Chapter 282: Riches Draw Enemies

Cassian soon took his leave.

Merrick watched him rise into the air, then leaned toward Edran.

"My lord, the young man doesn’t appreciate what you’ve offered him. We still have three hundred veterans in Divine Province. With Cassian weakened, we could take control ourselves. After the Legion Contest, your son’s reputation is already a match for his."

"Don’t you dare!" Darian sat up sharply, then began to cough.

He had never liked Merrick. On that, he and Maren were in perfect agreement.

"Easy, son." Edran steadied him. "We won’t attack Cassian. He’s your brother, isn’t he? Here. Drink the Life Essence first."

He helped Darian take the bottle and watched him drink, then turned a hard stare on Merrick.

That was the extent of the rebuke.

Edran knew the steward had a personal grudge. Yet after Cassian’s careful display of ignorance, the same thought had briefly crossed his own mind. As far as he knew, Cassian’s Dawnwing army had been all but destroyed in the Contest of Champions. The opportunity was excellent.

He had dismissed it almost at once.

Their common enemy was the Jade Court. Besides, a part of him wanted to see what miracle Cassian would produce next.

Once Darian had settled, Edran smiled.

"Divine Province may be out of contention this time, but our other Provinces can still challenge for first place."

"Indeed, my lord," Merrick said quickly. "They have fewer than half their former Lords, but six times the resources. Their development should be several times faster."

Edran nodded.

"Have a batch of Rare and higher Building Blueprints taken from my private vault. Distribute them among those Provinces."

Merrick’s expression changed. His master was prepared to spend heavily on this ranking.

"First place brings ten National Fortune," Edran told Darian. "There are a thousand Fortune Talismans as well. If we win, and arrange things properly, we could build a Region to rival Riftward."

He looked pleased with the idea.

"You can become its Warden. Then you won’t have to keep working for that boy."

——

Cassian’s decision soon spread across Divine Province.

Its Lords were disappointed, but most understood.

[Nessa Fenwick: Cassian is right. We didn’t win these resources so those people in the west could help themselves.]

Nessa needed no time to choose a side.

[Tobias Reed: Exactly what Nessa said! We can afford to miss one Provincial Ranking. We already have ten National Fortune.]

He had been a little too slow again.

[Elara Vayne: Wait. I’ve worked through the rules. If everyone focuses on developing their Domains and reaches Rank XV within three months, we may still have a chance at the top hundred.]

That lifted their spirits.

A place in the top hundred would still bring rewards. It was far better than giving up on the ranking entirely.

[Mira Calder: It’s only been half a day since the Legion Contest ended, and we’ve already found plenty of Wild Buildings. Even native Domains. Their Buildings count toward our Construction Index once we control them.]

[Mira Calder: There are more Rare resource sites than we have troops to secure. We’re having to leave some untouched.]

The others could not help marveling at the difference.

In an ordinary Province, a single Rare resource site could start a fight between two Regions. Divine Province now had so much land and so few people that it could not even use all the sites being discovered.

[Darian Frost: Then let’s do it. Reach the top hundred with fewer than a million Lords and see what they have to say!]

Cassian had been following the conversation. After a moment’s thought, he posted an announcement in the Provincial Channel.

[Cassian Vale: Do what you can for the ranking, but don’t let it slow the development of your fighting strength. That applies especially to War Lords. Divine Province may not stay peaceful for long.]

Most War Lords chose the Fortress path at Rank XIII. Their population capacity was limited. Filling it with Settlers to extract resources, or tying up their armies guarding every new site, would leave their combat strength standing still.

At that moment, a private message arrived from Mira.

[Mira Calder: We have a problem, Governor.]

[Cassian Vale: Tell me.]

[Mira Calder: Western Beacon, the Golden Lion, the Dawn Coast, Bharan... Several powers want permission to extract resources in Divine Province. They’re offering to pay for access.]

[Cassian Vale: How much?]

She gave him the proposed rate.

Cassian let out a cold laugh.

[Cassian Vale: Tell them twenty times that amount. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss.]

The response came quickly. Accusations began appearing in the Homeworld Channel.

[Divine Province’s resources belong to the whole Homeworld. Sharing them would make us all stronger.]

[If I were Cassian, I wouldn’t hesitate.]

[I’ve done the calculations. They don’t have enough Lords to extract even a fraction of what they own. My God, they’d rather leave it untouched than strengthen the Homeworld. Do they worship the Devil?]

Nessa’s reply was merciless.

[Nessa Fenwick: You might want to stop bringing up your god. Following him and Mount Celestia nearly got your entire Second Legion killed.]

Plenty of western Lords nearly choked at that.

Cassian was thinking about something else.

"Preparing an excuse to attack the thirteen Crown Provinces?"

Divine Province lay offshore. Anyone who wanted to invade it would have to cross the sea.

His navy had seen too little development lately. The Abyssal Dockyard was still only Level 7. He wondered what new function it would gain at Level 12.

He opened its upgrade requirements and began purchasing the materials he needed.

——

Ten days passed.

At last, the spatial seal ended.

Sylvara’s former followers in Pandora had raised the promised ten billion Aether. With that sum delivered, Cassian’s assets once again exceeded twenty billion.

Two important pieces of news also came through House Frost’s channels.

The first concerned the Western Alliance and the Black Banner. They had returned several Marches previously seized from the Jade Court.

The Court made a great celebration of it. These powers, it announced, were the Crown’s true friends. In the same breath, it formally declared the thirteen Crown Provinces traitors.

Everyone knew how much land the Court had ceded over the centuries. It was a hundred times what had just been returned.

The intention behind the gesture was plain enough. War was drawing closer.

The second piece of news was more interesting.

"Free Will is spending a fortune to create a Region with two thousand Fortune?" Cassian asked. "How much will that cost?"

Darian sat across from him, enjoying his Moonrice. The Life Essence had done its work. The pallor was gone, his face had a healthy color again, and his appetite had returned in full.

He held up two fingers.

"At least two trillion Aether. Probably more."

Cassian drew a breath.

"They really are rich."

That was even more than he had expected.

"Most of it goes to relocation compensation." Darian finished what he was eating and reached for another grain. "A Region capable of taking first place in the Marches Ranking is generally full. That’s a million Lords."

He spoke between eager mouthfuls.

"Residency in a Region with two Fortune already sells for over a million Aether. Just buying everyone out starts at a trillion. And you should see the holdouts in Western Beacon. Compensation for lost resources, emotional distress, every excuse they can think of. Two trillion may not cover it."

Cassian nodded.

No wonder Free Will had tried to seize Riftward Marches.

Still, to have that much money available...

He could only admire it.

Darian gave a satisfied burp and leaned back. Then his expression became serious.

"There’s something else you should hear."

Cassian considered him for a moment.

"Our enemies are ready to move?"

Darian nodded.

"The Black Banner and several other countries are gathering a coalition. It could reach the waters off Divine Province in as little as half a month. A month at most. The other twelve Provinces will have enemies of their own."

He laid two Epic Sealing Talismans on the table.

"Those battleships of yours that can dive underwater. Could you sell me two?"

Cassian laughed. So that was what Darian had been working his way toward all along.