Chapter 280: A Good Time to Leave

Cinderfall was a Legendary fire spell.

"Imprint."

The Skill Book vanished. Cinderfall appeared in the Five Elements Temple’s spell list.

Cassian pointed toward a patch of ground several dozen kilometers away.

"Cinderfall."

The orb blazed overhead. Ten thousand meters above him, fire energy gathered so quickly that the air below seemed to grow heavy. No living caster could have drawn in power at such a rate.

The spell took shape in seconds.

Fire rained across the distant ground. Amid the descending flames, Cassian glimpsed the shapes of Phoenixes, red Dragons, and three-legged sunbirds. One explosion rolled into the next until the whole target area was burning.

The flames lasted half a minute. When they finally receded, several kilometers of earth shone like glass.

Sharp breaths sounded around him.

"That was several times stronger than mine," Liora said.

She was a Legendary Nine-Star Hero with Flame Will to strengthen her fire spells. Yet the Temple had surpassed her by a wide margin.

Cassian smiled at the gleaming wasteland.

"Now that’s a Mythic Building."

Its reach was just as impressive as its power. With enough Aether, it could easily strike targets five thousand kilometers away. Liora’s range came nowhere close.

That one shot had cost ten million Aether.

Expensive, certainly. The result stood before them.

The remaining descriptions were straightforward. He saw no need to test each function.

He then worked through his fighters’ equipment, applying Elemental Imbuement to their Heartsense Swords and the rest of their upgradable weapons and armor. More than a thousand pieces received the Temple’s power. The improvement in his army’s strength was substantial.

The work cost seven billion two hundred million Aether. After the contest and this latest expenditure, the savings he had brought into the Legion Contest—more than twenty billion—were almost gone.

For the Five Elements Temple, it was a bargain. Lords would have fought over the chance to pay two trillion for such a prize.

"Get ready. We’re going back to the Homeworld."

Sylvara hesitated. She rarely interrupted him, but this time she could not help asking.

"Are we leaving the Temple here, Lord? Within its influence, I could shorten the growth cycles of our plants again. Even the Enlightenment Tea Tree and the Ancient Tree of Life would benefit."

Cassian understood. The Temple’s Wood power would strengthen the skills she used to tend them.

"I know. But moving it costs more Aether than we have."

He looked up at the great Building.

"We’re attracting enough attention already. Imagine what happens if everyone learns I have a World Wonder as well."

Sylvara reluctantly nodded. Both reasons were sound.

"If the Domain needs funds, I could contact my old followers in Pandora. Raising ten billion Aether should not be difficult."

He stared at her.

An Elven Queen had volunteered to become his Hero. Now she was offering ten billion on top of that. It felt uncomfortably like marrying into a wealthy family and living off his wife’s dowry.

"That would be too generous..."

Then again, she was his Hero. They needn’t be so formal with each other.

"Ten billion to start with," he said, almost shyly. "No more. I won’t hear of it."

The Temple could help far more than Sylvara and Liora. Bringing it home would give Divine Province’s Lords an enormous advantage too.

Still, he preferred to wait until he had Aether to spare and enough strength to protect the prize. A World Wonder was too valuable to reveal lightly.

A minute later, he had to reconsider.

——

Light flashed, and Forgotten Shrine reappeared in Riftward Region.

Fivefold Heaven had been cut off from outside news. Cassian immediately checked what had happened during his absence, paying particular attention to Divine Province.

At least the Western Alliance and the Black Banner had not dared attack other Provinces during the Legion Contest. He let out a breath and continued through the announcements.

Then he stopped.

"The first Provincial Ranking? Construction Index?"

He read the rules.

"They’re practically forcing me to bring the Temple here."

A Province’s Construction Index included the weighted value of every Lord’s Domain Buildings, together with the Wild Buildings under their control.

Even with Saint Peter Region included, Divine Province had only six hundred thousand Lords. Other Provinces could field thirty or forty million. Riftward’s many high-Quality Buildings could not make up for such a difference in numbers.

The Five Elements Temple could.

Cassian had no intention of giving up first place. Even without the five hundred points to all his attributes, ten National Fortune and a thousand Fortune Talismans were worth fighting for.

National Fortune in particular.

The requirements for founding a Nation were clear: a hundred National Fortune, a Founding Writ, and a Governor with a Rank-XVIII Lord’s Hall.

There was no fixed number of Provinces. A single Province with a hundred National Fortune could found a Nation on its own. A hundred Provinces with one each could join together and do the same.

The thirteen Crown Provinces had just gained a combined hundred and thirty. They already met the Fortune requirement.

Founding a Nation, however, was only one use for it.

The Jade Court had offered Cassian the office of Third-Class Blade Guard, a Fifth-Rank appointment that increased a Lord’s personal attributes by twenty percent. Ten such appointments consumed one National Fortune.

The Aurelian Dominion’s General of Flying Cavalry required far more. Its Fortune cost was continuous and so great that even that powerful Dominion did not keep the office permanently filled.

Beyond founding a Nation lay establishing a greater Domain and becoming its Sovereign. That demanded an even more formidable reserve.

He could never have too much National Fortune.

Cassian opened the Temple’s interface and requested the cost of relocating it to Riftward Region.

The answer made the corner of his mouth twitch.

Of course it was expensive. He was asking to move a World Wonder out of Fivefold Heaven and into the Homeworld Realm. Sylvara’s proposed ten billion would not be enough.

"Money again. I really will have to start selling the good things."

Thinking of money naturally brought Darian to mind.

"Without House Frost, we wouldn’t even have reached the top ten. I certainly wouldn’t have a World Wonder."

He considered his friend’s part in the battle.

"We all fought, but he spent tens of billions. And that Bloodline Invocation cost him enough vitality to leave him recovering for months."

Cassian nodded solemnly to himself.

"A commander should visit such an excellent subordinate. See how he’s doing."

He paused.

"Nothing to do with money."

With the Legion Contest over, he felt light enough to enjoy his own shameless excuse. A few minutes later, he rose into the air and flew toward Darian’s Domain.

——

The spatial seal over Riftward Marches was still active. Gates remained unusable, but Cloudstride carried Cassian quickly enough. In less than half an hour, he reached Ironwake.

He could hardly visit a recovering friend empty-handed. Fortunately, he had come prepared.

He brought out two jars of Legendary wine and a few grains of the Legendary Moonrice Darian liked so much, carrying the wine in one hand and the rice in the other.

The real gift he had in mind was worth far more than what he carried.

Ironwake’s security surprised him. Hundreds of Iron Eagle Elites circled above it, while more than a thousand Hundred-Battle Guards patrolled below in disciplined ranks. They seemed to have covered every approach.

"Isn’t this a little excessive? Doesn’t he send his troops out to gain Levels?"

Several groups of Iron Eagles broke from their patrol and halted a hundred meters in front of him.

"Identify yourself!"

Cassian frowned. Before he could answer, a sharp rebuke came from the Domain below.

"Show the Governor some respect!"

Bren, Darian’s second Hero, rose to meet him. The old warrior took in the gifts in Cassian’s hands and the air of a man dropping by to visit family. His expression became rather strange.

"Governor, what brings you here?"

Cassian smiled and lifted the gifts a little. A veteran of Bren’s standing deserved courtesy.

"I heard Darian was hurt. I’ve come to see how he’s recovering."

Even Bren had developed a measure of admiration for the young Lord’s repeated miracles. His visit, however, could hardly have come at a worse time.

"I’m sorry, Governor. Our Lord cannot receive you just now."

Cassian’s smile faded.

"Is he that badly hurt?"

The concern was sincere. He liked Darian’s money, certainly. After all their time together, he also counted him as a brother.

Bren struggled to find an explanation.

Maren’s clear voice rose from below.

"General Bren. Please let Lord Cassian in."

"But—"

"The head of the House has ordered it."

Bren went still. In his surprise, he missed the sharp twitch of Cassian’s eyelid.

Cassian laughed rather too quickly.

"Well, if Darian isn’t receiving visitors, I’ll come back another day. Goodbye!"

Time to get out of here.