One of the new soldiers stepped forward and bowed respectfully before Atlas. Edrik explained that this man was one of the forr commanders of Bai Yun’s airborne division.
He was a beastkin. Sothing that caught Atlas’s attention, as there hadn’t been many beastkin among the enemy forces earlier. The man wore light armor and a blue robe, his head shaped like that of a lizard, with a scaled tail swaying behind him.
"My lord, my na is Gorden. I was the leader of the aerial assault troops. First, I apologize for speaking out of turn, but after our defeat, I wish to personally pledge my allegiance to you. Please accept it. I will do my best to provide whatever information you need for any battles to co."
"Thank you, Gorden. Welco to Gacha Haven," Atlas said calmly. "My first question, how do the flying swords you use actually work? Do you still retain that ability now that you’ve fallen under my command? And can we share that ability with others or perhaps reproduce the swords, if possible?"
"My lord," Gorden began, his tone steady, "the flying swords are a unique ability belonging to Lord Bolin. They are soul-bound weapons. Fortunately, that bond extends to us, so even though we’re no longer under his command, we still retain their power. So, yes, we can still use the ability. As long as we don’t do so directly in front of Lord Bolin himself. However, as for replicating the swords or transferring the ability... as far as I know, that’s impossible."
Atlas nodded slowly, a faint smile curving his lips. "Interesting. So Bolin truly poured his own resources into funding Bai Yun’s army and the other lords’ wars." He chuckled softly. "I’m sure he’s suffering a massive loss after Bai Yun’s defeat. I wonder just how furious he must be right now."
Edrik spoke quietly beside Atlas. "I’m sure they won’t stop here. Even Bolin acted this far just because he was provoked by your words that ti."
"Yes," Atlas replied, his tone calm but serious. "And I know we don’t have much ti to sit still. I’m certain that during this transition period, they’ll make extra efforts to hunt us outside the island. It’ll be difficult for us to move freely on neutral floating islands if they keep tracking and spying on us."
Atlas then turned his gaze back to the beastkin lizard. "Gorden, take your ti, and speak with everyone else. I believe you know them better than we do. Make sure of their loyalty. I don’t mind if so of them choose to retire and not serve under ."
The beastkin’s expression shifted in surprise. "My lord? What did you just say?"
"Yes," Atlas repeated. "If they choose to leave, I’ll allow it. Even if they decide to return to Bolin. Let them."
Gorden fell silent for a mont. "Forgive if this sounds improper, my lord, but I’ll need to speak with the others first. I’m not in the position to decide that alone."
Atlas nodded slightly, then walked away with Edrik to discuss other strategic matters. There was still one more challenge waiting for him, if he decided to accept another defense.
Still, the reinforcent phase had already been applied to him, aning he wouldn’t receive any penalty even if he chose to ignore the challenge.
But then... sothing unexpected happened. The remaining challenger withdrew their challenge.
"Oh? I thought they didn’t even have the option to retreat," Atlas said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Even though we’ve taken so damage from the battle against Bai Yun, they still chose to back off?"
Edrik responded thoughtfully, "I think this one was only ant as a threat. Maybe their army wasn’t as strong as Bai Yun’s."
"Or maybe they just didn’t want to risk another heavy defeat," Atlas added with a small smile. "Well, I guess it’s safe to say that the lord battle season has concluded for us. We just have to wait for the system’s official announcent."
In the previous lord battle season, Atlas had finished still in rank one. But in this second one, he stood at rank two. A remarkable improvent, even if he knew reaching the next rank would be much harder.
While fifty rank points were needed to move between divisions in rank one, the requirent doubled in rank two. So even though Atlas had already gathered ninety rank points, he still remained in rank two, division one. Still, that was an impressive feat, especially considering he had only just entered rank two in the final monts and managed to secure that many points.
Edrik continued, "We might be able to use the information they have about Bolin to our advantage, perhaps to strengthen our own plans."
The Lord System granted Atlas the authority to punish anyone under his command who attempted to threaten his life. Unfortunately, that rule didn’t cover deceit. If soone among them decided to lie or feed him false information, the system wouldn’t intervene. That left open the possibility of spies planted by Bolin within his ranks.
"Well, fortunately, we have Lyrassa with us," Atlas said with a small smile. "Her ability to read people through their words will help us tell who’s lying and who’s telling the truth."
Edrik bowed respectfully. "I’ll take care of everything and make sure we gather all the intel you need to deal with Bolin, my lord."
"Thank you, Edrik."
Later, they t again with Gorden and the rest of the new soldiers, only to hear sothing completely unexpected: every single one of them had decided to stay. It was truly surprising, especially after the crushing defeat they had just suffered.
Atlas then told them to take so ti to rest, as he already had an idea forming in his mind for the next squad. Gorden seed like the perfect candidate to lead it. Perhaps it was ti to fill another unit starting with the letter G, a naming gap he had skipped twice before.
This new squad would focus on aerial combat operations, with Krythalis serving as their supervisor. That would make for a perfect combination, especially since Krythalis possessed abilities that could enhance the strength and mobility of all aerial allies during battle.
The rest of the day was spent repairing and rebuilding, clearing debris, restoring the damaged structures on the island, and handling all the post-battle tasks that followed their victory.
By nightfall, after putting everything in order, Atlas finally felt ready to do sothing he had postponed for far too long.
As he prepared to rest, he held in his hand the mory Fragnt Card he had obtained from the Gacha so ti ago.
It was finally ti to dive into the mories of one of his Elite Subordinates.
**
Atlas found himself once again within that transparent, floating form, weightless, and unseen. As his senses adjusted, he scanned his surroundings and quickly realized where he was.
A bar?
The soft hum of music filled the air. In one corner, a woman sang under a warm spotlight, her voice blending with the faint clinking of glasses. Only a few of the tables were occupied, and the quiet murmur of conversation gave the place a strangely calm atmosphere.
The setting looked surprisingly modern. From the sleek furniture to the polished counter lined with bottles and glowing lights.
Atlas turned his gaze toward the bar counter, where soone stood behind it. The man wore a neatly pressed suit, his dark hair combed back with precision, a small mustache shaping his expression. With a dagger in hand, he expertly chipped at a block of ice, the sharp, rhythmic sound cutting through the music.
He shaped the ice with almost surgical skill before sliding it smoothly into a crystal glass. Then, with graceful precision, he poured a golden liquid over it, stirred gently, and set the drink before a waiting custor.
Edrik.
Atlas’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was unmistakably him, the sa Edrik he knew now. The sa expressionless face, the sa calm eyes, not a hint of emotion showing. Even his features looked identical, as if ti hadn’t touched him at all.
"So this is it..." Atlas thought silently. "Let’s see what you were like before you beca a lord, Edrik."
To Atlas’s surprise, Edrik was... a bartender? Of all possibilities, he hadn’t expected that. He had always imagined Edrik’s past to be sothing darker, maybe grander. Certainly not this quiet, mundane scene behind a bar counter.
Atlas floated there silently, observing how Edrik worked. The man moved with the sa precision and calmness he showed on the battlefield. Each motion was deliberate, controlled, almost chanical. For a while, nothing unusual happened. Custors ca and went, their conversations fading into the low rhythm of the bar’s music.
Then, after so ti, a man wearing a round black hat entered and took a seat right in front of Edrik.
Without a word, Edrik began preparing a drink for him, no questions, no greeting, as though the man was a regular.
When the drink was finally done, the man reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled sothing out. He placed it gently on the counter.
A coin.
Atlas tilted his head, noticing the glint of gold as the dim light caught its surface.
The man in the hat stood and left without saying a word.
But what caught Atlas’s attention was the subtle shift in Edrik’s expression. For the first ti, sothing flickered across that usually blank face. A faint, almost imperceptible reaction.
Edrik picked up the gold coin, his fingers closing tightly around it. And in that mont, the coin vanished into his palm, as if it had never been there.
Atlas frowned slightly, his curiosity deepening.
What kind of gold coin was that?
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