The violet abyss was a graveyard of broken dreams. As Ren soared through the mists atop the Verdant Wing-Sentry, he passed several "Dead Cores"—gray, crumbling rocks where the Lord had either been killed or starved out. Their barriers were gone, and the Void Blight had picked the islands clean of life.
"Scan for mana signatures," Ren commanded, his voice muffled by the rushing wind.
The mechanical wyvern's emerald eyes flickered. A HUD projected directly into Ren's retinas, highlighting a cluster of three large islands tethered together by massive rusted chains.
[Target Identified: The Iron-Anchor Pirate Cluster.]
[Estimated Population: 45 Combatants.]
[Defenses: Level 10 Ballistae (4x), Scavenged Shield-Generator.]
Marcus the Butcher wasn't just a thug; he was a scavenger. He had gathered other "Combat-Type" Lords who preferred raiding over building. In the center of the cluster, Ren saw the Dreadnought. It was docked, its hull being repaired by a swarm of slaves—other survivors who hadn't been lucky enough to find a "Landlord" like Ren.
"He's using slaves to bypass the Resource Cost of repairs," Ren whispered, his jaw tightening. "That's not just inefficient. It's a violation of the Great Trial's balance."
Ren didn't dive in head-first. He circled high above, staying in the blind spot of their crude radar. He opened his Sovereign Interface and looked at a new sub-menu he'd unlocked after Level 7: [Lien on Foreign Property].
> Skill: Lien on Foreign Property
> * Requirement: Target must have initiated hostility toward you.
> * Effect: For 10 minutes, you can treat the target's territory as your own "Temporary Property."
> * Mana Cost: 150 (Warning: Massive Drain).
>
"Elara said I should play it safe," Ren muttered, "but a good landlord knows when to foreclose."
He dived.
The Wing-Sentry folded its leaf-metal wings and plummeted like a green meteor. Below, a pirate lookout spotted the streak of light and shouted, "Incoming! Get the ballistae—!"
He never finished. The Sentry leveled out ten meters above the deck, its Gale-Burst Breath erupting in a cone of pressurized wind and jagged splinters. The lookout was swept off the island and into the infinite void.
[Skill Activated: Lien on Foreign Property.]
[Status: You are now the "Temporary Owner" of the Iron-Anchor Cluster.]
Suddenly, the world changed for Ren. The pirate islands, which should have been "Grey Zones" to him, turned blue. He could see their structural weaknesses, their resource caches, and most importantly, their defensive controls.
Marcus stumbled out of his central cabin, his executioner's axe glowing. "You! The Seattle brat? How did you find me?!"
"You left a trail of unpaid debts, Marcus," Ren said, hovering just out of reach. He pointed at the four ballistae that were currently swinging around to aim at him. "And I'm here to repossess your hardware."
Ren snapped his fingers. Because he had a "Lien" on the property, the System recognized him as the temporary administrator.
[Notice: Redirecting Defensive Perimeter.]
The ballistae jerked. Instead of firing at Ren, the heavy mechanical bows groaned and pivoted 180 degrees, aiming directly at Marcus and his elite guards.
"What?! No!" Marcus roared. "The controls are locked! Break the gears!"
"Sentry! Acid-Etched Talons!"
The Wing-Sentry swept across the deck, its claws tearing through the pirate's shield-generator. Without the shield, Ren's temporary ownership became absolute. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a handful of Soul-Binding Spikes—expensive items he'd crafted in the workshop.
"If you won't pay the rent, you'll pay the fine," Ren declared.
He threw the spikes. They didn't hit the pirates; they slammed into the Iron-Anchor's Core.
[Property Seizure Initiated.]
[Notice: You have 5 minutes to extract resources before the 'Lien' expires.]
Ren didn't want the islands—they were tainted by the Void. He wanted their value. The spikes began to glow, siphoning the Soul Stones and Aether-Steel directly from the pirate's treasury and into Ren's hovering "Landlord Vault."
"Kill him! Kill the bird!" Marcus screamed, launching himself into the air with a leap powered by his axe.
Ren pulled up, the Wing-Sentry spiraling higher. "I'm done here, Marcus. But your slaves? They're under new management."
Ren activated his final move: [Mass Eviction].
The thirty slaves working the docks suddenly shimmered with golden light. Before Marcus could strike, they vanished, teleported directly to Aethelgard's "New Arrival" zone.
"You... you stole my labor!" Marcus landed on the deck, shaking his fist at the disappearing green speck in the sky.
"No," Ren's voice echoed back from the clouds. "I just moved them to a better neighborhood. See you at the next wave, Marcus."
Ren felt his mana hit zero. The "Lien" snapped, and the world turned gray again. He slumped against the Sentry's neck, his heart racing. He was exhausted, but his inventory was overflowing with enough materials to upgrade Aethelgard to Tier 2.
Most importantly, he'd just gained thirty workers who would be eternally loyal to the man who saved them from the Butcher.