The large and cosy room was warm and filled with fresh pine scent. It wasn't overwhelming - it danced on the edge of one's senses and left the impression of walking through an evergreen forest. A huge hearth in the middle radiated pleasant heat without even the tiniest hint of smoke smell. The polished granite tiles around it were very warm but not hot - perfect for relaxing while reading a book in the light of the fire. A comfortable looking, half-circle couch was neatly fit into a floor recess around the hearth. After three steps up to the rest of the living room, there was a huge wooden table. The spacious room had plenty of comfortable nooks scattered around like a large cushions corner or a secluded window sofa offering wonderful views of the nearby peaks. The private bath was far smaller than the one we had in Avalon but it was still large. It consisted of a relatively small cleaning area and a big recreation area with the hot springs I promised Irene plus a sauna and a regular pool. There were, also, four smaller bedrooms, just in case, and one large master bedroom with a room-sized bed. The living room and master bedroom had access to a shared and spacious terrace from which we had a breathtaking view of the nearby mountains. Our apartment was on the top floor of the alpine-styled, five story tall, hotel.

I wasn't even pretending anymore at this point. The building was full of luxurious apartments only available for selected people, like Arcadian officials. It had a restaurant, aqua park with all sorts of attractions, and a spacious snow garden with a small hill just large enough for ski instruction or children with sledges. The front of the hotel had a big courtyard and across the road sat another, a bit larger, sister-resort open to the general population of Arcadia. Maybe mountain retreats weren’t popular now, but given the time and the change of habits of my people, I was sure this was going to be a popular holiday destination. Nearby, I placed a huge ski complex including slopes of various difficulty levels and several ski lifts. Beryl, Verni, and Ian spent four days designing slopes and ski lifts in such a way that the views of the area were breathtaking. Down the hill from the hotels, behind a small park, was a spacious alpine-themed village. It was full of small restaurants, pubs, shops, and theatres. The town was situated on the banks of a huge lake where the ships of the Royal Navy had a harbour. They were anchored close enough to the town that I expected they might become one of the many attractions of this place. After all, I could watch these ships all day, so there must be other people who shared my sentiments.

Across the lake from the fairy tale resort, on a matching hill, sat a dark but picturesque ruined fortress. It was the redesigned Dungeon of Bravefall where the new combat zones included the nearby forest and a fairly big chunk of the lake’s shore. I thought about an underground-underwater level but, I guess, no one likes them. I had spent about a day adjusting the difficulty settings for various Dungeon zones and making sure it was enjoyable for visiting people. The Bravefall Dungeon's Core, named Aegar, observed me in silence but I felt his immense confusion. He was still angry and upset but most of the Dungeons I subsumed were like that in the beginning. I hoped he would let go of whatever grudge he had and move on. The monsters in the area consisted of Wolves and Bears in the forest and Skeletons and Slimes in the fortress. Thanks to those, it could be used as the exercise grounds for my Mortal Soldiers. The water around the fortress hid a few Serpent-like monsters which would be deadly for anyone unprepared but also provide excellent target practice for the crews of my Navy.

Currently, the Sailors, Marines, Dragon Riders, and Guardsmen were having a timed competition to clear the Dungeon. From what I observed, it was exhilarating entertainment. On the surface, it looked like a silly game. In actuality, it was a serious test to check if the Dungeon wasn't too difficult or deadly for the general population. Well, as serious as it could have been once soldiers were involved. Their job was to ensure that we could open the Dungeon for any of the public brave enough to try it. Not only for Arcadians, who will inevitably flood this place but also for Icelonians, for whom this Dungeon was an important source of resources. Still, the soldiers being soldiers, had the ability to change almost any assignment into a competition between the branches or teams. So far, mainly Guardsmen and Marines were competing while Sailors and Dragon Riders, deprived of their boats or mounts, tried to catch up with the strike forces.

"It's so beautiful!" Amber exclaimed with glee.

"You should definitely add the Santa Claus village!" Freya laughed and fixed her blue fur cap. "You basically made a theme park."

"Oh, that would be awesome! I bet the kids will love it!" Irene took off one of her gloves and opened the palm of her hand to catch a falling snowflake.

"Wait, you know about Santa Claus?" Freya looked at the tall Elf in surprise.

"Of course, we know about him!" Amber replied, and both of them giggled, looking at a still confused Freya. "The tradition must have been brought to Nilmerthis by one of the transmigrated heroes but their name has been lost to history. The tradition, however, survived and was passed across Aderon."

"Oh!" Freya nodded with a big smile. "It's so nostalgic..."

"I know I shouldn't be so excited, but I just can't stop myself after seeing all of it! It's so lovely, Theon!" Irene giggled and after grabbing my arm, she stood on her toes to kiss me on my cheek.

"Thank you! I'm pretty happy with the hotels and resort town." I smiled widely. "According to what you said, Lavender, Iceleon is much colder than Arcadia. Even their winters are harsher and longer so I think they will have to develop more tourism to secure additional sources of income."

"Tourism?" Freya looked up with scepticism painted all over her face. "Do you think that this world is ready for tourism?"

"Why not?" I shrugged. "It might indeed be unthinkable for many societies, but once the majority of the population is freed from the burden of food production, they will find employment elsewhere. It is already happening in Arcadia. Can you describe it better, Lavender?"

"I believe you are referring to times before you and now?" She giggled. "But you are correct. Before you introduced us to various machines and techniques from the Earth, most work was done manually. Currently, a single person can take care of an area that, previously, was cultivated by ten or more families of farmers. Only during harvests do our farmers need help. Skills are helpful but, honestly, just a few hundred people are enough to feed the entire Arcadia. Before the farming revolution, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people were dedicated to food production alone."

"As you can see, we have already freed additional workforce and it spread across the other crafts and occupations. I believe we did it in the most effective way possible by allowing people to choose what they wanted to do and helping those hesitant through appraising their skills and allowing them to change their classes accordingly."

"That's true." Amber nodded with conviction. "Hestia would have much more to say on the subject but she, many times, told me that the overall happiness of the people of Arcadia just exploded."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Hmm..." Freya nodded. "I see... Do you believe there will be enough tourists to justify the existence of an economy built around them?"

"Eventually..." I answered with a sigh. "I want the people to be happy and reasonably safe in Arcadia. But, once the understanding spreads out, the idea will be contagious. Our Universities and Academies will become the targets for thousands of young people from our allied countries and maybe even from beyond that. Sooner or later, most countries will have to aspire to the standards of living we already consider normal. Also, don't forget about our soldiers and adventurers who would like to spend time with their families. Why not travel to some distant reaches of Arcadia or other Dungeons under my control like this one?"

"I can imagine that." Freya smiled thoughtfully.

We walked towards the nearby town in silence. I looked towards the lake, at the majestic shapes of Dauntless and other ships of my Navy, and I smiled. Aoi and Luna went to a meeting with Janet and Drake. Well, calling it a meeting was a slight overuse since they, most likely, were making bets about who would clear the Dungeon faster. Hestia stayed with Mia and Tia in the apartment since the twins were most probably sleeping. For some reason, they were constantly tired and had to sleep a lot. Considering the fact that they were attacked by the Ruinous Powers, I was worried that they might be in danger, however, Irene and Hestia were sure it was something else entirely. Still, Hestia decided to stay with the Nekomis and make sure they weren't alone.

"Hmmm... Don't you think this village might be too small for the people of Iceleon?" Lavender hummed thoughtfully as she slowly walked down the hill.

"Truth be told this is going to be our town. The miners and their families have to live somewhere, and I believe that making them live underground is cruel. This..." I gestured basically in every direction with a huge grin painted over my face. "... is what I consider the Arcadian embassy."

"Ummm..." Lavender looked around and slowly shook her head.

"The city for Iceloenianias is an underground complex, placed on the other side of that hill." I pointed over the small, forest-covered hill on the east side of the lake. "I decided to make it a survival shelter, so the people won't find it appealing to live there permanently. After all, they should return to rebuild Iceleon after this disaster. If I build them a cosy city to stay in, there might be a problem to make them leave."

"You built an underground shelter?" Amber gave me an incredulous stare. “So keeping our people underground is cruel but making Iceleonians stay underground is fine?”

"Yeah, double standards, baby.” I laughed while making finger quotes. But upon seeing her roll her eyes, I cleared my throat and added with a serious tone “There is a difference between underground in a Dungeon and underground outside. As a bonus, we can seal it for later use."

"Hmmm... It's not a bad idea, to be honest. The Dungeon Cities are our thing." Irene nodded and made a snowball. "I like it."

"What about the cold?" Amber giggled and suddenly she squealed when Irene hit her with the snowball.

"I plan to have a long hot springs bath and a large cup of hot chocolate," Irene replied, grinned widely, and dodged Amber's snowball causing it to hit Lavender straight into the forehead.

I started laughing seeing my wives throwing snowballs at each other. Unfortunately, my joy caused them to join forces and start attacking me. Being outnumbered, I had to make good use of snow covered bushes across the road. We all laughed, ignoring the problems of the world around us.

•••

King Lars tried to calm down after the unexpected and strange change in behaviour of his daughter. It had been five days since her return and she still spent most of her time onboard HMS Scimitar. Well, he couldn't exactly blame her since the cabin she had was infinitely more comfortable and warmer than her old room in the castle. He was, however, blaming her for acquainting herself with a simple commoner. But, calling someone like Lieutenant Commander Victor Thornton 'simple' was risky. He was more educated than some of the nobles of Lars' court. He was more skilled in dueling than some of his best knights. Finally, he was the captain of a ship that wouldn’t fit in the capital's harbour. He didn’t want to consider that said ship could flatten the Iceleon capital in a heartbeat. Gods, what a ship it was! It was a beast made of steel, intimidating in size and, according to Commodore Kelvin, possessing enough firepower to rule the skies. Despite that, Lieutenant Commander Victor Thornton insisted it was small compared to the flagship of the Arcadian Royal Navy, HMS Dauntless. Lars hoped the man was joking...

Anyway, the King could understand the fascination of his daughter with the Captain. He was charming, chivalrous, and handsome. Undoubtedly, he must enjoy the trust of the Emperor himself since he was given command over HMS Scimitar and its assets. It took a whole day to unload the supplies brought by this single airship, mostly food that was reported to be simple meals. The rumour said it was standard issue military food; what was worse, and it couldn't be proven, was the standard mix crates were opened and the best-tasting dishes were replaced with the less desired. Heavens! If that was the worst food served by the Arcadian military, then Aderon was doomed. They would win any battle by serving it to their enemies and watching them surrender... Still... Lars fearfully glanced at the menacing ship hanging right in front of his eyes. Why couldn't that man be even just a knight?!

"My Lord!" General Jergen entered the throne room with a strange expression painted on his face and kneeled.

"Welcome, General! What brings you today?" Lars smiled at his trusted ally.

"I was informed that you were waiting to be summoned by the Arcadian Emperor. I don't understand... Has Arcadia vassalized us somehow? I can't stand such audacity-"

"Enough, Jergen." Theresa's voice was cold and serious. The General straightened and looked around in shock because he was unaware of her presence. "One more word and I will strip you of your office and banish you to your county home. If you say something that might offend Arcadia or, Gods protect you, the Arcadian Royal Family, it will be your funeral. Am I clear?"

"But, you Highness!" Jergen looked at the King with his eyes wide open in shock.

"Theresa, how could you speak like this to Count Jergen?!" Lars scoffed at his daughter.

"Oh?" She rose from her seat and angrily walked towards the King. "Don't forget it was me who negotiated the terms of Arcadia's help without any preparations and with minimal help. So if the General is now questioning those terms, I will take it personally, Father."

An uncomfortable silence stretched for a prolonged period. For the first time, the General witnessed the King torn between choices. Unwittingly, Jergen triggered the dilemma and, after hearing the Princess' words, he felt awful. Suddenly, the doors opened again and the Princess brightly smiled as she walked past the General, ignoring him completely.

"Captain Thornton! It's so nice to see you!"

"Lady Theresa, King Lars." A warm and confident voice echoed in the room sending the shivers down the spine of the General. "I received word that the Emperor completed the subjugation of the Bravefall Dungeon and your long-postponed meeting is finally possible to organise. Emperor Theon Avalon and his wives are awaiting you at your earliest convenience in the Arcadian Embassy." The Captain looked around and only then noticed the kneeling General and raised his brow. "Wrong timing on my part, perhaps?"

"Absolutely not!" The Princess smiled even wider and cast a hard gaze at her father. "I believe we can even go now, Father?"

"Oh... Yes, of course!" Lars cleared his throat and looked at the General with a neutral expression. "Let's go, Jergen, and meet the Royal Family of Arcadia."