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Those flying buttresses, though. Wow. The way they flanked the third story, supporting its vaulted formation... God, that looked so cool. Maybe he should try adding some flying buttresses to Warrenhold...

Or perhaps to the castle that was to be built around Cocora's Candle.

That hadn't slipped his mind, of course, even if it was still seeming quite impractical. The problem with it wasn't just funding, he'd come to realize. There was also the need for secrecy--and potentially, the need for a truly exceptional architect. As much as he enjoyed daydreaming about robust fortifications and fanciful heraldry, Hector was not under the impression that he alone could design such a place.

Fusion Forges all but invited sieges. Historically speaking, it was almost a foregone conclusion. A proper designer would be much needed in order to help defend against that inevitibility.

If Abbas started pumping out incredible work after incredible work, that was inevitably going to draw attention. And as Hector had been sifting through the Candle's vast historical knowledge, he was now very aware of how much danger the Forge might one day attract.

And this shield on his back could make that day arrive sooner rather than later, if he wasn't careful. The Amir-22, Abbas had called it. Just another work-in-progress, as far as the Sunsmith was concerned. He'd told Hector that the improvements were "trifles."

But Hector had tested it out during his training. He knew that it was no meager step forward, compared to the Amir-10. And that there was yet more to discover with it, too.

Moreover, he knew something was changing with Abbas himself. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't even known each other that long, but the guy was clearly different from how he'd been before he'd started using the Candle.

Which shouldn't have been a surprise, Hector supposed. The Candle had obviously had a big impact on himself, so it only made sense that it would be having an effect on Abbas, too, even if it wasn't the same.

Nonetheless, it made Hector concerned. He still remembered Haqq Najir and Sazandara mentioning how difficult and time-consuming the creation of the Amir-9 had been. From the way they'd talked, it had sounded like that prototype shield had taken them months or even years of painstaking effort.

And yet now, Abbas had knocked out twelve new iterations in, what? A couple weeks? Perhaps a bit longer, if he'd been working on it and just not telling Hector about it, but still.

That was genuinely insane. And honestly quite terrifying, the more Hector thought about it.

Next page tomorrow

Sorry, guys. Need a day. Thanks for reading, as always.

Page 4089

It wasn't just the aura that was telling him that, though. Hector certainly noticed the way that Loren's eyes had been locking onto him periodically, like they were trying to look into his very soul.

There was something familiar in that look, Hector felt. Similar to Banda Toro, somehow. And Hector didn't think he would ever be able to forget the way Banda had observed him, even in the middle of their fight.

But it was only similar, of course. Not the same. Loren's aura was totally different. Hector didn't get the impression that Loren was reading his own aura the way that Banda had been doing.

But maybe he was trying to. Maybe he was close to pulling it off, even.

An interesting detail, Hector thought. Something to watch out for. Especially if he intended to have this Loren fellow stick around.

The Cathedral District was even more magnificent than Hector anticipated. Truth be told, when he'd first heard about it, he'd figured that it would be where some of the most ancient and well-preserved architecture in the entire city was to be found, and it had therefore taken a bit of extra willpower to put off going there.

But now that they were here, he was not disappointed in the slightest. And this aerial view made it even better to observe. From up here, it was easier to appreciate not just the buildings themselves but also the layout of the whole district overall. The way the streets were woven together. The way the structures followed a clear concentric pattern.

The entire district was one big circle, with the largest and most grandiose cathedral in the center.

And that thing was a fortress unto itself. Laying eyes on it now, a sense of shame began coming over him as he realized that he did not know the name of it already. How the hell had he missed this place? Sure, this trip had been conducted on rather short notice, but still. He'd looked up so many famous Intarian castles.

Must've been because this wasn't a "proper" castle in the traditional sense. Yeah, it was massive and could obviously serve as one in a pinch, but it did lack a lot of the more obvious defensive design choices that a place like Livingston had. No crenelated turrets, for one thing. No murder holes, for another. Admittedly, that one might've felt a bit inappropriate for a place of supposed peace and worship.