Chương 33: Chapter 32 – The calm days

Winter passed, and by some miracle, nothing bad had happened for two whole months. The cities in Joshua's world had actually managed to solidify their territories and establish themselves. The best one was obviously Maurapia, but the Steel Tribe kobolds had also managed to dig deep, comfortable tunnels and homes. Whatever came out of their mines was sent to New Brustaria.

The people of New Brustaria were the slowest to adapt to their new surroundings, and Josh was glad he had gone out of his way to make them a proper city in the beginning. Modern humans who had grown accustomed to a world of advanced technology and had very few practical survival skills needed quite a lot of time to adjust to starting over. There had even been some criminal activity, including a murderer who was eventually captured by the Hetaru.

As for the bastion city, they had not done much beyond establishing a steady supply of food. They were all warriors and mages of a different kind than the people of Maurapia, so they simply did what they did best: hunt monsters and animals. As for trade, they had opened up relations with the City of Knowledge, exchanging meat and useful monster parts for vegetables and other supplies. Joshua was simply happy that nothing was really ruining the balance he had so carefully set up.

As for fighting crime, he had already decided that he was not going to be their babysitter. Rules, laws, and everything else of that sort were left to the mortals to handle. On Earth, everything was boring, just as he liked it. There was a small war in the Middle East, but once again, he decided that intervening might cause more trouble for everyone than staying out of it.

Luna was making more friends in her class thanks to her actions against the bully the previous semester, and she regularly brought Sophie to the castle. The gardener, Tobias, had also managed to transform what had otherwise been unimpressive land into a garden that would make any European castle owner green with envy. This was hardly a surprise for one reason: the massive core of the boss turtle had been used when he was created. As a result, Joshua had molded Tobias with both water and nature magic.

He was by far the strongest of all Joshua's creations aside from Luna, but the gargoyle was also the calmest. He spoke slowly, using steady sentences, and possessed an incredibly gentle personality. As Easter approached, Joshua decided to make one new addition to the castle. He needed an entertainer, but not something as simple as a fool. He wanted someone who could brighten up any conversation and be a good sport about practically any topic.

He had already gotten the idea from Rosy, his fae rose, who was always eager to compliment him, although he decided to tone that particular aspect down a little. As for the appearance, he found a neat rabbit figurine among the dozens of figures he had collected back then. It depicted a rabbit beastfolk wearing a tall coat, and Joshua thought the design was perfect. As for the core...

thankfully, Gaix had returned to push the dungeon with his team and had actually reached level seventeen on one of their runs, although doing so had pushed them to their limits. Josh had gotten a whole lot of cores from them, and fortunately, they all matched. A whole lot of lightning cores which he merged them together into one massive core.

"Well heeeello, my good sir and creator." The rabbit beastfolk performed a fancy bow.

"It is always a good day when one can lay one's eyes upon such a magnificent god."

"Welcome, Danny." Joshua chuckled.

"You are now the underling of Felix, my head butler. As for your role? You are going to be something akin to a butler but not in the usual sense. This place is nice but most of my servants are taking things way too seriously. So while working under Felix, my head butler, you can just be yourself."

"And lighten the mood I shall, with a jump and a skip, my creator. How shall I call you?" Danny asked with a charming smile.

"I am Joshua Steel. Now, go ahead and learn your way around this castle. I have a feeling my daughter will like you as the surprise for Easter." Josh paused for a moment.

"Oh, and please hide the eggs with Felix in the garden well. My lovely daughter has way too good senses." Danny gave a slightly crooked salute, winked, and took off. Joshua watched him disappear down the corridor before quietly shaking his head with a smile. He had a feeling Easter was going to be interesting. - - - - - - - - - - - - As for Luna and Sophie, they begged Josh to use an illusion spell on all the servants so some of their new friends could come and join in on the Easter egg hunt.

Luna even promised to suppress her magical sight so there would be no cheating. Since the road to the castle had not yet been completed, Joshua rented an off-road-style car for the weekend and drove the four of them to the castle. Timothy MacKenzie and Gabby Ross were waiting with Luna and Sophie at the last bus stop when a Jeep Wrangler rolled to a stop. Timothy was thin, with long hair and glasses.

Gabby was quite similar to Sophie in that she also had curly hair, though hers was ginger, accompanied by a lovely smattering of freckles that were barely visible in broad daylight.

"Jump in." Josh playfully tapped the side of the door through the open window.

"SHOTGUN!" Sophie shouted before running, giggling, toward the front seat. The others climbed into the back after tossing their bags into the Jeep's boot. The car ride took just over an hour, with the group taking turns choosing different music while everyone attempted to sing along. As they finally went off-road, however, the singing stopped. Everyone stared ahead as the first side of the castle came into view among a nest of trees.

"No bloody way!" Timothy leaned out of the rear-door window.

"That's no manor, that's a fekkin' castle! I did not know this area had a castle." He immediately pulled out his phone to check.

"There wasn't one." Luna chuckled, nudging his shoulder.

"It was finished last autumn."

"Just how loaded are you guys?" Gabby asked.

"I mean... I knew you were rich based on how Sophie bragged about your place, but... an actual castle?"

"For the record," Joshua spoke up from the driver's seat, "it was my butler's and Luna's idea to build one. I would have been happy with a manor." Sophie laughed, because only she knew that the man beside her was literally a god. His modest attitude about the castle was almost a joke in and of itself. The Jeep rolled onto a short gravel road that Tobias had managed to make in a single day.

It was still only a few hundred meters long, but he planned to eventually extend it down the hills and connect it to the actual road. There was already a dirt road near the shore, so he only needed to bridge the gap between the two. The Jeep rolled to a stop in front of the castle, and the four teens jumped out, the two newcomers immediately gawking at the flower garden.

"Welcome home, Lord Steel." Tobias looked like a spitting image of an ordinary Scottish man, with a round face, a slightly crooked nose, and a smile that seemed to say he was perfectly content with his life.

"And a good day to you, Tobias. Anything interesting?"

"Nothing, sir. Just a few sparrows testing my patience, as always." The gardener chuckled. The tour through the castle went almost the same as before, except for the fantastical elements being hidden by Joshua's illusion. Timothy spent most of the tour making calculations in his head, only to go pale when he reached the number he estimated the castle must have cost. He promptly decided not to ask how much the place had actually cost to build.

Gabby, on the other hand, was practically squealing with delight when Luna offered her some princess dresses to wear. Soon, all three girls were dressed up in Luna's selections. None of the dresses were a perfect fit, but neither of the girls cared in the slightest. Timothy simply laughed when Luna declared him the designated Prince Charming for the weekend.

Luna and her friends made quite a mess running around inside and outside the castle, finding all the small and medium sized eggs Tobias and Danny had hidden while the maid provided ample refreshments. Suffice to say the holiday was a total win, full of laughter and jokes. - - - - - - - - - - - The Book of Divine Entities in Vancott had barely changed over the last few centuries.

A new version of the encyclopedia was only printed whenever something significant had been proven to have changed, so when the newest edition came out, many high-ranking mages and other important people had made sure to get a copy. One copy was also sent to every major library owned by the crown. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The changes this time were minor. A few additions here and there, some updated information...

but one particular entry spread through the magical community like dry grass catching fire. A new dragon patron god called Joshua Steel. Its first-ever Warlock was also mentioned: Gaix Tahinor. According to the newly added information, this mysterious god seemed to lean quite heavily toward lawful good. It did not take long before several young people began gathering their first sacrifice bowls and trying their luck at getting the attention of this new deity.

What they could read was that the god had no interest in blood or monster body parts. Instead, it preferred gems and rare objects, with monster cores being especially desirable. The market for monster cores experienced a tiny spike almost immediately. Dozens of small and medium purchases were made on the same day, and merchants quickly noticed something strange. These buyers were not crafters or enchanters, but hopeful future warlocks. Joshua experienced something that had never happened to him before.

Four dozen prayers at the same time. He literally had to slow down his own time so he could examine the mindsets of everyone who had called out to him, one by one, granting powers only to those he deemed decent enough. The blessings were fairly similar to those given by other patron gods, with their spells being limited in nature. Of course, Joshua still preferred giving out stronger spells whenever possible. He also granted one specific infinite spell he had named Air Shot.

It was a rather weak attack, but it was just powerful enough to hurt a goblin. It could also be used as a quick burst of propulsion to dodge an incoming attack. This spell was also added to his original three chosen warlocks. With divine essence, or patron points as the system called it, coming in fast enough, Joshua found that the cost wasn't really an issue.

The next week went much the same way, although each day brought fewer prayers, while the quality of the people asking for his blessing degraded rather quickly. There were opportunistic assholes in every world, and despite Joshua literally being described as a lawful-good entity, some people still asked him for power to smite enemies... t heir enemies, as it turned out, were often guards and traveling merchants. Joshua quickly mentally blacklisted those people.

He also began sending a tiny amount of rotten-egg smell directly into their noses. They seemed to have a rather difficult time understanding the message without it and kept trying to pray to him anyway. It was soon added to his page as an addendum, complete with a sticky note: " Those not chosen due to ill will will be punished with several days of sulfuric smell in their noses." The magical community found the punishment absolutely hilarious. - - - - - - - - - - - -"Gaix! On your left!"

Bastion shouted as his ice barrier shattered, forcing him backward beneath the assault of a massive lightning-infused bear.

"Got it!" Gaix shouted back, deciding that perhaps this was not the time to keep all his aces hidden for the boss. His ice spell struck the bear closest to him almost instantly, freezing the monster from the inside out until it collapsed in a cloud of frost. The rest of the team was having just as much trouble. Gaix immediately followed up with two fire lances, blasting apart the monsters surrounding Dalius and freeing the healer.

Dalius wasted no time, immediately casting his boosting magic on Rook, and the tide of the battle began to turn with every successful hit until no more enemies remained.

"Mira can't fight no longer." The bat woman let her short blades slip from her exhausted hands as she dropped to her knees.

"Mira too tired."

"I have to agree with the lassie here." Aborna Rustbeard leaned heavily on his upside-down axe.

"We pressed too much." Rubeon was chugging from his waterskin, his usually manic eyes looking thoroughly exhausted. Even the tentacle god's follower was nearing his limit. Rook finally slammed his hammer into the ground.

"Yeah... let's call it quits. Bastion, can you sniff our way back to the portal? I cannot find my own bloody tail in this yellow miasma." Bastion, despite his weakened state, tried his best to pick up their scent, but eventually shook his head.

"No way, boss. Whatever this stuff is, it's playing tricks on my sniffer."

"If we get into another fight, we might be in trouble." Rook gritted his teeth as he looked around at the seemingly endless yellow haze.

"I have an idea." Gaix suddenly smirked.

"I've been piling up my wish points, haven't I? Why not ask my patron for an easy way out?"

"You do that." Rubeon nodded.

"I kind of used up all my favor points on an advancement to my spells." Gaix pulled out his sacrifice bowl and dropped a few more lightning cores into it. Instead of simply offering them and waiting, however, he called out directly to his god. To everyone's shock, the dragon god appeared in person.

"Hey, Gaix. I almost figured you would never ask for anything." The massive metallic dragon chuckled before looking around at the rest of the team.

"Looking rough."

"You can say that again." Aborna chuckled, although he was still a little iffy about casually speaking to something that was quite literally a god. Gaix had assured them that his patron was rather chill, but actually seeing the dragon god standing before them was another matter entirely.

"Mira is happy to see Lord Steel." The bat woman grinned and gave Joshua a thumbs-up.

"You have a nice party, Gaix. I'm almost envious." Joshua smiled before looking back at him.

"So, what is that minor wish you want?"

"We kind of burned ourselves out and need a quick way out, if that's not a problem." Gaix gave an awkward chuckle. Joshua nodded thoughtfully, hummed for a moment, and then nodded again.

"How about a holiday away from all this after you get out? You can bring your whole party. I bet my daughter would love to pet Bastion." At those words, the ice wolf's tail immediately began wagging wildly. The others looked at each other, then at Gaix.

"Holiday? Where?" the warlock asked.

"I have a lovely castle, and while it gets a few visitors nowadays, I'd like it to be used a little more. Besides, my servants are rather annoyed that there isn't enough work for them to do." Josh shrugged.

"Gaix." Rook tapped him on the shoulder.

"I know this might sound weird, but I think you should accept. I'm not his warlock, but even I can tell when someone wants something." He turned toward the others.

"What about you guys? Wanna have an interesting story to tell?" After a few nods and murmurs of agreement, they all decided to accept the invitation. Josh simply pushed a portal into existence beside them, allowing the entire team to escape the dungeon. After selling everything that needed to be sold, they changed into casual clothes and waited to be summoned. The portal that eventually opened looked like liquid mercury. It was cold to the touch, and passing through it felt strangely pleasant.

The first thing they saw on the other side was a massive garden filled with all manner of flowers and decorations, with an enormous, beautifully maintained building standing beyond it. It was the sort of castle meant for nobility rather than one built for defensive purposes, with elegant towers, enormous windows, and manicured gardens surrounding it.

"Mira already likes this idea." The bat woman pushed forward with a delighted chuckle. - - - - - - - - - - - While Rook, Aborna, and Gaix felt nothing particularly wrong, Mira, Rubeon, and Dalius suddenly realized something was missing. There was no mana in the air. Rubeon had actually taken the longest to notice, since most of his magic came from his patron anyway, but even he occasionally relied on basic magic.

"Whoa... Mira does not feel mana. Is this okay?" the bat woman asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

"Me neither." Dalius shuddered.

"It feels like I am naked for some reason."

"Do not worry." Joshua appeared from the doorway in his human form. He had even taken the time to put on some of the clothes he had received from Oberon so he would not be standing there in sweatpants and a hoodie. This time, he actually looked the part of a divine entity, especially with the way his clothes seemed to move despite there being no breeze. The mint-green and gold ensemble was one of Oberon's latest gifts, called the Evermist Set.

It consisted of a fine tunic decorated with flowing patterns, silver leggings, and lovely deep-green knee-high boots adorned with golden clasps. His hair was black on one side and bone-colored on the other, with the whole thing left slightly ruffled.

"This is my origin realm, not the one I made. As such, its rules apply." Joshua gestured around them.

"I can make the air around the castle filled with mana if that would make you feel better."

"No need." Mira immediately shook her head.

"I just need to get used to it, that's all." Dalius nodded.

"Wow... we are in the origin world of my god." Bastion's tail was moving so quickly that he was literally kicking up dust from the floor.

"Calm down, puppy." Rook laughed.

"We thank you for the invitation." He bowed deeply.

"Come on in. I have a feast prepared for you all." Josh laughed as his living armors opened the great doors for him and his guests.

"I bet after eating all that travel junk, your stomachs might be craving some proper food." The team entered the castle, and they all immediately felt that the place was home to powerful entities besides the god walking in front of them. The armors were all alive, the maids possessed enough strength to rival an A-rank adventurer, and the silver-haired butler with the sharp eyes made cold sweat appear on more than a few faces.

Every servant here could easily cause serious trouble for their party, if not outright wipe them out. It made sense, of course, but knowing that barely helped their instincts. At least Rubeon and Gaix had no such animal instincts to worry about. Bastion, meanwhile, felt like he had stepped into heaven, and in a way, he had... considering this was the very realm where he had been born from. The food served was, of course, divine in every possible way.

The spread was absurd, yet every dish had been seasoned to perfection. They all ate carefully at first, still somewhat intimidated by their surroundings, but when Bastion casually placed both paws on the pristine tablecloth and swallowed half a chicken in one go without receiving so much as a stink eye, everyone finally relaxed and began eating to their heart's content.

"HAH! Not even the dwarven king has food like this, I wager!" Aborna chuckled before drinking an entire bottle of red wine in one go.

"I say, even the vegetarian food is extremely well made." Dalius continued eating his salad, looking genuinely impressed.

"This dressing is like angels singing on my tongue." Laughter soon filled the dining hall, and the tension that had followed them through the portal gradually disappeared. Joshua ended up bragging and bellyaching about just how ridiculously difficult creating an entire world had turned out to be, while the adventurers entertained him with stories of the insane battles they had gone through over the last half year.

There were no dungeons, no monsters trying to kill them, and no responsibilities waiting around the corner. There was simply good food, good company, and a table full of people enjoying themselves. Life was good. End of Act 2 PS. Thank you all for the amazing reviews. It made my heart almost melt. I will work my ass off to make myself worthy of that much praise.