Nova descended the wooden stairs to Quinn's basement. The air grew cooler with each step, carrying the faint smell of damp stone and preserved fish. A floating light from his palm cast eerie shadows against the rough walls, illuminating dusty shelves lined with jars and barrels.

In the far corner, a circular pattern of blue runes glowed softly against the stone floor. Nova approached the teleportation formation, noting the steady pulse that indicated a clear signal from the other side.

'I hope she's not too surprised,' he thought, stepping onto the glowing circle.

The runes flared as he sent his essence through the patterns, surrounding him with a column of blue light. His vision blurred as the magic took effect.

When his sight cleared, the cramped basement had vanished. Nova now stood in Larena's spacious office. Early moonlight streamed through tall windows, bathing the polished furniture in a cold glow. Larena sat behind her desk with a quill in her hand, looking up with surprise.

"Oh! Nova, I wasn't expecting you to show up again today." She set her quill down, careful not to spill ink on the report she'd been writing.

"I figured I might as well get the meeting with Newark over with. But I also wanted to meet you." Nova moved toward her desk, jumping up in a chair so he wouldn't have to stand on his toes.

"Oh?" Larena leaned forward with a smile.

"The church has fulfilled their part of the deal and given us an entire academy to use."

"Really? That's wonderful!" She clasped her hands together, looking genuinely joyful at the revelation.

Nova smiled, hoping her bright mood would improve his chances. He knew she would hesitate to take the position. "Yes, it is. But we need someone to handle the day-to-day business. So, I was wondering if you'd be willing to take the seat of headmaster."

"Me?" Larena's eyes widened. She half-rose from her chair before sinking back down. "But I—How would I even...?"

"I think you'd do a great job. Annelie and I aren't fit for it for several reasons, and we also prefer having more freedom to act in the shadows. And we know we can trust you."

Larena stared out the window for a moment, considering the offer. "...Well, what would I have to do?"

"Just do what's best for the children. Hire people to take care of them, manage their salaries, resolve any issues that you don't need me to solve..." Nova counted off the tasks on his small fingers. "Since you're a captain, I figured that would be right in your alley."

"...True." Larena nodded slowly, growing more certain with each passing second. "Yes, I think I could do that. As long as you're available to help with any major issues."

"Of course. I'll probably take a spot as a teacher, though the children are likely too young to learn most of my material at this point. But I have plenty of forging I want to get done." Nova's mind already raced with possibilities for magical items he could create.

"There's a forge?" Larena raised an eyebrow.

"Probably not, but I can build one pretty quickly if I have the materials. I need it to be specially designed in any case." Nova moved to the window, looking out at the moon hanging low in the sky. He could never shake the feeling it was watching him.

"I'm sure you have some interesting methods this world isn't aware of, right?" Larena's voice held a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Probably." Nova turned back to her. "My plan with meeting Newark is to buy all the children over two years old today. We'll have to discuss what to do with the current caretakers and guards. And how to transport all of the children."

"Yeah, teleporting that many would be impossible, right?" Larena tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the desk.

"I don't have that much essence yet. Not even close." Nova shook his head, mentally calculating what it would take to move over a thousand children.

"Right. I guess hiring carriages would work?"

"Maybe. But I'm sure Newark will have more options. You enjoy the rest of your evening. I can get back on my own." Nova moved toward the door, ready for his next task.

"Oh, sure! I can't wait to get out of this opulent office." Larena gestured to the lavish surroundings with poorly disguised distaste.

Nova stifled a crooked smile, knowing that the exact same type of office was waiting for her in the academy. "...Right. Good night, Larena."

"Good night, and good luck!" She called after him as he slipped into the corridor.

The castle halls were quiet at this hour. Most of the staff had retired for the evening, and only the occasional guard patrolled the stone passages. Soon enough, he was back on the roof, where no one had ever disturbed his travel.

'Newark won't like another late-night visit,' Nova thought. 'But some conversations are best held in darkness. Even he knows that.'

He soon spotted the familiar study, and with a quick jump through the shadows, he stood inside it once again.

"Hello, Governor."

Newark sighed, setting down the document he'd been reading. "Hello, Noctis. Would it be possible for us to meet in a more regular manner? I don't like sudden visits at night."

"Oh, really? That's unexpected. I could always knock on your window first." Nova shrugged, smiling to himself. "Otherwise, that will have to be up to you. How do you usually receive visitors you've conspired treason with?"

"Oh, so now that you have the contract you can reveal your true colors?" Newark's mouth tightened with displeasure.

"You knew this was treason when you agreed." Nova met his gaze steadily. "Sometimes, treason is the right choice. And this is one of those times."

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Newark stared at him for a long moment before looking away. "...Why are you here?"

"To lighten some of your burden." Nova approached the desk. "I now have a place to keep the children, so, if you're willing, I'd like to make a purchase."

"All of them?" Newark's eyebrows rose.

"No, unfortunately, we don't have the support needed to take care of the youngest yet." Nova shook his head. "But everyone over two years of age should be fine."

Newark drummed his fingers against the polished wood. "...How do you suggest I deal with the caretakers and guards that suddenly are out of a job?"

"The guards can be placed elsewhere, but the caretakers..." Nova's voice cooled. "I don't know. Personally, I think they deserve to die, but that might expose our plan."

"...Do I deserve to die?" Newark asked quietly.

Nova didn't hesitate. "Yes. But you're too useful alive, and too risky to kill. Isn't that why you agreed to the contract?"

"It was part of it..." Newark looked down at his desk. "What about using contracts to silence the caretakers as well?"

"I can't hold that many contracts at once. Each one takes a toll on the soul." Nova watched Newark's face carefully. "You might feel the one we have."

"Oh, that's what that is..." Newark's hand moved to his chest, across his heart. "How many do you have?"

"Four active ones. Although I can probably remove one." He walked up to one of the many shelves of books in the study, pretending like he could read the titles.

'There's no need to keep Larena's contract going. She has more than proven her loyalty.'

"Then I guess that's not a possibility..." Newark frowned, staring into the middle distance. His fingers tapped a restless pattern on the desktop. "How about sending them to the nearest dungeon?"

"Imprisoning them? On what grounds?" Nova tilted his head, watching the governor's expression shift.

"No, no, to the monster dungeon. The one in the next city over, Bergrott." Newark made a dismissive gesture, as if the distinction should be obvious.

"...Monster dungeon?"

'A dungeon filled with monsters? Without the risk of encountering any ancient beasts? Is it just falling into my lap like this?'

"Yeah, dungeons with monsters." Newark looked at him strangely. "You don't have those in the upper realm?"

'Oh right, I'm an immortal in his eyes. The upper realm?'

Questions about this world kept swirling in his head, and this one especially. But he couldn't ask without blowing his cover. "No, tell me more about them."

"Oh, well, what's to tell? They are generally deep cave systems with monsters, scaling in strength as you go deeper. They're hotspots for adventurers and gamblers, bringing tons of income to the city through their dungeon dives. But they're very dangerous, of course."

"Doesn't that… Why would you need to harvest children if that can be done?"

"Oh, it's not something anyone can do. Even the first level is way too dangerous for normal people. And you can never repeat a level you've already cleared, so going back in is always a risk."

"That's extremely interesting." Nova stored the information away carefully. Natural monster spawning grounds could be an excellent way for him and Annelie to grow in power. He still had many questions, but they could wait. "Why would sending the caretakers there work?"

"Well, wouldn't it make you happy to see them die in a dungeon?" Newark spread his hands, as if offering a gift.

Nova studied the governor's face. He didn't expect that reasoning. "...It would, but how is that any better than just killing them? And why would they accept it?" Nova pressed. "Also, wouldn't it make them suspicious about what's happening here?"

"They all work in shifts, so if we send them in smaller groups, they would never know that the others aren't still working here." Newark leaned forward, warming to his plan. His eyes took on a calculating gleam. "They would just think they had been fired while the others kept working."

"I'll just trust that you'll handle it." Nova walked toward the window, looking out at the moonlit city below. "Can we still start moving the children tomorrow?"

"Give me a couple of days, please." Newark shuffled some papers on his desk. "I'll let you know the exact moment they leave so the children won't go hungry while waiting for you."

"Sounds good." Nova turned back to face the governor.

Newark hesitated, then spoke in a softer tone, one Nova hadn't heard him use before. "I spoke to Liz after our last talk. And I now realize you were telling the truth. You did save her."

"It wasn't on purpose, if that helps your conscience." Nova's voice remained neutral, though a flicker of something passed through his eyes.

"Not much." A sigh escaped the governor's lips before he continued, "She wanted to meet you to thank you herself." His gaze dropped momentarily to his hands, which had stopped their nervous movement and now lay flat against the wooden surface.

"Oh." The request caught Nova off guard. "Well, she can find me in the academy next to the upper district in a few days."

"Burgenstone?" Newark's head snapped up, eyes widening as the pieces fell into place. "That's why they suddenly left?"

"Probably. It was taken care of by the church, so don't blame me." Nova crossed his arms.

"The church? They owed you?" The governor's eyebrows rose in surprise, creating deep furrows across his forehead.

"A little bit." Nova kept his answer deliberately vague. He had no intention of revealing his role in saving Damascus if he could help it.

"...The academy closing down caused me a bit of a problem." Newark's expression hardened.

"Oh no, that's a shame." Nova didn't bother hiding his sarcasm.

"Did you want to make a deal or not?" Newark's patience was clearly wearing thin. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he stared at Nova.

"Sure. How much will I have to give you for everyone over two years old?"

The chair creaked under Newark's weight as he leaned forward. "There are nearly one thousand two hundred children above two years of age. That comes out to thirty-six thousand Soul Power on average. And that's standardized Soul Power, about twenty thousand if we're dealing with pure souls."

"Ah, then I've got plenty. Do you have a soul stone?" Nova stepped closer to the desk, glancing at the many stacks of documents laid out across it. They made him somewhat thankful he had left Newark alive, leaving him to take care of all the menial tasks of a governor.

Newark didn't notice his relieved stare. "I do. Here." He retrieved a high-quality soul stone from his desk, much smoother than the one Nova usually saw in Collport. But if compared to the one the church used, it was shoddy. Not spherical at all.

Nova reached out and took the stone. The surface felt cool against his skin. He channeled his essence into it, transferring souls worth twenty thousand Soul Power combined. The stone pulsed with light during the transfer, casting eerie shadows across their faces. This left him with only ten thousand Soul Power in reserve—as long as the void lord wasn't counted. That one was still being saved for a rainy day.

"So, how do we transfer the children?" Nova handed the now-filled stone back to Newark, who slipped it into his pocket with a satisfied nod.

"You can't teleport them?" The governor's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I can teleport one at a time, even five. But twelve hundred would take me months." Nova shook his head, calculating the essence cost in his mind.

"...Carriages?" Newark suggested after a moment of silence.

"I'm open to using carriages. But won't you need to parade the children through your castle to get them out?" The smell of wood polish and old parchment filled Nova's nostrils as he studied the governor's face.

Newark steepled his fingers, thinking. "Maybe we could do it at night? The guards never do their jobs then anyway. Plus, we have their captain on our side. She can just forget setting up a night shift that day."

"Sure. I'll help you bring them along from the chambers and into the carriages. And I'll bring some friends."

"Then I think we have a plan." Newark sat back in his chair, the leather creaking softly beneath him. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

"Play your cards right, and I might return for the rest of your wares." Nova smiled briefly at the governor before dropping back into the shadows and leaving through his usual route.

"You'd better."

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