Chapter 446

A/N : New year new chapter!

“So, are we planning to use this information to harm other kingdoms?” the oldest prince asked once everybody left and he was left alone with his father and younger brother. “Ajax is still young and a little too idealistic to even suggest something like this around.”

“It’s definitely something worth considering but at the same time it’s also risky.” the crown prince answered. “We know that the ascended races are smart but we are also inferior to them. If they took the time to look they would surely be able to tell the Empire is a different kingdom from us or they might just wipe us both out if one of us breaks the agreement.” 

“That would just be playing with fire.” The king shook his head as he scratched a small scar on the back of his left hand, one he had gotten as a young child from the aforementioned activity and his own father had requested the healer leave it there as a lesson. He had initially resented that but in time came to appreciate the lesson of consequences over a perfect complexion of his arm. “Because of our deal with the elves that only leaves the dwarves and the beastkin, if we do decide to try.” 

“Something to consider and discuss with the elves at our next face to face meeting.” The crown prince nodded.

With the meeting over Ajax returned home and took part in a few meetings with noble families, as their rank increased there were more and more meetings that he didn’t leave early as those nobles were looking for a genuinely mutually beneficial deal.

By the time he had to depart Ajax had barely managed to create a somewhat worse version of the concrete that was available on Earth. It was still a great discovery and one he planned on putting to use immediately, just not what he was looking for in terms of buildings. The new mixture produced the same quality concrete as back on earth but took almost three times longer to set and required six times as much water to not crack when drying. The one upside was that the rock required was plentiful in the mountain range surrounding Lessis.

For the last day before he departed for the Empire Ajax had already begun making a stockpile of the powder.

“What is that for?” Tom asked as Ajax was demonstrating how the concrete formation worked to his family. 

“This is what I have been working on the last week.” Ajax said proudly. “It isn’t ready for long term buildings but since the rock used for this is so plentiful it should be good enough for roads.”

“You want to turn the roads into a swamp?” Kate asked hesitantly as she looked at the gooey bowl of wet cement.

“It takes a bit of time to set, and you’ll probably need a few mages on rotation summoning water to make keep it wet as it does so but this is what the end result is.” Ajax said as he produced an already set cube. 

“What did you use to cut it?” His father asked as he ran his fingers over the edge of the cube. “It's very rough like it was broken off but the edge seems too straight for a break.” 

“I didn’t cut it.” Ajax said as he drew their attention to the still drying cement in the bowl. “Think of this mixture like the rock version of molten steel, only it isn’t hot. Once it sets it won’t be easy to shape, it just needs to be kept wet until it does so that cracks don’t form.” 

“And you want to put this all on the road?” Judy asked. 

“I want to cover all roads between cities in our duchies with it.” Ajax confirmed. “It will take at least a decade, probably two, to get it done, not to mention that maintenance will be a headache but it will be worth it.” 

“Why do you say that?” Elija asked as he studied both the bowl and the finished product.

“How much faster could a wagon move if it was moved over a flat road like this than the beaten trails we have now?” Ajax could see his idea getting traction as Elija’s and Alana’s eyes grew wider at the implication. “With how central our duchy would be in the kingdom we could have a toll that will pay for everything in a few years.” 

“Alright so what do you want us to do with it right now?” his mother asked. 

“I have a few wagons worth of the powder already made, while they are setting the foundations for our estate I want you to set the road in the direction of Lessis, something to work as a proof of concept.” Ajax explained. 

Ajax wasn’t all that much of a fan of using Earth magic for their foundation but it was something he could use Earth magic to replace with better concrete once he was finished developing it.

“You should stay focused on the dungeon.” his mother chided him. “You won’t have anyone in there looking after you this time.” 

“I’ll be fine mom.” Ajax reassured her. “I won’t be going past level one hundred and ten, even then I won’t be clearing the entire floor, so I shouldn’t be in too much danger.” 

Ajax knew he sounded far too arrogant for someone facing monsters twice his level but that was simply the level he was at. To help put his mother at ease Ajax went and joined his family’s retainers at the training grounds for the last few hours before his departure. 

His reception at the training grounds was mixed. For more than half of their retainers this would be their first time actually meeting him instead of just seeing him from afar, their numbers had swelled once rumours of the duchy had started to spread. For the other half they welcomed him with the respect and an attitude reserved for a teacher. 

Over the two hours Ajax had brushed up on how the people he knew had progressed since the last time he trained with them more than a year ago. More than that he had also proven beyond any doubt to the newcomers that despite his young age the respect he was given came from his skill and power and not his title.

With his bags already packed beforehand and stored in the largest spacial ring they had, Ajax simply took a quick shower before he said his goodbyes and headed off. Unlike last time he went to the Empire he wasn’t taking anyone from his House with him.

It wasn’t just Ajax that was approaching this trip differently than the last. Their group was much smaller than it was last time but their combat prowess was much larger. Three of the eight royal squads were going with them along with the eldest prince. More than that the Goldmancer’s top retainer was joining them as well. 

“Won’t this be seen as aggressive?” Ajax asked as he looked over everyone present. 

“The deal we have with Sylvanthal and the ones we are trying to make with the Republic and Brightstone already formed an antagonistic relationship.” Xavier explained. “This is a show of force to stop the Empire from getting any ideas.” 

“That’s not what you should be worried about anyway, Duke Hearthbound.” Ajax’s head spun as he recognised the voice but didn’t know where from.

“Oliver? Is that you?” Ajax wasn’t sure as while the man in front of him resembled the Oliver he had seen five years ago it was only barely. 

“It is a pleasure to see you remember me.” Oliver said with a bow. “Though I do believe I owe you some apologies after our last meeting.”

Oliver’s life had taken a drastic turn following their last trip to the Empire. While Archduke Goldmancer had spared his life following the attempt on Anna there were dire consequences. Oliver’s quality of life for the following three years had been non-existent, he had been given the choice of renouncing the family or redeeming himself. His years of training and hard work for the family had broken him of any entitlement he had in him.

“What should I be worried about?” Ajax had picked up a few things about interacting with nobles, by not acknowledging the apology he signified that he had not made up his mind about whether to accept it or not. 

Oliver showed a slight smile seeing that he was even being given a chance to earn Ajax’s forgiveness. “You’ll be the most eligible bachelor in the Empire for the duration of your stay. Add that to the short stay and your widely known dislike for noble gatherings I would expect the attempts for your favor to be rather… aggressive.” 

Oliver’s words had Ajax debating if it wouldn’t be better to propose to Lexi before they reached the Empire rather than on the way back. He had already prepared a ring but with the uncertainty that hovered over the trip he decided to stick with his original plan.

“Let’s get going. This trip will be a lot quicker than your last one since we won’t be stopping to meet with every noble on our way there.” the eldest prince said as he herded them towards the carriages that looked more like an armored transport than fancy transportation.