"Alright, bring Anja Stone to me tomorrow," I said.
"I will, Your Majesty. Until tomorrow!"
"Until tomorrow!"
With that, Daniel left the room, and I stood up from my chair.
Thanks to this fantastic news, my mood had improved considerably, and I was finally ready to go to bed.
A short while later, I lay in my chambers, reflecting on the past few days, making sure not to get worked up again.
I briefly thought about the escaped Scalari, but something caught my attention.
"Mia?" I asked into the room. "No, that can't be; she speaks perfect 'Eisenklang'!"
I dismissed the idea quickly, as Scalari spoke 'Elaris' and couldn't speak 'Eisenklang'.
Afterward, I fell asleep.
...
The next day, I sat on my throne.
Above me hung the green canopy, a symbol of Manara, representing her guardianship over the Emperor and his role as the representative of the people.
I briefly checked my status, though it probably hadn't changed much, my curiosity got the better of me.
_________________
[Status]
Name: Darian Ironheart IV
Title: Emperor
---> Possesses Imperial Charisma, and your people believe you to a certain extent.
Age: 31 Years 3 Months
Species: Human
Level: 1/6
Exp: 23/1000
Mana: 500/500
Muscle Strength: 19
Muscle Agility: 21
Body Control: 18
Stamina: 22
Skills: [Swordfighting; Competency 17], [Body Strengthening; Competency 11], [Shouting; Competency 9] …
________________
As I thought, not much has changed. I've grown a bit older, and I've earned [EXP], all thanks to the Skalari.
However, there was a knock on the door, and to make a bit of an impression, I called out with mana in my voice, causing the room to tremble slightly.
"Enter!"
The door opened quietly, and Daniel entered with a woman by his side.
The woman, likely Anja Stone, had brown hair, was relatively tall, probably as tall as me, and had radiant blue eyes. Her gaze was direct, and her posture was determined.
They both knelt and bowed before me.
"Your Majesty," they said.
I gestured with my hand for them to rise, which they did.
"Anja Stone, I thank you for your time and your presence," I greeted her warmly. "I've heard that you've made a remarkable discovery."
Anja Stone bowed slightly and replied, "It is an honor, Your Majesty. Yes, I have found a way to isolate and store a person's mana frequency. This frequency is unique to each individual and thus extremely difficult to forge."
I nodded. "That sounds extremely promising. Can you explain to me more about how it works exactly?"
Anja Stone began to explain the technology and the science behind her discovery in detail. She talked about complex methods for isolating the mana frequency and storing it.
She explained how this could be used not only for identification but also for monitoring and security if integrated into systems she could potentially create.
I listened attentively and occasionally asked questions to ensure I fully understood the depth of the discovery.
When Anja Stone finished her explanation, I said solemnly, "This is indeed impressive, Ms. Stone. This technology has boundless possibilities, and I believe you've made history with it. If you can realize this plan, I will generously reward you."
Anja Stone bowed again and replied, "It would be a great honor if my discovery could contribute to Your Majesty's goals. I am ready to collaborate with you to further develop and implement this technology, with some conditions that I would like to discuss."
I smiled. "I like to hear that, Ms. Stone. Let us work together."
"Oh, Your Majesty," Anja said, "do you still have the remains of the Dungeon War?"
I was taken aback but still asked, "Why do you want to know?"
"Well, based on my calculations and assumptions, it will require a considerable amount of mana, and I've heard that Dungeon Cores contain an incredible amount of it."
"So, you suggest that I work with these ABOMINATIONS and TRAITORS?" I asked angrily, imbuing my voice with mana. "HOW DARE YOU?"
She trembled, fell to her knees, and began to sweat as I glared at her with fiery eyes. But she had enough courage to raise her voice.
"N-No, Your Majesty! I-I-I despise those PESTS too!"
I relaxed my gaze, and she calmed down.
She explained her strong hatred for Dungeons and clarified that she only needed the fragments of the destroyed Dungeon Core.
I considered it and made a decision as an emperor, with the goal of the people's well-being.
I forced myself to agree and tried to suppress my hatred, though it didn't entirely work.
Fortunately, I didn't have much contact with that thing during work.
My Grandfather had kept the destroyed Dungeon Core as a trophy and a symbol of power.
I assured her of access to it, and then we discussed her conditions, which were not difficult for me to accommodate.
After we moved to my study, we had negotiated a good deal by the end of the afternoon.
The contract stated that she wasn't bound to the laboratory and that she wanted to search for someone, which I would support.
Furthermore, I would modernize and expand the research facility since she wanted to work with a larger team, which she could choose herself.
In return, she would continue her research for me and work on creating and improving this technology.
This meant that even after the technology was completed, she would continue to work for me, hopefully making more groundbreaking discoveries.
Considering this project's importance, I supported it despite my disgust for using the Core. I planned to expand and improve the already planned projects with it.
This came to my mind immediately when Daniel informed me.
Originally, the plan was for simple identification papers, which would help me track who was eligible for things like financial assistance or education.
However, this would still leave me with a lot of work, and the planned date for Universal Basic Income and free schools would be delayed.
With my mind now occupied with work, I was fortunate not to have to deal with the Scalari and Dungeons.
Every encounter raised my blood pressure and lowered my mood, adding to my incomprehension.
How can anyone worship the Dungeons? How?
They even founded their own religion and betrayed Manara!
I could actually propagandize the war as a holy war against the followers of Mephisca and Wille, betraying Manara.
Why didn't Orion think of that? Nevermind, no one opposed me nevertheless.
...
"Are they still not out of the Dungeon?" I asked Daniel.
"No."
"What's the progress on conquering the Underground Dungeon?"
"Still no news."
"Has the Northhaven Kingdom contacted us?"
"No, they seem to want to avoid the war for now, even though we only have a quarter of our army ready."
"Good. What's the status of the Mana Frequency project?"
"Anja Stone said she's almost finished."
"It's about time; it's been six months! Did we find the escaped Skalaris?"
"No..."
tsk
I had been discussing the events of the past six months with Daniel Whitaker.
I had been Emperor for six months now, and not much had changed.
I was starting to wonder if the decision to wait until the IDs and the system were ready was the right one, but now it was too late.
I hadn't heard of any unrest yet, but it would likely surface soon.
In the last six months, I had tried to centralize my country more, focusing on larger cities and fewer smaller ones.
I had also worked on creating new jobs and more. So far, it was going fairly well, but there were still impoverished areas.
Speaking of areas, the Field of Death now had a diameter of 20 kilometers and had reached the first village.
Fortunately, it had already been evacuated.
Due to urbanization, I had gained many workers who were trained as construction workers, soldiers, or teachers.
The capital city was also getting larger. I supported farmers and agriculture.
I had divided the army besieging the Underground Dungeon, with one half protecting our land and the other attacking.
So far, there was no news, and the past few months had passed without significant events. It was almost boring.
As I was pondering this, Mia entered my study, still veiled.
Despite that, I would say we had grown closer, as she no longer clicked her tongue every time we spoke.
"What's up, Assistant Head of the Laboratory?" I asked cheerfully with a mischievous smile.
"I'm here to inform you that Anja Stone is finished," she said without any change in her tone.
Just as I was about to express my joy, an ambassador entered the room and informed me, "The Dungeon is open again!"