Location: Liria – Day 80 in Atheria
Morning broke across Liria like sunlight spilling across velvet.
The valley's air was sweet with the scent of spirit herbs, mountain dew, and fresh bread rising in stone ovens built just days before. Butterflies circled the blossom trees planted by Mirae. Crystalline water from the stream trickled gently beside the walking paths.
And high atop a grassy ridge, Jiwoo stood overlooking it all.
Eight companions moved gently through their morning routines—some tending gardens, some testing new magical tools, and others preparing for the arrival of...
"Someone's coming," Eunsol said, appearing beside him.
"Two," Jiwoo replied, eyes closed.
The system softly confirmed:
> [External Entities Detected – Unknown Tags]
[Threat Level: None | Status: Passive | Purpose: Shelter Seeking]
---
The Wandering Scholar
The first to arrive was an elderly man in tattered blue robes, carrying nothing but a walking stick, a canvas satchel, and a stack of scrolls held together with faded leather.
He bowed low at the gate made of flowering vines.
"I heard… whispers of peace," he said, voice crackled like dry leaves. "A land with no king, no tax, no chain. I have no coin, but I bring wisdom from thirty libraries."
Jiwoo didn't even hesitate.
"You've paid more than enough already."
Yoori helped him to a shaded bench, where he was offered enchanted tea brewed by Solace's wind kettle.
---
The Quiet Orphan
The second visitor came hours later.
She didn't approach the gate.
She stood far away—barefoot, dressed in mismatched cloth. Her arms hugged a small sack. Her eyes were wide, but not with hope.
With fear.
Mirae approached her gently.
"It's okay," she said softly. "No one here will ask who you were. Only who you are."
The girl hesitated.
Then whispered:
"I'm hungry."
And fainted.
They carried her into the communal rest chamber Jihae had designed—a place of glowing lightstones, woven blankets, and soft rain sounds from floating musical droplets.
When she woke, there was a bowl of warm fruit porridge beside her.
And a note that read:
> You are welcome in Liria.
There is nothing you need to do to stay.
---
Liria's First Gathering
That evening, under the twilight lantern trees, Jiwoo held a casual gathering at the newly completed Stonefire Grove—a ring of gentle fire pillars, enchanted for warmth and light only.
The scholar sat on a cushion, smiling as he flipped through old notes.
The young girl—now bathed, rested, and dressed in soft clothes Yoori had enchanted—clung to a stuffed rabbit Jiwoo quietly purchased from a merchant two nations away.
"I never thought I'd see this again," the old man said, gesturing at the quiet.
"A meal without expectation."
Baek chuckled, roasting mushrooms on a floating grill. "Jiwoo's too rich to care about payment."
The scholar turned. "Ah, so you are the rumored Sovereign."
Jiwoo shook his head. "Not a sovereign. Just someone who remembered what hunger felt like too many times."
---
A Kingdom Without Demands
Later that night, Jiwoo opened a private system interface.
> [Liria – Citizen Count: 11]
[Peace Index: 100%]
[Daily Maintenance Cost: 61 million gold]
[Daily Income: 129.4 octillion gold]
[System Status: Fully Stable | Hidden Funding Mode: ON]
He clicked a new option:
> [Enable Guest Protocol: Shelter Priority | No Name Required | No Cost Ever]
"Anyone can come," he murmured. "But only if they come gently."
---
A Flag of No Nation
Two days later, Jihae, Sena, and Baek stood with Jiwoo as they raised a symbol above the first hilltop beacon.
It wasn't a national flag.
It wasn't a family crest.
It was a white circle, gently glowing, stitched over a deep blue field — a symbol of peace without possession.
No borders.
No law beyond respect.
No throne.
Only a gathering of those who wanted to live differently.
---
Liria's First Promise
The next evening, the old scholar asked Jiwoo if there were any "laws."
Jiwoo shook his head.
"Only one: Peace is not to be bought, sold, or broken."
"And what if someone tests that peace?"
"They'll be asked to leave," Mirae replied.
"If they won't?"
Jiwoo smiled.
"They will."
He didn't say it with threat.
He said it with truth.
Behind his voice was a fortune so vast that even the gods of Atheria might hesitate. A man with 999 centillion gold coins, unlimited strength, and magic beyond comprehension… had chosen not to rule, but to welcome.
And no one could stand against that kind of peace.
---
Ending Scene – A Soft Bloom
In the center of the valley, near the sacred lantern tree, a flower bloomed that hadn't been planted.
A blue tulip glowing with soft magic light.
Solace found it. She called the others.
"It's a spirit bloom," the old scholar whispered in awe. "Only blossoms where true harmony dwells."
Jiwoo didn't react. He just knelt and touched the soil.
"We're doing it right," he whispered.
And the system, once silent, spoke softly:
> [Liria – Kingdom Status: Blooming]
[World Observation Level: Rising – 3.2%]
[Stability Secure | External Political Curiosity: Low | No Hostility Detected]
---