Today is the 29th, Nev, day of Spirit. As expected, spirits of all kinds have a stronger presence today, but the concerning thing is that Gify becomes too powerful, so we must address the haughty little gluttonous ball of feathers with utmost care.

And I'm woken up by my lovely fox deepthroating me as she fondles my balls. A lovely way to wake up, though the absence of the smell of moss and bark and also the chirping of the birds makes me yearn for home.

There is one bird that chirps, though it doesn't make me nostalgic, considering the first paragraph of this chapter.

"Gih…" Gify chirps slowly as she looks down at me, yet her gaze seems far. She's likely reflecting upon my treatment of her, weighing my actions, calculating whether I fed her enough or not.

But for as much as we poke each other, it's all in good fun, so she deems me worthy of being her companion.

I grab the silly little griffin and give her some scritches between her shoulder blades, a sensitive spot, though it doesn't make much sense since her body isn't really physical. But she still finds this pleasurable, and she answers by giving my claws a few loving pecks. Our relationship is as pure as it gets, and not having her on my shoulder would just feel wrong.

Okay, I'm already getting dangerously sentimental today.

"You're just speaking the truth," small-Aoi states as she rests her head on my lap, staring enviously at the chibi griffin.

"Their bond is stronger than usual due to the day's favored mana," Yunia states as she can literally see my Thread.

"How does that work, anyway?" I hum absentmindedly as I create a tentacle to also give Aoi some scritches under her scales.

Ciel reflexively grabs her lap loli and starts patting her as she calmly explains, "Remember the Tale of Creation? Mana has its own Cycle of Life. The mana we use is different from the Cycles of Mana, but these Cycles still influence our Realm. That's why our Day-Cycle has ten days; each day, the mana 'dies' and is 'reborn' as one of the ten base elements."

Mmkay…

"Why is there mana in Cycles?" I casually question.

And Ciel starts to absentmindedly run her hand all over Lina's body, too deep in her thoughts to realize how lewd she's acting. "Before 'mana' existed, Creation created an uncountable number of Cycles of Life, and part of these Cycles were used in the war between the Gods, becoming the matter and the mana that makes up the Realms. But not all of the Cycles of Life were used, and the God of Change eventually turned the remaining ones into the Cycles of Mana that we have today."

"And these Cycles of Life are different from what we, elves, call 'Life' and manipulate through [Weaverism]," Yunia wryly adds.

"This is a bit confusing," I hum with a snort.

"Is there a religion with a Creation Myth that isn't convoluted?" Ted quietly chimes in.

But Ciel shrugs as she admits, "I'm just trying to explain it in simple terms. It's not easy to talk about the Tale of Creation without a prepared speech."

"Can we hold off on the philosophical talk until after we had coffee?" Lina drowsily requests, already becoming quite the gremlin without a coffee to help her wake up.

 

Hukarere is free today, so she joins us at the table at first, then under it after she's eaten her meal for her secondary breakfast. Once my white wolf has filled up her belly, she comes back up and notices that Kaatohe is staring. Then a devious idea occurs to my naked wolf.

She spits part of her meal into a cup, then gives my bronze cat a toothy grin as she teases, "Hey, cat, you want some, too?" And she shakes the cup in the cat's direction.

"No," the noblewoman dryly replies and raises her lips to show her fangs in warning.

But the wolf isn't intimidated one bit. "Come here!" she shouts and downs her cup of Holy Seed again but doesn't swallow. Then she quickly approaches the cat, who leans back warily.

"No, no! Not from you!" Kaatohe shouts desperately, and Hukarere lets out muffled chuckles since she can't open her mouth.

"You're not allowed to spill any!" dragon-Aoi warns them both, her powerful double voice compelling them to obey.

"What?! No! I'm not taking any from her!" the cat angrily protests.

"Don't spill it!" Aoi repeats emphatically.

"Noo~…!" she shouts in dramatic disgust.

Then Hukarere opens her mouth, forcing Kaatohe to drink the Seed, or else it'll spill.

"Ugh…! Now the flavor is ruined by the taste of wet mutt!" the cat banters in retaliation, but my wolf just laughs out loud.

To be honest, I think Kaatohe would fuck Hukarere in a heartbeat if the wolf ever thought about dipping on both sides…

 

For this morning, we have the golems act in our stead while we teach The Four the imperial mana circulation training. We gather together again in the training yard, which has been completely repaired since yesterday's little horseplay.

"That's it? So simple," Lily mumbles with a skeptical frown, but Alissa catches her glancing at Lina's cute pink nails. Chesa is less subtle, and she seems to envy Roxanne's more mature wine red.

"It's also a bit similar to what the Chimeras taught us," Samkelo remarks.

"Ooh, show us," Roxanne eagerly requests.

"Wait, who taught you our secret technique?" Urmeie concernedly interjects.

"We'd rather not tell," Yunia diplomatically refuses with so much composure it's like she's a wall, and the bear sister is unable to pressure the Queen, as diplomacy isn't her forte.

Anyway, for the imperial version of the circulation training, you gather all your mana outside your body, then you try to cast a spell, then you release the mana and regather it in a slightly different location, then repeat as fast as you can. In the Chimera version, you gather it all at the tip of one of your fingers, then cast a spell, then release and regather it at the tip of another finger.

The imperial version is a precursor to [Godly Language], and the Chimera version is a precursor to [Alteration Magic]. Which one is more effective? Unknown, though it should be noted that the ancient Hauhuri Empire was bigger and more powerful than the Avgi Empire, but only the Avgi Empire survived.

"Well, we usually do this in the morning, and in the afternoon, we do physical training," I casually remark.

"But it's so boo~ring…!" U Thant whines like the child he is.

So I smugly brag, "That's because you haven't learned how to 'autopilot' it. Our mornings have become casual chats while relaxing now that we have a 'sub-process' that does the circulation for us."

"In my opinion, 'sub-process' is the most compelling evidence we have that we're in a game," Lily suddenly changes the topic.

And I harshly question back, "Not the levels, skills, dungeons, MP, the name of this world being some Japanese garbling of 'RPG' and 'Playground,' and all the other weird stuff?"

"What's that about Japanese?" Chesa curiously asks, her head tail twitching just like Alissa's ears do.

And I gently answer her with a handsome smile, "Rupegia is extremely similar to how a Japanese person would pronounce 'RPG,' and the name of our Cycle, Reigurando, is also very similar to 'Playground.'"

"What the fuck…" Lily mumbles and blinks blankly.

"Mind equals blown," Samkelo remarks and smirks bemusedly.

"Holy shit," U Thant hums, wide-eyed and also mind-blown.

And Chesa remains silent and slack-jawed as her head-tail twitches a few times.

"Mmkay… we'll be training here in the corner while you guys recover," I cheekily reply and walk away.

 

As for the golems, Ted will oversee the refitting of the Carrier with new weapons, Jarn, Oritiki, and Alcander will scout the dungeon, and Suzy will continue the baby golem research with the help of a pair of disposable golems.

The scouting trio takes a [Gate] to the outpost that's watching the dungeon's entrance because we're curious to see what it looks like from the outside, and we're glad they did because even the golems are left speechless.

The outpost is a large, floating rock of an island converted into a dock for Chimera airships and covered in tents for the army to rest, but it's absolutely dwarfed by the entrance of the Fortress of Calamity. What Jarn sees is a humongous, flying, Gothic cathedral straight out of 40K, so big and ornate that our minds are overwhelmed trying to grasp all the details, but it also looks ethereal and semi-transparent, as if it's a spirit with a faint, iridescent sheen.

Dark clouds have gathered all across its breadth, hiding almost half of what we can see, and they glow with occasional lightning as they constantly move and their shapes shift, slowly orbiting the cathedral. But there's also something "off" about these clouds. It's like Jarn can sense a "threat" from them, like a subtle high-level aura of someone who absolutely despises anything and everything around them.

It's an awfully ominous and intimidating facade that overwhelms the senses and fills one with dread. Even though I love the grandiose in its design, I can't deny what Jarn is feeling, and it's almost like the dungeon itself is exuding this "hate," so I can understand why it's been named "Fortress of Calamity." I'd give it the same name if I were forced to live here for an extended length of time like the soldiers have.

"We don't advise staring at it for too long," the beaver-headed Chimera officer slowly states, seemingly a bit unused to speaking in Andraste, though his wording is perfect. "The dungeon's [Intimidate] only works if you look at it."

"Is it a skill that causes this feeling?" Jarn immediately questions and turns her metal head towards him, who seems to tense up in wariness of the walking suit of armor.

He doesn't let his reservations show and answers her honestly, "We aren't sure, but it feels like being under the effect of [Intimidate] when you look at it."

"What was it like, conquering the entrance?" Oritiki casually asks, and the officer looks very glad to talk to another Chimera, though it doesn't seem like he knows she's a spirit.

And he assumes a dramatic tone as he eagerly answers, "I wasn't there, but those who fought said that its mouth spewed an endless stream of monsters while the clouds blocked any ship from getting close. We needed the royals to take control of the skies and subjugate the clouds so that we could even get in, but once we were, our weapons swatted the monsters like manaflies, as they couldn't spread out and swarm us."

"What about the two levels The Four fellowship managed to conquer?" Jarn echoes our question.

He starts to get used to her presence and answers more casually, "It's still a dungeon, after all, so the army was ill-suited to conquer them, but also, no average adventurer would be able to get through, and only that fellowship and the royals could make any progress. I was actually there when we breached the first level, and the storm inside was so cataclysmic that our ships started crashing into each other almost immediately, so we simply turned tail and ran." -He shrugs- "I never saw the second level, but I've heard that the fog was so intense that you could barely see even a meter ahead of you, and no army can fight in conditions like that."

Yeah, you'd need everyone to have [Sense Presence], which is unreasonable for the average soldier to have, but a fellowship could compensate with tight teamwork.

Then they fall silent and turn back to the Fortress, drawn by its immensity, but Jarn has no concept of timing, so she promptly requests to move things forward, "We've talked enough, so if Dame Oritiki or Sir Avanara have satisfied their desires to gaze upon the entrance, I request we move on."

"This dungeon makes me uncomfortable, so I'm fine with moving on," Oritiki answers.

"Likewise," the imperial quietly agrees, visibly more uncomfortable than her.

And so, the officer gets a Space mage to open a [Gate] to the third level.

This one is a bit interesting; it's completely dark. Normally, dungeons have a skybox with some sort of illumination, at least while there's daylight outside, but in this one, there isn't anything. This makes the little dots of light far in the distance quite eye-catching, but the camp they've established is also illuminated, so I believe the monsters know our position at all times, too.

"Do monsters attack this place?" Jarn promptly inquires.

The officer shrugs and turns his eyes to the curious soldiers as he answers, his gaze instantly forcing the men to mind their own business, "Occasionally. They do a lot of probing attacks to test our defenses, and sometimes, they just harass us and run away before we can even shoot back."

"So the whole level is this? Just one island and a fortress?" Oritiki asks, her non-existent eyebrows knitted in concern.

The officer smiles wryly. "There wasn't even an island at first; we've built this place piece by piece, so we believe that they altered this level to make it more defensible."

"These monsters are awfully smart," Alcander remarks with a suspicious frown.

And the officer agrees, "Indeed. It's likely that they're breeder types, and the fortress might even be their own creation."

"This will significantly increase the difficulty of this expedition," Jarn states. Then she convenes with the other golems about our safety.

Oritiki snorts and scratches one of her horns as she concernedly deliberates, "That's almost an understatement. We don't know how long they've had to prepare or how big this dungeon is. They could have their own Empire inside it, for all we know."

"I've heard you're here to help us?" the officer questions, doing his best to hide the fear in his voice.

"Yes. We made a deal with the Hau-Hou royals," she answers with a nod.

And the beaver-headed man quietly sighs in relief. "I won't pry further, but tell the Ryder royals that they have our gratitude."

"I will," she hums back, not feeling like explaining Jarn to him.

"May we scout the fortress? I wish to inspect its exterior with my own eyes," Jarn promptly requests the moment they fall silent.

And the officer answers positively but with prudence, "We can do that, but we'll have limited time as the monsters will answer with their flying units that will eventually overwhelm us."

"I can bring a few more Celestial Horns," Alcander volunteers.

Then Oritiki [Equip]s her glowing armor and starts growing her chibi wings back to their full size. "Flying enemies are our specialty," she boldly states.

"And I have great power myself," Jarn chimes in.

"I… will trust your judgment," the officer states with just a little bit of hesitation, likely unwilling to doubt their declarations after thanking them for their help.

But then silence falls as everyone stares at Oritiki, or at least tries to stare, since the glow of her armor is purposely irritating to make it harder to see her movements.

Jarn doesn't know the concept of waiting, so she promptly requests with comical bluntness, "It'll be safer if you deactivate your armor's glow."

And the cow-bull commander smiles guiltily as she complies. "Oh, right… The Celestial Horns aren't known for stealth."

"Understandable," the stern golem replies with a nod.

 

"What are you doing?" Lily's voice reaches my ears from behind me. It seems she got too bored of her training.

I nervously glance at the five dancing little dolls as their coordination is tested while the two assistant dolls take notes with [Telekinesis]. The test subjects will be "disposed of" after we're done, but nobody's allowed to know that, not even the wives, so I have to be careful about what I say.

"Researching [Golemancy]," I answer impassively and glance at her.

She hums in understanding, then her tone gradually becomes teasing. "I can see that… or maybe I don't because what I actually see are just dancing dolls."

I sigh softly and give a slightly less vague answer, "I'm testing their coordination."

"Why?" she hums back, starting to irk me as she's getting close to forbidden territory.

I turn to her, and I'm forced to give her another even less vague answer, "Because I'm doing the nazi medicine approach of 'mess shit up and see what breaks.' I can mold their brains, but I don't know what will happen if I make any changes, which is why I'm testing everything I can."

She hums, actually impressed, and for once, she seems interested in what I'm doing rather than disgusted or trying to tease me. "Well, damn. Didn't you have a thing for AI? Isn't this basically your dream, or are you different from my Toto in this area?"

And I can't help but smile a bit. "It's my dream, yes, which is why I chose to research [Golemancy] out of all of the skills that I have available."

But then she just takes a leap into the minefield. "Cool. So… what happens to the dolls after the tests are done…?"

"Hm?" Ciel hums curiously, her eyes kind and innocent like a doe's… like the juiciest brown doe ever.

Godsdammit.

I don't want to talk about this, so I rather flippantly reply and look away, "They retire to a golem farm where they enjoy comfortable and humble lives working the fields and taking care of the farm animals. They even get a dog and a cat as loving pets."

"Har, har. Very funny," Lily dryly replies, and I can sense her glare burning two holes in my back.

"Wolfy…?" Ciel moans sadly with a pout, and Lina gloomily glances at Suzy's cute little blonde doll body.

I know this will hurt the girls, but the cat's out of the bag, so I can't just lie or deflect. "For multiple reasons, I have to dispose of these golems after I'm done with them," I unemotionally confess.

"Wow, that's a bit fucked up," Lily blurts out.

"Aren't they just dolls?" U Thant joins in, now too distracted to focus on his circulation training anymore.

"Sentient dolls," the nosy loli clarifies.

"Huh… so, do they have the Three Laws of Robotics?" U Thant questions curiously, and I hear him softly step closer.

"No," I tersely reply.

Huh. I didn't expect him to know that… wait, is he a nerd? No, are all of the Travelers nerds…? That'd explain some things.

"What stops them from revolting and killing everyone?" he questions further.

I almost snort as I cheekily answer, "Magic."

"Fair argument," he hums and chuckles.

"Why am I the only one concerned about this?" Lily questions as she looks around.

"We too dumb to know better," Samkelo casually remarks, and now even Chesa stops her training to listen.

Lily sighs tiredly and explains it for the smooth brains, "What's concerning is that he can create sentient life and snuff it out at will. It's like he's a God."

And I just haughtily snap back, "Yes, I am a God… to the golems, that is. The golems will be a subservient race to humanoids, and the Humanoid Gods are fine with it, too, so there's no problem."

"Holy shit," U Thant, unfortunately, finally gets Lily's concern.

"We agreed to 'stop bitching,' and if the big ones above are fine with it, then I don't care," the gnome quietly states with a shrug, but I'm not exactly happy with his stance either.

I want them to agree that it's fine, not just deflect responsibility to the Gods, so I harshly continue to explain, "I'm their creator and lord, in essence, their God, and they have a 'geas,' a magical mechanism that compels them to obey and only want to obey-…" But then I suddenly realize something ironic. "This isn't that different from what the God of Destruction did with the monsters, but at least I'm a kind God that won't abandon their creations to suffer. I'm not taking this responsibility carelessly, so believe me when I say that there's a lot of thought being put into the golems' existence."

The Four actually glance at Ciel, who simply looks pretty and smiles warmly at them. For once, I'm not actually blaspheming here. "We're championing the rights of monsters being included in the Sin of Sadistic Torture, so we're the last ones to ever be hypocritical," she calmly defends me.

"Alright, I'll also 'stop bitching,'" Lily gives in with a shrug, and everyone finally returns to their training.