Chapter 162: A Mythic Prize

Champion Knights were Epic troops, a classic Human line built to take punishment on the front line. An ordinary Lord would have been overjoyed to hear that a squad was coming to join them.

Cassian had no time to spare for them now.

Golden light descended around an ancient inscription. It entered his brow in a flash.

[Gold Battle Name obtained: Godslayer.]

"Godslayer?" He drew a breath. "That’s quite a name."

He opened its description.

[Godslayer — Gold Battle Name]

[While active, all Domain units, including the Lord, gain +30% to all attributes. Against Divine enemies, the effect doubles.]

[Activation requires premium-grade Aether Crystals.]

Simple. Overwhelming.

"The system must shape these names around what we did in the battlefield. I killed more Divines than anything else, including a Scion. If I’d killed more Demons, perhaps it would have called me Demonslayer."

Then his expression turned odd.

"If the Divines find out what this does, they’ll never leave me alone."

At last, he had a way to match the broad army bonuses of Warbound Lords like Darian. The Battle Name rested within his brow, ready to activate with a thought.

The Exchange listed premium-grade Aether Crystals at a hundred thousand Aether apiece. For a Battle Name this powerful, that was a cost he could afford.

"Eight minutes left. Time to exchange the rewards."

Cassian opened the third-floor list and scrolled straight to the bottom. He took a deep breath.

"Summon the Mythic Wheel."

Ten million Glory Points vanished.

A wheel in three colors slowly took shape above him. More than ten kilometers across, it hung in the sky like an enormous flying disc.

"Good thing I’m the only Lord on the third floor. Imagine trying to keep this quiet."

The Wheel spun too quickly for him to make out its rewards. He could feel a link between it and his own mind.

"Stop."

The thought passed through the link. The Wheel began to slow.

Troop Sigils. Hero Sigils. Equipment, Blueprints, Scrolls, Attribute Books. Every kind of prize flashed past.

Gold marked the Legendary rewards. Three colors marked the Mythic ones. Judging by what he could see, perhaps three tenths of the spaces were Mythic. That looked promising.

"Come on, Aether Vein. Give me some luck."

He stared at the pointer, barely breathing.

It crawled across a golden section, slower and slower, then stopped just inside the edge of a three-colored one.

"Yes!"

Cassian punched the air.

"That was far too exciting."

His Heroes and troops burst into cheers. Even Aurelia’s usual composure broke.

"Worth it! Three days without sleep, and it was worth every moment!"

"A pity it isn’t a Hero Sigil or a Troop Sigil," Celia said.

Cassian had wanted a Mythic Hero Soul even more. It could raise one of his own Heroes to Mythic, putting that power into someone he had already chosen.

"A pity," he agreed.

"At least it isn’t a Blueprint," Cassian said with a smile.

He had no way to produce Mythic construction materials. A Blueprint of that grade might sit unused for years.

Liora studied the image on the Wheel.

"Is that a sapling? A Mythic sapling... Could it be an Elven World Tree?"

"The shape doesn’t look right. A Celestial Peach Tree, perhaps?"

"If it’s a Ginseng Fruit Tree, we’ve really struck gold."

They traded guesses until the sapling drifted down through three-colored light and settled in Cassian’s hand.

He read its description. Delight spread across his face.

"Not a Ginseng Fruit Tree. But not far behind."

"What is it?" Liora pleaded. "Please, Lord. Tell us!"

Cassian only smiled.

Even Celia watched the sapling with open curiosity. Aurelia looked composed again, though she was clearly listening for his answer.

Celia rolled her eyes.

"Give up. He’s enjoying this too much to tell us."

"I can tell you one thing," Cassian said to Liora. "With this, your studies of Order Power will advance much faster."

Her eyes lit up.

He kept another thought to himself. This sapling was a spiritual plant. The second Marches Ranking would measure Agriculture Index.

How much would a Mythic plant add to Riftward’s score?

He checked his remaining points. Four million.

"Five Rare Sealing Talismans. Five Rare Heavenwork Designs. Two Absorption Stones..."

The Talismans and Designs cost two hundred thousand points apiece. The ungraded Absorption Stones cost five hundred thousand each.

A Heavenwork Design could turn a Building of the same Quality back into a Blueprint with complete certainty. If these had been available on the second floor, he would not have had to hope for a Blueprint when he destroyed the Dragon Tomb.

He spent the rest on other special items unlocked on the third floor. No equipment or Scrolls. These rarities were what he had come for.

When the exchange was complete, he spoke quietly.

"Leave Glory Battlefield."

Light flashed. Cassian and his force returned to Forgotten Shrine.

"Nothing like being home."

He looked around the familiar Domain, then turned to his people.

"You’ve all worked hard. Take the afternoon off. You have access to the drinking hall and the baths."

They cheered and scattered. The Crystal Maidens made straight for the food. The Praetorians headed toward the Gate, presumably bound for the bathing pool aboard Ghost One. They had grown very fond of it.

The tireless Stormlance went toward the Gate too. Knowing them, Cassian suspected they were going back out to hunt at sea.

His three Heroes lingered. Veyra joined them at home, and all four women showed far more interest in the sapling than in an afternoon off.

"What about you, Lord?" Veyra asked.

"I’m going to plant a tree." Cassian laughed. "Once it produces something, there’ll be a share for all of you."

"You keep calling us tireless," Aurelia said. "You work harder than any of us."

Celia nodded quickly.

"She’s right. I’ll go practice at the Hall, then. I’m close to another breakthrough with Severing Arc."

The battlefield had given him a tremendous haul, but sorting it could wait.

He sent a notice to the Marches management group.

[Cassian: Sort out your rewards first. Come to my Domain in one hour.]

He marked off an unused section of the Deep Layer and entered it.

[Time Acceleration: 10×]

[Subjective duration: ten hours. Cost: 60,000 Aether.]

Cassian paid and activated it.

He bought a Legendary Field Plot Blueprint through the Exchange for forty million Aether, then purchased the Legendary construction materials it required.

An Epic Field was one thing. A Legendary Field was another. He wanted the best ground he could prepare for this sapling.

He paid the construction requirements and the fee to finish immediately.

[Legendary Field Plot: Construction complete.]

With everything ready, Cassian took out the Mythic sapling again.