Chapter 139: Too Late to Apologize

In Coldridge Region, Adrian was reading his reward notice.

[Your fleet has defeated the Sea Dragon guardians.]

[Your contribution: 1.6%.]

[Your Region has gained 1 Fortune.]

He sprang to his feet.

The luminous wineglass in his hand shattered against the floor.

"One point? One damned point?"

This was nothing like his plan. The Crown Lords should have died, leaving him to collect everything the Temple had stored.

"Useless! All those Mirage Ships and ten thousand warships, and Black Banner couldn’t deal with a few dozen vessels?"

Reports of the battle going badly had been arriving for more than half an hour. He had assumed that meant the enemy was taking heavy losses while wiping out the Crown fleet.

The Temple’s allocation told a different story. The Crown Lords had survived.

"And we’ve lost the Temple!" Edmund said furiously.

Coldridge could have taken it without outside help. The casualties would have cost them their chance of winning the Marches Ranking, but it had been possible.

They had tried to secure both prizes. Now both had slipped away.

More reports arrived from the coast.

"Cassian again!" Edmund cried. "His fleet can dive and conceal itself. Battleships—the kind with the heaviest guns!"

Adrian dropped back into his chair.

"With an invincible fleet like that, who can challenge him at sea?"

"We’ve made an enemy of him," Edmund said. "We’ll have to watch every voyage from now on. And if someone here lets the Crown Lords into our Region, even our lives won’t be safe. Those Dragons have Black Hole. They’re too strong."

Adrian scowled.

"They came out of this with a fortune. What do they have to complain about? Black Banner is already keeping the Crown busy. They won’t dare make an enemy of Free Will too."

He gave a contemptuous snort.

"Remember Sector 632? Beacon Lords abused a Crown woman, everyone heard about it, and what came of it? The World Assembly did nothing. It all blew over."

He leaned back.

"If I have to, I’ll apologize in person. That should give them enough dignity to let the matter rest."

"That would be best." Edmund seemed relieved. "The others don’t worry me. Cassian does. He doesn’t behave the way he should."

"I know," Adrian said impatiently. "Tomorrow."

His expression changed before the word had faded.

He shot out of the chair.

"Spatial Lock! And a communication seal! Someone in our Region has let them in!"

Edmund stared at him.

"The Crown Lords? Already?"

For the first time, panic crossed Adrian’s face.

"Impossible. They’re still out at the Temple. How could they get here so quickly?"

"It doesn’t matter who it is," Edmund said rapidly. "Get somewhere safe first!"

They were already too late.

With their Heroes and troops guarding them, they made it barely ten kilometers from the Domain before twelve Crystal Dragons appeared against the sky.

Cassian was with them. More than a thousand Epic flying troops and over a dozen Lords followed.

"It really is them. How dare they..."

There was nowhere left to run.

Adrian swallowed his humiliation and forced a smile.

"We’ve had an unfortunate disagreement. But from today onward, Coldridge will fully support the Crown’s candidate for Governor of Tidecrown."

He looked directly at Cassian.

"And we will withdraw from this Marches Ranking."

"Afraid now?" Corin sneered. "You should have thought of this before selling us out."

"My great-grandfather was one of Free Will’s twelve founders," Adrian said quickly. "Even your leaders would rather avoid a conflict with us. Let me offer a hundred million Aether in compensation for your ordeal."

The Lords frowned.

He was offering money with one hand and threatening them with the other. Unfortunately, his argument was not entirely empty. With the Crown’s court growing weaker, its military in the Seventh Realm had little choice but to make distant allies while fighting the enemies at its borders.

Adrian saw their hesitation. Satisfaction returned to his face, though he was careful not to provoke them further.

"You seem to have plenty of money," Cassian said.

Adrian inclined his head elegantly.

"Everyone knows that money is the one thing Free Will never lacks."

Cassian smiled with genuine warmth.

"Knock those two unconscious and take them with us. Kill the rest of their Heroes and troops."

Adrian froze.

"Do you understand what you’re doing? Free Will will never let this go!"

"Even the Crown won’t be able to protect you, Lord Cassian!" Edmund added.

"Beat the young one, and an older relative comes for revenge?" Cassian laughed. "I’ve heard that story before."

The twelve Crystal Dragons and the Eclipse Legionnaires were already attacking. Darian and Seraphine wasted no more words either.

Free Will really was rich. Adrian alone had more than three hundred Epic troops, over half of them Nanite Warriors. Their powerful bodies and extraordinary ability to heal made the Consortium’s original troop line a match for the forces of great ruling houses.

Today, they had met something stronger.

After several minutes of savage fighting, Adrian’s and Edmund’s guards were dead. Crystal One returned to her human form and knocked the two Lords unconscious, one after the other.

"Why keep them alive?" Darian asked. "Just kill them."

"I want to hear more about how Free Will never lacks money."

Darian rolled his eyes.

"Then let’s leave. We’re still in Coldridge."

The return was smooth. They went back through the contact’s Gate to Ghost One.

The seals had caused a stir among the local Lords. None of them imagined that, in those few minutes, their Commander and Military Deputy had both become prisoners.

The Crown Lords returned to their own ships. Cassian took his captives through Ghost One’s home Link to Forgotten Shrine, eager to get started.

Two streaks of green light fell over Adrian’s and Edmund’s heads.

A golden barrier sprang up around Adrian, shielding his mind.

"A mental protection item. Kara hadn’t resisted like this. A direct heir of House Wolfe gets the best."

Cassian turned the Mindseal Tower to maximum power.

A little over ten seconds later, the two men opened their eyes. They dropped to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.

"Master! We deserve to die!"

The Tower was still Level 6. Cassian had disposed of the two remaining infiltrators from Kara’s infiltration line, arranging for them to die in supposed hunting accidents. They no longer had any use to him.

That had left only Varek and his two sisters under long-term control. There was ample room for these two temporary additions.

Cassian nodded.

"Start with your money."

Adrian gave him an ingratiating smile.

"Six hundred and eighty million Aether in my Realm account, Master. If you let me return to the Homeworld, I could raise five billion in a short time."

Cassian’s eyes brightened.

Edmund had a less impressive family, but even he held two hundred and thirty million.

Nine hundred and ten million between them.

Cassian had come to repay a betrayal. He had not expected almost a billion Aether to come with it.

What a pleasant surprise.

"A pity I can’t let you go back to the Homeworld."

Newcomer Lords could make that journey once every three days. Most brought only the funds they expected to need. Few were like Cassian, with nothing waiting for them outside the Realm.

He took all nine hundred and ten million Aether, along with their transferable items and equipment. Once they had nothing left to offer, both captives were put to death.

Adrian’s possessions included two unused Epic Nanite Warrior Troop Sigils.

After a moment’s thought, Cassian sent one to Tobias and the other to Rowan.

Then he suddenly slapped his forehead.

"The Sea Dragon King’s drops. I still haven’t finished going through them!"

The Temple expedition had brought him so much that even a Legendary Boss’s loot had slipped down his list.

He opened the earlier battle log.