Chapter 679: Grasping Opportunity [Bonus]
Cassarae left the meeting with a headache, having successfully held things off. However, she could feel that she wouldn't be able to delay this for much longer. She needed a solution.
The obvious choice seemed to be to allow it. Ultimately, those three were the main problem. The other spawns seemed much more normal. If they weren't, there wouldn't be a point to Gregory doing all of this. He would just get them all to directly rebel.
In that case, there was still a chance to win this war so long as she kept those three at arm's length from anything important. And while doing so, she would be able to clear the Silver Leg of her Class Quest as well by making Guiz City her cult.
But all of that was easier said than done.
'Fuck you, Sylas Brown. If you're going to give me ass pain like this, can't it be from pounding me? At least you'd be worth the headache then.'
Pining after a man who wasn't even giving what Olivia would call "Melatonin Dick" was so high school freshman of her.
She entered her office and closed the door, exhaling a breath.
However, she had barely settled down when a knock came from the door. She was half a second from throwing her entire desk at the wall. It was made of a heavy wood, but she certainly could manage it with her current strength.
Luckily, she managed to restrain herself.
"Come in."
Cassarae raised an eyebrow when she saw that it was actually Tasia.
The woman carefully closed the door behind her after double-checking that she wasn't being followed.
"Do you mind if I sit?" Tasia asked.
"Go ahead." Cassarae nodded, observing Tasia silently.
Tasia smiled brightly. "You're more easygoing than I thought you would be."
Cassarae almost laughed. She was quite good at reading people and she got a beat on Tasia immediately.
"You don't need to butter me up. I won't eat you."
"I understand." Tasia nodded with surprising seriousness. "Originally, I was worried because of the headlines and the rumors. I know how this sort of thing goes."
Cassarae smiled. "I won't hang you by your tits so long as you know that my man is off limits."
Tasia almost jumped in her chair before she cleared her throat. Alright, maybe she shouldn't come clean about everything.
This time, Cassarae did laugh. That was the first genuine reaction Tasia had had since she came in here. Everything else was perfectly curated.
She had seen women like this before, women that could be Oscar-worthy actors. There was nothing they did that wasn't a form of manipulation.
Oddly enough, though... Cassarae seemed far more resistant to Tasia's charm than Sylas had been.
"So what did you come here for?"
Tasia composed herself. "Sylas originally wanted me to become your replacement steward, but after being around here for a day, it feels like that transition will be harder than it seems."
Cassarae nodded, becoming more serious as well. Since this was something Sylas wanted, she was already open to Tasia.
Tasia had already proven her worth through those auctions as well. Even without Sylas, she would have Cassarae's ear.
"I can definitely help you rein in the situation in the village. But I'm still only one person, and I feel like you might need me somewhere else more."
"And that would be?"
"Guiz City."
Cassarae's blue eyes sparkled.
It seemed that Sylas' foresight had won out again. He didn't even give Tasia any instructions before he left because he knew exactly how this would play out.
If nothing else... Tasia was a woman who knew how to seek out her own opportunities.
**
Sylas stood across from Nosphaleen. The wind whipped against their faces as the peacock soared across the skies, cutting through the night sky.
First, she was shocked that she was Level 9. This was the first time she had improved in so long it almost brought tears to her eyes. But before she could even deal with those emotions, Sylas handed her the Lineal Inheritance.
She held the crystal in both hands like it was the most precious thing in the world.
"How is it?" Sylas asked.
He still didn't know what accepting the Inheritance required, or how much time it would be. He was also reluctant to lose Nosphaleen's help now that he was returning to the Grimblades. But by the same token, he wanted her to be stronger precisely because of that.
The shortest path to rapid improvement for him was none other than Nosphaleen.
The Glasirith would be awake in another three to four days. Sylas had used what remained of his Free Experience to level up One Kind For Me just one more time, halving the time it needed. But he didn't have enough for another.
It was a gamble taking Nosphaleen out, because the cancer Gene had finally collapsed. He wouldn't be able to use it to put her back in the Hibernation Realm any longer. So if this didn't work out, he would have to either come with Nosphaleen out in the open, or he would have to leave her behind.
Both would come with their own sets of issues.
"I..." Nosphaleen still seemed to be in a bit of a daze. Eventually, she managed to compose herself. "I will need to enter and complete a series of tests. I have no idea how long it would take, but it is in stages. So I should theoretically be able to complete them piece by piece." Sylas thought about it for a long while, even closing his eyes to speculate for a moment. "Alright. Go. Is there anything you can bring with you?"
Nosphaleen practically jumped with excitement. "I don't think so."
Sylas stopped Nosphaleen just as she was about to trigger it.
"Here."
After some thought, Sylas realized that Nosphaleen needed some sort of advantage. And for that... he settled on Ithkuil.
Nosphaleen wasn't a true Mesmeryx, so the Lineal Inheritance would be looking for reasons
to reject her.
To bridge that gap... he would distill his insights into the path of the Mesmeryx to her in
language form.
What he didn't expect was just how profound an effect this had on Nosphaleen.