Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 109: Book 2: Chapter 26.1: Divide and Conquer

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Book 2: Chapter 26.1: Divide and Conquer Book 2: Chapter 26: Divide and Conquer The glamour died the moment the suite’s door shut behind them. Holly kicked off her heels like they’d insulted her ancestors. Devon peeled off his jacket and dropped it across a chair, half-collapsing into the suite’s spell-cushioned bench like he’d just sprinted a mile through a minefield. Alex didn’t sit. He stared at the long polished table in the center of the suite. The one used when Malric broke down their fate, explaining the sword that Damocles had left for them. Enchanted silver trim glinted faintly beneath the overhead glowstones of the table, a formal luxury piece, repurposed as a wartable. “Clear it,” he said. Holly didn’t ask questions. Neither did Henry or Garret. Plates and crystal glasses vanished into storage compartments with quick gestures and short enchantment-triggers. Devon stood again, he tapped at the table’s edge and images bloomed across the surface in soft green light, then rearranged into a circular map. It was a stylized model of the ballroom and the factions they’d encountered during the night. “They enchanted the table to host war games,” Alex muttered. “So let’s give it one.” One by one, icons began to appear: house crests, sect sigils, guild marks, the twin suns of the Church, the silver crown of Terraxum’s royal seat. They rotated slowly, orbiting a central rune marked with the symbol the Terraxum kingdom used to denote the Worldstriders, a stylized seven-point star. “Let’s break it down,” Alex said. “Start with the nobles.” Devon flicked his fingers. Five crests circled into focus. Kate leaned over the table, pointing. “Thorneth and Velcryn are hostile,” she said. “Thorneth made no secret of it, I was able to find out that it was one of their cousins who tried to bait Garret during the gala. Duskmoor, on the other hand, is too quiet, too comfortable. They don’t want us around at all, they almost seem fearful.” Alex nodded. “Velcryn might be interested, but only in what they can learn or steal. What about you talk with Lady Caerwyn?” “Caerwyn... ambiguous. But I think they’re looking for leverage more than enemies,” she said. Garret raised a brow. “And Vaelros?” “Didn’t engage,” Kate said. “Which might be worse. But they also oppose House Duskmoor, so that might be our in.” Devon slid the crests accordingly. “Noble Houses: Split. ” He tapped again, bringing up the Merchant Guilds. “Vess Auralde’s a manipulator,” Devon said, scowling. “Wants tech. Or secrets. Or both.” “Hollis seemed curious,” Lance added. “Didn’t posture. Asked real questions. They might be worth investing time into.” “And Sanvek?” Holly asked. “New money, looking to stabilize. They think we might be a threat to that.” Cole added. “Lira Sanvek snubbed my approach, but I was able to speak to a few of the lower merchant ranks. They seem against us but won’t make an overt move without the other two guilds on board first.” Devon moved the tokens again. “Guilds: also split.” Next came the Martial Sects. Their crests flared, hard edges, weapon motifs, simplicity in design and ideology. “No overt stance yet,” Garret said. “Halraen spoke to us. Measured. Strict.” “He respects power,” Henry added. “That’s all. We’ll need more than conversation.” “Duels?” Kate asked. “Probably a useful tactic,” Alex replied. “By they would need to be controlled, and public. Especially public. For Martial sects, having face is important.” Devon placed the sects under Unknown. Then came the Church. Two crests, one burning gold, one silver and cold. The reformists and the ecclesiarchs respectively. “Mother Theralyn is open-minded,” Allie said. “She’s not sold, but she’s not closing the door either.” “Bramun Deros leads the con bloc, the priests in that group were watching us like we were cursed weapons,” Holly said. “If it were up to him, we’d be on pikes by morning.” Devon didn’t argue. “Church: Split. ” Finally, the Crown. The rotating glyph of Terraxum’s royal crest hovered,