Chapter 376: Everyone Wanted In

[Announcement: During the third Provincial Ranking, Homeworld Lords led and participated in the destruction of the native Nation, the Bloodmaw Court.]

[Divine Province made the greatest contribution. Governor Cassian Vale is awarded Founding Writ ×1.]

"A Founding Writ!"

Cassian read the announcement with a broad, unguarded smile.

"Less than a week before settlement. I finally got it."

Then he considered the wording more carefully.

"Participated in the destruction... So we don’t have to destroy a native Nation entirely on our own to have a chance at the reward."

That was reasonable. At the Homeworld’s current strength, very few Lords would have any hope of obtaining a Writ otherwise.

After a moment of silence, the Homeworld Channel exploded with messages.

[It’s real! Divine Province has a Founding Writ!]

[Lord Cassian actually led the destruction of the Bloodmaw Court!]

[Has he reached Rank XVIII? If he has, the thirteen Provinces can put our National Fortune together and found a Nation right now!]

Lana was the first Governor to answer.

[Lana Whitmere: Hidden Dragon Province pledges its thirteen National Fortune in support of Divine Province’s founding.]

The other Governors followed at once.

[Silas Venn: Dragon Tiger Province pledges twelve National Fortune.]

[Alwin Valcrest: Westreach Province pledges fourteen National Fortune.]

[Seren Fenwick: Southreach Province pledges thirteen National Fortune.]

[Soren Hartwell: Harrowmere Province pledges twelve...]

One after another, all thirteen Crown Provinces declared their support.

Seraphine laughed with delight.

"If we found a Nation, we can soon take our armies across the sea and crush the Black Banner!"

The prospect set the Channel alight.

The Crown had endured a century of Black Banner dominance on the battlefields of the Realms. Destroying their power in Sector 666 would be a victory unlike anything the Crown Lords had known.

[Cross the sea! Crush the Black Banner!]

[Cross the sea! Crush the Black Banner!]

Corven hurried to intervene.

[Corven Talcrest: Calm down! The Black Banner is the Crown’s closest friend. Don’t let these rebels deceive you!]

His attempt only fed the anger.

[Edwin Wycliffe: Our closest friend? Have you asked the hundreds of thousands of Crown Lords murdered in Clearautumn Marches?]

Edwin, Governor of Reedmarch, gave him no chance to reply.

[Edwin Wycliffe: I’ve had enough of you. If the Jade Court wants to crawl at their feet, it can leave the rest of us out of it!]

Edwin held considerable standing among the Jade Court’s Lords. Corven’s face turned an ugly color.

[Corven Talcrest: Have you lost your mind? Remember who you are. Think of the trouble you could bring upon your family.]

[Edwin Wycliffe: Then I leave House Wycliffe, effective immediately. Reedmarch! Anyone willing to fight the Black Banner with me, speak up!]

Replies poured in from his Province.

House Wycliffe had been one of the Jade Court’s most devoted supporters. For one of its Governors to break away so publicly was a severe blow to the Court’s authority.

Lords in many of its forty-three controlled Provinces began speaking out as well. None of those Provinces followed Reedmarch into a collective break, but the wave of defiance was impossible to ignore.

One Founding Writ, and people were already flocking to Cassian’s side.

He watched with a thoughtful smile.

"House Wycliffe. Keeping a foot on each side, perhaps?"

It scarcely mattered for the moment. With enemies in every direction, he had good reason to welcome anyone willing to stand with him.

[Cassian Vale: Reedmarch’s Lords are welcome to hunt in Pandora Forest.]

Edwin’s eyes lit up.

[Edwin Wycliffe: Thank you, Lord Cassian! I’ll organize our people at once.]

Less than a week remained. The top ten was out of reach, but a safe place to hunt could still carry Reedmarch into the top hundred. That would bring four National Fortune.

Other Governors saw the same opportunity.

[Walter Norman: Lord Cassian, your thirteen-Province alliance has the top ten firmly in its grasp. Would you allow Norman Province to hunt in Pandora as well? You would always have our friendship.]

Cassian almost refused.

Then a much better answer occurred to him.

Why turn away paying customers?

[Cassian Vale: Certainly. Admission for the final week is one hundred thousand Aether per Lord.]

Walter was right about one thing. After months of relentless hunting, the Crown’s leading Provinces had secured their places at the top. A few more days would make little difference to their lead.

Cassian could use that time to earn money instead.

The battle at the Bloodmaw Royal Palace had cost him four hundred billion Aether. He would be very pleased to recover some of it.

[Walter Norman: Could you lower the price?]

[Cassian Vale: A safe hunting ground in the Outer Realms, ready to use. Where else will you find one? I think the price is very fair.]

Walter’s mouth twitched.

In the end, he accepted.

[Walter Norman: Ten billion Aether’s worth, then.]

That bought entry for a hundred thousand Lords. Given a full week of hunting in a secure environment, a force of that size had a good chance of carrying Norman into the top hundred.

[Cassian Vale: A pleasure doing business with you. One reminder for everyone: to preserve Pandora’s hunting grounds, we can admit no more than three million additional Lords. Places go to whoever pays first.]

Other Governors hurried to place their orders.

[Ten billion for us too!]

[Talassar Province can’t afford quite so much. Five billion to start with!]

As the payments arrived, Cassian’s mood grew better and better.

Darian watched the stream of money with undisguised envy.

"You really are a genius at making money! My father is going to like you even more. His military spending has been so heavy lately that he’s almost broke."

"Yours too?" Seraphine said. "Our ancestor has been asking the younger members of the family to contribute. Apparently, even he is short of funds."

Cassian received their admiration with a modest expression.

"Hardly a genius. I’ve been poor before. It encourages you to think."

——

While the Crown Lords celebrated and Cassian collected his fees, his enemies faced a much less pleasant prospect.

The Black Banner’s leaders, in particular, had heard nothing comforting in the Channel’s slogans.

Their homeland lay a little over a hundred thousand kilometers by sea from Divine Province, and over two hundred thousand from the Crown’s homeland. At the enemy fleet’s present speed, an invasion force could reach them within half a month.

Those Lords had every reason to mean what they said.

"What do we do now?" Nerissa demanded. "Cassian really has a Founding Writ!"

Panic had replaced her earlier disbelief.

"Divine Province’s strongest Lords will soon have office bonuses. How long before we can found our own Nation? Three months? Six?"

She looked around the gathering.

"They’re already that strong. Add national offices, and unless large numbers of powerful veterans descend from older sectors, we won’t survive the next few months."

Gavin immediately tried to steady her.

"This is the hardest moment. You must hold on. If necessary, Western Beacon will support the Black Banner with troops and resources."

"Exactly," Piers added. "Divine Province has barely more than a dozen truly powerful Lords. The rest are nothing to fear. You can get through this."

Other Western Beacon leaders offered similar encouragement.

Their concern was hardly selfless. If the Black Banner fell, Divine Province might turn toward them next. The Black Banner was the first line of defense between Cassian and their own territory.

Merris Velisse listened with a deepening frown. Even that usually elegant composure was beginning to crack.

"That may be true. But our Lords’ morale is already at its lowest. We need something that will make them want to fight."

A huge, fat Lord standing beside Merris spoke up. His body rose like a mound of flesh.

"Within half a month, I can create my own Rare troop line—the Gorgeborn!"