She tried to exin herself, "It''s Supreme grade, yes, but it only has one spell! This has… What even is this? Aura spells? Is that even a thing? Over six special effects! Tier 2 Alignment! This is a masterpiece—on the level of dungeon relics!"


    "Aura to generate mana… and pilot Dreamlight? What does that mean?" Reize asked, hesitantly taking the silver metallic bracelet in her hand.


    "There are three mana generators installed in the Dreamlight. You already know that. Two can''t be activated by anyone other than me. Thest one… I can modify it for others to use. With this, you can activate it and fly the ship with or without me," Damian exined.


    Reize looked at the bracelet, then at Dreamlight, gleaming in the morning sunlight. Her lips quivered, her eyes watered, and suddenly, she hugged him tightly.@@novelbin@@


    It was a bit too intense for him—he wasn''t very emotional and always felt awkward when people showed too much emotion around him. Still, he gently stroked her silky hair as she sobbed in his arms for a few seconds. She was also making weird purring sounds between sobs, though he chose to ignore it.


    Lumi smiled smugly at them. Damian flicked her forehead, wiping the smug look right off her face. It worked—her forehead turned red, and sheined loudly.


    Both Damian and Reize ignored her, though, as Reize shyly looked up at him. Damian kissed her pretty lips.


    It didn''tst long. He suddenly sensed a mana signature approaching at high speed. He pulled back and looked toward the vi—Souldealer wasing.


    She was flying using a wind spell that looked different from Vidalia''s. Instead of tworge green runic circles for bnce, she had three. It looked less stable, though, and the mana wastage was also more.


    He also sensed the lords insideing out in groups. Guess they had made their decision. Faster than expected. He could even hear them ordering their knights and soldiers in the distance.


    "Oh my! Did I interrupt something?" Souldealer askednding near them, amusement and surprise evident in her eyes. They had already stopped kissing, but they were still in each other''s arms.


    Reize quickly pulled away and separated from him. Lumi chuckled behind them, which earned her a re from Reize. Without a word, Reize grabbed Lumi by her clothes and dragged her away from Damian and Souldealer—giving them some space. Not before slipping the bracelet onto her left wrist with a small smile.


    Damian wanted to exin how it worked, but he figured he could do thatter on the Dreamlight.


    Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire


    "They couldn''t stop praising your deeds inside," Souldealer said once they were out of earshot. "They even forgot you''re a Sunde—the most hated house in Dawnstar''s entire history."


    "Is that so? I was dropped here before I could learn that," Damian replied casually.


    "You don''t care about your bloodline?" she asked, surprised.


    "Is there anything of importance here? Or did you just interrupt my moment with my girlfriend just for fun?" Damian snapped back.


    She chuckled, but there was noughter in her eyes. They were alert, calcting—assessing his worth.


    "There is no man in the world who does things purely for the good of all. Especially those who hold immense power. If you truly were strong enough to take on three Transcendents, there''s no way you''d be satisfied just being a student or a researcher.. Why do this favor for us?" she asked, her voice turning serious for the first time.


    "It''s not a favor to you or this miserable kingdom," Damian replied honestly. "It''s a favor to a couple of friends who care enough about those they left behind to pick up a sword again and keep fighting—even though there''s a seventy percent chance they''ll be killed or enved… again."


    She stared at him silently. Damian used the moment to ask her a question in return.


    "Why are you still here? The Empire will dominate. Maybe Faerunia and Eldoris can put up a fight for a few years, but with Dawnstar''s resources, the Empire will win in the end. They have runesmiths and knowledge far more advanced. Unless the Highswords finallye to their senses or The Sea Snake shows the world why Fourth Rank is so hard to achieve for real…"


    "Not everything the books say is true, kid," she said, her eyes filled with determination. "Some of us don''t leave the battlefield, even when the odds are against us. Too many people connected to me would be left behind if I did."


    "Then convince your king to do his duty and protect hisnd. Gather enough support to extend a hand toward Eldoris or Faerunia. Waiting for the problem toe to your doorstep won''t solve anything."


    "Will you fight with us?" she asked.


    "No. We will be saving people, not fighting." Damian said simply.


    "What do you mean…?" she asked, but by then, his friends had reached them. Damian didn''t answer her. He just nodded, signaling that the conversation was over. She fell silent and didn''t push further.


    It took another hour for the lords to prepare their men for a journey across hundreds of kilometers. Damian promised to open a gate if they could convince their king within a couple of days. Even if they failed, he would still send them home safely. Opening two gates was nothing to him. If it gave them leverage in negotiations, he figured it was fine.


    Surprisingly, almost everyone wasing. Even Souldealer, Duke Ashborne, Duke Layden, and nearly eighty percent of the gathered lords. They split their forces—some would stay behind to protect theirnds from opportunistic lords. They left their younger heirs, sons, and daughters behind to lead in their absence.


    Before opening the Waygate, though, Damian boarded the Dreamlight with some of his friends to retrieve Elias. He considered leaving him behind until he was done in Ashenvale, but he had promised to return. If he didn''t, Elias might think he had been abandoned, so Damian decided it was better to bring him along.