At the same time, Pef was wilting under the gaze of Lady Lin. She was a beauty and a gold aura, and a master smith, but when enraged Lin was a demoness. Her black hair swirled on strands of qi, her fists creaked with power, and her soul appeared to crush anyone in front. In this case our meek hero.

"What did I tell you?" the smith asked again, poking the Emperor in his stupid forehead.

"...No more wives?" he asked in a pathetic voice.

A golden soulspike emerged with the next poke, and slammed Pef in the face, making him step back a step. "Hmpf! Scoundrel husband. You better cook for us something delicious, or you will sleep in the street!" the Earth rank woman demanded in a cold voice, before turning toward the newest wife.

To Kira's surprise, she was hugged warmly and patted on the head with a loving palm, completely opposite of how the main wife had treated the scumbag husband. "Come dear, let's get you inside and meet your sisters. And I love your hair too"

They walked inside hand in hand, and already gossiping like best friends.

Pef scratched his head with a blank face. What had just happened?

"You better hide in the kitchen today, hubby. Let the scorned women approach when they are hungry. You might live till tomorrow, if your cooking is miraculous enough" Xie whispered while patting his back in an understanding tone.

And thus, the mighty Emperor toiled and sweated in the kitchen all day, producing delicacies and fine soups or steaks, condimented to near perfection. Well, he lacked many of the modern world spices, like black pepper or oregano, but he did his best.

Si joined him for the feast preparation, apparently less interested in scolding him, and just being close and making herself useful. Learning cooking was much easier when seeing what better cooks did.

Pef thanked the heavens for meeting this modest wife.

However, she wouldn't be the one to help him to fight gods. As the Legion's commander, he would need trusted lieutenants to command independent units of their own, and be strong enough to win on their own.

People like Lady Lin would be perfect. And he was lucky enough to have recruited two golden auras already.

Also whatever Xia was. The glove said she had been a goddess...but it didn't feel exactly true. His mysterious glove was hiding too much.

Evening came, and the wives converged for dinner, often tired or injured from whatever hunt they had been through.

Lady Di in particular was nursing a gruesome wound, her arm fractured and not yet healed. Pef helped her eat, sitting beside her and feeding her bits, cutting slices of pork and rolling spider meat into small bite-sized beads.

The glares of his wives slowly mellowed, each of them wishing to be the one to receive special treatment.

As the orange juice as served, the mood had mostly recovered, as full stomachs kept a family happy.

"All right. Go and visit the basement, Pef. The rain has kept them inside for a week, and they both need a bit of hope" Lin allowed after sipping her juice.

Pef ran away with a platter for food for the last two wives.

Snickers and laughter were heard behind him, but Pef was content. This will blow over soon, the rain will stop, and happy days by the pool will follow.

A couple of maids nodded and left as the Sky rank hero descended into the cellar.

Aria and Qin were warned this time, looking a bit better.

"Hey there, lovely ladies. I made some yummy food..." Pef said softly.

"We heard. Come in, and serve us..." Aria said in a cold tone.

Qin sighed but smiled a bit. She seemed thinner and tired, her red strands nearly faded.

Pef hugged and kissed them both, then pampered the hurting wives for a few hours.

"This new girl, she will join us here, too?" Aria asked in a small voice. Pef carreseed her green hair, and wiped her tears with his thumb. "Nah. Kira was a Guardian in Port Li, but shunned and despised for her red hair, by the locals. She wasn't happy there...as you can imagine"

Qin snorted a bit, her wrist throwing up a strand of reddish highlights. Wearing a hooded veil wasn't all for fun.

"Damn idiot husband. You can't save everyone. How long do I need?" Aria muttered in a weak voice.

"Today, if you are content with Earth rank. Or 8 more months for Sky" Pef whispered in her hair.

It smelled of plants and dew, like the forest early in the morning. He never wanted to let go.

In the end, he remained with the suffering wives that night, giving them a bit of hope.

Pef woke up in the morning, as a presence of something deep and heavy pressed on his soul. His eyes located a pair of silver orbs twinkling in the early light.

Aria and Qin slept on his chest, breaths regular and soothing.

"Come, Husband. We will start building your palace today" Xia spoke in a strange voice, coming from all around him.

Pef floated away from the sleeping wives, and followed after the purple haired woman. To his surprise, she led him to the sauna, and began taking off her clothes. He shrugged and followed suit, storing the clothes and entering the second room.

Pef lit the brass stove, and sprayed some water, forming a warm mist in the sauna, then sat on the wooden bench, soaking up heat and relaxing.

Xia sat beside him, and took his left hand to her chest. "To be an Emperor, you need a mental palace. This sauna is a good start as a template. Think how it began. A foundation, with pillars in the corners. Then walls and a roof, an entrance and a fire to keep it warm. The elements are all here. Stone and wood, fire and air and water. And the metal stove as bonus. If you ever manage to create electric light, then the set you built would be complete."

"Ah, Lightning. Clever. As on earth, same in heavens. Or the reverse." Pef mused while contemplating the task.

Xia kept his hand tightly, almost like she was afraid he would run away."The profound truths of the universe reflect each other, no matter if it's the spirit world or the material. Your cultivation is shaky in places, channeled on the path of the Legion. But they could never teach how to cross into Tier 7. Because they don't know, they just throw billion of lives away, playing chance games in the hope someone gets lucky. With big enough numbers, and over billions of years, the Legion obtained some tier 7s. But they don't know why. Or maybe they don't care."

"And my dearest wife knows?" Pef asked curious.

"You have an idea how comunion works. Jian or Aria, they keep a thousandth of what they should receive. Where is the reward going? Who benefits?" Xia whispered while hot steam swirled around them while imbued with qi.

Pef coughed on steamy air. "Are you saying..."

"I am just asking. What does the pain fuels? Why did the pain stir me awake?"

'Clever girl, our transmigrated goddess. If she wasn't your wife, she'd be really dangerous'

'I asked the same thing!' Pef yelled inside.

'And there is no answer yet. It depends where we are' The glove said in a warning tone.

"Let me tell you a story. A farmer, planting seeds. Crops grow, and get eaten by cows. The cows give milk, which the farmer drinks. As he grows stronger, he plows more fields, until his island is all full. One day he can swim away, while dodging sharks and octopi out at sea"

"There are more stages, and corn or cow meat is often eaten too. Plus the island might be on fire, when the farmer leaves"

Xia replied as her eyes turned brown.

Xie took a second to discern her whereabouts then noticed her naked state.

"Ah, I am alone with the evil Emperor. And naked in his wooden dungeon!" she exclaimed in fake panic.

"But a hero is nearby! He throws a helping hand. The princess needs to grab it, and just hold tight..."

"Ah yes, I found it! I am pulling myself out of the dungeon. And look, I have arrived in my hero's lap."

As Pef drew a long breath, preparing to rescue the princess, the sauna door opened. A handful of women peeked inside, giggling between themselves. The hot air blew out, exposing the naked couple.

"See! He was here, enjoying himself, while his wives starved..." Lady Lin proclaimed while pointing accusingly at the hero.

Pef sighed, and went to make breakfast.

Such is the fate of heroes, they rarely get the princess.