Navarre’s city market bustled with life as Arthur, Selene, and Lisa strolled through streets lined with vendor stalls. The scent of sweet pastries drifted through the air, which made Lisa drool.

She was perched on Arthur’s shoulders again, eagerly pointing at every colorful trinket they passed.

They continued exploring the market, occasionally stopping to browse, or purchase something, mostly snacks that Lisa couldn’t stop staring at.

Eventually, they found a cozy-looking restaurant and decided to have lunch there.

Inside, they were seated in a quiet corner, away from the main crowd, with only a few other people nearby enjoying their meals.

Selene fed Lisa spoonfuls of stew while talking with Arthur, when they overheard some people talk about what happened at the auction house.

A table not far from them had a group of older merchants, who were chatting in low voices.

“Did you hear? Someone attacked the auction house yesterday,” one of them whispered. “The manager’s in a coma, and they say even the best healers can’t wake him up.”

“No way,” another said. “Something like that happened at the auction house?”

“Yeah. Apparently, the whole place was locked down for hours. I also heard the slaves are missing.”

Arthur didn’t react much, only the slight curve of his lips betrayed his amusement as he cut into another bite of steak.

Selene raised an eyebrow at Arthur, and looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Arthur glanced at her and mouthed, ‘Later.’

She nodded and didn’t press. Lisa was too busy slurping from her bowl to notice anything strange.

After lunch, they paid the bill and stepped out into the street again.

Selene glanced at Arthur as they walked. “So, what was that about?”

Arthur kept his gaze ahead. “I found some slaves under the auction house… so I helped them out a bit.”

Selene nodded. “Oh.”

That was all she said, it was not the first time for her to hear about slaves, even among dragons there are ones who like to keep people of various races as slaves.

That does not mean she is insensitive towards the topic, it is just that she can’t do anything about this matter, she cannot just kill anyone who owns a slave that would be counterproductive and cause more harm to the slaves. And it is not her place to correct the issues of other kingdoms.

…

By mid-afternoon, they returned to the port and boarded the cargo ship.

Arthur steered the vessel away from the harbor, back toward the open sea. Avalon wasn’t far, just over thirty kilometers (18.6 miles) west, and within half an hour, they reached the island.

Arthur guided the vessel to a stop just off the coast and anchored it there.

Since he now has a ship, it will need a harbor to dock it, so he started to build it.

“I should’ve built the harbor sooner,” he muttered.

Selene and Lisa remained on the ship, watching from the railings as Arthur soared toward the shoreline.

He landed on the sand and looked around. The area was flat and open, perfect for what he had in mind.

Reaching into his dimensional storage, he summoned the materials needed and a swarm of nanobots.

Selene leaned over the railing, shielding her eyes from the sun as she and Lisa watched Arthur working at the shore.

Within twenty minutes, a clean, streamlined harbor had risen from the coastline, complete with docking platforms, moorings, and a concrete road that led directly toward the city gates.

The noise of construction quieted as the final supports locked into place.

Some time ago, the noise had drawn people from the city, curious to see what was going on. Residents paused along the road, whispering among themselves as they watched Arthur building something.

They didn’t disturb him while he worked, only approaching once he finished constructing the harbor.

Butler Hudson adjusted his collar and bowed slightly. “Lord Arthur,” he said, eyeing the distant ship anchored offshore, “may I ask what is in the ship?”

Arthur looked over his shoulder. “There are some seeds and saplings that I ordered from a nearby city. We’ll need to get them planted in the next few days, it’ll help stabilize our food supply in the coming months.”

Hudson nodded. “Understood.”

Arthur then flew back to the ship, took the helm, and carefully guided it into the newly built harbor, docking it securely in place.

As he stepped off, Hudson approached again, this time with a few men and women behind him.

“Lord, these people wanted to help carry the supplies to the city,” Hudson said.

Arthur thought for a second, then nodded. “Alright.”

Truthfully, he didn’t need the help, he could’ve used the synthezoids or even done it himself in minutes.

But this was better. Letting the people contribute, even in small ways, would give them a stronger sense of purpose and belonging. It would help them build a connection to the city they now called home.

Arthur then made a few wooden carts with the help of the nanobots.

“Use these to carry the goods. But be careful with the saplings.”

The volunteers nodded, grabbing crates and bags and beginning to load them up.

Selene stood beside him, as she watched the crowd move back and forth.

“They seem to look up to you,” she said softly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“You built them a home. You gave them safety, and now you’re giving them a reason to believe in something.”

Arthur didn’t respond immediately. He watched as a teenage boy helped carry a bag of seeds, trailing behind a woman who might’ve been his mother.

“…I’m just doing what I can,” he finally said.

Selene smiled faintly and muttered as she looked at Arthur. “Well. Whatever you’re doing, it’s helping these people.”

…

By late afternoon, all the crates had been unloaded from the ship and transported to the warehouse Arthur had built near the central district.

Arthur oversaw the delivery, double-checking each crate before letting the guard bots secure the warehouse for the night.

When the last cart was emptied, he turned to Selene.

“Let’s drop Lisa off at the orphanage first,” he said.

Selene nodded and adjusted Lisa, who had fallen asleep against her shoulder sometime during the unloading. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake as they made their way toward the orphanage.

They entered the orphanage and they saw a few children were still playing near the front garden.

Arthur and Selene stepped into the main hallway, where a caretaker greeted them.

Selene bent down and kissed Lisa’s forehead after tucking her in her bed. “Sleep tight, little troublemaker.”

Lisa murmured something in her sleep, as she clutched her teddy. The two of them disappeared down the corridor and left the orphanage after that.

…

A short walk later, Arthur and Selene stepped into the central tower.

Once they reached Arthur’s room, Selene stretched her arms and turned to him with a spark of mischief in her eyes.

“Oh, I nearly forgot,” she said.

She reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a palm-sized silver token, etched with draconic patterns.

Arthur blinked in confusion as she placed it in his hand. “What’s this?”

Selene wore a smug look that practically begged for praise. “In less than a month, the gates of an Ancient Realm will open,” she said. “So I asked Grandpa to help me get you an entry token.”

Arthur stared at the token, his thumb running along its surface. He didn’t know what to say, he already had a token that would grant him entry to the Ancient Realm, which he won from the tournament, but he also didn’t want Selene’s goodwill to go to waste.

So he looked up and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

He can give his token to someone else, but he decided to use the token that Selene gave him to enter the Ancient Realm.

Selene glanced to the side, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Hmph. You better be grateful.” She said as she crossed her arms and pouted.

Arthur chuckled seeing her acting like this, and slipped the token into his dimensional storage. “I am.”

Her composure returned, and she looked at him more seriously. “Grandpa asked to see you before we entered the Ancient Realm. You should go visit him sometime soon.”

Arthur nodded. “Alright. I’ll go see him in a few days.”

Satisfied, Selene turned toward the door. “Good. I’ll let him know.”

She stepped out with a slight wave. “Try not to work all night.”

Arthur watched the door close behind her, his smile lingering for a few seconds longer before he exhaled and turned back into the room.

A few moments later, Butler Hudson entered his room, holding a slim tablet in hand.

“Lord Arthur,” he said with a slight bow, “as requested by you, the compiled data on the current residents are all here.”

Arthur accepted the tablet and gave him a grateful nod. “Thanks, Hudson.”

The butler quietly stood at the side, leaving Arthur to scroll through the interface.

“Hmm…” Arthur muttered as his eyes moved across the screen. “We’ve got mostly farmers. A few with hunting experience. Some construction skills too…”

His brow furrowed slightly.

“But we’re lacking people skilled in other professions… and especially anyone with administrative experience…”

He swiped to the next category and paused. There were a few entries marked as ‘former business owners,’ and another entry caught his eye, Sylas and Syara Everhart. They were former nobles and are well educated. He thought they might be capable of handling more nuanced tasks.

“Alright,” he said to himself. “Time to start organizing this properly.”

He stood up from his chair and looked at Hudson, placing the tablet on the table.

“Hudson,” he said, “gather everyone at the open square in front of the tower. I want to make some announcements and start assigning roles.”

“Right away, my lord.” Hudson nodded and left the tower with some synthezoids to gather the people. 

Arthur sighed at the title again but didn’t correct him this time.

A few minutes later, with the sun now casting orange light over the city’s rooftops, Arthur stepped out of the central tower and made his way toward the open square, where his people were already beginning to gather.

Arthur scanned the crowd, as more and more people were coming.

It’s time to finally start organizing this city.

***

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