219) Path to a promising future

The war hadn't been easy, but it also wasn't as hard as we'd anticipated. We covered every flank and exposed weakness, making it easier to face our enemy. Yet over time, it seemed that their numbers didn't decrease; on the contrary, more resources and reinforcements arrived on ships with increasing frequency. I'm convinced this was intentional, as we had chosen the Trojan side.

Still, we held out. Helena could fight tirelessly, so wherever she was, the war raged on, wearing down our enemies without reprieve. Tonks, for her part, was an exceptional spy and an undetectable saboteur. She constantly changed appearance, and under the cover of my invisible clones, she poisoned armies, spied on meetings, and sabotaged their plans relentlessly. Then there was Andra, whose presence was crucial in these last months. Although it didn't seem so at first, she kept all the city's leaders dancing in the palm of her hand. This was vital, especially when political disputes began to arise. Thanks to Andra, all decisions and opinions were unified on how to defeat the enemy, avoiding internal conflicts and ensuring there were no traitors willing to stab us in the back.

Yes, in the end, it cost us a lot and exhausted us physically and mentally, but we did it. The war was over. After two years in this place, the enemy troops, who kept coming, seemed to heed the trumpet of retreat, and all their attacks ceased. It was time to leave. We had one week left before we'd be forced out, but before that... Party time!

A victory must be celebrated. We decided to use the week to feast. There was food, drink, dancing, and cheers throughout the city. Obviously, this world isn't too realistic when you see a city in a food crisis after nearly two years of siege suddenly overflowing with meat, fruit, bread, and wine. But I'm not complaining; it seems like a benefit for the mission's participants.

We enjoyed our time here immensely. Andra even organized a three-day orgy for me. It was only women for me, with several noble and beautiful ladies who, thanks to her charm, "came of their own free will." It was a magnificent chaos. Even Tonks had a drink and joined in, throwing herself at me and going crazy. The only one who didn't participate was Helena; although she can interact with the mortal world, her touch is harmful, so she could only enjoy watching. I'll make sure to make it up to her in the future.

By the last day, we were all exhausted, but not from the war—rather, from the celebration. Tonks was even still asleep on Elise's back, completely naked. Andra was the only one who attended the farewell with King Priam, as the rest of us were in no condition to do so. For once, I allowed myself to get drunk after so long without it, and I wanted nothing to do with meetings. When the time limit came, we disappeared from this ancient land.

By the last day, we were all exhausted, but not from the war—rather, from the celebration. Tonks was even still asleep on Elise's back, completely naked. Andra was the only one who attended the farewell with King Priam, as the rest of us were in no condition to do so. For once, I allowed myself to get drunk after so long without it, and I wanted nothing to do with meetings. When the time limit came, we disappeared from this ancient land.

We returned to the [Fief], and there we found Eileen, Lily, Petunia, and Gemma, who were surprised when they turned around and suddenly saw us appear.

"Are you back already?" Gemma asked, surprised.

"How long did we take?" I asked, still affected by the sunlight, which seemed to intentionally pierce my eyes with its brightness.

"We didn't even have time to leave; it must have been just a few seconds," she replied, looking at all of us with curiosity.

"Why do you smell so bad?" Lily asked, covering her nose and stepping back a bit.

"Uh... alcohol and... sex," I said, looking at my group.

We were almost the same as when we left ancient Greece, still in our old tunics and with a strong hangover. Andra kept her Greek outfit, I was only wearing half of my clothes, and Tonks was still asleep, completely naked, on Elise's back, with her red pussy open and still dripping with my semen. Seeing how Lily and Petunia looked at it so shocked, I realized that the image was probably a bit traumatic for the girls.

Looking closer, I noticed that we didn't have any serious injuries, not even any minor scratches that I had left purposely unhealed to check upon our return. Before starting the mission, I specified that there should be no negative effects upon returning, such as wounds or aging. So now we're back, two years later, still as young as before, and the only thing we brought with us, aside from the experience, was the dirt on our bodies.

After this, we went our separate ways: Helena returned to her cemetery to further stabilize her spirit in this place, which lacked the excessive energy from the battlefield's death, offering a much lighter and more controllable energy, and also to meditate. Eileen took her wife, who, after seeing her in that dress and hearing about the orgies, seemed to need some attention while the details were explained. Elise went to her little forest, near the archmage's tower, to rest, as the alcohol had affected her as well. Finally, Gemma and the girls helped me wash and care for Tonks.

As for this, Gemma was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to participate in the orgy in Greece, and she asked me, with puppy eyes, to include her next time. The girls, on the other hand, seemed a bit disgusted when they heard what had happened, but my adorable Gemma did an exceptional psychological job, convincing them that it was actually a very good thing, and that all of them should want to participate in something like that with me, only with me. She almost got the girls to ask me to organize another orgy here... which was tempting, but there were more important things to deal with, like handling the hangover.

I lay down in the main square, refreshing myself with the water from the fountain now and then, while, at the same time, I observed the rewards of my adventure.

The rating for this mission was "A." Quite good, though I wonder what I missed to achieve a higher score. It's true that it wasn't a crushing victory, and due to everything I had to do, I couldn't explore as much as I would've liked or look for more side activities. I also didn't manage to conquer any important women; I think that might have had an impact as well. I don't remember seeing Helen of Troy in the battle, though she may have participated in the orgy. Well, I didn't win her heart, so I suppose that doesn't count toward the rating. Now, let's check the rewards.

According to the setup I made, all treasure, gold, and money instantly converted into galleons, which were deposited in the bank. I also received an enchanted Trojan armor, which, based on my rating, is among the best available; if I repeated the mission wearing it, I would have a secure position of power in Troy. Additionally, I obtained a spear and a shield. They're not the best, but they're close. I also have some crystal coins, which always come in handy, especially for what I plan to do. And lastly, five bricks from the walls of Troy, which are somewhat useless at the moment since they're only good for reinforcing walls, and my [Fief] doesn't have a wall yet. Though, it seems they can be sold for 100 crystal coins each.

Now, let's take a look at that mission board. It has opened so many possibilities by giving me something I didn't expect, and I'm not talking about mysterious objects like those bricks. No, what it gave me was time.

When reviewing the monthly mission on the board, I noticed two things. First, a notice indicates that the "Trojan War" mission has a one-year cooldown before it can randomly appear again on the board. Second, I can spend 1,000 galleons to activate a new monthly mission and replace the one I just completed, without having to wait for the free change on the 1st of the next month. However, the cost will double each time I use this option in the same month.

Clearly, if I want to maximize the rewards, I must improve the board. I checked the available upgrades and found the following:

I can add an extra daily mission for 100 crystal coins, then 200 for the second, 300 for the third, up to a maximum of ten daily missions. Additionally, I can spend 5,000 crystal coins to make daily missions repeatable once, or 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, and up to 50,000 coins to make them repeatable 3, 4, 5 times, or infinitely, though only up to five times per person.

Next, I can unlock weekly missions for 1,000 crystal coins each, increasing by 1,000 with each additional mission, up to a maximum of five. These weekly missions are also repeatable, but only up to three times per person and on different days.

I can also add monthly missions, up to a maximum of three, for 10,000, then 20,000 crystal coins. These are not repeatable in the same month.

Finally, I can spend 100,000 crystal coins to add an annual mission. This is the current limit for board upgrades. I think I could improve it further, but for now, I don't have enough funds. I only earned 400 crystal coins from the last adventure.

Fortunately, there are options that don't necessarily require crystal coins; some can be activated with galleons, like reloading missions, changing missions, or reducing the cooldown time between them. While it's not as beneficial, it could be useful and save me some coins.

I tried reloading a new monthly mission, and another one appeared, though this time it wasn't in Troy.

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Monthly Mission:

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[Survive the Swamp of Death]

Duration: 6 months

Objectives:

>Get to the other side of the swamp.

>Protect the caravan accompanying you (Optional).

>Defeat the hostile swamp species before leaving (Optional).

>Defeat the swamp boss before leaving (Optional).

General Reward:

>12,000-50,000 galleons (depending on the number of people and goods in the caravan that reach the end).

>350-2,500 crystal coins (depending on the number of monsters defeated).

>Various resources (depending on the goods that safely reach the end of the journey).

Additional Rewards:

>Based on performance.

>Bio-resources from the area (special plants, animal parts, specimens, metals, and minerals, among others).

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This mission is different: it's shorter and not a war, but an escort mission. It seems that you have to help a caravan cross a dangerous swamp. Fine, though it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I'm not sure if I want to keep spending my galleons reloading missions until one that really suits me appears.

For now, I'll leave things as they are until I finish my work with the spiders. Although, now that I think about it, I'll take advantage of some features of my abilities, which are compatible with each other. I thought about using my people to work on this, but it would be a waste to take their time when I can use cheap labor and, in the process, earn some money.

The idea excited me so much that I almost forgot the effect of the alcohol. I decided to deal with the hangover by using my healing powers. I hadn't done it before because I wanted to experience this sensation that I rarely let affect me, and it turned out to be a good idea; it's not pleasant having so many clones with a hangover.

I smiled as I disappeared from my fief, ready to get to work, thinking about Tonks' suggestion to hire more people. It seems it will be necessary for what I plan to do, especially when she's, like today, incapacitated and unable to move.

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2nd Additional Chapter

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