2 Chapter 2
Rickard emerged from his study, his mind burdened with what had just happened. He searched for his wife, who he found in the yard alongside the children.
"My wife, come with me please." Rickard requested, causing Lyarra to smile at Rickard but upon noticing the serious expression on his face, simply nodded before rising and alongside him returning to his study.
—
"And then by some manner of magic, I appeared back here, instantly." Rickard finished explaining his story, and normally Lyarra would question his sanity, but proof of his story stood right there in the room. Glowing Valyrian steel armor, Valyrian steel blades were already rare enough, but a full set of armor? That had never been seen before.
"What kind of man was he?" Lyarra asked Rickard, after a long silence. "Did he seem dangerous?" This was the most pressing concern to Lyarra, if the man decided to harm Winterfell or the North or the Seven Kingdoms for that matter, judging by her husband's story, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
"He did not seem dangerous, he seemed carefree… and very happy for some reason. I was unable to converse with him beyond trivial subjects before he transported me back here. My wife, I would ask for your counsel on this matter." Rickard was not about to go to the maester for this matter, their dislike for anything magic is well known, and there was no explanation for what just happened beyond magic.
Lyarra shared Rickard's concern, but she also found an opportunity. If this man gifted Rickard such things so casually he most likely doesn't lack any sort of wealth. If there is some way to gain his friendship it could cause the North to gain strength not seen since before the conquest.
"Husband, If there is any way for us to gain his trust and friendship, we must do so. Imagine what he could do for the North." Rickard agreed with his wife, but he remembered the stories of Old Nan. He was not a pompous Southerner who hated anything magic, but that doesn't mean he didn't acknowledge its dangers.
"Maybe I can invite him to Winterfell to share a meal?" Rickard asked rhetorically, but his wife shook her head.
"To do that we would be saying we are superior to him, plus it would cause rumors and questions to circulate about who he is, which is something we cannot allow at this moment. He said his castle would be done in a few days, no? What if we visited sometime next week to get to know him better?" Lyarra proposed.
"Hmm," Rickard thought, "I suppose it's as good an idea as any, I agree, we shall visit in five days."
—
'Now I need to do the interior.' I thought to myself. I was happy with what I built, it was a massive castle inspired by one of my past builds. (Image here).
'Never was great at interior design, but I'm sure I can figure something out.' I started by building a massive entrance hall with two staircases on both sides, this was relatively simple. I then built a massive kitchen, dining hall, and some miscellaneous rooms. I built a beautiful garden, and in total the castle housed over a hundred bedrooms, with ten being master bedrooms.
'Mayhaps I built a little too much? I mean, I live alone, I could easily get lost here.' Two days passed, and I finished the final bedroom, and in turn, I finished the entire castle. I am unsure of the scale of size in this world, but I know that most castles are dwarfed by this one, 'Maybe I can visit Winterfell? I mean I need a break from all this building.'
Bored, I opened my inventory and noticed a small flashing light in the bottom right-hand corner. Intrigued, I pressed it, and a similar screen to the inventory popped up, however, it had completely new tabs, 'Is this a new update?'
[Quests]
Build an acceptable residence 1/1 (Reward: MineColonies Mod)
MineColonies? Wasn't that the kingdom-building mod? Also, do I have a system? I clicked on more quests and was immediately overwhelmed by the dozens of possible quests. 'I can dimension travel? I can get Crazy Craft?' The requirement to dimension travel was to conquer the world, however, and I knew I wasn't going to get that done anytime soon. Way too much work.
I clicked on my reward and another screen appeared.
[MineColonies]
[MineColonies is an interactive building mod that allows you to create your own thriving town within Minecraft. It lets your leadership skills soar by providing you with everything you need to build your kingdom. MineColonies gives you the flexibility to create a colony as unique as every player. With so many options, you'll create a different colony every time, adapt to any biome, build inside a mountain, on top of one, under the ocean, or in the sky.]
[MineColonies has been changed and adapted for the player, unlimited professions have been unlocked, as well as unlimited buildings, in short, the possibilities are endless.]
[Starter Pack]
50 maids
25 knights
15 bowmen
15 chefs
5 musicians
5 gardeners
10 butlers
[Claim?]
'Of course, I claim' faster than ever before, I swiftly tapped on the claim button. Upon doing so I instantly found myself transported to the entrance hall I built a few days ago, greeted by an astonishing sight. Approximately 100 men and women were assembled, all kneeling in unison. Their voices rose in a chorus.
"All hail Lord Atlas!" That proclamation hung in the air and I was sure I looked ridiculous as I stood there with my mouth agape. Could anyone blame me? Just five days ago, I was your average guy. I gathered my wits, composed myself, and addressed my newfound 'subjects' with as much dignity as I could muster.
"I appreciate your loyalty. Please, separate yourselves into groups based on your profession." Almost instantly, like a well-oiled machine, they complied and began to organize themselves into distinct groups. A quick count brought the exact number to 125 people.
I felt giddy, and a sense of exhilaration surged within me. My childhood dreams of building my kingdom were now a possible reality. Once more appearing as dignified as I could, I spoke. "Knights and bowmen step forward, the rest of you wait for a moment." Just as I said, all the knights and bowmen stepped forward. 'They look like real people.' I thought to myself. 'Wait, what do I look like?'
In my five days here I never once bothered to see what I looked like, I was curious if I looked the same or different. I knew I was taller at least. I guess I would have to check that after I finish up here. "I will be giving you all armor and weaponry, form a straight line. When it is your turn, state your name."
"My name is Gerold My Lord." I nodded and began to work on the armor I would supply them with.
I decided on Iron armor, enchanted to the maximum, alongside an emerald spire armor trim. Alongside this came a Netherite Sword, similarly enchanted, and a shield.
I duplicated it a few times so I would not have to do this each time, and smiled at Gerold. "Gerold, you will be my Marshall, I expect great things from you." In response to my words, Gerold fell to one knee and said,
"I will not disappoint you, My Lord!"
