Chapter 463

“Why do you want us to stop by Lessis?” the prince asked after Ajax informed him of his request.

“I wasn’t planning on returning to the capital originally.” Ajax explained. “There are things I at least need to put in motion, not to mention that I have to drop off certain people and resources I picked up along the way.” 

Ajax couldn’t wait to see the reaction his family would have to the mountain of gold he was about to drop on their laps. Unlike everything else he had brought back from a dungeon previously this resource didn’t need to be traded to a specialised buyer. He was directly boosting their coffers.

“A delay now won’t be good.” the prince pressed. 

“Lessis would be less than a day out of the way.” Ajax argued back. “Not to mention I have to pick up my staff.”

“Why would you need that?” the prince asked confused. 

“Because I am almost level fifty four.” Ajax answered. “Once I return to my duchy I will be catching up with a lot of Skills I haven’t practiced for a while, not to mention what I could probably gain from my first true exposure to ruling. I think my leveling will keep the same place it has so far…” 

“Before the experience boost.” The prince swore under his breath once he realized what that meant. He had planned to have at least another year before Ajax would be close to reaching level fifty six and their attempt to gain an achievement from the level one hundred and ten floor boss would need to happen. That timeline had just moved up a lot.

This change in his travel plans also solidified Ajax’s decision of proposing to Lexi only after they returned from their attempt at the Achievement. They’d be in the capital then and he could do it at her family’s estate. The only question Ajax had remaining was how much should he share with her before that happens. It was not news to anyone that he had a lot of secrets, but while Lexi had taken every revelation in stride so far there could be some things that pushed too far and he wanted her to make an informed decision when he asked the question. 

“Do we want to try this with just ten people or go for a group of forty?” The prince asked. 

Unlike the other decisions this was something he could make without having to consult his father and brother. Since the delve could happen again if it was needed and it worked. 

“Best you stick with just ten.” Oliver said , trying to be objective. “Gathering forty promising people under level fifty five will draw a lot of attention. Not something you want to disappoint on if it doesn’t work.” 

“Benedict should still be in the Capital.” Ajax suggested, he was already unhappy that his friend had missed out on delving in the Empire’s main dungeon for a second time; he didn't want him to fall any further behind.

“We’ll stick with ten then.” the prince nodded. “WIth the four of you that brings us up to five. We need five more.” 

“I say you take a few of the specialists.” one of the squad commanders said. 

The specialists were combatants that focused a more restricted number of skills, all relating to combat and pairing well together. This meant that their leveling was particularly slower than others, even those that were less talented and lazier. It did however mean that they were a menace to face at an equal level for anyone other than Ajax. Even with all the dungeon they had just delved, while they were certainly favored, Lexi, Anna and Xavier would all need to be careful in a fight against them. 

“Their value is about to go up a lot.” Xavier agreed. “With the access to dungeons we are about to have their lifespans are going to increase, especially if they manage to reach the evolution. They will have a lot more time to grow their skills.” 

“That’s not the best argument.” Ajax disagreed. “The foreign delve spots should be focused on the talented young people. They would get much more out of the experience increase, especially if they manage to get the same Achievement I did.” 

“You forget how many DIscoveries that Achievement requires.” Anna stepped in. “I am unsure if I will be able to amass enough of them by the time I reach that point. Some might even be forced to stop pushing their delves until after they turn fifty just so they can get the worse Achievement since it is half the cost in Discoveries.” 

Unlike most things Discoveries weren’t something that someone could track, Ajax was pretty certain that this was to ensure that nobody could abuse the system in such a way as to perfectly track and pave the way for someone to get specific Achievements. Unless you had a reward like the ones Ajax had for both Enigma and the evolution you were always at risk of not being deemed eligible for an Achievement that required Discoveries.

The discussion continued as the group tried to reason out who would be a better investment, the older stronger but more limited specialists or the younger more talented but currently weaker prodigies. In the end it was decided that it would be best to get a mix of them for their first try at getting the Achievement. 

“I’m surprised you’re not pushing to have your family join.” Lexi said. 

“No point for them to join now.” Ajax answered. “If it doesn’t work then we would all have wasted a few weeks right at the moment when we need them the most to get settled. If it does work I’ll just have to take them later, the other Dungeon in the capital has a floor boss at level one hundred and eighteen. I’ll be able to get them that Achievement all the way until I am level sixty.” 

Ajax was sure that by that point he would have grown strong enough to handle a variety of floor bosses. He was already quite a bit stronger than he was back in Sylvanthal and his power would continue to increase for a while yet, between the potions and getting used to his new limits an eight level increase in the floor boss would still be something he could handle, the only issue would be if his family would be able to endure it. Any elemental floor boss would be able to kill them with its sheer presence.

Their arrival in Lessis surprised a lot of people. The guards were quick to let them enter the city but it was clear they were scrambling to inform their superiors about the arrival of three out of the eight royal squads as well as the oldest prince.

“Have them take us to one of the barracks.” Ajax said. “Someone there has to know where to find my family.” 

Ajax was surprised how quickly the large carriages maneuvered through the city streets, clearly it paid to be so important that the guards ensured you quick passage. Once they entered the courtyard of one of the barracks the group started to disembark from the carriages.

It was odd for Ajax. While he didn’t recognise most of the people that were lining up to welcome them there was one person he knew well, from the rank on his uniform it seems that Ajax wasn’t the only one to move up in the world since the last time they saw each other.

“Your Highness! It’s an honour to welcome you to Lessis.” the warden said with a respectful salute. “I apologise for the poor reception, we were not aware of your visit.” 

“No need to fret warden, it was an unplanned visit.” the prince responded. “If you could have one of your men lead us to House Hearthbound’s temporary residence we’ll be out of your way.” 

“Commander Grievous.” Ajax’s voice was a mixture of joy and surprise, he hadn’t thought about the old guard officer in a while so his presence came as a surprise even though it probably shouldn’t have. “Or should I say warden now. It seems you’ve moved up in the world.” 

“Ajax!” The warden was so focused on the prince that he didn’t register Ajax’s presence until he spoke. He visibly winced as soon as the word left his mouth however and he quickly corrected himself. “Welcome, Duke Hearthbound.” 

“No need for all that warden.” Ajax waved off his formal greeting. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the coming months. For now we are in a bit of a hurry so if you could point us in the direction of my family.” 

“Ofcourse!” Grievous nodded and turned to the only commander present. “Lead them to the temporary Hearthbound estate.

Unfortunately it seemed that the group hadn’t moved quickly enough. It had barely been a minute since they exited the carriages but already there seemed to be another commotion happening at the entrance to the barracks.

“I am here to talk to the prince.” a loud but strong voice said. “Out of my way.” 

It didn’t take long for the owner of the voice to push its way into the courtyard with a few threats, followed in his wake by a few people. Some of them Ajax recognised and one specific person quickly turned smothered his happiness as being back in Lessis.

“Your Highness.” the loud voice called out as they approached with a deep and respectful bow. “Please excuse me but I ask to be heard. I am Baron Nestor, and these lands should belong to my family.”