The surrender of the Land of Alchemy provided Vahn with the single most critical resource needed for his final campaign: time, converted into instantaneous, mass-producible power.
With the Celestial Empire accelerating the descent of Goddess Attila, Vahn needed to push his entire coalition, from the lowest Necrotic soldier to his highest-ranking Empresses, past their limits, and the only way to achieve such a rapid, continental-scale power-up was through Divine Alchemy.
Moments after confirming the terms of surrender, Vahn moved with ruthless efficiency. He ignored the formalities of occupying the capital and immediately demanded access to the Grand Alchemy Hall, the epicenter of the continent's alchemical knowledge.
Saintess Flama, now Empress Flama, led him, her footsteps light with a mixture of excitement and nervous devotion.
Patriach Astoria, also known as Xion Astoria, followed, looking solemn but relieved.
