The first light of a new day, pale and hesitant, filtered through the broken stained-glass windows of the Sylvan Bastion's main hall. The once-elegant chamber, now Renn's de facto command center, bore the scars of recent conflict: burn marks marred the living wood walls, overturned elven furniture lay like fallen soldiers, and the air was a grim mixture of stale magic, cold ash, and the omnipresent metallic scent of blood. Renn stood before a large, roughly cleared table where the Reliquary map pulsed with a faint internal luminescence; the four interwoven voices were still an unsettlingly fresh echo in his mind: "The time has come to summon me…"
He hadn't slept. The victory over Ardyn, the conquest of this new territory, the massive influx of resources—all were overshadowed by that chilling, multiform summons and the map's searing sensation. Lilith was a restless shadow by his side, her new Seraphim Succubus wings twitching occasionally, her usual playful energy subdued by an uncharacteristic seriousness as she watched him. Seraphina, Nyra, and Valka entered the hall, their presence comforting, their expressions a mixture of exhaustion and unwavering resolve. Behind them, Eryn, the stoic Templar commander, nodded firmly.
"My Lord," Seraphina began, her Luminara Redemptrix aura a soft counterpoint to the hall's gloom, "the Templars have secured the Bastion's perimeter. They report that Ardyn's elves who did not perish have scattered. Following your directive after their lord's death, they were allowed to flee. The Order has no interest in male prisoners or in sheltering outsiders who do not share our faith." Her words were a simple statement of fact, reflecting the exclusive, almost zealous, nature of their sisterhood. It was a mercy, in its own way; Renn had no desire to manage a camp of resentful elves.
Renn acknowledged her report with a grunt. "Good. Fewer mouths to feed, less risk of insurrection." He gestured towards the map. "But we have a more… insistent problem." He recounted in detail the experience of the four voices, the demand for a summoning, the burning map, and the Unique Summoning Seal he had received.
Nyra, ever the scholar, drew closer, her violet eyes fixed on the Seal as Renn materialized it from his inventory: an obsidian disk with four intertwined, unidentifiable sigils that glowed faintly. "Four voices, four sigils… and a Unique Summoning Seal," she mused, her fingers tracing the air above the disk. "This is no standard troop summoning, My Lord. The voices demanding to be summoned, the connection to the Reliquary… this points to entities of considerable power and antiquity. The 'Sleepers' the elven elder mentioned could be these beings."
Valka nodded, her blue eyes distant as if listening to faraway currents. "The map guides me to the Whispering Peaks, a High-Level Zone in the far north," she stated. "It is there the Seal must be presented, where these… presences reside."
Lilith shivered, a rare occurrence. "A graveyard of forgotten gods, you said the old man called it. Sounds… terrifyingly fun." A nervous excitement danced in her golden-red eyes. "But, go all the way there? Now?"
"That's the dilemma," Renn said, projecting his Lord bracer's interface onto the table. The familiar blue light displayed his current status. "We have new territory to consolidate, defenses to erect, and…" His finger tapped a new, insistent notification that had appeared moments after the battle ended.
A resonant, authoritative voice filled the hall, not from Renn's personal Gold System, but from the Universal Lord System that governed all.
[World Announcement: Lords of the Endless World! The cycle renews! The conduit to your original worlds demands its tribute. Within one Earth month (30 days), all registered Lords must deliver the stipulated Sustenance Tithe to their designated Faction Nexus. Failure to comply will result in escalating penalties, starting with resource confiscation, progressing to troop and territory seizure, and culminating in Faction expulsion and loss of protection. Earth cries out for aid; its reconstruction depends on your efforts. Let the resources flow!]
The list of "actual resources" appeared again, a stark reminder: 10 Tons of Fertile Soil, 5,000 Liters of Potable Water, 1,000 Kilograms of Basic Crops, 500 Cubic Meters of Raw Lumber.
"One month," Renn murmured, the words heavy. "We knew it was coming, but now it's a countdown."
Seraphina's practical nature immediately took over. "My Lord, with your permission, I conducted a preliminary assessment of our assets." She gestured, and the blue Lord System interface on the table shifted, displaying neat columns of figures. "Following the conquest of the Sylvan Bastion and the raid on the Aerie of Ashes, our total resources are: 330,350 Sacred/Arcane Crystals and 5,500 Epic Materials."
"A fortune," Lilith breathed, her eyes wide.
"Indeed," Seraphina agreed, a rare touch of satisfaction in her voice. "However, the Tithe requires specific resources. This Bastion is rich in high-quality lumber and exotic ores, but fertile land is scarce, and the crops are mainly forest-based, not basic staples. The Sanctuary of Faith is more promising in that regard, but its production is modest."
"The Pool of Primordial Essence," Valka interjected. "We found it yesterday. It's in a hidden grotto west of this Bastion. Its energy is… life-giving. It could be the key to the Tithe, as you suggested, My Lord."
"Exactly," Renn affirmed. "Nyra, your ritual of creation or transmutation. Is it feasible with the Pool?"
Nyra, who had been observing quietly, stepped forward. "With the Pool's amplifying power and our Order's concentrated faith, I believe so, My Lord. We could transmute rocky soil into fertile land, purify water sources, or greatly accelerate crop growth cycles. It will be a complex ritual and demand a considerable amount of our collective sacred energy, but it is our best option to meet the Tithe on time."
Renn felt a surge of hope. "Then that is our first priority. The Tithe. We cannot risk the Faction's protection or fail Earth." He paused. "The summoning of the Sleepers… will have to wait until we secure the resource flow."
At that moment, his personal Gold System, visible only to him, chimed softly in his mind.
[System: Faith is nurtured not only in the tempest of battle but in the quiet of shared understanding. The bonds that tie you to your Order are the true source of your anomalous power. Task: 'Whispers of the Heart.' Engage in a significant, non-combat-related activity with at least two members of your Inner Circle, fostering a deeper personal connection. Reward: Minor increase in overall Order cohesion (passive buff to teamwork/morale), a unique insight into the chosen members' hidden potential or past, Minor Seal of Loyalty (1).]
Renn processed the mission. A change of pace, certainly. After the relentless battles, the chance to connect on another level seemed almost… a relief. And a "Minor Seal of Loyalty" could be useful.
He looked at the assembled sisters, each a beacon of unique power and unwavering devotion. The weight of responsibility—for them, for the Tithe, for the ominous call from the north—was immense; yet, their faith in him was a tangible force, uplifting him.
Before he could speak about the new mission, Lilith, ever attuned to the world's digital pulse, giggled. "My Lord, while we're planning how to turn stones into bread, would you mind if I peeked at the Regional Chat? I'm dying to see how the other Lords are crying about the Tithe!"
Renn smirked. "Go ahead, Lilith. A little entertainment won't hurt." He projected the main Lord Bracer interface again, opening the regional chat. The usual cacophony of voices ensued, but a new tone of panic was evident:
[Lord_Soren]: "Ten tons of FERTILE SOIL!? In a month? My skeletons eat dust, they don't farm it! This is an outrage! The System is squeezing us dry!"
[Lord_Torin]: "My dragon burned what little good land I had trying to hunt a boar. Now I'll have to trade my scarce crystals for CRUDE DIRT! Renn, that academy twit, is probably begging!"
[Lord_Elara]: "My griffin is majestic, but it doesn't lay golden eggs or excrete fertilizer. This demand is ridiculous. Anyone have a good contact for cheap lumber?"
[Lord_Lira]: "My storm hawk might bring fish, but crops? Where am I supposed to get 1,000 kilos? And my Faction taxes are already high! I bet the anonymous King of Hordes doesn't have these problems!"
[Lord_Gav]: "My golem can move earth, but not create it! Anyone else feel like this is a way to keep us weak and dependent on the Factions?"
Lilith howled with laughter. "Oh, My Lord, they're pathetic! Drowning in their own complaints. 'Crude dirt,' Torin says. We're about to create it with the power of faith and magic!"
Renn chuckled and shook his head. The contrast was stark. While they struggled, his Order was already planning grand rituals. "Alright, it seems we have an advantage. Seraphina, Nyra, begin preparations for the ritual at the Pool. Calculate the energy required and potential risks."
Seraphina nodded, her golden eyes already distant in calculation. "It will require the channeling of all of us, My Lord, and a considerable amount of your Sacred Crystals to stabilize the Pool's energy flow."
"Do what's necessary," Renn affirmed. "Now, about construction. With over 330,000 crystals, we can afford some comforts for the Templars. Eryn," he addressed the Templar commander, "how many of your sisters need proper lodging?"
Eryn stepped forward. "My lord, with the new summons, our Templar ranks are now complete, in addition to the sisters of the Inner Circle. The 'Two-Room Houses' you built in the Sanctuary were functional, but with this new Bastion, we could aspire to something more... permanent and defensible."
Renn consulted his bracer's blue interface, opening the System Shop. The "Advanced Building Blueprint (Sacred Order)" they obtained from the Cult of Ashes shimmered with a new option.
[System Shop - Sacred Order Blueprints]:
Sacred Barracks (Advanced): Reinforced stone building with capacity for 20 Templars. Includes basic armory and training hall. Grants a morale bonus to garrisoned troops. Cost: 25,000 Sacred Crystals, 500 Epic Materials. Construction time: 12 hours.
Sisterhood House (Basic): Similar to the Two-Room House, but with Order iconography. Capacity for 4 nuns/Templars. Cost: 1,500 Sacred Crystals, 50 Epic Materials. Construction time: 1 hour.
"Twenty-five thousand for the Sacred Barracks…" Renn weighed. "We can build one to house all the Templars and still have plenty left over. And it's a considerable upgrade over the basic houses." The 500 Epic Materials were exactly what they had recovered from the Aerie of Ashes.
"A wise choice, My Lord," Seraphina commented. "Centralizing the Templars will improve their cohesion and response times."
"Done," Renn said, selecting the option. The system deducted the resources.
[System : Construction initiated: Sacred Barracks (1). Time remaining: 11 hours, 59 minutes. Resources remaining: 305,350 Sacred Crystals, 5,000 Epic Materials.]
The ground trembled gently in a designated sector of the Bastion's courtyard, and the foundations of a new building began to materialize, wreathed in golden and blue light.
"Good," Renn whispered, feeling at least one thing moving forward. He thought back to his Gold System's mission. 'Whispers of the Heart.' A significant, non-combat activity with at least two of his Inner Circle. He glanced at Lilith, playful and expectant. Then at Seraphina, whose façade of pristine order sometimes hinted at a deep vulnerability he had witnessed. And Valka, enigmatic, whose inner world was as vast as the ocean she seemed to command. Nyra, the wise mentor, also had hidden depths.
The choice wouldn't be easy, but perhaps, just perhaps, it would be exactly what they needed before facing the horrors of the Whispering Peaks or the pressure of the Tithe. A moment of connection, a reminder of why they fought.