"You found the region," Cassian said. "You secured the foundation. Refusing all personal reward may sound humble, but it creates the wrong example. If people discover new territory and build something valuable, they need to be rewarded clearly. Otherwise, future commanders learn that success only brings more work."
That was hard to argue against.
Orvain gave a faint smile. "Take the reward. If I had to guess, you'll probably invest most of it back into the March anyway."
Astercourt looked at Aurelian without hesitation.
"He will."
Aurelian sighed. "I feel very understood today."
A few people in the room quietly smiled, and the atmosphere lightened for a moment, though the discussion itself remained serious.
Cassian continued.
"Your personal share won't be excessive. Enough to recognize your contribution, but not enough to create problems later. The current proposal gives you five percent of the net output from family-administered expansion holdings during the first phase."
