The next morning, I wake before dawn. Almost before opening my eyes, my first thought is that today we’re going after the ant nest.

  We probably should have prepared yesterday for today’s incursion, but I was busy with construction.

  My plan is to organize the assault group over breakfast, so I get up to wake Ronan and the totem. Ronan sleeps like I do, in the communal cave. As for the totem, I ask a goblin who’s already awake to notify him. If I remember correctly, he claimed one of the smaller caves for himself. When he arrives a few minutes later, the cook comes with him.

  Are they a couple? I stare at them with a faint frown until I remind myself that, as long as they respect my ban on more goblin babies, there’s no problem.

  Grumpa heads off to prepare something for us to eat, and the pup follows her with cheerful little hops. I bet he’s hoping they’ll give him some meat. Back at the academy he already ate an absurd amount for his size, and here with the goblins he seems bottomless.

  We wake the iron fist as well and move to one of the few tables in the communal cave—which I suspect they built more for Ronan and me than for themselves—and sit around it.

  “We need to organize the incursion party,” I tell them. “Iron fist, I’d like the orcs to participate too.”

  “As you command, my leader.”

  Seated between the totem and Ronan, he seems even more respectful than yesterday.

  “Convergence includes all of us. I don’t want those to be empty words. In an incursion like this, where creatures like you can level up, I want both goblins and orcs to benefit.”

  “Thank you very much, my leader. I’ll call my best warriors, we won’t disappoint you.”

  I snort.

  They won’t disappoint me? He’s definitely different from yesterday. Not more servile exactly—more fanatical, maybe, or eager for Convergence to succeed.

  I glance at Ronan suspiciously. Did he say something to him?

  “Good, but we won’t need many warriors,” I add. “Maybe a couple acting as tanks to hold the ants while the others attack. The truth is I don’t want too many coming because the goblins need time to get used to their presence. After all, until recently, you were enemies.”

  “That’s true. Orcs have always hunted goblins, whether to eat them or enslave them,” the totem points out.

  “I understand, my leader,” Rankunk tells me. “However, I’d suggest at least four.”

  “Four? Why?”

  The orc leader, clearly proud of his warriors’ strength, explains:

  “Since it’s an ant nest, the passages will be narrow. Ideally, with a small group, two strong and sturdy warriors block the ants, another eliminates them, and a shaman supports them. With four, I’m certain they can clear the nest without issue.”

  He says it with such confidence that I almost believe him. But then I remember how tough those ants were—and that we probably didn’t face their elites, who would normally stay with the queen.

  I’m basically thinking in video game terms here. I have no idea what giant ant nests are actually like in this world. Still, MMORPG logic has worked surprisingly well with dungeons so far.

  Ronan intervenes, confirming my suspicion that it won’t be that simple—or that my new vassals aren’t quite that powerful yet. Maybe the orc leader doesn’t realize what kind of giant ants we’re dealing with.

  “My lady, I do not think four orcs will be enough. Besides, we also need to gain influence points through your sergeants and vassal soldiers. By soldiers I include both Petunia and Grumpa.”

  “Grumpa? She’s just a cook,” I say, surprised.

  “If she knows how to use knives, she knows how to fight. Besides, bringing Grumpa is a good idea. If the incursion drags on, she could cook the ants for us if necessary.”

  “I’m not eating that,” I state with a disgusted grimace.

  I’ve seen the goblins cook insects sometimes, but I already made it clear I don’t eat that, and they’ve respected it.

  “Eat what, leader?” Grumpa asks, approaching with breakfast, helped by her daughter.

  The pup scampers at her side and, seeing me, runs over barking happily before sitting at my feet.

  The iron fist tenses at the sight of him.

  Ronan, I ask mentally, did something happen between the iron fist and the pup that I don’t know about?

  Only that he revealed himself for what he is. It seemed the iron fist couldn’t perceive him on his own.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Okay. So it’s normal he’s acting extra helpful and eager to prove himself. Another one convinced he’s serving the future demon king.

  Since the orcs won’t arrive for a few hours, I stick around and chat with Ronan.

  “They left early this morning. They have already gone beyond the range I have to communicate with the bats and other friends I left there to help them. I do not think they will have any trouble though, my lady.”

  Great. We drift to other topics until I remember the warehouse.

  “It’s already built. Come see it at the pedestal.”

  I follow him to the town hall. The Convergence interface looks the same as before, except for the ten influence points spent on the warehouse and the total building count now at fifty.

  Ronan reaches out and selects “Blessings”. From there, I see we have three miasma points.

  “By storing it in the warehouse—both what we saw yesterday and what was with the bones—the settlement has registered it, and now it can be used.”

  “Great. The spells we already had cost ten miasma points,” I say, still surprised by how much my memory has improved. “I haven’t looked at the new ones.”

  “They cost more.”

  “Well, then we still can’t use them. But it’s great that we’re already producing and accumulating miasma.”

  “Do you want to look at the other blessings?”

  “A quick look, then I’m taking a walk through the forest. I’m not spending another full day locked underground.”

  I do the honors, tapping the interface.

  Available Blessings:

  Minor Fury

  Effect: +10% attack and damage bonus for settlement members. Can only be activated in combat situations.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: until combat ends or until inhabitants leave the settlement territory, whichever comes first.

  Cost: 40 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  Minor Productivity

  Effect: +10% gathering and crafting speed bonus for settlement members.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: 24 hours.

  Cost: 40 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  Minor Protection

  Effect: +10% physical, magical, and status effects resistance bonus for settlement members. Can only be activated in combat situations.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: until combat ends or until inhabitants leave the settlement territory, whichever comes first.

  Cost: 40 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  Low Fury

  Effect: +20% attack and damage bonus for settlement members. Can only be activated in combat situations.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: until combat ends or until inhabitants leave the settlement territory, whichever comes first.

  Cost: 100 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  Low Productivity

  Effect: +20% gathering and crafting speed bonus for settlement members.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: 24 hours.

  Cost: 100 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  Low Protection

  Effect: +20% physical, magical, and status effects resistance bonus for settlement members. Can only be activated in combat situations.

  Range: entire settlement territory.

  Duration: until combat ends or until inhabitants leave the settlement territory, whichever comes first.

  Cost: 100 miasma points. This cost corresponds to the current population of the settlement.

  “ Did blessing costs go up after Convergence reached level 2? Maybe because the population grew?”

  “Makes sense, my lady.”

  “Let’s see how much miasma we produce. I hope it’s more.”

  Convergence’s current miasma gain rate is 4 point of condensed miasma every 50 hours.

  “Well, that answers that,” I say. “The new blessings are just higher-tier versions. Good that the minor versions remain, in case we don’t want to spend that much.”

  I say goodbye to Ronan, take the pup for a walk, and return by mid-morning.

  Gump greets me at the cave entrance—was he waiting for me?—and tells me the orcs have already arrived.

  I follow him inside. Goblins fill the main cave, busy with their routines, many laughing. I relax a little—I’d been worried they might be afraid of the orcs. Then, he leads me to the ant nest entrance, the one I sealed with stone. Ronan and the others are waiting, ready for the incursion.

  So, I greet them and quickly check my system interface:

  Ronan Velbrun, Vassal Sergeant level 10, Soul Weaver.

  Galp, Vassal Soldier level 8, Battle Warden.

  Bramp, Vassal Soldier level 7, Spearman.

  Lolp, Vassal Soldier level 7, Hunter.

  Scamp, Vassal Soldier level 7, Spearman.

  Petunia, Vassal Soldier, level 4.

  Totem, Vassal Sergeant, level 9, Shaman.

  Grumpa, Vassal Soldier, level 3, cook.

  Obtainable influence points: 1 for each soldier kill. Up to 4 for sergeant leadership.

  The goblins had been waiting seated or leaning against the wall near the entrance, but they stand when they see me. The orcs are showing off their strength, proudly posing in front of them. Lolp, caught up in the enthusiasm, imitates them clumsily, flexing his tiny muscles as hard as he can.

  I watch them for a few seconds. Compared to the orcs, they look far more careless, and less useful in combat.

  Then I approach. The goblins quickly grab their equipment and straighten up. Only the cook remains leaning against the wall—not out of disrespect, but simply taking advantage of the chance to rest.

  “My lady, these are Stoong and Gragar, the tanks. This is Ornogg, the fighter, and this is Grunbleinderflagglernigrt, the shaman.”

  Wow. Ronan must also have the scholar ability because he pronounces that name flawlessly.

  I stare at the shaman. Like the other orcs, he looks fierce and strong, though his body is hidden beneath white animal hides. I can’t tell if he’s wearing hardened leather armor underneath like the others. The coat has a hood, but it’s lowered, letting me see his face clearly. Like the others, his hair is braided and decorated with iron beads.

  So, Grunbleinderflagglernigrt… I think I’ll call him Grung. If only for the goblins’ sake; I doubt they have the scholar skill, and surely they have less wisdom than I do.

  “Shouldn’t you or the totem appoint them as vassal soldiers so we gain more influence points?”

  “Great Sage,” the totem says. Hearing the title, the orc shaman looks at me with renewed interest and respect. “We prefer to leave them as the iron fist’s vassal soldiers once he becomes one of your officers. In fact, Stoong and Grunbleinderflagglernigrt are his two bronze fists.”

  “I understand.” I glance at Rankunk III. It makes perfect sense to give him a rank as soon as I can. “Thank you for bringing your best warriors. Are you all ready?”

  Affirmations sound around me, and I smile.

  “Good. Then I’ll remove the stone wall sealing the entrance, and we go in.”