Realistically speaking, being a king sucks. Well, yes, you can do whatever you want, but if you want to be said king longer than a few evenings, you have to put real effort into it. And that part sucked! All seven of us worked so hard all day, every day, and I often worked all through the night. Despite this, I could only react to the flow of the events, barely having any time or occasion to show any proactive initiative. Running the dungeon was also time-consuming, especially during any expansion, which forced me to use RTS view, during which time flew even faster. While my wives took a big chunk of my burdens from my shoulders, I was ultimately responsible for the results. When they first took on additional tasks, they were insecure about their hard work and often marked things to be reviewed by me. Fortunately, with each passing day, what they did and how they ran their departments moved ever closer to perfection, at any moment surpassing what I would have done in their place. It was only a matter of time until I simply skipped their parts, and even now, they rarely marked anything for me to review. Yet that work won't do itself. I promised myself that once we managed to calm things down with Berna and quell all rebellions on our home turf, I would entrench Arcadia so deeply that we could have a moment to rest.

The situation in Berna hit a strange stalemate where Twirll accused the Bernan gods of attacking Arcadia while he was trying to save the world. In turn, the Patriarch accused him and Elisabeth of staging a rebellion in the country. During that time, Elisabeth fairly skillfully took advantage of the chaos and nearly completed connecting the lands under her control with the county ruled by Count Nova. That effectively tore a third of the country from under the control of her father and secured her flank. The news about Bernan cannon restrictions had reached Elisabeth and the Legions Legates, who had already made great use of that knowledge. They managed to chase off a few airship raids using the field artillery without casualties on either side. But their threat was real, looming over the expedition forces like an executioner's axe. For now, the forces of the Princess and the Patriarch rooted themselves, forming World War I-like trench lines. I was aware that sooner or later, the Bernan forces would commence an all-out assault, using the entire might of their Navy. At the moment, I could only reply to that threat with HMS Victory and HMS Fairy. Bjorn's shipwrights were working around the clock, but there were limits to what they could do. In record time, they managed to build the frames of four ships, but finishing them would take longer. Building the HMS Hercules and HMS Titan would take at least a month; the two galleon class ships would be outfitted with colossal storage space items alongside the classic cargo holds. Even Bjorn himself couldn’t tell how long it would take to finish the two requisitioned frigates. What we did know was the fact that we had plenty of time to come up with their names.

I could bitch all day about not having enough time, but when something interesting presented itself to me, I just had to investigate. The airships shouldn't work. I steadfastly refused to believe that the rule of cool alone allowed them to defy physics. To put things simply, the answer was magic. While that bit of knowledge had not satisfied me in the slightest, I turned to Ian. We visited the grounded brig, and he showed me the heart of an airship, a magic matrix. The ship's core was a relatively sizeable spherical structure connected with various pipes and cables in the central cabin of the ship. Its base consisted of a broad, chunky, magical iron ring bolted to the floor. The room it was in was reinforced, and the matrix core, which was made of copper, was suspended in some kind of glowing liquid. However, staying in that place allowed me to see the magic formulas it formed even in its dormant state. After turning everything online as if the brig was about to lift off, using Ian's goggles, I was able to investigate the entire structure of the ship from the outside. The calculation matrix, which I would have simply called a magic computer, was a very sophisticated piece of equipment.

Through various connections with essentially every part of the ship, it could fine-tune spells responsible for flying, manoeuvres, and even defying the wind resistance. It created a magic bubble around the ship, allowing its sails to work as if the ship was still sailing on the water while insulating the crew from low temperatures and lower oxygen levels of high altitudes. The sails of the airship gathered the environmental mana that fed the always-hungry ship's core. While still used to push the ship on its intended course, especially on the water, the sails had multiple enchantments, allowing the ship to be operated by the sailors and not highly specialized wizards. The ship's hull had rows upon rows of float and fly runes activated, with their power output controlled by the matrix governing the ship's movements.

The magic field was so simple in its principles that it was almost disappointing; it created a stable bubble where the ship acted as if it had never left the ground. But how that was achieved was not that simple at all. The magic bubble encompassing the entire ship was not uniform; that sphere consisted of various spells and magic circles depending on the area you looked at. Below the ship, it lowered the weight of an airship until it was light enough to be lifted by fly and float runes grafted in the hull. Behind the ship, it allowed the wind to pass and blow the sails, allowing sailors to operate the airship in the ways they were familiar with. While the vessel was in the air, its sails did not directly propel the ship; it moved due to the bubble itself. Steering the ship required the crew to take the same actions they would normally execute while sailing on the water. The magic field changed the properties of the air around a ship’s usual water line, allowing the rudder to steer the ship. It nullified the sides, front, lifting, and downburst currents, allowing undisturbed sailing. Simply put, the magic bubble was like a glass of a ship in a bottle, carried in the hands of a child, imagining their toy could fly. But the complex calculations and exceptionally complicated formulas devised inside the ship's core and its magic matrix allowed that dream to come true. So, technically, it was an extremely elaborate application of the rule of cool. The bubble had no physical manifestation, so the cannons could fire without disturbing the field that held the ship in the air. Only Ian's magic detection goggles allowed me to see and read the elaborate rings of enchantments and magic circles that surrounded and shielded the airship from the laws of physics.

That magic sphere was even further reinforced in the case of our airships. The magic force field was adapted by the matrix quickly. The addition of mana storage crystals, which were not present in Bernan brig construction, expanded the capabilities of the ship. Of course, our force field was installed at the cost of inertia dampeners present in Bernan constructions. Force field runes were made of gold and orichalcum and framed in magic steel, making the entire item very heavy, slowing down our airships. However, thanks to them, our ships could withstand fire that would destroy any other airship. But that wasn't the only difference. The Bernan matrix was made of copper, bronze, and magic iron. Magic iron, or steel, or whatever metal with the 'magic' prefix had, was specially forged material that was much better at conducting magic and was used to produce various magic tools, magic staves, and wands. HMS Victory and other military vessels currently in production had cores of gold, orichalcum, silver, and magic steel. According to Ian, that gave our cores a significant edge over the inferior cores of Bernan airships. That advantage was the much faster calculation speed of magic formulas that formed the bubble around our ships, which made that field much more sturdier and less prone to being disturbed even by the most intense storm winds. Still, there was a massive flaw in this magitech. The airship's vertical movement was slow, preventing dynamic altitude changes. That was why airship combat was akin to a sea battle. Admittedly, I was silently relieved that nothing as big as Victory would engage in a nimble dogfight anytime soon.

•••

"Master is busy, and we should aid him to lessen the burden he carries," Demesne stated with adamant conviction.

"I agree," Kirin, as usual, agreed with Demesne. "We have enough mana to follow his order and subjugate the remaining dungeons in Arcadia."

"Whom should we attack first?" Bob asked, calm as always.

The five vassals of the most powerful dungeon in the entirety of Aderon had actually met with each other. Their physical cores met under Avalon, in a chamber only they, their Master, and his Queens could enter. There were no doors to this room, and the air would only flow if the Queens were present. The statue of a Wolfkin girl, protected by a Fenrir, had changed a bit. Previously, the girl Demesne was naked on that statue, but now she was wearing a beautiful dress. The goblin idol in which Bob resided has undergone far more drastic changes. He was no longer depicted as a violent warlord with a bloodied sword in his hand. The goblin now had a gentle facial expression; his sword was sheathed at his belt, and he held a basket full of chicken eggs while a hen and a rooster followed him. Once formless, Kirin was now eager to show himself to his friends' cores as well. His green emerald heart, framed by the small tree, had a small statue of a sleeping wolf among its roots, its fur shining brightly in the darkness. The two did not comment on his form, but there was a sense of genuine enjoyment from them. Ceallach, the Wild Beast Dungeon core, was a small and crude statue of a tiger with a yellow gemstone in place of one of the cat's eyes. Talla, the Kobold Dungeon core, was a statue of a cave kobold holding a blue, tear-shaped gem. The reptilian statue was less crude than the tiger but couldn't match the details and realism of even Bob, not to mention Demesne or Kirin.

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"Before we start planning, can we ask some questions, honourable seniors?" Talla asked, and with each word, her blue gemstone pulsed with a gentle light. Her voice was gentle but occasionally laced with reptilian hisses.

"Certainly," Demesne agreed.

"How isss it possssible that your forms are so exquisssite? And not only that! It seemsss you three have a much better underssstanding than usss two," the Kobold Dungeon core asked in perplexion. "I know that thisss question may sssseem trivial to you, but it'sss important to me and Ceallach."

"Ceallach feels stupid with my brethren so... Smart," the core in question admitted with a strong voice carrying the hints of large predators battling each other.

After a moment of silence, Kirin inquired, "Hmmm... Tell me, how did you treat the people of the world who delved into your domains?"

"I killed them. They were weak. Only the strong can thrive!" Ceallach almost roared.

"I let some live..." Talla admitted weakly.

There was a silence in the room for a moment, during which the green light of Kirin pulsed calmly. When no one spoke further, he sighed loudly, and his gem shone brightly. "For thousands of years, I lived in harmony with a fairly large community of Dryads. I protected them, and they spoke to me, even if only a few could hear my voice. After some time, I noticed that I had changed. My thoughts became clearer, and I could make much more elaborate plans. But I forbade other people to enter my domain to protect the Dryads," Kirin explained his own situation.

"I can agree with Kirin’s assessment," Demesne's voice sounded in the chamber. "I always allowed most people who delved into my grounds to escape with these little treasures they managed to gather. I killed some, I admit, but the people always considered my dungeon worth the risk. However, it wasn't until the King had changed my dungeon into the dungeon city that I noticed a considerable difference. The people living inside my walls became important to me. They heard my voice, even without a scion's help, and taught me many useful things. And in turn, they learnt from me. So we grew together, stronger than ever before."

Bob began his story with fear evident in his voice. "For me, it was different. I was spared at first, never to be inhabited by the people of our world. Our Lord was furious at me, very close to shattering my core and casting me into oblivion." Bob paused for a moment. "I don't have to explain to any of you what goblins do. Yes, they are weak creatures, but they are cheap and can overrun much stronger creatures. But I was defeated in my own dungeon, and Arani, the scion of the Righteous Dungeon, loomed over me. But the execution was postponed. I received work orders, and my goblins became farmers. I often spoke with our Master, and that was an impulse to change myself. I used every opportunity to speak with our King and sometimes even our Queens. Each time I did, it was like opening another path, a new venture into the unknown. Lately, some people, mostly farmers, settled on the surface, and I was permitted to talk with them, which allowed me to grow even further. I have not been forgiven for what I have done to the people of our world. But I received one last chance to live, and by the heavens, I can tell you that only now do I feel alive. We must go to the roots of what made us kill so much and understand the reasons. Yes, we were powerful back then but also feral and mindless."

The two youngest vassals' cores pulsed with light like a heartbeat but remained silent for a long moment. Talla was the first to speak, but her voice was uncertain as she replied, "I am young. I'm only one hundred and sixty years old. Thus, I don't really understand everything you said, but it sounds like you believe that by killing the Mortals and not interacting with them, we... Crippled ourselves?"

"Yes. You are going to become a thriving dungeon city shortly, Talla. Follow the instructions provided by our Lord and let the people be. With time, you will grow to like them," Demesne encouraged her warmly.

"What about me?" Ceallach asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry. Once our Lord concludes his war against the Mortals, he will also develop you into a dungeon city. But you must take advantage of every opportunity that occurs. The people of the world are flocking into your ground, encouraged by our Lord. Prepare them a safe zone where they can set up their camps and provide them with food and water. Allow them to hunt and gather materials and items. Designate your scion to talk with them or speak with them directly yourself. Trust us, Ceallach, you will grow stronger with them," Bob replied with a calm and encouraging voice. "We all received a chance to live, not just be alive."

"Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us," the Wild Beast Dungeon core replied in gratitude.

"Now... Let's begin our preparations. While we don't have to decide on our target yet, we should at least form an army that could conquer another dungeon," Demesne steered the conversation back to its original tracks.

"I can provide one thousand hobgoblins archers of a level no less than seventy," Bob swiftly declared. "But unfortunately, I can't provide them with mounts."

"I can do that. My wolves and garms would provide close support to our ranged units," Demesne offered. "I can field a force of at least two thousand consisting of garms and great wolves. Their levels would be no less than sixty-five. I don't know if my bears would be of any use, but I can send some as well."

"I can field five hundred ents and one thousand wood trolls," Kirin sounded as if he was blatantly grinning.

"Ents?! That's incredible..." Demesne was shocked.

"Hehehe..." Kirin's voice was so smug.

"I can provide about five thousand monsters. Mostly beast-like predators that can act as our frontlines." Ceallach said, but the light of his gemstone was dimmed. "My denizens are hardly at level forty, however."

"But their numbers compensate for their weakness," Kirin supported the youngest vassal of their king.

"I think I can field about one thousand, maybe one and a half thousand kobold mages. A mix of healers and casters, but their levels are just thirty-five, maybe forty if we exclude healers," Talla admitted. "But my other kobolds have to stay and finish construction of the city..."

"It's fine, Talla. That would form an army of about twelve thousand strong. If we attach our scions as generals, I think we could actually win a battle against a lonely dungeon," Demesne said hesitantly. "How our Lord can command eight numbered legions and four unnumbered will never cease to amaze me..."

"He is the chosen of Eriar, after all," Kirin mused respectfully.

"Indeed," Bob hummed in agreement. "I offer my underground caverns as the staging grounds for our army. Besides, I'm farthest in the north, so it will be closest to the potential target."

"Sure. That will allow us to save mana," Kirin agreed.

"We have three potential targets," Talla spoke suddenly. "The Mountain Dungeon, the Desolate Forest Dungeon, and the Twilight Caverns Dungeon. The Desolate Forest is to be left as the King wanted to keep it untamed, left in its current state. The Mountain Dungeon has attacked our King multiple times, but I heard from the Dwarven masters who oversaw the construction efforts of the city in my domain that the King wanted the Dwarves to reclaim their mountains. I think we should work with the Dwarf called Sigismund if we plan to attack that dungeon. So, the last target would be the Twilight Caverns Dungeon. Should we focus on attacking it?"

"Hmmm..." Kirin, Demesne, and Bob hummed in unison. Then, Demesne agreed, "I think that's correct. We should attack the Twilight Caverns..."