Luke had managed to enter the temple that now served as the headquarters for the military forces stationed in that dimension. The structure was ancient, far too solid to have been built as a mere outpost. The stone walls bore marks of heat and pressure, as if they had been shaped rather than carved.

  The day before, when he had used his rank skill on Peter, he had absorbed part of the temple’s structural knowledge: main corridors, watch points, restricted zones. Even so, walking through it in person was different. There were details no skill could fully convey. The uneven echo of footsteps, the metallic tang in the air, the uneasy sense that this place had once been something far greater.

  That was when a female voice cut in, firm and direct. “I heard you saved our soldiers.”

  Luke turned and met Cassandra’s gaze. She stood straight, her expression carefully controlled, but there was something in her eyes that made it clear she was constantly evaluating everything around her.

  “Yeah. Ran into a group on the road.”

  “And then you left them walking around in their underwear,” she added, her tone unchanged.

  Luke shrugged. “They tried something. At least I didn’t kill them.”

  Cassandra didn’t react right away. She simply held his gaze for a few seconds, weighing the answer, then moved on as if she had reached her conclusion.

  Layla had already confirmed everything for him. There was no mistake. This was Cassandra Weiss, a noble, the direct daughter of one of the four generals of the Kingdom of Lagras. That explained the quiet authority she carried without ever needing to raise her voice.

  The chamber they were in was vast. Squad leaders, junior commanders, and mercenaries from different regions were scattered throughout the space. Some wore standardized armor, others clearly made do with improvised gear. Cassandra’s group had just arrived from the region where her main forces were stationed. They had come to reclaim the military base that had recently fallen.

  At the far end of the main wall, something caught Luke’s attention.

  It was not an ordinary map.

  The stone itself had been worked with such precision that the relief formed a map carved directly into the temple’s structure. It didn’t look like the work of anyone present, nor of ordinary engineers. This was part of the temple itself. The map showed only the area surrounding the forge, as if the rest of the world had been irrelevant when the temple was built.

  “I’ll bring everyone up to date on the situation,” Cassandra said, drawing the room’s attention.

  Luke found himself pulled into the meeting, though his interest was strictly practical. He owed nothing to anyone here.

  “Miles is still there with his men,” Cassandra continued. “And every day, more join him. They’re coming through illegal rifts. This was a large-scale, coordinated attack. There’s no doubt about that.”

  A low murmur spread through the room.

  “A coordinated attack against the Kingdom of Lagras?” one of the mercenaries asked.

  “Support from other kingdoms, perhaps,” Peter suggested.

  “Either way, the bastards were smart,” someone else said. “They control the exit.”

  “And what’s their objective?”

  “What do you think?” Cassandra replied calmly. “They want the treasures. They’re funding a military officer who rebelled. From the way this unfolded, this wasn’t something a baron just woke up and decided on. He has significant backing, meticulous planning, and he’s not playing to lose.”

  Luke narrowed his eyes, listening in silence. Strategy. Fragile alliances. Conflicting interests. Even if everyone used the village as a base, that did not mean unity. Independent military forces, private enterprises, and hired mercenaries coexisted there, cooperating only as far as it served their own goals.

  As the meeting dragged on, the atmosphere grew heavier. The silence that settled in was not from a lack of questions, but from no one wanting to be the next to voice their concerns out loud.

  When the general discussion finally ended, Luke was escorted to a smaller, private room with Cassandra Weiss and a few members of her inner circle.

  Cassandra sat at the table, reading through neatly stacked reports. She did not look rushed, but Luke noticed how carefully she examined each page.

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  “I owe you thanks twice over, James,” she said without looking up. “You saved four of my men, and you dealt with an attack on the camp.”

  “I didn’t do it out of honor or bravery. I’m interested in the undiscovered treasure, and I need information.”

  She paused for a moment and looked at him. There was no irritation in her eyes, only quiet assessment. Then she returned to the report.

  “You don’t bother hiding your intentions.”

  “Is it a problem if I, or anyone else, claims the treasure? I’m not going to start a war with the Kingdom of Lagras, am I?” Luke asked.

  He did not particularly care about the answer, but he wanted to understand how this world worked. Kingdoms. Borders. Authority. Everything here seemed to follow rules of its own.

  “A dimension is a gray territory,” Cassandra replied. “It doesn’t matter where it appears. This place belongs to no one.”

  “And you’re not worried I might be some kind of spy, or that I’ll launch an attack and burn everything down? You trust me that easily?”

  “A letter reached me a few weeks ago mentioning you, or at least someone matching your profile. And the representative, the girl named Layla, confirmed it. You’re from the other continent. The one without magic. You’re American.”

  Luke kept his expression neutral.

  Good thing Eleanor didn’t give her my real name.

  Cassandra continued, setting the reports aside.

  “There are three major factions here: Arcadia, the Order of Ardan, and the Red Eight Fingers.”

  “Time is running out,” Luke said. “Aren’t you worried one of them will find the last treasure?”

  “Arcadia has no intention of claiming it. They are… how should I put it… freer people.” She paused briefly. “I could say they stumbled upon their treasure by coincidence, but there was no coincidence. They simply lack ambition.”

  She placed the papers neatly on the table.

  “Arcadia is out of the race. Miles has his main forces stationed at the exit rift, so he’s not committing much effort to the treasure hunt either.”

  “That leaves the Order of Ardan,” Luke said.

  “Yes. Those alchemists have become a problem. They used to be neutral. We had a kind of mutual non-aggression understanding.”

  “They’re in the Spore Forest, aren’t they?” Luke asked.

  “They’re the only ones who can survive there,” Peter added. “That place is covered in a poisonous mist that never fades. Many of our people died trying to pass through. The forest itself is poison. Trees, soil, even the smallest plants.”

  “Either way,” Cassandra said calmly, “the most dangerous player is stuck at the exit base. He put himself in that position on the board.”

  Cassandra rose from the table.

  “Even so, I need to inform the other side of our situation. We need reinforcements, and we need to retake control of the exit rift,” she said. “Miles is a dangerous man. After he found the spear, he became greedy. He’ll do anything to secure the remaining treasures.”

  A spear?

  The word echoed in Luke’s mind, but he didn’t interrupt.

  “We all need to work together,” Cassandra continued. “What do you say to joining my army? You fight far above the average. I want to launch an assault on the base and reclaim it.”

  “Join your army?”

  “We pay well,” Peter added. “This land is rich. Gold, rare ores. Real compensation. Not mercenary scraps. You’d have shelter, food, rank. Or, if you prefer, accept a proper reward as a contractor. We’re all in the same boat here.”

  “I’m not interested,” Luke replied.

  The soldiers in the room stared at him, confused.

  “Then what’s your price?” Cassandra asked.

  “Give me the treasure you found in this temple, and I’ll consider it.”

  Peter laughed. “This guy’s messing with us.”

  “The four treasures don’t interest me,” Luke said calmly. “I want the legacy hidden in these lands. And odds are, that’s what you want too. So that’s my price. The treasure.”

  “You think you’re special, mercenary,” Peter scoffed. “There are plenty of men out there just as strong as you. We don’t need your help.”

  Luke stood.

  “Then why did you agree to talk to us if you never intended to accept the deal?” Cassandra asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Luke said over his shoulder. “I just wanted to steal all the information in this place.”

  He walked out.

  Inside the room, unnoticed by anyone, Luke had already activated [Soul Infiltration] on one of them.

  “That guy’s a piece of shit,” Peter muttered.

  Luke kept listening.

  ***

  Leaving the camp behind, Luke felt the weight of the military structure slowly peel away. The metallic clatter of armor, overlapping voices, and constant tension faded as he followed the path leading out of the temple’s controlled zone.

  He had already gotten everything he needed. Beyond the intelligence pulled directly from the meeting, he now knew the truth. The temple wasn’t just an improvised strategic position. It was an ancient superforge.

  The forest swallowed sound quickly. Trees grew denser. The ground became uneven. Luke kept a steady pace, unhurried, alert. Still, something nagged at him.

  After nearly an hour of walking, he finally spoke without looking back.

  “Layla, why are you following me?”

  “You said you’d get me out of here. And I’m doing my job.” The answer came without hesitation. Luke kept moving, eyes scanning the terrain.

  “I don’t have time to babysit you. I’m going to loop through the forest and then disappear. I’ll leave you behind. You should turn back.”

  “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing, Layla.”

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