"Melissa!"

"I can't... I can't run anymore..." the Rabbitkin woman cried. "You must go without me, Robin!"

"No..."

"Ohhh...? What do we have here?" The siblings froze in fear as an invisible hand gripped them. "Two runaways..." The man appeared out of nowhere and looked at them for a relatively long time, after which he nodded. "You will do."

The man who caught them was tall and somewhat menacing despite his friendly smile. He wore a green travelling cloak that hid everything under it. His green eyes looked at them from under his neatly cut brown hair, and he rubbed his short beard in what seemed to be satisfaction. He was also a human, which meant that they were doomed.

"Now, while we can still talk, tell me..." The sounds of pursuit were getting closer to them. The man smiled at them and closed his eyes. Despite that, the siblings could feel his gaze on them. "Will you work for me?"

"How can we be of any use to you? We are just kids..." the girl started but hesitated after feeling her brother's hand closing on her forearm.

"Yes or no," the man said, still smiling.

"Yes." Robin decided for them, and Melissa closed her eyes as a hound jumped out from the nearby bush.

Right behind the dog came three men running, armed with bats and ropes. They started laughing, seeing the two grabbed by the mysterious man who simply dropped them on the ground and slowly approached the slavers. The teens were unable to stand up, and they looked at each other in fear.

"I'm so glad you came here so fast, gentlemen," the man started as he walked toward them. "Am I correct to assume that one of you has the slave contracts of these two?"

"That's right, sir!" The oldest took out a document and showed it with a big grin. "As you can see, everything is correct."

"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent!" Something flashed briefly, and the head of the contract holder suddenly bounced and rolled down the road. "I was afraid I would have to find you on my own!"

"You murder..." The second slaver never finished his sentence before his neck was slit open.

The third man died without uttering a word. The dog jumped at the man only to be punched down, falling to the ground with a broken skull. The man turned around and walked toward the two Rabbitkins, who trembled in fear.

"Now..." He picked up their slave contacts and looked deep inside their eyes. He tore the papers and released them from the binding magic that held them for all their lives. "I will now tell you the details of what I expect you to do. My name is Jester..."

•••

I was finished reading the report sent by Janet and sighed. Technically, it was a good thing that Verka resolved the issue without killing Eternals. Akh'ila and Ertu were cooperative, but Verka suspected that the latter was up to something. It wasn't necessarily anything evil or malicious, but he was hiding something. The Dungeon of Xariinta surrendered in the most awkward way possible. The Praetorians, supported by the Marines, cut their way to the core chamber with minimal losses, fighting against its elite forces and a scion. As the scion boasted about the glory and power of its master, Janet unleashed a barrage from Victory upon the ghost city below. The attack was so devastating that the Core surrendered in the middle of its scion boasting. That victory will give Elisabeth a good base of operation, and since Xariinta is already fairly extensive, it will need a little work to bring it to usable condition. I had already accepted the rebuilding plans and sent the orders to the Princess.

The last province of Berna was governed by Hagon Je'wrha and was called Tulva. Ertu and Akh'ila declined any power over Tulva's people, which was quite troublesome. Despite being the foremost north province of Berna, Tulva was the most densely populated and developed of all provinces of Berna. I think Elisabeth will need time to regroup and reinforce her army before tackling that problem. It's not that Hagon will have a breathing space, either. The diversion groups sent by Count Nova will make him busy. Moreover, Jester has successfully infiltrated Hagon's territory, so I am more than sure of the havoc in his wake. However, Berna was destroyed, and most of its lands were conquered. The Holy Kingdom's downfall happened in just seven major battles. Predictably, the slaves revolted wherever they could, and in most cases, they were successful. Once the hand that held the whip was broken, the fear that kept the slaves in check was gone. Without slaves fearing their masters, it was just a matter of time before a society like Berna would collapse on its own. Without labour provided by the slaves, the people couldn't sustain their ways of life, which led to inevitable riots. Even Tulva suffered from slave uprisings and riots in its major cities. With that in mind, I was sure Elisabeth would end that war soon.

However, I was getting concerned about different things recently. Arcadia's expansion was unbelievably fast, creating a series of problems with uneven development and basically no existing infrastructure. That put aside, the deep forests, abandoned settlements, and even lesser fortlets became sprawling grounds for all kinds of bandits and monsters. Arcadia wasn't safe. To that end, Luna and Aoi were working on expanding the Guardsmen Corp and Navy. But it will be years before a safe road network would connect just Arcadia's biggest cities. Fortunately, the people of my country spared no effort to seize the opportunities I gave them. Many were learning at the Royal University and Academies, but most people were expanding their knowledge in the Guilds. The Guilds of Arcadia trained as many people as they could. The Carpenters Guild and Engenieer Guild were especially busy since no matter how many people they trained, the Arcadian industry would swallow everyone.

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"Theon?" Amber's voice called me from my thoughts. "We should consider building the train rails between the cities."

"Hmmm... We probably have the necessary resources." I scratched the back of my head. "Also, the first trains running around Avalon are very popular, so I think people would love a countrywide train system."

"I talked with Verni and Ian, and they agree that we can pre-build the track sections in Avalon." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "They said that building the train network will be quicker than the roads by far."

"And how do they want to do that?"

"Well... According to them, they could build the track sections in Avalon and store them in sufficiently big storage items, and then they can simply put them together in the field. That way, with minimal preparation, the construction teams can cover far more distances than road construction teams easily and very quickly."

"Like legos..." I snickered and nodded in approval.

"Excuse me?" She blinked a few times, and I couldn't help but smile, seeing how gorgeous she was. "Legos?"

"Oh, nothing... It was a kind of creative toy in my old world. Imagine it as a set of small blocks you could attach as many times as you want and in various configurations. It was an extremely popular toy, and people worldwide built many wonderful things out of it," I explained, and she nodded with a smile. "Anyway, I agree to start building the train network. For starters, let's connect the Dungeon Cities, well maybe not that one in Metaka, but all others."

"Excellent!" She beamed with a wonderful smile, quickly wrote down an order, and sealed it with her wax seal. "Nami, please give this to Ian as fast as possible."

"Yes, my Lady!" The girl took the note and left the office quickly.

We were left alone in the vast and quiet room. While my beloved Half-Elf quickly resumed her work, I took my time and enjoyed her beauty. But before long, she put down her fountain pen and looked at me warmly.

"Do you remember the time when we were the only people in Avalon?" She asked with a smile and stood up.

"I do." I smiled back and raised my hand, which she took with a short, mischievous chuckle before she teleported us away.

I slowly dropped on the soft grass in our garden and pulled her to me. She giggled and landed on me, covering me in her silky hair. She kissed me and laid her head on my chest.

"Everything changed in a haze since then," she said.

"That's true..." I embraced her and ran my fingers through her hair gently. "Do you miss that time?"

"Hmmm..." She smiled softly. "Yes and no... I agree that back then, we were alone but not as close as we are now. Also, back then, I didn't have my sisters..."

"Indeed..." I looked up at the green canopy of a tree we were lying under and hugged her tighter. I felt her breath on my neck and the calm beat of her heart. "You are my greatest treasure, Amber..."

"I'm so happy with you, Theon," she whispered while snuggling herself to me. "I'm also happy with everything we have built together."

"I'm glad to hear it." I kissed her, enjoying the taste of her lips. "But it would be an understatement to say that my life could take an unpredictable turn without you in it..."

"Oh, please... You would have Irene, Luna, Hestia, Aoi, and Lavender!"

"I disagree, Amber," I said with a serious tone. "Without your warning and knowledge, I would be unprepared for what happened on the first day when the barrier dropped. Ian, Ragnar, Bjorn, Verni, Wendy, Sally, Annika, Rose, Lilly, Iris, Marie, Nicole, Fiona, and, of course, Irene would have died back then. I wouldn't have been able to save them in time."

She slowly nodded and said nothing, so I continued. "Without Irene, Luna would have died on her way to Avalon, maybe even in my arms, and I wouldn't have been able to save her. Without the Flower Girls and Ian, it's unlikely that we would have found the Lich den and rescued Zephyr. Without him, I would have been unprepared to face Korkas and his henchmen. But let's say that Zeus, Hera, and Hestia would have arrived and offered their help. In that case, Hestia would have perished as well without the help of Irene and the miracles she can bestow." Amber looked at me a bit worried but couldn't deny my words. "Without Marie, who would have died with Irene, Ban would have never surrendered, and I wouldn't have the Guardsmen of Avalon. Without them, the campaign in Cridia wouldn't be fast enough to discover the Dragonkin Village. The forces of the Mountain Dungeon would have killed everyone, including Aoi."

"What about Lavender?" Amber asked quietly.

"That's a good question. By the time I met Lavender, I could have been an entirely different person. Someone who Lavender would never agree or even wish to marry."

"I see..." Amber fell silent for a moment.

"If I had never met you, Amber, there is a huge chance of me being killed by Korkas and his void cultists." I sighed and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure that without you, Avalon as we know it wouldn't exist."

"I never looked at this this way," Amber admitted.

"But it is true. Or at least this is how I feel about it."