Chapter 287: Vespera On Stream [I]
"I don’t know much about flashy entrances, Sky," Vespera replied smoothly, her voice carrying a calm tone from beneath her dark hood. "I just ride where the business takes me."
She reined in her Blessed Wolf, bringing Valkyrie to a smooth silent halt beside the main treads of the rolling mobile fortress.
Rowenna pulled up alongside her with Luna’s heavy paws kicking up a faint cloud of dry dust against the morning grass.
Vespera tilted her head with her sharp eyes scanning the streaming Lord lounging in the hammock before her.
’Is it just me or does Sky seem a bit more casual...’
Sky was wearing his signature streaming mask... the sleek dark face and silver-shield designed to transmit clean audio feeds to his network servers yet perched right over the eye-lenses of the mask was a pair of dark designer sunglasses.
Combined with a loud, brightly colored Hawaiian print shirt, baggy denim shorts, and casual sandals, the man looked less like a battle-hardened Classic Lord preparing for a territory war and more like a tourist relaxing at a seaside resort.
Vespera couldn’t help but let out a dry amused breath through her nose, pointing a gauntleted finger toward his face.
"Though I have to ask..." Vespera remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "...are the sunglasses really necessary over a full-face streaming mask? Especially when paired with a beach shirt in the middle of a war zone?"
Sky let out a loud laugh, adjusting the dark frames over his mask with a flick of his wrist.
"It’s called brand synergy, Vespera!" Sky defended cheerfully, leaning back against the hammock ropes as he took another sip of his iced juice through a straw. "The network chat eats this stuff up! Contrast is everything in live entertainment... A masked Lord chilling in tropical gear brings in forty percent more viewer retention than a guy sitting around in heavy plate armor looking miserable. You gotta respect the grind."
’Again, he seems a bit more casual... am I missing something?’
Sky then shifted his posture, sliding his sunglasses slightly down the bridge of his mask as his gaze drifted past Vespera, landing squarely on Rowenna.
The Grand Runemaster sat gracefully atop her Blessed Wolf, her long silky dark hair cascading past her shoulder in shimmering violet-tinted waves.
Her newly evolved S-Rank figure filled out her fresh arcanist robes to an eye-popping brim with her mature features radiating an effortless divine elegance under the morning sun.
Sky’s jaw subtly dropped behind his mask. He shook his head in genuine bewilderment.
"Where on earth do you even find women like this?" Sky asked, shaking his head with a wide, appreciative grin. "First that shadow user from our border skirmish, and now this breathtaking mage... your territory is quite stacked."
Vespera laughed smoothly with her deep voice completely composed as she dismounted from her Blessed Wolf.
Her commanding frame stepped onto the grass, and she reached up with her broad right hand... covered in Thora’s indestructible silver-and-gold Sil-Grave Arm Guard offering a firm, steady grip to assist Rowenna down from her mount.
"I’ll take that as praise," Vespera remarked, carefully steadying Rowenna as the Grand Runemaster’s boots touched the turf. "A Lord has to surround himself with capable personnel if she expects to build an empire out here."
Rowenna offered Vespera a sweet devoted smile, smoothing down her arcanist robes before stepping back to stand half a pace behind her Lord in a quiet protective stance.
Once Rowenna was safely situated, Vespera turned back to Sky, cutting straight through the casual banter to address the core purpose of her visit.
"Let’s get down to business, Sky," Vespera stated firmly, folding her single arm over her chest. "Do you have Obsidian-Slate Stone in your material holds?"
Sky took a slow deliberate sip of his iced juice, adjusting his position in the hammock as he looked at her.
"Obsidian-Slate Stone?" Sky replied, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Ah, yes I do! I’ve got plenty of that sitting in my lower material holds. It’s high-density, fire-resistant granite from the deep quarry veins. Stuff is blast-proof and heavy as hell. How many units do you need for your territory?"
Vespera looked Sky directly in the eyes, stating her requirement clearly without a single shred of hesitation.
"I’m going to need a lot. Let’s say... a minimum of two thousand units."
"Ghk!"
Sky literally choked on his iced juice.
He sat up so violently in his hammock that the woven ropes swung wildly from side to side as he snatched off his dark sunglasses, staring at Vespera in shock.
"Two thousand units?!" Sky gasped out, coughing slightly as he wiped a stray drop of juice from his helmet. "Damn, Vespera! What the hell are you building over there, a nuclear fallout shelter... That’s a serious chunk of my heavy raw construction stock."
In truth, Silas didn’t technically need 2,000 units just to complete his immediate project. Or did he? He was not sure it was up to.
The blueprint for the Tier 2 Multi-Floor Living Quarters only required 300 units of Obsidian-Slate Stone to construct the main residential foundations for his Vanguard recruits.
However, Silas’s brain was thinking three steps ahead.
Securing a massive 2,000-unit surplus would allow him to permanently reinforce the Keep’s perimeter walls, lay granite foundations for high-tier defensive spell towers, supply Thora’s foundry with stone-alloys that she could probably use to cook something crazy, and expand the territory’s overall infrastructure without running out of material mid-build.
Sky swung his legs over the edge of the hammock, stepping down onto the grassy turf in his casual sandals.
He walked a slow appreciative circle around Vespera with his sharp eyes inspecting her outfit from top to bottom.
’Hm... Ah yes...’
He noticed that Vespera was wearing the exact set of high-grade modern Earth traveler’s apparel he had given to her during their previous meeting... This was only one of course.
A dark tailored traveler’s coat that draped over her broad frame, paired with fitted trousers and tall leather boots that complemented her single-armed posture and gleaming silver gauntlet.
Sky offered an appreciative charismatic smirk.
"Looking good in that gear, by the way," Sky added, gesturing with his hand toward her coat. "I wasn’t sure if modern Earth fashion would suit you, but you rock that single-armed coat look like a boss. The tailored cut really sells the mysterious traveler aesthetic."
Vespera glanced down at her sleeve, adjusting her collar with a cool indifferent flick of her wrist.
"It’s functional gear. It’s far better than clanking around in heavy obsolete iron plate."
Sky set his juice glass down on a nearby metal supply crate, stepping over to lean his shoulder casually against the trunk of a massive Ironwood tree.
He crossed his arms over his bright Hawaiian shirt, offering a sly business-driven merchant grin beneath his mask.
"Look, as I was saying..." Sky continued smoothly, his voice taking on the polished edge of a veteran content creator. "...I do have the two thousand units of Obsidian-Slate Stone sitting right down in my lower holds. I’m completely down to trade the whole lot over to you. But... you’re going to have to do me a little favor first."
Vespera’s eyes twitched slightly beneath her dark traveler’s hood.
"Another Stream?" Vespera asked dryly. She was well aware that this was what it was but still, why was Sky acting like this? Was the man perhaps drunk?
Sky snapped his fingers in the air with an explosive burst of enthusiasm, his face mask lighting up with a subtle digital indicator.
"Bingo!" Sky declared with a boisterous laugh. "Yes, actually! Another stream! Though it’s nothing serious, I promise!"
Sky stepped closer, throwing his hands up in excitement as he pitched the deal.
"Look, Vespera, my network chat numbers went absolutely nuclear the last time you appeared on my feed... The chat clips went viral across three different streaming platforms. My viewers and subscribers are practically begging to see the mysterious single-armed Lord again."
’I’m happy that he’s at least honest.’
Sky paced across the grass, gesturing animatedly as he continued.
"It’s just a simple five-minute co-host segment to hype up the network before our official Lord War next week! No combat required, no territory secrets revealed... just a quick Q&A banter session to drive my subscriber numbers through the roof. You get your two thousand units of high-density granite, and I get top-tier network engagement! It’s a win-win for both of us!"
Vespera stood in the grassy clearing, looking at the hyperactive streaming Lord, and let out a soft long sigh through her nose.
Inside Silas’s mind, a quick calculation took place.
2,000 units of high-density Obsidian-Slate Stone was an extraordinary logistical haul... one that would accelerate the Blessed Land’s development by a lot and for that structure, he really didn’t need UP as it was already good the way it was or so he thought.
Spending five minutes answering basic questions on a live broadcast revealed absolutely nothing about his hidden S-Ranks and SSS-Rank military roster.
It was a completely harmless exchange that secured an immense structural advantage for his territory.
Vespera looked Sky dead in the eyes, offering a cool and confident smirk from beneath her hood.
"Alright, Sky," Vespera agreed smoothly, resting her gauntleted right hand against her belt. "Bring out the camera."
...
"Do we really need to go this far with the outfit?" Vespera asked, tugging gently at the silk collar of the dark double-breasted suit jacket fitted across her shoulders.
She was currently sitting down on a cushioned leather chair set up right beside the massive, iron treads of The Unmovable Wall.
The modern, charcoal-black suit had been pulled directly from Sky’s high-end Earth apparel supply crates, tailored precisely to fit her commanding figure.
It gave her an aura that was equal parts corporate executive and a Lord, complemented by the gleaming silver-and-gold sheen of the Sil-Grave Arm Guard encasing her right forearm.
Directly beside her, Lord Sky was bustling around a folding wooden table, adjusting a secondary leather chair so it sat flush with hers.
He turned his head, his full-face streaming mask reflecting the morning light while the pair of dark designer sunglasses rested squarely over the mask’s eye-lenses.
Combined with his loud, tropical Hawaiian print shirt and casual shorts, he looked like an eccentric media mogul hosting a beachside talk show in the middle of the basin.
Sky stopped adjusting the table, leaning his hands on his hips as he looked at her outfit.
"Look, Vespera, we definitely have to look formal for this," Sky told her, waving a gloved hand dismissively. "After all, you are the Sovereign Lord of the Blessed Land... Even though this Q and A session is only going to be about five minutes long, it’s going to decide a lot of things for your territory’s standing. Image is everything when you’re dealing with the higher-ups."
Sky tilted his head slightly, his sunglasses glinting under the morning sun.
"Besides, you wanted to establish a line with the World Council and claim that bounty, right?"
Vespera rolled her shoulders, leaning back against the leather headrest with a dry smirk.
"Calling it a ’Bounty’ just makes it sound quite illegal," Vespera said, her deep, smooth voice carrying a cool edge beneath her hood.
Sky let out a loud jovial laugh, waving his hand off dismissively as he took his seat in the adjacent leather chair right next to her.
"Semantics, my friend! Just semantics..." Sky joked off easily, settling into his seat and leaning toward her. "In the eyes of the World Council, a Lord occupying a zone like the Umbral Basin is either a rogue element or a prime candidate for official integration. We’re just turning the formal process into a high-grade media event!"
Sky reached up, tapping the frame of his sunglasses as he glanced over at her. "So, Vespera... are you ready?"
Vespera let out a quiet breath through her nose, settling her single gauntleted hand over her lap.
"Well," Vespera told him, her purple eyes calm beneath her hood. "Better now than ever."
Over on the sidelines, ten paces away near the Blessed Wolf mounts, Rowenna stood watching silently.
The Grand Runemaster, looking breathtaking in her violet robes, caught Vespera’s gaze and gave her a warm, encouraging smile, raising a subtle thumb-up.
Vespera noticed the gesture, lifting her single gauntleted right hand in a calm wave back at Rowenna before turning her full attention back to the streaming Lord beside her.
"Alright, before I open the live signal, let me give you a quick heads-up on who’s actually attending this Q and A," Sky told her, leaning closer and lowering his voice slightly behind his mask. "There are going to be several high-ranking people tuning into the private feed, but the two notable people you need to pay attention to are real heavyweights."