Eutheo closed his eyes for a brief moment. Then he laughed, quietly this time.
"Damn you, hero," he said softly. "I was hoping to ease into that."
He opened his eyes again, and the jovial Baron was gone entirely.
"Yes," Eutheo admitted. "I built it."
Percival didn't react. "Why?"
"Because Hollowcreek would have been wiped out without it," Eutheo said. "And because Luvengart needed the resources."
There it was. Bare. Ugly. Honest.
"You've been using Hollowcreek's Gate World density to fuel your city's economy," Percival said flatly.
"It was a win-win deal," Eutheo defended himself. "Hollowcreek reduced themselves to the way of the past. They wanted to live without civilization. The netizens believe in the ancient way, but Duke Ithalan, who has to protect them, is not stupid. He knows without Awakeners and the growing arsenal of the world, they would be destroyed within a year."
