Master of Dominion-Chapter 43:Duel

Xaphxan had just made his way back to the territory when he noticed the gate standing wide open.

’Did they escape? ’ he had wondered, unsure whether he should feel relieved or worried. But before he could think further, he heard voices drift down from above. He paused, then cautiously peeked around only to find the three sisters perched on the trees, seemingly deep in an emotional conversation.

And, being as stupid as he was, he chose that exact moment to interrupt their sisterly exchange.

Which had clearly landed him in his current predicament of being coldly glared down upon by a furious red-haired elf and a stoic, pale-haired one.

"What is it?" Yasmin spat, causing Xaphxan to flinch as he hurriedly stammered to reply.

"E-eh... Sir Rael asked me to tell you to draw another array, but this time beyond the fences." He paused when he noticed Ayobe finally looking down at him, then added quickly, "He said if it’s possible, it could double our chances of survival."

"And where is he, and what makes him think he can just order us around? We haven’t even come to terms on working together," Yasmin snapped.

"No, no, it was a request, not an order," Xaphxan corrected hastily, shrinking back as he spoke, doing his best not to provoke her further.

"It’s plausible," Ayobe said as she rose to her feet and descended the tree in smooth, fluid motions. "But we’ll need a far stronger power source."

"Where is he?" Iyvre asked from above.

"Mining, my lady," Xaphxan replied as respectfully as he could, which made Iyvre squint at the honorific.

"Mining? While we’re expected to fortify his defenses? What does he take us for?" Yasmin scoffed.

Xaphxan wisely chose to stay silent. There was no point defending his boss’s questionable priorities.

"Just do it," Iyvre said to Ayobe. "It’s for our own good as well." Then she turned her gaze back to Xaphxan, who immediately tensed. "And you, go back to him. Tell him we want our magic pouches returned, and we’ll work together on one condition."

She paused, watching Xaphxan straighten instinctively.

"We have a fair duel."

.....

Clink, clink.

Rael kept hacking at the cavern walls and floor, uncovering much more smaller pieces of limonite , which weren’t as large as the first vein, but were enough. After all, most of it would be wasted as he experimented and learned blacksmithing.Though He hadn’t found copper yet, but he was certain it wasn’t far off. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

For now, he was exhausted and done. He had clearly spent most of his aether reserves on mining. He let out a breath, and sat on a rock then leaned his back against the rough cavern wall.

"This is a treasure mine... definitely worth a fortune," he murmured to himself, unable to stop his mind from drifting. "It’ll come in handy. Growing a territory will definitely cost a lot of funds."he whispered to himself

Then his expression darkened slightly.

"But this could also bring trouble if it’s discovered. A mine is a rarity after all."

Rael knew that if everything went well and he lived to see the fourth day of the Withered Nights ,he could surely capitalize on this.

Since not every territory was fortunate enough to have a mine of their own, and few would dare venture into the Zodiac Woods to search for one. But greed was a powerful thing. If others learned of its location and the identity of its guardian territory which, in their eyes, would be nothing more than a lowly camp they wouldn’t hesitate to send forces into the woods, even at the risk of being devoured by its dwellers.

"I’ll have to keep this quiet for a while," he muttered. "At least until I’m strong enough to protect what’s mine."

Rael understood this world well enough ,especially the ways of it stuck-up nobility. So until he had strength, staying out of their sight was the safest option. He wasn’t even sure what would happen if he lost his territory,his domain. Would the system punish him? Would it anger whatever being stood behind it? He had no idea. And though the curiosity did lingered, he definitely didn’t want to find out.

That said, the system had established his territory in the best possible location for his kind of situation the Zodiac Woods.

So far, he hadn’t encountered any truly powerful beasts. He chalked that up to luck and to the nature of aether beasts. The stronger they grew, the more likely they were to hibernate, claim fixed territories,they hardly leave. And there was also the possibility that many of them hid away from the Withered as well.

"Just a theory," Rael muttered. "But if it’s true, that just shows how terrifying those abominations really are."

He couldn’t help but wonder about their origin, though there were no answers. Not even the powerful noble families he’d heard of seemed to know.

"Probably some mad scientist," he added dryly. To him, the Withered felt like a zombie plague pumped full of supernatural steroids.

Rael turned his gaze toward the cavern entrance as he saw Xaphxan slowly making his way in, exhaustion faintly visible on his face.

"You told her?" Rael asked.

"Yes, boss. She’ll do it," Xaphxan replied, then hesitated as he approached. "But..."

Rael glanced at him. "What is it?"

"Lady Iyvre asked me to pass a message to you."

"And what might that be?" Rael asked, mildly curious.

"She said she and her sisters will come to terms with working with you." He paused, watching Rael nod. "But she requested their magic pouches back."

"Expected. I planned on giving them back anyway," Rael muttered before checking the quest log, but still found the tier 3 quest incomplete, and frowned. Turning back to Xaphxan, he raised a brow. "And?"

"She asked for a duel."

Rael froze for a heartbeat then burst out laughing.

"She said that?" he asked between laughs.

He wasn’t really surprised,As elves, there was no way they’d accept losing to him in a three-on-one battle,they were clearly blaming it all on his "mysterious" artifact. Truthfully, though, Rael had been itching for a proper fight himself and he won’t mind indulging her ,he did want to know how strong he’d become