Chapter 237: Buy Time

    December 28th, 625

    As I approached Maxwell – Boris at his side – he eyed me and frowned.

    “You look like shit. Was it that bad?”

    “The worst week of my life so far. I need to talk to you about something.”

    “Hm. Lead the way.”

    “Boris, go ahead and wait in the lounge.”

    I gave that order while walking into the mansion with Maxwell. We found ourselves in one of the estate’s greeting rooms where Umara was waiting for us.

    Once the door closed Maxwell asked.

    “What’s this about?”

    “I’ve acquired another prime material for a Crown, and I intend to give it to Umara. I want your opinion on it, as well as your help contacting Terrace so I can get it handled for her.”

    “...It can be done, depending on the material. I don’t know if you noticed but I added my own materials to your Crown. I won’t send you to him if it''s something ordinary.”

    “It’s an Authority 11 King Blood of Unholy Light.”

    Maxwell’s eyes widened, my hand lifting.

    “Do you want to see it?”

    “No, no I don’t... What state is it in?”

    “Completely intact besides some superficial wounds on its body and its head being crushed. It wasn’t even completely drained during the battle, so its power lingers.”

    “...Well, I can promise you that nobody except Terrace could possibly handle such a material. It will take time and money, especially for other catalysts and supplemental materials.”

    He looked up at me, “Your Crown cost me 70 million coin, and it enhanced much more than just your eyes, but that was with mere Authority 9 materials. This is far, far above that, and it will cost you accordingly, even discounting the service cost someone like Terrace likes to demand. I know you’ve made plenty of coin but this will not necessarily be something coin alone can buy. Is Talexia aware?”

    “She is, and she has agreed to provide the funds.”

    “Good. Then I will put you in contact with Terrace. Be prepared to hand-deliver the materials straight to him. He will need time to prepare and the cost will be upfront. You will need to discuss payment.”

    “That’s fine. I just want to start the process as soon as possible.”

    Maxwell nodded, turning to Umara.

    “Do you have any Crowns?”

    She shook her head, “No sir.”

    “Good. There is a limit to how many Crowns the body can support. I have a feeling that this one will reach yours. It will likely be the only Crown you ever get.”

    “Is it worth it? For me to get it?”

    “If you’re as amazing of a Warlock as John likes to boast, then yes, it is. The only thing greater is a Crown composed of a fully intact Sovereign-Class. There have not been many of those ever, barely enough to count on two hands within the Church. And since King Bloods often reach the combat standards of a Sovereign-Class due to the sheer power of their Aura, it’s debatable that those are actually better. And those of the Unholy Light bloodline are masters of mana, with some mental manipulation sprinkled in. So it is the most perfect Crown for you, especially since you specialize in Air, Fire, and Water magic. Your healing abilities, when you learn, will become extraordinarily potent.”

    Umara’s head fell a bit.

    “Terrace will know more about the effects of the Crown. My knowledge on Unholy Light is limited to combat with it, but that’s more than enough to say it is the greatest material for a Warlock Crown.”

    I asked, “What’s the best for summoners? Despair?”

    “Indeed, if you are looking to enhance your strengths further. They are nightmares of the mind which makes their Crowns valuable tools.”

    “Then maybe I’ll have to find one.”

    I commented as Maxwell tapped his Aerial. When he waved at me I brought mine up and received Terrace’s contact.

    I memorized the information and put my Aerial down.

    “Alright, I’ll contact him today. Do you want to go to the Holy See with us?”

    “If I don’t have to, no. You won’t need me there, and Terrace will be more than willing to do business with you since the material is one of the best there is.”

    “Very well. The only other thing I need from you is time to discuss some things with the advancement formation. I’ve questions.”

    “I can remain here then, so long as the Duchess is willing to accommodate me.”

    Uamra stood and gave him her promise, and with those plans made we separated.

    One thing down. Now I just needed to start acting.

    I made a quick call to Terrace since I had his info now. Our discussion was straightforward and he was equally surprised as Maxwell to hear that I had an Authority 11 King Blood to work with as a material for a Crown. Given that and my identity, he was naturally very receptive to working with us.

    He also reaffirmed the fact that it would be the perfect Crown for a warlock. I was excited for Umara, but she didn’t seem to like hearing things that only ensured she would get it.

    I understood her reservations but I was in no mood to let her battle me on this. She was going to get the Crown and I would rest easy knowing she was much more powerful than me.

    Terrace and I quickly set up a time and place to meet so I could hand off the prime material. I also got an estimate for how much this was going to cost. After telling him that Talexia was footing the bill he told me that he would discuss some things with her in regard to payment beyond coin. Still, a hundred million coin was looking like the downpayment with what little we discussed.

    It was a project that would take Terrace and a team of his people over a week to prepare for and that was after the days it would take to acquire the materials to process the King Blood’s corpse. After all, as it was now it was poisonous. They would have to purify it like they did White Crystals and then add supplementing materials so it would integrate with Umara’s body.

    “Well...”

    His eye glimmered, a small smile surfacing on his face.

    “That’s not entirely true. The Rear General enjoys keeping himself free of outside influence, but small exchanges are not something he is unfamiliar with. There are many a noble who want their children placed in safe positions. It’s just not often that he gets big requests, being that he is only in charge of intelligence personnel.”

    “Then consider this an easy transaction. For the task of delivering this message to the Rear General and ensuring it is carried out as I wish, I will reward you as well. I want the papers with mine, Pollina’s, and Jasmine’s names to be shelved. You can create the transfer order, you can even begin processing. But I want the orders to be shelved until I can designate the unit to make the transfer to.”

    “I see... Did you have a unit in mind?”

    “No. The unit I have in mind doesn’t exist yet. But I need to make sure that we don’t get moved around until it’s created. I’m thinking around 6 months. Do you think you can talk to the Rear General and arrange that?”

    I stared silently at General Landon until he nodded.

    “Yes, I think I can arrange that.”

    “Good. Then take this.”

    I pulled out a check, the new mode of money transfer since I was forced to leave the Polaris Bank.

    It was marked for 3 million coin, and when I handed it to the General, he smiled widely.

    “That will be my incentive for both you and the Rear General. I expect you to divide accordingly, and I expect it to get me what I want. If it doesn’t then I will be speaking with the Rear General personally to find out why he wasn’t sufficiently convinced.”

    “Don’t worry, Commander. Your wishes will be properly relayed, and if the Rear General has any issues, I will contact you so they can be rectified.”

    General Landon stood, shaking my hand before giving a small bow to Talexia.

    With that, he left.

    Talexia sighed.

    “That was more than you had to pay. I could’ve just asked for the favor.”

    “Cash is king, and I want to make sure they do what I want. Besides, I know how much my time is worth. I’ll make that money back within the week.”

    “Making that much?”

    “Even after all I’ve spent, I’m personally pushing 300 million coin. Sawn started multiplying the prices of the planes and helicopters and yet they’re still selling as fast as we can make them. Nobles are going crazy over them and the flight school is beyond max capacity trying to churn out pilots. In fact, you saved many millions of coin given that I allowed you to make some of the first purchases.”

    “I see.”

    “So spending a few million to buy myself 6 months isn’t even a decision worth pondering. I won’t be able to do the same for the others since they’re under Gurns but that won’t be much of a problem.”

    Talexia turned to me, “You’re going to join special operations?”

    “Perhaps, but nothing that’s going to happen from now on will be conventional. I’m planning on creating another division in the military. But first, I need to finish up some projects with Sawn.”

    “What project would warrant an entirely new division?”

    “The kind that changes how war is fought. But I want to make sure that I also get good people on my side. To that end, I’m hoping to have your help.”

    I turned to meet her gaze, “I need you to hold on to Polly and Jasmine, and when this new division launches, I’m going to bring them with me. But I want Polly to get promoted before then so I can maintain proper control over the division as a whole. Do you think you can help with that?”

    “...Maybe. Recent events will help with that, if used accordingly.”

    “Use them. For all it is worth. If things work out how I want them to I shouldn’t have many problems, but I still won’t stand for dumbasses being placed above me. If there were a good General somewhere I’d take them, but I know of none and I trust none, so I need to make Polly one. If not a full General, then at least a Major General.”

    “I understand what you’re trying to say. And it sounds good on paper but nothing will happen unless the right people see a good reason to go along with it. You need to worry about the success of this project.”

    “No, I don’t. The project will be a success regardless. It’s technically already one. I just need to put on the finishing touches. What I really need is someone to help me lay the foundation for the future, and you’re the first one I’m asking.”

    She went silent for a bit, eventually nodding and turning her head away.

    “Fine. You have my full support. I’ll make some calls.”

    “Thank you. Don’t be afraid to use my name and make optimistic promises. I’ll handle the rest.”

    “Will do.”

    “Are you ready for tonight?”

    I suddenly changed the subject, Talexia nodding.

    “Yes. Those at the teleporter are ready for us.”

    “Good. I sent Boris earlier so he’ll meet us there. After that, you all just need to hang around in the Whetted City for a few days.”

    “Are you sure you aren’t being paranoid, keeping things so secret?”

    “Very. Any mistakes may lead to me getting branded a traitor.”

    “How so?”

    “Let’s just say some people weren’t very happy about me rejecting a noble title. With it, they tried to put me on a leash, and so long as I refuse to let them, I’m walking a tightrope. Just trust me. Otherwise I’m going to have to get ready to spark revolution.”

    “Fine, fine.”

    She sighed as I made my way out.

    The General was going to leave tomorrow morning, and after that I’d be enacting the first phase of my plans.