— — — — — —
The celebration lasted for three whole days.
Sigh—
Sipping on his tea, Joey exhaled a deep breath as he scanned the room filled with his drunk younger siblings.
"Heh..." He chuckled, shaking his head. A bunch of wild kids.
Smiling, he liked watching them pass out from drinking.
Clack!
Katakuri and Amande stepped forward, their footsteps crisp in the quiet aftermath of the party.
Joey smiled warmly. "What? Why didn't you drink with us?"
Katakuri shook his head. "Big Bro, getting drunk doesn't really suit us."
Amande chuckled. "Someone had to stay sober to take care of the rest."
Joey simply nodded with a smile and said, "Rest up for now. Things should be quiet for a while."
The two nodded in agreement. They then turned their attention to instructing the maids to clean up the drunken mess.
Tap, tap.
Walking through the castle halls, Joey heard light footsteps behind him.
"What's up, kiddo?" he asked with a gentle tone.
Garona, looking both adorable and flustered, hesitated before speaking. "U-Um… Lord Joey, should I… sleep with you in bed?"
Clearly, this little girl with the body of a mature woman but the heart of a child was feeling a bit conflicted.
After all, by status, she was officially one of Joey's wives.
Though their marriage hadn't been formalized yet.
"Hahaha!" Joey couldn't help but laugh. "You're way too young to be worrying about stuff like that. Who put this idea in your head?"
Garona scratched her head awkwardly. "It was Sister Amaterasu. She told me that as a wife, it's my duty to serve you properly! And that I should work hard to become your wife… and eventually, your queen!"
Joey paused for a moment before shaking his head. "That's an interesting take. Well, since you're already here, you can stay and keep me company tonight."
"Okay!" Garona nodded obediently, her face lighting up with excitement. She then trotted off toward Joey's room, as if fulfilling some important duty.
Once she was gone, Joey turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Little Amaterasu, you sure have a lot of thoughts running through that head of yours."
"Hehehe~~"
A petite figure peeked out mischievously. "Isn't this just normal? Every woman wants to climb higher. No, every person does."
Joey nodded thoughtfully. "True. Status and power are things that everyone, at some point, desires."
After a brief pause, he added, "But remember—ambition is fine, just don't resort to underhanded tactics."
"Mhm!" Amaterasu nodded sweetly, her smile remaining unchanged.
As Joey left, she murmured to herself, "Joey… you belong to me. You absolutely belong to me. I will—"
She trailed off, shaking her head, as if keeping her thoughts a secret even from herself. With that, she turned and disappeared into the night.
Puzzled by the scene she had just witnessed, Gion sighed. "Conflict truly exists everywhere, no matter the time or place."
Amande, arms crossed, said naturally, "That's how it is. Unlike us, who don't care much about power struggles between siblings, for them, being Lord Joey's wife, or queen, means a hugedifference in status."
Gion glanced at her. "So… do you think I should fight for it too?"
Amande shook her head. "My brother doesn't care for power games. To him, family is everything. If you're his wife, it means you're part of his family, and that's what matters."
She continued, "And if anyone threatens his family, well… they won't have a good ending."
"Yeah…" Gion sighed, shaking her head.
Amande smirked. "Smart people understand that already. Like Amaterasu. She's ambitious and cunning, but she's not someone you can easily hate."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Dressed in her white dress, Gion stood in place for a moment, deep in thought.
She then shook her head. "Whatever. I'll deal with it when the time comes."
Unlike Amaterasu and the others, she wasn't the type to engage in power struggles. If she couldn't refuse the situation, then simply being a wife was enough. No need to complicate things.
Truthfully, neither Gion, Amaterasu, nor Garona were truly fit to be Joey's queen.
That position wasn't just a title.
It required ability, mental fortitude, and immense strength.
It was not something just anyone could claim.
Joey knew that his queen had not yet arrived. She wasn't one of his current three wives.
— — —
The Next Day
Joey glanced at the sleeping Garona beside him before quietly getting up and dressing with the help of his maids.
Meanwhile, Garona remained curled up on the bed, sound asleep, a smile on her face as she dreamt of who-knows-what.
After breakfast, Joey made his way toward the study, asking as he walked, "Who else is awake?"
A maid respectfully answered, "Only Master Katakuri and Lady Amande are in the study. The others have yet to wake."
Joey nodded and soon arrived.
Creak—
Opening the door, he stepped inside with a smile. "You two are up early."
Katakuri nodded. "Just following my daily training routine."
Amande smirked. "Unlike you, we actually have a lot of work to do."
"Oh?" Joey raised an eyebrow and smirked. "How about we switch places then? You handle my work, and I'll handle yours. Sound good?"
Amande instantly shut up, shaking her head. "Big Bro! I was just joking, no need to take it seriously!"
"Tch." Joey shot her a playful glare.
The three of them couldn't help but laugh as they sat down.
Joey got straight to the point. "How much longer until Totto Land's construction is complete?"
Amande's expression turned serious. "The overall construction is progressing well. If we rush, it can be done this year. But if we aim for perfection, we'll need four more years."
Joey nodded, exhaling a puff of smoke. "We originally planned to establish Totto Land immediately after the World Summit, but at this pace, even if we declare it now, it won't be ready. Since there's no rush, we might as well make it perfect."
Amande smiled. "Exactly. There's no need to cut corners. Totto Land will be built to perfection."
Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Many of the islands we've built still need fine-tuning. The newly constructed ones require detailed finishing. The magic stones and formations you've provided must be inscribed with absolute precision."
"These things take time. Four years… that's the best estimate we can give."
"Year 1490 of the Sea Calendar, huh?" Joey mused. It was currently the year 1486—so nearly five years to go.
Honestly, the timing didn't matter much. As long as Totto Land was approved by the World Summit, the rest could be dealt with later. Nations weren't built overnight—everyone knew that.
The key was getting recognition first. Everything else could be handled in due course.
Joey tapped his fingers on the desk, rubbing his temples as he considered. "Amande, is there any way to speed it up? Four years is still a bit too long."
He wasn't just being impatient. In four years, he'd be twenty. By then, only eighty years would remain until his system's activation.
Amande sighed, shaking her head. "Big brother, there's really no way to shorten it further. This is already the fastest pace possible. You know as well as I do that the design of Totto Land is incredibly complex. It's not just a matter of working harder or faster."
She was genuinely frustrated. Anyone looking at the plans for Totto Land would think they were straight out of a dream.
Even with the full might of the Charlotte Family, completing the project in six years was already a miracle.
If it were the World Government building something like this? It'd take at least a decade. And that's if they have the materials from other worlds.
Joey sighed, rubbing his brow. "Fine. Four years it is. I guess there's no helping it."
Amande nodded. That was the absolute limit. Any further compression of the timeline would compromise quality, and that was unacceptable.
Of course, if they cut corners, the project could be completed by the end of the year. But with no real urgency, there was no need to rush to an inferior result.
She then brought up another issue. "Big brother, the next problem is our citizens."
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Is there an issue with the population?"
Amande's expression grew serious. "Currently, we have the Longarm Tribe, Fishmen, Merfolk, Goblins, Elves, Tontattas, Longleg Tribe, Snake-Neck Tribe, Three-Eyed Tribe, Beastmen (Orcs), Dwarves, Giants, Oni Tribe, Angels, Succubi, and the Lunarian Tribe."
She listed the races in one breath, then continued. "With you planning to bring in the Night Elves, that brings the total to seventeen races. Totto Land consists of thirty-six islands. We need to assign them properly."
This wasn't something they could afford to be careless about.
Seventeen islands could be assigned immediately. But what about the others?
They couldn't just build randomly.
Joey narrowed his eyes in thought. "The Mink Tribe and Dragon Tribe should also be included. Since we still have four years, we need to secure these two races."
Amande nodded. "That would bring us to nineteen races. The remaining seventeen islands…?"
Joey shook his head. "No rush on that. For now, focus on securing these two races. I'll give you an update within three months. I'll finalize the rest of the races by then."
"I'll give you the details on how to build the other islands soon."
"Understood." Amande jotted down the note.
This was a crucial step.
With more trade and interactions with the other worlds, more races would inevitably join Totto Land.
Still, Joey felt it was time to buy new races from the family system.
But each island had a base layout. Beyond that, they needed to tailor the architecture for each race's needs.
The sheer variety of races across the multiverse meant that unexpected additions were always possible. They needed to plan ahead or risk running into serious issues later.
Then, Joey and Amande grew quiet, both deep in thought. The construction of Totto Land was a massive task.
Meanwhile, Katakuri watched with a calm expression. This kind of planning wasn't his area of expertise.
Better to stay out of it.
.
.
.