced awareness. His own strength gained only the barest, almost negligible increase from it, already sitting at the Heaven Knight realm as he was, but he understood at once, with total clarity, exactly how transformative this would be for anyone standing below him.

"HAHAHAHA!"

His laughter rang out through the empty office, unrestrained.

This is unlike anything currently available on the market, he thought, still grinning. And it even improves elemental affinity on top of everything else. We’re going to save an absolutely enormous amount on resources from now on...

He paused, tapping one finger idly against the desk. I really should get the kid something for this. Marcus leaned back in his chair, wondering what he could possibly give Ethan. The boy already possessed good Cultivation Arts, while resources were hardly something he lacked either. Marcus considered several possibilities in silence, only to discard each one after another. He even briefly thought about something he had once planned to teach Ethan himself, but after everything that had happened recently, that no longer seemed necessary.

But what would he even want? He turned the question over for a long moment, considering and discarding half a dozen possibilities, before something finally struck him.

"Ah—that would be perfect." He muttered with excitement.

Satisfied, he pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and began drafting the report meant to expedite the alliance proposal with House Bluemoon, filling page after page with vivid, careful detail about everything Ethan had accomplished, determined that nothing be understated, that his every achievement receive its weight.

Brother would be proud, he thought, muttering the words under his breath without quite noticing he’d said them aloud, too swept up in his own excitement to remember, even once, that the report would land on Lady Elena’s desk before it reached Adrian, or to spare a single thought for what that particular oversight might cost him later.

Once the report was finished, he also authorized a plot of land within Northwatch’s Outer District, setting it aside for the new guild House Bluemoon intended to establish there, and spent the next several minutes issuing careful instructions to the relevant officers before finally, for the night, setting the whole matter aside.

---

Van led Ethan through the winding corridors of the barracks, finally stopping before a room entirely different from his previous quarters, considerably larger, furnished with several small amenities typically reserved for squad captains among the mercenaries who took part in the beast tides, or for Knight Captains within Ravencrest’s own forces, a privilege usually extended only to those who’d already reached at least the Peak of Knight Commander realm.

Seeing the flicker of surprise cross Ethan’s face, Van allowed himself a small, knowing smile.

"Your captain’s badge will be issued tomorrow morning," he said. "You’re free to choose your own team from among the Adventurer’s Guild hunters and mercenaries volunteering for the next tide, or, if you’d rather not bother with the selection yourself, we can simply assign members to you directly."

Ethan weighed the offer for only a moment before deciding it would be far more trouble than it was worth to hand-pick anyone personally, and asked Van to assign the smallest team the arrangement allowed. He already knew that most of them would look down on him regardless, not out of malice, simply comparison, standing beside captains with genuine, hard-earned reputations built across years of surviving the tides.

His own name carried a measure of recognition within the guild, mostly thanks to the rescue near Maple River, but only a small handful had ever speculated any real connection to the Four Great Evils that day, and Marcus and Evelyn had worked carefully, deliberately, to make certain that no rumours spread any further and classified everything relating to Ethan. Most people, as far as he could reasonably tell, simply assumed he’d gotten swept up in the chaos of that day rather than caused any part of it himself.

Once Van had gone, Ethan closed the door quietly behind him. Rune wasted no time at all, leaping directly onto the bed and curling into a tight, contented ball, fast asleep within only a few breaths.

This guy really does love his sleep, Ethan thought, a fond smile tugging at his lips as he watched the cub’s steady, even breathing.

He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, pulled a piece of fresh bread from his inventory, and ate slowly, chewing through the quiet in no particular hurry.

"It’s been quite a while since I’ve actually looked." He whispered as he set the last of the bread aside. "Let’s see, then."

With a single thought, he summoned his status screen.

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Ethan Ravencrest

Age: 10

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Warrior Path

Knight Rank: Knight

Warrior Core

Status: Partially Awakened

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Mage Path

Mage Rank: Unawakened

Mage Core

Status: Dormant

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Spirit Path

Spirit Rank: Unawakened

Spirit Core

Status: Dormant

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Talent: Unawakened

Physique: Heavenly Sovereign Physique (SSS)

Cultivation Art: Northern Heaven War Art

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Title: Black Reaper

• Increases the Host’s presence and intimidation when facing hostile targets.

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Strength: 297 ➔ 1,220 (+923)

Agility: 293 ➔ 1,220 (+927)

Vitality: 294 ➔ 1,215 (+921)

Endurance: 293 ➔ 1,222 (+929)

Intelligence: 100 (Hard Ceiling — Realm Limitation)

Mana Capacity: 150 (Hard Ceiling — Warrior Core Partially Awakened)

Perception: 61 ➔ 111 (+50)

War Merit: 234,670 ➔ 285, 480 (+50,810)

Blood Essence: 0

Available Attribute Points: 223

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Traits:

Cold Resistance — Level 2 ➔ Level 5 (+3)

• Cold Damage Taken: -10% ➔ -25% (-15%)

• Stamina Consumption in Cold Environments: -10% ➔ -25%

Predator Sense — Level 2 ➔ Level 4 (+2)

• Heightens the user’s instinctive awareness, allowing them to perceive subtle vibrations, movements, and changes in their surroundings.

• Improves detection of nearby threats, hostile intent, and concealed enemies.

Troll’s Regeneration — Level 2 (New)

• Wounds recover at an accelerated rate

• Increased recovery from physical injuries and internal strain

Frost Affinity — Level 2 (New)

• Grants a natural attunement to cold-based energy, allowing minor manipulation and generation of frost/ice

• Slightly increases the potency of any cold-based techniques or attacks used by the host

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Eternal Sovereign Blade

Current Rank: Rare | Growth Potential: Unknown

Status: Soul-Bound | Blood Essence Stored: 0

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