Several days passed as Daz worked tirelessly to help establish the rule of both Rocky and Pai-han.

Rocky's inauguration was a simple matter, really. He was already the high lord of Gem Kingdom - Arizona's main ruling body - before he had been tasked with controlling all of Nevada as well. Considering Daz's displays of power in Las Vegas and factoring in how close his own centre of command was to Rocky's, things went smoothly.

Pai-han and Taiwan, on the other hand, wasn't quite as peachy. For a start, Pai-han was a child with minimal personal strength which led to his old friends from Gǒng splitting into two factions; one supporting him and Daz, the other demanding another to lead as Daz's proxy over the boy.

The opposing faction either saw the boy as unfit to rule or they viewed it as a chance to rule themselves seeing as how Daz had seemingly chosen a proxy king arbitrarily.

Meanwhile, Adya and her people didn't care who ruled so long as their temple wasn't disturbed while the normal citizens with only so much system-given strength were too focused on rebuilding to be too invested in the political side of things so long as it didn't impact their lives too badly. They mostly trusted Daz's decision to put Pai-han in power.

Thankfully, no fights had broken out and no one had died over the issue as of yet. Slowly as each day passed people were beginning to see how good of a ruler the boy with a pet husky could be since with Daz's direct help he'd been setting up laws and legislations while punishing criminals, reforming evil-doers and solving disputes.

The situation still wasn't perfect but things were looking better and Daz no longer needed to observe Taiwan as closely as before, freeing him up.

"It's Monday, yet again," Daz muttered. "System, show me my merit points and my two bank accounts, please."

Confirmed. The total balance of the host is now: 692,300,340 merit points.

The total balance of the host's [Midechhe Travelling Bank] current account is now: 30 merit stars.

The total balance of the host's [Midechhe Travelling Bank] savings account is now: 965,224,010 merit points.

he shook his head. "I've already recovered what I repaid to Big Bo and even though I spent over 30-million merit points to buy necessary facilities and housing for Arizona, Nevada and Taiwan, I still gained over 70-million."

He gazed up to the sky as he stood on the keep's garden rooftop with his hands held behind his back. "Are merit points really so abundant? I can't help but think that the system is trying to entice us... If it was so generous during previous tests then why is Earth still not a part of the greater system?"

That was a question Daz didn't have an answer to. He sighed softly. "Well, it's been nearly three weeks. I should probably visit Grandmother now. No doubt she's expecting me."

He quickly left the keep and found the headquarters of the NCIA. Walking in like he owned the place, he entered Rose's office. "Hello."

Raising her eyes from her laptop, Rose lifted an eyebrow. "Hi. No, I haven't found out anything about 'Aren'. No, I haven't honed in on the location of any Ember-wielders and lastly, no, I haven't confessed to Vanessa and don't intend to. We done?"

Daz resisted the strong urge to flick his annoying sister's forehead. "You should stick to science and formulated guesses. Assumptions are beneath you, especially incorrect assumptions."

Rose snorted. "What do you want then? Both you and I are up to our eyeballs in work. It better be important."

"I intend to visit Grandmother," Daz stated plainly. "I want you to come along. You know her weaknesses and you could do with some travel."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "The last time I travelled with you, you left me above the ocean in a futuristic car and then returned smelling like 17 combined harbours." She exhaled deeply. "I'll meet you at the teleportation station."

Daz smiled. "See you there."

----------------------------------------

"W-What?" Rose stuttered upon reconvening with Daz at the Archon-run teleportation station. "I thought it would be just you and me."

Daz glanced at Madison and Vanessa who stood by his side. He smiled in amusement. "Maddy's never been to Korea before. Besides, I haven't spent much time with her lately. I plan to have a date or two with her there. I hear it's a beautiful place."

Madison nodded enthusiastically with Mr Barrier on her head as she hugged her Daz backpack closely to her chest. "Date! Excited."

Vanessa approached Rose and scratched her head a bit sheepishly. "The airship's fixed and Sandy's got it on the schedule to run the first test flight in a week so I'm free, though you already knew that. Uh, Daz said you might be away for a few days and he said he wasn't going to help you bathe, so..."

"Madison can do that," Rose grumbled.

"Madison will be with me most of the time," Daz said as he shook his head dismissively. He turned and walked towards a new teleportation portal which led to Yilan City - Taiwan's new capital and added, "Besides, it never hurts to have a friend with you in a foreign place. Treat it like a holiday."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"You..." Rose grit her teeth as she finished her sentence mentally, '... filthy schemer.'

Vanessa chose to push Rose's wheelchair and follow behind Daz and Madison as she muttered, "I wonder if they still make Korean barbeque over there after the apocalypse... I've always wanted to try some since I learned about it but Bobby's Trashy Cookhouse restaurant chain doesn't serve it. What do you think, Rose?"

"Uh, sure. Sounds... delicious?" the platinum-haired girl answered hesitantly.

"Right. No sense of taste," Vanessa leaned down and smiled wryly. "Uh, I'm sure there's some interesting textures with their cuisine even if you can't taste anything!"

"Thanks, Vanessa," Rose meekly replied. Their faces being so close was bad for her heart.

Vanessa began humming lightly as they stepped through the teleportation portal. "The king and Madison are gonna have a date huh. I wonder what we should do when they go and do that? Maybe we can have a date of our own, haha."

Rose closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. 'Calm yourself, you fool. She's being playful, not romantic. You're just a kid in her eyes. You're just a kid in her eyes. You're just a kid in her eyes...'

She was immediately regretting agreeing to come at her brother's request. A few hours a day spent with the love of her life was enough of a struggle let alone potentially several days of non-stop interaction. 'Fingers crossed I don't say anything stupid...'

----------------------------------------

In no time at all the group of four led by Daz made their way onto the peacefully floating Fort Sky.

The place was always large, what with being an isolated city of 10,000 citizens, however, with Daz funnelling all of the city points into increasing GriD CrosS's size every Monday it had only grown in size.

Now the city's diameter had quadrupled and there were golden fields of wheat swaying back and forth surrounding the place and roads extended outwards into nothing as if they, along with the rest of the land, had been ripped out of a planet, which, well, they had.

"Hey, Grid," Daz called, "If I restore you enough do you think you'd become a full world?"

"Of course I would! I'd even become a universe! Nothing is stronger than me, stupid master," the massive pillar of purple crystal at the centre of the city square answered haughtily.

"Wow!" Vanessa explained in awe. "It talks! A talking crystal! I've always wanted to come up here when Fort Sky was near Fort Home but no one's allowed without your permission or help. It's one of New Earth's 13 mysteries!"

'What? I wonder what the other 12 are,' Daz thought to himself. His citizens and their imagination only continued to amaze him.

Vanessa pressed her hands against GriD CrosS's body and asked, "How can you talk? Why do you not just say Grid Cross like how Rimmy only says Rimmy? Are you magical or scientific? So many questions!"

Rose gave Vanessa a bit of side-eye and muttered, "All of which it won't answer. It only talks to Daz because of his affinity for sentient crystals."

"Aww... That's a shame..." Vanessa responded sadly. "Oh well. The buildings here are kinda steampunky. Uh, Your Majesty? Is it cool if I, em, study them?"

Daz raised an eyebrow. "You don't need my permission, you need Avulaway's. She's the leader here. Go bother her if you wanna mess around with the tech here."

Vanessa smiled in embarrassment, having been exposed for wanting to not just study but also tinker with the machinery she'd seen. "We'll do that! Thank you." She grabbed the back of Rose's chair and zoomed away towards the town hall.

Daz remained at the square and talked with Madison to foster his Ember of Love while also occasionally asking GriD CrosS a question or two to feed the crystal's dishonest personality.

A few hours later they had reached what was once South Korea and now went by the Southern Peninsula of United Korea.

Their arrival was made clear by a loud robotic voice booming, "Halt! State your origin and purpose!"

Daz and Madison quickly moved to the edge of Fort Sky after hearing the command - an easy and effortless task to perform in seconds with their physical stats.

Frowning, Daz shook his head upon seeing the fleet of alien fighter jets circling the outer perimeter of his flying city. Not bothering to raise his voice at all he replied, "You know who I am. Enough with the pointless political formalities. We as a species have to move past such useless things. Ho Ran. I am here to see her."

He was confident they could hear him despite speaking at a normal volume. If their alien technology couldn't do even that much then what was it worth?

Daz paused for a moment then said, "Need I announce myself then I have truly underestimated United Korea's abilities."

Madison frowned with her eyes at his side. "Need, be, mean?"

Daz shook his head. "Foolish as it is, a ruler must show might and dominance at all times," he answered softly. "Besides, I doubt this act of ignorance has anything to do with Ho Ran. I'll wait here if I need to, they'll fold eventually."

He was right. Not five minutes passed before the loud robotic voice returned and stated, "Welcome to United Korea, King Daz. You will have to leave your flying city here and meet a convoy we have sent out to collect you. We hope you understand but we don't permit the entry of large-scale weapons to our civilian areas."

'You're allowing me and Maddy in, aren't you? If we're not weapons capable of mass destruction, then nothing is. More foolish political bullshit,' Daz thought in dissatisfaction. 'Should I wish for Korea to stop existing, stop existing it would. The only way to stop me would be with system-cancelling abilities. When I rule the entire planet idiotic practices like this will be squashed out of the culture of politics. Such useless pride.'

"It's High King Daz," he responded coldly. "If you must act as you are, at least get my title correct. And very well, I'll do as you so kindly requested."

He made arrangements with Avulaway and GriD CrosS before he used his Ridomochi Final Model to ferry Rose and Vanessa down to land. Madison didn't need his help since she could fly with her astral wings as a Wingless Angel.

Not long later a group of five trucks filled with army soldiers approached the four of them. Stepping out of the leading truck, a burly man in a general's uniform saluted. "Welcome to United Korea, King Daz."

Scowling, Daz summoned Hamson and stepped atop the shovel, acting like some sort of cultivator with a flying sword. "I already said my title is now High King Daz. Do not make me remind you a third time. I trust Ho Ran is expecting and ready to meet me?"

He saw the general's face twitch uncomfortably. "President Ho is making preparations to receive you and your... companions at the Blue House. We've been tasked with taking you to your accommodations. President Ho expects to be fully ready to meet with you late this evening or early tomorrow morning."

Daz nodded. "I see, however, I don't need any preparations. I'm not so petty to care about something so meaningless. I came to talk, so talk I shall. Maddy, Vanessa, look after Rose. I'll be going on ahead to meet Ho Ran myself first."

Madison nodded happily. "Mmm, will, keep, safe!"

"Wait! You can't go without-" midsentence the general found himself watching Daz rocket away while standing atop his blood-red rootslayer shovel. "... going through the proper procedure first..."

Rose cackled in a bit of an unsightly manner. "Grandma's gonna love him."

"Why does it sound like she's going to do exactly not that?" Vanessa asked rhetorically. By now, she was used to the charming way that Rose said everything with a tinge of sarcasm. "Oh well... I'm sure he'll be fine knowing him, right?"

She coughed softly and scratched her neck, knowing that she was the only one out of herself, Rose and Madison who wasn't horrible at talking to others, she said, "Uh, so about that ride to our accommodations..."