Chapter 116 – The Ink and the Bond.

The unmistakable sound of heavy feathers slicing through the wind descended upon the courtyard of the Lower Cauldrons Estate early on the fourth morning.

Maron landed firmly on the courtyard gravel, folding both pairs of gray wings against his back with a rustle of feathers. The Level 50 courier carried dust from the mountain's thermal vents on his clothes, but the waterproof lead case strapped to his chest was completely intact.

Diana stepped through the kitchen door that very instant.

She didn't run, keeping her posture firm and her strides measured, yet the twin golden rings at the center of her vertical pupils dilated with an intensity she rarely showed.

Maron unlatched the lead case and withdrew a thick bundle of scrolls bound with a night-blue silk ribbon. At the center of the knot gleamed a blue wax seal stamped with Rhea's claw mark and the crest of the Arcane Greed Faction.

The courier placed the bundle into Diana's hands with a respectful nod:

“Delivery completed on schedule, Commander. The Bastion in the Second Circle is secure.”

Diana took the bundle of scrolls. The ribbon's texture carried a familiar scent of fresh herbs and lotus tea that warmed the girl's chest immediately.

She drew five pure silver coins from her dimensional bag and placed them in Maron's hand, settling the full fifteen-silver balance of the contract.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[FULL FINANCIAL AUDIT]

- Previous Balance: 478 Silver Coins and 50 Bronze.

- Final Payment for Border Courier: -5 Silver Coins.

- NEW VAULT BALANCE: 473 SILVER COINS AND 50 BRONZE (47.35 PURE GOLD COINS!)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Maron pocketed the coin, offered a bow, and launched into the air with a powerful beat of wings, charting a course toward the Wind Tower.

***

Diana walked over to the stone bench beneath the courtyard's willow and sat down.

She untied the night-blue silk ribbon with the tip of her black claw, breaking the wax seal carefully to avoid tearing the parchment. Inside were four individual letters, each penned in different handwritings and inks.

Diana unrolled the first scroll.

It was Rhea's letter.

The wolf girl's handwriting was firm, carefully traced in black ink, though deep indentations in the parchment fiber revealed where she had gripped the quill with fierce intensity:

“Diana.

When the floor of that temple caved in and we saw the empty dark pit, Kael had to pin my shoulders with his good arm to keep me from throwing myself into the rift after you. I thought I had broken my promise to guard your back.

When the vault notification updated and the balance dropped from 368 to 360 silvers, Aurelia started screaming and I dropped to my knees on the floor, weeping with pure relief. We knew you were alive that very second.

I took command just as you ordered. Not a soul has laid a finger on the Bastion. Lord Cassius posted four Level 35 legionaries to guard our outer gate to ensure no noble tried to seize the estate. We've kept up the gravity matrix training routine every single day.

The manor feels far too big and cold without you here, Diana. I'm still sleeping in your room with your leather jacket close by... Come back soon. We will be waiting for you at the main gate of the Third Circle at Level 50.

With all my heart, Rhea.”

Diana traced the ink lines with her fingertips, her dark eyes shimmering with rare tenderness.

***

She opened the second parchment.

Kael's letter bore a thick, slightly crooked script, brimming with the vanguard's laid-back energy:

“Commander Diana!

My left arm is good as new! Aurelia forced three vials of pure arnica potion down my throat, and the bone knit without leaving a single crack. I'm already training with the Volcanic Shield in the gravity matrix cranked up to four times normal weight!

Master Volkan sent word that he reinforced my shield's fittings with the leftover dragon plates. Rest easy knowing that when you return, our front line will take the hit of a demon lord without budging a single millimeter.

Bring back game meat from the Third Circle when you come up! Signed: Kael.”

Diana huffed a quiet laugh through her nose, folding the warrior's sheet and opening the third letter.

Aurelia-Elysia's was long, dense with administrative details and tiny margin notes:

“Commander!

Stall Fourteen in the Central Plaza set a new revenue record this week! The carts of new vials from Master Boros arrived right on time thanks to the Silver Legion's armed escort. The contract with Lord Cassius was successfully renewed.

I bought two new area-purification scrolls from the library and spent nights in the lab brewing regeneration elixirs. Do not worry about the vault, we are watching over every coin.

Please eat proper hot meals and stop drinking only bitter tea in those caverns! Warmly, Aurelia-Elysia.”

The final letter, brief and penned in flawless aristocratic script, was from Seraphina:

“Commander Diana.

The Resonance Gem that Lord Cassian granted us successfully unlocked the third page of my ancestral grimoire. I have awakened the Quartz Serpent Spirit of House Vesperis, and my mana has stabilized at a pristine threshold.

My summons are stronger than ever. The Arcane Greed Faction maintains an impenetrable rearguard awaiting your next commands. Thank you for not giving up on us.”

***

Diana finished reading the four letters in silence.

She folded each scroll with millimeter precision, retied them with the night-blue silk ribbon, and tucked the bundle into the inside pocket of her black leather coat, directly over the left side of her chest, resting above the Dragon Chestplate.

The sense of isolation that had weighed upon her shoulders over the past days lifted completely.

The Arcane Greed Faction was neither an abstract project nor a temporary dream. It was a living, unbreakable reality operating at full throttle on the floor above, defending its territory and sharpening its blades for their reunion.

Perched atop the courtyard's stone wall, Zarek watched Diana with all six eyes gleaming in shades of amber and crimson.

The arachnid swordsman dropped down onto the gravel with light footfalls, crossing his main arms over his chest with an easy smile:

“From the way you're looking at the horizon, it seems the news from the Second Circle was exceptional, Commander.”

Diana rose from the stone bench, adjusting the Crown of Sovereignty upon her brow.

Her dark eyes with golden rings burned with a determination so clear, so cold, and so overwhelming that it made the courtyard air hum with the azure resonance of 201 Intelligence.

“My team is whole,” Diana said, her voice echoing with sovereign authority. “The Bastion is secure. And only seven levels remain until Level 50.”

She turned to Zarek with a sharp, ravenous grin:

“Ready your blades, Zarek. Today we hunt the deepest beasts of that plateau until this entire border learns the name of Arcane Greed.”