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Chapter 46: The "Lair"
It was widely known that the formation of Vonder originated from a covenant between Eshiru, the god of the Cruzeans—or Marsha, the mother of the Eruin people—and the four Elven Kings. This covenant constrained the Chaos (also known as the Chaotic Sea beyond the world) to form boundaries based on the six elements.
Within these boundaries, the outer layer consisted of elemental territories, while the inner layer was an infinite expanse of land.
The power of the gods who governed the rules of the world reflected upon the heavens above the earth, forming the sun, moon, and stars. Thus, life emerged from water, flourished on the land, was sheltered by the wind, and granted intelligence by fire. And so, the mortal realm came to be.
However, outside the 130 million decrees established by the god Eshiru—the Divine Codex a’thro (the Elemental Laws)—the Chaotic Sea did not submit. It too cast its reflection upon the sky, referred to by cultists as the Third Moon, by the Treeminders as the Holy Moon or Silver Celestial Serpent, and described in the Ouroboros Society’s texts as the Moon of Magic Energy.
Legend had it that the intangible Moon of Magic Energy gazed down upon the earth during the months of Summer's Solstice, Scrolltide, and Rebirth—months when magic energy reached its peak for wizards and witches, but waned for Elementalists. During this time, the magic energy tides stirred by the Moon of Magic Energy rippled across the Chaotic Sea, giving rise to monsters born from this energy.
These were what people called magical beasts. Driven by magic energy tides, they attacked civilized areas, causing the lands protected by Eshiru to collapse inward, shrinking the map of civilization. In the early eras of chaos, magic energy tides were a life-or-death threat to every civilization, and this was precisely why Frontier Knights existed.
Even in recent times, a nation’s war potential must account for the possibility of civilization’s decline.
However, magic energy tides occured only once every ten years, with the last one having passed just two years ago, and the next great tide still decades away. Thus, the people of this era were not overly concerned.
But even after the tides receded, the lairs that spawned magical beasts would not vanish. Over time, they would continue to produce creatures composed of magic energy or mutated beasts. Occasionally, news would spread of roads being cut off by magical beasts near large cities.
In Eruin, it was the duty of the Guard Unit and the Temple of Flames to eradicate these beasts and their lairs.
Yet, not all lairs were destroyed. Through prolonged battles with Chaos, humanity—much like their ancestors who discovered how to tame wild beasts—learned to domesticate lairs, harnessing their creations for their own purposes.
After extensive research, humans, elves, dwarves, and other races also devised methods to create similar artificial lairs.
A prime example was Buga’s Gargoyle Lair.
(Note: A typical Gargoyle Lair produces two Gargoyles annually; however, constructing and maintaining such a lair requires vast resources. Thus, even nations relying on lairs for wartime reserves cannot sustain infinite war potential.) Domesticated lairs included mounts used by Eruin Wyvern Knights, Cruzean griffins, as well as commonly seen drakes, war basilisks, and black wolves.
There was yet another type of lair: Guardian Lairs, born under the influence of forces aligned with the order established by Marsha (Eshiru), or those of light, darkness, fire, wind, water, or rock.
Examples included Saint Orlso’s Abyss of Wind, the Church Knight Order’s Gate of Heaven, and Madara’s Shadowed Canyon.
Of course, lairs varied in quality. For instance, most Silver Wing Cavalry regiments and Guard Unit barracks possessed Hound Lairs. Though each produced sixteen hounds annually, their combat prowess barely exceeded that of ordinary hunting dogs.
Moreover, the lifespan of magical beasts diminished as the magic energy composing their bodies gradually dissipated. Even among the dragonkin, few survived beyond a century—a far cry from true dragons.
The Rock Lair Brandon mentioned here was an artificial construct, a product of alchemy. It spawned Rock Golems, each possessing the combat strength of seven or eight adult humans. While considered a low-tier lair, its accessibility made it popular. Many noble estates maintained such lairs, as Rock Golems, though unintelligent, could serve as soldiers.
Thus, when Antietta saw the Rock Legion Necklace, her first thought was this: if Brandon intended to build Rock Lairs, how much money could this necklace save them?
Barthom, on the other hand, considered the indirect increase in production efficiency.
With this in mind, all three resolved to secure the necklace at any cost. The starting bid was soon revealed. The Rock Legion Necklace, while valuable, paled in comparison to the Elemental Revelation Scroll, with a base price of 2,000 torr and increments of 100.
Determined to win, Brandon refrained from bidding immediately, waiting to observe others’ actions to avoid revealing his intentions too soon.
The first bidder emerged from the crowd—a young knight raising his paddle. Both Antietta and Barthom glanced toward him but maintained their composure.
After several rounds of bidding, the price climbed to 3,000 torr, and fewer participants remained. Brandon understood that many earlier bidders acted out of curiosity rather than genuine interest in the necklace.
From this point onward, the competition grew outwardly calm but fiercely intense.
Bidding shifted to the third-tier private boxes occupied by lesser nobles. Lorne identified a few of them—mostly rural nobles with their own estates.
The price rose to 4,000 torr, already a respectable sum for the necklace. Now, the serious contenders began to step forward.
At 4,400 torr, the third box on the right offered 5,000.
For a moment, the entire auction hall fell silent.
Many wondered if the nobles had gone mad, while others grew restless. This unexpected bid signaled to opportunists that the necklace might hold greater value than anticipated.
Ripples spread through the crowd again, unsettling Brandon. He realized he needed to dissuade these speculators with decisive action. Thus, he instructed Lorne to act.
6,000 torr.
Another silence.
Those eager to compete immediately sensed the onset of conflict and cautiously withdrew.
7,000.
This bid came from a company commander of the White Mane Legion, only to be countered by a noble at 7,500.
Without hesitation, Brandon raised the price to 8,000.
Barthom swallowed nervously.
8,100, countered the third box on the right.
Brandon instructed Lorne to raise the bid to 8,500, showing no sign of backing down. Behind him, Antietta gripped the chair tightly, her knuckles whitening.
The dimly lit auction hall was utterly silent. No one here was a fool; they weighed whether the Rock Legion Necklace was truly worth the cost.
But Brandon’s considerations differed. His need for troops and territory outweighed all else. The funds Antietta managed were earmarked for acquiring land—a consensus reached earlier by Brandon, Barthom, and Antietta.
The auctioneer struck the gavel once.
The White Mane Legion’s company commander seemed poised to make one last attempt but hesitated and ultimately refrained.
After three strikes of the gavel, Brandon secured the necklace. Lorne’s intermediaries had already settled the payment, delivering the item discreetly.
Brandon glanced around, ensuring no attention lingered on him before carefully stowing the necklace away. Without a Rock Lair, it was merely an ornament for now.
Following the Rock Legion Necklace, the auction heated up. Several artworks sparked fierce bidding among the nobility, followed by two sets of bronze-grade magical armor. These ignited enthusiasm among adventurers, mercenaries, and traveling knights alike, culminating in a fiery exchange. Both suits eventually sold for over 40,000 torr.
Next came a series of tantalizing items. Brandon acquired a deck of enchanted playing cards, though his true aim was the Fate Card concealed within. When the auctioneer placed the deck on the stage, the cards in Brandon’s backpack reacted instantly. Exchanging a glance with Chael, he decisively purchased the set.
This time, he faced little competition, only a few nobles intrigued by peculiar trinkets vying with him. Ultimately, he secured the card for 2,500 torr.
Upon extracting the Fate Card from the deck, Brandon found it to be a cyan-colored card. On its upright face was depicted a swarm of cyan spiders emerging from a vortex. Its serial number was III, requiring wind elemental energy as payment:
Wind Spirit Spider Swarm (Aishia’s Prophecy III):
Wind 1/x [Creature – Element/Insect, Level 5]
Pay x to place x cyan tokens (Wind Spirit Spiders, Level 5) onto the battlefield.
When the Wind Spirit Spider Swarm dies, target a point to burn x mana.
"Born from the vortex, returning to the mana maelstrom."
Scanning the card’s description, Brandon frowned slightly. Summoning a Level 5 creature felt underwhelming, and the cost notation left him perplexed. After a moment, he leaned over to whisper to Chael, “What does this mean?”
Chael glanced at the card and smiled faintly.
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