Scrying, What is it Good For I

8th, November

(Recommended Song: Two Steps From Hell – Color The Sky)

Hrist had spent most of the early morning between flying Asterion to allow his wings to strengthen even more and sparring with Skuld. Bryn had decided for once to sleep in due to the comfortable beds they had in their rooms. They had no idea what it was made of, but the mattress was like sleeping on a cloud. There was sound of swords clashing and shields banging as both Valkyrja fought against each other, digging up the dirt of the arena as they dashed about, making sure not to leave its bounds due to orders. The castle walls were far stronger than what they could do to them now, but the foundation was still not reinforced just yet due to new plans scheduled for updating connectivity of the palace to the labs.

"Hey, Hrist, I've been thinking" Skuld told her as she whirled with a spear and threw it, making her sister dodge and flip into the air, attempting to strike at her shield. Their movement was almost in sync, knowing each other's tactics like the back of their hands. Every flourish, every strike was as fluid as water.

"You've been thinking of what exactly." The raven-haired woman swept for her legs, with Skuld backflipping twice and picking up a second spear available.

"I've been thinking of maybe, just for the time being" she bowed backwards as a spear flew over her shoulder, "that maybe the empress might not need me to command an army." Hrist struck and was deflected, but recovered as she rolled, nearly being struck in the back.

"There are many more battles to be fought Skuld, many places to take away from the evil of Artinia. She's going to need you for them while" she kicked at Skuld's shield and backflipped as she had her sword knocked from her hand, "the rest of us attempt to take other territory."

"But I was hoping if maybe she would allow something else instead." Skuld lost her shield and finally yielded to Hrist as she pointed her sword over her arm. They both walked to their respective equipment and picked it up, putting the swords and shields away on trays and stands. Hrist looked up at her in confusion.

"Such as?" she asked her sister.

"Rebuilding the temple. I was… maybe hoping to train some of the mor… er… citizens of the empire how to be warriors. It seems there isn't much honor beyond our empress's borders. Having an 'academy' open to those willing to learn our ways might help the people." Hrist wiped her face with a towel and looked at her.

"It's entirely possible, but given that she has this 'mechanized' army at her beck and call, why would she need human soldiers? Hers do not need to sleep, eat, they don't get lustful or lecherous, they don't stop until the enemy is dead. They are perfect, I'm quite content with the new army she wishes to have me command." Skuld stretched a little and bent sideways to work her back muscles so they didn't get sore.

"I do not intend to have the students be soldiers, the academy would be there to teach them right from wrong, that being a woman does not mean you are weaker; that honor and respect should be given to all that deserve it, even your enemy. Look around in the towns under her rule, most are scared, with no backbone. Can you blame them for that even? To teach them they are not pathetic, that they are strong, I think they need to learn this." Hrist picked up her shirt that she had taken off, fighting mainly in pants and her simple bra, with Skuld doing the same. Both draped their towels over their shoulders as they left the arena. The gates of the castle opened with four APCs heading to Gold Pine with reserve food shipments, the first of many to restock the town now that they requested assistance. Eld Horn would be restocked in the coming days by the larger helibots, with no need for the airships to show themselves just yet.

"I do believe they should be educated, but are you sure you have the patience? Actually, never mind, I realized who I was speaking to" Hrist chuckled as she glanced at her sister while they headed back towards the palace. Skuld rolled her eyes with a smile. In the eyes of her sisters, she was the definition of patience and understanding.

"Well I was always the one who mediated disputes amongst us Hrist, like that time you got into a fist fight with Kára."

"She had taken my mead! It was a special brew prepared by Heimdall!" Skuld laughed at that.

"You had been boasting of its flavor for some time, she just wanted to taste it."

"I distinctly remember you had sided with her on that theft." The brunette waved a finger in scolding to her sister and clucked her tongue at her.

"You were in the wrong resorting to attacking her, all she wanted was a chance to taste. She even offered many other gifts which you did not accept." They continued inside the palace, the guards standing ever vigilant at the entrances to each room.

"She had nothing I wanted…"

"Weren't you eyeing her hand mirror? Why did you even want that anyways? You never went out to flirt with men Hrist, so it was a wonder why you would care about your looks." The six-foot four-inch woman turned her head in annoyance to her smaller brunette sister.

"Aren't I allowed to take care of my looks to stay professional in the eyes of the gods? Odin might have been displeased if we did not take care of ourselves. It could hamper our gathering of Einherjar."

"Except you were always the one who stayed-"

"Not another word about me being forced to guard Asgard." Skuld put up her hands in surrender as they walked through double doors into the exercise room Selene used. Inside, the empress was on a new treadmill running in place. She had finally reached Information Age, with all the advantages it entailed. High end computers were available, internet access, electronics better than a cathode ray tube system, even cybernetics. They already knew that their ruler had now begun revamping many things 'under the hood' with newer technology. She looked at them with yoga pants and a workout top as her dark red auburn-hair bounced in a ponytail.

"Skuld would like to ask you-"

"When the time is right! I swear Hrist, you push when you shouldn't…" Selene slowed down and turned off the treadmill to walk up to them.

"Yes? What did you want to ask me?" Selene questioned as she glanced between them. Skuld gave Hrist a little glare before a small smile popped on her face.

"I was wondering your maj-" the empress shot up a finger pointing at her with her eyebrow raised and a smirk on her mouth.

"I was wondering, Selene, if you would allow me instead of leading your armies to instead… erm… help me rebuild the temple into an academy." The dev looked at Hrist for a second as she felt a little confused.

"But, wait, you want to train human soldiers? I don't quite understand."

"Skuld would like to be an instructor in hopes that it would rekindle some honor and respect amongst the citizens. Most are fairly spineless given-"

"I never said they were spineless!"

"You said they did not have a backbone, that is saying they are spineless!"

"Enough!" Selene shouted as they both went silent. "You want to rebuild the temple into an academy to teach the people they aren't… what, weak? The few, the proud, the… um… I dunno, Marines?" she asked, then started to mutter to herself as she realized the last few words didn't really fit. "I can't think of a name to call them if they got into this school."

"They wouldn't be soldiers, it would be to instill a sense of pride in their empire, honor, respect for those they are among, courage and strength in both mind as well as body" Skuld informed her.

"So, a military academy… but… if people join this academy, they'd be held by higher principles, to themselves and to others…" Selene stated.

"Exactly."

"They could be the new nobility of the empire" Selene responded in worry. The room went silent for a few moments. The last thing she needed was the people to worry about nobles trampling their new independence or trying to gain any sort of control that she didn't have. If anyone tried to hold her back, she'd show them the error of their ways.

"They wouldn't be like the nobility of the Artinian kingdom if Skuld is the one instructing them" Hrist broke the silence as she crossed her arms over her ample chest. The brown-haired woman looked at her with a small grin. Despite Hrist arguing a little, she supported her younger sister, if she could even be called young. The Valkyrja were far older than six hundred years, probably millennium old, maybe even further than that.

"All the same, while it would be nice to get the academy up, we'd need more than just one instructor, no matter how good Skuld is. The problem is finding people to match her or at least provide valuable skill sets to help build the next generation, or even the older adults who wish to learn and do right by the citizens" Selene interjected.

"We may come across some along the way, with each town and city we conquer there has to be some ex-soldiers who don't agree with the way the kingdom treats them, wants to do better" Hrist commented.

"You, the very same of us who looked down on most mortals, who believes all of them are a threat to the safety of our empress, wants to actually find some who can teach what is right? What have you done with my sister?" Skuld asked in a coy tone, attempting a jab at her character. Hrist blushed a little and fidgeted.

"T-they still are a threat to her majesty! While they're just mortals, I… I highly doubt they would be equal to one of us. H-however, given that there may be some who share the empire's ideals… having two or more instructors to assist in training the learned of the people would be beneficial, that's all. They just need to know their place." Hrist stuttered ever so slightly while explaining her reasoning in front of Selene. The empress raised an eyebrow.

"Their place if they share our ideals is one of equals to the rest of the citizens, Hrist, you missed the mark on showing respect. Perhaps you should be joining this academy now" Selene quipped as a slight snicker popped from her lips. The raven-haired woman's eyes widened as she looked at the empress, then averted her eyes as she felt a little guilty saying that in front of her.

"I'm just saying, until they can prove they are of equal comparison to us, beyond strength and power, they must show they have the right character, the right mind and the understanding to help the students learn how to use their strength of body and mind to help rather than hinder." Hrist's eyes blinked rapidly as she glanced around the round, anywhere but trying to meet the gaze of her empress.

"So… what? You want there to be tenure? Seniority? It isn't out of the question" Selene asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight from one leg to the next.

"What is… tenure?" Hrist asked, a little confused.

"Academic tenure? To have a professor, teacher or instructor work for a probationary period to see how well they perform their job, in which case if they do well, they can continue their work as long as another year or have a permanent position. It's sometimes used for companies as well that have apprentices that move up the chain of command with promotions."

"Then… yes, that might be what the academy should have." The dev gazed at Skuld who glanced between her sister and the empress.

"So Skuld, you want to switch jobs from General to Head Mistress of the Clockwork Academy? You'd have to vouch for positions and oversee any new instructors, teachers and professors." Skuld stood there in silence for a few moments as her sister looked at her with a reassuring nod, then back at Selene. Her green eyes were filled with anxiety, as she hadn't realized just how difficult it might have been to run such a massive thing. In her eyes, it was going to be a small class of elite, not one with many instructors all working to educate, all working to teach the tricks of their trade.

"I… I accept." Selene smiled and nodded at her.

"Ok, I guess I'm going to have to get a construction crew up there then. Gotta make sure the campus is large enough." The new Head Mistress seemed to be nervous. The empress tended to build big when it was required, with this being no exception to the rule.

"How would they be challenged after, I wonder? A final test of sorts?" Hrist asked as she glanced between Selene and her sister.

"I was… I was thinking… of maybe, using the arena here?" she almost squeaked back as a reply as she squinted her eyes with an eyebrow raising, hoping the empress would agree to those terms. The dev brought her hand up to her chin in thought and then scratched at the tip of her nose.

"You have a graduation tournament thrown here like a party, to show everyone how well they do and how far they've come. Use the arena with some extra improvements added in to show more than just martial prowess, but scientific achievement, smithing skill, um… poetry? Art? Oy, this is going to take more than one academy, I just realized there aren't any guilds in the empire" Selene told her. Hrist chuckled at that.

"Given the amount of people who will most likely wish to live closer to the castle, I can see many who would wish to show their mettle in your eyes, Selene" The taller of the two Valkyrja said with a smirk.

"Well, I dunno about that, but I can already picture one person as a guild master." Both battle maidens looked at each other in confusion.

"Who would that be?" Skuld asked.

"Giles."

"I… for a blacksmith? He… is acceptable" Hrist cut what she was going to say short, with Selene and Skuld both looking at her in surprise.

"Wait, you believe he's good Hrist? I've only seen his work to take care of the town, nothing weapons related. Have you caught eye of things he hasn't shown me?" Selene asked.

"I've seen a few of the things he tried to keep hidden, his past you could say. Despite what he might tell you if you ask him later, they are worthy of a god or goddess… for a ceremonial weapon of course. None would be caught in public wearing one for battle, the enemy would die from laughter and lack of breathing."

"Because he hasn't had a chance to work with better materials, right?" the dev asked coyly as an eyebrow raised, wondering what Hrist's next words would be. Even Skuld wanted to know what she was thinking. The raven-haired woman looked between them and became flustered.

"Yes! Of course, fine, I can see you want some respect for the man. If provided better materials… he could be a master smith with his latent talent. Many could learn from him. B-but this is a guild, not for the academy" she blurted out in frustration at their goading.

"Of course, of course" Selene replied as she put her hands up palm open to calm her down. Her buttons were easy to push to get her riled up. "Now that it's official, I'm sorry but I think I'm done with my exercise and need to go check on the shipyards being built." As she left the room with Skuld heading out of the palace to go wake up Brynhildr and tell her the news, Hrist looked at both receding forms.

"Well… I… I should accompany you then." The dev glanced over her shoulder as she walked towards the elevator.

"You sure you don't have anything to do? I mean, it's just a naval yard that isn't fully finished yet."

"I can provide escort."

"Uh huh, you're bored, that's what this is." They both got onto the elevator and headed up, only to find the highest floor to be under remodeling. Marble panels were removed from the walls, with the under paneling popped off to replace wiring with newer forms gained from Information Age, along with better insulation and electronics. Hrist's eyes widened as automatons worked on getting the floor updated behind the curtains.

"I'm not bored, I just believe it wise you have someone other than the Honor Guard watching over you, that is all."

"You're being paranoid in a valley that we have full control over, but I sort of see your point. Hey, I have a better idea. How about… you go check on Glass Dale?" The empress asked as she turned around and walked backwards for a few feet before flipping on her heel.

"Why would I go to that town?"

"Because they need a show of presence right now with the entire thing finished. Juliet worked hard to get it to where it is now, with every street and building now complete. Obviously, it'll expand, but I figure a small christening would do wonders for morale. Don't worry, I'll be there to do the grand opening, you won't have to write a speech, just show you're watching and protecting. The citizens will know we mean business about keeping the empire rolling, that they mean something." The General rolled her eyes. She wanted her to mingle, to learn how to be among them 'mortals.'

"Is that an order?" The dev squinted in confusion, as if trying to decipher if she was being antagonistic or really would rather be near her.

"What? Hrist, just go. I'll be there in a little bit, I just need to make two stops and then it'll be done. Come on, don't be like that. I don't need to make it an order, do I?" she asked the battle maiden as nicely as possible, smiling as wide a grin as she could manage to hopefully make Hrist bend to her request. Fortunately for her, Hrist was very willing if it meant making her happy but needed to keep up appearances. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Alright, I'll do it. But do not be long, do not do this… this 'dallying' I've heard about."

"Yes mother…" Selene walked towards her bedroom.

"I am not your mother. I am your… your… General…" she nearly slipped up with words. "And I must know where you are. If you say you will be there, I trust you, but being slow will make me worry something has befallen." The empress turned around as she walked through her doors and looked at her, rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Fine, fine. I won't be long, I promise." The doors closed as Jeeves prepared her bath as Hrist walked into her own bedroom.

"Ma'am, it's Orlo." Her coms engaged as she slid into the bathtub.

"You always seem to catch me right when I'm taking a bath, you and Turnie. It's like you both know when I'm in the bathroom."

"I… do not know how to respond to that, but it was just odd timing. My apologies. I wanted to inform you about our progress in attempting to block… scrying." Selene's eyebrow raised with no one around to see it. Her intrigue was peaked.

"Go on."

"Our current ECM capabilities installed into nearby listening posts throughout the mountains and valley provided limited disruption of any low-level scrying or magical reconnaissance surprisingly during tests, but not enough to block all of it." The empress used the razor and scissors in her inventory to shave all hair from the neck down again; the last thing she wanted was to have citizens of Glass Dale say anything about unsightly stubble on her legs or arm pits. Despite that, most women really only had basic depilatories with no sense of electrolysis in magic, and those depilatories probably hurt. It also wasn't very common for anyone below nobility or middle class to shave much. However, Abby didn't have much hair from what she could see of her legs under her dress, which meant it was known in Gold Pine.

"I didn't even know our science and technology was having an effect against that. Honestly, I nearly forgot certain spells could spy on us, shit" she replied as she brought her hand up to her forehead and bounced her palm off it while shutting her eyes temporarily, mentally chastising herself. While the Artinian kingdom didn't know what was going on just yet, it was only a matter of time before they'd wise up to losing contact with forts and towns or cities. "Do we have a way to fight against the stronger forms?" she asked as she opened her eyes. Yggdrasil had a few ways of scrying or spying on other players, but anyone worth their salt knew how to combat it, with even counter spells in place to harm those who would peer at her under a microscope. The thought that some pervy wizard might attempt to scry her while she was in the bath made her scrunch up and shiver despite the hot water.

"We do, I've provided a new schematic from research I've performed that should allow us to block all scrying effects via extreme feedback frequencies traveling along the same mana paths or even ley lines… however… the side effect it causes along with the counter is… deadly to all but the strongest of foes… if anyone is just curious about the empire, potentially wondering if they wish to travel and settle here but wish to see what it is like before attempting travel…"

"All travel agents would have their heads explode, that could be a problem. That could also hamper the view of the people who are looking for a better place to live. Hmm… as much as I hate to do that to any curious wizards with want to live a better life, I can't afford to have the security be low due to some random someone who has no idea death is knocking on their door at the cast of a spell." Her thoughts roamed to the idea of a couple going to a travel wizard performing the spell to show them where their next vacation should be, then promptly having his head blow up and them screaming and running out the door with a quick closed sign appearing on it.

She opened her inventory and integrated the schematic Orlo had designed. "How long to install the modules…" she whispered to herself as she crafted the new parts and added them into the fabrication unit that could build the listening post equipment, all listening posts were beamed the new requirements and altered their form to compensate for the new design. Somehow it was using matter transference to give the new tools to the bunker stations with high end radar and other sensors.

"Should be active as soon as you give the order ma'am" Orlo commented.

"Does this help with long range scouting? I mean for if we need to hide armies outside of sensor tower range. I'd hate it if someone could see our ornithopters flying around tracking everything." She started to scrub her shoulders and wash her hair as she activated the new security feature. The listening posts activated, humming with power as they blocked all attempts to now survey what was in the empire as well as any unauthorized teleportation.

"It can be made into a portable unit to install, but I would advise placing it on a dedicated carrier unit."

"So just like the communications automatons I was already thinking of getting up and running for Hrist and Bryn, could that work?" Selene dunked her head into the water and pushed her hair back. The entire conversation was happening in her head, with no need to even speak while underwater.

"It's possible to merge both, the equipment isn't very large. Having a system like that which can provide electronic and magic counters to surveillance will be most beneficial." She finished her bath and dried with a nearby towel, putting on a robe and slippers as she walked back into her main bedroom.

"Well, it's done, I'll see about getting that ECM unit built for the future."

"Understood ma'am. Are you heading to the naval shipyards today?" Selene combed her hair then brushed it while using a brand-new blow dryer. Her hair, despite being long and luxurious with nice shampoos and conditioners even with steampunk technology, was a pain to take care of. It was one of the reasons she constantly had it up in an arced hanging ponytail.

"Yes, just wanted to see the progress Romeo has been making. He doesn't have much room to work with involving that little cove, it's amazing he's building what he can. Once we have Sweet Water Harbor under control, we'll need to get a much larger one built."

"You could always have an expansion of the cove however, ma'am. We now have the industrial capacity to do that." He was referring to the larger Driller automatons that she was calling "Grinders." She bit the bullet and finally got Very Heavy automatons crafted, reaching the same size of large buildings. The vehicles were even bigger. The last thing she needed was any of her towns or future cities to see one of those things rumbling around doing its job, they'd either be scared out of their minds or definitely start worshipping the beast of a machine, probably considering it to be her "grand design" for the world. As much as she didn't want a religious cult with her as the main focus, she pretty much already shoved her hand into that cookie jar and can't take it out with all the usage of her Molecular Reformation in front of everyone.

"I know, and it will happen in the future, but right now we should clean house in Sweet Water due to the pirates. It's just easier to have two shipyards for such a large continent. I wonder if they even know there is a military shipyard being built practically right next to them just past the mountains."

"If they did, the well-placed artillery and nearby fighter wing would have sunk any ships peeking in on the location ma'am." The dev put on her underwear and decided to wear something not armored this time to commemorate the official opening of Glass Dale again. Jeeves brought in some maids who helped her wear a strapless pearl white with gold rose vine formal evening dress with open back and no cleavage, a sapphire blue Satin Bolero Shrug Jacket that only covered half of her back with full sleeves, with silver closed toe medium heels with small synthetic pearl butterflies on the tips. Small earrings were picked for her along with a necklace to go with the ensemble, along with a synthetic pearl weave through her hair now wrapped in a tight formal bun. A cloak really didn't go well with the set of clothes due to the jacket, however a beaded small neck scarf helped with the cold due to it being November.

I don't really need to wear the crown; the tiara works perfectly fine.

The new crown had been crafted and placed in a glass case near the middle of her bedroom, a symbol of the wealth she had available. The royal vault was brimming with large amounts of coin in just a short time, with everything from copper up to platinum with precious gems of all colors for any occasion, both cut and uncut. There were stacks of gold ingots and platinum standing in the main storage room in the vault, with smaller vaults holding the coin in organized fashion. The crown itself was roughly a foot tall, with hundreds of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, coupled with pearls and precious metal.

The problem was the crown was heavy, even with her strength, it just didn't feel right for her neck, despite her being so powerful. It also didn't really look right on her head, only really needing to be used for she figured a knighting or giving a reward to some personally chosen nobility. The smaller tiara or even the circlet that dipped over her forehead was more than enough for just about every formal event. She didn't like the gold wreath of laurel that a Caesar would wear, as it tended to poke at her ears like a pair of bad glasses or headphones. All in all, there was no one to tell her what she had to wear, it was her empire after all. If she wanted to sit around in the throne room wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, it was within her power to do so. There might be looks from anyone who came to visit, but it would be what she chose and there was nothing they could do about it.

"True." She turned left and right to see how she looked in the mirrors. All in all, she looked professional as if she was heading to a fashionable business meeting, but to the people who were going to see her, it was a show of just how diverse her wardrobe was and that she didn't need to always wear armor in front of the citizens to intimidate or prove she was powerful. Her Honor Guard would be there, as well as Hrist, but that wasn't all. Her personal stats and skills were more than a match for anyone attempting to assassinate her right now, with all but the equivalent of Blessed tier or higher, raid equipment as it were, being unable to harm her with her Natural Armor stat and Perception, combined with her other defensive stats and Movement Speed. There was so much surveillance that there was no chance of anyone harming her on her own turf. It was doubtful anyone would even attempt it either.

She had used the orb in early morning before working out, getting another five levels and adding fifty points into Stamina, bringing it up to one hundred fifty percent bonus. Combined with the stat boosts of even her clothing and enchantments, she was pretty much wearing at the very least Blessed tier with just clothes on, with her armor finally being upgraded with a sacrifice of one hundred Magic tier items so she could get access to Rare tier, the main quality level that allowed, as standard, the set bonuses. As she had figured the tier was on par with Relic quality for Yggdrasil, it seemed doubtful anyone right now had the equivalent of it.

It probably wouldn't see any use in combat either, given she was already working on getting to Epic tier, the equivalent of a Legendary item in the game she had been ripped from to this new world. There were many upgrades that were in the works now, with newer weapons being refit into tanks and vehicles, new equipment for automatons with true MOLE vests that could be easily hidden under armor paneling to keep the appearance of steampunk tech, even allowing magnetic weapon holsters and pop out magazine containers. While Class II shields weren't quite ready to install into everything, tier 4 magic immunity film was now ready for deployment, making all Yggdrasil spells of that tier and below simply not work on her army or herself. Even Bronze Team was going to receive some upgrades to their frames, with miniaturized actuator systems from a Heavy being installed into Jorge giving him much more strength and agility than he should have for his size. The materials for armor was also being upgraded for all of her army, with Security, Military and Special Forces getting rolling refits via module installation into the fabrication units for Graphene, Schwarzite and Fullerenes. If she can get the material produced without it reacting to everything, Carbyne would be the next replacement for Graphene, at least for armor paneling.

Everything had to be improved without showing she had very advanced technology, especially if others came to visit in the future.

Since Skuld was going to be teaching now, the possibility that some of those students would be brand new rich nobles or the children of nobles that were chosen amongst her subjects coming to royal balls or parties at the castle made her a little fidgety. She mostly hated the corporate fat cats from Earth, as they didn't really care about the people, just the money they could get. There would have to be some new laws she'd create that would restrict what companies or private controlling interests were allowed to do to keep that from happening in her empire. A few national parks, some restrictions on manufacturing and pollution, it would work fairly well.

Eighty-five Skill Points were dumped into Chemistry to give far more mixtures and special materials, with a speed up on creating two things she really wanted: Graphene and its sister carbon mixtures… and makeup. The remaining fifteen points was going to wait until the end of the day when she'd drink her first Skill Potion in a long while. Once she had a little more from the potion, she was going to take up Martial Arts to complement Melee Weapons skill. While she was absolutely scary with a sword, learning different moves with eight points of contact for some would be a great defense if she found herself unarmed. She didn't always expect to have a weapon available, despite having a limitless inventory and a slew of spare guns and swords now.

A thought occurred to her to remodel one of the spare rooms into a sort of armory to hold racks of ancient weapons just for looks, with mannequins set up for the different armor types and materials. Creating a museum might also benefit the people in learning their history. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, after all.

"Alright, I'll see you at the opening ceremony" she told him as she had her makeup put on by the maids, being careful to not wear red lipstick, as it could be considered a sign that she was a 'lady of the evening' due to how it was perceived in olden times. The new makeup she had available was worlds above what she had access to before, with waterproof mascara and eyeliner and concealer that didn't look like she dumped her face in flour. That was the main reason she didn't wear it until now, but with the new ingredients that could be made with softer tones, it matched her complexion far easier. She wasn't really fair skinned, but a light pink with a few very small freckles on her shoulders.

"Will do ma'am, have a safe flight." Orlo cut coms as she sighed and nodded. There was a shipyard to inspect. Selene walked out of her bedroom and headed to the tea room to have a small cup of coffee and a few mini Danishes, then cleaned her hands and headed out of the palace. A waiting royal helibot was prepared for her with four Honor Guards waiting inside. Hrist had managed to get her to always have the helibot activate active camouflage or invisibility to protect it during flight. That Valkyrja really did want her to stay safe now.

The helibot lifted off to head North towards the cove, with no real name properly set up for it as no one else besides her had explored the valley in any real depth. That would be something she'd have to decide once the shipyard was finished, as it was the defining thing on the shore. As the helibot flew over the valley, two Red Tails flew escort nearby, all of which had invisibility on. The Hud markers were the only way she knew they were flying near the rear of the transport.

Once the helibot landed and opened its doors, there was a formal dual line up of military automatons standing facing each other saluting as she got out and met with Romeo. He was a Military model Medium, not really meant for direct combat despite his size, but he was fantastic at getting military bases built given his main function was as an engineer. His color was a camouflage pattern of greens and brown set damn close to modern digital. It worked given they were built using steampunk technology, so box Tetris shapes weren't that far out there. He had orange bands on his pauldrons with what looked like a yellow safety MOLE vest on his chest with assorted tools. His head didn't wear a combat helmet like the other military forces had, or like how Jorge's head looked. He wore a camo mining hardhat with a reflector on the back of it and what could be considered a spotlight on the front with how powerful it was. The kneepads and elbow pads were also soft cushion to keep from ever damaging floor or wall if he was installing it.

This didn't mean he couldn't defend himself, as there was an auto grenade launcher attached to his left shoulder mount and a high-powered plasma torch on the right. The grenade launcher was mostly equipped with glue shells or emulsification rounds to seal or melt away materials.

"Ma'am, it's good to see you" he said as he saluted her, his voice sounding deep with a little South American accent in it, some Southern drawl. Despite their names, Romeo and Juliet did not speak in ye old English. They didn't have time for that, and it annoyed the hell out of the empress anyways. Luckily, the world translated all languages, so she didn't have to hear some random gibberish most of the time.

"Good to be here, so, how much more time until it's finished?" she asked as the helibot powered down the turbines and props, the wind slowing down as they continued towards the giant bays being wielded together. It wasn't quite as fast constructing the buildings with Civilian or Military construction crews as it was with her Molecular Reformation, as she had upgraded it quite a bit, but they could be in multiple places at the same time, effectively making her ability a moot point. Her building one base in a few hours versus them building twenty-four in a day spoke for itself.

"Another day tops, ma'am. Once the foundries and mills are powered up, assuming the generators are ready for it, we can start producing the fleet. What did you have in mind for the set up if you don't mind me asking?" he questioned as they headed to a small room set up just for her to sit in with a few amenities, sound dampening walls keeping most of the noise out. She never expected the place to be made for comfort, it was a military shipyard after all. A folding metal chair with decent cushions was ready for her as she sat down and watched through the large windows. The gantry system was already in full swing, helping move girders into place as wielder automatons got to work on the next few steps.

"I was hoping to first start with the smaller ships, get some PT boats ready, a few corvettes for rapid defense or recovery. Those could pack a punch against wooden pirate ships, probably take out some ironclads as well. Once those are done, frigates, heavy frigates and destroyers." Her eyes watched with interest as large parts of a generator were pieced together and sealed up. To most people if they ever got near the place, it would look steampunk above ground, but hidden under was the main facility with high end fiber optics and electronics, manufacturing and assembly similar to the newly upgraded airship field situated next to the airport.

"I was just thinking if you had in mind a yacht at some point. The factories are capable of making one if you wish it" Romeo commented.

"That's nice to hear, but I've never been really a sea girl." She remembered there was a skill for Swimming that she hadn't taken. She knew how to swim obviously, or she wouldn't have used the pool she had. The skill just made it easier with different moves in the water, better ways to stay afloat with less stamina used or quicker movement.

"If that's how it is then I can understand. It just might be nice for a vacation once we have full control over the continent."

"Possibly, but then we don't know if there are any sea monsters roaming the area. Until I have a little bit more knowledge of the world and the oceans, I'll hold off and take a land centered vacation. We may not be the apex predators underwater, yet, so I'll see about getting some submarines for scientific exploration along with attack." Romeo chuckled.

"That's probably wise ma'am." She drank some clean water in a cup as Romeo explained what was already installed and what needed to be built, which didn't seem like much. The main things holding it back from being prepared today was the foundries not heating up fully yet. They'd be ready for production as early as 2 am tomorrow. As soon as they would start, the ships would be rolling out, with five berths ready and multiple piers and docks already prepared. The hidden robotic arms assembly lines would allow the automatons instead to perform maintenance or move to another site to build, with a security force placed to guard it. Artinia was about to see what real naval warships could do in Sweet Water.