Chapter 289: The Price of Leaving

Garran answered before Cassian could.

[Garran Ravenscar: You traitor! So that’s why you insisted on leaving the command ship and refused my private calls. You were planning to abandon the coalition!]

Orrick’s anger, bottled up for days, finally broke loose.

[Orrick Selwyn: Easy for you to say! It isn’t your fleet taking the losses. Talassar sent more than seventy thousand elite ships. We’ve already lost most of them!]

[Orrick Selwyn: Even if Lord Tavian’s Legendary ship couldn’t beat Divine Province’s fleet, he could have held some of them back. Instead, he flew into the sky and watched us die!]

Alton Greaves, leader of the Coral Federation’s force, tried to intervene.

[Alton Greaves: Perhaps you should hold on a little longer. Divine Province could be nearly out of fuel.]

[Orrick Selwyn: You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Cassian said you’re next. That’s why you want me to stay. Let’s see how long you hold on when it’s your turn!]

The Crown Lords were enjoying every word.

[They’re turning on one another already.]

[A few dozen ships have a million running scared. Divine Province!]

[Don’t let them walk away. Make them pay.]

Corven Talcrest suddenly joined the Channel.

[Corven Talcrest: The rebels in Hidden Dragon and Harrowmere should worry about themselves. Our veterans are descending one after another. You’ll have your own battles soon.]

[Silas Venn: What troops are they bringing? The Eight Standards? The ones whose Quality went backward?]

The Dragon Tiger Lord’s mockery was followed by Lana’s blunt reply.

[Lana Whitmere: Then come and fight. Spare us the speeches.]

[Everard Bell — Governor of Cloudrest: Do you think you’re the only ones with veterans from the older sectors?]

Corven gave a cold snort and stopped answering.

To defend the thirteen Provinces, House Frost, the Caerwyn Dominion, and House Valcrest had openly broken with the Jade Court. The first clash would show how much each side was prepared to commit.

Whatever the outcome, a civil war would weaken the Crown, even in the older sectors. Neither side had wanted it to begin so soon.

Then Cassian and Darian had won first place in the Legion Contest.

If the Court waited a few years, the newcomer sector could fall entirely under the thirteen Provinces’ influence. The threat would dwarf anything Harmony, Peace, or Haven had once posed.

Cassian posted a message.

[Cassian Vale: When Divine Province was invaded a month ago, our countrymen came from every direction to help. We’ll return the favor. If any of our fellow Provinces can’t hold, say so.]

[Lana Whitmere: Your enemies are stronger than ours. Don’t divide your attention for our sake.]

[Cassian Vale: We have the sea on our side. The coalition may never reach us.]

Then he returned to Orrick.

[Cassian Vale: You want to leave because you’re losing? Did you forget what I said about destroying the Talassar fleet?]

If he was going to make an example of someone, the lesson had to hurt.

[Orrick Selwyn: We’ve already withdrawn! Why do you have to push us this far?]

Cassian considered it, smiling.

[Cassian Vale: Let’s make a game of it. Take your current coordinates as the center. Any ship that gets ten thousand kilometers away can go. I won’t pursue it farther.]

Orrick wanted to answer defiantly. Fighting to the end would mean losing every ship. Running offered a chance to save some.

He chose to run.

The Crystal Maidens soon reported that the Talassar fleet’s remaining force of more than thirty thousand ships had gone to full speed, fleeing for their lives.

"Liora. Four groups after Talassar. The other eight can start on the Coral Federation."

"Yes, Lord."

Alton’s cry appeared in the Channel soon afterward.

[Alton Greaves: Cassian—Lord Cassian! Why attack us already? You should be chasing the Talassar fleet!]

[Alton Greaves: The Coral Federation and the Crown have always been like brothers. We aren’t Talassar. We don’t go around massacring your people!]

[Orrick Selwyn: Alton, I’ll remember that!]

Only three days earlier, the two had been drinking together on Tavian’s flagship, smiling and clapping each other on the back.

[Cassian Vale: Alton, is it? I’ll give you a chance too. Leave the coalition within a day, pay five billion Aether in war reparations, and go back where you came from. Then we can still be "brothers."]

Garran raised his voice in the Channel.

[Garran Ravenscar: Don’t be afraid of him. His fuel won’t last much longer. He’s bluffing!]

[Orrick Selwyn: Yes, Alton. Isn’t that what you just told me? Hold on a little longer. Victory could be right in front of you.]

Alton could have slapped himself. His own words had come back to haunt him far too quickly.

Cassian had given him a day. He had said nothing about stopping the attacks.

Before half that day had passed, the Coral Federation had lost thousands of warships. Alton could no longer bear it.

[Alton Greaves: Please stop! I’ll pay now. We’re leaving the coalition!]

Five billion Aether was a huge sum. Spread among all the Lords present, however, it came to a few hundred thousand each. Painful, but they could afford it.

[Lord Alton Greaves has sent you 5,000,000,000 Aether through the Exchange.]

Cassian’s smile widened at the notice.

[Cassian Vale: A pleasure doing business. Safe travels.]

He looked down the list.

[Cassian Vale: Next... the Dawn Coast. We’re old friends too. Same terms. Five billion Aether, then leave. Pay, and I won’t pursue you.]

This time the answer took only a few minutes.

[Cedric Rook: Lord Cassian, my younger sister Selene used to be a Lord in Divine Province. You’re old acquaintances. Could you give us a discount?]

Cassian’s eyes narrowed at her name.

[Cassian Vale: A discount? For Selene’s brother, I’ll make it double. Ten billion Aether. One Aether short, and I’ll chase you all the way into the Dawn Coast.]

Cedric nearly choked.

[Cedric Rook: You can’t do that!]

[Cassian Vale: Are you refusing?]

While they spoke, a hundred Dawn Coast ships had gone down.

Cedric felt every loss.

[Cedric Rook: Stop! I’ll pay!]

After Talassar and the Coral Federation, he had no faith in promises that Divine Province was about to run out of fuel. Even if those promises were true, why should his precious fleet be the one that exhausted it?

He was not going to fight to the end. Better to pay before Cassian raised the price again.

Another ten billion Aether arrived. Cassian was in an excellent mood.

He had not expected things to go this smoothly.

Before he could name anyone else, the commanders from the Ivory Dominion and Bharan hurried to speak.

[We’ll withdraw immediately!]

[We’re leaving voluntarily. That counts as yielding, not being taken prisoner. Surely the price can be lower?]

[The Ivory Dominion was only conducting a military exercise. We never meant any harm to Divine Province.]

[Our Bharan fleet came for a holiday.]

Cassian laughed.

[Cassian Vale: Half price for surrendering early. Two and a half billion each, and we’ll consider the matter settled.]

Their willingness to leave saved him considerable trouble. He could concentrate on the Black Banner and Western Beacon, the two enemies that mattered most.

Garran was almost beside himself.

[Garran Ravenscar: Did you come to conquer Divine Province or deliver money to Cassian?]

The spectators could hardly keep up.

[He can do that?]

[Five countries driven out of the war, and he makes a fortune doing it.]

[The seven-nation coalition has lost five nations. They’re still ninety thousand kilometers from Divine Province!]

Even Darian sounded envious.

"You make getting money look so easy. I still have to sweet-talk my father."

Talassar, the Coral Federation, the Ivory Dominion, the Dawn Coast, and Bharan had mainly come to share the spoils. Together, they had brought fewer than four hundred thousand ships. Their quality generally fell below that of their two powerful allies.

The Black Banner and Western Beacon still had some six hundred thousand warships. They were the real challenge.

But those ships were still around ninety thousand kilometers away. Cassian had time.

He was rubbing his chin, considering what to do with them, when Lethria’s urgent voice reached him.

"Lord! A powerful enemy has emerged from the Abyss Gate. I need support!"

He paused. Then his eyes brightened.

Lethria had guarded the Gate for two months. She had stayed at her post even during the Legion Contest, dispatching whatever the Abyss sent through. The Gate’s Level suppression had made it an excellent hunting ground for her.

During the past three days, Cassian had strengthened her further. He had bought five Legendary Troop Souls, used them on her, and paid the Battle Essence for her advance from Four-Star to Nine-Star.

Now something at the same Level had forced even a Legendary Nine-Star Faerie Dragon to call for help.

One possibility came to him at once.

A Mythic Abyss creature.