Zack has been wandering around the library for a half-hour, and finally came across Vanessa. When Vanessa saw Zack she tried to run. Keeping a secret was something she was never good at, and the reveal was supposed to be tonight.
While running Vanessa tripped over her robe and reached for some support pulling a nearby shelf. Before they came crashing onto her body Zack appeared catching her. The books slowly floated back into place as he lifted Vanessa to her feet.
"You need to be careful" Zack smiled.
"Can we p-please talk later?" Vanessa requested.
Zack could tell she was flustered in his presence and trying to keep her thoughts hidden. He embraced Vanessa and kissed her on the forehead before bidding her farewell.
After leaving the library Zack decided to find Karin. He wanted to spend time with Vanessa before leaving, but if she needed space he would check on the others.
'I hope she's okay.'
While walking through the estate he didn't see any of the maids which is unusual for this time of day. Typically his walk-through would be met with advances, or at the very least polite bows. Even with other duties, Olivia would always be within shouting distance of the estate.
If they were taking a day off he had no complaints, and he became curious about how they would spend it. As he walked down the steps of the estate Rolen was heading his way with an eager look.
"We finally did it!" Rolen shouted.
"Are you sure she's pregnant?" Zack asked while patting him on the shoulder.
"N-not that. The chest from the auction is finally ready to be open, and we moved it to the arena just in case." Rolen replied while gesturing for him to follow.
"I honestly forgot," Zack told Rolen while trailing behind him.
"I've been working at it every night since the auction but I didn't think it would take this long," Rolen replied.
They were walking through the market as vendors greeted them politely. Thanks to the tax-free environment their families back home have been thriving. Most of them could only dream of opening a business given the restriction in most cities, and every day they had new stands open.
"You're serious?"Garth asked while his hands trembled.
'This is double our usual haul, and it sold out instantly.'Garth stared at the fortune on their stand.
"Our leader is strict when it comes to these rules. Just follow the diagram, and there should be no issues. We look forward to your future visits." Dyna replied.
"I'll make sure to set it up as soon as we return. Thank you for all your help." Gyda smiled at Dyna.
'I wonder what Lilith would think.' Dyna discreetly examined Gyda's thighs.
"I didn't know I was a strict leader." Zack teased.
Dyna turned around to see Zack with Rolen. Dyna was worried he saw the lustful glances. She quickly embraced Zack to hide her flushed face.
"We only have a few rules, but you never budge on them." Dyna looked up into his eyes.
"And who helped make those rules?" Zack kissed Dyna.
'She would have a boyfriend.' Gyda sighed.
'Why was their ruler walking the roads?' Garth approached.
"Thank you for letting us come here." Garth gave a slight bow.
"It's not a problem. We have a new waystation past the mountain. Figured you wanted a heads up to avoid the tolls again." Zack smirked recalling his reaction.
"I was hoping to avoid those thieves. We were about to visit the tavern, but since you're the boss around here think we could buy a few barrels off you?" Garth requested.
"Take a few on the house," Zack replied.
"We've already taken too much." Garth insisted.
"We had to extend our storage recently to keep up with the production, and it's still not enough," Dyna stated.
"Our previous expansion was a little premature, and you would be doing us a favor," Zack told Garth.
'It was only premature because she found out about the baby a week later.' Dyna chuckled.
After convincing them it wasn't a problem Zack kissed Dyna goodbye. They made it through the market and we're passing the new forest. William was taking a break from his daily exercise with the wolf, and after Zack waved the wolf nodded in his direction.
'He's getting smarter every day.'
"Have you seen Valan?" Rolen asked.
"I thought they were in the Jade Jungle again," Zack replied.
"They retrieved the remnants already, and can't do anything else till the scouts give word," Rolen stated.
"Not sure how they convinced Mey to help, but we gotta find a way to reward their efforts. It was Suinin right?" Zack asked.
"No, it was his student, Suzuki. It wasn't an easy task to accomplish, and he's concerned Suzuki took damage. There were no injuries, but the city was rumbling from Mey's aura so it could've been psychological." Rolen explained.
"Facing a dragon down isn't an easy task, and even Tian fears her. There's a reason he gave Mey a city far away from the palace." Zack replied.
Suzuki was just having problems believing those events actually occurred, and Mey struck him as the secretive type. The last thing he wanted to do was tell someone, and anger a dragon. He also knew the chances of a reoccurring event wouldn't be likely after that. His silence caused the encounter to be rewritten as Suzuki staring down the most feared dragon of the Long family.
Once they entered the arena Zack ported to badlands where the chest was waiting. It wasn't uncommon to find hidden traps in dungeons and being from the lower floors if it was a trap the mana inside could wipe the dungeon. Zack wasn't taking any chances and unveiled his angelic form while calling his spear. It began to glow and reshaped into its true form.
The spear before was a beacon of light, and blinding to those in its presence, but it was unstable. Its new form resembled the spear's normal state, but it was pure gold. Towards the head of the spear was a large ring, and as the orbs appeared in Zack's hand they fused.
A high pitch ringing was heard throughout the southern territory as the orbs became stable and flew into the ring. Zack raised the spear as divine lights shot out from the tip, and the areas they struck had golden pillars erected.
The gold pillars appeared in a formation around the chest creating a powerful barrier. Zack left the spear in place walking forward as his wings wrapped around the chest, and he leaned in to open it.