Where Micro had once seen a small village of humble cabins, surrounded by dense forest at the bottom of a mountain, there now stood countless tall buildings of superior construction. Though not impressive by modern standards on Micro's homeworld, they were incomparable to the simple wooden structures Micro had grown accustomed to among society outside of sects. The roofs were covered in a thin layer of snow, but the streets full of people were muddy.

“There are a lot of cultivators, but even the ordinary people seem to be doing alright.” Micro commented as they entered a crowd of people. Though notably timid in nature, the non-cultivators seemed as happy as anybody on the street.

“Now that you mention it, I don't think I have observed such a large population of peasantry in such a pleasant mood.” Arbur added.

“Not that I have frequented many villages, but I recall them being... darker...”

Micro looked around at the many businesses operating noisily with mild interest. There were many large wagons being pulled by strong young men, radiating the unmistakable scent of iron. Many buildings were still under construction despite the weather, but the town was lively. Micro smiled and nodded, then pointed down the road.

“Margo's house was that way. Let's go see-” Micro began to suggest, but he was suddenly interrupted when a small child ran toward him.

Arbur immediately jumped between Micro and the child defensively, releasing a harsh aura. However, Micro placed a firm hand on Arbur's shoulder. Arbur yelped in pain, unable to resist, and he watched helplessly as the small child dove between his legs and began to climb up Micro.

“It's good to see you, Spark.” Micro said as the young girl settled on his shoulders and grabbed his ears. Blue flew off his head to avoid the little girl's assault, laughing at the sight. He thought she'd gotten lighter, but then recalled he'd become stronger since they last met.

“Micro!” Spark called out simply. She seemed unphased by Arbur’s outburst of aura, and she laughed as she began to use the top of Micro’s head as a drum.

Arbur relaxed his aura, and Micro released his sore shoulder.

“I wasn't aware you had such an acquaintance, master...!” Arbur groaned.

“Spark's family helped me a while ago. They're very nice people.” Micro explained.

“They work with metal!”

Micro looked around, but he didn't see her family anywhere.

“Ember took dad's hammer!” Spark shouted.

“It likes her!”

“What is that crazy kid-” Kolt mumbled in surprise.

“Shut it.” Kira whispered, elbowing her brother in the side.

“Master seems fond of her.”

“Her?” Kolt bulrted out.

“Sorry I don't have a pretty dress like you!” Spark shouted at Kolt from Micro's shoulders. She made a funny face while pointing and laughing at him.

Kurt frowned, but he was too confused by the child's nature to dwell on the insult.

“You can talk a lot more than last time we met.” Micro praised the young girl.

“People might mistake you for your sister.”

“My hair is redder, but her eyes are greener!” Spark shouted, still making rude faces at Kolt.

“We were just on our way to see Margo.” Micro said, pulling Spark's hand away from his face to speak. He pointed down the road at the area he remembered visiting in the past.

“She moved, Micro!” Spark said.

“Dad and Margo have been talking about boring stuff all day. It's so boring...!”

“Could you help us find her?” Micro asked.

“Fine, but don't let Ember catch me.” Spark said with narrow eyes. She looked down at Micro with a serious expression not suitable for her childish face.

“She'll trap me inside if she does.”

~

Arbur remained humble after the group's encounter with Spark, the youngest daughter of the blacksmith named Kern, while Kolt and Kira continued to look around in wonder at the large buildings. Blue was equally curious about all the activity, but she decided to remain hidden in Micro's pocket after causing a commotion with some cultivators outside a shop. They narrowly avoided causing widespread panic when two old cultivators overheard Blue mention how quickly such big buildings would burn.

Though Spark's directions led them in circles for a while, the group eventually came to stand before a particularly large building. It was 3 stories tall, surrounded by a yard with a stone fence. Micro could sense many cultivators in the building, though many non-cultivators were also coming and going, both workers and finely dressed nobles among the crowd.

A noble lady followed by a large number of well dressed servants slowed as they passed Micro, Spark still playing on his shoulders, and their faces contorted with equal parts curiosity and disgust, but they continued on their way without a word. Micro noticed Kira and Kolt looking anxious as the lady walked by.

“You eat something rotten?” Micro asked.

“Nobles like that...” Kolt mumbled, but he averted his eyes to the ground.

“I guess it's different now that we're with you, but she's a scary lady.” Kira added quietly.

“You know her?” Micro asked in surprise.

“Not her, but people like her...” Kira replied.

“Cultivators are scary too, but at least they usually leave normal folks alone. Nobles like that are more likely to kill a commoner than greet one if you look at them the wrong way.”

“That's pretty scary.” Micro said. He frowned as he watched the lady walk down the street with her servants.

“If you'll forgive a humble comment from your loyal disciple...” Arbur said with a deep bow, still feeling timid after his encounter with Spark.

“What's up?” Micro asked.

“It would complicate your situation greatly to become involved in the interactions between the classes of the mundane, master.” Arbur explained politely.

“You may not consider them beneath you, but cultivators are not simply detached from matters of the mundane. We are bound not to interfere by Imperial law. The culture and finances of the mundane are matters we-”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I think I get it, so relax.” Micro said, trying to calm the nervous Arbur.

“We need to deal with road safety first, and more roads would be nice.”

“Understood, master.” Arbur said obediently.

“What an odd rule...” Micro sighed.

“So many odd rules, and no street signs…”

Micro looked back and frowned at the way bumpy dirt trails at formed intersections with the main road he had commissioned, but realized it was an inevitable occurrence in the absence of a planned route. He led his friends toward through a large gate, through the yard, then knocked on the large door. He waited for a while, and he could hear a number of voices talking loudly on the other side of the door. He decided to knock more loudly, and put a little bit of power into his hand.

THUD

The door broke off its hinges and fell inward with a large crack, silencing the busy interior of the building. Micro slowly poked his head through to see the pale faces of a dozen people and the furious, yet familiar, face of several cultivators.

“Who do you think you are to disrupt the business of the only legitimate heir to the the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect!?” The man shouted as he and his comrades stood up, apparently having been in a meeting with a young man on the other side of a desk.

“Oh, it's good to see you again.” Micro replied with a conflicted expression.

“I heard the news about your grandfather. I'll miss him very-”

“You speak of sect matters lightly for one about to die!” The man shouted back.

The man's face was red by the end of his declaration, but the air around the cultivators next to him began to change suddenly. One reached out to tap the angry man's shoulder, though their cautious whispers went unheard.

Micro laughed, then summoned a Spirit Hammer in his right hand, holding it in front of him with a smile. The cultivators jumped backward in shock at the sudden appearance of the hammer, and Arbur began to gather energy in his own hands.

“This has come in handy, Vale!” Micro said happily.

“Thanks again!”

Arbur, who looked ready to attack just moments before, suddenly relaxed his posture and leaned toward Micro.

“Another friend, master?” Arbur asked.

“He's like family!” Micro replied.

“His family welcomed me into their home, and he's the reason I was able to meet Lena. He's not the friendliest person I've met, but I'm sure he means well. A rude friend is still a friend.”

“Oh!” Kira said, clapping her hands once in realization.

“That's Vale! You mentioned him before.”

“You...!” Vale's face went blank as he began to take in the details of the people in front of him. His eyes began to flicker as he analyzed them in a panic.

“Ah- ah- Amber Core... those robes... wha-”

“He doesn't look as happy to see you.” Kira chuckled.

“I can see why you never got mad at him in your stories.”

“That bothered me too. You sounded like a pushover.” Kolt said with a nod.

“But seeing him now, he's just kind of-”

“-Small?” Blue jumped out of Micro's pocket to finish Kolt's sentence.

“Right?” Kira laughed.

Vale did his best to straighten his posture and breathe deeply as the crowd of people watched Micro's friends mock him, but the sight of the pixie made him sweat and tremble. Spark enjoyed the scene as it played out from her place on Micro's shoulders.

“You, you did well to survive this long, bu-” Vale bit his tongue as he spoke.

“You're lucky I have important business elsewhere, or I- I- I...”

Before Micro could ask about his cousin, Vale and his entourage had awkwardly slipped past him and through the broken door. He waved, but they were out of sight in little time. Taking another look around the room, Micro noted the wide variety of people. Some were covered in dust and mud, while others were neatly dressed. The room itself was a large office, and small piles of the kingdom's currency decorated several desks where people sat.

“Hello.” Micro said politely.

“I'm looking for Margo.”

The people in the room started moving all at once, putting away their money and saying goodbye before leaving the building in a hurry. Micro moved away from the door with an apologetic expression, and soon only a single young worker was left in the building, a young woman in humble but clean, beige robes. She held a large scroll in one hand, and approached Micro with her head bowed.

“I'll summon her, young master...” She said with resolve, then disappeared down a hall and up a flight of stairs.

“I didn't mean to be rude, but...” Micro said with a sigh.

The group stood awkwardly in the large lobby of the rustic building for a while until heavy footsteps were heard walking down the stairs. Micro waved, but Margo only sighed in reply.

“So you return to the scene of the crime!” Margo said in exasperation, with no trace of the fear or reverence she had displayed in front of Micro during their first meeting.

“Good job on the road-” Micro began, but Margo sighed loudly.

“Do you know how much sleep I've had since you commissioned that blasted thing?” Margo said, poking Micro's chest aggressively with one finger. Though she only succeeded in pushing herself backward, she ignored the pain in her finger and continued.

“That gold was cursed! The more I spent, the more business arrived here! I can't hire enough people to keep track of it all! Even the Silver Magistrate moved his office here in the middle of winter. Why didn't I run when I had the chance?!”

“I'm glad business is going well.” Micro replied.

“I actually have my own mine west of here now, so I'll probably be relying on you for some advice in the future. There's a basilisk in it now, but it's friendly enough-”

“Don't you dare make me any busier!” Margo nearly screamed.

“If you're planning to kill me, just do it quickly!”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Micro asked.

“I was going to ask you to make a few more things, but...”

“Find somebody else to be mayor of this beehive of a town, for starters!” Margo said loudly, but she began to sway as she shouted. Short of breath, she fell heavily into a chair near a desk, then looked at the ceiling.

“There's too much on my mind, and you just chased away the accountants along with that snobby cultivator...”

“The old man always struggled with paperwork.” Micro nodded sympathetically.

“His wife kept everything organized, and his son helped with taxes, but he was hopeless with numbers...”

“Hmm?” Margo suddenly sat up straight in her chair and looked at Micro with wide eyes.

“Were you from a dragon sect?”

“Truck Sect.” Micro corrected her politely.

“Huh... Rare to hear a cultivator talk about that sort of thing. But then, you were a rare type to begin with.” Margo shook her head and took another deep breath.

“Ah... this will put me a week behind, and I was already two weeks behind, never mind the fallout with the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect...”

“Kel?” Micro said excitedly.

“Is he in town?”

“The sect leader? Of course not.” Micro said, waving her hand.

“Vale's faction is the face of that sect around here. The only thing I fear more than their temper is their ridiculous requests. They come here to order weapons, carts, tools, any supplies you can imagine!”

“That doesn’t sound like Kel’s sect at all…” Micro frowned.

“Excuse me.” The lady from earlier spoke up from the corner of the room while reading a scroll.

“Don't tell me...” Margo sighed.

“They changed the order, and the payment amount is inconsistent with the rates specified in the contract last month.” The lady explained.

“We will need to suspend some services in the eastern district... again...”

“You see?” Margo asked Micro with her hands raised.

“It's like catering to children's whims, as if I have the time and gold to do so.”

“I see...” Micro said. He looked around the room and frowned.

“The old man's life got easier after he bought a computer- well, after a few weeks of high blood pressure, but they don't sell those here. Do you not even have a calculator?”

Micro thought quietly for a moment as Margo placed her pale face in her hands, then noticed the lady with the scroll doing something on a desk nearby. She had unrolled it on the desk, and she began to rub it gently with a wet cloth, gradually removing the ink from its surface.

“Why are you doing that?” He asked.

“This contract is void anyways, and we need the paper.” She replied bitterly.

“The paper is worth more than half the contracts written on them now...” Margo sighed, her voice muffled as she lowered her head to the desk.

“Paper is expensive?” Micro asked in shock.

“It's imported from the Rameer Kingdom.” Margo replied, gesturing for her assistant to keep quiet.

“Even if we could afford enough paper to keep things in order here, supply is limited.”

“In that case, I have three things I want you to make.” Micro said with a wide smile.

Margo lifted her head, revealing a combination of dread and resignation, but she stared at Micro and listened.

“I want you to make a police station and hire some people to enforce traffic laws, and There is another road I'd like your workers to pave.” Micro began.

“But first-”

“First...?” Margo cringed.

“First!” Spark repeated, amused by Margo's expression.

“Make a paper factory.” Micro said as he removed a handful of gold coins from his storage.

The lady washing the ink off of the scroll froze as the gold glittered in Micro's hands, and Margo closed her eyes, as though it was too bright to look at at all.