CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 309 - INHERITANCE OF BAI YUN

Atlas opened his system interface, scanning through the notifications of his victory over Bai Yun. As expected, the standard list of rewards appeared, arcane shards, standard tickets, gold coins, and ownership over the remaining assets of the defeated lord, including whatever forces had survived the battle.

[You have received 1150 Arcane Shards.]

[You have received 5 Standard Tickets.]

[You have obtained 22500 Gold Coins.]

[You have obtained 240 Surrendered Combatants.]

[You have obtained 30 Surrendered Workers.]

[...]

"Whoa," Atlas muttered under his breath. The amount of gold was enormous, this lord had clearly been far wealthier than most. In fact, that was nearly half of Atlas’s current total funds.

In addition to the treasure, the post-battle report indicated that 240 combatants and 30 workers had survived from Bai Yun’s forces, a remarkably large number.

Let’s see later, Atlas thought. How many of them can actually be absorbed and naturalized into Gacha Haven’s permanent ranks.

He remained standing on the floating platform Lyrassa had conjured beneath him, the storm clouds now slowly dispersing overhead. From the distance, he saw the floating throne approaching. Lyrassa stood upon it, holding Vienne securely in her arms.

Edrik, however, was nowhere in sight. Atlas frowned slightly, realizing that Edrik must have been drawn into battle elsewhere during the confrontation.

"Papa!" Vienne called out happily, waving her little hand with bright eyes.

Atlas then leaped toward the floating throne, and Lyrassa stepped closer as Vienne tried to reach for Atlas. He caught the small girl in his arms, laughing softly at her delight.

"Hey, Vienne... did you see how Papa fought just now? Haha."

Atlas smiled faintly, letting out a slow breath. He glanced at Lyrassa, who returned his look with a warm smile. If it weren’t for her, there was no way he could have fought that flawlessly against Bai Yun.

From such a distance, Lyrassa had managed to predict with perfect accuracy where Atlas would land or need a foothold, and she had provided it every single time with incredible precision.

On Atlas’s side, he had placed his full trust in her. Believing, without a single doubt, that whenever he needed support, she would already have cast a floating platform beneath his feet.

That bond of trust was what allowed him to stand equal against Bai Yun, who possessed the ability to fly. Atlas had made it look as if he were fighting the man on solid ground.

"I guess the best way to train is through real battle, isn’t it? And... Thank you. Without you, I probably would’ve plummeted to the ground long ago," he said quietly.

Lyrassa smiled and nodded as she stopped right in front of him.

"You did all that while still protecting Vienne," he added.

She bowed slightly, her voice soft. "I’m truly glad I could do this for you, my lord."

Atlas placed a hand on her shoulder, and when she stepped closer, he wrapped his right arm around her. In his left, he still held Vienne.

"Papa is cool! Mama Lyla is cool!" Vienne laughed, bouncing happily in Atlas’s arms.

Then suddenly, Atlas stiffened. A surge of energy pressure approached rapidly toward him. He released Lyrassa just as a figure landed lightly on the floating throne behind her.

It was Morganna. Her gaze remained cold and distant, even though she had just finished a fierce battle of her own.

Without a word, Morganna stepped forward, reached out to take Vienne from Atlas’s arms, and then swiftly flew away again, disappearing into the distance as silently as she had arrived.

Atlas let out a quiet sigh and turned again toward Lyrassa, who only chuckled softly in response to his puzzled look.

"Morganna is truly incredible," she said.

"Yes, she really is. No wonder she once held the highest rank among the others," he replied.

"I can’t even imagine how many battles she’s gone through in the past. For her, a war like this must feel like nothing more than a playground."

Atlas nodded as the floating throne began to move toward the center of the island to inspect the new forces he had gained after defeating Bai Yun.

And indeed, in the past, Morganna had lived ten times longer than Lyrassa. Morganna once mentioned that it took her five thousand years to reach the Immortal Rank, while Lyrassa said she had served as a lord for about five hundred years. At least, that was the time they spent as lords, who knew how old they truly were before attaining that title.

Ten to one? When Atlas thought about it again, the difference in their experiences and lifetimes was truly that vast.

Atlas had also begun reorganizing how the new land he absorbed from Bai Yun would be integrated into Gacha Haven. He expanded the island’s outer perimeter to create more space, shaping it into wide open plains. Beyond that, he merged the surrounding waters with the jagged terrains, forming natural protective walls around the central area.

He also carefully integrated the water regions into the island’s core, creating both lowlands and highlands that blended seamlessly to add variety to the landscape. This allowed him to cluster residential areas, production zones, and farmlands neatly while keeping everything looking natural and well-balanced.

He could have easily spent an endless amount of time on this task if he hadn’t kept himself in check, as shaping the island’s terrain was incredibly time-consuming, especially since he wanted it to look both beautiful and organic. Fortunately, Mira provided him with countless suggestions and insights on how to adjust the terrain and organize the divisions, making Atlas’s workload much lighter.

After some time, the floating throne finally reached the ground, where Edrik and several Elite Subordinates were already waiting. Rows of newly acquired forces stood in perfect formation before Atlas.

He stepped down from the floating throne and waited for the final report on the outcome of the battle.

"Thirty-eight of our people were killed," Edrik said immediately.

Atlas fell silent for a moment. "Thirty-eight?" That number struck him deeply. It was the largest loss he had ever faced in any battle so far.

"Several others are seriously wounded, but they should recover with time," Edrik continued.

"We’ll give proper honors to those who’ve fallen," Atlas said quietly, nodding in respect.

In war, loss was inevitable, no matter how much they prepared or trained. The only thing they could do was fight as best they could in the real battle, accepting that sacrifice was part of it.

"What about the enemy’s side?" Atlas asked next.

Edrik took a breath before answering. "Most of the enemy’s ground forces were defeated. However, around two hundred of their remaining soldiers were subdued by Krythalis. He didn’t kill them, he merely immobilized them. Because of that, we now have a large group of captives that we might be able to integrate in the future, helping to fill in the weaknesses we still have."

Atlas turned his gaze toward the rows of soldiers standing before him. He recognized many of them as the ones who had been flying through the air on their swords earlier.

"What about their ability to use those flying swords? Can they still use that power?" Atlas asked, his tone steady but curious.