The next day, everything moved exactly as planned.
The second phase of the campaign began.
But this time, Lucien did not go personally.
He handed the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty to the ancient beasts.
Nareth did not have the benefit of Luminarch paths. There would be no hidden circulatory network there. Their movement might be noticed.
That meant the next operation would depend less on perfect concealment and more on speed, timing, and precision.
The ancient beasts could do that.
Shadow chose to go with them.
He had no intention of stopping halfway. If the Liberators were to become a moving threat in the eyes of the Exchange, then he wanted to witness the next phase himself and make sure the strategy retained its shape.
For additional safety, Lucien also handed over the spare black cube he possessed.
It solved one immediate problem.
Traveling with too many visible figures would draw suspicion. Traveling with one or two would not.
