Chương 73: Build Up

Melia was having a very bizarre but pleasant dream. Treasure was coming to her, and she didn't even need to lift a finger! Tiny little piles of jewels, coins, and money threw themselves at her, only to slide off her scales and do it again. On rare occasions, large, uncut diamonds added themselves to the pile, but those didn't stick around very long.

Eventually, the treasure disappeared, and her maids appeared to wipe her down, before a giant statue of Brandy, dressed in a toga and depicted as the classic Lady of Justice, appeared. She was blindfolded, but instead of holding a sword in one hand and scales in the other, the sword hand held up a sign that read "1 dozen for 50 cents," and the other hand held a plastic bag full of oranges. Weird. Then, all of a sudden, everything started to vanish, and Melia's sleepy mind realized it was waking up.

She blinked a bleary eye, staring face-to-face at Layalee, who was standing serenely several feet away.

"Good morning, Mistress."" Leeeeee?" Melia sleepily inquired. She didn't know when she last felt this tired. Now that she was waking up, her energy was rapidly returning, but she must have been really out of it. That nap felt really, really good.

"It is, indeed, I," the [Retainer] giggled.

"Though I am not alone. Midna is around here somewhere."" Midna?" Melia asked. She couldn't see the cat, but a soft mrrroar from beneath her elbow told her the Nightsaber was nestled comfortably by her side." Good morning to you, too."

"Actually, my lady, it's early afternoon. It's about time for a meal, I think."" Ah?" Melia asked with a jaw-cracking yawn." How long was I asleep?"

"Five days, Mistress, nearly six. I think your friends would start worrying if it lasted longer than a week."" A whole week," Melia sighed. Part of her wanted to freak out; there was no way a person could sleep for an entire week, but then again, she wasn't a normal person. She was a dragon. And she had just done an incredible piece of magic, if she did say so herself.

"Shall I summon your chosen feasting companion?" Melia tilted her head. Did she have one of those? Oh! Jessica and that weird promise that turned out to be a little more serious than either of them thought it would." You're being very stubborn about this, Layalee," Melia grumped to get her mind off having a dedicated snack buddy.

"It has been a week, my lady. You must eat. I believe [Sunrise] has returned, shall I send for Jessica?"" Wait," Melia paused." Returned? Did they go somewhere?"

"It has been a very busy handful of days," Layalee giggled.

"I dare say you've acquired several admirers."" Oh no," Melia groaned as she turned back into a gnome. Once again in her smaller size, it was easier to see what she was sleeping on. Her groan turned into a grimace.

"I should clean this place up."

"True," Layalee nodded, bending down to pick Melia up.

"The wreckage of a forest does display the might of a dragon, but it's hardly suitable for a den. Perhaps next time, leave enough energy to return to the mansion."

"The…oh. But there's a dungeon in my ballroom now," Melia frowned.

"And that was the only room big enough to hold me."

"What will you do concerning the…visitors that are likely on their way?"

"Visitors?"

"My lady, a lot has happened in the last few days. The existence of the [Obsidian Mansion] has been revealed to the adventurer's guild, and likely the kingdom as a whole."

"Ah," Melia said. That was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it? Melia's first instinct was to be sad, but she didn't really understand why. It wasn't like she was greedy, hoarding the dungeon for herself and wanting to hog it without letting anybody else in. Was it the fact that "her" house was about to get invaded? She had no doubts raiders would soon be on their way to delve into an unknown dungeon.

She knew the flimsy ties she had to the mansion were superficial at best, at least in her own mind, so it shouldn't be that. The world giveth and taketh, or something like that. Then was it the fact that she knew she was the end boss of the dungeon? The ultimate raid boss, higher level than anything these people had ever seen before? Meliastraza was painted as a villain. She knew this. She understood. That was what Kyle's whole plan was for his "great reveal," showing that the big, bad dragon wasn't so bad.

She was pretty big. But the players, or the people of this world, now that "Cromwell" had immortalized her on the stage, wouldn't find that out until the end. Maybe one or two of them might make the connection, but those would be the scholars and the intellectual types. People more inclined to listen to the lore, research backstories, and not jump face-first into each fight without gleaning any meaning, hidden or not. As if sensing her mistress' melancholy, Layalee started moving forward.

"Perhaps it's best if I show you." Layalee carried Melia back to the abbey, stopping first at the [Greenhouse]. A steady stream of brothers and sisters was walking in and out of the entrance, busy at work. Melia smiled, her spirits lifted. She was glad to see them accept her "gift"... as much as she pushed it onto them without asking. They could have ignored it, complained, and made her take it down.

Instead, wheelbarrows full of supplies were trundling back and forth, men were wiping sweat off their brows, and stepping through the doors themselves, Melia could see an entire grove planted on their right. Melia didn't know whether to call it big or small, or what size these people might consider it, but she thought it was pretty substantial. Layalee set her down so she could toddle up to the sign posted on a clearly defined boundary. Field 1-D [Subrosian Cherries] x999 8 acres Melia drew her head back.

She looked to the left, craning her neck to stare down the first row of trees. Was that really a thousand trees? By the looks of things, there was so much more room in the [Greenhouse], it hardly seemed like they'd touched the surface. Sure, it looked like a lot of trees, but it also looked like a single chunk in the otherwise massive area.

If this sign was to be believed, they'd used every single [Subrosian Cherry Sapling] she had given them, and Melia only gave them that many because it would have been a hassle taking them all out of her [Forestry Bag]. She thought the [Greenhouse] would only hold two thousand at most, and yet this barely put a dent in the real estate. Melia scrambled back toward the entrance, where a canopy had been installed over a lectern containing some architect's blueprints.

Her eyes rapidly scanned left and right, reading the tiny annotations crammed into every inch of paper. On the outside, the [Greenhouse] was 100 feet long by 30 feet wide. Due to Melia's enchantments, everything was multiplied by 100. Not only was the roof barely visible so high above their heads, but the insides had been stretched to 10, 000 feet long by 3, 000 feet wide. The [Greenhouse] stretched for nearly 2 miles.

The schematics showed it divided into 17 rows top to bottom, with 5 columns left to right, broken into 85 8. 26-acre chunks. Melia scanned the bottom of the blueprints by the entrance. Sure enough, in row 1, column D, a tiny annotation reading 'cherry trees' was barely visible inside a square outline. Melia stared at the plans, staggered by the number. 689 acres. She thought she was making something closer to 8. It seemed her math was a little off… maaaaybe she went a tad bit overboard with the size?

She laughed it off nervously. Did she give them enough trees? The sack had everything she had on her at the moment, but that technically wasn't every last sapling in her bank. She could retrieve more if need be. Hopefully, they had enough. She should probably find somebody to make sure, but… she also wanted to scurry away before her embarrassment could be discovered. A glint of light caught her eye from the left, so Melia hurried away from the lectern before whoever was in charge could yell at her.

What she found left her confused. Technically, the abbey was free to do whatever they wanted with the [Greenhouse], so long as Melia got a cut of some of the fruit, but what she saw left her scratching her head. A single golden tree sat in a roped-off area, clearly highly prized and well cared for. Grass had been transplanted, creating a calm, serene little meadow around the tree, with a dressed-stone path leading up to it. The tree itself did not seem familiar, and Melia was sure it wasn't one of hers.

[Celestara's Avocado Tree] Level: 0 Rarity: Divine Produces: [Celestial Avocados] Some elves cultivate World Trees, some elves bless avocados. The value of either may be up for debate. That was… weird. Wasn't Celestara missing? Were the gods active in everyday life? What did this have to do with elves? And Celestara wasn't the god of planting. That was… Moore, if Melia remembered correctly. Why wasn't this Moore's Avocado? Was there some sort of shady backroom deity-dealings going on? In her [Greenhouse]?

Something fishy was going on here. Then again, Melia could have sworn Brandy said something about Celestara, so maybe she was making a resurgence. Melia would have to investigate. But… divine avocados? That sounded interesting. She made a mental note to return once they'd ripened, to make sure the tree got at least a few 5-star quality harvests. Perhaps the abbey would let her make guacamole…. Layalee followed after Melia as she made a tactical retreat from the [Greenhouse].

"If you wish to know more about the golden tree, I believe Lady Eluna might be able to tell you more."

"Oh?" Melia perked up.

"Was Brandy involved somehow? That sounds good. Do you know where she is? And everybody else, for that matter?"

"I believe L'menia could tell you more," Layalee bowed.

"She has been shadowing them. However, the last I checked, they were discussing matters in the abbey."

"Lead the way!" Once again, Melia rode in Layalee's arms, watching the world go by. While she could have ridden Midna, the lazy cat had elected to remain at the forest's edge, lounging on a sturdy branch in the shade. Melia wondered whether there was some sort of whistle or sound she could make that the cat would respond to, or if she was only allowed to ride whenever Midna felt like it.

Vague plans of cultivating tiger-sized bundles of catnip inside the [Greenhouse] to bribe her mount began swirling around Melia's brain. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. As Layalee approached the abbey, Melia had her pause to inspect the Aetherstone. Sure enough, it was floating exactly where she placed it, pivoting serenely on its stand, and the leyline current supplied it with ample energy.

Melia nodded, pleased that her work bore fruit, and wondered if it would ever see much action. Besides herself and maybe the Headmaster, people probably didn't have much of a reason to visit Abbyton. Such thoughts went through Melia's head, but just as Layalee was about to carry her through the front doors, several small figures darted past them and burst through. The [Retainer] put her down, and Melia followed them through.

The thought that it was none of her business never crossed Melia's mind, but where children ran, she was inclined to follow. Kids were always interesting, like miniature treasures all their own. She peeked through a doorway, only to find a small crowd of children huddled around one of the sisters, clearly distressed.

"Sister Thea, Sister Thea!" a little boy about 12 years old nearly wailed.

"The dragon's gone!" Melia froze. A dragon? In Abbyton? Again?! And then she remembered that, yes, she was a dragon, and no, she wasn't very stealthy when she sat down to take a nap. Surely nobody let the children wander so far away from the abbey that they discovered her?

"Is that so?" Sister Thea replied, sitting down so the children could gather all around her.

"Are you sure?"

"It was huuuuuge!" another little girl said, waving her hands in an arch over her head, as if something could possibly ever be that big.

"No way we'd miss it!"

"Yeah!" a third boy agreed.

"We just checked the forest; now there's nothing but a bunch of smashed trees in a clearing!"

"What were you doing out there?" the sister tilted her head, confused.

"We were gonna play 'Conquer the Dragon'! And maybe see if the [Giant Maid] would throw us up to slide back down!"

"You what?" the sister asked, her eyes narrowing.

"That's the first time I'm hearing about this…what exactly have you been getting up to?" Melia chuckled to herself as the small crowd all clammed up. She knew all too well what a child who'd been caught red-handed looked like. She backed out of the room quietly and stared up at Layalee.

"Did the children really come visit me?" she asked, excited. Layalee froze, appearing uncertain if she'd done well or if she'd erred.

"Oh, don't worry! I'm so glad they did! It's amazing that they weren't afraid…and were you the [Giant Maid]? You let them slide down me? How fun!"

"Mistress, I am glad," she said, looking relieved.

"For a moment, I thought perhaps I'd disobeyed your wishes."

"Oh, if the kids ever want to play, I'm all in," Melia assured her.

"Though…how did the parents take it? For some reason, I don't think they'd be so supportive."

"Obviously, they did not approve," Layalee chuckled.

"But they also weren't willing to get close. Don't worry, we made sure the children were safe."

"Good," Melia nodded.

"Good." She paused, casting a glance back at the gathered crowd, who were mostly hanging their heads as they got chastised.

"Such adorable little treasures. Layalee, if we're going to be hanging around Abbyton much, we should ease into the community. Make sure they know we aren't a threat."

"As you wish, Mistress," Layalee chuckled. It was obvious she didn't know how effective that would be. Melia led Layalee around the abbey as they hunted for any signs of [Sunrise]. Melia checked the kitchen first (because, as Layalee reminded her again, it was time for her to eat), but there was no sign of her party there.

She made her way into the sanctuary, thinking perhaps Alastair might be in the middle of devotions, but not only was the large room lacking a familiar [Paladin], only a single [Priest] was present, reading a book in one of the front pews. Melia didn't want to disturb the man, so she left quietly. It wasn't until they passed the library that they found their first clue. The voice of an older woman, Matron Vivan, sounded slightly annoyed as it floated through a door.

Said door was open, so Melia popped her head in to find out when the lady might be free, so she could ask whether the abbey needed more saplings for the [Greenhouse].

"As I have said before, space around the abbey is very limited. We carefully monitor the spawning zones for all the local monsters. If you try to cut down part of the forest, it will disrupt the balance and who knows what might happen. I'm not willing to risk the safety of the valley for the convenience of walking one or two miles. You can check in the town proper, I'm sure they have space available to build a new post office." Melia tilted her head curiously.

The man standing in front of the Matron did resemble all those extra-buff postal workers back in Horizon, which still made her scratch her head at why they needed to be so built. Upon [Inspection], Melia found that the man was a [Courier], level 579, higher than most adventurers she'd seen.

"But we've been told new buildings have been cropping up rapidly as of late," the man insisted.

"That [Greenhouse] to the north wasn't there the last time we made a delivery. And there are even rumors that a section of the forest has been flattened. If not for a future expansion, then why? A single Post Office would not require that much space!"

"Those are two entirely different matters," the Matron sighed.

"And as for that section of forest, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. Suffice it to say that, while the abbey did not approve of any sudden clearing, the party involved with the recent forest clearing is more than capable of bearing responsibility for any repercussions of their actions."

"You underestimate the Post Office's resolve," the [Courier] frowned.

"We, too, are more than capable of fending for ourselves."

"But it wouldn't just be you, would it?" the Matron held her line.

"As you've mentioned, you want to get a jump on everybody else before the adventurers start showing up. Once a base camp is established, who's to say who else might migrate in? Support staff isn't always as high-level, you know. And what will happen to the spawns when a practically brand-new settlement pops up overnight? Will you protect them all? What if another dragon comes?"

"Matron," the [Courier] said seriously, "The Post Office fears no dragon." Melia choked on a laugh, causing the two humans arguing to turn toward the door. Caught in their eavesdropping, Melia (and Layalee) sheepishly (not so much) shuffled in. The [Courier] frowned at the sudden interruption, but the Matron's eyes fell on Melia and they widened.

"Wait," she said as her eyes darted between the [Courier], the [Retainer], and the gnome. She seemed to come to a realization as her eyes lingered on the mailman before she eventually addressed Melia.

"You are, ah, Lady Meliastraza, are you not?" Melia frowned at hearing the formal tone of voice, but if that was how this conversation needed to happen, so be it.

"I am, yes. What of it?" Her words came out perhaps a touch more haughtily than she anticipated, but if she was being addressed as a "fancy, important person," she had better act the part.

"We thank you for your incredible generosity to the abbey," the Matron said, bowing low.

"We are undeserving of such gifts."

"Undeserving?" Melia scoffed, but secretly she was trying to figure out what to say.

"If anything, such gifts are mine to give, and I put them where I fancy." Which was true. Melia really didn't give much thought to what, if any, impact her buildings might have on their surroundings.

"It is I who should be asking you; you have not been overburdened, have you? I could always relocate them elsewhere." Translation: Sorry for dumping a bunch of work on you out of nowhere. The Matron quickly shook her head.

"No, my lady! We've had to ask for more hands, but you've blessed us beyond what we could ever ask! As I said the other day, we are forever in your debt."

"Be that as it may," Melia waved a hand airily, "Do inform me if you require more saplings. I visited today and was impressed by the speed at which you work. I saw the start of the first orchard; it was quite well thought out. I was particularly intrigued by the golden sapling."

"Celestara's Tree," the Matron said in awe.

"The [Saintess] blessed the sapling herself. I never thought I'd see the day when my goddess touched the lives of Humanity in such a tangible way. Though her light shines all around us, she has been silent for so long."

"Speaking of the [Saint]," Melia said, "I am looking for my party. Have you seen them?"

"I hear they were looking into rumors of a dragon," the [Courier] scoffed.

"They should leave that to the professionals."

"Such as…?" Melia asked, turning to the man.

"Or do you mean to say, yourself? Are you not a [Courier]? Is your job not to deliver the mail? Perhaps, you think too highly of yourself and your compatriots, or else you do not truly understand the significance of dragons?" The Matron paled as Melia's eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what Melia was and likely fearing her wrath. But Melia wasn't actually mad, and she didn't know how far to push her "dragon act." The [Courier] was not dismayed. He met Melia's eyes with challenging ones of his own.

"No, my lady, I think it is you who does not understand." He stood up proudly, puffing out his chest and thumping a fist soundly on it.

"In order to earn our class, each [Courier] must participate in culling the [Incinerated Spire]. Only upon completion of the raid will the system grant us our evolved class." Melia crinkled her eyes. What was wrong with this world's mailmen? The [Incinerated Spire] was an end-game, level 60 vanilla dungeon requiring 10 people, which was double a normal dungeon. People had to clear it in order to unlock one of the original raids… but those were players, not mailmen. In this world, it had to be rank 6. Level 600.

What the heck kind of letters did they need to deliver? Melia shook her head. Maybe she didn't want to know.

"Perhaps, one day, we shall see," she said, non-committally. Melia turned back to the Matron, once again nodding.

"If there's anything you need, feel free to ask. I find myself attached to Abbyton; I will be around. If not, find one of my [Retainers]. They will ensure any messages reach my ears."

"Thank you, Lady Meliastraza."

"Come, Layalee, it is time for my meal."

"Yes, Mistress." Melia held her head high and practically sauntered out of the room. As soon as they were around several corners and out of overpowered earshot, she began to tremble.

"What do you think?" she asked nervously, wringing her wrists as she stared up at Layalee.

"Do you think that was too much? Too overbearing?" The huge woman gave her a gentle, reassuring smile.

"You were magnificent, my lady," Layalee bubbled.

"The very image of nobility. With a little practice, I'm sure you could blend in with any noble house in Horizon."

"Let's not be hasty," Melia groaned.

"That might take more work. And, after all that, we didn't even find out where Brandy is! What a waste." Melia stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, focusing on her treasure. Within a second, she was hit by a spotlight to the south, a blinding white so bright she nearly stumbled back.

"I should have done that from the start," she muttered, turning around and leading Layalee back the way they came.

"Come on. They're this way." Melia was really feeling the call of hunger by the time she found Brandy. Fortunately, the rest of the party was with her best friend, so she didn't need to go out of her way to find her dinner buddy. Only, when she did walk up to them, they seemed to be in about the same type of mood the Matron had been in. That is to say, tired, fed up, and slightly annoyed. To make things much, much worse, they were accompanied by a person Melia had desperately hoped she never had to see again.

Sable Lane. Brandy was the first to notice Melia, and, to her credit, she actually saw Melia first, not the stealthy [Retainer] dissolving into shadow." You," Melia hissed without any trace of preamble, stomping into the middle of the gathering. [Sunrise] was standing to the side of Bob the [Moai] as several men who looked like accountants surveyed the [Planters]. Accompanying them were several high-level adventurers, two of whom Melia had met before.

The level 818 [Dragoon] and the level 701 [Arbalist], Clark Higgins. If Melia remembered correctly, he'd been level 698 when they took down the [Obsidian Dragon]. Reaching rank 7 was no small feat and he should be congratulated. But… there was one small matter of one large a-hole.

"What are you doing here?" Melia asked with her hands planted firmly on her hips. She stared up at the man with as much wither as her glare could muster, and she took no small satisfaction watching the man's slick smile quickly slip off his face as he visibly paled.

"You…!" he repeated right back at Melia. He took a step back, as if she'd physically swiped at him.

"Me!" Melia declared, stepping forward. Then…she paused. Honestly, she forgot what they were talking about. She quickly shook her head.

"Why are you here, Mr. Lane?"

"Don't you know?" one of the accountants asked, looking at Melia like she was daft.

"Sable Lane is one of the highest-ranking adventurers in the kingdom. The Adventurer's Guild has contracted [Starfire] and [Paradigm] to help survey and secure the area before we start expanding to conquer the dungeon." Melia could easily guess that those were the top private companies or guilds in Horizon. It did nothing to lower the irritation that just lying her eyes on the man gave her. Kept one eye fully focused on Sable even as she subtly put herself in front of the rest of her team… especially Brandy.

Those kneecaps were very secure.

"This is the first I'm hearing of conquering a dungeon," Melia said. Once again, the man looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm not surprised," he said with a sigh.

"Very few people are. I suppose there's no harm in telling you now, but a brand new dungeon has been discovered. This valley is about to get a whole lot busier. So much infrastructure needs to be established before raids can truly begin. For one, we need to see if the abbey has sufficient respawn chambers. No matter how adept our adventurers might be, casualties are unavoidable. Especially in the beginning. Then there's the housing.

Guilds will want to send their best, and their best won't abide roughing it for long. With housing comes staff, and with staff comes logistics. Is there enough food? Will it need to be imported? How about crafters? Equipment will break and need to be replaced. What about [Appraisers]? We don't yet know what kind of treasure can be found inside the dungeon."

The man grew more and more excited the longer he talked, physically rubbing his hands together at the end like some stereotypical mastermind witnessing his plans about to pay off. Meanwhile, Melia's eyes continued to narrow. Her feelings were conflicted on it, but this was her mansion they were raiding. Not to mention all the pressure they'd be putting on the abbey for something they were entirely unequipped to handle. Suddenly, the Matron's tired voice and haggard face made sense.

"Have you gotten permission from the church?" Melia asked.

"And what about the owner of the mansion?" The man looked surprised that Melia was in the know, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Details!" he claimed, waving a hand.

"Besides, we heard it's abandoned. As for the abbey…we're in the middle of…negotiations."

"If you try to bully those [Priests], I'll know," Melia growled. Her threat might have been thinly veiled, but it was rather ineffective on the man. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Sable stopped him.

"Darius, let it go. There's more to this… gnome than meets the eye. We should go. Now." To Melia's surprise, he roughly grabbed the surveyor's arm and practically dragged him away. Clark looked bewildered, shifting his glance between the glowering gnome and the retreating [Dragoon]. Eventually he shook his head and decided to follow, probably needing to complete his assignment from the guild. Melia continued to watch as Sable cast her occasional looks over his shoulder, long after they were out of reach.

There were many bigger things in the world than Sable Lane, much more worth of her attention than one insignificant man. She watched as he subtly cast the few defensive buffs [Dragoons] had on himself and put the guild surveyor between them as he fled. Even now, he was throwing a weaker man under the bus. Melia shook her head.

"Jessica! Let's go. It's time for my meal."