Chapter 24

Ben used his Tunnel tool to make a deep cavern in a mountain lining the canyon. The dead enemy bodies were placed inside the cavern. The cannons used explosive shells to collapse the tunnel and bury the bodies.

His men knew Ben had an interest in spatial rings, so they removed any rings they found from the dead and handed them off to their generals. The generals gave him a large bag of rings most of them were simple metal rings. Ben used his analyze skill on each of them and discovered nine spatial storage rings.

Just like the other rings, he found money and cultivation related goods. They also contain simple things like clothing which he discarded.

Ben marched his army out of the canyon in tight formations toward the capital city. When the five thousand enemy troops saw them approaching they thought it was their troops returning until they drew close enough to see the shiny armor and strange creatures.

The five thousand remaining enemies grew worried and began to ask if they should fight or flee. If their main force had lost to this Avalon army there was no way for a mere five thousand of them to win.

As the remaining military officials discussed how they should proceed the two black dragons landed about fifty yards from them and let out a couple of deafening roars.

Ben had told them to give the remaining men a good scare without attacking them as they approached. The dragon fear was too much for them to handle. THeir discussions stopped as they dropped their weapons and stood frozen in place from fear.

They were then brought over to the conqueror's castle to join the other surrendered troops. There were so many men now Ben had to build a concrete wall around the castle. There was no way for all of them to fit inside.

A few medium-sized military camps were built inside the walls to house them all. A large amount of food was left secured in the castle and troops were left behind to guard them prisoners from attempting to escape or cause trouble.

Ben decided to give his troops some time off and marched them back to the Rodara capital city. They made camp outside the capital, and he gave them all permission to enter the city.

He had the regent make an announcement that all Avalon troops were free to eat and drink at any of the capital's establishments. Ben would reimburse anyone who treated his soldiers before they left.

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For the following three days his troops had the chance to visit Rodwynne City which was way bigger than Dragonshome. It was a great experience for each of them to be exposed to new people and cultures. Each of them trained every day and attended classes so this turned out to be a great vacation for them all.

At the end of those three days, they all marched north feeling refreshed and in good spirits. The first part of the campaign was basically over from what Ben had told them. They would soon be free of fighting until they invaded the northern kingdoms.

They went to each town in full force and were able to surprise the enemy at sunrise and capture them with hardly a fight. When those five thousand enemies had grown comfortable and did not expect to be attacked after camping there for over a month they were shocked to wake up and find they were surrounded by four times the amount of troops they had.

The idiots who choose to fight were made examples of and the rest who watched on decided it was better to surrender than be turned into a human torch by a fireball spell.

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Conqueror's Castle in the canyon needed to have towers, a moat, and more military camps built to accommodate the influx of guests. It began to look like a proper fortress even if it was only to be a temporary prison.

There were now near twenty-five thousand mixed enemy troops from the three kingdoms living under the watchful eye of an armed garrison of four thousand troops. The archers on the high walls and towers were always watching to make sure everyone wasn't attempting to try anything stupid.

The remaining forces were sent back to Dragonshome through the teleport formation. The creatures especially the Dragons and Elephants had to be sent back on a teleport formation just for them. They were so large they could not simply teleport them into the bunker at the training field and needed an open-air formation with lots of room.

Back home Ben couldn't rest yet, he had to make homes for his new creatures and arrange people to take care of them.

His mind would often wander as he thought about Silvana as he worked. He began to miss her and wanted to visit her again. He was still worried she might not want to see him ever again for how he had approached her in disguise.

Ben used his Tunnel tool to make a roomy Cavern on the northern mountain peaks for the two dragons. They were even provided with their own animal Ranches. These Ranches were disconnected from the Warehouse. Every animal grown on these Ranches was only to be eaten by them.

Even if Ben couldn't communicate with his dragons they understood every word he said. He gave them permission to fly around the continent and explorer but to not eat the people's livestock or attack any cities, towns, or settlements. As long as they returned every few days he allowed them a great deal of freedom.

They seemed to look at him with patience, but they had a look as if they were thinking "Yes, yes, I know. I'm not an idiot so don't worry."

Out on the grasslands, two enormous enclosures were created for the War Elephants and Dire Tigers. Animal ranches were built inside the tiger enclosure for a food source. The elephants were provided with fruit Plantations and sugarcane Plantations along with the grass, shrubs, and trees growing naturally in their enclosure.

When everyone was settled in Ben began collecting the money from his businesses and the and a portion of the outer region taxes to repair the damage done by the invaders in the Rodara region.

Farmlands need to be plowed and sowed to grow fast growing crops before winter came around.

The invaders had done damage to the farms and surrounding lands. Ben with no other choice began to build additional System Farms to help stock the Rodara granaries. The raids from the invaders had stripped bare over half the farms in the region. If things were left as is there would be people starving to death before the end of winter.

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Almost two months had gone by since Ben had met Silvana in the Varene Dynasty. They had only spent two weeks together, but he missed her and wanted to know if things were repairable between them.

He cast his Zoom spell and returned to the small creek he camped beside when they first met.

Instead of directly approaching her he decided he would make camp and allow her to come to him if she was up to it. He put up his tent and began to make dinner just as he did on the day she followed the aroma of food into his camp.

This time around he did not bother to use his Disguise Spell. If anyone came to cause trouble for him he could simply use Zoom to return home and revisit again in a few days.

Fortunately, this was a quiet part of the Dynasty where travelers might not pass through very often. No one bothered Ben including Silvana, and he began to worry that she had decided to forget about him.

A couple of days went by and Ben would hold up in his tent when he noticed any travelers passing by him. He began to think if he should just go to her house and talk with her. He knew she worked the fields near here and it was possible to see the spot he was camping from those fields.

She would have to know he was here it was she remained out of sight. There are so many white-haired women wearing the same type of clothing that she would blend in with the others working around him. Only if she came closer and could see her face would he know it was Silvana.

The following two days it rained hard and Ben sat out in front of his tent in the downpour wondering if he was an idiot. He still had feelings for Silvana but after four days she had not shown herself.

When the clouds broke and the sun shone down on the fourth day he was still sitting there soaked head to toe thinking about what he should do.

As he sat there lost in thought he heard a quiet sigh behind him.

"You used magic to fool me to thinking you were someone you weren't and then you disappeared for over two months. Now you finally remember me and decided to come back and sit out here every day looking like a stray puppy without a home. What am I going to do with you, Ben?"

Ben whirled around and stood up when he heard Silvana's voice. He was so lost in his thoughts she had walked up on him without even realizing it.

"Silvana…."

"Oh? You even remembered my name as well? Not bad for a stray puppy." She said while crossing her arms and looking into his eyes.

"I missed you, I'm sorry...so many things happened...I...wanted to come and was afraid you wouldn't want to see me...I…" Ben softly spoke as he looked down like a scolded child.

"So if you missed me why are you just sitting out here every day and not coming to see me?"

"I wasn't sure if you would forgive me and I didn't want to be a nuisance, but...I couldn't just give up. I wanted to find out if you thought about what we spoke of that night."

"That you're a king and you recently conquered all of these kingdoms? That you want me to be your queen and to live in your castle with my mother? Ben I...you don't have to tell me fairytales to make me love you. Yes, every little girl grows up wishing a prince on a white horse will scoop her up and ride off into the sunset together."

Silvana's expression lightened as she said, "It is obvious you have some type of status. A simple farm girl like me can even tell by your fancy clothes and your magic spell that you're not an ordinary person. I..just...want…"

Ben held his hand up to stop her and said, "Just follow me for two days, no, even one day will be enough. Go tell your mother you are going to take a day off and will return safely."

Silvana stood there looking into Ben's eyes then said, "Okay I believe you. Let me go change and tell my mother, so she doesn't worry about me. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Ben nodded and smiled. When Silvana walked away he used Zoom and returned to the mountains north of Dragonshome. Here he used his Tunnel Tool to cut a flat block of stone one foot thick and six feet by six feet wide.

He returned to his camp near Silvana's home and removed the rock slab onto the ground nearby from his inventory. Without wasting any time he brought out his sculpting tools and chiseled out a teleport formation and socket to hold a small energy crystal.

As Ben was changing up the spatial energy crystal Silvana returned and walked over to curiously look at what Ben was doing. Before she could say anything the symbols carved into the stone began to pulse with a dim blue light.

Ben heard a small gasp beside him and looked up and chuckled at her reaction. "I want to show you my home and it would take too long to get there by normal means so…" He trailed off while showing a right this way gesture.

"What does it do Ben?"

"Hmm, think of it as a doorway. Once we step in the circle it will send us off to my home city."

Silvana looked up at him from under raised eyebrows and Ben couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and took her hand, and they stepped up on to the flat stone together.

"Don't worry it is perfectly safe and it only hurts for a little while." He said with a mischievous smile.

"Wha..hurt...wait...Ben.."

Ben did not let her finish as he pulled her into the teleporter in a blink of an eye they were in the concrete bunker he built on the military training field.

Silvana was standing beside him shivering with her eyes squinting shut waiting for the worst.

"We arrived you can open your eyes now."

Silvana slowly opened her beautiful red eyes and looked around. When she looked up at Ben's smiling face she realized he had pranked her.

WIth a cute pouting face she began to pound her small fists on his chest.

"Ben! That wasn't funny! Why would you say something like that!"

Ben wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry, your right that was mean. Do you forgive me?" He asked.

"No!" she exclaimed while stamping her foot against the concrete floor.

He reached down and gave her a peck on lips. "How about now?"

She blushed and only gave him a dissatisfied sound, "Hmpf!"

He bent down and kissed her for a few seconds and realized how much he had missed her. The two of them became lost in their kiss for a moment until Ben slowly pulled away.

"Now?" He whispered with a look of love in his eyes.

"Better," She said laying her cheek against his chest with a faint smile.

The two lovers remained in one another's embrace until Silvana opened her eyes to look around again.

"Where are we, Ben?"

He pulled away and said, "Let's go take a look!"

He removed the crystal from the formation to prevent anyone in the Varene Dynasty from accidentally using the teleporter and then turn to open the steel bunker door.

Ben began to lead Silvana across a large flat dirt field with thousands of soldiers running around and fighting one another. She unconsciously moved closer to Ben unsure what was happening. She wasn't sure if they had somehow arrived in the middle of a battle.

Before they could cross the field seven towering men and an imposing woman came toward them wearing shiny metal armor. Each of them bowed and saluted Ben calling his sire and your majesty.

Silvana listened to them respectfully relay reports about the troops who are training around them before they left to where they came from. They all spoke with an accent but Silvana had no problem understanding what they said.

"Who were those military people Ben? Why are they calling you sire?"

"Those are my generals silly girl, didn't I already tell you I'm a king"

Silvana's eyes grew into saucers as she shook her head trying to comprehend what just happened.

Ben only laughed as he took her by the hand again and led her toward the street.

As they walked the streets every stopped to respectfully greet Ben and look at the beautiful girl he was holding hands with. She appeared to be wearing some type of foreign commoner dress but still managed to look breathtaking while wearing it.

Ben used his map to find Mythia. They met up with her and went to the System Restaurant. Ben introduced the two and they got along great. The two of them had come from small farming communities and had a lot in common even if Mythia was a cultivator/mage princess now.

The three of them walked together over to the royal offices and spoke quickly with Rayner. Ben introduced him to Silvana and listened to a few reports he wanted to relay.

From the offices, they went up onto the fortress walls and looked out at the surrounding landscape. Ben explained the location of the other eight kingdoms on this continent from where they were and about the Wayward Woodlands just to the south.

Silvana had a hard time taking it all in, she was presented with unbelievable things everywhere around her and it was gradually beginning to sink in that Ben had not lied, he really is a king!

'How strange a king with the last name king. Do his subjects call him King King then? What am I thinking about right now focus Silvana!' The fluster girl who was lagging behind quickly caught back up to the two in front of her.

Ben took the two girls over to the section of Dragonshome where people lived like regular people without the help of the system's facilities. They browsed through the privately owned stores and watched the busy people working and running errands.

They explored the streets as they walked toward the castle. Ben began to explain how they were beginning to make other towns near Dragonshome. These new towns would be free of most of the Systems facilities as well.

People would need to build these towns with their own hands. They would depend on farmers to work the fields and harvest the crops the same way Silvana and her mother do every year. The only things they would have from the system is concrete streets, power plants, water treatment, trash disposal, and waste removal.

They would, of course, have to attend schooling up to high school. Just like every other Avalonian, they would also have the option of attending college in Dragonshome for free.

People in Dragonshome were already beginning to attend college and vocational classes. The people were beginning to learn modern profession such as [Contractor/Construction Manager], [Civil Engineering], [Plumber], [Carpenter], [Architectural Drafter], [Agriculture Science], [Business Administration], and hundreds of other available courses for them to choose from.

Within the next five years, it would be possible to have manufacturing plants, power plants, and modern construction companies that are completely independent of the System.

By Ben being a cultivator his life is extended with every level he gains. If he did not die of an accident or in battle he could live well over other two hundred years while looking like he was only in his upper forties.

It is a given that within his lifetime the regions that fall under his control can advance to be on level with Earth's technology!

The sights and busy sounds of Ben's small city were thrilling to Silvana who had grown up in a tiny settlement where everyone knew their neighbor. There was so much to see and do here. Ben continued to proudly describe the numerous entertainments, establishments, and workshops in his city to her as they entered the largest building she had ever seen before.

The Renaissance Castle was filled with busy servants. Ben escorted Sivana through the opulently designed and furnished hallways and rooms. Allowing Silvana to see the impressive features of the castle where Ben and Mythia lived.

After a stroll around the castle, they went up into the penthouse and sat on the balcony overlooking the busy fortified city below them. As the sun began to set the soft glow of electric lights lit up the city giving it a cozy warm feeling which made one wonder how each person was living their life down there amongst those beautiful lights.

Mythia had gone off to cultivate for a couple hours and to give the couple some time alone. She really took a liking to Silvana and could see a little of her older sister in her. As she went over to her Qi chamber she thought of how it would be great for Ben to find someone and for her to have another big sister.

Ben sat close to Silvana on the love seat on the balcony with his arm around her and the two of them quietly enjoyed one another's company.

As the sun set and darkness covered the land, Ben led Silvana off to his room which he never really used. The two of them spent the night together in one another's arms both glad to finally be reunited once again.