The meeting had just finished, and Valerian was hanging out with Mike, talking about ways to make the teleportation inscription better.

  "Two days for a natural charge just feels like way too long," Mike said, his face scrunched up in a frown. "Shouldn't we just make it instantaneous, Lord Valerian?"

  Valerian just smiled at him. "That'll cost us a A-grade stone heart, Mike. We're only using stone hearts, not real spirit stones, to power this thing. Look at that building over there," he said, pointing to the separate structure at the edge of the city. "This setup is way safer and way more economical."

  Mike’s frown deepened, but Valerian just chuckled. "I know what you’re thinking, Mike. You’re worried someone might sneak in, but nobody even knows this place exists. Even if they did, we’re not exactly sitting ducks. We’ve got layers of formations protecting the city, and our people were trained by the royal guards themselves. I wouldn't say all hundred are battle-hardened veterans, but at least fifty are—and they form a formidable vanguard. Between our defenses and our main fighting force, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like we’re expecting a full-on invasion."

  Mike let out a sigh. "I get that, my lord, but once we start trading and our creations hit the open market, our city will be a target for others. That's what scares me."

  "Boris is an old friend, Mike. You don't have to worry about him betraying us," Valerian said with a reassuring smile.

  Mike looked at him, a confused expression on his face. "Can I ask you something personal, my lord?" he asked, his voice low.

  "Haha, of course you can, Mike. Don't be so formal."

  "Why... why are you so trusting, my lord?" he asked, his voice rising a bit before he caught himself. "If anyone should have lost their faith in people, it's you. You were betrayed by your own brother, the one who swore to be your blood until death. And yet... your trust in others hasn't wavered. In fact, you..."

  "Mike," Valerian said, gently patting his shoulder to stop him. "We can't get bogged down by one bad thing that happened. You have to embrace what you've gained, not what you've lost."

  Valerian put his other hand on Mike's shoulder and walked with him, continuing his thought. "If I had let my brother's betrayal harden my heart and turn me into a recluse, I would have gained nothing. But by choosing to trust again—to embrace what I gained rather than what I lost—I found a new family. I found all of you, the precious people who stood by me." He stopped at the giant opening in the hall, gesturing to the vibrant city below. "Without that trust, do you think I would be standing here, governing such a fantastic city with a hundred of my people?"

  They both stood there, admiring the city they had built together. A sense of pride settled over them like armor—a quiet confirmation that they were walking the right path.

  "That doesn't mean we should just blindly trust people. That would be idiotic," Valerian said, the same smile on his face. "History has taught us a valuable lesson. So, I'm not blindly trusting Boris the way I trust you guys," he said, his smile fading a little. "Even though I probably should. He gave me a free pass, you know? He said I could rule a country in God's Grave and that he would make it happen. He said someone powerful owed him a favor."

  Mike's eyes went wide. "He said that?" he asked in a low tone.

  "And don't forget, this city was built because of him. He supplied us with all the materials we needed, and we still haven't paid him back."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Mike's eyes narrowed. He knew this, but after everything, it was hard for him to trust outsiders.

  Then he asked, "If you trust him, then why are you so cautious? He teleports from the campsite, so he doesn't even know where this city is. And there's a fail-safe teleportation trap that gets activated every time he comes here."

  Valerian looked out at the waterfalls and smiled. "I trust him with my life, Mike. But not with my city's life. Or your lives. I took precautions not because I think he's a threat, but because someone he knows might be a threat to us and might be using him."

  Mike was silent.

  Valerian continued. "I know my brother. If anyone else had tried to assassinate my son, he would have turned the empire upside down. He would have killed his way to find the culprit, even if it was another empire or a sovereign. But..." He clenched his fist. "He couldn't do anything to his own wife. He got scared. He became a coward. He didn't want to destroy the empire he built just for a kid, so he chose to get rid of me instead."

  "I... will do the same for my family," Valerian said with a new fire in his eyes. "This place, you hundred—you are my family. My beautiful, powerful family, and I will do anything for you." The look on his face was one Mike had never seen before. "So don't you worry. I've taken every precaution with outsiders. Right now, investing in a better teleportation spell is a waste of time and resources. So, let's just focus on other projects, okay?"

  Time passed and soon night fell, and since the city was built inside the Twin Peaks, it was super dark. Anya was trying to get some rest when she heard a voice calling to her. It was the voice of the prince, the child who had been giving her a headache for a while now. She was a decorated veteran who had fought side-by-side with the king to create the empire, and yet, she couldn't say no to this kid.

  "Hello, Prince. How can I help you?"

  "I lost the pendant."

  "What pendant?"

  "The moon pendant. I think I lost it during the fight in the hunting grounds. Can you take me with you to get it back?"

  Anya's instincts screamed at her that something was wrong. "Let's just ask your mom first," she said.

  Azuma panicked, waving his hands frantically. "No, no, no, no! She's already so mad at me! I can't tell her that I lost it! Please, just come with me!"

  Anya took a step back. Her gut told her to run, but she just couldn't say no to him. "I can't. I don't know how to get to the formation. Let's just ask your father."

  Azuma's head hung low. "I... I don't want to bother Father. He's busy with work, and he can't keep anything from Mom. He'll blabber it out the minute I tell him, and I'll be in more trouble. If she finds out I lost the pendant, I'll be grounded for life! I'm already grounded as it is. I know how to activate the portal. We can go and come back, and nobody will even notice since the next hunt isn't for another ten days. The formation will be reset within two days. Nobody will know. Please, please come with me?" he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

  "Ahhh... don't cry, Prince. Don't cry," Anya panicked. She knew what she was about to do was wrong, but with a heavy sigh, she gave in. "Let's go."

  The night was as dark as a monster’s heart, but guided by Anya’s Pathfinder ability, they reached the building without issue. She paused, remembering the internal traps designed to keep unauthorized eyes away. These defenses were only disabled by Valerian himself during active hunts. The security protocol was absolute: the formation could only be activated from one side every forty-eight hours. This created a tactical window of silence. Anya would spend the first two days in hiding, scouting for high-rank threats or Daemons. If the coast was clear, she would stay put; if she didn't return to Oasis, Valerian knew it was safe to proceed. At the end of the second day, she would set the lure. Only then would the main team teleport in, execute the hunt, and bring everyone—scouts and harvest alike—back to the city before the gates locked for another forty-eight hours."

  The second safety net was the building itself, which was layered with traps. If a daemon somehow managed to escape the shredding trap, this building would take care of them. The building was also in an isolated area so that any potential blast wouldn't affect the residents.

  How is this kid going to... As she was thinking, her eyes went wide. She saw Azuma deactivating the traps one by one. What...? She was in shock. He is definitely Lord Valerian's son, all right, she thought.

  "Aunty, what are you waiting for?" Azuma said, waving his hand and hurrying his steps. Anya sighed, nodded, and followed him. Soon, they reached the teleportation formation, and much to her surprise—or rather, just as she had predicted—Azuma activated it, and they were gone in a flash of light.

  Valerian, sleeping in his bed, was woken by a faint light flashing from his ring. Believing it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, he rolled back over and went back to sleep.