New land?
After witnessing the dam grow, the party headed back to shore.
The swift boats rose and fell in the swell as the boatmen rowed hard, steering them out of the shadow cast by the magnificent dam.
The nobles crowded onto the decks, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
"He said... new land. What did he mean?"
The knight with the short mustache finally found his voice again and turned to Ansel beside him.
The old baron did not look at him.
His gaze passed over the bow and settled on the vast stretch of water enclosed by the dam.
Dawn light pierced the clouds, laying a sheet of gold across the calm water.
"He meant that once the water inside is drained..."
"Everything between the original shoreline and that new wall will be new land for Dawn Territory."
Ansel's words brought everyone around him back to life.
"I think that wall... it must have cost a fortune to build. I'd wager the Gray Marsh Baron used some kind of single-use wondrous item."
"A wondrous item? Have you ever seen one that could build something like that?"
A clamor of discussion broke out, but everyone's eyes involuntarily strayed toward the lone figure standing on the shore.
No one dared mention words like "Swamp Deserter" or "fraud" anymore.
Now they had only one question: how much did it cost to create land?
Land.
To a noble, that word carried more weight than gold, more than bloodline.
"Your Excellency!"
A shout interrupted their thoughts.
A swift boat forced its way past the boats beside it and drew alongside Diana's flagship.
A slightly portly baron leaped across before his boat had even come to a complete stop.
"Baron Kru, what are you doing?" Diana's guard reached out to stop him.
"Your Excellency!"