Once the impact of the attack had subsided, the central area gradually returned to stability. Realizing the heavy toll her stronghold had paid, a wave of rage coursed through Yaeger. The underground maze was teeming with valuable resources. If she had extracted them for her exclusive use, she could have comfortably coasted for a few months.
However, when stacked against the rewards of the heritage site, these resources seemed trivial. Yaeger’s focus remained on reclaiming the spheres of light, which she believed rightfully belonged to her. ‘Damn, these were meant to kickstart my campaign! He dared to obliterate them all!’ The thought of them being obliterated only fueled her fury, causing her teeth to grind together in anger.
“Master, the steward and rewards of the heritage site have been successfully secured.” Little Blue suddenly announced. A nearby location trembled slightly at her words, revealing a cluster of glowing orbs and a golden projection.
He glanced around in bewilderment, then surprise when his gaze fell on Alicia and Yaeger. Just moments before, when the maze was on the brink of collapse, he had resigned himself to his fate. Out of nowhere, a giant energy hand appeared, gathered him and the orbs of light and tossed them into a spatial gap. Then, he reappeared here.
A wave of joy washed over Yaeger as she eyed the multitude of light orbs floating in the air. Her joy, however, was quickly replaced by curiosity. “Steward? Are you referring to him?” She gestured towards the golden projection, seeking clarification from Little Blue.
“Well, I don’t have time to manage the city, so he’s the perfect candidate. Considering he was once an Emperor, he’s more than capable of fulfilling a steward’s duties,” Little Blue replied nonchalantly. At this, everyone’s brows furrowed. An emperor’s role was vastly different from that of a steward!
The golden projection, seemingly aware of their discussion, floated over. Little Blue promptly informed him of his new role. To everyone’s astonishment, he agreed readily. “Greetings, Master,” he acknowledged Yaeger with a respectful bow, perfectly embodying his new role as a steward.
“Are you sure about this?” Yaeger glanced back and forth between Alicia and the golden projection, uncertain. Despite his current form, he was a royal ancestor. It felt wrong to boss him around like a mere servant.
“This is the will of my ancestor. Who am I to object?” Alicia replied honestly. The golden projection nodded in agreement. As a guardian created for the [Ancestral Land], he had lost his purpose when the land ceased to exist. The opportunity to serve as the city’s steward was a welcome prospect.
Time and solitude had eroded his erstwhile Emperor’s dignity. Besides, if he refused, he couldn’t guarantee the Artifact Soul wouldn’t eject him immediately. “Very well. Since you’ve accepted the role of city steward, consider yourself an ally. From here on, I’ll address you as Little Gold.” Yaeger announced.
The proclamation elicited a collective twitch from the group. Such a dreadful name! Little Blue facepalmed in despair. It seemed she had earned the moniker ‘Little Blue’ simply because of her blue hair. And by the same logic, the golden projection was dubbed ‘Little Gold’ due to his golden sheen. Her master was indisputably terrible at naming!
Alicia and the others were at a loss for words. The golden projection seemed taken aback but before he could voice his thoughts, Yaeger turned to Little Blue. “Fifteen minutes is too long. We can’t predict if he’ll launch multiple attacks. Check if you can accelerate the repair process.”
“I can, but some parts of this area will have to be sacrificed,” Little Blue informed.
“Do it,” Yaeger commanded decisively. A few blows from Richard causing damage to the central region was a more considerable loss than sacrificing yet unutilized spaces.
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