After Ragnar discovered how to process mithril, the days turned into a rushed blur. Time bled through her fingers too fast to enjoy its moments but too slow to turn days into an unrecognisable blend across the entire week. Amber was sitting in her office, dully staring at the newest reports about Balantican-related discoveries and she sighed heavily. It was apparent that she would need to seize full control over the crazed magitech before it rebelled. However, she wasn't exactly keen on wrestling with the ancient laws and stubborn golems who dismissed reality. For them, the Balantican Empire simply waited for a new Emperor. For everyone else, it was a legend - a cautionary tale about a long-forgotten land. She puffed her cheeks, trying to decide what it was for her and the only thing that came to her mind was an annoying obligation. She would have to gain their powers to make sure it wouldn't fall in the wrong hands.

  Or, make sure the Balantican Empire stayed buried this time.

  Amber huffed angrily at the report and tossed it aside. The Balantican tech was highly advanced but, at the same time, it was incredibly primitive when it came to options left for the user. In comparison, the Arcadian tech was overwhelming for anyone without proper training. The Arcadian warships required an extensive and dedicated crew while the Balantican frigate could have been piloted by a dozen cavemen. As long as they were recognised as Balanticans, of course. She was very reluctant to call this an advantage. A trained crew was superior in every single manner to the golem except for the sheer speed of its processing power. Even a crew’s decision-making was far faster than Vishnu's so, in practice, the golem was only quicker to target and fire weapon systems. Interestingly enough, designating new targets ate any advantage the golem had over a living crew.

  Amber flopped on her desk and laid her head on her extended hands. When, for the first time, she heard that she was a descendant of the ancient Balantican Royal Family, she was happy. It worked wonders for her self-confidence because, compared to her Sisters, she felt unworthy and out of place. She never expected to actually find something more than just ruins or a meaningless artefact of the dead Empire and, honestly, she was fine with that. Just the uncertain connection with some meaningful past was enough for her. Unfortunately, as Theon likes to say, life has its own plans; they simply had found a troublesome piece of Balantican magitech. Now, it was apparent that the newly-identified Balantican Princess had to do something about it before it became another threat to the war-occupied Arcadia. It was a shame that she was the said new princess.

  The relaxing scent of an ever-blooming peach tree, as always, brought a smile to her lips. At Theon's side, she was the absolute and unquestionable Queen whose will was unbound and absolute. Her every move was closely watched by the unseen guardians whose loyalty was written into their very being. She was accustomed to the nigh-infinite degree of freedom and power she wielded. Compared to that, the confines of the ancient laws and restrictions put on the Balantican Princess were akin to slavery. What was worse, it appeared as if a simple warship could disobey her or even order and demand things from her. It was absurd and she detested the very idea. However, if there was anything in this world that could challenge her beloved Arcadia, it certainly was the still-kicking remains of Balantica. As much as she hated it, she had to go to Vanushka. She had a bad feeling about what she might unintentionally awaken but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

  According to Vishnu, the Balantican Emperor could appoint members of their Senate. She planned to appoint her Sisters as the new Balantican senators and, in case she needed more senators, there were plenty of loyal people in Arcadia. Then, she was going to equalize the laws of Arcadia and Balantica and, subsequently, turn the stubborn magitech into what it should have been - tools for the people. On paper, her plan was reasonably good but she was reserved about it. Unfortunately, it heavily relied on the assumption that Balantican law could be changed. The last thing she needed was to be supervised by the Balantican golems. Fortunately, she was in a position to risk such a gamble. In the case of golems trying to take over Arcadia, Theon would not sit idly and he would unleash hell upon mindless machines.

  "My Lady?" Blithe entered her office only to see her Empress lying on the desk and staring into the distance.

  "Yes?" Amber slowly rose and looked at the girl.

  "Princess Cassmira wishes to see you. She is in a rush."

  "Oh?" Amber slightly raised her eyebrow.

  "I wasn't told why the Princess wants to see you but it seems rather urgent, my Lady."

  Amber sighed and looked at the pile of other urgent things she had to take care of. Despite that, she slowly nodded. "Let her in."

  Blithe bowed with gratitude and left her office. Just a few moments later Cassmira entered her office and looked around in shock. Whatever urgent thing brought the young Princess to Amber's office, it wasn't urgent enough for her to not leave her speechless. Many people reacted similarly after reaching her office for the first time. She borrowed a lot from Theon's philosophy when he explained to her why Avalon's Throne Room looked like it was meant to humble the Gods themselves. As the Throne Room was, in theory, a place from which Theon ruled the entire Arcadia, her office was, similarly, impressive. Cassmira shook her head and resumed her walk towards Amber's desk.

  "Good afternoon, Princess Cassmira." Amber welcomed the younger woman with a smile and gestured with the open palm of her right hand towards the empty chair. "What business brings you here? I think it's the first time you’ve visited me in my office."

  "Good afternoon, Empress Amber. It's true that I have, somehow, missed any opportunity to see this marvel of architecture." Cassmira mirrored Amber's smile that faded with her sigh. "However, I'm not sure if the afternoon remains good after you hear the news I brought." She took another deep breath. "The Ibrevell Kingdom’s spies were caught on the Arcadian border by Metakan policing forces. While their presence was penned as nominal intelligence-gathering activity on Ibrevell's part, I'm afraid their true intentions were downplayed. I looked into the correlating data from the Metakan border and the Kingdom's acts are very suspicious. The number of detected breach attempts is higher than ever before and, yet, we have found no evidence of any operation in Metaka. I asked Emperor Guad his opinion and he deduced that all those spies were targeting Arcadia so he ordered me to warn you. I would tell Theon about it but I believe he is too busy with war against Vestargo."

  Amber looked numbly at the Princess and groaned painfully. Cassmira was the only person who was privy enough to this side of the Arcadian Royal Family. She had seen, basically, every side of the Empresses with whom she was best friends.

  "Again?! Quirún!" Amber summoned her secretary.

  "Yes, Your Majesty?" The young Elf almost instantly entered the office.

  "Can you check with Luna if they have captured more of Ibrevell's spies than usual, recently? If yes, I would like to hear what she planned to do about them."

  "As you wish, my Lady." She simply nodded in acknowledgement and left.

  "We are pretty much sure that Ibrevell wants to probe the capabilities of Arcadia and, most probably, they will extort some of their trade leverages to damage Arcadia if you won't follow their fairly obnoxious rules. Annoyingly, they are a serious player in northern trade and the rest of Aderon." Cassmira explained her suspicions.

  "I wish that was their goal." Amber rubbed the lids of her eyes. "Unfortunately, they seem to be looking for their runaway Princess and, they believe, she is hidden somewhere in Arcadia. They just won't take no for an answer..."

  "Oh..." Cassmira lowered her head slightly relieved that her suspicion was unfounded but, suddenly, she raised her head and looked at Amber in shock. "Ohhh! They are looking for Empress Irene?!"

  "Maybe?" Amber shrugged while she knew, very well, it was the case. "We just don't care. Irene severed all her ties with the past and my Sister does not wish to maintain any contact with her former family. As far as Arcadia is concerned, Ibrevell has nothing to look for in Arcadia."

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  "The Elves might not take no for an answer, Amber." Cassmira lowered her voice. "They are crazed about their nobles and bloodlines. If Irene really is the one they are looking for, they might declare war."

  "What do you suggest? To hand over Irene? She doesn't want to return to them. Are you going to force her? Is Metaka willing to make the same mistake as Jukk'nala when he tried to take Lavender away from Theon?" Amber slowly shook her head and looked at the suddenly pale Cassmira.

  "We would never have done that! Amber, I'm just warning you about Ibrevell!" Cassmira looked slightly offended but, on the other hand, she understood that she, personally, had said something stupid. "Twenty years ago, Ibrevell declared war on their neighbour because one of their noble kids ran away. They will go to any lengths in whatever crazy beliefs they have."

  "Then, Irene will wipe them out, Cassmira. Not Theon. Not Arcadia. Irene. Personally." Amber said with all seriousness. "I'm sure as hell that she won't go anywhere away from Avalon against her will. She is also powerful enough to, simply, obliterate Ibrevell's army. But let's say, for completeness, that they declare war. Do you think that Theon is going to hold back? He will send Dauntless' Battle Group to erase Ibrevell from the map between their missions against Vestargo. After that, he, most probably, will send a bill to what was left of the country for used missiles and wasted time."

  Cassmira blinked a few times as she tried to comprehend Amber's uncompromising approach to international politics. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she slightly sagged.

  "It's true that Arcadia doesn't have to be worried about the rest of the continent. However, I'm not sure what Guad will do if the Elves attempt to sanction him..."

  "Depends... Is there anything more than general trade that Metaka is interested in with the south of Aderon." Amber grumbled and leaned back in her chair waiting for Cassmira's response. As the Princess considered, the First Empress of Arcadia hummed. "What Metaka is buying or selling to the south? Are southern markets lucrative enough for your traders? Is there anything vital for your country that can't be obtained in Arcadia or Iceleon?"

  "There is no single vital merchandise I could name or that even comes to my mind..." Cassmira hummed. "In terms of trade, that is our only viable export market. Arcadia is not interested in buying our merchandise and Iceleon is buying things that we need as well..."

  "Have you tried to sell your peoples’ merchandise in Arcadia?" Amber stared openly with disbelief at Cassmira who simply bobbed with her shoulders.

  "What's the point if Arcadian Craft Masters are far superior to what our most talented people can produce?"

  "And yet, the Arcadians have so limited choices that, virtually, anything is sold as soon as it's put on display. It's not a secret to admit that most Arcadian production is committed to the war effort." Amber copied Cassmira's resigned expression. "Furniture pieces, pottery, rugs, raw materials, decorative items or even everyday items. No matter how many of those merchandise you throw at the Arcadian market, I believe it would be devoured without as much as a burp."

  "I..." Cassmira, who had pointed her finger at the ceiling, slowly put her hands back together. "Are you sure?"

  "Mostly." Amber opened her hands in a powerless gesture. "Yes, the Royal Family has access to anything we would like but even Arcadia is not omnipotent. We can't produce everything we would like because we have to wage wars one after another. It's... exhausting, Cass."

  "I could probably ask some merchants to try to sell the things we usually export..." Cassmira slowly nodded.

  "That would lessen any pressure Ibrevell might try to leverage on Metaka. Besides, it's going to make our countries closer to each other." Amber brightly smiled but, after seeing an awkward smile on Cassmira's face, she got a little bit more serious. "Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for your warning about Ibrevell but that's hardly their first time. I'm more surprised that Metakans had to sell their goods in such remote places that the Elves of Ibrevell could pose a problem for you."

  "After the, barely prevented, war against the Southern Union, we had to diversify our markets. I sometimes envy how Arcadia is self-sufficient."

  "It has its pros and cons..." Amber slightly lowered her head. "However, I'm happy that we can be open for, at least, some neighbours."

  Cassmira smiled and the two chatted for a while about other gossip. Amber was grateful for a change of pace but, once the doors closed behind Cassmira, Amber's mood once more plummeted. She looked at the clock and decided that it was time to take a break. She left her office and Dungeon Moved to the Palace where she found Luna.

  "I checked the data you asked for and Ibrevell's spies are indeed storming Arcadia." The Kitsune said over her rare steak with fries. "But I don't plan to do anything about them."

  "Why?" Amber decided on the chicken soup with noodles.

  "Because we won't stop Ibrevell from sending us a free workforce." Irene laughed as she entered the living room. "Any foreign spy caught red-handed is, almost automatically, sentenced to ten years in prison. They can choose between gathering wood in Ceallach's forests or mining various stones in Bob's, Talla's, or Twilight's Dungeons. So far, we’ve captured like... a thousand of them?"

  "Something like that." Luna nodded with a shrug. "It was Irene's idea but I really can't see any flaws."

  "Have you two at least warned Ibrevell?" Amber asked weakly as her soup arrived.

  "I wrote them an explicit letter with formal disapproval and personally handed it to the last spy we released," Luna said.

  "Has it arrived where it should?"

  "Well, yes. The Slime on the site witnessed the outburst of the King. It was hilarious." Irene grinned but, suddenly, she sagged with a sigh. "Shame we didn't get the movie."

  "I guess it's fine..." Amber shrugged. "With all due respect, Irene, but Ibrevell is really low on my priority list right now..."

  The Second Empress of Arcadia waved her hand dismissively. "It's not on my list at all."

  The three sat in silence as their Sister Empresses started arriving. As usual, one of them had to forcefully drag Theon in to make him eat something better than a hurriedly put-together sandwich. This time, it fell to Mia who cast their husband disapproving stares. She huffed and sat near Amber.

  "What happened?" Cahrona asked with concern.

  "Nothing new, I'm afraid. He is just too busy." Mia huffed as her tail curled angrily and her ears twitched.

  "He closed himself in his office?" Luna asked and her ears flopped powerlessly.

  "Not this time," Mia quickly ordered herself a fish with vegetables and stole a few fries from Luna. "They closed themselves in the Forge and they are working on something called a gunship."

  "They?" Amber was relieved that Theon wasn't keeping himself locked in his office.

  "Ian, Ragnar, Bjorn, and Verni." Mia clarified. "I think I saw Lord Terion sneaking somewhere between the shadows but I can't be sure."

  "Theon?" Amber raised her voice and looked at her husband who was devouring a steak.

  "Hmmm?"

  "What are you doing in the Forge?"

  "Oh, I finally acknowledged that we need a ship smaller than a destroyer for patrolling our borders. So, while we are at it, we will also be developing gunships but that's easier said than done." He smiled. "They had to be small enough to fit into the existing hangars of our capital ships, capable of engaging enemy infantry and siege engines, while being fast enough to execute quick raids or flee the enemy."

  "Uhum..." Amber nodded. "Good luck, I guess?"

  "Thank you." He grinned and returned to his meal. She sighed and forced a few spoons of the soup into herself.

  "You are very distraught, Amber. It can't be just because of Ibrevell's spies. What happened?" Cahrona looked into her eyes.

  "It's about the Balantican magitech remains," Amber admitted bitterly. "I'm fighting with my thoughts. On one hand, I'm positive that I don't want to have anything in common with the crazed golems. On the other, unlocking their ancient magitech for our scholars to study and understand would, undoubtedly, help us develop as a country. What should I do?"

  The Succubus looked at Amber with compassion for a moment but she smiled encouragingly. "I would have tried to take control of those assets. It's intimidating and abhorrent magitech but in the end, it's just a tool. Should you, Amber of Avalon, be so scared by some piece of old tech? I believe it was intentionally built like that to keep the Balantican people from meddling too much in what your hero ancestor believed was the best for the world. You are the wife of the living and breathing Champion of Eriar so it's time for the golems to embrace change."

  "Thank you, Cah..." Amber smiled warmly and felt as if the Succubus had taken an enormous weight off her shoulders.

  "Don't mention it." Cahrona smiled and took a forkful of her salad. "We are all in it together."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on the Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG