“R-rock?” Galagar almost panted, excited and sweating. “T-This is… a **ing mountain!” “I don’t need any armor. But I want three hundred sets of finest armors made from a part of this. They will be for my most elite troops,” Sylvester placed his order. “Of course, payment will be made for your great service.” “Why don’t you want armor, Your Holiness? I will personally make one, and it will be the finest work of my life,” asked King Galagar. “Skygem isn’t the toughest material when it comes to a clash between Supreme Wizards, my friend. What good is the armor if it’s going to break from a single punch of mine? But I will need ten finest pieces for the Guardians of Light,” Sylvester requested and gently punched a tiny spot on the gem, clawing a handful of it like it was delicate snow. “But… The production must happen jointly with the dwarves of Sol.” That was the plan. The dwarves of Sol were utterly loyal to Sylvester, but since they were kept locked underground for hundreds of years, they had lost much of their forging knowledge. So, this little endeavor was meant to teach them everything once again. “If you wish to train Elrog and his people? I can open a minor forging and smithing branch in Sol itself,” King Galagar was still a King. He knew what Sylvester wanted and offered a better deal in order to win the Pope’s favor. “Perhaps I can live here for a week every few months and savor the delights Sol has to offer.”

Sylvester smiled, agreeing to the plan. “Then why don’t we go and pay a visit to the nearest smithy street of the Guild Peninsula? I’m sure the advanced methods we use will excite you.” “For that, you don’t have to ask me, Your Holiness.” Galagar was just happy to be there, in a continent he never thought of stepping foot in, being friendly with powerful people he knew he couldn’t resist. On top of that, knowing that he was valued by the man was almost proud-provoking. So, Sylvester took the man in his carriage to the place. At first, he wanted to go there on a bicycle, but when he realized he didn’t have a child bicycle, he decided to make his reinsman happy for the day. The smile on that man’s face that day was truly… pitiful.

Soon enough, they arrived at the Guild Peninsula. It had been revamped by a degree as the buildings were renovated to go all the way to five stories high while maintaining the charm. The streets were paved, sewers were added, lane system was created with flower foliage dividing the road. The open entrances of the shops were filled with orderly displays of goods, and nobody was allowed to resort to hawking and causing too much annoying noise. Clank!

Clank!

Eventually, they took a turn and finally heard the sound of hammers striking hot iron. Similarly, the street was beautiful but warmer than the others. The wide open entrances of the shops revealed men at work, wearing their leather aprons. However, Galagar immediately noticed something as they began walking on the street. The men weren’t using their arms to hammer the iron. But instead, it was a strange metal contraption that rose and fell at varying speeds on the hot iron. On top of that, he noticed the furnaces were surging hot without anyone using hand blowers to blow air in them. Trrr…!

Then he noticed another strange contraption. A man was polishing a sword by simply pressing it against a rotating device. It was marvelous, since he saw how skinny the man was.

“How?” Galagar asked. “I have never seen such magic. What pathway runes did you use for such results?”

“Science,” Sylvester replied. “Science? Is this a new rune branch? I have never heard of it.”

“What I meant by science was that no magic was used to move these things. It’s the forces of nature that we harnessed. Come with me, I’ll show it to you. This is how I wish to allow even commoners without magic to produce complex products.” Sylvester invited him into one of the workshops. After all, just like humans, not all dwarves could use magic, the same goes for elves and dragons. There were stars in Galagar’s eyes. “With this… Even the dwarves without magic can learn advanced techniques and increase their output. But… If productivity rises, I don’t think there will be enough buyers.” “To buy what?” “Our armor and weapons.”

“That’s where you took the wrong step,” Sylvester steered the man into his second goal. “With the changing world and peace ensured, there would be less demand for weapons in the first place. But, with peace, there will be a demand for various metal products to build complex buildings, bridges, towers, facilities for special purposes… Railways, for example. Or steel cargo ships I have planned. King Galagar, if you’re willing to form a joint company with me, I can help you find better employment where your talents are utilized, challenged, and rewarded.” “I will have to speak with my council before making such a decision,” Galagar responded. Sylvester didn’t mind. In fact, he would’ve considered Galagar foolish if he hadn’t shown any signs of doubts and pushback. “I will be waiting for a reply. Come, I will also show you some textile shops. They also use such machines.” Galagar just sighed in amazement, formally recognizing that Sol had moved way past Beastaria in every possible field. But Galagar didn’t stay in the Holy Land and went to Miraj City to see the dwarves of Sol and share a few drinks with Elder Elrog. So Sylvester returned to his work for the day and sent invitations for lunch the next day. .

…

As the night fell, Sylvester got busy helping Xavia prepare some things for the next day. However, he still asked the Bard’s to send a lot of their items as well, to keep the table full. Since massive people like the Lord Inquisitor would be coming, quantity was an issue. Eventually, Sylvester spent the night in his room, working on a few things he assumed would be possible to be made using magical means. He conceptualized a flying machine, one that ran on an engine powered by magical runes, that were powered by solarium crystals. In theory, it was doable. Other than that, a few moments were spent looking at the portrait of a woman he had meticulously drawn after carefully recalling his memories. The cherished face was something he never wanted to forget, albeit having overcome most of the crippling grief. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but look forward to going to the Demon Realm. He didn’t care if his hypothesis was true or false anymore. He just wanted to find an answer. Why did that Demon know his real name? Why were the Demons calling him so desperately? “Whatcha’ doing?” Chonky suddenly woke up, jumped onto his desk, and looked at the portrait closely. So close that he shoved his head between Sylvester and the portrait. “Oh, I remember seeing this before.” Sylvester nodded and folded the parchment back to put it in his pocket. “Why did you wake up?”

“Open the window. I gotta poop.” “…”

So, he allowed Miraj to go out of the building and do his business. …

The next day, lunchtime arrived, and Sylvester came home early. Using simple elemental magic, he made a big table in the living room to accommodate all of them. Then helped place all the food and the large saucers with various dishes. There was no need to fear the food might get cold because–’magic’. “I’ll sit beside the Lord Inquisitor,” Rex requested. “You aren’t afraid of him?” Sylvester asked in a surprise. “Afraid? Why would I fear him? He’s so cool and huge. I wanna be as tall as him one day.” Sylvester shrugged, knowing well that Rex would be running away from the big man once he took off the mask. Not because of his face, but because of the fire he breathes. “Suit yourself.” Knock! Knock!

At last, the Guardians began to arrive. As expected, the first to enter was none other than the self-proclaimed sister of Xavia, Aurora.

“Did you miss me?” She asked everyone, having been unable to meet Sylvester or Xavia after getting too busy in the past few months. Sylvester called her to the kitchen and handed her a stack of plates, “Put these on the table.”

“…”

“I’m the guest here!” She grumpily complained. “You should be spoiling me, Your Holiness. I’m your junior.” “You’re old enough to be my granny,” Sylvester jested, hitting her where it always hurt. “You couldn’t even seduce that knight. You thought I didn’t know you were after him?” Aurora sighed and followed him around. “I gave up on him. I realized I was just attracted to his amazing looks. While he was a decent man, his talents were barely considerable. I would have only watched him grow old and die.” Sylvester agreed. This was a burden that almost all of the strongest people suffered. Of course, unless one is as lucky as King Highland. Eventually, other Guardians also appeared one by one, and the house began to look vibrant with varying voices. As Zeke, Ella, and Rex were also there, the Guardians had more topics to talk about. But no doubt, many things had changed as Lord Inquisitor proudly took off his visor. The same was the case for Bloodrain, who kept his eyes tied behind a cloth to not disgust anyone. As for Soulbreaker, he was a handsome man already and merely liked wearing the visor. The First Guardian, Emperor Raz, was also there despite being unable to eat anything. He just liked interacting with people. Then there was Julius, the man who usually kept calm; But today talked with Ella with various expressions of being impressed. The Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Guardians still haven’t been selected. As for the Tenth, Geralt was there and chatting with Emperor Raz. “Let’s eat!” Sylvester clapped and gained everyone’s attention. “The ones in black saucers are made by Mum. The rest are from Bard’s.” “Mother Xavia? Then I must taste some!” Aurora jumped in. Soon enough, everyone began to eat and chatter at times. Sylvester sat beside Xavia on one side and Julius on the other. Out of all the people around that table, he still considered Julius the most dangerous, as he had the intellect and tenacity to see through long-term plans. “Pass me the chicken.” “Give me more of Mother Xavia’s dish.” “I like everything.” “Oh, it fell right through my belly!” Raz exclaimed. The clanking of plates, the sounds of spoons. All the Guardians in the room enjoyed themselves while feeling at home, but they all knew Sylvester never did anything for no reason. They knew something was going to happen after lunch, so they ate calmly without bringing up any major topics. “I’m full.” One after another, they finished their meals and started relaxing back in their chairs. The plates were then collected and moved by Sylvester, Xavia, and then eventually everyone, since the Pope was doing it. But in the end, they all returned to their seats and waited to hear what Sylvester had to say. Of course, Zeke, Ella, and Rex were sent to a different room, as they were too young or too simple.

Woosh!

Sylvester flicked his hand and activated Elder Runes carved in the walls of the house. They weren’t visible unless activated. Right away, all the windows and doors closed up. No sound came in anymore; they could even hear each other’s hearts beating. It was quite an intense atmosphere developing, bringing everyone to the edge of their seats in wait. “Guardians,” Sylvester voiced from his seat, serious and utterly devoid of emotions. “I’m going to tell you something today. An answer to many questions, a revelation about the state of our world, and the names of those behind it. Who, even now, threatens this world’s existence, and what’s disheartening—we can’t do anything about it… yet.”

Long breaths, and shifts in their seats were heard. The Guardians didn’t even gulp, lest they make too much distraction. “Primordial Gods.”

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𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ