It is a good thing that I wasn't planning to sleep tonight since I need to sort through the materials. By the time I am done, both my ring and pouch are running low on space. With that done I return to my suite, open a soulscape, and invite just Lin.

Lin appears and says "You aren't coming back tonight, are you?"

"Um, no, but let me explain."

Lin creates a chair, sits down with her legs crossed, and waits for me to start talking. First, I tell her about everything that has happened since I left demon hunter city. I finish with signing the treaty of alliance, but I don't mention anything about the desert.

Lin says "It sounds like everything has gone even better than expected. It sounds like everything is done, so why are you staying? What aren't you telling me?"

Giving her a guilty look, I finally tell her what I have heard about the desert. She gives me a knowing look as soon as I start talking about the desert being alive. The more I talk, the bigger her smirk gets, but it is one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

Lin says "So you are saying that you are staying because you are curious about the desert?"

"Basically. I just want to check it out, it shouldn't take too long."

Lin says "Now that you have said that, something is pretty much guaranteed to go wrong."

"If something is going to go wrong, it would have no matter what I said. Besides, even if something goes wrong, it still shouldn't take me too long to get back."

Lin says "We'll see. So, how come you didn't invite the others?"

"I wanted some time alone with you. Also, I need to teach you something."

Lin says "Oh? What are you going to teach me?"

"First I am going to teach you how to manipulate materials like I do. Then I will teach you how to enchant the scanners. That way you can make some for the council and they can start clearing out the city before I get back. Oh, I also need you to check with Zachariah about the delegation's movements for me."

Lin says "So in other words, you want me to take care of things here so you can play around in the desert?"

"Um, yes please?"

Lin laughs and says "Alright, fine. Teach me what I need to know."

So, creating some practice materials I begin teaching Lin how to manipulate them. She already has excellent mana control so it doesn't take long for her to pick it up. After she does, teaching her the enchantments needed is even easier.

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Lin says "That's it? I was expecting it to be more complicated."

"Yep, that's it. The hard part was learning the demon's life frequency. The scanning enchantment is actually quite simple."

Lin says "Alright. How many should I make for the council?"

"Considering I didn't think to leave any materials for you to use, just talk to Almort. Make however many he can get the materials for. When I get back I can always make some more."

Lin says "Okay. I will go see him in the morning."

"Good. So, how was your day?"

Lin says "Chaotic. I was helping on the ship all day since the elves you sent back had no idea what was going on. Is it true that a demon was hiding amongst them?"

"Yes, there was. That reminds me, you should probably use a scanner on the ship just to be safe."

Lin says "No need. When I heard about the hidden demon I gathered all of the elves and cast the detection spell. There are no demons on the ship. I also taught the detection spell to Athena so that she can check anyone visiting the ship."

"Oh, that's a good idea. Wait, can Athena cast spells that aren't part of the enchantments? Because Jarvis can't."

Lin says "Yes, she can. Maybe it is because she is a living spirit?"

"Yeah, probably. Maybe Jarvis will be able to in the future."

Lin says "Well, can he manipulate mana? Wait, can he even sense mana?"

"Um."

Lin says "You didn't ask him, did you?"

"To be fair I had other things on my mind at the time."

Lin says "Fine. I will ask him."

"Actually, there is no point. He won't be able to do anything about it. I will take a look when I get back. How is the progress with the library going?"

Lin says "I am fairly sure that I have gotten the most important information, but there is still a lot to go through."

"Well, hope that the delegation turns south. If it does we might get some extra time before we need to leave. Oh, after hearing our story, the Empress wants to meet you and made me promise to invite them to our wedding."

Lin says "I'm fine with that, she sounds interesting. So, is there anything else you haven't told me about?"

"Nope, that's everything.

Lin says "Alright. Make sure you are careful in the desert and try not to get distracted for too long. You should invite the others now."

I invite the others and spend a few hours with all of them before ending the soulscape. Since I don't know what might happen, I was careful not to make any promises. With everything settled for the moment, I meditate and work on my core until dawn.

Core Upgrade Progress: 86%

To my surprise the emperor is already awake and I get invited to join him for breakfast. His wife joins us just as the food is being served and we talk while we eat. I tell them about the peninsula and the current situation along with my rough plans.

They both offer me some advice from a ruler's perspective to help me refine my plans. They are particularly interested in the history of the three empires and the origin of the demons. Apparently, that history was either lost or suppressed on this side of the world.

I don't mention the goddesses, since I am not sure how the local pantheon would react. Things are complicated enough as they are, I don't need gods getting involved. Besides, as far as I know the goddesses are still sneaking around trying to steal things.

I don't want to mess that up by accident, I would never hear the end of it if I did. The breakfast is just as good as the dinner was and I get a lot more dishes added to my pouch. After we are done eating I say my farewells and leave for the desert.

The desert is further south from the capital and even flying it takes me a few hours to get there. This empire is a lot bigger than I thought it was, almost twice the size of the northern empire. When I reach the border of the desert I can instantly tell that something odd is going on.