Chapter 382: Ten Thousand Fortune

[Homeworld Announcement: The results of the third Provincial Ranking will now be released.]

[100th Place — Talassar Province. Governor Seth Carden: all attributes +200. Resident Lords: all attributes +20. Provincial National Fortune +4. Fortune Talismans ×400.]

[99th Place...]

At noon, the announcements began exactly on time.

Cassian watched them with a trace of regret.

"Nobody’s foolish enough to bet against Divine Province this time. If everyone backs us for first place, whose money am I supposed to win?"

Another easy source of profit had dried up.

As more places appeared, people began noticing something. Over half the Provinces in the top hundred had entered Pandora during the final week of the war.

Then fourteenth place was announced: Fairford Province, from Western Beacon.

Everyone had expected it. Seeing the result confirmed still drew a wave of comments across the Homeworld.

[The Crown really has taken all thirteen leading places.]

[That’s what Cassian’s agreement with the native Lords bought them. How did he become so close to Pandora’s Elves in the first place?]

[One man. He’s changed the balance of the whole Homeworld by himself.]

For the thirteen Crown Provinces, the celebration had only begun.

[13th Place — Harrowmere Province. Governor Soren Hartwell: all attributes +200. Resident Lords: all attributes +20. Provincial National Fortune +4. Fortune Talismans ×400.]

[Soren Hartwell: Ha! Last among friends, just as expected!]

There was no disappointment in his laughter. Southreach ought to have been the weakest of their thirteen Provinces, but the Fenwicks had powerful support.

[Silas Venn: The rewards have doubled this time. Even a place in the top hundred is worth as much as a top-ten place last time.]

The next announcement appeared almost as soon as he finished.

[12th Place — Dragon Tiger Province. Governor Silas Venn: all attributes +200. Resident Lords: all attributes +20. Provincial National Fortune +4. Fortune Talismans ×400.]

Silas paused.

[Silas Venn: Looks like we’re keeping each other company, Soren.]

Eleventh place surprised them. It had gone to one of the three Provinces backed by House Frost, leaving Hidden Dragon still unannounced.

[10th Place — Hidden Dragon Province. Governor Lana Whitmere: all attributes +400. Resident Lords: all attributes +40. Provincial National Fortune +8. Fortune Talismans ×800.]

Cheers swept through Hidden Dragon.

Forty points in every attribute was a considerable improvement for an ordinary Lord. Eight hundred Talismans would also let their leading Region pass a thousand Fortune, while eight National Fortune could support eight hundred basic offices.

[Lana Whitmere: Thank you, everyone. My ancestor’s Bastion Corps helped us quite a bit. Epic Extreme troops have a great advantage when defending walls.]

The announcements continued.

Ninth. Eighth. Seventh.

At last, the top three appeared.

[3rd Place — Southreach Province. Governor Seren Fenwick: all attributes +800. Resident Lords: all attributes +80. Provincial National Fortune +16. Fortune Talismans ×1,600.]

[Southreach? Third? I didn’t expect that.]

[You know how close Nessa Fenwick is to Cassian...]

[The Fenwicks may be a small power, but their connections are impressive.]

[Connections matter. Look at that Nine-Tailed Fox in the Second Realm. She’s become the Human Emperor’s consort.]

[The Human Emperor! A unique title. Forget an Emperor—even a new Human King hasn’t appeared in a thousand years, has one?]

[Cassian becoming Humanity’s Paragon already broke a record of more than a century.]

The conversation was wandering further from the ranking with every reply.

Nerissa Vaust had been waiting for her chance.

[Nerissa Vaust: If the Crown’s great founding houses had taken the first three places, I would have nothing to say. Instead, Cassian favors a family of outsiders because he can’t resist a pretty face. Founding a Nation hasn’t made him a worthy ruler.]

Southreach’s result did owe something to Cassian’s special treatment.

Once he learned that the Bloodmaw Court had opened its maps to Western Beacon, the Black Banner, and the Jade Court, he had increased each Crown Province’s Pandora quota to a hundred thousand Lords. Southreach had received two hundred thousand places.

House Frost was an ally. The Fenwicks had pledged themselves to follow his lead. There was a difference.

He did not need to defend his choice. Crown Lords were already answering Nerissa in force.

[The Fenwicks joined the Crown centuries ago. Find a better way to divide us.]

[Nearly ten million of their older-sector Lords gave up the foundations they’d built over centuries to help protect these thirteen Provinces. That earns them third place in my book.]

[And it’s better than serving the Evil Spirits as the Black Banner does. Where would your great-grandfather Osric be without their protection? House Frost would have finished him long ago.]

Nerissa shook with anger.

[Nerissa Vaust: Insolence! You dare speak of a Mythic like that?]

Nobody in the celebrating Provinces cared to answer her.

With third place settled, the final two results held no surprises.

[2nd Place — Cloudrest Province. Governor Benedict Breck: all attributes +1,200. Resident Lords: all attributes +120. Provincial National Fortune +24. Fortune Talismans ×2,400.]

Cloudrest had not received Southreach’s special quota, but Edran had spared no expense on its development. House Frost had built so many Epic Buildings there that taking second place was hardly strange.

Then came the announcement Divine Province had been waiting for.

[1st Place — Divine Province. Governor Cassian Vale: all attributes +2,000. Resident Lords: all attributes +200. Provincial National Fortune +40. Fortune Talismans ×4,000.]

Gold gathered in the sky above the Province and broke into a million streaks of light, pouring down toward its Lords.

The largest fell upon Cassian.

He closed his hand, feeling the fresh strength in his fingers. Two thousand more points in every attribute. Even at his current strength, the increase felt magnificent.

Across Divine Province, every other Lord received two hundred in each attribute. That was as much as eight Advanced Attribute Books together could provide.

The few hundred Riftward Lords who had followed Cassian from the opening of the sector were now far beyond the Homeworld’s average. They had received too many victories’ worth of rewards for ordinary Lords to keep up.

"What a sight."

Lysette watched the golden light descend, then looked at him curiously.

"Boss, can I become a Lord?"

Cassian stared at her.

She had barely settled in as his Hero, and she was already asking that?

"Don’t be angry." She spread her hands. "I’m only curious. I don’t mean anything by it."

"I’m not angry." His smile returned. "Nothing wrong with a Hero who has ambitions. But if you want to become a Lord, you’ll have to work hard first."

Lysette rolled her eyes.

"Another promise to keep me working."

Cassian chuckled, then turned to Mira.

"Go ahead with the appointments. Use the list we’ve prepared."

"On it."

Excited messages soon began appearing throughout the Province Channel as the offices were granted.

[Colonel! I’ve been made a Colonel!]

[Thank you, Cassian! Eighty National Fortune—enough for thousands of us to hold office!]

Cassian let the celebration continue. He had another reward to use.

"Fortune Talismans. Bless Riftward."

All four thousand Talismans flew from his hand. They dissolved into points of golden light and scattered through the Region.

[Riftward Region Fortune +4,000. Current Fortune: more than 10,000.]

[Region Fortune has reached the 10,000 threshold. New Region traits unlocked. Consult the Regional Warden panel.]

[The Domain Aether Vein has advanced to Supreme. Existing effects have increased. A new trait has been acquired.]