Chapter 457
The geothermal energy beneath this planet was effectively limitless. If properly harnessed, it would be an almost incalculable source of wealth.
Unfortunately, that wealth was still theoretical.
Before Evenson could worry about extracting anything, he first had to make sure the planet actually belonged to him.
And that meant finishing the beacon.
Evenson and the Eredar twins stood together in a circle, their hands linked as they chanted in unison. The strange syllables rolled through the air, precise and ancient.
This was not some mystical song of friendship.
They were casting an extremely advanced teleportation beacon.
Evenson wanted to establish the Fel Rift on this planet, but there was one small logistical problem.
How exactly did you move a demon fortress from the Twisting Nether to another world?
He couldn’t exactly call a tow truck.
The solution was to establish a high-grade teleportation beacon first. Once the Fel Rift was ready, they could simply use the beacon to bring it across.
And considering the Fel Rift was a demon fortress roughly the size of the Moon, this was not the sort of teleportation you attempted with one of Evenson’s usual bargain-bin beacons.
"Ea!"
The three voices ended on the same syllable.
Their hands separated.
Evenson immediately let out a long breath.
"See? This is why I don’t normally bother with high-quality teleportation beacons. They’re a pain to set up."
"Spare me."
Othressis raised an eyebrow and gave him an unimpressed look.
"When I was setting up teleportation beacons, you probably weren’t even a viable organism yet. Don’t stand there pretending this is some terrible ordeal."
"Exactly."
Salorath put her hands on her hips.
"If you’re so worried about wasting materials, then stop whining about it. This is an important undertaking, and you don’t have the skill to handle it yourself, so we’re doing you a favor. We know you’re broke enough to rattle when you walk, and we supplied all the materials this time. We didn’t complain about that."
She paused.
"But you getting the benefit and then acting like you’ve suffered some terrible hardship..."
She reached out one slender finger and jabbed Evenson firmly in the forehead.
"...is unbelievably annoying."
"I was joking."
Evenson rubbed his forehead with an awkward grin.
"Why are you taking it so seriously?"
He looked around.
"Still, you’ve got to admit, this is a pretty good place for the beacon. Nice work, you two."
The twins’ handiwork was difficult to miss.
For several miles in every direction, the ground had been transformed into a vast lake of molten rock. Othressis’s earlier spell had stopped, but the lava was still bubbling steadily from beneath the surface.
The lake would no longer expand, but neither was it going to cool down anytime soon.
That made it an excellent defensive perimeter.
Whatever vicious wildlife had survived on this planet, Evenson couldn’t imagine many creatures swimming across a lake of lava just to smash a teleportation beacon.
Flying creatures wouldn’t have much better luck.
The air around the area was already saturated with toxins, and the heat alone would probably roast anything foolish enough to fly through it.
As for the Hive, Evenson wasn’t quite willing to bet his life on its absence.
After Othressis’s little demonstration, however, he doubted they would be eager to approach this place again.
And there was another safeguard.
Evenson glanced at the black, faceted crystal floating in front of him. It was more than a meter long, its dark surface reflecting the hellish glow of the surrounding lava. Several strands of purple runic magic coiled around it like chains.
Salorath had layered the beacon with additional Shadow magic as a security measure.
Not exactly subtle.
But then again, neither was the planet anymore.
"Hmm."
Evenson’s compliment had clearly pleased the Eredar twins.
Othressis smiled and gently placed a hand against his cheek.
"Surely you realize by now that we’re much better to you than that little kitten, don’t you?"
"Of course."
Evenson smiled and covered her hand with his.
"I’ll never forget how good you two have been to me. And I’ve always known you’re both far more capable than Kleia."
Othressis immediately broke into delighted laughter.
She only stopped when Salorath gave a pointed cough from beside her.
Othressis reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Salorath glanced sideways at her sister.
Every time they talked about dignity, restraint, and maintaining their status, Othressis was always the loudest advocate.
And yet somehow, every single time Evenson smiled at them, she was the first one to run over and start acting sweet.
Honestly, Salorath was beginning to wonder why anyone still called her the schemer of the Eredar twins.
Then she looked back at Evenson.
A faint, wicked smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
That little speech he’d just given?
It would be absolutely hilarious if she repeated it to that "little kitten" later.
Kleia had tried to use the twins as weapons against Evenson. She wanted them to stop him from fooling around outside, while also hoping to damage the relationship between Evenson and the twins.
Two goals with one move.
A clever little plan.
Too bad Salorath had no intention of letting her get away with it.
If she didn’t make the kitten regret playing that game, what kind of dark-hearted woman would she be?
Salorath abruptly grabbed Othressis and pulled her away from Evenson.
"Enough. It’s getting late, and we’ve finished what we came here to do. We’re leaving."
"Huh?"
Evenson blinked.
He’d been enjoying himself, so the sudden departure caught him off guard.
Then he remembered how long they’d already been here.
He still had business to handle.
"All right."
Salorath drew her short blade.
With a single slash through the air, space behind her twisted violently. A moment later, a black portal opened.
She stood beside it and nodded toward Evenson.
"Come with us. You can see for yourself what a proper high-quality beacon looks like when it’s used for teleportation."
"No, I’ll stay."
Evenson waved her off.
"I still have something to take care of."
Salorath stared at him for a moment.
The old man’s most valuable possession had already been squeezed out of him. What else could possibly be worth Evenson’s attention?
Her eyes narrowed.
"That old man’s already handed over the most valuable thing he had. What else are you still after?"
Othressis suddenly understood.
One entire planet had practically been extorted out of the man.
What could he possibly have left that Evenson wanted?
Her expression changed.
"Don’t tell me you’re actually interested in his daughter."
"Absolutely not!"
Evenson denied it so quickly that he nearly tripped over his own words.
"I just think the old man gave me such a generous gift that I ought to return the favor."
Naturally, Evenson had no intention of stopping after one round.
A proper shakedown had to be thorough.
He’d barely gotten started.
"Speaking of which..."
Evenson glanced around the battlefield.
There was a small problem.
"Could you two get me off this planet first?"
The twins looked at him.
Evenson pointed toward the enormous lava lake surrounding them.
He couldn’t fly.
Unless he wanted to spend the rest of the day swimming through molten rock, he was going to need some assistance.
"Fine."
The twins exchanged a glance.
Salorath walked over, grabbed Evenson, and turned him toward the outside.
"Activate your Demonic Skin, Fel Armor, and Nether Protection."
"Already done."
Evenson finished activating the spells and nodded, still unsure what she was planning.
"Good."
Salorath smiled.
"Stand still. I’ll send you out."
The instant she said it, Evenson felt something move behind him.
A terrible sense of impending doom crawled up his spine.
"Wait..."
He barely had time to turn.
"AAAH!"
Salorath’s leg came flying forward.
Behold the power of the Dark Lady’s express delivery!