After around half an hour, our meal had been served. It was wonderful. We listened to sweet, elegant music and relished in our grilled Fish broth. I also got a new bucket of Candy, so that was nice~ Over our late night snack, it was decided that each of the Noble Households and their Vassals would donate a total of 500 Gold Coins to this endeavor. In addition, they would commit at least one family member's life to the fight… Or, an additional 500 Gold Coins. The fee would be recurring, coming back around once every month. If your family member perished in the war, your fee would grow to 750 Gold Coins… But it's not as though you would ever be asked to commit another family member's life to the cause. If however, you DID decide to commit a second family member's life… Your recurring fee would drop all the way down to 250 Gold Coins, forevermore. If for whatever reason, a house is not capable of paying the monthly fee… Then they would be stripped of all land and title, right before their house was devoured by another of their family's Vassals who had promised to pay the owed fee… Or potentially by a brand new noble family claiming the land and title for themselves.

It's very serious stuff. If a house can't pay their bill, then one of their peers can foot the bill and essentially own everything they once had. If none of their peers choose to foot the bill and claim that land and title, then we're opening the Monarchy up for bid. Clive for example, a relatively wealthy businessman of Reygid… Could for the very first time, be able to not only BUY his way into the Crown's good graces… But can also find himself with a MASSIVE estate otherwise impractical to attain via the current economy. Enlist two of your kin, pay a monthly fee of 250 Gold Coins and boom… You're now of nobility.

All in all, there are 30 households making up the nobility of Reygid. This means that after everything's said and done… IF every single household managed a means of committing two different members of their family to the war, which is actually impossible; seeing as how a few of these households only have one or two people in them to begin with... Even on our lowest paid month, we'll still be seeing at least 7 and a half Diamond Coins being put toward protecting this Kingdom. If every single household commits absolutely none of their family to this war, we're going to see 30 Diamond Coins come of this deal every single month... It's unbelievable. Our budget is meow ridiculous.

So, nyah. We meow tax the wealthy. There are a few demands, however. A couple of the houses want better security to be paid for with some of these taxes. We're beefing up security to face the Dungeons, and that's splendid. What we need now, is security to protect our borders from potential impending war… Because let's face it, this continent sucks. Right. They want hired guards to be a thing again. The Monster Knights and Scarecrows are cute and all, but we also need people to just be… Guarding the streets, making petty thieves more aware of the fact that we have eyes. That, and to lightly question individuals before they enter the Kingdom. Something more constant, there for when a citizen needs it; rather than whenever we deem it.

"What exactly was the average Kingdom Knight paid before we took over?" [Nero] begged the question.

"It all depended on their individual rank..." [Orianna] explained with a yawn.

"So… What were they paid upon first being hired?" [Nero] asked once more while raising an eyebrow.

"The correct term is 'knighted'... But to answer your question, 100 Silver Coins every day." [Orianna] confessed with a wry smile.

...Huh. Is that… Livable? We're selling the CHANCE at a Fish Stick for 100 Silver Coins...

"What decided the need for a promotion?" [Nero] asked while squinting.

"One would need considerable strength, or to have accomplished a considerable feat in the line of duty." [Orianna] replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"...So time working the job would do absolutely nothing for getting the promotion?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"...Why would time have anything to do with it?" [Orianna] asked while tilting her head to the side so that she could meet Nero eye to eye.

"...One can gain experience and mastery in their line of work if they practice it long enough." [Nero] enlightened the Lionesskin with a gentle smile before readjusting his neck and taking a stand as he continued...

"Alright… Every Kingdom Knight will be paid 200 Silver Coins each day. If they've worked in the line of duty for longer than two months, they will be paid 300 Silver Coins. If they've reached Tier 5, they will be paid 500 Silver Coins. Tier 6 Knights will be paid 600 Silver Coins, Tier 7 Knights get 700 Silver Coins, Tier 8 Knights get 800 Silver Coins, Tier 9 Knights can walk away with 900, and Tier 10 Knights get 1 Gold Coin. All Kingdom Knights will not only be welcomed to challenge the Tides at any time in the hopes of growing more powerful, but will be encouraged to do so. Kingdom Knights who achieve an even higher Tier than 10 will be offered a place to eat and sleep in the Wailing Keep, at the cost of their pay. If they accept a room in the Wailing Keep, they will be granted all of the same rights as any of the Monster Knights; and of my Clans(wo)men. Free entry into Halloween, free alcohol, food, and gambling during any of our festivals… And the right to participate in the festivals themselves. With all of that in mind, how many Kingdom Knights do you all deem fit for us to be dedicating your budget toward?" [Nero] explained with a wry smile.

And so… They've gone radio silent. Aha~ Now that we're paying the Kingdom Knights fairly, and entirely on their dime which could otherwise be allocated toward actually protecting us… It's a stale topic of discussion~ Or so I thought… After around five minutes of a whole lot of awkward blank stares, some proposals were made. It would appear that they're doing the math. Some believe that 120 Kingdom Knights would be the absolute height that we can hire, considering that in the event none of them desired to take up residence in the Wailing Keep… it could cost us around 3500 Gold Coins every month to employ them if they all found themselves successful in attaining Tier 10. That would be half of our monthly budget if every house chose to pay the minimum price. Others want closer to 300 Kingdom Knights, and seem absolutely certain that half of the Knights will never Evolve; even once… Rather, they seem to expect many to perish as they attempt it; further reducing our costs.

After a rather brutal debate and a depressing vote that needed to be recast two entirely different times… It was decided that 200 Kingdom Knights were to be hired using my exact payment structure. Thanks to Rudou, topics changed course over to a much larger predicament. We can't necessarily increase the rate at which we're obtaining sugary goods from overseas. It's something that must be done from where we stand... Which is why the four remaining Crimson Slayers will set out alongside Never Rest in a mad attempt at challenging Candy Land. Among their ranks are actually two different Carriers, so they'll have no issue with looting ingredients. Also, Never Rest is ridiculously strong; so they probably won't die. They've been decided to set out the day after the festival; and will return the night before the Mummy Mansion strikes.

Once the decisions had been made, everyone seemed relatively at ease with the current plan. Almost. Some of the Noble heads were upset that they were now potentially required to put their land up for auction. Land that they had been granted due to having excessive funds in the past; or land that they were granted due to having achieved considerable feats for this Kingdom in the past. I'll admit... It's not optimal. But on the other hand, if they were granted the land in exchange for making donations to the Crown... Then there's nothing new going on here. If they were granted the land in exchange for achieving considerable feats for this Kingdom... Then once again, there's nothing new going on here. Protecting this Kingdom and dedicating portions of your income in an attempt to further help protect it is just... Us, asking what's expected of you. Since you have so much land and all, aren't you one of the few families in this Kingdom who are capable of gaining a ridiculous profit out of being here? Don't you like... Owe it to the people looking up to you? I tried explaining as much, but Roy was able to word it out a whole lot better. He claimed that paying the fee, like paying their workers; would be a test of their own business savvy. To see whether they could ascend far greater than the average businessmen, by taking on such a higher caliber of duty than the average subject and STILL rising to the task; turning a profit out of even the most challenging of all tasks... It was impressive.

So... Nyah. Everyone seemed relatively at ease with the current plan~ As much as could be expected. After some farewells, we were left to our own devices. Cetilla began begging me to conjure new clothing on account of everyone needing new outfits for the festival, so it was decided. I'm meow enjoying Wendel's music from a distance as I test new pieces of clothing and sort them into a copious amount of tiny piles. I'm aiming for level 100 clothing this time around, because I can't really afford to be stingy. Each piece is setting me back a whole 400 MP, but I'm practically an endless void of MP at this point~

After finally ridding myself of all my MP, I was left with roughly 1100 different pieces of clothing… Separated into 100 different piles of generally 7 to 14 pieces each. It was at this moment, when I decided to devour my Candy. Regenerating 14 MP for each piece, after a few short hours of pure; unfettered insanity… I was able to reclaim a whole 313 thousand MP. It cost me… Everything. All of it. All of that Candy poor little Edith and my favorite Koalakin poured their blood, sweat; and tears into? Gone, in one fell… Three hour long swoop. I'm spent. I'm absolutely destroyed. I can feel the sugar in between my teeth, and my claws… Are incredibly sticky. Even if I change form, I still feel sticky. My mouth feels sticky. It's just… It's not a good look for me. Scarecrows! Fetch me my Bathtub, and have it filled with scalding hot water. Thank you. I'll be over here, sulking in my filth as I conjure new elite clothing of the highest grade…

My strongest piece has been the level 357 knitted purple fleece armband for quite some time… I'm ready for an upgrade. I'm meow attempting to conjure level 1000 pieces of clothing. If not for me, then for the most elite of all our flocks. Cetilla, and Roah. That sort of thing. Each piece costs 4000 MP, making this a very high stakes game. I can afford to conjure 78. Chances are that I won't get a single perfect roll. Even so, half of them will probably be above level 500. That's perhaps around three full outfits; ten if we make things stretch. Ten outfits that will still be immeasurably more sturdy than what I'll be giving away for absolute free to all of our other Monster Knights. Luna and I will undoubtedly be getting one. Cetilla and Roah are obviously in need of new clothing as well. After that point, I honestly couldn't care less. Most of our strongest allies don't have humanoid forms, so my clothing is rendered impractical. If Wolrietta sets out to seriously grow in strength after I Prestige, then she could definitely wear something. The Scarecrows could try, but they'd probably grow out of the clothing after Evolving.

The Crimson Slayers are strong candidates for clothes… The Arachne could probably pull something off, as could Christina… But Christina doesn't really seem to want clothing. The Arachne may prove to be more of the same. Rita would probably want a new T Shirt, but that's about it. Rustle needs a new hat… Vana might want something, since she's been wearing that dress for months… Wendel, do you want a new black funeral dress?

"Yes… If at all possible, I'd like for the next one to have a cut leg." [Wendel] confessed while bowing her head.

...Guess that confirms it. The Clansmen will want new pieces. If we don't obtain adequate pieces from this new pile, they can take some from the others. Now… Looking at my handiwork, I'd say that I've outdone myself. I can't wait to wear that furry black cape~ I've got a cape meow! It's like, way over the top… It drags behind me on the ground. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it's animal fur… But it's definitely faux. The Cat's Costumery never uses a real piece, it's all made of Candy; after all!~ The Cape grants me a whole 756 M./P. DEF., making it a balanced piece. It has this nice little cute bear hat part that I can choose to wear as a hood, with orange glowing eyes. It honestly reminds me of a cuter version of Ben, but I'll never admit it. It's my cape. I can't be giving a Bear Cape to a Bear. That would just be plain old insulting~ My cape.

Moving along, I'm choosing my boots meow. I'm stuck between a pair of black leather boots with skulls on the sides, or a pair of VERY similar boots except these ones have flame outlines stemming up from the orange soles. The skull boots have white soles, while makes this a battle between orange and white. Checking the stats of each pair informed me that the orange ones were actually better, but only by a total of 46 levels. I've decided to pick the orange. Flame boots. Very tacky, although quite sturdy. A whopping level 894 piece, although it's specialized entirely for magical resistance. Surprisingly enough, I was actually able to score a T Shirt from the elite pile of clothing. It's a V Neck. Covered in Pumpkin Paisley print, incredibly similar to regular Paisley print only covered in Pumpkins… This orange and purple shirt has an incredibly silky texture, and happens to shine; twisting colors under the lighting. Beautiful. I'm now absolutely certain that higher Mana expenditure upon item creation causes a greater likelihood of unique pieces being conjuring. Even though it's only a level 94 piece, making it quite the dud when compared to its peers… It's still incredibly rare as far as a V Neck goes. I'll take it for my under garments. It's got balanced stats.

After finding my favorite shirt, I noticed a decent pair of pants. It was honestly just a pair of old fashioned, comical prison slacks. They were striped white and black, probably for some Cops N' Robbers gimmick. The one unique part about these slacks, was the material. It didn't feel right. They were thick... Very thick. I figured that they might help me with the colder climates should I venture outside in Reygid during the Winter Solstice… So I grabbed them. Upon further inspection, they bestow an eye-catching 816 P. DEF, making them a level 408 piece. Looking around the pile, I managed to find a decent enough looking hat. It's a message sender. Gone are the days of tipping my pilot cap, for meow… I wield a wield a bandana. Simple stuff, except it's an incredibly rare piece. There were two special bandanas, but I got the first pick. Mine's better. It's black, and it's lightly under woven to have an orange glimmer when light hits it. It's beautiful, and it's worth 1196 P. DEF.

Surprising me greatly, I was able to encounter a gold hoop bracelet. This one had incredibly detailed engravings on it, depicting a silver moon and some silver crows. It grants an even number of 800 P./M. DEF., making it a level 800 piece. On the dot. Thinking back… None of the other hoop bracelets ever granted BOTH physical and magical defense… But none of the other hoop bracelets had both gold and silver in the mix, so that must be the defining trait.

After considerable scouring through the pile… I've realized that I have a very limited selection for eyepieces. There's a monocle, an orange eyepatch, and a pair of skull shaped shutter shades. It's not an easy choice. Part of me wants to lean on the monocle, but I feel like I don't appear old enough to wear one. Another part of me wants to try the eyepatch… But I'm already wearing a bandana. Do I really want to go full-pirate? Shutter shades… Shaped like skulls. At this point, I might as well wear the skull boots. Ugh… I'm going to look SO stupid if I pull up trying to moch a Lich… What are the stats? Welp… Janus doesn't like me. The shkullter shades give 915 P./M. DEF., so they're probably one of the best pieces in the whole pile. Farewell, magic resistant flame boots… Hello, 848 P./M. DEF Skull boots~

After checking over the entire pile three additional times, I came to the conclusion that there were no replacements for my belt, swim trunks, long sleeve shirt, vest, other hoop bracelet, socks, or my armband. Thankfully, my socks and my armband are both already over level 100. So, I decided to try and obtain replacements for the other 5 pieces from the level 90 to 100 piles. After stooping down to the level 88 pile, I managed to find a replacement for each piece. I got a level 93 silver hoop bracelet for 186 M. DEF., a level 97 purple pair of swim trunks for 97 P./M. DEF., a level 88 purple sash belt for 88 P. DEF., a level 100 white long sleeve shirt for 200 P. DEF., and a level 91 black vest for 182 M. DEF.

After wearing every piece, my physical defense rose all the way up to 6371 while my magical defense only reached 3524. It's terrifying… I've never had this problem before. I'm now incredibly more versatile against physical attacks, rather than magical. Before this new outfit, both of my resistances were roughly between 700 and 800… So even if I'm tilted in favor of physical defense now, it's not as though I haven't witnessed an improvement on both accounts. It should be fine… Yesh. It's fine.

The Scarecrows brought me a filled tub of hot water earlier, and I'm still quite frankly disgusting on account of eating all that Candy, and admittedly; just not bathing very often in general… So, I'm going for a bath. Yep. After carrying the bath down to the beach, I stripped nude and began to enjoy the show. It's a private performance, on display for yours truly. Currently, I have a particular Elven Councilman fighting for his life as the sun rises. The water's still warm, making this a wonderful experience. The only thing that could possibly improve this, would be Wendel's return… But alas, the sun has risen. It's too late. Mary's probably asleep, too… No extra snacks. I'll need to settle for day drinking. Thankfully, I have my trusty barrel~

After around two hours of soaking in my own filth and becoming heavily intoxicated, I decided to take things up a notch. Dumping out my bath, I dived into the open water. Refreshing… Cold, and refreshing. None of the Fish dared to face me, leaving me with plenty of room to swim. I made a whole thing of it, and began trying to collect seashells from below the surface… But after I had reached the drop off, I noticed that I was getting too cold; so I turned back. Taking a few more swigs of liquid courage, I tried again; but to no avail. I was far too cold.

Taking a different approach, I took the bathtub back to the Wailing Keep and tried to refill it with hot water. Once I finally warmed back up from taking my second bath, I got out of the tub and immediately dove back into the water. I experienced the incredibly refreshing feeling yet again, and realized that this was something that I'd like to do more often. Deep sea diving in search for rare seashells~ This time, I went straight for the drop off and avoided all of the more common shells. On further inspection, the drop off is quite deep. It's like… Massive. It really doesn't end, whatsoever. Quite the opposite, infact. The land on this continent is not nearly straight, nor does it just simply flatten out near the edges… It's inverted. After you reach the drop off, the land starts caving back inwards. If someone in Reygid were to try digging for around, I don't know… Maybe 50 miles? They'd dig straight into the ocean. None of this makes any hint of sense.

I need a better scope of the situation. I need to know if it's like this on all sides of the continent, because this is messing with my mind. After reaching the surface once more and nearly dying due to a lack of oxygen, I began to guzzle on my barrel like I had never done before. I need a second chance. After flying to the Forest of Witches, I dove right into the coast near their cliffside. A three minute search through excessively cold waters told me that the land inversion stretches throughout the north side of the west edge of the continent. I took yet another bath, before venturing to the east side of the continent. Near Grollicus' natural habitat, I tested the waters and to my horror… The phenomena continues. It doesn't make sense.

If I'm to accept that this entire Island follows this exact pattern… Then that means that we're… Either we're all attached to some strange hourglass shape Island... Or we're... Floating? This whole continent is just… Floating? FLOATING?! In the middle of the OCEAN?! It's one thing, when you see an entire 80s mechanical utopia in the middle of the ocean… But we've got trees. We have mountains. We have chasms, waterfalls; even lakes... We have a FREAKING TUNDRA! What do you mean that we're floating?! This is impossible! NO! After taking yet another bath, I hysterically flew up to the most northern area of the Savage Lands; and dove to my impending death.

It was cold… It was more cold than anything that I'd ever experienced before. My limbs lost feeling, and it was dark. Even though I was supposed to see in the dark, I couldn't see a thing. It was absolutely black. My one saving grace was Betty… She chose to conjure herself, in the midst of the water; forcing a flash of orange light to appear before she spontaneously died. One after another, more Wraiths laid down their lives for the cause of helping me find my way and confirm the impossibility. It was done. After three minutes of painstaking nothingness, we were able to not only confirm that we're on a massive floating rock… But we also escaped with my life. They helped light the way for me to swim upwards, and several Scarecrows also helped me to float. Thank you for your sacrifices. After deciding to take one final bath before I tried Orpia… I fell asleep in the bathtub.