Rowan had now amassed 3,448 Emotion Points. According to the exchange rate provided by the system, every 300 Emotion Points could be exchanged for one primary attribute point.
Rounding off those 3,448 Emotion Points gave him 13 points of intellect.
My future wife is the one supplying the Emotion Points anyway. Once I spend them, I can just earn more.
Rowan immediately exchanged them for 13 points of intellect, then added them all to his intellect attribute.
Ding! A flood of information appeared on the system panel.
Host received: 13 points of intellect. Shadow affinity: 3/100. Holy Light affinity: 2/100. Arcane affinity: 2/100. Natural elemental affinity: 1/100. Unlocked Shadow Sigil: lv3; Skill acquired: Fear lv1. Skill effect: Frightens one enemy, disorienting them for 3s. Any form of damage can interrupt this effect. Effect is reduced by resistance. Skill acquired: Shadow Bolt lv1. Skill effect: Fires a shadow bolt at an enemy, dealing 1+14 spell power in shadow damage. Effect is reduced by resistance. Unlocked Holy Seal of Holy Light: lv2. Skill acquired: Flash of Light lv1. Skill effect: Restores 1+14 health to one friendly target (including the caster). Cannot heal bone damage. Unlocked arcane lore: lv2. Skill acquired: Fireball. Skill effect: Deals 1+14 fire magic damage to one enemy target. Effect is reduced by resistance. Unlocked natural elemental affinity: lv1. Skill acquired: Forge Sprite lv1. Skill effect: Summons two forge sprites (damage is negligible, but they can be kept as pets). Spirit +3, mana regeneration speed +5%.
He had to admit that those 13 points of intellect had given him quite a few new skills. They were all low-level skills, but this was only the first step. Moreover, the system's information made Rowan realize that he might not be just a mage. He could be a warlock, a priest, or even half a druid, and he could dabble in elemental powers as well.
Sure enough, transmigrators all get cheats.
Rowan glanced at his current attribute panel again. It had changed too.
Rowan Stamina: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Strength: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Intellect: 16 (the level of an ordinary spellcaster, comparable to a level-one ranged spellcasting specialist) Agility: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Spirit: 8 (comparable to the mental strength of a level-three ranged spellcaster) Elemental resistance: 0 (less resistance than a goose on Azeroth)
Ever since the Second War ended, Lord Aldrius had attended the meetings of the Five Great Houses mostly just to make up the numbers.
Without the Second Fleet, the Norwington Family had become a purely mercantile family.
Without an army, he had no say, so Aldrius simply refrained from offering opinions. Usually, he just watched the three lords argue with Admiral Daelin. When things got heated, he played peacemaker.
Today's meeting was once again about defining the boundaries of coastal defense, and Lord Arthur Vikress and Lord Ashvane were locked in a fierce argument.
Lord Arthur pulled no punches. "Although Mildenhall and Butcher's Dock lie beyond Anglepoint Wharf, they still fall within the Inland Sea's coastal defenses. Last week alone, those two ports suffered three pirate raids. I suspect the Third Fleet stationed at Anglepoint Wharf is sitting idle and failing entirely in its duty to defend Kul Tiras's waters."
Lord Arthur's words were sharp and struck straight at the heart of the matter.
"Waning Glacier lies just to the north, and the pirates have set up a temporary base beneath it. They've established contact with the local Drust, who use witchcraft to obstruct our fleet's advance. We can't pinpoint their location. Our cannons can't support our soldiers, and military strength alone is simply not enough to defeat pirates aided by the Drust. Lord Arthur, your house has fought the Drust for years. I've repeatedly asked House Vikress's Order of Embers to help us clear out the pirates, but you have yet to act." Lord Ashvane sidestepped the main issue, glossing over the Third Fleet's negligence and passing the responsibility to Lord Arthur instead.
Arthur refused to let it go. He slapped the table, his voice rising several pitches. "The Order of Embers has its own duties. We've fought the Drust for thousands of years, and even now there's no end in sight. We haven't even secured our own family's territory, and you expect us to spare troops to clean up the Third Fleet's mess?"
"You uncouth brute. Stick to the issue and spare us the personal attacks," Lord Ashvane snapped.
The two lords argued furiously, while Admiral Daelin and Lord Aldrius remained silent.
"All right, all right. Here we go again, passing the buck. I still suggest we avoid blowing things out of proportion. Freehold's pirates have been running rampant for ages; this didn't start yesterday. Let's discuss it calmly. Lord Arthur can provide Lord Ashvane with specific information about the Drust, and Lord Ashvane can assign more men to the fleet. Let's make a big problem small and a small problem disappear. We see one another all the time, so let's not spoil our friendship." Lord Stormsong stepped in with a smile to smooth things over.
Seeing that Arthur and Lord Ashvane had both fallen silent, Lord Stormsong cleared his throat. "Yesterday, we received a report from the Third Fleet concerning the Norwington Family."
The three lords' eyes turned in unison toward Lord Aldrius. Seeing that he was still lost in thought, Lord Ashvane prompted him. "Lord Aldrius?"
"Uh, what? Is the meeting over? What's for lunch?" Aldrius came back to his senses and looked blankly at everyone.
Daelin spoke up. "The council of houses received a report from the Third Fleet concerning your family."
"The Third Fleet?" Aldrius raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What about?"
Lord Stormsong beckoned to his assistant, signaling him to hand Lord Aldrius a copy of the document.
"The coastal defense regulations. Your son, Rowan Norwington, openly violated them by preventing the Third Fleet from conducting a thorough investigation of a pirate base. He is also suspected of criminally appropriating the spoils." The corners of Lord Stormsong's mouth lifted into a barely noticeable smile.
Aldrius abruptly stood up, looking astonished. "Pirates appeared in Morris Town? Isn't that in the Inland Sea? Lord Ashvane, is your Third Fleet blind? How could you let pirates into the Inland Sea?"
"Stick to the issue. We're discussing your son's violation of the coastal defense regulations," Lord Ashvane said awkwardly, looking rather embarrassed.
The surprise on Aldrius's face instantly turned to smug delight. "My son sank three pirate warships with a single warship, and those pirate ships were equipped with A3 Rapid-Fire Cannons! More importantly, there was even a tidesage among the pirates! Daelin, old friend, don't you think it's time we put Jaina and Rowan's marriage on the agenda?"
Daelin covered his mouth, struggling to suppress a smile. "Let's discuss that in private."
"Ahem. The coastal defense regulations, Lord Aldrius," Lord Stormsong said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
"Make a big problem small and a small problem disappear. That's what you said! We're all brothers here. Why blow things out of proportion? Shouldn't everyone be happy for me right now? Ashvane, could your son sink three pirate warships with a single ship? Lord Stormsong? Could yours?" Aldrius boasted, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Lord Ashvane and Lord Stormsong left the fortress council chamber with stony expressions. Arthur said goodbye to Aldrius and Admiral Daelin, then left as well. Only Daelin and Aldrius remained in the fortress.
"You're still the best at talking your way out of things," Daelin teased, patting Lord Aldrius on the shoulder.
"Those two bastards don't just want to screw me over. They want to screw over my son too. I have to rebuild the Second Fleet. This isn't just for the Norwington Family or my son's future. It's for the future of Kul Tiras! With those two old bastards around, sooner or later they'll bring the whole country down."
Aldrius's gaze was sharp as he spoke with absolute conviction!
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