A Journey Full of Conflict

Talking about the tunnel. Cien also requested the construction of another tunnel from the Development Division.

A tunnel that made Cedric feel hesitant as soon as he heard about it.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?"

"Sigh… yeah, it's already my promise to Hela. Besides, Fenrir has asked for the same thing. Whether we like it or not, we have to do it."

"Will we be okay?"

Cien shrugged, "Who knows. For now, Hela won't do anything. So just relax. I also have a backup plan if things start heading in an undesirable direction."

"...alright then. I'll organize a team to build this tunnel right away."

"Hm, thank you, Cedric."

With that, the plan to construct an underground tunnel to the resting place of Hela's soul began.

However, it was still just a plan, as construction would start after the tunnel to Westya was completed. Perhaps in about one to two months.

And now, the new construction project. Creating the Craftsmen District. A place where blacksmiths, artisans, and alchemists would gather and work.

Having so many projects made Cedric very happy and busy.

He was even scolded by his wife for not getting enough sleep. But in his current life, he found it more enjoyable than simply building luxurious homes for nobles.

Designing and shaping a new kingdom. Cedric felt like he had landed his dream job.

By the way, speaking of luxurious houses. Cedric initially proposed to build a castle for Cien and his family's residence. Mia and other Division Heads agreed to this idea as well.

However, Cien and Ethel temporarily rejected this proposal. Their reasoning was that they prioritized building homes for the citizens and necessary facilities first.

As for the castle, it could be constructed after everything else was completed.

The next day, after the initial tunnel site inspection, Cien returned to his duties as an alchemist.

He and three other alchemists were in the alchemy room located in a cave adjacent to the main cavern.

These four individuals were busy completing the remaining nine thousand doses of the Lusting antidote.

Numerous important events had caused Cien to continuously delay the completion of Halima's order.

This weighed heavily on him, leading him to apologize to Halima repeatedly.

The survival of thousands of Mandoran people relied heavily on this antidote. Therefore, before the tunnel to Westya was finished, Cien would prioritize producing this potion.

Regarding weapons and materials for Shiwa and Sravati's orders, he entrusted them to other craftsmen.

Cien would certainly oversee the quality of the weapons made by these blacksmiths and woodworkers. Shiwa had high expectations, and Cien did not want to disappoint his client.

While Cien was busy with his work, a woman entered the room and approached him.

"Your Majesty, Queen Ethel is calling for you," said the woman, Sella, who had become one of the personal servants of the Millard family.

Although her status was now that of a servant of the new royal family, Sella still spent most of her time in the shop, just as she had done before, looking after and managing the shop.

Even now, business at the shop was bustling, although most customers were purchasing materials rather than weapons or potions.

Sella was no longer alone in overseeing the store. Cien and Ethel had also hired ten other people, including Cherry.

These eleven individuals now served the Millard family and doubled as store employees.

It was intriguing—a king who refused to let go of his shop.

"Ethel? Hmm..."

Cien pondered for a moment, then instructed Sella to wait for a while as he finished preparing the potion he was working on.

Once he was done, Cien asked Heimdal to transfer the potion into the prepared container.

Cien then walked out with Sella who followed two steps behind him.

"Where is Ethel right now?"

"She's in the Meeting Hall, Sir."

"Did she mention what she wanted to discuss?"

Sella shook her head softly. She didn't know.

"Hmm. Alright, you can go back to your duties. I'll go there alone after I wash my face and change clothes."

"Do I need to prepare your attire?"

Cien shook his head. "No, you don't need to do that. Where did you learn about such things?"

"From Cherry, Sir."

"Ugh, she teaches unnecessary things."

Cien proceeded to the bathroom to wash his face and hands, which had gotten slightly dirty from handling alchemical materials.

He then walked to his room on the second floor to change his clothes.

Afterward, Cien made his way to the Meeting Hall, which currently served as the temporary Government Office.

The construction of the official government building would take place after the ongoing projects were completed, much like the previously discussed castle.

Upon arriving at the building, Cien noticed many people bustling about, each with various documents in hand.

Nearly all members of the seven Divisions were inside the building, busy addressing Arcadia's daily matters.

As these individuals saw Cien enter, they immediately stopped and bowed, offering their greetings.

Cien raised his hand with a smile, as he had told them countless times not to do this, but it seemed futile.

He then reached a room on the second floor.

The Meeting Hall had two floors, with the first floor housing a large hall, three small rooms on the side, and four bathrooms.

The second floor contained ten additional rooms, which Cien had originally designed to serve as small meeting rooms for important guests.

But now, these ten rooms are being used by the government body. No one knew what the future held.

Cien arrived at the room that served as the office of the King of Arcadia. Yes, it was his room, although it was Ethel who was mostly inside it. Cien spent more time in the shop and craftsmen district area, mingling with the other craftsmen.

Knock! Knock!

Cien knocked and heard Ethel's voice inviting him in. Upon entering, he found four people looking at him with blank expressions.

"What's wrong with you all?"

"Sigh... why did you knock on your own room?"

"Ahh, well, I'm a man of manners," Cien replied to Ethel before approaching and sitting on the single sofa in the middle of the room.

On the two long sofas beside him were Ethel, Mia, Sienna, and Lilinette.

"So, why did you call me?" Cien asked.

Ethel then explained that they were currently planning the journey to deliver Halima's order to Ashur.

Initially, Cien had only thought about sending a few people to deliver the antidote, but now Ethel and the others wanted to modify the plan slightly.

The antidote would still be delivered, but some important individuals would accompany the journey to Ashur.

"Um, important individuals? Who?"

"Sienna and Lilinette."

Ethel answered, going on to explain that Sienna would go to Ashur to collect Niles' remaining assets there and also take care of their water source, ensuring it continued to function even without her presence in Ashur.

Meanwhile, Lilinette would be sent as a foreign minister of sorts. She would engage in diplomacy with Mandora and several territories in Westya.

"Lily, are you sure you can handle this?"

Cien was worried. He knew that Lilinette's responsibilities as the Head of the Social Division involved not only managing domestic social affairs but also dealing with relations with foreign kingdoms.

But Lilinette was still a young girl. Cien was concerned about his niece, who was sparing with words, engaging in diplomacy with foreign kingdom officials.

"You don't need to worry, dear," Ethel said. "Since she was a child, Lilinette has been taught about politics and various studies. She knows the most about inter-kingdom politics after Mia and me. Don't underestimate your niece just because she's still a teenager."

"Really? Wow... I didn't know that."

Cien recalled that the first time he met Lilinette, she always had a book in her hand.

Wherever and whenever, she was always reading. Cien even remembered her reading while being carried in a coffin.

'I should have guessed it, huh.'

Perhaps Cien had spoiled Lilinette too much due to her fragility and her previous desire to die.

But upon further reflection, Lilinette was the child who had once been expected to become the next Westya Champion. She was a genius!

"Alright, I trust you, Lily. But I have one condition," Cien stated.

"Condition?"

Lilinette looked puzzled, but Cien didn't answer her question.

"Is it just Sienna and Lily? Will they be willing to negotiate with Arcadia if neither Ethel nor I are present?"

Ethel smiled faintly upon hearing this question. "Of course not. In addition to Sienna and Lily, the Moon Squad will also accompany them as guards."

"Ah~"

Cien understood, as this meant that Kirana, as the leader of the Moon Squad, would be accompanying them.

This would make Kirana the leader of the group, as she had now become a Princess of the Kingdom, albeit a very small kingdom.

With the presence of one of the Royal Family members, the other rulers would not feel offended.

Sending a representative who was not a high-ranking noble would almost be seen as an insult to those rulers.

"Sigh... you will have a long journey," Cien said softly, turning to Sienna and Lilinette.

Cien also realized another purpose mentioned by Ethel earlier—the visit to "several territories" in Westya.

Cien felt that this visit mentioned by Ethel could potentially create some problems.

On their way to Mandora, they would pass through the northern region where one of Cien's friends resided. Afterward, they would visit Ethyria.

In Ethyria, Kirana would have to confront the child of Luis, the present Duke Grenhall. Technically, Kirana was still a member of the military garrison there. This would be complicated.

Kirana had expressed her desire to stay in Arcadia and help build this new kingdom alongside her father.

But could she easily leave the Westyan military? This was a situation similar to that of Legia and Jamie.

Furthermore, Cien still harbored suspicions about Duke Grenhall. Gyo, his servant, was a mutated human from Divinia.

Cien felt uneasy about letting Kirana go to Ethyria at this time. However, sooner or later, this issue would need to be resolved.

The same applied to Lilinette, as she would also pass through Baron Millard's territory in southern Westya. There was a possibility that problems might arise there.

'Whoaa... for some reason, I feel like a lot of conflicts are on the horizon. Damn!'