Chương 335: 200, 2/2

In his office, on the western side of his throne room, Erick took a seat at his desk. Poi stood behind him. They were the only two people visible in the room, but he knew there was another close by. If Goldie didn't show up after being named, then Erick would call to the Darkness ever-lurking in the corners." Goldie," Erick said, "I'd like to talk now." The goldscale Shade of Assassination appeared in the air next to her seat, looking proper in her black work attire.

Her large sword hung in the air behind her like a plank of black steel, while her eyes were bright white. She gave a small, professional curtsy.

"My lord." She rose.

"What would you have of me?"" I'd like to know of your encounter with Patriarch Xangu, what you found regarding the Chelation War, and to know what you've been doing since then. Afterward, I will tell you what I expect of you going forward." Erick gestured to the chair.

"Please sit." Goldie took out a folder of papers from the air and sat them down on Erick's table, and then she sat herself down in her chair.

"Where would you like me to begin?" Erick ignored the folder for now.

"When you stepped through that portal at the meeting." Goldie nodded, then she began, "I stepped through the portal and went unknown…" Though she couched her abilities in obfuscating words, the rest of her tale seemed normal enough. Goldie entered the Underworld where Erick had put her. She went 'unknown'. She found the house on the hill under the large blue crystal, and then she infiltrated. Within ten minutes she had managed to confirm her target was at the location using a variety of measures.

These included paperwork in three offices linking the owners of the house to Nelboor and Terror Peaks related interests, a blood-matching spell taken from the stray hairs of three easily identifiable family members and cross checked with some blood she had taken from the direct Terror Peaks clan, and visual and magical-signature confirmation of the target. While she did that, she also gathered evidence of Terror Peaks' various interests and knowledge of how they managed to gather those Soul Spears.

Then she prepared for the actual confrontation. At the time of her infiltration, Patriarch Xangu was inside an office and arguing with his cousin, and he had been doing that for the last 25 minutes. The argument had been about the loss of the war a few months ago, but primarily it had been how Erick had been taken by the fae, and how Stratagold was keeping it as quiet as they could. Erick interrupted her there.

"Did you discover how they knew about that?"" It was the argument you had with the fairy on the shores of Yggdrasil's Underworld lake." Goldie said, "There are always thousands of Sights upon all of these World Trees. Most of the world knew when you were taken."

"… I probably should make an anti-[Scry] magic and put it out there." Or maybe not? It was a double-edged sword. Anti-[Scry] meant Ophiel and Yggdrasil were blind… So probably not, actually. Erick moved on, "Continue." Goldie nodded. Once she had confirmed the target, through several independent Blood Magics and prognostications, she flinched at actually killing the man.

But she knew it was for the greater good, and Erick had ordered it, so she rapidly cut Patriarch Xangu into several disintegrating slices, annihilating his body, soul, and mind in the process. It was as quick and as thorough as possible. His defensive magics activated briefly and Goldie also had to tear through the various [Ward]s surrounding the whole property, but she did the job, and then she left.

She was ashamed to say that they did track her for a short time, as she had left tears falling in her escape; her Blessing remains rather strong. Escaping from pursuit and the Underworld was easy enough, though, as she went to the nearest Teleport Station and commandeered that magic laid down by Tasar and Stratagold in order to reach the Surface. Erick was a bit stunned by that. Goldie finished with, "I arrived here in Candlepoint about 36 hours after that meeting.

Since then, I have been acting in hidden service to ensure that only positive outcomes have happened in this land, as well as pursuing leads that I have accrued regarding the Chelation War ever since that disaster. I haven't acted violently in any of these cases, but I did leave some notes on some pillows in order to frighten certain malefactors, and side-powers. The investigation into the Chelation War was completed weeks ago, with confirmation of many leads proven by what I found during my assault on Xangu."

I have also checked up on your hires." Your woman, Mox, has a whole family of airy assassins, and they have been spying on you for a while now. When she accepted her [Reincarnation] she divorced herself from that life, as she does not wish to endanger what you are building here, and she is unsure if you would like her assistance in these sorts of matters. She would take her family back if you gave her the go-ahead. Her family would likely also feel in your debt if you took them back."

As for the other ones," Zolan is a crafty man who we have attempted to kill only once, but he talked his assassin out of it, so he has had our approval for a long time. That happened when he was 45. Raingorl teaches his students well, and he seems to be continuing that tradition, so we have never had a problem with him. Mundane teaching has never been a problem for the Church of Melemizargo, for we do wish people to grow and prosper. We have tried to recruit Raingorl several times, but each time he rebuffs us.

Our previous ultimate goals and his views of how the world should be have been incompatible." Aisha would be a Cultist and fall in line with our previous ideals to change the world if she didn't have such a bad opinion of Melemizargo. As she has chosen to join you, a Wizard, I can reasonably confirm that she will be a great asset." Your dragons are dragons, and they are plotting to take as much power from you as they can."

Goldie said, "I am rather sure you will either have to put them in their place through physical means, or magical means, for they will never truly join House Benevolence until you undertake either of these options." Surprises, and non-surprises all around. There was nothing about Goldie's story or her opinions that struck Erick as untrue, and so he said, "One minute," and he opened the folder and began leafing through the 30 page report, with pictures. 45 seconds later, he closed the folder and looked to Goldie.

"Terror Peaks managed to infiltrate the Book Binders and actually get the spell themselves? I have a hard time believing that."" I doubt Kirginatharp realizes what actually happened because the trail was rather distant, or maybe he does, and he does not wish to inform you of his own failure to protect his assets." Goldie said, "As for the infiltration itself, I could easily infiltrate the Book Binders if I wanted; it is not impossible.

You might be able to infiltrate them as well, just by virtue of that necklace you wear. But as for Terror Peaks' infiltration... Your Worldly Path allowed a lot of small things to happen that would not have happened otherwise." Erick took a breath, the enormity of 4 million lives hanging over him like a guillotine. He frowned. He breathed again. He fell silent. Goldie sat at attention. Poi was steady as a rock, standing behind and to Erick's left.

Erick moved on, saying, "I'm going to give a copy of your report to Kirginatharp. Moving on. Do you have a place to stay? A place you are comfortable with?" Goldie sat a bit straighter, for she had not foreseen that particular question from Erick. She said, "I have made a small place for myself in the tunnels of this House. It is more than enough for me."" That's not enough for me, though."

Erick said, "If you've been keeping up with my actions here, you can probably guess that one of the towers I put into this House is for approved Shades if you can keep to a level of civility that everyone else in this House maintains… Or at least to the level of which I wish them to maintain." Goldie's breath hitched ever so slightly.

"I will follow your wishes, my lord. I will take residence in the smaller tower southeast of the main tower."" Good." Erick said, "I want people to eventually get used to you being around, but I don't want you seen that much in public for the first few months. Maybe not even a year or two. Other Shades who come here will need to adhere to the same level of respect and wariness as I believe you have shown. But! That said, you're the only one I am accepting right now.

If any others wish to follow you, they will be better served by making a district of their own on the other side of the lake, or somewhere they will not frighten everyone else. They will also have to adhere to all the general laws that I expect a place around here to adhere to." Erick warned, "This whole endeavor cannot fall apart due to old hatreds, Goldie, and your Clergy is the largest contributor to those old hatreds in all this world. Do you understand?"

Goldie looked ready to cry for joy; small tears of light gathering in her bright white eyes. With a voice that she desperately tried to keep calm, Goldie said, "Your words are my law. I will see your will be done." Erick nodded.

"Good. Now. How did Burhendurur know where you were?"" An Elemental Death ability known as [Death Sense], though he was not able to accurately guess. I moved into the position he thought I was in at the last possible moment, in order to make him think that he knew where I was." Goldie said, "His ability sees the number of lives that someone has taken. The only thing impressive about what he managed to do was that he was able to see through the pure pull of your own kill count.

With the number of monsters you have killed I am amazed he was able to see anything at all past your own glory." Erick had mixed feelings about that, but he was too busy to dwell on them for any length of time.

"Do Carnage dragons have any senses like that? Any stranger abilities I should know of?" Goldie nodded.

"Death Dragons are very good at Soul Work, though they are not good at working living souls. They have to kill the thing first." Carnage Dragons are a bit more nuanced. They are able to see the rage of others and accept that rage into themselves, giving them untold destruction in a battle. They can also control their rage better than any other dragon type, giving them the strongest resistance against the Dragon Curse compared to the other two types." Goldie said, "Death kills the Dragon Curse. Fae tricks it away.

Rage simply nullifies it. There are other nuances to Carnage which some are able to tap into, which allow them to subdue the impetus to war in others, or to sense the flow of battle, or to sense people ready to start a riot inside an otherwise plain-looking group of people on the street. There are nuances to all the types of dragons. Would you like me to continue?" Partially, Erick did want her to continue, but he had other things to do and he couldn't spend time on this right now.

He'd need to ask Aisha about all this, too, for she would likely know. He could also directly ask Burhendurur and Volaro." Ah. No. That's enough for now, which is why you asked that, I suppose." Erick said, "I'll learn all of this in due time, and I suppose I'll learn all about Benevolence as time goes on, too. Do you have any suspicions about what Benevolence can do?"" I know it can lay out the best possible path forward in any situation in order to exert helpful pressures on all involved."

Goldie said, "I believe you do this mostly unconsciously, but in the future I suspect you will be able to actively visualize the best paths forward. Other than that, and the visualization of ultimate ends and ultimate beginnings, I am unaware of any other unique uses of Benevolence." Erick's eyes opened a bit wider.

"Ah. Yes." Laying out that as a nuance of Benevolence sort of put Erick's entire life in a different light. Or maybe it didn't? Erick wasn't sure. He moved on.

"You will not be joining the gathering tonight. Not publicly. In the future, you might, but not tonight." Goldie accepted this with a small nod. Erick asked, "Do I require an oath from you? Or will that be too much for your prior commitments?"" You have me forever, my lord, but I cannot offer you the final, most truest of oaths. It would turn binding in a way I will not be able to survive, for I have already given my entirety to my God in Darkness." Goldie said, "I pray that His gift of me to you is enough.""

Would it be correct, or incorrect, to say that the veracity of your loyalty is thus connected to the whims of your God?" Goldie stared with bright white eyes, her countenance solid.

"My God desires this to work, and so, I am here at his command." Erick left that non-answer alone. He simply said, "Dismissed." Goldie slammed a fist over her chest, and then she vanished. He had no idea if she was truly gone, but… It was what it was. Erick sat there for a moment longer, then he said, "Time to get ready for a party, I suppose." Poi sighed a little, letting out a massive amount of stress in the moment, all in order to shoulder more stress in the coming hours.

Erick said to him, "You need a break too, eh?"" I don't think I'm going to get one." Erick put on a smile, saying, "Maybe you will! Maybe these overseers will be the best possible people to make House Benevolence bloom into something that makes life easier and better for all of us."" One can hope," Poi said, not feeling it." One can hope!" Erick said, speaking with as much enthusiasm as he could. Poi tried to feel it, but it wasn't taking. He shook his head.

Erick changed the subject, "Is everyone at Candlepoint getting ready? What about the other reincarnators?" Poi looked away for a moment, tendrils of thought spilling off his head. Erick waited. Poi said, "Mephistopheles got the information packet and is happy to be part of your governors' court. The Interfaith Church has been cooking since noon, when you officially told them this would be happening.

They are prepared for a professional feast, but they want you to know that if you require an actual feast, they have food in reserve." Erick smiled a little. Poi continued, "The Headmaster received your overseer packet earlier as well, and now he is talking about all that with the reincarnators you installed at— ahem— the New Folks Home. The other reincarnators will be ready for transport two days from now. There have been a few delays on regaining Levels."

Erick was glad that nothing had changed with the plan for the reincarnators, but upon hearing that name for the house at Yggdrasil… He frowned a little.

"I didn't call it 'New Folks Home'? But— Ah? I kinda like it?" He lost his frown and said, "Yeah. I think I do."" It was named by Zolan, since you didn't give it a name."" I think I made a good choice with that one." Erick said, "With all of them, really." He got up from his chair and opened a [Gate] back to the house, saying, "Time to get ready for the party." - - - - Zolan sat in the common room of his new apartment building, feeling concerned.

Not about the house, or the fact that he was now living with others just down the hall, like this was an old folk's home. He actually liked that a lot. He loved living in a great big house full of people, and the thought of living with his colleagues was growing on him. It would be difficult to maintain a proper work and life balance in this sort of environment, but it would be good to live like this while constructing House Benevolence.

Later, he would have his own home inside the House itself, with his own security, but this was fine for now. This place was pretty decent, too, even though it was all Fae Magic. It even had most of the proper amenities, but the reincarnators would have to take care of cycling the water themselves. Wouldn't be too hard to do that; the place was set up for easy [Cleanse Ward]s and [Gravity Ward]s for moving around water, and there was a giant lake not 1300 meters below them if they needed refills.

Zolan wasn't even concerned over his new assignments. He was thrilled to have almost as much responsibility as he had had back when he was working for the Headmaster. In some ways, he had even more responsibility. He was excited to get in on the ground floor of what would eventually become a multi-world organization. And then there was another nuance to this whole situation.

Zolan was excited, and a little scared, knowing that if he was even half as good as the man he used to be, then Erick would keep him around for a very, very long time… Assuming Erick would achieve immortality himself. But then again, Erick was a Wizard. Of course he would eventually become immortal. Knowing that, Zolan saw his own future stretch into beyond. He could probably get another [Reincarnation] in 80 years. Or maybe only 40? 65 seemed like a good age to reset at.

Zolan couldn't imagine growing much older than that, now that he had experienced youth again. His fellow overseers had had similar thoughts, back when they were at Oceanside and talking about their experiences in their new bodies. They wanted to be young forever, too. Mox was a stunningly beautiful woman who Zolan was still feeling strange about. He had never felt anything even remotely desirable about Mox, and yet, here he was, getting odd, tingly feelings down there when he looked at her.

It was probably the vagaries of youth, for Mox was usually not his type.

'Type' didn't seem to matter much, though, for Zolan had been getting a lot of those sorts of feelings with practically every woman he looked at these days, and even a little bit for Raingorl, which was new, and a little bit exciting if Zolan was being honest with himself. At least Raingorl did have a strong Blessing from Aloethag, so that explained that, and other men just looked like men to Zolan; nothing special. There was no denying that Mox was definitely special, though.

A competent woman with strong ties to other competent people. Who wouldn't be attracted to that? And yet, Zolan had found himself making similar justifications regarding every woman he met— He cut his thoughts short.' Splitting up our people will be a disaster,' Zolan thought at the group.' Ar'Cosmos is going to do something to those under them. Some sort of ensorcellment.'' I don't believe Erick would allow that.' Raingorl sent, ' He would notice.'' Unless he's already compromised.'

Mox sent, ' But the fact that we're able to think these thoughts at all gives credence to the idea that he is not compromised.' Raingorl sent, ' I feel like everything that is happening is fine. Erick was willing to listen to our suggestions and push back on Burhendurur's and Volaro's overreaching.

We'll get our own securities for our tower in the House and they won't be under the Carnage dragon's oversight. Our people will be inside every other department, and we can all talk to each other about what happens in those departments. And none of us are redundant. We will know everything that happens there. Therefore, this is fine.' For a long moment, no one said a word.

And then the Headmaster sent, ' I suggest you think hard about whether remaining in your New Folks Home or moving into the House is in your best interests, for once you leave Yggdrasil you will likely not be allowed back. As for the departments and the organization, I am reading Zolan's report, and Erick passed me one of his own. They are virtually identical. I don't believe any of you are compromised.

I do believe that Erick is trying his best and that it will be enough, if you help him to make that House the best that it can be. The future of our world is in your collective hands, my newly-young friends. Do your best.' Zolan, Mox, and Raingorl sat there in the living room, stunned. Those words from the Headmaster were clearly his final decisions on the subject, and his final decision had been good. And he had called them all friends.

Zolan knew that, in private, each one of them had received that honor at least once. It was why the Headmaster had even taken this chance on Erick's [Reincarnation] working as advertised. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. But to openly state friendship was to give honor and danger in equal measure. If someone else had heard that Zolan was a 'friend to the Headmaster', he would have been targeted… But he supposed they were going to be targets now, anyway.

So they might as well tell those good truths to the world, while they could. Zolan cheerfully sent, ' Thank you for your kind words and your guidance, my old friend Kirginatharp.'' Ha!' the Headmaster sent, surprised and amused at the same time. Raingorl and Mox gave Zolan a little stare. Zolan shrugged, adding, ' I heard that everyone else is going to be calling you that, so I should, too. You know. So that they take me seriously.'

Still amused, the Headmaster sent, ' Maybe save that for when you become at least an archmage and can stand up to your other overseers without Erick backing you.'' Ah. Prudent as always, my old friend Headmaster,' Zolan sent, smiling, ' Always a wise one, you are.' Still amused, the Headmaster sent, ' Enjoy your party, safe in the knowledge that if something strange should happen with Erick, that Stratagold, Oceanside, and others are ready to step in if necessary.

If some exterior force should attack, then I wish your organization the best of luck in growing strong. Farewell.' The connection to Oceanside vanished. And then it was just the three of them, sitting in a room together. Zorik was in his own room down the hall, putting away clothes. There was nothing to do for another three hours; until the party. So it was time to work. Zolan stood up, saying, "I need to prepare myself for the gathering." Raingorl stood up alongside Mox, saying, "I've got it easy compared to you.

Making a school and a hospital? Simple." Mox said, "I'm on dungeon and sewer duty for a while. Also rather simple." She looked to Zolan, saying, "You'll have to organize something completely new, though."" The exact form of this castellan position is new to me, but it's little more than money tracking, allocation, and politicking on the entire world stage through this Gate District.

I admit that it will be different to be within a single [Teleport] of any possible meeting, but that should prove more conducive to proper organization than anything." Zolan said, "No… My worries remain in the contents of this House. We're going to be vastly outnumbered by Ar'Cosmos and Candlepoint's people, even if the wrought will be there with us." Mox hummed under her breath, saying, "Even when our fellow reincarnators come here we'll still be outnumbered, just because of Candlepoint.""

Even with your family hiding in the wind we're outnumbered," Raingorl said, shrugging. Mox said, "They won't do anything. I already told them not to."" But that's enough fretting for now." Zolan said, "All the world is watching, so we best put on a good show. It's time to get politicking."" I'm ready," Raingorl said, "Though the feel of eyes upon me is something I will need to get used to again." He gave a tiny smile, adding, "It is not a bad feeling, but I did not expect as much from you, Zolan. Or you, Mox."

Mox blushed, hiding a small smile of her own. Zolan smiled wide, saying, "You've got a lot to look at, big man!" Raingorl barked a laugh. Zolan included Mox in the teasing, saying, "And you're as beautiful on the outside as you always were on the inside." Mox laughed loud, and then she gave a false stare, filled with feigned anger, saying, "That might have worked on me once, but not this time, and never with you." Zolan shrugged.

"I'm out of practice with beautiful young ladies." Raingorl chuckled, saying, "Don't get too much practice tonight; we do have work to do." - - - - The party was held in the atrium of the House, in the very center of the building. For the last few days this particular location had looked rather plain, and empty. Technically, it was still exactly that, if one ignored the lightsculptures that Erick had put up all around the place.

Over the last hour Erick had placed ideas of what could be into restaurant locations, into the empty Wayfarer's small office, the two banking offices, and into the smaller offices of his overseers, all around the atrium. And it looked great! It would take time, but Erick was rather sure that his goals were not that distant. This place would eventually look like Archmage's Rest, or the Grand Wizard Tower in the Core, or some of the large Guild offices Erick had seen in Songli.

All the while he was doing that, the people in the Stratagold tower, and the people in the Ar'Cosmos tower, watched Erick from their hallways on opposite sides of the atrium. They also watched a helpful clock that hung midair in the atrium, gently spinning, counting down until the party. The place was as good as it could be, for now. So Erick helped Justine and the people of Candlepoint move into the space, setting up tables and putting out foods. It was nothing fancy, for Erick had warned Justine away from that.

He was going for a low-energy sort of night." I understand," Justine had said, "Everyone is worried about everyone else." Erick tried to pull back his paranoia, because it was obviously showing.

"Yes."" Do you want a band? I have a small one that would like to play here, if you'll have them." Justine said, "They've played for us at a few gatherings, though most of their stuff is more high-energy than what you are likely going for. I'm sure they can tone it down, though."" Approved," Erick said, glad that he could get a distraction for the night. The large clock above continued to tick down, rapidly approaching 0: 00, and that was apparently making everyone nervous.

Jane was the first to actually point that out, though, as she stood under the clock in the center of the room.

"So the clock is a bomb?" Erick instantly dismissed the clock and eyed his daughter. Jane put up her hands and backed away slowly, smirking a little as she went. And the room was ready. Erick opened a [Gate] from the New Folk's Home to the atrium, another [Gate] from Candlepoint to here, and told the people from the wrought tower and the Ar'Cosmos tower that they were starting.

Those first five minutes were tense, as Erick herded everyone into the room and Justine's suggested band used way too much drums in their music, but then the drummer switched to a violin and things turned softer. Mephistopheles stood with Justine, Ava, Zaraanka, Valok, and Slip, each of them wearing nice clothes, alongside a good thirty other people from Candlepoint who had come along for one reason or another.

Erick knew them all, from the woman who oversaw the Crystal defenses, to the farmers working under Valok, to Daetroi the cattle and other meat rancher, to a few minotaurs, to people in the guard who followed Slip, and even some paper shapers from city hall. A few of them were obvious Cultists, too, for those, like Mephistopheles, wore mostly black, and they stood next to the mayor, too, so that was a big clue.

A lot of people were eyeing Mephistopheles and his Cultists, or all the shadelings in the Candlepoint group, but no one was openly speaking at all. There were a lot of telepathic tendrils, though; quiet conversations held outside the ears of anyone else, save for maybe Poi. A lot of small groups had formed roughly along expected divisions, leaving great gaps in the floor of the atrium. A lot of people gazed across those gaps at their historical enemies, or at unknowns.

Ar'Cosmos and their 16 people took up a slice of the room, while the wrought stood closer to Erick, but still distant. The reincarnators stood by the wrought, while the people of Candlepoint filled out almost half of the space on their own. With Jane, Kiri, Teressa, and Poi standing with him, or close by, and Sitnakov standing a little further away, nearer to Aisha, Erick looked across the gathered crowd, and decided that it was time to bring the gathering to order.

With a step into the air, Erick made himself clearly visible to everyone. Since they were all silent, and the only other noise was from the small groups of Candlepoint, it was easy for his own voice to draw attention." Hello everyone. We are not a fully stocked House, yet, but we're getting there." The main party will be another day; possibly a week.

Tonight is so that we can all get to know each other in a more relaxed setting, and so that I can feed you guys and so you can go out and feed yourselves using the markets of Candlepoint, since there's not been nearly enough venturing outside of your towers. Too much worrying over old, deep wounds, for anyone here to go out and get food, or to even venture far past their own [Fairy Stronghold], which is fine, for now."

This is one of the things I want to change by doing this tonight, even though we're not truly ready for actual guests, or anything like that. But look around you, and see the vision I have in store. This place will be great. We'll have restaurants and services like the banks. We'll enable the founding of new cities outside of this one. We'll bring more people in from Ar'Cosmos, and they can settle a new city by the lake.

We'll be settling new lands all over the place, and turning the Crystal Forest back into a real forest." We'll bring the whole world under this roof, and through causing prosperity, we will rise upon that prosperity. I expect each and every one of you here to have a safer life, a richer, better life, and to help others accomplish the same. We'll push back the monsters of this world. We'll open new ones."

Candlepoint will be the main city that supplies all the rest, while everyone in House Benevolence will be working on these goals I have set forth." And to accomplish these goals, I have appointed 6 overseers." Erick said, "I'm going to put up some lights, so don't get startled now; I know we're all way too much on edge." He gave a small smile, and made a terrible joke that he knew wouldn't land, but he was already committed, "Maybe I should cast a [Zone of Peace]? But that seems a bit too heavy handed."

He began casting lightsculptures into the air.

"Anyway…" This is Zolan Brightborn, from Oceanside. He is the Castellan of House Benevolence. Consider him the governor of this Gate District. His position is similar to Mephistopheles, and the two of them will be on the governors' court, which is basically a 'royal court'." Mox Dawnborn, also from Oceanside. Overseer of the Exterior. She'll be making some dungeons for now. She'll be overseeing city settlements eventually." Raingorl Brightsnapper. Oceanside. Overseer of Wellbeing.

He'll be making a school and a hospital." Volaro, from Ar'Cosmos. Overseer of Law. He'll be making laws and courts to uphold those laws." Burhendurur, from Ar'Cosmos. Overseer of Enforcement. Consider him a guard, but for the Gate District and for the lands outside of the control of governors." And Aisha, from Stratagold. Overseer of Magic. She'll be making a magic school and much more." And that's it for the House." Erick moved on, talking a bit about Candlepoint, and the people from there.

He barely recognized what he was even saying, only that it needed to be said, for this groundwork needed to be laid perfectly. As he saw the people of Candlepoint brighten under his praise, he knew he had done well. And then Erick stopped talking, and tried to get everyone else to start mixing. It was awkward. It was awful in parts, of course. But it was also constructive.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, since Candlepoint was a known actor and without any history with any of the other people in the House, the three factions of House Benevolence (really only two, though, since Stratagold and Oceanside were almost on the same side) mostly spoke to the people from Candlepoint. From there, small talk moved on, and larger conversations occurred.

There were a few incidents as Ar'Cosmos and Stratagold clashed, but, to Erick's utter delight, everyone from Candlepoint worked hard to defuse those situations, and his Overseers also worked hard to do the same. And sure, Zaraanka was still scared of him, and Valok was still curt, but both of them spoke at length to anyone who wanted to talk. Zaraanka, in particular, was very interested to talk to Zolan about trading with other nations.

Erick wasn't there for that conversation since he didn't want to scare Zaraanka, but he did manage to overhear that Zolan had quite a few contacts he wished to invite into the Gate District, but it would be a process. He was more interested in what Zaraanka had managed to do with Candlepoint. This transformed the discussion into talk of Erick's Wizardry reveal and all that fallout. There were a lot of small connections being made, all around Erick, which was perfect! That's what he was trying to accomplish.

On the scale of 'bad office parties to good office parties', on Earth, Erick would rate it a 1. 5 out of 10. But on the scale of peace talks on Veird? An easy 7. Maybe even an 8! And everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the band. Erick called an end to the party after only 3 hours, which was more than enough, for now. - - - - The gathering came and went. So did the night. The next day dawned, and Erick met with his people, individually, and sometimes as a small group.

He [Gate]d in reincarnators from Oceanside and showed them to their rooms, and tried to make them comfortable. Some people from Ar'Cosmos ventured out to Candlepoint in small groups of two or three to buy food and supplies from the markets to bring back to their tower. Raingorl and Mox also ventured into the city, looking for supplies for the New Folks Home, and also to meet with potential employees who they had spoken with the previous night.

You couldn't run a school or several dungeons without having people to man them, after all. The day passed long before Erick had gotten enough done, for he had barely scratched the surface of what Zolan could actually do for House Benevolence, and yet, already, Zolan had secured some official trade routes from the Wasteland Kingdoms to Candlepoint. He had piggybacked off of the work of Zaraanka and Princess Weilux, and used his connections as a former world power himself to do it, but still! It had gotten done.

And now, Candlepoint had an official trading agreement in the West Bank. That official trade agreement came with a request for a meeting with Erick, which was something he would satisfy on his own time. Probably wouldn't happen for a while, though.

The very next day, instead of goods blipping into discrete houses like they were smuggling goods (which had been how it had been happening since Erick's announcement of Wizardry) [Teleport Platform]s floated through the eastern gate of the city, headed to the previously empty customs house. From there, those goods went to Market Street, and a new general store opened up. It was sold out within five hours. Erick would eventually open a [Gate] to make all of that easier, but for now, this was good.

The next day passed quickly, but monotonously, for Geode Bank had come to town and it was time to set up the banking for House Benevolence. With Zolan at his side, Erick went to Mage Bank first and spent five hours sorting out a new kingdom account. By that time, the basic building for Geode Bank had been built, right in front of House Benevolence, and so Erick and Zolan went over there to set up more accounts with them.

Making accounts at Geode Bank went like a breeze, even though Erick had never worked with them before, because King Alfonin had paved the way for them long before Erick ever stepped in the door. Mox began working on the sewers of the Gate District that day. Raingorl broke ground on a trade school inside Candlepoint, since that is what they needed right now.

There weren't any kids but there were lots of adults who had to make a living in that place, since they weren't allowed anywhere else in the world, and so a trade school was deemed the most prudent of options. He had eight students by the end of the day. After overseeing a discussion between Zolan, Aisha, and Burhendurur (which went pretty well!), the Overseer of Enforcement decided to use summoned sand elementals instead of flesh golems and other undead monsters in order to secure the lands outside of the lake.

There wasn't much to actually secure out there, but Erick's [Cascade Imaging] for 'people' surely didn't catch all the possible problems out there. He had been using [Cascade Imaging] for a while, and surely someone would know that blocking radio waves was enough to stop that spell from seeing them; even if no one really knew the true nature of light, some people did. The Gemslicers down in Stratagold knew of light. Others probably did, too.

Volaro and Erick spoke of laws and ideals, here and there, and though Erick suspected they would talk a lot more about all of that in the future, for now, Volaro had a good idea of how to set up his court of laws. Mostly, he worked through Candlepoint's existing court structures, which was great. Erick was able to talk to Aisha some, and to lay out his smaller plans for wide scale denial magics, and for magical iron that wouldn't rust no matter how much magic was threaded through it.

Aisha already knew about using [Condense Oxygen] to prevent the rusting of iron, for that is what they used to treat wrought rot. Attaching that magic to simple iron was different than using it on wrought, and was not something that the Gemslicers had solved yet, but their office would work on that for now. Erick couldn't really participate right now, though, for there was too much other work to be done.

Yetta Wheat, the Champion of Atunir came to town, stepping out of her own [Gate] and directly onto the farms of Candlepoint. Erick only noticed her ten minutes after she showed, because he was busy elsewhere. Erick stepped down onto the land south of the erick bean fields, north of the wheat fields. He waved, and shouted, "Hello, Yetta!" Yetta stood up from inspecting the beans. Valok stood up beside her. They had been discussing the beans and how they were used, but now they were focused on the Wizard.

The young woman was exactly as Erick remembered; skin like dark wood, curly hair cut short, and with a faint aura of divine fire all around her. She seemed both perturbed, yet happy. With a false air of anger, Yetta shouted back, "I kept waiting for your invitation!" Erick smiled.

"I've been busy!"" I know." Yetta walked toward him, extracting herself from the bean fields, saying, "I'm going to work on these farms. Keep what happened the last time you tried this from happening again." An unexpected swell of emotions rushed through Erick's chest. He smiled brightly. Tiny arcs of Benevolent lightning skittered across the ground, and vines began to spread—" Whoops!" Erick said, pulling himself back from sparking all over the place.

He didn't want to fill this walking space with unintended flora.

"Ah. That happens sometimes." He wiped away a quick tear.

"Glad to have you, Yetta. Do you need a place to stay? I mean— How can I help you, help others?" Yetta grinned, saying, "How about a proper altar to Atunir?" Valok had joined them, and now he spoke up, "We can't work in such a field." Yetta turned back to Valok, concern on her face.

"We're under a truce right now." And then suddenly she shifted. Divine fire flickered behind her eyes, and she was the avatar for Atunir, the Goddess of Field and Fertility. She commanded, "Say my name, my former parishioner, and let us test the veracity of this truce." Valok's glowing white eyes went wide as he realized who, exactly, was talking to him. A single name slipped from his lips, "Atunir?" And nothing happened. Valok jolted with surprise, for he was fine. No blood from his eyes.

No vise-grip upon his soul. None of the usual signs that happened when a shadeling spoke the name of a god besides Melemizargo. Valok laughed a little as he, too, realized what had happened. Valok smiled, wiping away a tear as he said, "Ah. Atunir… Ah. Hello, my Goddess. It's been a long time since I could pray to you." Atunir looked on through Yetta's eyes, judging. She found the situation acceptable. The Goddess of Field and Fertility nodded at Valok, then turned back to Erick, and she was Yetta once again.

The Champion of Atunir spoke, "There is no issue." Erick chuckled.

"Then… I'll make an altar… Somewhere?" Valok said, "This way." The farms got an altar to Atunir, placed centrally. Yetta planted some divine-fire beans by that altar, and without ceremony, the beans instantly began to grow, spiraling vines of gold and silver up and down pillars, surrounding Atunir's statue. The very next day the usual yields of the fields multiplied, as [Grow] worked overtime and the land itself teemed with vitality.

And now, farmers of all kinds, including shadelings, did what they usually did all across the world before they started their work day, or maybe just a few times a week; they had a proper place to pray to Atunir. And that is what they did. More days passed without great incident. Here and then gone, went Stratagold's month-long moratorium on new Gate sets. Erick was already talking about where to open the next Gate set, but there was one thing to do before that happened; he needed to talk to the Wayfarer's Guild.

Zolan was already on the job. Soon, House Benevolence entered into negotiations with the Wayfarer's Guild for them to provide 'last [Teleport]'-level transportation services near the various nodes of the Gate Network. Thanks to Erick's castellan (because the Wayfarer's Guild wouldn't actually talk to Erick, but they would happily talk to Zolan) the Wayfarer's Guild came to town the very next day. Even more days followed, the sun seeming to rush across the sky faster than Erick could handle.

Erick's main fears of a sudden war had yet to materialize. There had been a few fights between members of his House, of course, but mediation by Volaro settled many of those fights. Thankfully, Volaro proved to be impartial once he was on the judge's seat, so that was great. Everywhere Erick looked, there was noticeable growth, and burgeoning cooperation. Peace. And so, because there was so much peace, Erick offered Jane the chance to go out and find her sword." You mean it?" Jane asked, all excited." Yes!"

Erick said, "You will have some bodyguards and stuff, and this isn't really a mission to find your sword; that's just the excuse. You'll be spearheading the chance to show how all of our sides can work together." Jane rushed her father and grabbed him in a great big hug, saying, "That works! Thanks, dad!" Erick smiled as he hugged his daughter. And so, Jane left, off into the sunrise with others in tow.

There was Hizogard, from Ar'Cosmos, along with Sitnakov, because once he found out what was happening he practically forced his way into the expedition, which Erick was fine with. The big guy needed a break, too. There were a few others, including a Mind Mage for better communication when they were deep in the Underworld, but it was a balanced group.

Their first stop was a visit to the new wrought settlement in Ar'Kendrithyst, and from there, they would venture into the depths of the Dead City, trying to retrace her path to find her sword. Apparently, Jane had traveled multiple thousands of kilometers in her fugue state, which is why she had not been able to locate her sword on her own. Their group would probably be gone for at least a month. Maybe even two. Erick got a replacement Stratagold-sponsored wrought bodyguard while Sitnakov was away, though.

Tasar, the Summoner." Hello, Erick—" Tasar grinned a little as she corrected herself, "Apparent King Flatt."" Welcome to House Benevolence, Tasar," Erick happily said.

"Where would you like to room? Sitnakov's room in Stratagold's district, or inside the House?"" Inside the House is good." Tasar said, "My mother says hello, by the way. She hopes you're doing well." Erick smiled at that.

"I am. Tell her I hope she is doing well, too. Otaliya was such a good help to me back in that inquiry. How is she?" Tasar smiled brightly, saying, "She's out and about. Getting back to work. She's happy."" Was there trouble after I came out as a Wizard?" Tasar said, "It was what it was, and now we are here." Erick nodded. He understood that. - - - - Days passed like rain vanishing into dry desert sands.