The days tended to mix together after his meeting with the Countess. Tenebre was busy, mostly because the Reh duke was being an ass. The Duke wanted the ports back. That much was apparent. The duchy was not making money to satisfy him, and he was convinced that getting the ports were the solution to the problem.

Tenebre agreed with him on that. The issue was that the Duke had taken to harassing the Diery navy because of it. Trading had been reduced to a crawl as stringent law after another came through.

The Duke couldn't target the navy explicitly without drawing the Empress’ ire, so he took a roundabout way. That had a devastating impact on the local merchants, but also did not really factor into the Duke's thinking.

Tenebre had taken advantage of that, investing and keeping them afloat using low interest, and even no-interest loans. Earning the goodwill of his competitors. This wasn't a zero-sum game after all. In the vast world, they would have to fight together as people of the Solerian Empire. And it would help if the Eastern Isle ports did not only have the Diery county's ships. And after this, a lot of his brethren were eager to join him.

"Are we there yet?" his son asked, opening the door and stepping on the boat. Taking a child on an expedition like this may not be his wisest moment, but he couldn't leave him in Reh. The Duke was just the kind of person to kidnap a child. And a single father didn't have many options to begin with.

"Just a few more minutes, but you already know that." Tenebre smiled. "Or did you not run up on seeing the shore in your window?"

Narle pouted, as if him getting caught was somehow Tenebre's fault. "I just don't like the sea, it's boring."

"I suppose many would agree with you." he replied. "But I find there is a certain beauty to it."

"Of course you do." Narle mumbled beneath his breath.

Tenebre laughed, shaking his head as his son made himself home on the deck.

The ship slowly approached the shore, it's speed decreasing as the captain discharged the enchantments one by one. Three ships had emerged from the shore a while ago flying the Diery flag, and were now approaching his own ship.

The sound of drums emerged from the ship, spelling out a greeting in ship code. A responding set of beats emerged from his own ship as the crew followed protocols. The other ships changed direction, slowing down as they formed a triangle.

Triera, his ship, lined herself right behind the leading ship, flanked by two others on either side. The journey was quiet safe for the occasional drum communication, but that would change once they reached the shore.

The Solerian Empire was archaic, overly rigid in many ways. This was one of them. Tenebre was visiting as the head of the Diery merchant navy, and leader of this Diery port Authority the Countess had set up. That put him at too high a rank for mere ship captains to greet. A member of the Eastern Isles' cabinet would be needed. As far as he knew, that meant Melinda, their minister of finance.

The journey didn't take long, they were already approaching the coast. The ships docked in open waters, coming as close to the shore as they could. The rest of the journey would have to be taken by a smaller boat.

"Narle, stay on the boat, I will be back before nightfall. " Tenebre told his son, who was peeking through the doors, trying to hide his presence.

"Yes, father. " his son replied, not inspiring much confidence.

"Keep an eye on him. " he warned his captain as he jumped off the boat. The water greeted him as he spun his mana, bouncing off the water surface. A small silvery boat floated from the shore, two figures aboard it. Tenebre walked towards the boat, trying to make out who had come. A silver haired woman with gleaming icy-blue eyes, the picture of what he would think an elf looked like.

If he was a common village idiot, that is. In truth, this was just the image portrayed by a particular section of Elven nobility. And they guarded their bloodline jealously. The nobility of Selesiour made Soleria look open-minded and progressive.

Tenebre had spent most of his life walking the noble courts of Reh, Zerolian and Senesor. Seen commoners executed for entering a noble's sights at the wrong time. North Soleria was practically a shining beacon of freedom and equality by comparison.

Then there was the woman's companion. An old man with a weak-looking body. Dressed in what appeared to be simple clothes, he looked quite out of place beside the lady.

"I greet his lordship, Lord Tenebre." the Elder said in a monotone voice, his bow shallow and perfunctory. Tenebre smiled in reply.

"Please, there is no need for useless pleasantries. There are more important things for us to deal with." he replied.

"Yes, the ports are quite essential to our continued cooperation." Elder Bel nodded. "But there is no reason to not make conversation while we enjoy our journey."

The Elder's smile made Tenebre feel like he was back in the courts of Soleria, facing some old Count. In a way, it was the same. The Elder was probably high up the Elven hierarchy, and certainly high up the half-Elven one. A true old monster.

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"Of course, a conversation with someone as respected as you is always welcome, Elder." Tenebre smiled.

The Elder smiled back at him as he turned towards the sea. Melinda just watched the two of them, her head still tilted towards her book. The judging look on her face told him what she felt about the situation.

"I find the sea calming." the Elder said. "Don't you?"

The old talk about the sea. Tenebre had dealt with that trick before.

"In a way," he replied. "The sea can be calming. A large, moving expanse that reminds me of my own insignificance."

Tenebre closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as the sun set against their back.

"The sea is like a great beast to me." he answered. "A power much greater than me. A power that is kind if it doesn't swat us into it's depths in anger."

The Elder hummed in reply, silence filling the boat as darkness fell on them. The sun sank fast in this part of the world. The water began to glow as creatures began to glow within. Tenebre knew them.

The Great Eastern Reef.

The largest reef on the continent, it extended throughout the eastern shore, but it usually stuck to the coasts. The Eastern Isles were a bit far from the coast for the reef to be here. That was why he had agreed to it in the first place.

"This is dangerous," he warned, worried that his companions would not be aware. The Elven continent might not have anything like this. "The reef is very powerful."

"Why?" the Elder asked. "Does the reef trouble you, Lord Tenebre?"

Tenebre looked at him strangely. If he knew what it was, why was he not afraid? Why was he not avoiding the reef?

"The reef is dangerous. The creatures are generally peaceful, but the second the ship touches them, they will attack." he wanted.

"Oh yes, I know." the Elder said. "Just like any living creature, it will protect itself when threatened. Wouldn't you?"

"I would." Tenebre replied. A test? The setting was practically screaming it. How foolish of him to think an Adept wouldn't sense the danger the reef posed. And not have ways to deal with it.

"Then why do you fear when the reef does it?" the Elder asked.

"Wouldn't you, Elder? Perhaps to you, the reef is easy to deal with, a mere irritant before your power. But to me, it is deadly. I cannot control this boat, not enough to stop it from touching the reef. And the second it does, the reef will have my head. So I avoid it. The reef has the right to protect itself, But so do I have the right to safeguard my life and those I hold dear." Tenebre replied, trying to keep calm.

Getting angry and yelling wouldn't work with these 'peaceful' old people. Commenting sarcastically would only invite their ire. No, you had to play their game. Prove them wrong about whatever perception they had of you.

The Elder nodded. "A fair perception, Lord Tenebre." The boat shook with the waves, lifting into the air and then dropping down, its bottom nearly scraping the reef. Tenebre held his breath as the Elder calmly dipped his hand in the water. A trickle of mana seeped into it as the reef began glowing brighter. And then, as Tenebre was just about to try to escape, the reef moved away.

In a single unexpected movement, the lights swept away from beneath the boat, suddenly plunging them in near complete darkness. The boat itself emitted a soft silver glow, a clear indication of its magical nature.

"The reef is migratory, I told it that this place would soon be occupied by humans." the Elder explained, unprompted. "This was its reaction. The poor things fear humans greatly, Lord Tenebre. And it is not a single thing, but a collection of millions, if not billions of independent organisms, of several species working together for common good. A stunning cooperation that I have not had the pleasure of witnessing before."

The Elder's tone was sad as he finished his speech. Tenebre chose to remain silent in reply, not quite knowing what to say. The boat lapped through the water, carried on by some unseen force, probably mana, as it headed towards a rocky island.

A minute later, they were there, the boat having covered the distance at a surprisingly fast speed. The cavern was just as the Countess had described, a low hanging entrance barely visible from the water.

But Tenebre was able to sense its presence, and so were his companions. The cavern was too big for it to stay hidden once you knew it was there, not really suitable for a secret port. Mana of every kind he had ever sensed seemed to be in his surroundings as he entered the cavern, a clear indication of why it was so easy to sense. The place had to be a natural mana gathering spot, places like Deadre where mana gathered.

The human Empires tended to build cities in places like this, to use the mana to cultivate a more powerful army. And if the mana was already so strong here…

"The mana in the cavern is uniform." the Elder calmed his unspoken worry. "I haven't visited it, but my senses tell me that it has nothing that your Empires would wage war for. Not against the Solerian Empire, anyway."

Tenebre breathed a sigh of relief. Why mana gathered like this was a mystery. The places were random, and the way mana acted there was too. Deadre focused mana into one point, the center of the garden in the Countess' bedroom.

Where her familiar was currently growing. The Solerian capital had several 'hotspots' of mana, where important buildings like the Academy, the Palace, and the Parliament were built.

A uniform distribution of mana was odd, but it was a pleasant odd. This type of distribution was like a fascinating breath of fresh air that wouldn't really prove valuable. The entire Solerian Empire had more mana than this place. Mana flowed to activity after all, and there wasn't much happening in the sea. Not when compared to the continent.

The cavern, that had been worryingly small until now, opened up. The ceiling abruptly grew higher, rising to a height of about hundreds of feet. And then there was the moss. Glowing like it wanted to replace the night sky, it made the water sparkle as the journeyed.

There was no longer any impairment to their sight, the place was clear as day.

"The entrance will make it hard to enter during the day." Tenebre said. "Even if we collapse the wall, a ship will have difficulty entering."

And collapsing a part of the island above it would ruin the beauty of this place. The light from outside would sneak in, destroying the peaceful atmosphere. The port would do that too, but Tenebre was hesitant to cause permanent damage to it.

"An air bubble would allow the ship to travel underwater. And make it significantly more secure." the Elder said. "The Eastern Isles have the Master stage air mages to facilitate this."

"The port will require an Adept stage stationed here at all times to ensure safety." Tenebre asked hesitantly.

"I couldn't agree more, Lord Tenebre. I take the security of my people and their future." the Elder said. "And if even a portion of what Melinda says is true, then this port will one day be a very valuable resource. Trust me, I do not intend to lose it."