Nearly two months had passed since Raid returned to the Second World with his companions—a long time, some would say, but considering everything they had accomplished, Raid could say that it was an exceptionally short stay.
“Wooow... It looks spectacular all gathered together like this,” Millis marveled.
“I’ve never seen so many people in my life!” Norn crowed beside her.
The two Lambuts were in awe of the scene surrounding the World Tree. Countless ships were docked in the water, some of which had brought in the mountain of shipping containers now stacked upon this man-made island—an extension to the World Tree, made to hold all the personnel and resources now gathered there. Suffice it to say, the vicinity of the World Tree had changed greatly in these two short months.
Raid observed the surroundings with his hands on his waist. “Who would’ve thought this place would turn into a small city in just a bit over a month?”
Millis blinked, then turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Says the guy who made it all happen,” she retorted.
“Hey, I never said anything about all this. They volunteered.”
The day after the Assembly of the Central Continent, the leaders had gathered once more to further discuss the details of the project to aid the First World, and one of the issues brought up was that the area around the World Tree was far too small to hold all the personnel and resources they were preparing. In the end, Palmare had volunteered its magicians to set up a more optimal site, since their recent disaster left them incapable of providing tangible assets like the rest.
It’s worth mentioning, however, that actual construction had begun only two weeks ago.
“Whew... This is making me realize all over again just how incredible magic is. This would’ve taken years using Altanian machinery... Even in this era, I never got to see this type of reclamation and construction magic back home in the boonies.”
“As a fellow hillbilly, I agree.” Millis nodded, then shrugged. “Still, this isn’t all that surprising when you see how many people have gathered here, no? We’ve got five thousand combatants—all first-class level and skilled in fighting manabeasts—along with second-class magicians, artificers, researchers, and other miscellaneous staff, totalling to a whopping twenty thousand personnel. With this many hands on deck, anything is possible.”
They had managed to recruit far more personnel than they could have ever imagined, to the point where they had to set an upper limit of twenty thousand, including combat personnel. Noncombatants were not required to be magicians, but even with that caveat, eighty percent of personnel ended up being magicians. Right now, this place was like a culmination of the past thousand years’ worth of magic techniques, research, and development.
“Ahh... We worked so hard to see this come to fruition...” Ariel said shakily, looking as pale and withered as a corpse.
Valtos groaned, faring no better. “I worked so hard... Even at the cost of sleep...”
Raid turned to greet the two Heroes. “Hey, you two. Good job out there. Once we’re back in the First World, we’ll be busy organizing the troops and briefing everyone, so you’ll finally get some free time on your hands. Make sure to get some rest.”
“Really...? Can I actually rest this time?” Ariel muttered sadly.
“Freeden, make sure that Second World cuisine is prepared for me when we return,” Valtos grumbled. “I had a grand plan to eat till I drop while I was here, yet I sacrificed it all for the sake of this project... I demand compensation...”
The original plan had been for the Heroes to spend their time leisurely here in the Second World, but that changed quickly when they found a lot more magicians among the recruited personnel than expected.
Due to the overflowing polluted mana in the First World, magic devices functioned quite a bit differently than they would in the Second World. Ariel and Valtos had been tasked with collating documents outlining the differences, cautionary points, and adaptive methods, as well as personally briefing the magicians on these matters and helping them apply them in practice. Alas, they hadn’t been able to coordinate the timing of when each nation would send in their personnel, so Ariel and Valtos had to spend an entire week—from day to night—distributing the documents and conducting briefings for each new batch of magicians that arrived in Palmare.
Millis cocked her head. “I get Ariel, but why are you tired, Valtos?”
“‘Why’...?” Valtos’s lifeless eyes glinted resentfully. “Brat, did you just ask me why I am tired...? When I not only spent an entire week making documents and conducting briefings with Ariel, but even assisted Dian and Lammel in tweaking the dimensional gap to prepare for a large-scale teleportation...?!”
Millis blinked. “Huh? Wait, Valtos, don’t tell me... You’re actually smart?”
Ariel sighed. “Lady Millis, this may come as a shock to you given his appearance, but Valtos actually has a doctorate degree in magic research and polluted mana studies...”
Millis’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. “What? This guy?! The guy who looks like he’s got brawn for brains and keeps yapping about being a proud and mighty crown prince like he’s got no other words in his vocabulary?!”
Valtos chuckled darkly. “Behold, insolent little lass... Today, you learn that I, the heir to the imperial throne, am simply a cut above the masses in every way! This, too, is my duty as the crown prince!” He threw his head back and guffawed. It seemed Millis’s shock had recharged him.
On the other hand, Millis clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. “He looks so much like a meathead that I failed to see through to his true nature... Curses!”
Raid watched the two with a shake of his head. He was glad to see them enjoying themselves, as usual.
Just then, someone came jogging toward him. “Raid! It’s so good to see you again!”
He turned toward the newcomer and smiled. “Hey, Lufus. Long time no see. Thanks for coming again, and for your help back during the integrated exam.”
“Of course! I’d never say no to Eluria! And this time, my grandpa told me I could do as I please—so here I am. Right, Lafika?” The girl, Lufus, turned to the dragon on her shoulder with a bright and beaming smile. Lafika responded with a rumbling purr.
Raid hadn’t been able to see them after the integrated exam, busy as he’d been at the time, so he was glad to see them both doing well now.
From there, many acquaintances and familiar faces dropped by to say hi as well.
“Oh, my li’l bro... I’m so proud to see you’re making a name for yourself yet again,” Edward mumbled as he approached with heavy steps.