Chapter 11: The System Reward
Alone in the cavernous throne room, Elias leaned back against the ancient gold, the resonant hum a comforting thrum against his racing thoughts. *Three Rank Nine Masters. An entire clan of master craftsmen.* The sheer impossibility of it still echoed in his mind. He closed his eyes, picturing the colossal, decaying palace – a structure easily ten times the size of his father's imperial compound. Where to even *begin* rebuilding such a monument? The task felt Herculean, even with dwarven aid. He needed foundations reforged, walls resurrected, mechanisms restored...
Suddenly, the familiar cool blue glow of the System Interface materialized before him, banishing the shadows.
> **[Hidden Quest Complete: Sanctuary of the Skyfallen]**
> *Objective: Grant refuge and earn the sworn loyalty of the Skyfallen Dwarven Clan. (Completed)*
> *Rewards:*
> * *3x "Card of Anamnesis" (Restores any non-living object to its original, undamaged state. Single use per card.)*
> *Accept Rewards? [Y/N]*
Elias stared, momentarily stunned. *Sanctuary of the Skyfallen?* The System recognized the pact! And the reward... His breath hitched. Card of Anamnesis. Restore any broken thing. His gaze swept the crumbling grandeur around him – the cracked flagstones, the fractured statues, the sagging archways. A wild, incredulous hope surged through him. With these, the palace wouldn't just be rebuilt; it could be restored to its lost glory.
"Accept!" Elias commanded, his voice echoing with newfound fervor.
Three rectangles of pure, shimmering gold materialized mid-air, hovering before the throne. Intricate, glowing silver patterns swirled across their surfaces – interlocking geometric shapes resembling both roots and celestial orbits. They pulsed with a soft, potent energy that resonated with the throne's own hum. Elias reached out, his fingers tingling as they closed around the cool, dense cards. They felt weighty, significant. He carefully slid them into an inner pocket of his tunic, their presence against his chest a tangible promise of renewal.
As the Cards of Anamnesis vanished into his clothes, the System prompt flickered again:
> **[Quest Reward: Conquer the Unknown Island"" - Ready for Claim]**
> *Rewards]
> * ***The Four Natural Spirits (Awaiting Binding)***
> *Claim Spirit Reward? [Y/N]*
*The Four Natural Spirits.* Elias remembered dismissing this earlier.
Four orbs of pure, radiant light burst into existence above the throne dais, each the size of a large apple. They weren't just golden; they shimmered with shifting hues – deep emerald green, vibrant sky blue, warm sunlit amber, and rich earthy brown. They pulsed like miniature hearts, humming with distinct energies: the scent of fresh rain, the crackle of distant lightning, the warmth of sun-baked stone, and the whisper of wind through leaves filled the air.
Then, they *unfolded.*
Light coalesced, forming four tiny, breathtakingly beautiful figures, no taller than Elias's hand. Delicate, iridescent wings – like spun crystal and gossamer – fluttered behind them. One had hair like spun moss and eyes like dewdrops . Another had hair like liquid sapphire and eyes holding storm clouds . The third radiated warmth, her hair like spun gold and eyes like miniature suns . The last seemed woven from sunlight and breeze, her hair like sun-bleached wheat and eyes holding shifting skies . They hovered, blinking curiously, their tiny faces expressions of wonder and nascent awareness, their wings humming softly.
The System prompt flashed urgently:
> **[Binding Required for Natural Spirits]**
> *Warning: Unbound Natural Spirits will dissipate within 1 hour.*
> *Binding Ritual: Place a single drop of your blood upon the forehead of each Spirit to establish the Sovereign Bond. This links them to your will and anchors them to your domain.*
Elias didn't hesitate. Bringing his thumb to his teeth, he bit down sharply. A bead of crimson welled. Holding his hand steady, he gently extended his bleeding thumb towards the first spirit, the one radiating earthy vitality.
"Welcome," Elias murmured softly as the drop of blood touched the tiny space between her wide, emerald eyes.
The effect was instantaneous. The blood droplet vanished, absorbed in a flash of soft light. The Spirit's eyes snapped fully into focus, losing their vague wonder and gaining sharp intelligence and deep connection. She let out a tiny chime-like sound of pure joy and zipped forward, brushing her tiny hand against Elias's cheek – a sensation like cool moss and warm soil. He repeated the process.
As the last drop was absorbed, the Four Natural Spirits erupted into a dizzying aerial dance. They spiraled around Elias's head like living constellations, leaving faint trails of their respective elemental hues – green, blue, gold, and white. Their laughter was the sound of rustling leaves, babbling brooks, crackling hearths, and sighing winds harmonized into pure, ethereal music.
"System: Open Empire Panel.'"
The familiar blue interface shimmered into existence, overlaying his vision, he saw four lager islands surrounding the fifth island in the middle, but he saw that only the fifth island was light up in gold colour but the other four were dark , he asked the system ,
"System: Why are those islands dark? Are they hostile?'* Elias thought urgently.
* *Outlying Islands (Eastern, Northern, Western, Southern):* Unclaimed Territories. Status: Non-Hostile/Uninhabited. Proximity: Adjacent to Lord's Territory (Within 50 nautical miles).
> * *Note:* Unclaimed territories offer no resources or system benefits. Claim requires physical presence and formal declaration by the Sovereign.
Elias studied the panel further:
> **[Empire Name: Unknown]**
> * *Population:* ~1,200 (Human), 250 (Dwarven - Skyfallen Clan)
> * *Controlled Territory:* 1/5 Islands (20%)
His gaze lingered on the three **Cards of Anamnesis** in his inner pocket. * he was planning to use one card to restore the central island and the other two card to restore the est and west island.
As he was still in thought , the heavy door creaked open. Gareth and Sir Edward entered, their disciplined strides faltering instantly. Both knights froze, eyes wide with shock, fixed on the Four Natural Spirits flitting around Elias's throne. Gareth's knuckles whitened on his sword hilt; Sir Edward's grip tightened on the ledger. They had seen Natural Spirits in the Imperial Capital – rare, jealously guarded status symbols bestowed only on the Emperor's favored and som important people. But Elias, the banished outcast, should have none.