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'I'm not concerned about her misunderstanding the Forge's value,' said Garovel. 'I'm concerned about what she'll think regarding our apparent division of loyalties between the two countries.'

'True,' said Voreese. 'I'm sure she'll play it off gracefully, like always, but there's no way she'll be happy about having to share Hector with Lorent. He's the pride and joy of Atreya, right now.'

Hector's brow tilted upon hearing that last part. She was exaggerating, obviously, but he knew what she was getting at.

Weirdly enough, though, a part of him also felt like the Queen would be upset with him if he didn't take the deal, too. Like, she would be disappointed if he passed up something this valuable, even if it was for her own sake.

Hmm. Maybe it was just one of those situations where neither option was perfect.

As usual.

"Well, in any case, it sounds like you have already made your decision," said Hanton. "Let us finish up here and return before the Lorentians begin to worry too much."


Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Nine: 'Amid the churning sand...'
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The Uego Desert was quite a sight in the evening. The enormous dunes had a way of catching the sunlight with their slopes and curves that made them shine, and the heat that still lingered from earlier in the day made that gentle shimmer tremble and waver.

The uncommon purity of the sands themselves might've also factored into the scene. More than perhaps any other desert in the world, the Uego had a large percentage of translucent or even transparent grains of sand.

That was said to be the work of Asad's earliest predecessors, the arasaba, the mythological creatures from which his moniker--the Lion of the Desert--originated. They were said to have gifted their ability to create sand upon those who gained their favor, before ultimately departing from this world.