A Journey That Changed The World. - Chapter 1632 - 1632: Go For It, Love
(Agrippina, Dellah, Vivienne, Aeliana, Valariana)
While the expeditions ventured into the unknown, Dellah was leading the journey into the Hollow. There was an island not far from Draconia that they established a base on with the four legions Archer sent to protect them. The older Dwarf was standing at the edge of a drop that fell into darkness.
Just then, Vivienne appeared beside her, eyes narrowed. ”I can sense many monsters down there. Should I send my ants ahead to clear the way?”
”Do it,” she answered. ”But keep me updated, the soldiers are building stairs down once they finish the wall.”
Following that, the redhead clicked her fingers and portals opened around her as dozens of flying Nightmare Ants appeared. Vivienne jumped onto the biggest one’s back as she spoke. ”I’ll send you a message once we clear the way.”
Moments later, the horde of creatures descended into the darkness, led by their queen, whose pregnancy had been paused before leaving Draconia. While flying deeper into the tunnel, spider monsters lunged from holes in the wall, landing on some of her ants, taking them down only to be slaughtered by more ants.
Vivienne giggled. ”Stupid beasts, now let’s continue the journey down to make the Dwarf happy,” she muttered.
The walls were made from black stone, and she quickly noticed thousands of holes dug into the sides. A sticky substance lined it; this caught her attention as she sent Aeliana a message. ‘Spider, do your kind leave gunk on the wall?’
‘Yes, the stronger ones do,’ she replied near instantly.
When Vivienne heard this, several roars echoed out as massive spiders leaped from ledges, crashing into her ants. They were double the size, forcing the flying horde to turn back as they were as strong as Demi-Gods. She used the tattoo to teleport to the Dwarf who was still at the top.
Once the redhead materialized beside the shorter woman, it made her jump. Dellah’s yellow eyes widened in surprise, but she wasn’t listening as her horde was cut down by the giant spiders infesting the way down. She turned to the grey-haired Dwarf. ”There are powerful beasts down there; it’s going to be hard to get down without relying on Agrippina’s strength.”
”What about me?” The Elemental woman asked from behind.
The two women turned around only to see Agrippina standing there, her violet eyes glowing, and a smile appeared. Vivienne shook her head and answered. ”There are strong monsters down there, tens of thousands of them.
***
While the women were exploring, Archer was lying in a room deep inside his palace, resting with Freya and Elise in his arms as he went over the blueprints he had been designing ever since the women left. The two little girls were drinking from their bottles as he read, but soon his attention was drawn to the door.
Meredith breezed into the room, a tray balanced daintily in her hands, two steaming teacups perched atop it like little treasures. Her blonde curls bounced as her eyes sparkled at the sight of him. ”Arch, darling! I brought us some tea! I know you’re buried in work, but, oh my goodness, look at my precious little angels!” she chirped, her voice bubbling with delight.
Freya’s big, sapphire-blue eyes locked onto her mama, and her tiny hands reached out with an eager wiggle, begging for cuddles. The blonde swooped her up in a heartbeat, showering the baby’s cheeks with a flurry of kisses. Archer’s heart melted as his eldest daughter burst into a chorus of gleeful giggles, her joy lighting up the room like sunshine.
”Yes, I’ve been designing cannons that can be used on shore,” he revealed, going over more paperwork while taking one of the offered cups. ”But I can’t figure out the distance they can be effective at.”
”What about Dellah?” the gorgeous maid questioned.
”They’re in the Hollow and she needs a break,” he answered. ”She’s been working non-stop since I took this place from the last people who were here.”
When Meredith heard this, she nodded in agreement. ”Yes, she works too hard. Barely comes to the palace unless it’s official.”
Archer laughed at this. ”Yes. She hates crowds and prefers her office.”
Just then, Elise squirmed in his arms, reaching for the blonde whose smile grew even wider as she took the second baby. He looked at his daughters with mock offence as he became dramatic. ”My girls are leaving me?! How will I cope!”
Freya’s tiny grin flashed, showing off a single tooth peeking from her lower gum. Archer’s eyes widened, catching the glint of it, and he sprang from his chair, hands playfully smacking the desk in excitement. ”Freya!” he cheered.
The little girl let out a startled squeak at his sudden shout, her big eyes blinking up at him as he hurried over. Gently cupping her chin, he beamed. ”Look at that! You’ve got a tooth, my sweet girl!”
Freya’s fright melted into a bubbly giggle, her smile lighting up the room as she wiggled happily in Meredith’s arms. Following that, the blonde commented with a happy smile on her face. ”Can I take these two to go test out the new playground? I’ll make sure they’re safe?”
”Go for it, love,” Archer said with a warm smile. ”You should spend some extra snuggle time with our little stars, they’ve been missing their mama’s magic touch.”
With a chuckle, he leaned down to say goodbye to his two giggling girls, pressing soft kisses to their foreheads. Freya and Elise squealed with delight, their tiny faces lighting up like fireflies. As Meredith whisked them off for some cozy bonding, he settled back into his chair, the room now quiet except for the gentle scratch of his pen.
He pulled a fresh sheet of paper and returned to his blueprints, his mind sharp and focused. With steady hands, he began sketching the new shore guns, fierce, ingenious designs meant to destroy the hordes terrorizing the seas. Archer was annoyed because he had to go fight the giant fish.
Yes, they were tasty, but after collecting thousands, he grew bored and left the fighting to the navy and underwater forces. Following that, Archer returned to creating more blueprints. His mind buzzed with ideas, each more daring than the last. The shore guns were just the beginning.
A foundation to protect the coast. Now, his pen flew across the paper, sketching bold new designs to dominate the skies, seas, and depths below. He started with an aircraft, its wings curved like a bird’s, built for speed and agility. The frame was lightweight yet reinforced with a new alloy he’d created in his spare time, capable of withstanding the fiercest storms.
Twin mana engines, powered by a compact core, hummed in his imagination, giving the craft unmatched range and maneuverability. He scribbled notes for a payload of magic-guided bombs that would shred through enemy defenses like paper. Next, he turned to the underwater world.
A submersible hunter designed to stalk the ocean’s depths. Its hull was a smooth, teardrop shape, coated in a stealth material that absorbed sonar pings like a sponge. Archer envisioned a mana propulsion system that mimicked the fluid motion of a manta ray, silent and fast.
He added a compartment for Mana Drones, tiny scouts that could swarm and kill enemy vessels before they knew what hit them. A quick sketch of a harpoon launcher, loaded with electrified nets, completed the design, perfect for capturing the sea monsters. His pen danced to the next sheet, outlining a massive navy vessel.
A floating fortress, the ship’s deck was a hybrid runway, capable of launching both aircraft and amphibious drones. Its hull was lined with reactive armor that could shift to deflect incoming strikes. Archer grinned as he sketched a railgun turret, its coils capable of firing projectiles at hypersonic speeds.
For good measure, he added a cloaking field generator, a prototype that could bend light around the ship for brief bursts of invisibility. But his mind didn’t stop there. He jotted down ideas for smaller inventions: a handheld magic disruptor, a deployable mana shield dome powered by magic crystals.
Each design was a piece of a larger puzzle, a vision of a fleet that could outthink, outmaneuver, and overpower the hordes plaguing their world. As the lantern flickered, Archer leaned back once he was done, his head hurting thanks to all the thinking he had been doing.
”This should keep Dellah busy for the next year,” he muttered, taking out a bottle of Dragon Ale and taking a sip.
The liquid burned his throat, but it woke him up as Aisha stepped into the room, a worried expression crossing her face. ”Arch, the sea hordes are returning. We’ve lost nearly ten ships to them.”
”I’ll send this to the Dwarves and get them to work on it now,” Archer answered. ”It’s a new shore cannon, it will destroy the swarms.”
The Dragonkin woman looked relieved as she sat down. ”I wonder where they came from,” she muttered.
”Deep Sea most likely,” he responded.
