Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 818: Well-Oiled Domain I

CH818 Well-Oiled Domain I

***

‘As expected. I can’t see…’

A wry chuckle escaped Alex’s lips.

But before he could mull over the matter, a couple of people approached the bed.

“Master, you are awake.” Udara’s voice reached Alex’s ears.

Then he felt two soft bodies wrap around him. He gently embraced both women in return, slowly combing their hair down their backs with his fingers.

“Yes, thanks to you.” Alex smiled. “To both of you,” he added.

“The Heavenly Tribulation was truly determined to kill me. If it weren’t for the Trinkets you gave me, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Alex suddenly lowered his head.

“Eleanore, Udara… I’m sorry. I lost the Trinkets you gave me to symbolise our marriage. I—”

“That’s not a problem.” Eleanore cut him off. “We can always get new ones. They’re just Trinkets, and they fulfilled the purpose they were meant for. It’s not as though losing them means our marriage is no longer valid.”

“You’re not angry that I broke my promise to protect them?” Alex asked cautiously.

Eleanore raised an eyebrow.

“Why would we be? We gave you equipment and a potion. Equipment breaks, and it’s hardly surprising for it to be completely destroyed after a battle like that. Besides, what use is a potion if you keep it hidden away forever? A potion is meant to be used.”

“Exactly, Master,” Udara chimed in. “Yes, we’re happy that you treasure our gifts, and we treasure yours as well. But what we care about most has always been—and always will be—you, Master.

“What’s the point of preserving a Trinket if it means losing the person you love? Or would you stop loving us just because the Trinkets you gave us broke—especially if they broke while saving our lives in battle?”

“…Of course not.” Alex smiled wryly.

‘I got outplayed… badly,’ he thought inwardly.

During the battle, he had forgotten that Tribulation Lightning was holistic in nature, targeting every aspect of the tribulation taker—body, mana, soul, bloodline… everything was tested.

This Heavenly Tribulation had been far craftier in its approach than the previous Tribulation Lightning Alex had previously faced.

Its assault on his soul hadn’t been obvious at first—or rather, it had been cleverly concealed beneath the overwhelming pressure the Tribulation itself imposed upon him.

It was only after Alex believed the Tribulation had ended that it began its final soul trial by amplifying his regret over the destruction of the marriage Trinkets Eleanore and Udara had given him.

Already in an extreme mental state due to his greater synchronisation with his Furor Bloodline, his Velkar True Name, and Calm Madness, the slight push from the Heavenly Tribulation had been enough to drive him to the brink of giving up on life, were it not for Udara’s timely arrival.

A quiet shudder ran down his spine.

‘I knew the Furor Bloodline was extreme, but I thought that only meant I had to watch my emotions when reacting to people. I never imagined it could become so extreme that I’d simply give up on life… and not even realise something was wrong!’

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.

It made him wonder whether there were aspects of his personality that had already been altered by the extremism of the Furor Bloodline without his knowledge.

Unfortunately, by the very nature of the problem, it wasn’t something he could solve simply by thinking about it. If he could identify the changes through introspection alone, they wouldn’t be a problem worth worrying about in the first place.

Beyond how quickly he had adapted to this new world—and how readily he had accepted the killing and the chaos—Alex couldn’t think of any other changes the Furor Bloodline might have brought about.

As such, he decided to stop dwelling on it.

Being blind was a curious experience.

According to the myths from his previous life, losing one’s sight was supposed to heighten all the other senses. Alex couldn’t honestly say the same had happened to him.

However, he did feel more aware of Udara’s and Eleanore’s presence. He was also more conscious of his surroundings, though he suspected that had more to do with his Eidetic Memory than anything else.

He already knew where everything was and could recall how each object felt within the room, including the exact position where he was currently seated on the bed.

His brain was spending more effort comparing his current sensory input against its vast ‘archive’ than it was interpreting entirely new sensations.

Alex shook his head, pushing the idle thoughts aside and allowing himself to simply enjoy the moment with his wives.

“Are you really okay, Master?” Udara asked.

“We’re back to calling me ‘Master’?” Alex said with a smirk. “I distinctly remember you calling me by my name before.”

Although he couldn’t see it, judging by how much warmer Udara had become in his arms, Alex was fairly certain the young woman was blushing.

“Don’t worry. I am fine,” he reassured her.

He wasn’t particularly distressed about losing his vision. After all, he knew it was only temporary.

He had pushed his Truth-Seeker Eyes to their absolute limit. Not only had their ocular prowess been exhausted, but even his eyes themselves needed to shut down in order to recuperate.

His eyesight—and eventually the full power of his ocular ability—would return soon enough.

“How long was I asleep? What about Zora? How is the domain?” Alex asked in quick succession.

“You were asleep for a week, Master,” Udara informed him.

Alex was slightly surprised, but he eventually accepted it with a nod.

“Sister Zora is currently leading the front,” Eleanore began. “The battle between you and the Heavenly Tribulation killed most of the berserk beasts that had either already crossed into our domain or were lingering near the Rotbark River. Those that survived immediately fled back east beyond the Ashwell Mountains.

“As a result, much of the domain is now free of dangerous berserk beasts, with only a few relatively harmless ones remaining.”

She continued, “Sister Zora and Sir Saul agreed to advance the front line to the Ashwell Mountains to prevent the beasts from re-entering the domain through that route.

“Construction of a makeshift fort to block the passage is already underway. Your approval will be needed later to construct a more permanent fort.”

“Understood.” Alex nodded.

“As for the domain, with the berserk beasts driven back, things have returned to normal. No… they’re actually busier than before,” Eleanore said.

“Although the beast tide didn’t last long, it still caused damage in several places that now needs repairing. At the same time, we’ve taken the opportunity to bring some of our development plans forward, so we’ve instructed the domain’s factories to ramp up production.”

“Are the citizens happy about that?” Alex asked.

Domain Fortune had played a crucial role in his victory over the Tribulation doppelganger. The citizens’ satisfaction and loyalty formed a significant part of that very power.

“Very,” Eleanore replied with a smile.

Only a moment later did she remember that Alex couldn’t see it, causing her expression to dim slightly.

Yet, to her surprise, Alex effortlessly reached out and gently pinched her cheeks—almost as though he could see the worry written across her face.

Eleanore smiled once more as she continued,

“Officials from both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Trade and Commerce worked together to refine and implement the shift scheduling plan you proposed.

“Thanks to that, the factories now operate around the clock using four rotating shifts, allowing more people within the domain to find employment.”

“It is safe to say that the people are very happy,” she concluded.

“That’s good.” Alex nodded with a smile.

“The work should keep the people’s minds occupied and stop them from dwelling on the beast tide’s sudden end,” he added.

“Oh, about that…” Eleanore said. “Udara has already taken care of the clean-up.”

She turned towards the domain’s head of Information and Intelligence.

“Really?” Alex also turned towards her.

“I had some agents spread rumours among the soldiers—especially those stationed in Ashwell—and throughout the domain that the thunderclaps and violent lightning were all your doing,” Udara revealed.

“Huh?” Alex was stunned.

“It’s like you said some time ago… If we gave the soldiers enough time to come up with their own explanations, they might arrive at conclusions we wouldn’t like. So, I decided to take the initiative and control the narrative,” Udara explained.

“I considered it far too risky to reveal anything about the Heavenly Tribulation. Anything capable of drawing the attention of the Heavens would likely also attract the interest of the Temples and other powerful organisations across the plane. That would do us very few favours.

“So instead, we created a narrative that the lightning was entirely your doing. That allowed us to portray you as an exceptionally powerful sorcerer. Not only does that serve as a deterrent against any potential troublemakers within the domain, but it also reassures the people.

“They can now place greater hope in the future because they believe a powerful figure stands ready to defend both them and the future they’re helping to build.”

She paused before asking somewhat cautiously,

“Did I do the right thing?”

***