After some thought, Bai Shi agreed to the girl's offer of reconciliation.
"Very well. In that case, I can accept."
Hearing Bai Shi agree, the Nox maiden let out a sigh of relief.
Her heart had been pounding at a speed that should have been impossible for her people.
It was difficult to sue for peace with someone who could kill them so easily.
Especially since they had just attacked him moments ago.
If the negotiations failed, she would undoubtedly be killed at such close range.
Fortunately, it seemed that the secrets of Sellia and its sorcerers were enticing enough.
The man before her had finally agreed.
However, the future was still shrouded in darkness.She didn't know what would become of Sellia under his rule.
Would the Town of Sorcery even survive?
He was an enemy of the Academy. Could he truly survive their attempts to destroy him?
Even if he could face the Academy and they were powerless against him...
...Sellia did not possess such strength.
If he turned a blind eye to the Academy's retaliation against Sellia, the town would be destroyed all the same.
After all, the conditions she had proposed were merely for reconciliation, not for protection.
It was simply because they realized they had provoked someone they never should have.
He was someone they could not defeat.
If they continued to resist, no matter how they struggled, he would simply slaughter the entire town by himself.
And that would be the end of everything.
That was why she had offered vassalage in exchange for peace—to prevent Sellia from being destroyed here and now.
In the end, what was better? A swift death, or a slow one?
In any case, she felt that if death was inevitable, a slow one was preferable.
At least it gave them a chance to struggle.
But she did not yet know what kind of person Bai Shi truly was.
And so, she had no way of knowing that her worries were unnecessary.
In the future, when she looked back on this day, she would surely be thankful that she had delivered Sellia into Bai Shi's hands.
As for Bai Shi himself.
Though he had been inexplicably attacked, it had been a harmless affair.
It was like being nipped by a dragonfly on the road—not damaging, but certainly insulting.
But in exchange for a group of powerful sorcerers, Bai Shi had no complaints.
Stormveil's forces were indeed lacking in ranged combatants like sorcerers.
Bai Shi planned to assign the sorcerers of Sellia to various squads, providing an unexpected source of additional firepower.
He imagined that sorcerers skilled in assassination would give his enemies quite a surprise.
Even if he didn't send them out as assassins, having them serve as instructors in Stormveil to train his own sorcerers was perfectly acceptable.
Powerful sorcerers were few and far between in Stormveil; one might even say there were none.
Lanslet was certainly skilled, but he had to help Bai Shi manage Stormveil.
He was already swamped with work, and what little free time he had was spent wooing women.
If Bai Shi were to encroach upon his precious free time to make him teach, it would be simply inhumane.
The vast majority of the remaining sorcerers were low-level practitioners without any real power, lacking even a glintstone crown.
Sorcerer Thops could teach, but it was better to let him focus his research on Thops's Barrier.
The research on Thops's Barrier was far more important than training a few dozen sorcerers.
With so many skilled sorcerers from Sellia, the rate at which he could train his own would increase dramatically.
Of course, the most important thing was what the maiden had mentioned: the true secret of Sellia, Town of Sorcery.
Sellia had another name—the "Heirs of the Eternal."
Beneath their very feet lay Nokron, Eternal City, and they had inherited a portion of the technology from the underground Nox civilization.
The Nox had all sorts of wonderful things.
The Academy of Raya Lucaria and the Carian Royal Family had long ago acquired some of the Eternal City's technology inherited by Sellia.
This included the Nox's research into spirits, the arcane, and biology.
The most famous creation was that of the Albinaurics.
The name "Albinauric" seemed to have little to do with the Nox, but their origin was, in fact, the Mimic Tear.
The blood that flowed in their veins was cold and silver, just like that of the Nox people.
The Nox had made great strides in the creation of artificial life.
For example, the Dragonkin Soldiers, lightning orbs, and Mimic Tears of the Nox.
Most of this knowledge had likely been inherited by the Carian Royal Family.
Yet even so, the Carians had not fully uncovered all of Sellia's secrets.
The true secret the maiden spoke of could not be something the Carians already possessed; otherwise, she would not have used it as a bargaining chip.
Bai Shi's anticipation grew.
As the "Heirs of the Eternal," what sort of special items or technologies had they inherited?
Bai Shi doubted it was a skill or sorcery.
After all, if the Sellians possessed such useful techniques, they would have used them in their resistance.
He suspected it was some item of great importance that was nonetheless useless for altering Sellia's current circumstances—something akin to the Fingerslayer Blade that Ranni sought.
That blade was a key item, rumored to be capable of harming the Greater Will and its envoys, the Two Fingers.
And in the game, Ranni's actions had proven that legend to be true.
Although it was unknown if the weapon could truly harm the Greater Will itself, the mere fact that it could slay the Two Fingers was proof enough of the Nox's technological prowess.
Was the Fingerslayer Blade powerful? Of course.
But without a guiding destiny, such items were unusable.
If Sellia's secret was an item like that, it naturally couldn't have changed their situation.
For Bai Shi, however, such an item might prove very useful indeed.
"Since you have become my vassals, I will not treat you poorly," Bai Shi said.
"On one condition: you must be loyal."
The maiden lowered her head.
"As long as you do not abandon us..."
Bai Shi nodded.
"What is your name?"
"Stella."
Bai Shi glanced at her in surprise.
"The Stella from Nokstella, Eternal City?"
"Yes, the very name that represents the stars. You know a great deal about the Nox, my lord."
Bai Shi gave her another look.
He didn't understand the naming conventions of the Lands Between, but he suspected this was not a name one took lightly.
It mattered little, however. A person of status was not a bad thing to have, especially as a subordinate.
Stella looked up and asked cautiously,
"My lord, how should we address you?"
"Bai Shi. That is my name."
After a moment's thought, he added,
"The Stormhawk King of Stormveil and the Shardbearer of Limgrave. Those are my titles."
As a leader, it was important to let new subordinates know their faction had a boundless future.
Even if the maiden before him still looked more confused than impressed.
In any case, the great Stormhawk King now commanded his loyal Town of Sorcery, Sellia.
A joyous occasion.
——
Now that Sellia was under his command, Bai Shi no longer needed to run around the map solving puzzles.
Before long, Stella summoned the other sorcerers.
They handed over all the items from the Academy that had been entrusted to Sellia's care.
These included two great treasures: an Imbued Sword Key and Lusat's Glintstone Staff.
Bai Shi first picked up the Imbued Sword Key.
Unlike an ordinary Stonesword Key, it shimmered with starlight. It was the key to the waygates at the Four Belfries.
The Four Belfries could transport one to three locations: the Precipice of Anticipation, a night sky unceasing, and a crumbling land.
In other words, the Chapel of Anticipation, Nokron, Eternal City, and the crumbling Farum Azula.
For various reasons, these teleported locations were disconnected from the larger regions they belonged to.
However, this was the real world; if one could find a way to fly across the gap, there would be no problem. Bai Shi had already re-established the connection between the Chapel of Anticipation and Stormveil, so he no longer needed the waygate for that.
As for Nokron and Farum Azula, those two destinations required two Imbued Sword Keys.
He now had one, and another could be found at the Four Belfries itself.
This meant he could now visit both locations.
But since he couldn't yet fly, it was pointless to go for now. He would make plans for that later.
Bai Shi then picked up Master Lusat's Glintstone Staff.
The staff was crudely made, appearing as if blue glintstones had abruptly sprouted from a rough stone column.
It was surprisingly heavy, weighing more than some straight swords.
However, Bai Shi was completely unable to use it.
When he gripped the staff, he felt no flow of magic whatsoever.
It was like holding a common stone rod.
This was because his intelligence was insufficient; he could not comprehend the tremendous wisdom contained within the staff.
He couldn't even begin to approach the level of Master Lusat.
Bai Shi couldn't help but marvel at the immense gap between himself and a true master sorcerer.
So this is the staff of a master who has touched upon the Primeval Current? he thought.
One who had never glimpsed such wisdom could not even use it as a simple staff.
After examining the items, Stella led Bai Shi toward the rear of Sellia, to the outside of a massive structure.
"This is the Sanctum of the Throne, built by the ancient Nox when they first came to the surface," she explained.
"The secret of the ancient kingdom, the one Sellia inherited, lies within."
Upon entering the massive doors, the first thing Bai Shi saw was an immense stone throne.
Its sheer size was beyond what any normal being could occupy.
Even if Bai Shi used his Great Rune to grow to his maximum size, he would still look like a small child sitting in an adult's chair.
Two figures stood guard beneath the throne: a Nightmaiden and a Nox Swordstress.
Seeing Stella enter with a stranger, they seemed to understand what had transpired and knelt on one knee in welcome.
Bai Shi followed Stella deeper into the sanctum.
Inside the sanctum were two stone chests.
Bai Shi felt a stir of excitement as the moment to unveil Sellia's true secret arrived.
In the game, this was where one found Lusat's Glintstone Staff.
But since that was already in his hands, what would be in these chests now?
Another weapon? Or some lost, forbidden technology?
The answer was revealed.
In one large stone chest lay a katana.
In a smaller box beside it was a scroll.
Bai Shi picked up the katana. It was a peculiar blade, one he had never seen before.
The pattern on its surface, however, looked somewhat familiar, reminiscent of the Fingerslayer Blade.
It resembled human bones.
A line of text, which he hadn't seen in some time, appeared before his eyes:
'Starfall Shadow (Sealed)'
Stella began her explanation:
"This is the Starfall Shadow."
"And this," she said, gesturing to the scroll, "is Eternal Darkness."
"The Eternal Cities have no true night sky."
"The origin of sorcery is the stars in the cosmos, and the origin of stars is darkness."
"For this reason, in their exploration of sorcery, the Nox created a false moon and a false sky, and they also created darkness."
"The sorcery known as Eternal Darkness was thus discovered, allowing their craft to advance."
"As for this katana, it was forged to imitate the shadow of a star."
Eternal Darkness was, without a doubt, exceptionally useful.
As for the katana... Bai Shi examined it closely for a moment. It was clearly a weapon of the highest caliber.
Just when Bai Shi thought that was all, Stella led him to the rear wall of the sanctum, where a hidden door slid open.
They were inside the mountain behind Sellia.
Following the passage down, Bai Shi emerged into a vast cavern.
It was not dark; a false star-dusted sky overhead cast a soft glow.
The walls of the cavern were dotted with countless small alcoves, like a honeycomb, and within each alcove slept a strange creature.
They had heads like dragons, but their bodies were covered not in scales, but in smooth, silver skin.
Though they looked completely lifeless, Bai Shi could sense they were indeed alive.
"What are these?"
Stella gazed at the bizarre creatures and began to explain.
"These are creatures left behind by the Nox."
"It is said that dragons are the impenetrable fortress that protects a king."
"The Nox once attempted to create dragons of their own to serve as guards for their long-awaited Lord of Night."
"They failed to create true dragons, but they did succeed in creating various other creatures. These are one of those creations."
Stella let out a whistle, and one of the creatures emerged from its alcove.
Now, Bai Shi could see its full form.
It was less a dragon and more a massive lizard.
Its wings were skeletal, and its body and tail were long and slender.
With claws that dug firmly into the rock, it scaled down the wall.
The creature was larger than a typical horse, with limbs of a decent length, and its head did indeed resemble that of a dragon.
"They are completely obedient creatures, so there is no need to worry about them being untamable or disobedient like wild beasts."
"As mounts, they are quite excellent."
"If their combat strength were enough to turn the tide of a battle, we would have ridden them against the Academy long ago."
Bai Shi nodded. It was easy to imagine these creatures weren't overwhelmingly powerful.
"As mounts, how are their speed, endurance, and carrying capacity?"
Stella motioned for the creature to crouch at Bai Shi's feet, inviting him to mount it and experience it firsthand.
Bai Shi climbed onto its back. The creature's spine was not particularly comfortable to sit on.
But as it rose to its feet, it moved with surprising speed.
It was slower than Torrent, but far surpassed an ordinary warhorse, and it could even scale the walls as if running on flat ground.
"Their endurance doesn't seem to be particularly exceptional."
"But their short-burst speed is very high, and their carrying capacity is quite strong."
Bai Shi summarized the creature's characteristics. It was an excellent mount, far more versatile than a common warhorse.
They also possessed the fighting capabilities of a wild beast; given their size, perhaps only a Runebear could defeat them.
"We actually possess the knowledge to create them."
"But it was of no use to us in our current situation, so we never put it into practice."
Bai Shi nodded, having gained a general understanding of the creatures.
It was time for his much-anticipated Dragon Communion Knights to have mounts.
"Very well. Keep them safe for now. I will send my people to retrieve them later."