—
[Five hours later. Night.]
Flipping through the Poetic Elda, which described how he vanquished thousands of monster armies with flames resembling the Sun, Richard closed the collection of poems and glanced over at Dandelion, who was currently conversing with Zoltan Chivay and Ciri in the corner. Knowing that Dandelion was the author of this poetry and also a loyal friend of Ciri's, having followed her to Skellige and returning only upon ensuring her safety during the creation of the Sa'angreal by the Heralds, Richard noted their loyal relationship with appreciation.
Turning to another corner where a fireplace had been built to combat the chill of the mist permeating the land, Richard then noticed Moiraine engaged in discussion with the King and Queen of Redenia, finalizing their cooperation with the Heralds regarding matters clearly beyond the capabilities of ordinary or semi-powerful people. Their current topic was touching upon the issue of war between people and how Redenia was supposed to handle it.
Standing up and summoning a bit of his Sun Breathing to combat the night's chill, Richard walked over to the open window of the Academy castle, overlooking all of Oxenfurt. Watching the Mistborn soar through the air with their steel and iron coins, he envisioned the future advancements of Redenian society.
Noticing the magical mist that became very visible at night, Richard recalled the information provided by Dijkstra about how every Allomancer could enhance their power with this mist. Their abilities to manipulate metals, from simple kinetic forces with steel and iron to influencing emotions with zinc and brass, suggested they could create magical items based on metals found in the world.
Perhaps in the future, they would pioneer steam engine technology, given their magic system's affinity for metal and the mist permeating the region, which significantly enhanced their abilities. Richard wondered if he would witness daily transportation via air balloons in this kingdom, reminiscent of futuristic Steampunk ideas from his Science Fiction knowledge database.
"Is it true, Slayer? Is it true that you allow wars among people?" Dijkstra asked, approaching closer.
As Dijkstra stood beside him, Richard nodded, "Yes, as long as your people adhere to the rules of warfare. Moraine has already provided you with the World Laws penned by Narishma, hasn't she?"
Nodding, Dijkstra exclaimed with confused bewilderment, "I had thought... I had thought someone like you would prohibit such acts from occurring in the first place."
Sighing, Richard turned his gaze back to the superhumans in the distance, "Do you see those people?"
Realizing something, Dijkstra also sighed, "It seems you also understand. This world may never truly know peace. With more and more common folk wielding power, I fear their bloodlust cannot be contained."
Placing his right hand on the window's guard rails and caressing the magical snow powder, Richard let out a breath, answering, "Just focus on developing technology in this territory, without worrying about conquering land. Many enemies will willingly yield their lands, as this change isn't limited to your kingdom."
Chuckling, Dijkstra commented, "That's been my plan and vision from the start regardless."
—
[Two hours later. Academy Prefect Bathroom.]
Flipping through all available information about the surrounding monsters or possible enemies of society that only seek destruction and are too tough for Allomancers to handle, Richard commented to Moiraine, who was seated in the hot tub seats in front of him, wearing nothing, "It seems this kingdom is sorted for the time being. No monster yet that they found was too strong for them to handle. Except Tretegor."
"Yes, the monsters or beasts they've encountered so far are ones they can fight or drive away from civilization. As for Tretegor, I believe it's because Radovid decided to work with the intelligent mage undead to secure a place of safety from the meteor Conjunction. Unlike here, where Philippa and others built a bubble of protection. We don't know the specifics, but according to Dijkstra's report, the place is now crawling with these non-living beings," Moiraine agreed while weaving a spell of bubble soap around her naked body.
Sighing in lamentation, since it seemed that man was becoming more and more of a problem, Richard then asked Moiraine, "Do you think my decision was right? To let him go in exchange for the Aretuza students' lives?" Ignoring the uncomfortable Ciri who was also seated with them but unable to control her desire.
Understanding that he meant that in exchange for dozens of lives, he had doomed an entire city of thousands upon thousands of people, Moiraine advised from her point of view, "There is no right or wrong answer. Only the lesser of two evils. You chose the bigger evil and saved Margarita and her children in terms of quantity. And at that time, you could not possibly know the two options that were given to you. If you had known everything beforehand, you probably would not have been in Skellige to fix the Conjunction or even in this world in the first place. But don't think too much about it. As your oath stated, a journey can only be taken once."
Nodding his head and sighing in relief from the confirmation from someone other than himself, Richard then asked her, "Where do you think we should go after dealing with the Undead in Tretogor?"
"Since Temeria," he looked at Ciri's red, embarrassed face, "is reserved for Yennefer to meet her friend Keira, who unknowingly became a Nilfgaardian subject while searching for Ciri. Povis and Kovir have already been contacted by Triss and Logain to establish some kind of magic-based kingdom. Verden, Cidaris, and Cintra are being handled by Faralda and Ervine because of Brokilon, not to mention Dol Blathanna and the surrounding area they'll go to later. Mahakam has already been selected by Narishma for his judicial headquarters, wanting to turn the neglected races into his police force."
"So, where do you think we should go?"
Touching her chin in contemplation, Moiraine suggested, "How about Southern Nilfgaard? We can start from Toussaint and descend into the City of Golden Towers"
Nodding his head, Richard said, "Okay then," and stood up, making his thing clear for everyone to see. Looking at the out-of-breath Ciri, he continued, "Come, Ciri. I need to train your breathing until you can do it while you are sleeping."
—