When making a plan, it is important to check your inventory. That much was true but luckily we got cash to buy us the inventory we need. So I could say we got everything but time.
Seriously, where the hell can I buy time.
"You want me to do what?" Cy said. "I think I am only supposed to be making the bomb."
"Bomb? What Bomb?" Lux said looking up from the computer. The former heiress picked up researching and reading scientific journal way too quickly. what with this level of diligence and helpfulness nature. Sadly, she missed most of my plan since she left during our initial phases.
"Yeah it is part of my plan to take on the dragon," Rem said. "Detonating a type of explosive in its mouth. It's feasible. I discussed with Ebony about this bomb and she think it might work."
"A magical artifact capable of absorbing flame, amplified it and exploded." Ebony said. "It is theoretically feasible but we need a specialize fuel to amplify the fire."
"Yeah, I got Melodina to buy the magic... gem," our goddess gagged. "Oh master, what had I done? Lux do you find any sanctification process?"
"Modern one? No, sanctification went out of fashion a century ago," Lux said flipping through several online records. "There is this one Ancient Miko ritual meant to purify suffering of evil spirit thought."
"Okay we will use that, " Cy said. "But what did you say again?"
"Simple, " Rem looked at her. "I want you to make a dragon's lure."
"You want to lure a dragon to you?" Cy said.
"Nah, " I turn toward Melodina. "Come closer I will tell you the plan."
...
On another side of the Town, namely the Northwest section, in a room decorated with grand red carpet, decorated golden wallpaper and ornate lamps, Tyrell Darius was watering his favorite pot of plant. Unlike people and animal, plant couldn't back-stabs him and he quenched as much joy he possibly could out of that fact.
A door opened up and woman dressed in luxurious cloth and smug smile walked into the room. Tyrell tried to shield his precious plant from his invigilator but, contrary to his expectation, Illma Xoldia Road nodded admiringly at the plant.
"Lightwell Shrubbery," said Illma, her smug smile grew a nano-meter more heartfelt, "You fascinate me Darius. I never expected a man such as you to be fond of gardening."
"It is for stress relief," Darius put down the golden watering can. "Do you heard about the dragon yet?"
"Yes, the report just come in," Illma sat on one of the sofa placed in the room in a cross-leg position. "You didn't tell the fat bastard about the dragon do you?"
"Of course not, our chief is just a useless fat bastard who kept trying to balance the profit margins and take maximum shares of the revenue. I can't wait for the time we finally kick that greedy bastard of the side-curb."
"Yes, and according to our dea, you, and by extension, me, will get the control of the Frontier Town the moment we set the bastard up for failing to counter the dragon attack." Illma said. "So what should I do Tyrell?"
"You are the best when it come to this kind of planning?" Tyrell said humbly. "How could I help you with anything?"
"You are absolutely right," Illma clapped and smiled seductively, absorbing the praise like a sponges. "Let go with my classic kill two bird with one stone approach. What is your greatest problem in this town."
"Those bloody plebeian," said the man who was once a boy struggling in the slum. "Helping each other and their neighbor against us. They keep claiming that we would not take what was precious away from them. It didn't do much but it still annoying. Those old guys are pretty stubborn and their customers outright refuse to touch the shop we took over. I guess we could try to squeeze the market dried but for some reason the adventurer guilds keep supporting them with raw material. Seriously, I expected them to be fighting for their well-being when we came, not united against us."
"Hah, the community spirit," Illma walked over the section of the wall holding the map of the Town. "Trust me, they could help each other like a family during this peace time but the moment disaster struck they will backstab each other. Anyone who believes otherwise is a fool."
She huffed then her eyes light up with inspiration.
"Tyrell," Illma glanced back toward the man watering the plant with a smirk. "What if, just a what if by the way, let say that our dear chief was holding the speech to our 'customer', maybe the one promising the improvement of our community relation, and suddenly a dragon woke up."
Tyrell's eyes widened.
"Are you crazy?"
"I will let that crass tone pass but using such an adjective to describe me again will got your tongue pulled out of your mouth." Illma said cheerily. "But I understand your doubt how could we controlled the dragon? How do we killed it? Don't worry about that. I already brought some Military-grade Spell Blaster made especially for high-class skyship. Several shot of this would be enough to kill it. It is said the Curse Dragon loved to consume human, having most of them segregate in one spot would act as the lure. Then when it got into the right spot. Boom!"
"Ms. Road but would it even be enough."
"Don't worry," Road said. "I already planned ahead. We will plant something catchy. It a curse Dragon Right? A flare fueled by Holy-type magic Gem will work. We plant the direct trail of Holy-magic Gem as a beacon leading it to the town Center. Just to be sure, we will be setting suppression spell and several heavy weapon around the town the square. Hell, I will even added some poison mist to the area. The moment the dragon attack we opened fired with everything and let the Spell Blaster do its job."
"But the Civilian causalities?" Tyrell said.
"Wow, Tyrell! When did you actually care?" Illma said in the uncaring tone. "Those sheep died every day. Just a thousand more wouldn't make a difference."
"Yes but our relation," Tyrell said.
"You think they could hold their dignity after that unfortunate attack?" Illma giggled. "No after that devastation they will come begging us for aid."
Tyrell said nothing but even now he felt it. That rainbow color light shining behind the cold machine like eyes condemning him for his selfishness.
He hoped he made the right choice in trusting his future to Illma. It had worked out so far. She always came out on top. It had to be right placing his faith in her, not in the hand of god or naive morality but in the hand of individual who possessed the resource and means to come out on top.
The body that piled below their feet was just a natural price that need to be climbed over to victory.
...
Far from that room, at the South section of the Frontier town which is the small recreational park, a group of children was playing firework by the bank of the park's lake. Unbeknownst to them a man was watching them.
"You know the plan now right?" Rem said, standing tall and on the pier looking at a group pf people cheering jovially and lighting up fireworks. He tried to imagine what it felt like to be happy. The closest feeling he got was serenely at peace or appreciative. Rem frowned internally.
This might prove to be a problem but not today.
Behind him Luxina and Cytortia was sitting cross-leg trying to communicated with the injured and traumatized mana in the magic gem. Cy had a skill that allowed her to naturally control this phenomenon and Lux was loved by the world itself. At this pace, they will get ready in not time. However, until that time arrived they still had to stay in this ceremonial costume chanting sutra and praying.
Soon they will had the opening move they need. From what Scathach said it would likely took four days at minimum for Illma Xoldia Road to installed that so-called Spell Blaster. Which meant he had to prepare everything by three days, and with one spare days for adjustment.
But that was not enough. Rem frowned. He planned the first, second and Fourth move of his dragon slaying stratagem but he needed a way to weakened the dragon to maximize the forth step of his plan. Then finally he still aces in the hole to flip the table if something went wrong.
He looked over the shoulder to see Melodina looking at the children.
"What did it feel like? Looking at them playing like that?"
"Nostalgia mostly," Melodina replied. "Looking them play right that reminded me of a certain old man. I was pretty good at designing firework back then and I told a dwarf uncle about it. He like the idea and began selling it for these kid. He even offered me part of the profit but I don't need it, something like a firework took me no effort at all and I probably design a better one in no time, the only thing I asked is that for him and his daughter to be there at my ascension. He promised that of course. In fact his daughter is one of the few kids who was actually on talking term with me. If not for those loser pressuring her I guess we would have gotten along. It is a shame."
Rem pretended not to notice Melodina clenched hand. If this was the same dwarf he suspected, Tyrell Darius should start investing in some good karma.
"Hey," Rem said. "Do you know how to weaken the Dragon?"
"You know I use that question when I was kid, my mother often told me about the Forbidden ground in the Demonic Continent," Melodina said nostalgically. "She said that some of the beast was large enough to burn the entire capital in a breath. Yet, I said that if it is so large then the volume of blood it need must be massive."
"You suggesting we bleed it to death," Rem nodded. "But we need suction...wait."
"That spell you used generate push force didn't it," Melodina said. "It a pretty interesting design but I could help polish some of it structure."
Rem looked at Melodina prideful face. Blood draining could be a third phase of the plan but the ace in the hole needed to be much more powerful. Although he had something that might worked, the range Rem could use [Arrival of the Dream] would shoot that idea down. It was a luck coincidence that I included this artifact for the sake of flavor text.
Rem sigh. Somehow the moment he actually struck a luck it failed to launch. Then an idea came to mind.
He could bring anything from my self-create legend to reality. Would that include formula and feat? The object created and prepare using a real material but methods and condition from other reality still exist as 'real' right? Right?
In the end there was only one way to know.
"Melodina how do you feel about..."
"SUCCESS!" Cytortia yelled out loud. "Take that negativity! We won!"
In her response, the magic Gem started to glow brilliantly.
Splash!
That was the sound of the astonished Lux falling into the lake. Seriously, Cy please be mindful of your surrounding before suddenly yelling.