A Journey That Changed The World. - Chapter 1625 - 1625: It's More Than A Town
Archer watched as Nefertiti’s face lit up with happiness as she hugged him. She shoved his head into her deep cleavage, making the three other women giggle at the show of affection. Once they broke apart, a bell rang out, signalling that the Airships were ready to take off as Brooke and Elara joined them.
The brunette looked at everyone, smiling. ”It’s not like we won’t see him, girl. He’s promised to come visit us.”
”Good,” Alexa replied. ”Now let’s go claim some more land and see some crazy animals.”
”Their monsters,” Elara corrected. ”Animals come from Earth and sit under you humans. On Thrylos, the creatures are stronger than most humanoid races, well depends on the beast, but my point still stands.”
Archer shook his head, chuckling. ”Well, you seven have fun out there, and I’ll come see you in a day or two,”
Following that, each woman gave him a passionate kiss and a cuddle before boarding the Airships. After ten minutes, he watched as the five crafts took off and began flying southwest, thanks to the peace washing over Thrylos. The Orcs had stopped attacking the caravans and the wall, allowing merchants to travel without fear.
While standing there watching the Airships vanish into the distance, Ella and Teuila appeared on either side of him. The blue-haired beauty was the first to speak. ”Can’t wait until the ships are ready to leave. I heard the southern part of the world is full of desert continents with mythical monsters roaming the shores.”
”I would have loved to go, but the Company needs me,” the Half-Elf added. ”We’re expanding to the other continents and busy organizing the Mining Platforms.”
Following that, the Airships vanished into the crowds just as Aisha’s voice echoed in his mind. ‘Remember the meeting with the Orc leader, the project viewing that Dellah wants you to see before she leaves and Halime’s field project, don’t forget, my love.’
Archer chuckled and answered the two women. ”It is, if I remember correctly, a Pluorian explorer reached it about one hundred years ago. But the lone survivor who was found by some southerners spoke of horrible monsters invading their ships during the night.”
Teuila huffed. ”The Deep Ones won’t be able to get on our vessels, Dellah designed something to stop things climbing aboard,” she revealed.
”I heard about that,” he commented. ”She told me it was a problem with the fleets patrolling Avidia.”
Following that, the group headed back to the palace and got back to work preparing for the other expeditions. More time passed, and the Long Winter got even worse as the women left for their journeys. Archer was left alone with a handful of wives who were busy with their own work.
He met with the Orc leader, who wanted peace and trade thanks to the snows hitting the Green Sea. They offered many things in return, and he accepted the offer. This left him to go see Dellah’s floating town that had been built over the last few months. The Dwarves took it seriously after choosing to live on it.
Archer teleported to the western part of Draconia, his wings cut through the air as he approached a secret part of the sea where the town was. It was guarded by a dozen warships and sea monsters that kept people away. After a few minutes, he landed on the docks where the Imperial Guard rushed toward him, alarmed and ready to fight.
But when realizing it was him, they knelt in respect. Archer chuckled at this and summoned Demacia the Necromancer. She appeared beside him, letting out a yelp as it was sudden, her blue eyes landed on him, and a smile crossed her face. ”Hello, handsome. What did you need?”
”Company, while I explore my new project?”
The dark-haired beauty instantly agreed, she took his arm with a warm smile as the duo began walking through the first sea town of Draconia. He noticed the dock was already completed, and houses lining the nearby street were being worked on.
Stepping onto the platform, they felt the gentle sway of the ocean beneath their feet. A shimmering violet shield arched overhead, protecting the town from the sea’s waves and salt-laden winds. The platform, vast and sturdy, bobbed rhythmically on the currents, its surface alive with construction.
Buildings crafted from timber and polished metal rose from the deck, their foundations woven into the platform with runes that pulsed like the heartbeat. Workers bustled across the floating town, some casting spells to reinforce structures, others hauling materials to frame new homes and shops.
The air buzzed with the scent of salt and the faint crackle of magic. ”It’s like the ocean’s holding it up, cradling it,” Demacia said, her voice filled with awe as she gazed at a half-built inn.
He steadied her as the platform dipped with a passing swell, a grin spreading across his face. ”Careful, or we’ll be dancing with the waves,” he teased, earning a laugh that mingled with the sound of water lapping against the platform’s edges.
They wandered toward the outer rim, where artisans carved railings shaped like writhing sea serpents, their scales etched with luminescent runes. Beyond, the endless sea stretched to the horizon, its surface ablaze with the golden light of the setting sun. A mage nearby levitated a glowing orb to light a newly finished market stall.
”Look at that,” he said, pointing to a group of children racing across the street, chasing a hovering ball.
Their laughter echoed, blending with the cries of gulls soaring above. The older woman leaned closer to him, her eyes tracing the outlines of the floating town. ”This place, it’s alive, isn’t it? A piece of Draconia thriving on the sea.”
He nodded, feeling the platform’s gentle sway beneath them, a testament to their people’s audacity to build a home where only waves should reign. ”It’s more than a town,” he murmured. ”It will solve the overcrowding problem we’re facing, earn us even more tax, and bring in more resources.”
Following that, Archer’s gaze was drawn by the warm light spilling from the newly finished tavern, and they made their way across the platform toward its welcoming doors. The structure, built from driftwood and adorned with coral, stood proudly on the floating deck, its windows glowing with the soft flicker of lanterns.
As they stepped inside, the air was thick with the savory aroma of roasted fish and fresh-baked bread, mingling with the faint tang of sea salt. The tavern was alive with workers, their faces weathered from labor under the sun and sea. Carpenters, mages, and rune-weavers sat at long tables, their plates piled with hearty meals, cups of ale clinking.
The couple’s entrance drew every eye in the room; the chatter fell to a hush as the workers turned, their gazes curious and appraising, taking in the newcomers standing arm in arm. Archer, undaunted by the attention, stepped forward with a confident grin. He reached into his Item Box and, with a wave, he set a stack of twelve gold coins on the bar.
”Drinks for everyone tonight!” he declared, his voice carrying over the distant lap of waves. ”To Draconia, and to my new town that defies the sea!”
The tavern erupted in a roar of cheers, mugs raised high as the workers’ faces lit with gratitude and surprise. The silence was shattered into laughter and shouts of approval, the air buzzing. The barkeep, a burly man with a sea-worn beard, grinned and began pouring ale from a massive cask, the golden liquid catching the lantern light.
Demacia squeezed Archer’s arm, her smile mirroring his as they watched the room come alive, workers toasting to the floating town and its bold future. A grizzled mage at a nearby table raised his tankard toward them, his voice booming over the din. ”To the almighty Emperor who conquers the world and his beautiful empress who controls death!”
The crowd roared again, and soon a lively tune struck up from a fiddler in the corner, the music weaving through the clatter of plates and the rhythm of the sea beneath. A small, dwarf woman jumped up, exclaiming with her cup raised high. ”To the emperor who pays us well and feeds us even better!”
When Archer heard this, he chuckled and raised his tankard. After this, the couple ordered some food, prompting the owner of the tavern to give them a determined expression. ”You shall have two of the best meals I’ve ever cooked! The gods blessed me with a baby boy whom we named Archer, after yourself, my lord.”
”Interesting,” he replied. ”A strong boy, I hope, he needs to help his father in the future; this place will become busy.”
”I named my daughter after the first Empress Ella,” a barmaid revealed. ”My husband wants Teuila, but Ella is my favourite; she helped my family many years ago, fed us when we first arrived in Draconia.”
”We came from Plouria, the northern half,” the owner said. ”We were rescued by the legions during the downfall all those years ago.”
