It is probably due to the massive amount of mana that is required to create this body. A lot of mana is absorbed from the surroundings when I appear, but not all of it. The rest comes from my normal mana pool, which is why I can't do this when I am out of mana.

Since I am a little low on mana after wiping out the packs, I head for the gate. I am almost back to the gate when I run into another bear, a normal one. Unfortunately, it spots me as well and I can't avoid fighting it, which uses up my remaining mana.

1 Great Bear defeated! 1,000 Soul Exp gained!

Luckily, after the bear, I don't run into anything else before I reach the gate. I quickly exit using the gate before anything else shows up and then turn my attention to the door. After trying a number of things I manage to access a map of where I have explored.

On the map, it marks the location of the gate and I find that I am able to move it around. That is helpful, but the map also shows how big the world is, which is a little daunting. I don't have much for reference, but what I have explored isn't even one percent of the map.

Then again, I have only explored a part of the forest and the edge of the plains. Come to think of it, I haven't really done much exploring in any of the worlds I have visited. The most I did was in the world of battlefields and I was using a map.

The worst part is that the hallway has tons more doors for me to explore. However, finding the time to do so is a real challenge, just like everything else. Maybe I really do need to play around with time magic, it might be the only way.

I should probably talk to Lin and Yui before I do anything crazy, they have more knowledge than I do. If I can find some books on time magic, that should at least give me a better idea of the risks. If I have a better idea of the risks, I can determine if it is worth it to even try.

Besides, the more knowledge I have the better my chances of convincing Lin to let me try. Anyway, that is also something that is going to have to wait for later. I can't go running off right now, not with my people inside the empire.

The chaos is giving us a huge opportunity, but it also makes things more dangerous. I especially have to worry now that Myria and the kids are involved. The problem is that now that I have started it, the chaos is only going to get worse.

I also have no idea what direction events are going to take, it is all up in the air. That is why I have to stick around and wait, so I can issue orders depending on the situation. With that in mind I end my meditation and go looking for Leonarr to get an update.

"Leonarr, what's the latest news from the empire?"

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Leonarr says "Things have gotten quite a bit worse. The emperor is still alive, but a decent amount of the imperial army has defected and joined the church's forces. There have already been a few pitched battles around the capital. Also, there are several areas where revolts have sprung up, but a few have already failed."

"The army suppressed them?"

Leonarr says "No, the people did. Apparently, the nobles who wanted to rebel were not popular with the people."

"That's not too surprising. Nobles who act to benefit the commoners are few and far between. How are our troops doing?"

Leonarr says "Things have been going extremely well! We have already rescued over ten thousand slaves!"

"That's great! Keep up the good work! How are we doing on getting them taken care of and settled?"

Leonarr says "It has proven to be a challenge, but we are managing. The outcasts are doing wonderful work and making sure they are all treated well. All we have to do is get them across the border and they do the rest."

"Good. Are there any special situations that I need to take care of?"

Leonarr says "Not at the moment, no. Do you have any new orders for the troops?"

"Yes, they no longer need to avoid members of the church. They are now to be regarded as enemies and dealt with as long as it doesn't endanger the primary mission."

Leonarr says "Understood! I will send word out immediately!"

"Alright. I will be in the castle resting. You have permission to enter if you need me for anything."

Leonarr bows in response and then runs off, while I head back to the castle. Once inside, I have some food, head upstairs to bed, and sleep for around six hours. When I wake up, I notice that my mana pool is full so I head downstairs to take a bath.

Once I am in the bath, I start working on my core and again I focus on the lightning. Just like last time, as I pour lightning mana into the lightning ring, the fire orb shrinks. At the same time, my progress drops and bit and then goes back up.

Core Upgrade Progress: 52%

Just a little bit more and there will be no fire orb left from the looks of things. I certainly don't regret my choice, but I am curious as to what is going to happen next. Probably what I am most curious about is if this choice is going to alter my race.

While having both fire and lightning is really cool, specializing is just one should be far more powerful. Unfortunately, I am going to have to just wait and see what happens, I hate that. I want my answers right now, not days or weeks down the line!

Feeling rather frustrated, I get out of the bath and head upstairs to get some breakfast. As I am eating, I try to think of something to do while I wait for something to happen. I can think of quite a few things I want to do, but they would all count as adventures.

In the end, once I am done eating, I head to my workshop and call Jarvis down. It has been a while since I took a look at his programming and even longer since I did anything to it. So, I spend the next few hours working on his programming.

It is only as I am taking a break to eat some lunch that I realize that I messed up. If the point is to waste time until something happens, I should have turned the time dilation off. Thanks to me forgetting, by now only a few hours will have passed outside.

However, instead of turning it off, I decide to make a quick trip to the tower. I am hoping that Yui will let me borrow or copy some books to read in the castle. That will be a good use of my time and also won't get me into any trouble.

Before gating to the tower, I check in with Leonarr, but nothing has changed. Since I am not needed right now, I open the gate and go through it.