Arrogance.

The word flashed through André’s mind with a force of nuclear blast.

Sheer arrogance to claim such an absurdity! A mere Level 3 killing a Level 8? No—and yet—André remembered that night on the balcony of his mountain mansion. This mere Level 3 had cowed him back then. If not for André’s high Mind attribute he’d have sneered at the boy right now but instead he checked the All-time ranking and found... the Level 8 gone.

Syberius Sael is dead.

André refused to believe that the boy was responsible for the man’s demise though. Sael had access to a wealth of items and spells that would have significantly boosted his attributes. Even considering the boy’s unnatural spiritual strength, it was unlikely that Sael had been killed by Keynes Kid alone if the boy was involved at all.

As he dismissed further elaboration about Keynes Kid’s involvement in Syberius Sael’s death, a new avenue of thinking burgeoned its way into his mind. What would be the implications of Sael’s demise? What were the possibilities?

There were many.

The shake up this would bring to the world! This alone might see the Old Blood families out of the Solar Council and the Sael House splintered into smaller, warring factions. That outcome pleased André and was going to benefit his council. While Sael was an ally, he was no better than Brenton. Selfish and greedy. In the long run, both men were liabilities and threats. Death of Sael was a boon to André but his true goal stood in front of him.

The boy was the key to everything. For a few short moments André mulled over Brenton’s greedy idea of simply kidnapping Keynes Kid. But no matter how alluring the prospect was, it was unsustainable.

The sour thoughts brought André out of his mind. He found the entire clearing silent, shock seemed to permeate the air. Even Serrata and Kid’s people looked completely surprised by the news.

While André was considering the course of action, someone else took the opportunity.

“Killing a member of the Solar Council is a serious crime! We must arrest him.” Brenton said, regaining his composure.

André didn’t disagree with the other man but there would be complications. Untainted Paradise—stupid name!—grew stronger by the minute. With all the council’s secret projects only in its infancy phase and constant threat of the White Masks and the resistance, the Solar Council was ill-prepared to fight them at this stage. But if not now then when? Zimmermann was an industrious and cunning bastard. He’d brainwashed the boy after all turning him into a fanatic. Given time, Untainted Paradise would only grow stronger…

Something had to be done. André ‘s resolve hardened.

“He’s not wrong,” André said, eventually piercing the dangerous silence that had descended on them after Brenton’s words. “Killing a member of the council is a serious crime.”

Unsurprisingly, Serrata didn’t gainsay him this time. She appeared shaken. Good.

“It was self-defence,” Keynes Kid replied darkly. “I had nothing to gain from going after a Level 8.”

It was a good argument but not good enough…

“We need your statement in this case.”

“Yes, you have to go with us,” Brenton added, greed burning in his eyes. André groaned internally. Being pushy wasn’t going to work here. The Solar Council didn’t have an overwhelming power yet to simply take what they desired yet and so they had to play by the rules even if it was wrong. Brenton was a disruption.

“I will handle it, Brenton. Go back to the helicopter.”

“No chance.” Brenton gave him a suspicious look. “No deals cut above my head.”

That little worm’s going to ruin everything here, André thought sourly. He doesn’t know when to back off.

André opened his mouth to deny Brenton but the other man was quicker.

“I want a piece of the boy for myself. I’ll keep him for two weeks.”

That was a very precise demand…

“Aren’t you a little ahead of yourself?”

For a brief moment, everyone thought it had been Keynes Kid who had replied. Then they saw him—Columbus Curt slowly weaved between gathered people.

Why was he here?! Suddenly, Sael’s death made much more sense…

Upon seeing the newcomer, Brenton lost confidence and hid behind André’s back, drawing a frustrated sigh from him. André half-turned, then shoved Brenton away.

“Go back to the helicopter. That’s an order.”

I can’t spare my attention elsewhere when I have to deal with the only man who can kill us all without breaking a sweat.

***

“What brought you here?” Keynes asked, watching the Solar Council forces leave his dominion. Despite his strong disinclination, Keynes had agreed to give small concessions like a transcript of the fight with the sub-boss and Sael (most of Sael’s story was a lie but a convincing one), general description and shape of rewards (he didn’t reveal everything though) and samples of the dead monsters, including the sub-boss. This was mandatory to placate the council from making a fuss about Sael’s killing.

Keynes regretted now going with deception but it was too late to gainsay his own statement. Giving them nothing would be better but Columbus had agreed to Turtelli’s demand before Keynes could refuse it.

At this point sharing any information was bolstering their competitors and potential future enemies. But Columbus was right, they couldn’t afford fighting the Solar Council right now.

Still, poking inside his dominion felt repulsive and intimate.

Your attunement with the dominion is unbalanced, master. You need time to synchronise and balance your spiritual attunement, otherwise, these personal sentiments will keep intruding.

Spiritual attunement? How do I do that?

After you finish your conversation, I will help you.

Keynes acknowledged her words with a silent, spiritual nod.

“Wagner sent me,” Columbus replied, oblivious to Keynes’s inner dialogue. “He expected something like this.”

Keynes glanced at the other man and found him very much the same, he’d seen him the last time at Wagner’s house, when they’d faced Shaper. He still wore his white uniform, although it was past its prime and clearly worse for wear.

“Such impeccable timing,” Serrata murmured, hinting at something.

Columbus didn’t comment on Artefact Exchange CEO’s words, looking pensive for the first time since coming here.

“I hope it was worth it,” he said.

Serrata gave him a speculative, curious look. Keynes, too, wondered what Columbus had meant by this. Columbus read the room quite well and followed his words with a prompt to find a more secluded place. They reached the northern rim of the island. Not a single soul was in a two hundred metres radius.

A fresh breath of the lake air brushed Keynes’s face. Without the oppressive debuffs, his dominion was quite scenic. Keynes liked it. If only the Solar Council hasn’t known its location, Keynes thought just a bit gloomily.

“I meant the lie.”

Keynes considered giving him a wounded look but Columbus wasn’t someone who cared for such things.

“It was a necessary deception. I couldn’t sense you and so I did what I could to drive them away from the island.”

Columbus nodded in acknowledgement while Serrata exhaled, looking confused.

“Sael died to the sub-boss,” he explained.

“If that's the case,” she said. “Then the outcome is unfortunate.”

“Indeed,” Columbus added. “Turtelli withdrew for now but they’ll retaliate. Sael’s death is a perfect opportunity to them.”

Keynes cursed internally. He just gave their enemies ammunition to go after him. He wasn’t as smart as he believed. With a fouled mood he dropped on his bottom, his eyes dangling from the cliff.

“Why do you think they will retaliate?” Serrata asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Keynes has given them most of what they asked for.”

“I’ve stepped down from the leadership of resistance,” Columbus said simply as if it wasn't big news. “My replacement, while staying loyal to my philosophies, won’t be our military arm. And with the Red Moon on the verge of making their choice as well, we may soon have much less punch than I’d desire. I’d be worried if the Solar Council didn’t attack when we’re at our weakest.”

“Why?”

“Because that would be a demonstration of restraint and thinking ahead. These are features of dangerous and cunning enemies.”

“Greed can be exploited,” Serrata added.

“And guided,” Columbus agreed.

“Are we actually ‘weak’?” Keynes asked, worries accumulating in his mind. If his error would threaten the sovereignty of their company, he’d have to level up faster. Maybe even ignore maxing out attributes for a level or two.

I disapprove, Alice muttered from far away.

In the corner of his eyes, Keynes noticed Serrata shift uncomfortably. It seemed that she realised that she was made privy to some very personal information. While Esopp didn’t trust her, Columbus—and in extension Wagner—appeared to have a different sentiment.

“We’re not. Things move ahead of schedule and we'll be more than ready when the Solar Council strikes,” Columbus said then looked over to Serrata. She noticed his attention and straightened up, her expression becoming neutral.

“Artefact Exchange will support your efforts.” Her voice was weaker than usual.

***

Esopp woke up a few hours later. He was far from fully healed. Alice murmured that the healers brought here were using the default version of [Heal]. Its efficiency rating was low and its effectiveness would fall off at the higher Levels without serious modifications.

That would be the case for most skills and spells at the higher Levels and past Level 10…

Keynes was shocked at the wealth of information coming from his spiritual companion but she was cagey at explaining herself. No surprise there.

With Esopp’s health stabilising and reaching 60%, the man looked quite restless. But Keynes noticed a subtler shift in the older man’s demeanour. Some of his playfulness had vanished and was replaced by a thoughtful frown. After listening to what he’d missed, Esopp expressed an urgent need to go back to their Level 4 rift cluster. Esopp’s words drew the attention of Columbus.

“Don’t act so surprised with all the mess you’ve just dumped on me, there is little choice but get stronger. I need to level up.”

He is not telling the whole truth, Alice said. I can sense some kind of … mental wound? Does it make sense?

I guess, coming so close to dying hit him hard.

Trauma wasn’t anything new but neither was Keynes an expert in this field.

Columbus accepted Esopp’s explanation and Keynes didn’t bring up his suspicions. He didn’t want to push the man for more in Serrata’s presence though. Esopp didn’t trust the woman and Keynes respected that sentiment.

The next day Esopp and Serrata were gone from Keynes’s dominion. Columbus stayed behind to keep Keynes safe. There was a burning urge to follow Esopp in his path to get stronger but Alice had convinced him to stay a few more days to ‘acclimatise’ with his dominion. For all his drive, Keynes barely objected to the idea of staying for another few days; his dominion called to him. He found it primal and intimate.

A dominion was a complex concept. Keynes’s understanding of it was pitiful and when he immersed himself in it, he felt overwhelmed. He brought up the dominion’s menu but Alice stepped in.

You should not use the menu, master. To truly master a dominion and reap its hidden benefits is to use it without help of the System.

Once again, Keynes found it strange that Alice was allowed to share such important insight but he didn’t question it and instead dismissed the menu.

Navigating the dominion without it was substantially harder but with each passing minute, sensation of acclimatisation and instinctual understanding became stronger. Then something changed and Keynes’s mind expanded encompassing his entire dominion in a profoundly different way than before.

He felt one with his dominion.

In a way, a dominion was an extension of its owner but at the same time it was so much more. Alice wasn’t very forthcoming but shed some light on the inner workings of dominions but her arguments were becoming much more compelling. The process of discovering was as important as the knowledge itself, if not more. With each level, ascender’s power was becoming personalised and unique. Even if Keynes had all the answers to his questions, they would as much help as harm him.

Only he, himself, could attune the dominion to him.

Keynes mused the revelation while listening to Alice’s explanation about the differences between dominions and territories. He grimaced when presented with the cost of upgrades. Upgrading a dominion in any way cost resources and orbs. It made sense why Sandman had been hunting down dominion events. He was upgrading his dominion with the Orbs of Dominion.

Unless…

A dominion could encompass the entire planet, although prerequisites for such an expansion were beyond Alice’s knowledge. She mentioned though that it was possible and relatively inexpensive to move between dominions scattered around a planet. So, there was a possibility that Sandman wasn’t after heavy-modified dominion and wanted to conquer the planet.

This would explain Turtelli’s concern about Sandman, Keynes mused after learning about the alarming limits of dominion powers—or their relative lack.

Focus, master, your memory will be for naught if you do not pay attention.

Sure.

She moved on to upgrades. His hair stood on end. If he had resources to commit, he could shape terrain and climate according to his wildest wishes. There were magical effects and points of interest like dungeons that could be added too. The more he learned the less he understood how such a powerful tool could be available to ascenders.

Within his dominion Keynes could be a god, literally. It was insane. Some debuffs were so powerful that anyone near his Level would be annihilated within seconds. This made him very uncomfortable. On the other hand, some buffs offered powerful insight concentrated around small locations. Insight was always welcomed. It pushed understanding beyond even heightened parameters.

That was something to look forward to.