The next morning I had breakfast with Lucy. Our maids and Shani were also present. I told them about my conversation with Lilith and asked for opinions.

“I am fine with it. If Lilith does something sinister we can stop her.” Lucy said, confidently.

“My ladies, I believe Lilith sees you as a peer and will treat you fairly. After witnessing your power I doubt that she would outright betray you. But she might take advantage of the deal, if she is allowed.” Lily said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, she would certainly push Iron Rock more towards demons, than fey. She would also collect a lot of information. If the academy becomes famous, it will attract the rich and powerful from all nations. Her succubi will likely spy on them, possibly influence them as well. She would build a vast network. I doubt that she would use it against you but she would certainly prioritise her power and interests. You would need a deal with Lilith that requires her to share some of that. Or get involved yourself. You could station fey at the academy.” Lily said.

I pondered that. “I don’t really have any fey serving me, other than Adhira. Considering Nira, I actually have more succubi in my service than fey.”

“We are on our way to the fairy realm, just recruit some.” Lucy suggested.

“This plan would not be quick. You should have time to recruit more agents.” Lily agreed.

“I could regularly slaughter some people to keep them in line!” Shani suggested.

“No no, we are not slaughtering our allies.” I responded.

“But what about slaughtering people who disrespect our allies?” Shani asked.

I shook my head. “No slaughtering, for now.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Unless it’s Ashmedai’s cult. Aren’t there still a few of those around here?” Lucy asked.

Shani grinned. “Maybe I should investigate!”

“Uh, we are not here to stay. We want to reach the fairy realm.” I reminded her. “Anyway, back to the topic. So you think we should accept Lilith’s proposal?”

“Yes, I think it would benefit my ladies.” Lily said.

“We should fill the city with storm sprites! We could collect donations from everyone here!” Adhira proposed.

“We are not extorting the population.” I replied.

“I am fine with it, but I don’t think I have much to contribute.” Lucy said. “Just tell me if I have to smack someone, or growl at someone. Hey, if this becomes a magical centre, do you think they could summon tasty monsters?”

“Maybe we could open a fancy restaurant…” I mused.

“I will happily slaughter things for you to eat!” Shani offered.

“Owning a popular restaurant might be a good way to gather information. You could train the servers to discreetly listen to conversations.” Lily proposed.

“Uh sure, that too. Anyway, I guess we will agree to Lilith’s offer. And we will try to recruit some fey who would like to move to Iron Rock. But I do need people for my own county as well. Maybe we could establish a transport system of some kind.” I wondered.

“Do you mean long range teleportation? I think that would be too mana intensive.” Lily said.

“I was considering a train. Dwarves have pretty wide tunnels all over the mountains. Maybe we could create a connection to the Dominion.” I suggested.

“My apologies, my lady. I do not know what a train is.” Lily said.

“It’s a metal carriage that you put on rails, so it can only travel a set path. It’s not drawn by an animal but has an engine that moves the wheels. I think we should be able to design a magical engine. Maybe I need to talk to the dwarves. But it would be able to transport a lot of people quickly.” I explained. It was a rather basic description but it should suffice.

“What a marvellous idea! Establishing better transport would certainly benefit Iron Rock. It would improve trade. And it would certainly make you more popular.” Lily said.

After breakfast I met Lilith again.

“I agree with your plans for Iron Rock, but we would have to decide on some details. I want to make sure that we share the information we collect and make decisions about its future together. I would also be willing to invest in a transportation project. I want to connect Iron Rock with my county.” I said, then I explained a train.

Lilith looked impressed.

“You would improve trade between the Empire, the Dwarven Kingdom and Iron Rock with that invention. By investing your own money into it, all three nations would be in your debt and you would boost the value of your own county. It would make you popular with a lot of people as well. An intriguing offer like that would accelerate our plans.”

“So, how do we handle the duke?” I asked.

“I suggest you tell him about your train idea. Then offer him assurances that you keep me in line. After that, just give him time. We want him to accept without feeling pressured, from us. He likes you, make it sound like a friend who wants to help out. My succubi will already start with their preparations, hidden of course. I suspect in a few weeks the duke will agree to accept our help.”

I nodded. I had a good feeling about this.