Year 137

The demon king finally descended. [Demon King Raja-Naga has arrived!]

As the rifts predicted, he arrived in the Eastern Continent, and he quickly made his presence felt. The entire Eastern continent was in a state of war, as giant fire-breathing lizards and flying drakes ravaged the entire continent.

A time of war.

“Lausanne is in the Eastern continent.” A message for Jura to Laufen, she instantly broke down and cried. “She’s not dead, but... she can’t get out.”

Laufen wept, and I could see her feelings through Patreeck. Worry, helplessness, anger, sadness. She wondered whether she was going to lose her daughter. She was far away now, and I can’t reach her from here. Not when she’s on another continent. There’s no way Jura could get there either. There’s no boat or ship fast enough, and unless we have the heroes’ teleportation array, I can’t get anyone there.

She just went back to her home and just cried for a while. Some of the other ladies of a similar age from Freshka, her friends came to comfort her.

Jura on the other hand was just sad.

“She wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?” Jura asked.

“I don’t think so.” Lausanne certainly didn’t seem like the type to do anything stupid, but I don’t know how much has changed in the past 30 years she’s been away. She may have changed.

“Yeah. She won’t.” Jura said, but I could tell from Patreeck’s data that he’s worried too. But there’s nothing much we can do. Not when she’s on another continent. I could only hope she’s wise enough to stay away from actually confronting the demon king. Very few have done that and survived.

-

The Demon King’s presence sent the Rottedlands into a frenzy. More demonic hybrids spawned, and the trade routes experienced more frequent attacks. But for now, the Valthorns and beetles have managed to hold them back, so the trade routes hold. A great relief, for our allies who feared for the worse.

The expansion and training of Valthorns, priests and young nobles continued. Just because the demon king arrived, didn’t mean we have to change anything.

“Alright. Demon King spawned. As nobles, what should you do?” A lecturer, a former retired mayor, asked the crowd of young noble students. There were some commoners mixed in too, the ‘attendants’.

“Prepare for war?”

“Well, yes. But how and what? What should you prepare?” The lecturer asked. “Food supplies are a common one. During demonic attacks, trade routes are frequently disrupted.”

Some of this is basic common sense, but no one actually sat down and put a manual for dealing with demon kings 101. In some ways, this is a first step to that manual. I also had the instructors write down key teaching points for storage. Bit by bit, my library was growing, even if I didn’t get skills for it.

“Next up is actually village-defense. Demonic forces tend to attack places of large populations first. It is said they have an ability to sense living individuals, particularly large numbers. Of course, no one knows whether this is true, or they detect large cities by other means.”

The crowd of nobles go oooooh.

“So, theoretically, it’s better to focus defense forces in larger cities, since villages tend to be skipped, or only attacked by smaller forces. Unless they are so unlucky that they happen to be in their path.”

The commoners winced at those words, wondering whether those villages will be left to die. The nobles just nodded in agreement. This sounded familiar.

I didn’t pay much attention to the classes, since no untoward incident occurred.

-

As the borders saw more fighting, I’ve awarded more upgraded classes to the Valthorns. For anti-air, I’m really quite dependent on my beetles and spiders, and also my higher-levelled Valthorns.

The Valthorns had many practice rounds against flying foes, and I used my [dream academy] to give them more practice and ‘dream-battle’ experience against aerial foes. Many of them woke up sweating and needed a separate [dream] for them to rest.

[Dream academy] allowed me more control over the contents of the dream, though it’s still just a set of parameters I could control. I don’t even know what exactly they see in those dreams, until recently...

Because [Tree-Over-Mind] allowed me to gain an insight to the effects of [dream academy], the two abilities essentially allowed me to view the dreams in almost-real time. There was still a small time lag, but I could see how each and every Valthorn had a slightly different variation of the dream. The dreams itself tapped into their minds to bring up the desired effect.

Now, could I essentially stitch their dreams together into a mini-matrix?

“Patreeck?”

“Possible, but I believe that will take up a lot of processing power. But it can be done, I think I can put about 30 people together.”

“Great!” Dreams have always been personalised. It’s time to go full mini-matrix and inception on my Valthorns. “Now, is it possible to create a time dilation effect, such that the dreams feel longer than the actual elapsed time?”

“That would require some kind of super-stimulant into their brains, master.” Patreeck was frank. “Not my area of specialty, but I believe it should be possible to create a sap or chemical that increases brain activity, and thus allow them to process more within the same period of time.

So, when I called Jura, some of the Valthorn’s herbalists and druids and the senior Valthorns for a meeting, they were rather strange.

“That sounds like something quite dangerous, Aeon.” A senior herbalist responded. “There are some herbs and spices that supercharge the mind, but they tend to leave one feeling exhausted subsequently, and can be addictive.”

Wait. This sounds like dealing in drugs.

“I thought Kavio had some of those... uh... relaxants...” A druid casually said, and the other druids glared at him. “Oh never mind.”

“Procure them for me.” I declared, maybe I could use them differently, or administer their effects differently. I already have [psychedelic dreams]. What could go wrong with another different kind of drug-like ability?

It’s really the dream, I believe, to invent that medical superdrug that significantly heightens one’s senses and mind. Nootropics, or smart drugs.

“Perhaps the easier method is to suppress all the other forces that prevent learning and levelling, master.” Patreeck suggested. “Maybe we can try with just... experimenting with a dying man, and just maintain their mind.”

“Oh.” To do my own brain-in-the-jar experiment. Would a brain-in-the-jar gain levels? Is it still living? Can it hold a soul if it’s entire body is artificially supported?

And what point, if we remove a body, that the body and soul part ways? Like, if I just keep the head and the boy, would the soul still stay around? Which organ is necessary, and which isn’t?

“Aeon, may I enquire what this is for?” Faris asked. “Obtaining these herbs can be a rather troublesome thing.”

“I don’t see why, am I not above the law of the land?”

“Ah, that is true, but as it is, the planting and cultivation of such herbs are outlawed and most nobles forcibly destroy them, due to their damaging effects on societal productivity.”

“Then, can you just send it to me instead of destroying them?”

“Indeed, but most nobles would want to know what is being done to them.”

“Have the nobles deliver it to me personally, then. I need no more than a few samples to complete my analysis.”

“I will say it is for analysis, then?”

“Yes. That is fine.” I noticed Faris’s mind was still turning. Certain herbs are dangerous, especially for nobles. Some herbs have been used to incapacitate, poison or weaken nobles, andmany nobles viewed such herbs as a threat, so they have been firmly destroyed. It’s due to its effects on the mind, bordering on mind-control that scared the nobles. So throughout the world there had been numerous movements pushing for the destruction of such herbs, and even till today, there are noble-groups dedicated to eradicating these mind-drugs.

It was said the origins of the movement started after the emperor or a large empire was drugged and mind-controlled by his concubines. It was only when the children and princes rebelled, confronted, and the emperor was finally on his knees that they realised the extent of the concubines’ mind control.

Since then, nobles everywhere have been extremely wary of ‘new’ types of herbal substances. Of course, there is an opposing movement, those who use these drugs to supplement their own abilities. But, they do so quietly.

“Jasmine, can you help me locate these substances? Since it’s hidden, I would need your eyes and ears.”

“Certainly, master.”

-

More kingdoms capitulated and changed sides. They’ve realised that the 4 temples were not backing down from their blockade, and that the divine edict meant the priests and templars would enforce the blockade with much greater attention.

By now, more than two thirds of the kingdoms on the continent have formally switched sides, including many of the Harrisan splinter-kingdoms. They are still squabbling and fighting smaller wars with each other, but they are now all formally FFA-aligned nations. It’s kinda like I’ve become this massive umbrella for all of these little countries, since there are no benefits from staying loyal to the temples.

This merely strained the load on the School of Treeology further. Already, it is difficult to coordinate my artificial mind’s and the priests, I couldn’t train priests fast enough. The 10 patriarchs and matriarchs, are overloaded with administering the school of treelogy, and with thousands of young priests and priestesses undergoing training, it’s really tough.

I tried to assist, by appointing more [Aeonic Senior Priests], to help with the management of the Treeology school.

“Actually, Aeon, maybe we should be given some time to uh... use our skills in a non-school setting.” A patriarch actually prayed one day and said.

“Oh? You have not been doing that?”

“All 10 of us have been working on the treeology school ever since it started.”

I paused and considered the issue. Indeed, it’s been some time since then.

“Many of us have abilities and powers, and though we labor hard at work in the school and Freshka, we do dream of visiting our new allies.”

I agreed. So, first, I pulled together the senior priests, and those that have performed well. I defined performing well as those that were able to train new priests to a high level and guide them, or priests who were able to perform their social tasks and convert large groups to my cause, without relying too much on material rewards and lies. Even doing this assessment took a month, but eventually I appointed 5 more Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

This time, 3 of them were Treefolk, 1 was a centaur and one last one was a human.

With the appointment of 5 more, I then implemented a rotational shift. 5 of 15 Patriarches will be travelling to spread the faith, on two-year shifts. That meant, over the course of 6 years, all 15 patriarchs and matriarchs would have had their stint in the field. Like my young nobles, these experienced priests also need to stretch their legs and see how things are in the lands outside. Things may have changed.

On the side of the FTC, we’ve increased the admittance to the college. With more new allied kingdoms, it was important that they show some proof of their alliance. So, essentially, sending their young children to the FTC, so far away from their home kingdoms, is meant to be this ‘act of trust’. It’s also leverage.

At the same time, we’ve expanded recruitment of instructors from all these new allied nations too, to cater to a growing student population. Freshka, the Capital of the Freshlands, is a large university town home to 3 large educational and training institutions.

Once this whole setup stabilized, I intend to set up satellite campuses and branch campuses for the School of Treeology and FTC, like how Valthorns have mini-bases throughout the Freshlands and my allied kingdoms.

The Valthorns, being a military wing, always had multiple forward bases for attacks into the Rottedlands, or various peacekeeping and social order assignments. These are centered around a main [Giant Attendant Tree], a relic of my earlier New Freeka days. The Valthorns always had Giant Trees as forward bases. They also act as recruitment centers and training centers, for orphanages that were previously under the Valthorns’ and Valtrian Order’s jurisdiction.

It’s ironic. Not long ago, in the days of New Freeka, I told kings and royalty, no special privileges and no special area.

Now, I even set up an entire school to brainwash, sorry, re-educate their children. Maybe some hero from my world would notice that this entire college setup is nothing more than a glorified luxury-grade reeducation and rehabilitation center.

I suppose life, even in a world of magic, has a way of playing tricks.

Still, the presence of so many young nobles and their entourage brought incredible economic vibrancy to Freshka. Various shops and merchants set up branches and offices to cater to their every whim, luxury restaurants, luxury goods, tutors and trainers, blacksmiths and craftsmen, all made good money serving young, impressionable nobles looking to impress and show off to each other.

It’s also a good way to stimulate the flow of money and trade from these faraway nations to the Freshlands, as these faraway kings and queens would have to send stipends, pay for sustenance, pay for their servants.

Sending money through such long distances in the age of magic still required a network of merchants, people who were willing to trade goods, and so on. Often, merchants would make arrangements to sell goods to kingdoms, and the merchants also acted as their means to remittance agents.

At times, it was amusing to read the thoughts of these young nobles. At other times, it was just grating.

Still, a school life for the rich and powerful emerged, along with their attendants. Along with it, came clubs, and little fraternities. Some were on racial lines, like a club for human nobles, a club for elven nobles, a club for treefolks. Most of the smaller, less common races formed a combined club of their own.

Also, I made Thordrock as Vice Chancellor of the FTC, despite his rather shaky loyalties. I needed someone now, while I still trained my pipeline of future Chancellors, and gave him a set of guidelines to follow. I rather liked his pitch about unity of the Central continent.

I’d also put him through a few trips to [dream academy]. I had hoped to merge his classes together, but instead he just unlocked an additional [Tutor] class. It’ll take a while, I suppose.

Still, he really did started on the whole booze-and-wine appreciation and tolerance classes. There’s even booze, wine and whiskey clubs, and it seemed battle lines were drawn. The wine-club members had nobles from more conservative, old-families, and would view the other two as uncultured, the whiskey club seemed to be more urban-wealth, comprising the children of many lords and kings from major trading hubs, while the booze were more of the rest.

I suppose I added to the fire when we challenged all 3 clubs to make the best herbal-infused alcoholic liquor. Herbal beer, herbal wines and herbal whiskeys.

-

As the year drew to the end. The demon king’s destruction of the Eastern Continent continued. The demon king resembled a large twin-headed demon-dragon with two massive wings, it had a wide range of elemental attacks.

Laufen’s still asking for more news on Lausanne, but we don’t have many informants, and Lausanne’s not contacting us.

But I still sense my connection to the [Possession of the Devoted], and the drain on my [star mana]. So she’s alive. The key is really avoiding the demon king. As long as she continued to stay away from the demon king, she’ll be fine.

I told Laufen that much, that I still sense her presence and that my familiar is still connected to her.

For now, the demon king’s mostly wrecking the Eastern Continent, where the hell are the heroes? Maybe the heroes will be summoned in the Eastern Continent too?

Or would that be a bad thing, for them to be summoned there and face a full-powered demon king, when they are underleveled?

But if they spawn outside of the Eastern Continent, would the demon king follow them? Or maybe, it can’t see them when they are still low-leveled, like how the earlier heroes managed to dodge the demon king.

“I’m betting next year.” Jura said. “Maybe the gods haven’t got ready yet.”

I don’t see why they need to wait so long. They didn’t have to summon new heroes for 40 years, surely some of their power recharged. That’s speculation on my part, of course, that gods need to have their powers recharged. It’s entirely possible that their powers work in weird ways.

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