The first combat reports streamed into Kaelen's mind simultaneously. Clone Alpha was brutal, using pure Shadow Essence to melt the F-rank Corrupted Golems into slag before harvesting the Golemite Shards. Clone Beta was methodical, already establishing a triage system for the shards—separating repair materials from high-purity crafting components. The $10\times$ EXP boost was immediately apparent; Kaelen's F-Rank bar filled quickly, pushing him toward F+.
The silence was broken halfway through the third day by a public broadcast that grated on Kaelen's strategic sensibilities. It was loud, arrogant, and entirely unencrypted—the sign of a player who relied on brute force and luck, not cunning.
The Aetherial Console automatically filtered the message, displaying the speaker's data alongside the audio.
[EXTERNAL BROADCAST: Darian Vayne - Dark Lord Faction]
"Attention, all pathetic Dark Lords huddled in your caves and crumbling ruins! This is Darian Vayne, Lord of the Ironfang Fortress. I'm broadcasting this message to save you the trouble of being exterminated. Your three days are almost done. I was blessed with a fully provisioned mountain citadel—a true gold-spoon start. My army is already deployed and harvesting Miasma Steel by the metric ton. I suggest you start preparing your surrender or, better yet, polishing my armor. I own the mountain. I will own this world."
Kaelen felt a faint wave of irritation. Darian Vayne, a Silver Spoon player, clearly lacked the strategic depth to keep his advantages secret. Kaelen immediately ran a dedicated [Player Analysis] on the coordinates Darian had bragged about.
[PLAYER ANALYSIS]: Darian Vayne
Faction: Dark Lord (Half-Vampire/Incubus).
Start Condition: Silver Spoon (Fortress pre-stocked with F-E Rank units and resources).
Personality: Arrogant, prone to over-expansion. Minimal strategic depth.
Current Asset Analysis: Darian is harvesting Miasma Steel from Geothermal Node Alpha-7.
Hidden Vulnerability: The Node Alpha-7 structure is compromised. Rapid harvesting without stabilizing cooling agents will cause a Catastrophic Thermic Overload (90% Probability of Explosion) within 48 hours. Darian is unaware of this constraint.
This was the power of the Aetherial Console: seeing the trap before the victim even knew they were walking toward it. Kaelen needed Miasma Steel desperately for the external hull repairs of Aethel, but he couldn't risk leaving.
He initiated a direct, encrypted communication line using Clone Beta, maintaining the image of an aloof and powerful Administrator, not a frantic newcomer.
Kaelen (via Clone Beta - System Message): "Greetings, Lord Vayne. This message is from the Administrator of the Citadel of Aethel. We observed your broadcast. We offer a trade: strategic intelligence for immediate raw materials. Transactional. No alliance, no future obligation."
The reply was dismissive, almost instantaneous.
Darian Vayne: "A floating city? You're a high-altitude target, not a threat. What possible intelligence could a squatter possess? I only deal in massive, profitable ventures."
Kaelen (via Clone Beta): "We possess predictive geographical analytics unavailable to standard systems. Our data indicates an untapped, high-purity Miasma Steel vein at coordinate Site Delta-9. This site is closer to your fortress than your current location, potentially doubling your harvest speed and removing current logistical strain. We require only a single crate (50 units) of F-rank Miasma Steel from your current stores in exchange for the exact coordinates."
Kaelen offered genuine, valuable information (Delta-9) in exchange for his necessary materials. The genius of the move was two-fold: he got the steel, and he encouraged Darian to split his forces and increase the load on his main logistics line. It also kept Darian busy until the Alpha-7 Node inevitably exploded, damaging the Silver Spoon's reputation and resources without Kaelen lifting a finger.
Darian Vayne, swayed by the promise of easy resource doubling, immediately agreed.
Darian Vayne: "Double the speed, double the profit. Hmph. Fine. You get your scrap. Have your clone meet my Quartermaster at my Eastern Pass (Grid Z-14) at dawn tomorrow. Don't try anything, floating trash. Vayne out."
The transaction was complete. Kaelen directed Clone Alpha to briefly pause the cleaning operation and reroute to the rendezvous point.
Kaelen (Internal Monologue): "The first rule of strategy: Let your opponent defeat himself with his own greed. Darian Vayne is now an accelerated time bomb. I have my steel, and I remain safe in the Sky, focusing on what matters: the Heart."
He channeled the vast power into the walls of his Sanctum, reinforcing the Vampiric Runes with the Poison Dragon's innate toxicity. The first layer of defense was being woven—a silent, creeping malignancy against any ground assault.