Chapter 57 I Hope You Know What You Are Doing
Toby's burning ambition may have gone unnoticed by his companions, but Anaphiel and Cleome didn't miss a thing in their every reaction. The office worker saw an opportunity, but the cold beauty wanting no treachery in her own camp intervened immediately,
"If any of you wish to acquire your own Stele to establish your own fiefdom in the near future, I can promise you that you will be able to renegotiate your contract when you get one. There is no point in scheming against your comrades to achieve your goals. Better to help them conquer a neighboring territory and get the Stele of its former Lord as a reward.
"Am I clear?"
As she said these last words she cast a stern look at the veteran English soldier and he swallowed uneasily, aware that she was seeing right through him. Malia and Ellie were confused, but as they caught Toby's shifty eyes, they understood that the warning was meant for him.
Ikaris, who was pretending to analyze the map, kept the same stony expression but felt pleased that the ambitious soldier had chosen to join Asselin. He could easily guess his exact reasons.
Malia was undoubtedly too strong for Toby. The Demonic Beasts she regularly brought back from her daily hunts were the most direct evidence of this. The man was also wary of him, not to mention the bison.
Although he had never seen Ikaris fight with his own eyes, he had seen how easily Ikaris had dominated Oliver, back then. Since his mutation into a Crawling-Thrall had ended, he had grown a lot and he didn't look as frail as before.
In Toby's eyes, joining Asselin's team, an arrogant nobleman way too far from his castle and guards, was the perfect pick. He was confident that he could easily bring the youth to heel or at least have him eating out of his hand.
With that kind of prejudice he was in for a very nasty surprise... But that didn't concern Ikaris anymore.
Anaphiel was apparently thinking that her previous point had not been enough to convince the soldier because she added,
"We also offer a Stele to the top 3 new graduates of the Magic, Martial, Civic and Business Academies each year. Our curriculum lasts from 4 to 15 years and your classes are separated according to your cultivation level. The best of each class is also eligible for a Stele.
" This is good timing. The month of Nemu is about to end and our annual start of school is 9 days away, on the 1st day of the month of Kinah. I strongly recommend that you enroll in whatever academies you are interested in. You all seem very much in need... of being educated. Whichever Academy you choose, you will be taught by the best Sorcerers and teachers from the six Ruling Houses, and the vast majority of students are new Lords or their retinue like you. Even if studying doesn't enthuse you, you would gain much from getting to know them."
Toby nodded approvingly.
"As the saying goes, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." The military man wisely preached.
Ikaris stared at him with round eyes. He never imagined that the burly soldier could quote Sun Tzu. Well, obviously... neither did Anaphiel.
"Hmm, why have I never heard of that saying?" She frowned, searching her memory with her forehead creased in concentration.
Cleome too was trying to remember such a saying, but to no avail. It didn't ring a bell with her at all!
"Ahem, in any case, you got the idea." The gorgeous dark-haired woman concluded awkwardly forcing herself to assume a stern face.
The group went back to looking at the map and the time passed quickly.
Asselin was inclined to choose an unknown region full of opportunities and as remote as possible from the other Lords, but Ikaris had a completely opposite way of thinking. Well-documented, but currently unoccupied regions were his targets of choice.
For a hard-headed man like him, little information was better than none, and knowing his territory in advance would allow him to take the necessary precautions and measures no matter what the danger. In fact, he did not want to be totally isolated, but instead wanted to choose his neighbors.
After a bit, Ikaris approached Anaphiel and asked while shooting a wary look at Cleome,
"I have some rather sensitive questions to ask... Can we trust this, hmm, desk clerk?"
Cleome displayed an outraged scowl, but Anaphiel unabashedly erected the dome of darkness she had used earlier to interrogate them. Ikaris already knew about its flawless soundproofing.
"Ask your questions without reservation." She plainly encouraged him.
The boy nodded and asked seriously,
"Is it possible to hear the causes that led to the decline and then death of the Lords and nations in the documented but currently unoccupied territories?"
"It is...possible. But this information is not free. Since you have signed with my House, let me tell you what little I know."
Anaphiel spoke and Ikaris listened. House Morgunis lived up to its reputation as a Ruling House and the young woman helped him rule out some territories, especially those where the Lords and their fiefdoms had been wiped out in mysterious and overwhelming ways.
However, in most cases Tartarus Shade's post-eradication investigation had found signs of the Evil lurking in the Warring Lands. The teenager knew what it was and how to thwart it, and could already surmise that these Lords had been tricked or betrayed.
In other instances, a monster outbreak, an attack by a mythical creature, or assassinations ordered by an unknown enemy had killed the Lords and their subjects. In a few rare situations, the Lords and their kingdoms had vanished with their people without a trace. It was naturally these territories that Ikaris blacklisted from his list of choices.
Having no trouble visualizing the map in his mind on which he had secretly used Appraisal, he filtered out all the territories that were too risky.
"Now I would like to know the cumulative occupation time of the different Lords who have occupied these territories. Is that too much to ask?" He inquired politely.
Anaphiel was slightly taken aback by his question but compared to the first one it was much easier to answer. She brought out a dusty ledger out of thin air and as Ikaris noticed the black ring on her finger, he guessed it was a Spatial Ring like the one Magnus had entrusted to him.
Since Anaphiel had first appeared the old Vampire had not spoken a word, cowering deep in the ruby ring for fear of being discovered.
After consulting the register for a few minutes, she was about to open her mouth to answer him, but Ikaris interrupted her,
"It's okay, I got the information I wanted to know."
The young woman pursed her lips in displeasure, but in the end she made no mention of it and put the old book away. She thought he had given up or that by reading over her shoulder he had managed to get the information he was looking for.
She was way off base. The teenager had gotten all the information he wanted. All of it.
Ikaris had used Appraisal on the registry and by tweaking his System slightly he had been able to integrate this data into the Map he had appraised a few moments earlier.
The reason he wanted this information was not a whim on his part. If an unoccupied territory was reported to have boasted a gold mine in the past, it was absolutely crucial to know how long that mine had been in operation.
The history of the Warring Lands spanned over hundreds of thousands of years and it would be foolish to choose a territory for natural resources that had long since been depleted.
With this additional data, Ikaris narrowed down his selection to a few territories, then asked his final question,
"Any information on these Lords and their nations?" He asked coolly, naming a list of occupied territories. "For example, for how long they founded their nation, their approximate military power, and so on... Lastly, should I target the Lords serving one Ruling House more than another? That's the kind of thing I want to know."
Anaphiel eyed him this time as if she were dealing with an alien. She had answered his questions carelessly, but she was by no means a fool.
When she met his steady eyes, almost as cold as hers, she finally realized that he was not a passive sheep like the others, but a ruthless wolf. Beside, Toby was only a cute puppy barking noisily but unable to understand that he was about to be thrown in a lion's den.
In the end, she provided him with the information he requested, including that of the nearby allied Lords serving House Morgunis. She also told him not to worry about affiliations. He could form an alliance with whomever he wished or declare war on them. However, when it came to House Gemini, she told him to show no mercy.
The dome of darkness dissipated and the couple reappeared in the room.
"I choose this territory." Ikaris stated calmly as he pointed to a certain region in the southwest of the Warring Lands.
The two noblewomen showed interesting expressions when they saw the territory he had chosen.
"I hope you know what you are doing." Anaphiel sighed ominously.