Mounds of white as far as the eye could see. There was so much, and so many, that it felt as if it could go as far as the eyes could see. Some sun managed to break through, as if their perstitence did not want to be stopped, but the mounds of white had nearly totally eclipsed it.

That said, it was not snow that was talked about, or a horde of rabbit monsters.

It was the paperwork they were dealing with.

Raevin, Iosi, and Aer sighed, as a few clerks they had hired were helping with the situation.

"Cant we just leave it to them?" Aer complained.

"No...the important things require my direct oversight. In any case, building what we are building is not easy. At least the Adventurer's guild was willing to cooperate, but the Mages Guild had a surprising level of political annoyance that hurt, and the merchants guild was...well, we expected something from them".

"Yeah...but is all of this really necessary?"

Aer complained again, while Iosi picked up some papers and looked through them.

"Well, its better then needing it and not having it. I will work on the Mages Guild stuff, if you need me I will be camped out for a few days in the study. But seriously, we need a break. We need to get stronger as well, so I think we should find a Dungeon to conquer".

Dungeons. About fifty thousand years ago, before dying, an Otherworlder apparently used all the strength and magic he had to create numerous things known as Dungeons. They would help recycle and replenish the mana of this world, while also providing a good yet dangerous way to train other mortals to become stronger and fight against stronger foes.

Normally, one would not consider going to one a break, but when dealing with this much paperwork, which was so boring it hurt, it was definently a good change of pace.

Well, it is true I could have moved at a much slower pace, but...we dont really have the time for that. Most Otherworlders, once they go public, only last a few years. Some of them can last for a decade or two though, and on rare exceptions, there are those such as Darius or Aruu who last much longer. But it seems like we dont have odds to count on that, at least if we just sit back and let it happen.

He then looked at some more papers.

That said...if I make myself too noticable, they will strike quicker also. Which is why I am avoiding introducing new ideas and technologies from my original world, at least too much. The one point of the argument I have to agree with, trampling on another culture by artificially imposing our own is bad. Still, there are some things that would benefit from the ideas...and if I can do it in the right way, I could make some lifestyle improvements. Such as things like medicine, communications maybe...things like that.

While he thought about the best way to go about it, he looked and saw the mounds of papers.

"Alright...well first of all, lets get all this done. Once this is out of the way, our busy period will finally be over".

"Alright then...in that case, leave the matters involving the knights and weapons to me. I have some knowledge in that from my work as a cadet".

The two nodded at each other, and dove right into the work.

It was already the time in which the sun produced a reddish glow upon the lands, when the trio had finished work for the day. Plenty of papers had been finished and compiled, and the stewards and scribes were hard at work preparing copies of all the documents now. Everything was proceeding based on such work, so the three of them were enjoying a meal within the workshop.

That was where their latest allies were at, looking at their own papers.

"As expected, this design is a bit insane".

"Still, it is an interesting concept. It will be expensive sure, but this sort of thing will be well wroth it. That said, we will need quite a bit of reousrces".

"Eh, wait wait. Are we sure about going through using this magic though? I think if we substituted the transmission part with a mechanism like this, we might have to worry about maintenence and such, but wouldn't it be more efficient and less costly?"

There were many artisans and workers, but there were three who appeared to be leading the project as they were fussing over a prototype blueprint. The first was a larger male, someone who appeared a bit stockier for his height, and definently older. Perhaps in his late twenties. That said, it was nowhere near as emphasized as the dwarves one would typically think of. His black hair was a bit shorter then most Raevin saw, and his black eyes glossed over the designs. He was Jaunne. And notably, when he swore, he swore in Dwarvish, but...for some reason it sounded similar if not identical to French. Raevin never learned and neither did Aer though, so it could be more different then they thought.

But because of that, their mental image of Dwarves had shifted for a moment because of such a shock.

Next was the human girl, Lauri. She seemed to be an expert in utilizing and combining rare materials and creating objects from them. There were a lot of minerals, plants, and the like that existed in this world and not earth, and she was an expert at utilizing them efficiently. She looked young, but she was actually twenty four and had long blonde hair that was always tied up when she worked. When she was just twelve years old she managed to create a new device using Blazite, a mineral that easily produced sparks or a blaze when it came into context with people's breath as well as when enough friction was applied. It was unclear to others why it was breath and not air itself, but Raevin theorized it was because while you breathed in air, what you exhaled was something different, and that perhaps it was related to that.

Then there was the Cat Beastkin boy, Terti. It appeared that beastkin that were based on small animals like him typically stayed small and cute, which is why he had that appearance despite being twenty. That said, his personality did not help at all, in any way. He was experienced not only with engineering, but also magic. In fact, his class was Magical Engineer, and he was the main magic knowledge of the trio. He helped balance their ideas, while providing and optimizing the magic side.

They were all working under an extensive contract with Raevin, but they seemed to be enjoying the work.

"So, I guess things are going well? You three are not bickering as much as usual" Raevin mentioned as he walked over. "How is the work on the project?"

"As expected, finding ways to efficiently convert solar light to magical energy is tough, but we are thinking of using plants as a medium. Certain plants gain and gather magical energy as they glow, so if we can gather and engineer them right, it might work...but my specialty is utilizing, not growing. We will need a botonist for sure" Lauri mentioned. "But, harnessing solar power I think is not totally out of the question".

"I see. Well that is good to know. It seems like it might be a ways off though. How efficient would it be?"

"Well, you shouldn't go around using money elsewhere, and buying magic stones will still be important, but it could reduce the consumption at least and help make things more efficient".

Raevin then looked towards Terti.

"Any word on the side project?"

"I tested it to be safe, but no, its still impossible. Even magic cannot completely overwrite physics, not without enough energy anyways. As for the other thing, I did some research and confirmed that there was something done in the production of a specific item. It seemed it was destroyed by some cult though, and the area ended up turning into a dungeon, but if you could go deep within the ruins and find it, we could use those designs as a springboard for it I think. Eventually I might work it out myself, but..."

"No, its fine. I want you to focus on this, and honestly, me, Iosi, and Aer need a break, so going to a dungeon might just be what we need".

"I will say, that mound of paperwork is intense" Jaunne mentioned, laughing a bit. "Anyways kid...err, young master, it should be fine if we develop this thing provided we get enough resources, but that will be tough. We are looking for ways to optimize it and reduce the cost, but...its still going to be terribly expensive, even for a Margrave".

"Well, thankfully my father is still alive and well, my older brother is not causing any fuss right now, and my little sister is busy at the noble academy, so we should be able to use this time then to get some money as well. We still have some paperwork to get done, but most of the urgent matters have been dealt with, and a lot of the issues are out of the way. It was a pain to obtain all those liscences though, but in the end this will be worth it".

Aer just watched from the sidelines as this went on, understanding that even if it was not complete yet, the thing that Raevin was building was scary in its own way.

Rather then declare war or take the throne, or all the thrones....he went with this option to take control of this world and lead it to prosperity. Well certainly, such a thing is probably the safer method. But this is all quite extreme and intimidating...such a collosal project and plan. Such a powerful company.

"Master is really going all out. He has been like that since he returned from the Imperial Capital".

Iosi muttered that to Aer.

"Of course he is. Even if it did not come to blows, a conflict was sparked, and it was not resolved, at that meeting between the four of them" Aer muttered. "He was the top student of our previous lives as well. That sort of position, I would reckon you need a competitive side, a side with dedication and passion. And he failed at convincing the most important faction of all".

"...I still dont really get what that means. I would think he was planning to get all of them on his side".

"That was the most idealistic solution, but from the get go the one he had focused on the most was Rikuo's faction. They were the only one he could tell with no set dedicated role, and they held the most people of them all, including four Reincarnators. I am not sure about Rayheart, but at the very least, Lutessa was probably aware of that as well and also wanted Rikuo to agree with her for her own reasons".

"What even is his goals anyways?"

"Now, that is a good question. I was not that close with him, but we spoke and talked a few times, and in middle school we also shared a few classes together. He was always a bit of an enigma, a bit of a dreamer. He loved to admire things, make doodles or notes in his notebooks, that kind of stuff. He was respectful, but he could get really emotional sometimes. And he was always close with Herra and Haru".

"So, you have an idea?"

"Well, the thing about Rikuo is that as much as it was to always tell what he was thinking, I have no doubt that he was greedy. Not in the way you would usually want or expect, but he definently was greedy. He has yet to come up with an answer, but...when he does, we will need to be ready for that. In case he becomes our enemy".

Iosi narrowed his eyes.

"He didn't seem that tough and frightening. Wasn't he bullied and pushed around?"

"Yeah, he was...but, just like you, me, Raevin, and people in general, he is complicated. Probably moreso then this project" Aer mused, as he looked outside. "Well, if you need me, I am going to do a patrol to wind down for the day".

Saying that, Aer went out of the workship and into the open air, as his dragon, Saphri, came over to him.

"Sorry I was stuck inside all day" he muttered, as they headed towards the front gate. As he did, he noticed a few men loitering outside the gate for a moment, discussing something before moving on. It was innocent and innocuous, but something about it bugged him.

Its been six months, and no moves from Darius or the other Demon Lords. Is this Aruu's doing? Still, even if they were passerbys...the moment they saw me, for a brief second, they reacted with a sort of combat awareness.

"Lets go see who was spying on us, Saphri".

The two men were now hurrying down a back alley, making sure to avoid public eye while keeping watch to see if they were followed.

"That damned brat, do you really thing he noticed us?" one of them asked.

"He had sharp eyes, and I dont mean their shape. It looked like he was acting casually, but we definently needed to make a covert escape".

"A small, cute boy like that?"

"That brat is supposedly one of the heroes of the Imperial Capital, and apparently he helped directly save the royal family. Even promoted him to a damn Paladin...we should always excercise caution".

"Hou, that is a commendable attitude to have".

Hearing that voice, the two turned around shocked as Aer was standing there, sword in hand.

"It seems you dont like my employer quite a bit, so I will need to ask you more about that, what you two are planning, and who you work for".

"What do you mean, we were just walking alone, minding our own business..."

"Just so you know, as a boy, I dont like it when people call me cute" he said with a serious expression on his face.

The two realized he had likely heard the whole conversation. They started to back up, but then they felt the pressence of something behind them. They looked, and they saw a blue dragon there, not all that big or even really medium sized, but big enough for Aer to ride for sure.

There was another way out, but the two were positioned to strike if they showed their backs, so it was not a good match for them. Although they had doubts of his actual ability, at the very least he was definently trained in combat and had a perceptive gaze, so they knew he wouldn't be that much of a pushover.

Aer raised his sword first however, as from above a cloaked figure came at him with daggers. He was able to block them as he summoned dragonfire around his sword, while Saphri sent a breath of fire at the hostile entity. It dodged both their attacks and landed on the ground, and using this distraction, the other two escaped successfully.

But Aer didn't have the room to even focus on those two as she came in for more strikes. He swung his sword and released a wave of fire against her, but she dodged nimbly and with barely any movement, and came right at his throat. He managed to deploy a barrier to stop it, but it was just barely in time, and he had to kick her away with his foot and then quickly regain his stance, bringing his sword into the ready position.

She threw a dagger at him in that mix, so he deflected it. The moment it made impact with the ground, a purple for came from it.

The moment Aer smelled the air, he covered his face and jumped back.

Its poison!

He then lookedo ver to where his attacker was, but as Saphri moved over to him, it seemed the attacker had disappeared all of a sudden.

"...what the hell was going on there...who was that random attacker, and who were those people?"

Feeling a mix of uncertainty, Aer decided to go back and report what just happened, although he kept his guard up all the same, unsure of who this enemy was or what they might be after.