Chapter 39: After the Realmwide Announcement, the Balance Comes Early
Closing the private chat did not make the Shattered Marches Realmwide Announcement disappear.
At that same moment, the same name was glowing across communication towers in dozens of old territories, Legion outposts, and cross-region trade routes.
[Cassian Vale]
[Eclipse Legionnaire]
[Unregistered Rare Troop sequence across the Shattered Marches]
[Stable recruitment path established]
Inside the King’s Frontier Legion’s forward council hall, Mariel Thorn pulled Cassian’s recruitment file back in front of her.
The line marked Provisional Knighthood had already been crossed out once.
This time, she deleted the tag beside it as well.
Newcomer Recruitment.
Her adjutant glanced over.
"Raising the offer again?"
"Not the rank."
Mariel moved Cassian’s file into a different category.
[Direct Negotiation]
"Someone who can establish a stable Rare Troop sequence shouldn’t be priced like a promising newcomer anymore."
"Next time, don’t send him a standard invitation."
"I want him to tell us what he wants in return."
The same repricing was already happening inside House Vayne.
——————
Aveline Vayne had reviewed Elara’s Epic Hero Sigil deal three times.
She was Elara’s mother—and the Vayne family’s Newcomer Steward, responsible for newcomer-period resources and cross-region procedures.
A few hours earlier, she had refused to release the remaining 680,000 Aether.
The reason had been simple.
The Sigil was not in Elara’s hands yet.
Cassian still expected the full 800,000.
For a family, this was not a question of whether they trusted one of Elara’s friends.
It was a question of whether the transaction had enough external pricing to support the risk.
Now it did.
The Wandering Caravan’s public 900,000-Aether price was still in the record.
Cassian had taken first in the Troop Power Ranking.
Then, immediately afterward, he had shown the entire Shattered Marches a Rare Troop sequence he could recruit reliably.
Aveline read the final announcement again.
"You said he recruited only two hundred nine new troops on Ranking day?"
"Yes."
Elara sat beside her Domain Core on the other side of a communication mirror.
"And he never told anyone the quality."
Aveline looked at her.
"You don’t know all of it either?"
"I know the two hundred Legionnaires are Rare."
"And the other nine?"
Elara spread her hands.
"He won’t say."
Aveline was silent for two breaths.
Then a permission notice visible only to her lit up.
[Newcomer Region Achievement Trace]
[A Shattered-Marches-level realmwide achievement has occurred in the Region of your registered Newcomer.]
[Newcomer Steward Authority: Tier II → Tier III]
[Unlocked: Observer Passage ×1]
[Target: Elara Vayne’s Newcomer Region]
[Authority: One temporary cross-region observation visit]
[Restrictions: No Troops / No combat participation / No resource transfer through the Passage / Maximum stay: 6 hours]
Elara sat up immediately.
"You can come in now?"
Aveline read the notice twice as well.
"Yes."
"When?"
"After you pay what you owe."
She closed the authority window.
"Release the 680,000."
Elara’s eyes lit up.
Aveline was not finished.
"Add another 100,000."
"A hundred thousand?"
"The Caravan’s public price was nine hundred thousand."
Aveline’s tone did not change.
"The only reason the deal closed at eight hundred thousand was that Cassian agreed to carry the delivery risk after the Caravan left."
"Now that the facts have proven we undervalued him, we make up the difference."
Elara stared at her for two seconds.
"A few hours ago, you thought he might take the money and refuse to hand over the Sigil."
"Which is why we’re paying another hundred thousand today."
Aveline was perfectly calm.
"A bad judgment has a cost."
She looked once more at the Observer Passage.
"Once your Hero is recruited, I’ll enter your Newcomer Region personally."
"I want to meet him."
——————
On the other side of the ridge, Cassian did not linger over the metallic noise coming from the pass.
Four Blackfang had already split up and slipped into cracks along both sides of the rock walls.
What Pack Dominion sent back was fragmented.
Heavy footprints.
Shield edges scraping stone.
The repeated scent of metal farther inside.
This was not something left by a temporary patrol.
Cassian was about to keep moving when a private message lit up.
Elara.
[Elara Vayne: That realmwide announcement of yours woke up everyone in my family.]
Cassian kept walking.
[Cassian Vale: Get to the point.]
Two breaths passed.
[Elara Vayne: I don’t have to wait until tomorrow noon for the remaining 680,000 on the Epic Hero Sigil.]
Only then did Cassian lower his eyes to the message.
[Cassian Vale: You got the money together?]
[Elara Vayne: Not by myself.]
[Elara Vayne: My family wouldn’t release the rest before.]
[Elara Vayne: Now they will.]
The next line came immediately.
[Elara Vayne: And they’re adding another 100,000.]
Cassian’s brow lifted slightly.
[Cassian Vale: The contract was eight hundred thousand.]
[Elara Vayne: Which is why the extra hundred thousand isn’t part of the balance.]
[Elara Vayne: The Caravan’s public price was nine hundred thousand. My family says they undervalued you before, so they’re making up the difference.]
Cassian did not pretend to refuse out of politeness.
[Cassian Vale: Fine.]
[Elara Vayne: ...You accepted that fast.]
[Cassian Vale: They’re the ones who added it.]
Elara went quiet for half a second.
[Elara Vayne: One more thing.]
[Elara Vayne: My mother just got an Observer Passage.]
[Elara Vayne: She can temporarily enter our Newcomer Region.]
This time, Cassian actually stopped.
[Cassian Vale: Because of the announcement?]
[Elara Vayne: Yeah. She handles my Newcomer Steward authority. It just rose to Tier III.]
[Elara Vayne: She says she’ll come in personally after I recruit my Hero.]
[Elara Vayne: She also says she wants to meet you.]
Cassian read that for two seconds.
[Cassian Vale: Pay me first.]
[Elara Vayne: That’s all you care about?]
[Cassian Vale: She isn’t here yet. The money will get here first.]
The other side stayed silent for several breaths.
[Elara Vayne: ...Fine.]
[Elara Vayne: I’ll send the full 780,000 later. The Sigil transfers after the money arrives, same as our original agreement.]
[Cassian Vale: Good.]
The chat ended.
New cross-region contact requests were still stacking up.
Cassian accepted none of them.
But this time, he did not close every interface at once either.
Seven hundred eighty thousand.
He currently had 324,466 Aether.
Once that money arrived, the total would become 1,104,466.
Cassian pulled up Forgotten Shrine’s next-rank preview.
[Forgotten Shrine Rank III Preview]
[Upgrade Requirement: Aether Crystal ×100,000]
[Stone / Black Oak / Refined Iron: Requirement met]
[Gold Ore: 84 / 100]
[Estimated Upgrade Time: 4 hours]
[Immediate Completion Preview: Aether Crystal ×4,000]
Two more functions sat below it, both still greyed out.
[Rank III: Oath Hall standard Hero Contract capacity 1 → 2]
[Temporary Covenant does not consume standard Hero Contract capacity]
[Rank III Unlock: High Realm Call]
[Current Qualification Check: Renown State — Widely Known / Legend — 100]
[Legendary Call qualification met]
[Legend is used only as a qualification threshold and will not be consumed]
[Legendary High Realm Call: Aether Crystal ×1,000,000]
Cassian’s eyes stayed on the final line for several breaths.
One million.
If Elara’s 780,000 arrived as promised—
Rank III.
Immediate completion.
Then the Legendary Call.
After every deduction, he would have 466 left.
Ever since the realmwide announcement had given him Widely Known and Legend 100, the greyed-out function in the Rank III preview had already met the qualification requirement.
Two things had still been missing.
Money.
And Gold Ore.
The money was now guaranteed to come.
Cassian contacted Bram immediately.
The background on Bram’s end was loud. Both Gold Veins were still working.
"Gold Ore."
Bram sounded as though he had long since grown used to Cassian skipping introductions.
"New stock is eighty-four."
"Rank III needs one hundred."
"Saw it."
"Don’t change the shifts," Cassian said. "And don’t stop the other production."
"The moment it reaches one hundred, tell me."
Bram paused.
"Understood."
The call ended.
Cassian pushed the Rank III preview aside.
Sixteen Gold Ore.
Seven hundred eighty thousand Aether.
Neither line had actually closed yet.
So there was nothing to celebrate.
But from the moment Elara’s money had been approved, that one million already had a destination.
Ahead, a Blackfang suddenly emerged from the shadow of the rock wall.
It made no sound.
It only turned toward the deeper pass.
Pack Dominion sent back a clipped sequence of intent.
Ahead.
Twelve.
Familiar.
Cassian raised one hand.
Eira and the five Stormlance stopped at once.
The five Gloomhoof spread behind them and opened their firing lanes.
Less than two hundred meters ahead, the mountain road narrowed sharply.
Twelve broad, heavy shields turned out from behind the rock wall one after another.
Short axes.
Wide shoulders.
The same formation.
Cassian opened the profile of the one in front.
[Ridgewarden]
[Race: Dwarf]
[Level: 14]
[Quality: Rare]
It was the squad Elara had encountered.
Or at least another squad that had come from the same place.
The leading Ridgewarden saw them as well.
All twelve shields slammed down at once.
THUD!
The mountain path seemed to shudder under the impact.
A deep Dwarven voice came from behind the shield wall.
"Intruders."
"Leave the King’s Ridge."
Cassian did not retreat.
He looked over the twelve identical shields, then at the road behind them.
The money had not arrived yet.
Gold Ore was still sixteen short.
But there was a door in front of him that still needed finding.
"Keep moving."