Chapter 292: The Second Choice

Darian would have been surprised to learn how badly Cassian still needed money.

He had received twenty billion Aether in reparations. Relocating the Five Elements Temple would cost sixty-four billion eight hundred million.

He was a long way from being able to stop worrying about the price.

"The Mythic item isn’t for sale," he said. "I have other things, though. Since you’re all here, see what you can use."

He waved a hand.

Thousands of golden items tumbled into a heap on the ground.

Every one was Legendary.

Divine Dragon Amber’s Innate Auspice raised the Quality of PvE drops by one, up to Legendary. Hundreds of Epic Demons, combined with his drop rate, had produced this small mountain of gold.

Cassian had kept the Troop Souls and the equipment he could use. Everything else went into the pile, including Legendary Hero Sigils and Troop Sigils.

Then he waved again.

A larger heap appeared beside the first. Orange light shone from at least a hundred thousand Epic items.

Less than ten minutes of fighting. In equipment and other item drops alone, this battle had surpassed the entire three-day Legion Contest. It could compare with dozens of monster-luring hunts.

After all, the weakest of those tens of thousands of Demons had been Rare. In Fivefold Heaven, a Rare monster could serve as a minor Boss.

"Where are the enemies? How are you handing out equipment again already?"

Tobias’s shout came from behind them. His Domain was farther away, and he had only just arrived.

Rowan and Mira soon joined the gathering as well.

"Choose what you need," Cassian told them. Then he turned to Mira. "Handle the rest inside the Province, as usual."

She recovered from her surprise and nodded quickly.

Their strongest Lords often sold spare loot to others in Divine Province at favorable prices. Anything their own circle could not use went toward strengthening the Province, while earning its owner a useful return.

Leaving his friends to their excited selection, Cassian paid to open a Gate and stepped home.

In the central square, more than a dozen Legendary Farmers had already begun dismantling the Demon corpses. Precious materials were being sorted into storage.

He could finally examine the Mythic rewards.

[Supreme Physique Book — Bound]

[Use: Physique +1,000.]

[Supreme Spirit Book — Bound]

[Use: Spirit +1,000.]

[Annual Attribute Book limit: 100 per unit. Applies to Lords, Heroes, and troops; shared across attribute types.]

Cassian sighed.

"I shouldn’t have used so many Basic and Intermediate books early on."

Ninety-one. That was how many he had already consumed this year.

For the past two months, he had restricted himself to the higher-grade books that granted a hundred points each. Even so, very few places remained beneath the annual limit.

At the beginning, he could never have imagined developing this quickly. He had needed every improvement he could get back then, too.

Regretting it would not return those uses.

He pressed a hand against each book. Both dissolved into light and entered his body.

[Physique +1,000. Spirit +1,000.]

[Attribute Books consumed this year: 93/100.]

Spirit was not his main attribute, but another thousand points would help him resist attacks such as Mindblade or Dream Assault. He had no objection to being harder to kill in his sleep.

The lesser Demons had also dropped more than a hundred Advanced Attribute Books and over two thousand Intermediate ones. He handed those to his Heroes and main troops.

Next came the great bronze volume.

[Abyssal Grimoire — Mythic]

[Description: You may become the Grimoire’s master. Or it may become yours.]

[Level: 75 — Upgradeable]

[Physique +1,200 | Aether +1,800 | Spirit +3,500 | Load ?2,200]

[Traits: Spell Amplification / Profane Wrath / Spell Imprint / Demon Bloodline]

[Spell Amplification: Spell power +30%. Casting speed +30%. Aether cost ?30%.]

[Profane Wrath: Skills inflict an additional 50% damage against Dawnwings and other creatures of Light.]

[Spell Imprint: Each page may hold one spell. Current pages: 15. One additional page is gained every five Levels. Imprinted spells can be cast instantly without consuming Aether.]

[Current imprints include: Abyss Descent / Demonic Calamity / Eye of Judgment / Hellfire / Demon Blade...]

[Demon Bloodline: This item must be bound before use. Binding difficulty is doubled for non-Demons.]

Cassian slowly breathed out.

"What a weapon for a spellcaster."

The attributes and amplification were excellent. The stored spells alone would have justified calling it a treasure: two Grade-S spells and five Grade-A spells.

Combine those two Grade-S spells, and one person could field a powerful army.

There was no question who should have it. Liora would make the best use of this.

Binding was the problem. She was not a Demon, and the description made the consequence of failure plain enough. Instead of gaining an artifact, she could become its puppet.

It was a problem he could solve.

He could wait until the Domain reached Rank XV or even XVI, allowing Liora to raise her Level further before trying. Or he could spend Aether on Dragon’s Blessing to strengthen her temporarily.

Either route was within his means.

Aurelia looked at the book with a rueful smile.

"Liora stayed with the fleet, and the finest spellcaster’s weapon still goes straight to her."

"I’ll keep it for her until she’s ready."

Cassian put the Grimoire away and took out a Mythic Troop Soul.

Three colors of light moved within it, carrying a presence that drew every eye. Any Legendary troop that absorbed this treasure could advance to Mythic.

The women stared for a moment. Then delight spread across their faces.

"A Mythic troop of our own!"

The Amber could release a Divine Dragon, but this would be a soldier who stayed with the Domain. They all wanted to know who would receive it.

"Two," Cassian said, smiling. "I have two Souls."

He turned toward Lethria.

"Catch."

He had already made his choice.

Lethria had resumed her Human form. The Fountain of Life had restored her missing arm—the wing Vorlath had cut off—and she had been standing with the others, looking perfectly composed.

Now she froze.

Then astonished delight broke through her reserve.

Even a Faerie Dragon could not remain indifferent to a Mythic Troop Soul. Apart from the recently arrived Flamecallers, her people were among the newest forces in the Domain.

She had never been good at the shameless flattery that came so naturally to Nine. Proud and distant by nature, she would hardly have expected to be favored over so many older followers.

Yet the Soul was coming toward her.

It touched her brow and sank inside before she could find a reply.

A clear Dragon cry rang out across the square.

Lethria returned to her true form. Her body grew rapidly, passing twenty meters, then thirty. Only when she reached forty-five meters did the transformation slow and stop.

For a Faerie Dragon, she was enormous. The growth had made her more slender and magnificent, without a trace of heaviness.

Cassian spoke while the others watched her advance.

"Faerie Dragons are Extreme spellcasters with powerful control skills. Even without a compatible Hero’s Command bonus, a Mythic Lethria can deal with another Justiciar like that on her own."

He kept one other reason to himself.

Vorlath had named Demon Lord Avarrath before dying. Cassian did not know whether that Lord would send another army. If a Mythic Greater Demon with mastery of the Laws of Space came through next, having a Mythic Faerie Dragon would give him a far better answer.

Veyra nodded. Then she looked back at his hand.

"And the other Soul, Lord? Who gets that one?"

Aurelia listened closely.

Veyra wanted a Mythic in the Eclipse corps. Aurelia wanted one among the Dawnwings. With more and more powerful troops appearing in the Domain, neither wished to see her own force fall behind.

Celia and Sylvara had no troops of their own in the running, but they were just as curious about his choice.

Cassian gave the answer without making them wait.

"I intend to give the second one to Bramrik."

They stared at him.

Bramrik?

Only Veyra, who managed the Domain’s affairs, recognized the name at once. Her eyes widened.

"You can’t mean..."

A rough, hesitant voice came from nearby.

"L-Lord? Did you call me?"

They turned. A short, broad Dwarf with a thick beard stood looking at them, plainly unsure what to do with all that attention.

Aurelia remembered him.

After her first battle at the Dwarven Royal Hall, Cassian had recruited a group of Gunners and used Troop Souls to advance them along their special branch.

His Rocketiers.

They could pour everything into one Overload shot. At Rare Quality, that single blow could rival an attack from a Legendary.

As the Domain grew stronger, they had found fewer chances to show what they could do. There had been little siege or defensive fighting suited to them lately. On an ordinary day, they seemed to spend half their time drinking when they were off duty.

Then Aurelia understood his choice, and the hairs on her arms rose.

If a Rare Rocketier could strike with the power of a Legendary, what kind of terrifying shot could a Mythic one unleash?