15

Chapter 15 Coronation

Leaving wasn't an immediate process. Since I only had one dragon skull with me I had to break down the HMS interceptor. Good bye dear ship, you served me well. The worse part was that I couldn't recover any of the weapons I used in making my ram, instead I got a recipe. While potentially useful for later, it's extremely annoying right now.

Then I had to remove all the addtions to the HMS Dauntless. I definitely wanted to make my way back at a speed higher than crawl. I was so happy to be using slaves. They didn't whine about the fact that I was just in a battle or even the blood running down the stairs. After the day I had I would have happily killed everyone aboard for some peace and quiet.

It was hard to believe how insane everything had gone within the span of a single day.

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Getting my new employees settled in was pretty easy although it did take some work. Impatient I had them wait while I massively expanded my base in the End to accommodate them all. I fully intended to abuse the time dilation as much as possible.

I was pretty generous when setting up their living quarters. After all I wanted them to stay after being freed. It was almost an entire town just for them. It was underground though. I had no desire to find they had been wiped out by the natives.

Hopefully they won't feel too claustrophobic. Since endermen can teleport anywhere there is at least ten feet of room I made sure the ceiling was never more than eight feet high. Other than teleporting there isn't any way into the town.

I built the town on one of the outer islands and buried deep inside. The natives had no idea what was beneath them. Even if they did, a thick warded layer of iron sheathed everything, including the livestock fields. The only access point was a single gate back to my base in the End.

I emphasized the trust and free reign I was giving them. I even stayed with them for the first week to work out any logistical issues. The families were more useful than I had thought. They could tend crops and livestock to support the rest. Bonemeal of course, made it all much easier.

I'm not sure if they'll need it, but they even have their own dungeon. A few rooms are already in use, housing people I've captured for my translators to interrogate. The sooner I learn their language the sooner I can learn about their magic.

Building the base taught me a few things. Endstone does float, sort of. It takes a lot of it, but the islands aren't actually anchored to a sea floor. They aren't anchored at all. Instead the water seems to get denser as you go deeper. Far enough down and endstone does float. Finding that out almost killed me more than once.

Breaking through the bottom of the island taught me a lot. The black water is horrifically persistent. It pours through the gap I cut as if pressurized. Given it's odd density it probably is. Only a quick leap and frantic layering of blocks saves me. Even the few drops that touched me went straight through my armor and burned.

It would make the scariest poison ever if I could actually use it. The problem was storage. Endstone was much too fragile and crumbles easily. Obsidian was worse. A few tests revealed it wasn't as resilient as I had thought. It's much slower, but it still wears out. The sailors here are much braver than I realized to risk their life in ships slowly rotting out from under them.

But that all revealed that there was a definite limit to how far down I can build and it wasn't nearly far enough. So I went sideways. It was one of the worst ideas I've ever had and I almost died more than once, but I built an underwater tunnel connecting the island to the next one over.

I expanded the connection as quickly as possible and then reinforced it. Even if the islands seemed to be perfectly stationary I wasn't taking any chances. Besides more room is better and I had all that endstone I had just mined out available.

Soon enough I was done. Now my underground town was only located in the few upper layers. Three floors down and there was only a single massive layer shared between the two islands. I'll probably put a second town on the far end eventually.

I turned it into pastures. Animal products were the only resource I couldn't endlessly produce with my powers. I really didn't like the idea of any kind of resource limitations. Hell I even figured out how to generate water.

It was the frozen tower that had given me the idea. When the ice melts it didn't turn into black water, but normal water. So I enchanted some boots with frostwalker and build a cistern of black water. A quick walk later, by a minion of course, and I had a layer of ice. More minions to remove the ice and place on a slide made from magma and I had an endless water fountain. A sluice gate with more black water destroyed any excess water.

Once again I come a conclusion I've reached before. My god are my powers broken when it comes to resource generation.

So I now have a small town. Very small since it held less than a hundred people. Provided this works out I am definitely going to expand. Still if there is one thing this dimension has given me, it's time.

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So it turns out my trip had more repercussions than I had realized. Rumors had spread like wildfire about what I had done at Tyrosh. Calling it the greatest naval battle since one of my ancestors had conquered the Stepstone islands.

Sailing past Lorath in my giant ship with scorch marks I hadn't bothered to fix confirmed it for most people. What I didn't expect was how Lorath responded to my new reputation.

I visit Lorath monthly to check on the progress of the various merchant family quests. I knew it was too early to expect any progress, but I was hopeful. What I was not expecting was to be met by a committee. A whole crowd of people had gathered for my monthly meeting, only some of whom I recognized.

I made the rest wait until I had gotten my reports over with. No progress sadly. They didn't leave after reporting either. Instead they watched as several other stepped forward. I recognized the prince I've had dealings with before. Not sure about the others.

Turns out they had three princes. They had a proposal for me. One that took me completely by surprise. They wanted me to lead Lorath. The hell?

As they kept talking, I could piece together their reasoning. It even made an odd kind of sense.

It seems I had shaken up the balance of power so bad that they were once more in charge. I hadn't realized before that they were largely ceremonial. Now that they had power they wanted to keep it. Or as much of it as possible. Hence putting me in charge and them serving in my council.

In a twisted kind of way I could even see it. For this world their logic was perfectly valid. Based on my actions I was pretty close to ideal as a leader.

I was powerful. Everything I had done had cemented that fact. Lorath wasn't the most powerful city state even before my rampage. I could turn that around.

I was successful. My shopping trips had confirmed that. I had already spent enormous amounts of resources. And of course my ship, both it's construction and capabilities, were beyond anything anyone else had.

I wasn't a colossal dick. They didn't say that, but it was pretty easy to infer. Words like reasonable response and justifiable retaliation were used. Apparently not slaughtering them and enslaving the survivors was considered merciful.

And that was it. The total sum of why they wanted me in charge. God this place sucks.

Of course, I accepted. I needed a loyal and most importantly intelligent support base. It was the only thing holding me back at this point.

After agreeing to be king they held a short ceremony. The others graciously agreed to wait to speak to me. That was pretty nice of them. Also probably meant they wanted something. Eh. I'll deal with it when it comes up.

It seems they had prepared ahead of time. The whole city turned up within a few hours. The cheering the announcement garnered just felt plain wrong. It was not that long ago that they would flee in terror at the sight of me. Did ruling them really make that much of a difference?

I made some kind of speech. I kept it short. No kid is ever going to sound inspirational. Scary maybe if japanese horror is any indication, but thats more from being creepy. Squeaky voices just don't have as much impact.

I didn't really pay attention to what I was saying. I was way too busy making plans. I was also trying to figure out how to ensure loyalty or at least keep people from betraying me. Hopefully my reputation will do that since I couldn't think of anything else.

Afterwards I funded a massive coronation party. The princes had already arranged one, but I expanded it. While waiting for people to gather I had made a quick trip back to Lorassyon. There was now absolutely no danger of running out of food or drink. I'll take every bit of good will I can get.

I wandered around talking to my new citizens. They were pretty happy overall. Still seems really weird to me. Are they really so used to horrible lords that I looked good in comparison?

I don't even know why I asked. Of course I do. This world is filled with people like Joffrey.

Well, at least it makes my job easier.

Talking to them reveals a lot more information as well. It seems the princes had put in a lot of work with public opinion. The people seemed to blame the magisters for well, pretty much everything right now. How they missed out on the fact that I was the one gunning down everyone in sight I'm not sure.

I do confirm the princes as part of my council and the rulers of the city. I make a point of letting them know in private that if they abuse their power I will kill them. I don't want an unhappy populace. Otherwise I'm happy to not have to actually rule.

There is another reason everyone seems so eager to accept me. It also turns out they really don't like Braavos. My attack there seemed to be the talk of the town. They kept asking me for details on what I destroyed.

Everyone also seems excited at the idea of becoming a dominant power. They actually wanted a royal naval. How crazy is that?

Well at least the HMS label works now. I wonder if 'your majesty' will end up replacing 'your grace'?

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After the party I made time to talk with the others. They had been good sports about the delay so I was pretty polite to them. Even if they wanted something at least they weren't rude and demanding. They were a pretty diverse group of people.

The first to greet me was loud and very very friendly. I definitely don't like being kissed by a man, even if it isn't sexual. Although knowing who it was, it might have been. Well, probably not considering I was child. First time I was glad to be stuck in a child's body.

Oberyn Martell looked almost exactly like he did in the show. A bit younger of course. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Does that mean this is the show universe? A mix?

He was also alone which was pretty unusual. Both the books and the show agreed on how taken he was with his mistress. Maybe he hasn't met her yet?

I'm actually surprised he's here. I sent the letter but I only expected a letter back. At best I thought they would send a messenger. I guess they really wanted the Mountain's skull. If King Robert hears about this he'll go nuts.

Ah.

King Robert. With my recent victory I guess it isn't nearly had dangerous to support me as it was before. Well that and Oberyn does have a reputation for being reckless.

He also has a reputation for being suave and unflappable. It didn't stop him from gaping in shock when I pulled out the Mountain's skull from my Inventory. I presented it with a flourish. You have to enjoy the little things.

He was saved by a woman. I guess Oberyn has met Ellaria. She's just shown up, obviously pregnant. I greet her politely even if she ruined me fun. I'd glare but as a kid it'd just look cute. And now I'm back to being annoyed at being a kid.

She seems surprised by how polite I am. I forgot how harsh this world is towards bastards. Eh, it's not like I care anything about legitimacy.

Hmm. Maybe I can use that somehow. Maybe establish a school or order of knights or something.

My next visitor breaks that train of thought. The grey robes and chain around his neck means he's a maester. It wasn't until he introduced himself as Marwyn that I relaxed. He was cagey about why he was here, but I can guess.

I guess the fact I have magic is well and truly out in the open. Which means I might have to deal with the Citadel. I can't remember if it was fanon or not that they were trying to stamp out magic. Still, Marwyn was always shown as a supporter of magic so he should be safe enough.

I am more than happy to allow him to stay. I really want my own raven service. Actually maybe he could run a school?

The last guest was the most interesting. Tall with black skin and glowing red tattoos. It was obvious he had some kind of magic. He introduced himself as Moqorro the Black Flame, priest of R'hllor. Called it. So blood magic probably.

Like Marwyn he wanted to stay, which I didn't mind. He stated that he was sent to guide me. Which if he means teach me his magic is great. If he means anything else well there's going to be problems. I'm a firm believer in separation of church and state. It's one of the reasons I don't want to be called God-king.

At least he hasn't proclaimed me the Azor Ahai reborn. Although I probably could make a decent case for actually being Azor Ahai. I can easily build a flaming Valyrian steel sword and call it Lightbringer.

Makes me wonder if the first Azor Ahai was named Steve. Have minecraft powers appeared before? Maybe all those legends of the Azor Ahai and their different names were actually a group of minecraft players? It would explain why the stories are so widespread.

They'd also fit Bran the Builder. I wonder if I'll end up with builder for my epithet? Maybe not, Maekor the Builder seems a bit much.

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Over the next few months Lorath expands massively. I didn't provide them ships but I did drop off enough supplies to build an entire fleet. I also use a few devices to convert most of the islands center from stony ground to fertile farmland. I didn't intent to keep using my powers there, but it should provide a good starting point.

Most of the poor were only too eager to move into actual houses and work the farms. Soon small villages dotted the island. They had plenty of room to grow. In a few years I anticipate a population explosion. I even stripped most of the defenses from my base to plant another village there. It was a bit over the top anyway.

Several of the merchants move out of the city. They seem to like the idea of becoming actual lords and scatter across island. I don't do much for them besides set up a wall and dock, but that seems to be enough.

Many of them are negotiating to take over some of the villages. I've only had to kill a few who tried to use less than honest methods. There's always someone who thinks they're untouchable. It helps that the citizens all seem to love me right now. Hard to hide what your doing when everyone is willing to report you.

Lorath isn't the only place keeping me busy. They also have a single colony called Morosh. While I did drop off some supplies for them mostly I removed their poor. I needed more colonies if I was to seize complete control of Lorath Bay.

There is a peninsula directly south of Lorath which was easily converted to more farmland. From it Lorath Bay could be easily controlled. Since I wasn't living there I added walls and watch towers to each village.

Lorath was not the only place I worked with. It was too early to approach anyone about joining yet. It would take years to establish myself successfully. But there was one place I fully intended to rule completely.

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It had been four months in Lorath. In the End almost three years had passed. The native language had long since been translated. I was learning it slowly, but I also had translators now. However all that took less than a year.

I spent the rest of the time conquering the entire dimension and consolidating my rule. Armies of undead and golems marched on each village. The people fought bravely, recklessly, foolishly.

After each conquered island I offered to let the survivors join me. They had a pretty intricate culture of vassalage and I took full advantage of it. I ruled them all within a few months. Even then it only took so long because I took so many prisoners and interrogated so many people.

It was worth it. Most of their elders died before speaking, but enough broke. I learned their magic. I was surprised to find it wasn't unique. The notes my power gave me stated it was originally practiced by Warlocks.

I was surprisingly simple too. You build a sarcophagus made from obsidan, dragon bone and endstone. All things I have in abundance. You then sacrifice people in it. You also need a potion brewed from chorus flowers and a bunch of other things, but the sacrifice is the important part.

If it's done right you get a handful of blue ash. They then tattoo it on themselves in careful patterns. My powers shortcut that part. I just need the potion and sacrifice. I then get literal video game level options.

A series of spells were listed. Growing a wall, rows of spikes and other options, some they hadn't discovered too. I get to buy them. More sacrifices lets me upgrade the spell or buy another. And presto, instant once a day magic effects.

I go a bit mad with power after that discovery. I started sacrificed pretty much everyone who didn't swear themselves to me fast enough. The conquest off the remainder of the dimension was rushed. Instead of the six month campaign I originally planned I finished it in a week as I drowned them in numbers. All to capture as many as possible for sacrifices.

Still I had undisputed rule of the dimension after that. I then tore apart the realm and rebuilt it. There were no longer thickly clustered islands around a large sea. Now there is only a single massive island surrounding a massive colosseum where the dragon spawns.

The colosseum wasn't for an audience. Instead it was filled with mounted siege engines. Hundreds of windlances. Enchanted mantlets protected them from fire and each other. Dragon hunting was a methodical and regular process here. I have quite the stockpile of dragon eggs built up.

The land itself is now layered now into multiple floors. I could expand outwards, but there is still the problem of temperature. Not to mention the other inhabitants. Because of them my realm is surrounded by a ring of massive fortifications and defenses.

Not everyone was killed or submitted. A few groups escaped and fled outwards. Much like the wildlings. Given how easy the plants grow there is little hope of them starving. Still I wish them well against the endermen, ice dragons and whatever else is out there.

Despite the grumblings of a very few the people here love me. I introduced new food, safety from endermen, and a host of other benefits. I have long since freed the slaves I brought over and they are now teaching.

If the timeline follows the books than in six years the story begins. Here forty eight years will have past. Generations raised to serve me.