Moving Lian'Wa'Runda was a surprisingly simple process. Daz just had to be outside of the dimension and Icicle would compact the whole place into a physical snowglobe.

The snowglobe had a net-like leather binding around it with a strap that could easily clip onto a belt. And that's exactly what Daz did.

Sadly, Icicle could only open portals in the outside world in very specific locations.

It could, however, make a portal right where its globe was, which was nice. Otherwise entering it would be a bit of an annoyance.

Icicle had told him it would try its best to make its portal network more flexible, but Daz didn't pressure it. He could just rely on the Archon portal network he had access to.

That being the case, he returned to the North Dakota portal.

Daz then got Icicle to compact the mythical city and he hopped in his Ridomochi Final Model before flying back to Fort Home.

The twins chose to stay inside Lian'Wa'Runda upon waking up. That made sense to Daz since they were intent on hatching the Frost phoenix egg. And since they stayed, so too did Madison.

Once back home, Daz contacted Mu to let him know that he no longer needed to have one of his clones disguised as one of his. He also asked his fellow reaper to meet with him immediately.

He then went to the currently unoccupied arena. It hadn't suffered much in the Truthian attack due to being a system-run facility, thankfully.

That was perhaps one of the only reasons Fort Home still stood today. Damn near every building was system approved and harder to destroy as a result thanks to Sandy's efforts before he was murdered.

Daz brought out his cellphone and dialled the only number he ever really called.

"Rose?" he asked when she finally picked up.

"Why are you back so soon? It's been, what, 12-hours? Just when things were getting peaceful..." Rose answered in an exasperated tone. 'Tell me everything that happened. Please give me good news. I could really use some.'

"Of course, Your Highness," Daz replied dryly. "I found the mythical city, accidentally killed its owner, befriended its core, then took it home. Oh, I also killed a bit over a dozen weak Truthians with Ellie and a cardinal with Maddy's help. That about sums it up."

"Oh, a cardinal? Lovely. Way to be covert while we bide our time," Rose responded and Daz could practically hear her eyes rolling. "Is the cardinal's death traceable back to you? Also, what can you tell me about them?"

"No, I don't think so. The mythical city was in a separate dimension and I cut off his access to the place as soon as he entered it. I think he came to stop the snow much like I did. They'd lost members to it before since the core isn't affected by their power to cut off the system," Daz explained.

"Ah, that's good to hear. Dying to accomplish his duty then. The last thing we need is another sacking of Fort Home in retaliation. Still, unaffected? We could use that," Rose replied.

She was certainly his sister, all right. Her mind went in the exact same direction his had upon learning that Icicle was capable of fighting the Truthians.

"I agree. Grid could be used the same way. Anyway, the guy's name was Matthew and he was a gravity mage of some sort. I didn't have the time to identify him. Almost died, actually. If it weren't for Maddy, I'm not entirely sure I'd have won," Daz confessed with no shame in his voice.

"The cardinals are strong. My deductions have told me as much. Still, that's two down out of seven. Five left, huh?" Rose said.

Daz nodded. "And the pope and the archbishops, bishops, and everyone else. It won't be an easy war. I didn't call you about this though. I've got a small army of powerful survivors trapped inside of the mythical city who could prove to be very dangerous if not handled correctly."

"Got it. I'm sending Crusher and a few other powerful folk your way- ah Mu's already there. Nice. I assume you're going to try to assimilate them into New Earth?" Rose asked as she yawned.

"Sleepy?" Daz questioned, concern in his voice.

"Mmm, a bit. It's not easy being the head of the NCIA when I'm still only 11. Having the body of a kid sucks. I am getting a bit used to Vanessa basically forcing me to bathe and sleep with her though, so yay for that I suppose," she answered with a defeated sigh.

"Asked her out yet?" Daz followed up with a smirk.

"No, and I don't plan to. Answer my question, you rude excuse for a brother," Rose demanded.

He chuckled in response. "Sorry, you'd just make a cute couple. And yeah, I do intend to do that. They're a powerful force. I've already convinced the strongest two; the Champion of Pistols and another person who Altros had his eyes on."

"Ah, nice. Matteo was that champion's name, right? No clue on the other. I'll run some background checks on everyone who chooses to stay. Well, I'll get back to work then. Call me if you need me for anything else," Rose said in farewell.

However, before she could hang up, Daz said, "Dinner tonight. Me, you, Maddy, Vanessa. No negotiations. We need some family time."

"Vanessa is not a member of the Crowthorne family," Rose said, surprising Daz.

"You took up the surname?" he asked.

"Yeah. It sounds cooler than Hamilio, to be fair. It's very old money. And while I don't hate Dad like you do, I'm more your sister than his daughter. It also looks better politically if we share the same last name since we're blood siblings," Rose explained as she yawned again.

"I'm happy to hear that. And while she may not be family yet, she's still your primary caretaker. I'm rooting for you and her to get together though," Daz said. "Bye Rose, and if you can sneak in a nap before dinner, do it. Push some work onto Lindsey. She's more than proven her capability."

"I'll think about it," Rose replied before hanging up.

Daz shook his head. "Well, if nothing else, she's less sarcastic now."

"Responsibility can do that to a person," Mu said as he approached Daz's side and smiled. "Welcome home, Brother."

"It's good to see you, Mu," Daz responded. "I may need your help in a moment."

Mu nodded calmly. "Rose texted me about the situation just now. She works very quickly. I'll do my part."

The two reapers spoke for a while, catching up as they waited for the others to arrive. Before too long, Crusher with her crew of misfits entered the arena.

Daz noticed that Edward was back by Dorian's side once more. 'So he's done with whatever he left for? He seems more stoic now.'

A few minutes passed before General Miller and 50 of his troops arrived, including Freddy and Dalton. They greeted Daz formally then took up positions in the stands.

Daz nodded, happy with the forces present.

"Icicle, can you lead everyone outside of Lian'Wa'Runda, please?" he requested. "Excluding Madison, Mr Barrier, and the twins."

"I can. Will you teach me about animals after that though?" it requested. "And bring me to this Grid Cross you mentioned, as promised."

Daz nodded. "Yes. I'll do both of those. I'll explain anything else to you that you find interesting too."

"Oh, lovely. I can actually see outside of the globe but I was hidden under the snow deep in the north before. Everything here is so... new. I look forward to your explanations," it expressed joyfully.

Crusher whistled. "That's a pretty voice. Way prettier than Grid's."

"Thank you. Your voice is pretty too," the crystal said through the globe hanging at the Archreaper waist.

"Hahah! Sweet talker too," Crusher bellowed.

The icicle then went on to form a portal in the centre of the arena. On the other side, Daz could vaguely see the throne room and the hundreds of people gathered within it.

They streamed out like fish released from a net.

None of them immediately lashed out or tried to leave which Daz felt was a good sign. They all clearly understood that he wanted to say something to them first.

'Everyone here is around Vanessa's level or stronger. I want them all,' Daz thought with greed.

These people could be such an instrumental force in his efforts to gain control of the entire planet once the Truthians were out of the picture.

He'd make sure to try his best to convince as many of them as possible to remain by his side.

Once all of them had left Lian'Wa'Runda, Icicle closed the portal and said, "That's the last of them."

"Excellent. You did great," Daz praised.

"Hello," he greeted the crowd gathered before him. "Do not mind my soldiers and friends here. They're just present to stop anything unexpected from happening. I have no clue how long each of you were trapped there by Lord Lit'ur nor how much you know."

He began pacing very calmly as he continued, "So I understand if some of you aren't aware of who I am or where you are. To properly clarify, I am High King Daz Crowthorne, monarch and lord of all New Earth. You may remember me from the system's auction."

Daz saw a few nods and heard a few murmurs of acknowledgement. "Today, I freed you from your former prison known as Lian'Wa'Runda. However, while freeing you, I also give you an offer. Join my kingdom."

Daz doubted a single person hadn't expected his offer. After all, everyone trapped in the globe was a powerful person by their own rights. And with power, came intelligence and wits. Usually, at least.

It was obvious they would be presented with an offer of some sort when Daz had questioned them all to check their alignments.

"Of course, I don't ask this for free and nor do I demand it. If you hold an absolute and unbreakable loyalty to another, you are free to leave right now," Daz said as he motioned to the arena's entrance. "You will be teleported to United Korea - a lesser kingdom of mine - then you'll be escorted out of my territories."

"Hey, I'm from Canada. Can't I just be escorted there instead? You're based in the states, aren't you?" someone asked. "I'd rather not be forced to travel halfway around the world to get home."

"I'm sorry," Daz replied, "but we're at war with one of our neighbours. The Church of Truth is a danger to all. It's for your own safety that we bring you to United Korea first. There, a powerful and trusted aide of mine will assist you further."

'I'm sure Grandmother wouldn't mind actually doing something for a change instead of just paperwork or beating me up to teach me Gravital Body,' he thought. 'She can try to convince the leavers to become hunters, which will effectively add them to my forces, just in another way.'

"Now, if you choose to join me, you'll be free to do as you wish within reason. We are in a lockdown right now sadly. War stuff. I'm sure you all understand," Daz said. "Though we're always looking for mercenaries and, right now, manual labour and builders."

He then poured his Ember of Majesty out of his body, surrounding himself with a kingly aura. Everything about him now gave off a very magnificent feeling.

"Everyone who joins me will be treated fairly and with the respect you all deserve. I can see it. Every last one of you is a fighter, an explorer, or a discoverer of the new. I actually adore mythical cities," he said, rousing the attention of everyone, even Mu, Crusher, and General Miller.

"If you join New Earth as citizens, you would all be welcome to become a part of a task force made specifically to research, locate, and take control of mythical cities around the globe. Of course, I understand not all of you entered the snowy portals out of curiosity, but that offer remains for you all," Daz stated.

A lot of nods and enthusiastic expressions spread throughout the crowd. He wasn't wrong. They had all entered the portals to Lian'Wa'Runda willingly, though as he said, not all of them did so due to some uncontrollable desire to explore.

Leaving with nothing and with the help of someone else gave a lot of them a feeling of disappointment. His offer had clearly interested many of the gathered individuals.

"Of course, we won't be hunting down wild fantasies or silly children's tales. I mean, I found Atlantis at the bottom of the wrong ocean. I won't say exactly where, though such information would certainly be up for grabs to members of the task force," he enticed.

Daz then said, "We'll be following actual leads and rumours of odds things around the world. The Bermuda Triangle, Shangri-La, cities hidden in the skies. All these things will be ours to discover and add to our kingdom's lands."

That certainly raised a few eyebrows.

"What about the Truthians?" a young Asian woman asked. "What if we want to fight them too?"

Daz stared at her. There was sorrow in her eyes and a deep well of hatred just waiting to be tapped into. He saw Mu frowning at the woman.

'Another Ellie, it seems,' Daz thought.

A few voices of agreeance rose from the crowd. He was worried about controlling people similar to his close friend, Ellie, but he wasn't one to scoff at such a ripe opportunity.

Hate could be used if channelled properly. All he had to do was to make sure the hatred was resolved and that he or his didn't suffer from it.

"We offer live demonstrations every day with Embers. We can't tell you about them because of the system but you can watch and try to learn them yourselves. Even without an Ember, we have methods to bypass those cultists' power to cut off our access to the system. Any willing to fight them can join the war," Daz explained.

He then took out his crystal throne from his Industrial Item Box and placed himself upon it. "Now, who wants to do what?"

As it turned out, only about 30 people chose to leave. Close to 100 wished to join to mythical city hunting task force, 80 or so chose to settle down and spend more time gauging their options, while the rest desired to fight the Truthians.

A more than acceptable outcome in Daz's mind. Right now, he was in his car flying straight towards Fort Sky.

This was partly because he needed to spend the city's points to return more of its land, but it was mostly due to his promise to Icicle. He also wanted to move Fort Sky to a more tactically sound location.

He also hadn't completed his quest to liberate Lian'Wa'Runda yet and his gut told him he had to fulfil his side of their bargain for it to finish.

Daz happily used his Crystal Digger's Identification on the armour he had plundered from Lord Lit'ur to pass the time in transit.

Frozen Stundeer Steel Plate Armour [(Higher-tier) S-rank] Description

A family heirloom of the masters of Lian'Wa'Runda.

It was made in a coldfire forge by a true expert of crafting with ice flames, Hi'ur, the progenitor of the Ur clan.

It will only show its true value to one of his own bloodline.

Definitely more regal looking than your current rags. Honestly, Altros has no sense of style. It's all about how weird and wacky he made his stuff when it comes to that guy. Anyhoo, all hail king popsicle and whatnot.

Stats Durability: 100,000/100,000 Skills Energy Restoration Cold Restoration The Bite of Lian'Wa'Runda (Only usable by those of the Ur bloodline) Deflection Energy Restoration Can repair itself if provided with a valid energy source. Cold Restoration Can repair itself if it is in freezing or below temperatures. The Bite of Lian'Wa'Runda (Only usable by those of the Ur bloodline) Grants the wearer the power to command Lian'Wa'Runda's snowstorm as they wish. Deflection Will deflect the impact of blows beneath a certain threshold.

He nodded appreciatively. "Far better than Altros' Traveller Gear. I hope its self-repair features include self-cleaning but I can cross that bridge when I come to it. I could always get one of the castle servants to clean it if it becomes an issue."

The bloodline exclusive ability didn't mean much to him. He was able to get the same effect almost just by relying on his absurd affinity for sentient gems.

"Will you tell me what animals and ponies are now?" the globe strapped to his waist asked.

Daz smiled softly. "Sure. It'll take us about 20-minutes to reach Grid anyway. Ask me anything you want. I'll answer you to the best of my ability."

"Oh, lovely! I have a lot of questions on my mind. Ponies and animals first though, if you wouldn't mind," Lian'Wa'Runda's core requested with a polite yet excited tone.