Alex soon found himself walking down gold veined marble corridors even he didn’t recognize, for all that he appreciated the light shining from the stained glass windows, silver moonlight showcasing magnificent statues of ivory and jade in discrete alcoves interspersed by strikingly beautiful paintings of massive vistas and stormy seas. Though he did his best never to look too closely at the brilliantly detailed figures in the foreground or background as they danced and spun about the battlefield.

An eternal frozen moment of madness and motion. The skill of a master artisan, showcasing heroes whose features sometimes too closely resembled his own.

And Alex could tell by the way Zhu Bi gasped and slowed, lagging behind once or twice to point at a particular detail that caught her eye that she and her beau were paying far more attention to the artwork than Alex dared, keeping his own eyes staring straight ahead, following the slightly hunched elder whose slow steps were somehow the equal of anyone else’s run as they made their way down palatial halls before stopping before a gold filigreed door answered by none other than Chun An, the elegantly beautiful woman also radiating the power of a deep Silver flashing Elder Ru a heartfelt smile.

“Grandfather! Please come in. And you as well, Alex.” Hypnotic silver eyes fastened on a suddenly shy Zhu Bi and deferentially bowing Yingpei. She chuckled softly, looking both graceful and exquisite in her bright purple qipao of sheerest silk, this one with a smiling 9 tailed fox depicted in threads of silver and gold. “And we have several of our more talented aspirants joining us as well. Please, come in. Since we all have proper quarters, we can all enjoy a quiet little meal together.”

Alex raised his brows at this, glancing back at his friends. For all that he was glad his friends had managed to secure two highly coveted suites, and he had had every intention of securing them such in any case, to find them comfortably ensconced when a Silver Giant dueling for quarters had nearly knocked Alex out cold was a feat he found beyond impressive.

But Yingpei just winked and said. “Trades made and favors owed,” before entering the quarters with a deferential bow to his host, and Alex couldn’t help smiling at his instructor’s refined sensibilities.

Whereas Alex’s own quarters had seemed to mirror the most luxurious hotel suites from his first life, minus high tech toys and with a certain Asian flair, these chambers appeared very much like quarters worthy of a Yidushian noble, possessing exquisitely inked bamboo dividers, brilliant flower displays in fine china vases, an old fashioned bed that nonetheless looked quite comfortable or at least beautiful with its silken sheets and lotus blossom patterns, and a grand dining table of well-polished teak weighed down with a feast of culinary delights including crispy fried duck, whitefish and bluefish that were poached, braised, and steamed, three different silver tureens of soup, and half a dozen varieties of rice cakes and sticky buns and a whole pig with crispy crackling skin being spit roasted right beside the table by a smiling servant, alongside several hostesses bowing low in their sky blue kimonos offering what smelled to Alex like high grade sake more than anything else.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable! We wouldn’t want our magical food to get cold, and we do have much to discuss.”

Alex winced and took the hint before hearing the sudden crack of wood.

Finesse check failed!

Falling to his rump when a half ton of enchanted armor made it clear that chairs designed for comfort definitely had their limits.

Alex’s friends flashed him bemused smiles, though Elder Ru just sighed.

Alex felt his flush deepen as a pair of anxious-looking servants immediately cleared the wreckage, and brought forth a new chair right from the ether it seemed, and tried but failed to get Alex to his feet.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Hold on. Crap… this is harder than it looks. Yingpei?”

And much to the bemusement of his hosts, a furiously blushing Alex found that it was far harder to take of enchanted stone armor off than put on.

“Thanks, Yingpei.”

His friend nodded. “I think some of the towels you had wrapped about yourself got caught between a couple stone lamellae.”

Alex felt his flush grow as he looked down at the mess of towels now on the floor. “I thought some kind of padding might help,” he said, to four solemn pairs of eyes. “It was just a little bit, well… big. And heavy on the shoulders. And historically, most soldiers wore some type of aketon or quilted gambeson underneath their armor to help cushion blows and protect against chafing and this armor was clearly designed for someone just a little bit bigger than me, but all I needed was a towel cushion and it felt perfect! Because I’m not an idiot. I wasn’t going to take on a Silver with poorly fitted armor.”

This earned him four very polite stares.

“Anyway, the spread looks fantastic. I can’t wait to try that pork!”

A short time later, everyone was taking their ease, enjoying the feast, and politely ignoring the mess of towels and armor Alex really should have put back in his storage ring but couldn’t because he had hid all of his storage rings and pouches in case his foe had actually won and tried to claim them as spoils of battle. Not that such had been the terms, and this wasn’t Royal Phoenix Academy, but his heart and mind had been racing and had just recently awoken from a multi-week long transcendent dream where his spirit had done nothing but train and fight so he realized he hadn’t exactly been at his most clearheaded when he had readied himself to take on that Silver.

So the enchanted suit of lamellar stone armor covered in soft cottony towels stayed right where it was, everyone politely ignoring it while Alex just winced, ate a small serving of pork and rice, and tried to have a productive conversation without the weight of everyone’s stares, questions, and obviously disappointed expectations throwing him completely off his game.

Chun An dipped her head. “Our table is honored to serve the hero who led us to sanctuary.”

“Honestly, after seeing what those monsters were doing, I’m just glad I was able to help. Though to be honest, I wasn’t expecting 500 guests. Not that I mind,” Alex quickly added. “Even if I hadn’t um… been planning on it.”

Chun An’s delicate features grew thoughtful. “Just how much control do you have over this realm, Alex?” The entire table grew quiet, everyone’s stare pinning his own.

Perception Check made!

Only then did he note a now slightly less painfully thin Xun Hu, her fox ears quivering as she flashed him an impish smile. Somehow he wasn’t surprised to see her here.

Alex grinned back. “Let me guess. Eating here, maybe even sleeping here? makes sure there’s no way anyone can challenge you for your rooms, and you still get the benefit of taking nourishment from this table, being a formal guest. Much better than being outside in the bustle and madness of four hundred strangers with zero privacy.”

Xun Hu’s eyes widened, before she gave a small nod, still not saying a word.

Realizing he was being rude, he then turned to the patiently waiting Chun An. “Apologies…”

“There is no need for the Child of the Heavens to apologize within his own Palace. Not for any reason.”

And the way she flashed the smallest of reproving smiles when his cheeks flushed made it clear that he had just been reprimanded, and everyone know it. If he didn’t want awkwardly fawning references putting him on the spot, he’d best be careful and always show proper respect. Without demeaning his own perceived station.

Alex sighed as he noted everyone present, awkwardness fading as he locked gazes with all of them. “I need your cultivator’s oaths that what I say goes no further than this room, unless I say otherwise.”

This earned him a pair of furrowed brows from his elders and three immediate nods from his peers, an if Chun An’s delicately furrowed brow indicated displeasure, Alex didn’t care. All earlier awkwardness aside, this was about tactics and survival. If people didn’t appreciate that, they could leave.

She then flashed an oddly approving smile. “Good. Hold to your own convictions. Don’t let the perceived station or status of anyone else demean your own stature.” She bowed her head. “I accept the binding.”

“So do I,” her grandfather said, though he seemed less than pleased.

Alex bowed his head. “Thank you. As it stands, I can affect changes in my palace and my world, and in other areas as well.” He smiled. “I did note at least a few cultivators crowing about access to what they declared a miraculous boon of spiritual herbs. They are more than welcome to make what rejuvenation, restoration, or cycling potions they like, so long as it’s understood that absolutely no one is to strain their foundation for any reason. Which translates to no more than a few pills to clear their meridians or to help them break through to Bronze, per year.”

Elder Ru dipped his head. “The alchemists and healers all agree with my granddaughter and I on that account, fearing fools who would be so tempted by the treasures before them that they would lose all restraint and destroy that which they so hoped to elevate. And how miraculous it is to find such vast, exotic stores of spiritual herbs growing so profusely under the light of a golden sun that even cycling pills allowing one to ascend the ranks of Bronze are in plentiful supply. But unless one imbibes treasures personally tailored to them by a master alchemist working alongside or incorporating the skills of someone like myself, only a fool dares more than one cycling pill per year to aid in achieving a breakthrough. Not if they don’t wish to risk destroying themselves or crippling any chance of ever seeing Silver, rare as that is.”

Alex smiled. “Exactly. Anyway, the other reason why I’m bringing it up is because one of the buildings under my control can aid alchemists in forging their potions, giving any master unparalleled ability to control at least the element of Flame. I might upgrade this later to allow for even more precise control.”

He smiled at their stunned expressions. “It’s only Basic Rank 3, so it will only give alchemists who lack my limitations a small boost. But once I rank it up? Look out. The sky’s the limit.”

Both elders were gazing at him with something close to awe.

“You can truly do this, Alex? Enchant your sacred buildings with a singular act of will?” Whispered an incredulous Zhu Bi.

Alex slowly shook his head. “Not for free, not for nothing. It has a cost. And the more I develop any given aspect of my realm, the steeper the cost becomes.”

Yingpei frowned thoughtfully. “Cost? I’m not sure I understand. A cost in gold? I have heard it said that noble elements obtain their value thanks to their alchemically sublime nature, such that even the gods…”

Alex shook his head. “No, my friend. A cost in my own stored potency. Or beast cores. Or spirit pearls.” He took a deep breath. “Or other things.”

And the sounds of eating came to an abrupt halt.

“What other things?” asked a too calm Elder Ru.

Alex shrugged, helping himself to several delectably sweet and savory duck rolls. “Who can say? And this is an absolutely fantastic variant on Peking Duck. Even if it’s not really Peking duck, because this isn’t and never was Earth or Ancient China, for all that the similarities are sometimes striking.”

He did his best to ignore the stares.

“I don’t know why we’re all pretending we don’t know,” said Xun Hu.

She frowned at the stares sent her way, her own cheeks flushing as she bowed her head. “You’ve all seen the paintings. You all know what he can do.”

Yingpei flashed an almost apologetic smile. “I’m afraid I don’t quite follow. The paintings are beautiful, but—”

He winced when Zhu Bi squeezed his hand.

Xun Hu scowled. “Did you really not pay attention? Did you really not understand what the paintings were about?”

Yingpei frowned. “I only glanced at a couple, my mind on other things, to be honest,” he said, smiling down at a now blushing Zhu Bi. “But mostly what I saw were beautiful forests and fields with mountains in the distance. Breathtaking vistas, but only in a few did I even note people in the background. And so what if a few of them had Ruidians in there somewhere? They have been a part of our realm for a very long time, after all.”

The young kitsune sighed and shook her head. “You’re in love with one of my kind, so of course your mind was on other things. But you might want to take a closer look at the portraits, if you really want to understand your friend.”

Yingpei gaze thoughtfully at an Alex for several too long moments. “Maybe I will, at that,” he finally said.

“Anyway, we’re getting off topic,” said Alex. “The point is that yes, I can make some changes, but they come at an increasingly significant cost. As you might have noticed, the world increased from a circumference of 40 miles to over 2000 during the weeks I was otherwise preoccupied. So any improvements to the world as a whole will now come at a very steep price indeed. The same with the palace. I can only advance those two aspects of this reality with the most extreme sacrifices at this point.”

This earned him yet more awe-filled stares.

“When the earth had first started to shake and quake, we had feared the worst,” whispered Zhu Bi. “But the few wild cultivators among those who fled cheered and celebrated and assured us that everything was as it should be, so everyone stopped worrying after that.”

Alex blinked. “We have other wild cultivators?”

Zhu Bi nodded. “But they’re both servants, their odd cultivation paths making the Path of Perseverance a singular strain. But both swear that they’ve never been stronger, and one did break through to Bronze.”

Alex smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. Anyway, I can still make small changes to individual aspects of this realm at a reasonable cost, so I’ll see what I can do later in terms of alchemical enhancements. For now, though, I’d like to know how things are going for our guests.”

Elder Ru smiled and filled Alex in, much as his seneschal had, if with a bit more detail.

Alex was pleased by the news and made it clear that he heartily approved of the efforts being made to establish a proper community just beyond the palace, closing his eyes and getting a sense of where his most precious boons were, and how his palace might grow, before giving the elder an impressed nod.

“You’re building the town in sight of the front entrance, but not too close. Actually, that’s absolutely perfect.”

Elder Ru smiled. “We will design our village to blend in seamlessly with the outskirts of the forest, and our spirit herb gardens make use of the plants native to this area. If all goes as it should, both the farmers and wild cultivators will be extremely happy with the result.”

He then furrowed his brow in faint concern. “For all that we’ve seen absolutely no signs, we have been using our limited supply of protective talismans, but as it’s foolish to waste resources needlessly…”

Alex smiled, shaking his head. “To the best of my knowledge… nope, I’m certain of it. There are no spirit beasts inhabiting this world. At least, not yet.”

Lady Chun an gave a curious tilt of her head. “Not yet?”

Alex nodded. “That’s actually the heart of what I wanted to talk about. I have options. I could flood the land with every domestic beast I have ever seen, or infuse it with the potency of spirit beasts both fearsome and noble. But that, as I said, will come at a steep cost.”

“But as it stands,” said Yingpei, “those of us unable to fight, craft, or instruct our way into paradise are presently living on the rations Puren and his daughter brilliantly snuck through the golden rifts under our enemies’ noses. Once that food runs out… the fruits and nuts everyone absolutely adores will soon become the only food available, and then I fear our guests will get a bit restless.”

Alex could tell by Elder Ru and Chun An’s solemn gazes that his friend was, if anything, understating the problem.

Alex just nodded. “I know. I fear much the same thing. If this is truly going to be a world people would want to commit their lives to transforming into something wonderful, we need to make sure they have every tool and resource possible to turn that dream into a reality. And for starters, that most definitely means bringing the best quality livestock and produce we can through the gate, along with whatever farming and crafting supplies we might need.”

Elder Ru frowned. “And where would we be getting this supplies, Alex?”

Alex blinked, wondering what was being left unsaid. “What do you mean?”

The ancient cultivator sighed. “As grateful as we are for those gates, as much as they helped our most valued scholars, instructors, and specialists flee the Red Prince’s growing influence, the steel fist underneath the silken glove has finally been revealed.”

Chun An nodded. “Puren and Liqin managed to fool Dongfang Hong’s men so utterly that a full 400 servants and workers and their children fled before the man finally understood what was going on. At that point, whole sections of the servant’s warrens were cordoned off, thinking escape tunnels were in use, but it still had the net effect of cutting off one avenue of freedom.

“Then before you know it, library guardians were forbidding anyone from even entering the premises or even approaching the treeline. Since the Red Prince’s second had made it clear, with our treacherous serpent of a headmaster at his side, that the time of indecision was over, and clarity must be brought to the school, even the normally aloof Silver Titans, seeking final breakthroughs before embracing lives of prestige and often fierce independence, far away from the dictates of any school or commander, knew it was time to leave.

“But with the school entrance and servants tunnels now barred to prevent anyone from leaving until contracts were signed and oaths given, an absolute breach of everything our academy stood for, for over a millenia, two score Silver Titans charged for the hidden library portal leading to this sanctuary as one, alongside all those Blue Pagoda healers who had dared to cross Duo Ku and knew that their days were numbered, nestled safely between us.”

Elder Ru flashed a fond smile. “It was a glorious charge. The handful of overconfident Ruby pawns blocking the treeline to the library gave way like rabbits before wolves, as we cried out for the head of our corrupt headmaster. Of course, this led to the immediate withdrawal of the Red Prince’s lackeys as they tightened their ranks to secure the library building itself, while we led the pride and joy of our school’s fighting spirit through your gate, hidden by what is now a forest of cherry trees and just a few simple wards of misdirection, all of us laughing at the confused guardians now a world away.”

Alex grinned. “Sounds like an epic way to give the Red Prince a final farewell.”

Elder Ru laughed. “Indeed it was.” His gaze hardened. “But our enemies are not fools. They know something allowed the most elite champions and the humblest servants of the school to leave, if not exactly how. The school is, for all intents and purposes, now Prince Dongfang Hong’s garrison, and we will not even discuss how many treaties and accords are being broken with his incursion. Only that he will have to sheath his fangs in a few very short weeks, when the Path of Destiny is opened once more, and countless royal heirs, as well as the Crown Princess and her family, make their yearly trip to the school.”

Alex blinked at this. “And no one thinks that’s a bad idea?”

“Of course it is,” snapped Chun An, momentarily losing her cool. “But Wujen who must have achieved Gold have blocked all communication from the school to anywhere else, since the Red Prince first began to show his fangs. When you finally revealed your wondrous secret, our enemies were already getting all their pieces into position. And unless you can open gates that are at least a short distance from the school, we’ll be very lucky to escape the prince’s gauntlet without losing the lives of countless students, if at all.”

Intent brown eyes gazed into his own. “Do you have another way back home?”

Interface sheet Hall of Doors accessed.

You have summoned 3 Golden doors!

Alex just smiled, letting the silence build for endless seconds before feeling his doors finally snap into existence, enjoying the awe-filled gasps and widened stares as he silently commanded his invisible doors to clearly display what was on the other side.

“Erjizhen,” he said, gesturing to the first door, ignoring the startled curses and clattering tableware. “Trade town of some sixty thousand with a constant flood of goods and produce going through it to Baidushi. I’m thinking we can stock up on the best quality livestock and produce that farmers there are willing to sell, disguising ourselves as a group of hopeful settlers. Then we can turn off the trade road a few miles past the town, and port through to just outside my palace.”

He then gestured to the second shimmering gate. “Yidushi,” he said, the view abruptly showing a formerly well-organized garden allowed to grow rampant, surrounded by the backs of several buildings, at least a few showing signs of significant fire damage. “If you’d like to pop out at another sacred city, you can do so through a hidden garden in the heart of this one. A few of the buildings are burnt shells, so you don’t have to worry about anyone spotting any gates. I know it would be even more ideal if I could summon a gate right by the, well, gate, but I never left by the trade road, so this might be better.”

He then pointed at the last door, all of them catching sight of the opulent palace courtyard that served as the home to the Crown Princess of Baidushi and was presently filled with richly attired guests, servants, and what looked to be a massive buffet tables along with ribboned dancers and performers up on a stage. The light flute-like notes of di and xiao accompanied by the sonorous sounds of erhu and banhu from a handful of red robed musicians washed over them all.

“Crown Princess Cui Zhe and her consort, just a hundred or so feet away. Don’t worry, they can’t see or hear us. To them we are quite literally a world away.” Alex felt a sharp ache in his chest, catching sight of others enjoying the festivities as well. Including Prince Cui Long, the latter having matured from the boy Alex had once rescued into a handsome, smiling young man, laughing at whatever the girl next to him had said, the elegantly dressed and strikingly beautiful young woman turning out to be none other than Princess Xian Hong.

And as much as he felt sharp sweetness at seeing his friend clearly getting along with the young man with whom she might one day forge a powerful alliance, it faded to mist before the sight of the beautiful, resplendent kitsune girl whose smile radiated such blissful innocence as she laughed at the quips of the man by her side.

Whose hand she held.

Cheng Lei. Alex’s sworn kung fu brother on the golden steps leading to ascension, with whom the young scion of imperial blood had actually achieved the inconceivably precious rank of Jade. At this point it might signify nothing but potential, but that promise alone would make him a king among men, if he wasn’t already royalty. To say nothing of the strengthening of their meridians under the waterfall of heavenly spiritual energies crashing down to earth via those steps of jade and gold, Alex and Chenglei having stumbled upon at least one of the secret paths to achieving Jade, and more than that, ascension to the heavens themselves.

“Alex?”

Zhu Bi’s voice washed over him. He paid her no mind, captivated by the sight of Liu Li’s smile, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

The gaze of a woman who had found her heart, and happiness as well.

“Alex!”

Alex swallowed his suddenly tight throat and turned away.

“Alex? Are you okay?”

He winced at the concern in Xun Hu’s voice.

“Yeah, it’s… never mind. Anyway, if you wanted to jump through and warn the crown princess about what’s going on… I’d be careful. Entering the courtyard out of nowhere might get you targeted by who knows how many guardians, and last time I checked, the Red Prince has the Silver bridge leading to the royal compound completely under his control.”

“Not surprising that they would take a dim view of unexpected guests, especially after what happened last time,” Yingpei noted to himself, before catching himself and clearing his throat. “At least I see no sign of the Red Prince,” he said, gazing intently at the festivities.

Zhu Bi gave her lover a strange look. “How would you know what the Red Prince looks like?”

He coughed awkwardly. “My family is a major supplier for the palace, and we have, well, profited quite significantly with the new restrictions. Because whatever my personal feelings, a businessman never lets prejudice get in the way of profit, or so says my father.”

He had the grace to lower his head. “But after nearly losing his son to the madness now gripping Royal Phoenix Academy, I think even he might have a change of heart.”

And before Alex could say anything, it was Elder Ru who flashed the youth a sympathetic smile. “You have no cause to feel shame. For your father is right. Best to keep feelings strictly out of business, and profit as best you can. For the useful pawns find favor in any court, and those who dare stick out too far are as like as not to get crushed by one’s own leaders as by any foreign influence or power.”

“I… yes, that’s what I try to tell myself. But still, sometimes…”

“Sometimes it’s best just to accept that what is, is, and give your enemies no cause to look your way twice.”

“Yes, Elder Ru.”

“That is… until it’s time to strike a blow so decisive that your enemy has no chance to strike you back!”

Yingpei grinned as Elder Ru turned to his granddaughter. “What do you think?”

Chun An frowned thoughtfully at the gate with her deep gold eyes that seemed take in every detail, fingernails lacquered the color of lilacs with miniature cranes rubbing her perfectly smooth chin. “I see no overt signs of Dongfang Hong, which is itself extremely suspicious. But a blessing as well. If nothing else, it means we have time.”

Her grandfather nodded. “It’s a shame we have lost so many old associates to treachery and time.”

Chun An gazed fondly at Xun Hu. “And recovered priceless treasures long thought lost to folly.”

The young kitsune blushed. “I’m just one damaged shadow. And were it not for Alex’s magic beds, I would be screaming myself to sleep every night.”

Alex clenched his jaw to hear traces of the raw pain the girl normally kept so well hidden as Xun Hu’s haunted gaze fell upon a suddenly uncomfortable Zhu Bi. “And her clan declared itself out of the game entirely when her family inn became a neutral zone that even our enemies find useful. So her family, at least, will be spared.” Tired eyes turned back to a saddened Elder Ru. “So, reconnaissance is out. A monster now controls the Baidushi JiangHu sect. Any remaining kitsune too stupid to flee or make peace like Zhu Bi’s clan has, was long since chained and enslaved, just as we were.”

Alex swallowed his rage for the savage monsters who had so broken Xun Hu and by extension, her family. But Elder Ru was right. Steps had to be taken, and he was pretty sure he knew what their next move had to be.

Speaking softly into the brooding silence, reviewing yet more of the cards he would bring into play.

“So, in other words, what we need is a change in management.”

Chun An’s surprised chuckle washed over them all. “A change in management. What a rather droll way of putting it. And how would you arrange for such, Alex?”

Alex flashed a cold smile. “By inviting Black Death out of retirement. How else?”

This earned him a number of wide-eyed stares.

And Elder Ru’s cold disapproval. “Do you even know of whom you speak?”

Alex didn’t flinch when meeting the terrible weight of the elder’s gaze. “I do.”

“A murderous psychopathic monster who soaked an entire city in blood!”

“A doting mother and the former head of the Yidushian JiangHu sect who wishes to protect the first kitsune elevated to exalted rank since Lady Jin Yu was assassinated over a thousand years ago.”

“Alex?”

“Yes, Lady Chun An?”

“Those records were deliberately destroyed. Even we are forbidden from teaching that bit of lore. How do you know what you do?”

Alex flinched away from the sudden jolt of dread in the pit of his stomach. Gazing into the eyes of his first wife gazing back at his own in horror. Sensing the keening wail of her sister’s death just as the downstairs door was pounded in by roaring fanatics eager for their heads.

Their children shrieking in the distance.

The smell of ash and flame and the mocking laughter of the gods mixing with the howling screams of his heart.

“Alex? Alex!”

Alex gasped, eyes bolting open, sensing the sudden fear in the air.

So many pairs of eyes pinning him with their own.

He felt shaken and exhausted when the storm of bitter regret and fury washing through his heart left as quickly as it had come, leaving behind an emotionally drained twenty-year-old scraped clean of countless tragedies… for all that he was increasingly certain that the bedrock of his soul bore the marks of each and every one.

“Come on,” he said, voice roughened by nameless tears he refused to shed, hands hardly shaking at all as he gathered up his stone armor and padding once more, to secure safely in his quarters, if nothing else. He didn’t want to risk any wagon seats collapsing, wearing his armor in a trade town, or risk the attention that such exotic equipment would no doubt garner, outside of a powerful cultivation academies used to magical treasures.

“First light will be coming soon. I’ll set up the door to Erdushi just outside the front gate. Get whoever has experience with farming, herding, or setting up fresh homesteads, and we’ll secure whatever supplies we need, and the best quality livestock available.”

“Some of that will cost a pretty penny, friend Alex,” warned his friend.

Alex flashed a concerned looking Yingpei a reassuring smile. “Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

He then raced back to his quarters as fast as he could, storing his exotic treasures and falling back on the old fashioned but exquisitely tailored bone button changshan tunic and slacks he had been reborn in this world who knew how many times with, flashing a bitter smile when he gazed in the mirror, the face looking back at him identical to the one so skillfully depicted in countless paintings, tapestries, and murals throughout his palace.

He took a deep breath, debating for long moments just slipping under the soft cotton covers of his blanket and losing himself in peaceful dreamless sleep for however many hours, days, or weeks he could…before scooping up a fair portion of his claimed treasures, well over twenty spirit pearls worth, and leaving his quarters with a silent command that no force in this world was permitted intrusion within his quarters without his express consent, no matter who dared to challenge him.

There were advantages to creating his own world, after all, an as much as he intended to continue forging himself in the fires of conflict, he had every intention of keeping his treasures safe.