It was a steep price...
Selthia weighed the options with a cold, calculating logic she barely managed to sustain without her ancient advisor whispering in her ear.
She had the perfect incubators ready.
The recently emptied elemental mountains, boasting incredibly dense concentrations of ambient mana, served as ideal production nests. There were ten of these dormant volcanoes of power free, now bumped up to twelve thanks to the recent victories clearing out the guardians.
These were secure, highly rich spaces where the corruption could herd its surviving beasts and forcibly accelerate the cannibalization cycle. The concentrated ether would fatten the High-Platinums, pushing them past their natural limits until one finally breached the Diamond threshold.
Yet, the meat exchange was far from a clean trade.
