Chapter 228

Chapter 228

The day after the ascension ended, things changed from lackadaisical and relaxed to bustling and frantic, and not just for the locals who were hosting the Tier 10 Tournament for the second time. Rather, it was the out of towners who wanted to leave the cramped and overpriced heartland of the Empire as soon as possible. The mad dash was jacking up prices to extremes, especially for modes of transport like teleporters, as everyone wanted to beat the rush.

Matt, Liz, and Aster weren't any different in their desire, but were limited in their capabilities. All the other siblings either hitched a ride with Leah, or left on their own chaotic space capable ships, like Keith and Travis.

They had wanted to slip out on a ship as well, but Luna hit the three of them with a bit of news they had expected, but hoped to avoid.

People are looking into the three of you. Looking at Matt, she continued, Especially you, Matthew, and not just for the announcement that you are marrying Liz. People are looking at your recent exploits, and that's not what we want. While we had fakes running around pretending to be you the last few years, nothing will stand up to scrutiny when Talents get involved. Prepare yourselves, as your identities as Quill and Torch can and very well might be dug up.

Matt nodded as he mulled over the implications and asked, So what is our countermeasure?

Luna grinned, and while her teeth were no longer the ivory daggers they had been in her cat form, Matt felt the same menacing energy. We hopefully bait out an assassination attempt and let you get as injured as you should be with your public persona. That wont really prove anything to someone sniffing around, but it will muddy the waters enough to buy you enough time to reach Tier 15, get married, and step off The Path. That is really our end goal. While Aster is away, we can set half a dozen false trails without too much effort before having you fade away to do young noble things with Liz somewhere remote.

Liz raised a finger in question. What was that about baiting out attacks? That seems risky, and its a good way to actually get kicked off The Path. I dont really follow the logic there.

Luna waved that concern off with a nod. The idea is that you continue with our normal goings on until someone loses patience and sends a subordinate to provoke you in some way. The easiest way is to send an assassin, though, with your background and connection to Liz, that's unlikely. Other times, they might use a local to try and fight you. The idea is to see if youre dumb enough to display power beyond what you should have for your identities. Our hope is to just throw any peering eyes off your trail enough to buy us time for you to step off. Thankfully, a man and woman pair on The Path is hardly a rare combination, which limits our overlap on identities.

Having said that, Luna's eyes narrowed as she looked at Matt. Speaking of which, your little stunt of selling your mana to that guild on the training planet has become a pain in the ass. It's a massive flag, even if weve covered most of it up. It was hard enough hiding all of your sales before your audit, and we were able to act immediately there.

Matt shrugged. While hed change that choice if he had the power to go back in time, he didnt, and felt he had good reasons to do so back then.

Thinking of giving him mana, Matt raised a question. Can we visit Amelia and Kelley? Id like to check in with their progress. Ive given them a ton of mana over the last few years since we left Minkalla, and I think the decision to visit a friend makes sense for an official reason to go there.

Kelley was a crafter he had befriended during the Pather war in the vassal kingdom, so many years ago, and they had kept in touch. That had led Kelley to introducing them to Amelia Galley, the crafter who had shocked the Empire with her double inspiration Tier up a few years ago. If she had only two inspirations, that would have been one thing. In fact, the most recent inspiration had been her ninth regarding crafting, making her a leading figure in the field.

Matt had been so impressed with her, he had set up a long standing contract where he supplied her with mana in return for future help with his guild, and making the research she did with his mana public information. He also earned a bit of money that was kept in escrow until he left The Path, but the money meant practically nothing to someone like Matt.

Rather, he wanted to see what Amelia had been up to in the last few years, and possibly get a few upgrades to their armament, which they were owed. Or rather, Matt wanted to get Melinda and the rest of her team a few sets of gear that they could use for their time after they reached Tier 15, now that they were off The Path.

Good, Talent made, Tier 17 gear should be far better than anything they could get their hands on themselves.

If they were to follow that plan, theyd have a fairly short trek through a dozen systems, where theyd be able to take advantage of a realspace crossings to get to Harper's Kingdom and out of Rustys Kingdom in short order.

The realspace crossings were in high demand, but that actually lowered the cost of a ticket, as they had more than enough people to split the mana cost for a dozen teleport swaps between the neighboring star systems, meaning they didnt need to cover a larger than normal cost.

Matt had to wonder why the Empire didnt move the star systems closer to reduce costs, but when he idly asked April, who had finally rejoined them, she laughed and said the royals had more important things to do with their time. Safely moving a star system in real space was actually harder than moving one though chaotic space. While both methods required moving the entire weight of a star and its surrounding planetary bodies, they didnt need to worry about putting too much pressure on one planet and shattering it to dust, or accidentally crushing the sun when in chaotic space. To accomplish it, one needed enough strength to ensure a most gentle trip, which was something even a Tier 45 couldn't guarantee.

When Matt pointed out they could easily get a few Tier 45s to join together, April laughed and showed him a high Tier job listing for that exact job. A Tier 47 could move the system in a few short days, but the Tier 45s needed to be more careful, which meant moving slower. The issue was that the job paid next to nothing to a Tier 45, and they would be stuck doing it for ages, leaving few who would agree to take the job.

That said, the royals usually did step in when a realspace crossing was found or created, but that help was limited to giving the star system in question a shove in the right direction, and then making sure their successor came back in a few million years.

And Matt had to admit, even a dozen teleports on asteroids really wasnt that bad of a price to pay for the convenience of cutting off close to a year of travel, if using the more conventional method of interplanetary teleports that most people below Tier 20 used.

It also made Matt start looking into chaotic spaceships, as once they reached Tier 15, they could actually pilot them.

The prices made him raise an eyebrow, but they weren't so bad that he was completely unwilling or unable to pay it. The cheapest shuttles were fairly limited in their capabilities, most notably the distance they could safely travel, but if one was only using them to travel along the already established tethers between worlds, they were more than capable.

One of the largest drawbacks of the cheaper ships was just how mana-hungry the shielding enchantments that prevented the ship from dissolving into nothingness in Chaotic Space were.

For Matt, that was practically a non-issue.

Still, they would be able to afford Tier 17 or 18 ships by the time they could actually use them, and the increased Tier resulted in more features and higher capabilities. They were all a bit beyond his discretionary budget at the moment, but he did find a few ship models that he was interested in and saved them for later.

Then, because he was having fun, also looked for ships that Liz and Aster might like if he wasnt with them. When looking for the generically best high-teens ships, there were undeniably right answers at each price point, depending on what was being prioritized. Maneuverability and top speed in real or chaotic space, weapon systems, comfort, some combination of the others

In the end, hed need to talk more with the girls to see what theyd want, and in reality, they would just pick what they wanted themselves.

Personally, Matt couldnt wait for his own ship, as traveling through the Empire planet by planet would be interesting, and it would let him see some interesting places over the next few decades. But it was slow, especially when they needed to wait on a teleporter to cycle for sometimes days, and he had a dozen other things he could be spending his time on.

Not that Luna, Kurt, or even April let them sit idly when they could be working on something.

Matt could happily spend a three day train ride working on small scale elemental manipulation skills that could be safely done inside, or work on small safe enchanting projects, but they werent perfect substitutions for the large scale fighting he usually did.

In the end, their travel didnt take too long, and they arrived to where Amelia Galley had moved her moon, along with the substantial number of new factories dotting its surface.

Matt and the others spent a few minutes walking around the populated areas before heading into a familiar building where Amelia actually worked.

Following the manager who led them deeper into the facility, Matt stopped in front of a sealed room with a dozen other people, all in suits that protected them from the compound they were spraying on a number of animal hides, working on various points in the process of turning hide into leather.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

With his spiritual sense, Matt inspected the room and the liquid in particular, and was surprised to find that it was highly corrosive to anything spiritual. Retracting his now slightly injured spirit, he looked over to Amelia, who had appeared next to them as if she was already there.

Instead of speaking, she inspected him head to toe and back again.

Are you Matt? You seem to have grown up. You look so much less naive.

Matt returned the inspection. but was more subtle. and simply looked her in the eyes. She was a Tier 22, but he felt no fear.

Not that he thought he could fight her, but he had seen so much in the last few decades, and the childish Matt she had met before and made a deal with was long gone.

So, two hundred billion mana. Its been three decades, and Im very curious what youve done with all of that. Care to enlighten me?

While a measly twenty years werent much in the time frame of immortals, Amelia had not put out a single new product in the meantime, and Matt found that both unbelievable and suspicious. That question was one of the main reasons he had wanted to come here in the first place. Once he had noticed the discrepancy, he started digging through public records and realized that Amelia had almost vanished off the face of the EmpireNet after her double Inspiration Tier up, which was why he had asked Luna to come here.

Amelia's eyes narrowed as the humorous air she had when arrived vanished. Are you accusing me of something, Mr. Alexander?

Matt looked back into the facility where the others were currently working and said nothing for a few long moments. It's slightly more than the equivalent of a Tier 35 mana stone, and with no strings attached. No investors to pay back, no board of directors to explain where it went to. No restrictions to what it should be used on. But the mana has seemingly vanished. It makes one wonder.

Amelia worked her jaw like she wanted to say something, but ended up sighing. Im not stealing the mana. two hundred billion is a lot, but it's practically nothing to the high Tier guilds, who can drop a single Tier 45 mana stone and get five hundred trillion mana to work with. And despite the local noble's assurance that hed go to bat for me, I have had a number of higher Tier guilds interrupting things, like supply lines and such. They don't want me publishing secrets, and are using every trick in the book they can get away with to slow me down. And frankly, it's working.

Rumors he believed, at least in part.

Most of it had little to do with a Tier 25 hired platoon like his own Vasilay Company, but had far-reaching implications. He and his people were more than willing to fight in a war, but they werent willing to throw their lives away fighting for or against fanatics.

That never ended well.

But in the end, the remunerations the Sects offered were too good to turn them down outright, which was why he was entertaining this meeting.

When Ha Eun entered the meeting room, Darok stood up and returned the small polite bow along with his second in command, Emily, and their supply officer Walter.

In perfect Corporation common, Ha Eun said, It is good to meet with your outfit, and I thank you for taking the time to hear my offer. The small smile she revealed showed glistening teeth that Daroks reports believed were connected to her Domain in some way, having been used to chew her way out of an abusive marriage.

Nodding, Darok introduced everyone on his side before they settled into a small round of polite exchanges, but quickly pulled them around to the topic at hand.

Exactly what terms are you looking for, Representative Ha Eun? We offer a number of standard contracts, but you indicated you wished for something more flexible.

Yes. I represent an alliance of Tier 35 sects with a number of Tier 25 assets. We have been given the glorious honor of forming a special Tier 25 team to both counter Light and Shadow, and to perform a variety of other penetrative strikes deep into the Empire. We want to contract your operation to both handle our logistics and fight beside us. Your reputation is sterling among your peers, and your record of completed missions is impressive. In particular, the loss of only seventeen members following your strike against a Monster Collective regional capital represents the exact form of determination were looking for. Best of all, the team will even be led by Dao Child Maven.

The small grin she had held the entire time grew at that proclamation, and Darok had to admit he was surprised.

Dao Child Maven had been touted as the counter to Light and Shadow, and while he might not believe all the hype the Sects were spreading about her, she was undeniably one of the best of her generation.

And what do you want us to actually do beyond logistics? What level of commitment? What level of deployment?

Representative Ha Eun reined her smile in as they started to talk about the brass tacks.

I want everything. I want your support personnel, and more importantly, I want all three combat outfits, including your unarmored men.

Darok shook his head even as Emily spoke. We can provide you with Skirmish Squadron, but our Cavalry and Juggernaut divisions are still recovering from our last contract. Repairs to armor dont come cheap, and fast repairs in particular. What you are offering is not sufficient to cover the increased cost of repairs if you desire our armored squadrons to be battle-ready before the war begins.

Darok nodded as Ha Eun looked to him in confirmation. Money is of little issue. The contract we have drawn up states we will take over the cost of repair and outfitting you once you are under our command. That would naturally mean we can and will provide the materials for your teams to get back in their armor.

Walters AI pinged his with a confirmation that with adequate resources, they would be able to redeploy within the next few years.

Darok narrowed his eyes at the documents presented, with [Analyze Information DV26-SI] aiding his comprehension. What they were asking for was substantial, particularly if they were to engage with Chosen-level threats, yet the remuneration was in theory equal to the task. That they would be under the full command of the Sects was to be expected, though their boilerplate limits on command were accepted wholesale.

So while they couldnt be used as cannon fodder or left behind, they would be expected to fight along the Sect forces under the command of Dao Child Maven with the express purpose to counter the newest pair of Chosen in the Realm, and perform incredibly risky operations deep inside Empire territory.

It was risky.

Beyond risky.

But that was where the money was.

If they took this contract, they would be able to afford a full rise to Tier 36.

That was the dream of everyone in his outfit.

But those dreams were hard to realize when you were dead. Darok knew that better than anyone. Those seventeen men and women who were touted as his success still weighed on his mind. They had died so the thousand others of the company had been able to escape encirclement, but that was hardly the victory everyone else called it.

Not that they weren't ready to die, but no one wanted to, and this mission seemed far more risky than the last war they had fought in.

With just a scant thirty-one additional addendums and clarifications for the contract, Darok signed.

Vasilay Company was once more going to war.

Only time would tell how many of them would return.

***

Invar groaned from his hangover and blinked as the blinking notification in his [Assistive Intelligence] woke him up. It took him a few attempts to read the information, but when he did, he almost vomited.

He had been contracted to fight with the Feddys?

He much rather take jobs against the wackjobs, but a contract was a contract, and his bank account was nearly empty.

It was either accept the contract, or get a normal job and as a lone contractor, and he preferred the large paydays from doing one of the two things he was good at.

Killing.

That let him do the second thing he was good at, drinking.

Looking once more at the bank accounts balance, he sighed and powered [Self Empowerment HE8-EN] to clear the alcohol still in his system.

Stretching, he felt a number of things pop in his back as he summoned his cloak to cover him, and exited his rented room, blending into the shadows. The passersby were none the wiser that one of the best Tier 25 assassins in the Corporation was in their midst.

At least the contract for Light and Shadow would pay well.

Even for an attempt, hed be able to drink for at least a century, and that was good enough for him.

***

Klare of the Indomitable Reavers watched as the Republican representative left her office as she thought over the contract they had accepted.

A team led by one of their little brainchildren specifically to counter Light and Shadow? A team meant to split behind enemy lines and wreak havoc?

She liked it.

Grinning, she sent a message to the entire Company. Prepare for war!