“Oh you bastard.”

Nyx is standing in front of my newly created artwork while it perfectly mirrors her current facepalm.

“I can’t be a bastard if I didn’t have parents to begin with,” I reply with a jovial shrug. “Besides you’ve done it enough that I’d say it deserves to be preserved for posterity.”

I’d chosen to erect it right next to the teleporter, so it would be the first thing new arrivals would see.

And see it they are! And then promptly looking at the frustrated daemon standing next to it.

At least until she dematerializes, like she just did.

(Gods, you suck. I should destroy this thing.)

I’d just make more. Besides, you know you love me.

(Oh shut up.)

Speaking of new arrivals, we’ve had a great deal of them in the past day. I’d assume it’s because word has traveled that the Shadowed Plane is being rebuilt and free housing is available to those who want to live here. Old housing, sure, but still free.

(You should be charging for it, you know. Actual property, not even interstitials. You aren’t even levying taxes!)

Eh, Nerin’s problem.

Nyx sighs. (No, this is definitely your problem. Nerin is Town Head, right? What town are all those people leaving this one going to?)

Oh.

(Yeah, oh.)

Well, uh.

Hey Olive, come here. I need to ask you something.

Thought Projection (under the aegis of The Prophet’s Voice) is certainly handy. The fox spirit appears before me in a flash of blue flame and immediately drops to a knee.

I speak before she has an opportunity to spout whatever banal pleasantries are sure to come. “How was the government organized under Astraea? I mean, obviously there are towns here, and they had their own leaders, and then there’s the castle city, but how was that structured?”

She opens her mouth to answer before I interrupt her again. “The very short version, please. I know it’s not intentional but longer explanations from you don’t make sense.”

“Hmm, hm. This one –”

“Wait, a better idea,” I interrupt again. “Can you write and make sense?”

Olive looks almost disappointed for a moment before taking a writing tablet from her dimensional storage – a suspiciously well-worn writing tablet. Almost as if this was how she used to communicate with Astraea. I can’t help but furrow my brow.

And the fox spirit sketches out a simple hierarchy. Naturally, I’m at the top. The next level down is a small collection of advisors, and below that is the Moonside city council. Under that are the individual towns, which are led by a hodgepodge of mayors, councils, elders, and so forth. Finally, at the very bottom are the villages, which operate as frontier satellites to the towns.

Not that any part of this plane at present isn’t frontier.

“Good enough. Let’s reestablish this. We already have Nerin as the town head here, but more humans... mortals, are traveling to other towns and villages. I can feel through my kin that some are starting to settle in Moonside as well, meaning we should establish the council there as soon as possible.”

Olive nods furiously.

The issue is, now I need to choose who those people will be.

...

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Oh screw it.

I ping through my kin until I find Mimir, then lift off from the ground and rapidly drift in the self-proclaimed magic item specialist’s direction, while projecting Abaris a request to meet me there.

The probably-not-a-human and his conversation partners all flinch in unison as I phase through the tavern wall, coming to a stop in front of them.

“A-ah! It is you!”

I sigh. “Yeah, it’s me. I’ve got one more person coming. I have questions, or... requests, for you and him. The rest of you, apologies, but you should continue your conversation later. Or better yet...”

Turning toward the nearest wall – at least the nearest one that hasn’t been stocked with off-plane alcohol, I cast a spell to create a new room adjoining it.

From the startled looks of the patrons, I guess they haven’t seen anyone do this before. Which is fine.

When the new room finishes forming, I open the door and stride in, further creating a low table and trio of couches – one of which matches the nice divan in the castle’s reception room. I assume leaving the door open would offer enough of a hint and take my place. Olive unexpectedly appears behind me as if she’d always been there and begins preparing tea, perfectly timed as usual while Mimir and Abaris barrel in the door. Since neither of them bothered, I manifest a feeler and close it for them.

“This will do. Take your seats.”

Mimir starts the conversation with inane stammering. “C-can you just make more rooms? Was that a spell?”

I sigh, controlling the ash so it won’t ruin Olive’s efforts. “Yes and no. I have spellspeech. I’m a literal god. Stop acting so surprised.”

He furrows his brow and continues, “It is my understanding that most gods lack spellspeech, and instead shape the world through divine manipulation.”

“Well, I’m just that special,” I snip back. “This isn’t why I called you here.”

I pause for effect, and to allow my handmaiden to serve the tea she’s been preparing.

It’s the same one as I’d been served at the castle – the one Astraea liked. I take a moment to savor the smell while the two mortals watch me expectantly.

“What?” I ask. “This is probably better than anything you can get through normal channels. I'm not going to waste it.”

I feel a ripple of appreciation from Olive. I almost reflexively touch her with Consume before catching myself – she'd make those horrendous noises again if I did.

Or if I give her mana.

Or praise her in any way.

Anyway.

“I brought you here to help plan the government of the Shadowed Plane.”

The mortals’ eyes widen.

I wave my hand dismissively. “Yes, I know. Big responsibility, so on, so forth. Olive, show them your tablet, the same diagram you showed me earlier.”

As the fox spirit primly sets her tablet on the low table and returns to her place behind me, I continue. “We already have mortals spreading to other towns and villages from here. Some are in the capital – MY capital, without an established government. I find this unacceptable. For the time being, we are going to reestablish this hierarchy, and I want you two to leverage your connections with qualified mortals to fill those roles. I’m willing to offer you both governmental roles as well as recompense.”

They both look thoughtful for a moment, which is fine. I ignore them and sip my tea.

Abaris halfway raises his hand as if we’re back in an academy lecture hall. I tip my eyes in his direction, silently bidding him to speak.

“Erm. Well. This is certainly quite the role you are offering. But...” he trails off.

“But?”

“I am afraid I lack most of the connections you seek. Typically, I simply record knowledge and pass it on to other scholars at the academy.”

That’s... not particularly useful.

But I can still use it.

“Then contact those scholars with the same proposition. If they have any interest in serving in a planar government, have them come before me. If I judge them suitable, they will have roles,” I offer.

He nods and takes out his notebook to begin scribbling furiously.

I shift my gaze to Mimir, who at present still appears lost in thought.

“Do you not want an advisory role?” I ask. “It would unquestionably offer you access to records and artifacts that have survived this plane’s fall. You wouldn’t pass that opportunity up, would you?”

(Now you’re just being manipulative.)

Yes, and it works. I can’t rule a plane by being a hero.

(Plenty of other gods have.)

And I’m not other gods. I never have, nor will I ever claim to be good.

Nyx sighs as the not-a-human finally answers.

“You are right. Unfortunately, I am under contract at present. It is not so simple a thing to walk away from some work.”

I furrow my brow. “With whom?”

“It is a contract with the adventurer’s guild, the terms of which are overseen by Themis.”

Oh, that fuck.

“Can you at least pass on the request to your colleagues?”

He nods. “That, yes. Certainly, that I can do.”

“Very well. When your contract expires, I will find a position for you.”

Similar to the obounis next to him, Mimir takes out his own notebook and starts writing.

Anyway, I’m done here. I finish my tea and promptly phase through both the divan and the wall into the alleyway beyond. Although... I don’t really have anywhere else to be at the moment, do I?

Guess I’ll head back to the town square for now.

I don’t even have a moment to sit before Pearl rushes up, a look of horror on her face.

“Nemesis! We have a problem!”

I give her a deadpan stare as I glance up at the crowd of people following her. While their appearance varies widely between threadbare rags and fine social attire, every single one has some kind of shawl that also covers their face, leaving only darkness visible.

Darkness, and red eyes.

As I use Identify on the first they move to fill the entire square and in unison drop to one knee.

[Vampire (Greater) – Unknown – Level 537]

Huh.

...

Wait, I can see its level!?