The morning sun rose over the city of Oakhaven, painting the sky in bright shades of orange and pink.
But inside the Valerius Tower, the mood was as dark as a storm. The golden shield that once protected the building was gone. The heavy iron gates in the courtyard were bent and broken from the battle the night before.
The city had survived the attack from the High Regent's army, but survival was a very expensive thing. In a quiet, dusty guest bedroom on the lower floors, Caspian sat cross legged on a simple wooden bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath, looking inward to inspect his own body.
He could feel the power of the newly integrated Fourth Bone flowing inside him like an underground river. But the river was leaking.
His core was covered in tiny, jagged cracks, and his meridians throbbed with a dull, burning pain. The glowing lines of the Nine Dragon Lock on his chest were quiet for now, resting under his skin, but Caspian knew the dangerous truth.
"If I try to find the remaining five bones right now, the pure energy will completely tear my body apart," Caspian whispered to himself in the empty room.
"The cup is too cracked to hold more water. I need to stop the search. My first priority is healing."
He opened his eyes, the electric white light fading back into his normal, dark brown color. To heal his core, he needed incredibly rare medicinal herbs, things like the thousand year Frost-Soul Lotus or the deep earth Spirit Pearl. Finding those would require patience, money, and time.
He also knew he could not risk showing his true power again so soon. If the High King found out the Shadow Commander was secretly living as a useless son in law, Oakhaven would be wiped off the map. A soft knock came from the bedroom door. The door opened, and Thorne stepped inside. Thorne was no longer wearing his scorched white combat armor. Instead, he was dressed in a very sharp, expensive black business suit.
He looked like a normal, high class bodyguard or driver, but Caspian could still feel the deadly aura of the twin obsidian blades hidden inside Thorne's spatial ring.
"Commander," Thorne said, bowing his head deeply with total respect. "The city is quiet. The High Regent's soldiers have completely left the region. What are your orders for today?"
Caspian smiled lazily and tossed a small, shiny apple into the air, catching it with one hand.
"The orders are changing, Thorne. We are pausing the hunt for the Nine Dragon Lock. If I take in another piece of my old soul right now, I will explode like a cheap firework. We are staying in Oakhaven. I am going to play the role of a good, useless husband while I look for medicine to fix my broken core."
Thorne looked surprised but nodded quickly. "Understood, sir. But what about the enemies creeping around the borders? With the Valerius shield broken, local gangs and smaller enemy sects are starting to cause trouble. The Blood-Axe Pirates have already attacked two shipping boats near the eastern docks this morning."
"That is exactly why you are going to be busy," Caspian replied, taking a bite of the apple. "I want you to handle the cultivation and the fighting from now on. If the Blood-Axe Pirates or any local bullies try to cause problems in Oakhaven, you wipe them out silently. Do not use my name. Just clean up the trash. And while you do that, I have a very special job for myself. I am going to find the Frost-Soul Lotus."
Thorne bowed again. "I will not fail you, sir."
He turned and quietly left the room to begin his hunt. Caspian finished his apple, dusted off his simple grey sweater, and walked upstairs to the main boardroom of the tower.
Inside the large room, the cold wind blew through a broken glass window. Lord Maximilian Valerius, the official head of the family, sat at the head of the long wooden table. He looked exhausted. His hands shook as he stared at the glowing numbers on his smart tablet. The family's bank accounts were draining fast.
Silas Valerius was standing in the corner of the room. When Caspian walked through the door, Silas completely froze. He quickly looked down at his expensive shoes, his hands sweating.
He remembered the terrifying feeling from the night before. He remembered Caspian's calm, dark eyes after the battle. Silas did not know all the details, but his gut told him one very clear thing: Caspian was dangerous. Silas did not dare to say a single disrespectful word. He just stood quietly in the corner, trying to make himself look as small as possible.
Lyra was sitting at the table. When she saw Caspian enter, a soft, beautiful smile appeared on her face. She remembered the man in the Frost Jade mask, and she knew he was standing right in front of her.
"Good morning," she said softly, pulling out the empty chair next to her.
"Good morning, wife," Caspian said with his usual lazy smile, sitting down beside her.
Lord Valerius rubbed his tired eyes. "The stock market opened an hour ago. The news of the attack leaked to the public. Every single investor is pulling their money out of Oakhaven. Our shares have dropped by seventy percent. We are completely ruined." Before anyone else could speak, the heavy wooden doors of the boardroom swung open loudly. A tall, handsome young man walked in, followed closely by four massive bodyguards wearing matching grey suits.
The young man wore a brilliant white suit that looked completely out of place in the damaged building. He had perfect, styled hair and a smug, arrogant smile plastered on his face.
He waved a fan made of bright red feathers, a low grade magic item called a Sun-Fire Fan, just to show off his wealth.
"Julian Sterling," Lord Valerius gasped, quickly standing up. "I... I did not know the Eastern Pearl City was sending representatives today."
Julian Sterling, the Young Master of the incredibly wealthy Sterling Group, casually closed his fan and laughed.
"Lord Valerius. Look at this sad, broken place. I heard you had some trouble last night. Word travels fast in the elite business circles. Your stocks are bleeding out on the floor. I came as quickly as my private jet could fly. I am here to save you."
Lord Valerius looked hopeful for the first time all morning. "Save us? How?"
Julian walked past the empty chairs and stood right in the middle of the room. He did not even look at Silas or Caspian. His greedy eyes locked directly onto Lyra.
"The Sterling Group has deep pockets. I am willing to buy eighty percent of Valerius Industries right now. I will clear your debts and give you enough capital to rebuild your broken gates."
Lord Valerius swallowed hard. "Eighty percent? Julian, that is a complete takeover. You are offering us pennies for a company we spent generations building."
"You are in no position to bargain, old man," Julian said, his voice turning cold and sharp. "You take my pennies, or you sleep on the cold street tomorrow. But the money is only the first part of the deal. I have a second condition."
Julian pointed his red fan directly at Caspian. "I have always admired Lyra. It is a terrible tragedy that a beautiful, talented Silver-Tier woman is tied to a piece of useless trash. A man wearing a dirty sweater in a boardroom. My condition is simple. Lyra signs the divorce papers today, kicks this stray dog out into the gutter, and marries me. The Valerius family gets my money, and I get the prize I actually want."
Julian turned to Silas, expecting the greedy brother to agree immediately. "Well, Silas? You are a smart businessman. Tell your sister to sign the papers and throw this garbage out." The room went completely silent.
Julian smiled, waiting for Silas to start yelling at Caspian. But Silas did not yell. In fact, Silas looked absolutely terrified. He took a step back, shaking his head rapidly.
"I... I don't think that is a good idea, Young Master Sterling," Silas stammered quietly, not daring to look at Caspian. "Lyra's marriage is... her own business. I have no right to speak on it."
Julian blinked in complete confusion. Silas Valerius, the biggest bully in Oakhaven, was refusing to kick out the useless son in law? "Are you crazy, Silas? I am offering you millions of spirit stones!"
Caspian leaned back in his chair, a lazy, amused smile slowly spreading across his face. He looked at Lyra.
Instead of crying or getting angry, Lyra calmly placed her hands on the table. Beneath the large wooden table, completely out of sight, she reached over and gently placed her soft hand on top of Caspian's knee. She gave it a reassuring, loving squeeze.
"I am afraid I must decline your generous offer, Julian," Lyra said smoothly, her voice completely steady and relaxed. "My husband may not wear fancy white suits, and he may not wave a silly, colorful fan around to make himself look important, but he is my husband. Valerius Industries is not for sale, and neither am I."
Julian's arrogant smile shattered into pieces. His face turned a deep, ugly shade of red. He slammed his hand hard on the table.
"You foolish girl! You are choosing a beggar over an empire? The Sterling Group controls the entire eastern trade route! We have a dozen Gold-Tier masters on our payroll! I could crush your tiny family like a bug if I wanted to!"
Caspian finally spoke. His voice was soft, calm, and dripped with heavy sarcasm. "An empire, huh? That sounds very impressive, Young Master Sterling. You control the entire eastern trade route. You must be very, very rich."
"More wealth than your tiny peasant brain could ever imagine," Julian spat, glaring at Caspian with pure hatred. "My family has never known a single day of poverty."
"Wow," Caspian said, leaning forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "But, just out of simple curiosity... what would happen if your main supply lines in the East suddenly shut down? What would happen if, say, a really big shadow fell over your bank accounts? Just a hypothetical question, of course."
Under the table, Caspian's other hand was holding his cheap, cracked smartphone. He had pressed a single button, sending a pre written, one word text message to the Shadow Command's secure financial sector. The message simply read: Burn.
Julian let out a loud, mocking laugh that echoed in the quiet room. "Listen to this idiot! Are you trying to threaten me? You? A man who sweeps floors for a living? The Sterling Group is an unbreakable iron wall! Nobody in this entire country has the power to shut down our supply lines. You are just a pathetic—"
Before Julian could finish his insult, his ultra expensive gold smartphone began to ring loudly in his pocket. It was a loud emergency ringtone.
Julian pulled it out, annoyed by the interruption. He saw that it was his father, the Chairman of the Sterling Group. Julian answered the phone with a smug smile, putting it on speaker so everyone in the room could hear how important he was.
"Father. I am just wrapping up the deal in Oakhaven. The Valerius family is begging for our money."
"Julian!" his father's voice screamed through the speaker. The older man did not sound proud; he sounded absolutely terrified. He was crying, his voice breaking with sheer panic. "Get out of there! Come home right now! It is all gone! Everything is gone!"
Julian's smug smile froze instantly. His face turned pale. "Father, what are you talking about? Calm down. What is gone?"
"The money, Julian! The company, the warehouses, the ships!" his father wailed loudly. "Ten minutes ago, an unknown financial force attacked our accounts. It was like a giant tidal wave! They bought out all of our debts, froze our international assets, and burned our stock to zero! The Eastern trade route was just seized by a mysterious group! We are bankrupt, Julian! We are worse than bankrupt, we owe billions! The banks are taking our house right now!". The boardroom fell into a deathly, heavy silence. The only sound was the heavy, frantic breathing of Julian's father coming through the phone.
Julian's hands began to shake violently. The fancy Sun-Fire Fan slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor. He dropped the phone, staring blankly at the wall as if his brain had completely shut down. The unbreakable iron wall of the Sterling Group had been turned to dust in less than three minutes.
Silas stood completely frozen in the corner. He looked at Julian, then looked at Caspian. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, silently thanking the heavens that he had kept his mouth shut. If he had insulted Caspian today, he would probably be living in a cardboard box by tomorrow.
Caspian let out a soft sigh and slowly stood up from his chair. He casually walked around the table, picking up the dropped red fan. He examined it closely, shaking his head.
"Well, that is just terrible luck," Caspian said, his voice perfectly calm and polite. He tapped the fan against his hand.
"One minute you are a mighty dragon offering to buy a city, and the next minute, you cannot even afford a bus ticket back home. Life is full of funny little surprises, isn't it?"
Julian slowly looked up at Caspian. His eyes were wide with a mix of confusion and sudden, crushing terror. He looked at the calm, lazy smile on Caspian's face. Julian did not understand how it happened, but he knew this man was involved.
"You..." Julian stammered, his voice weak and trembling. "This is impossible."
"I am just a man who asked a simple question," Caspian replied softly, tossing the red fan onto the table. He pointed toward the heavy wooden doors.
"Now. I believe this meeting is officially over. Please take your bodyguards and leave my family's tower. Try not to slip on the broken glass on your way out. You don't have health insurance anymore."
Julian scrambled out of his chair, nearly tripping over his own feet. Without saying another word, he ran out of the boardroom, his four massive bodyguards chasing after him in total confusion. The great Young Master of the East had been reduced to a fleeing rat.
Lyra covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to cough to hide the massive smile spreading across her face. She looked at her husband, her heart swelling with a mix of pride and deep amusement.
"Well, that was exciting," Caspian said, sitting back down next to Lyra. He looked across the table at Lord Valerius, who was still staring at the door in shock.
"Father in law, do not worry about the tower repairs. I heard there is a very exclusive underground auction happening in the city tonight. They might have some rare treasures or funds we can use. I will go and take a look."
Lord Valerius just nodded slowly, too confused to argue. Silas remained silent in the corner, nodding his head rapidly in agreement with whatever Caspian said.
Caspian smiled, but internally, he took a deep breath. The underground auction was his only chance to find the Frost-Soul Lotus. He had to get it tonight, or his broken core would finally give out.