Maximilian opened his eyes sometime later. His period of serenity had faded, which meant he needed to return to reality. The difference between cultivators and non-cultivators was truly frightening. The energy around him had dissipated quite a bit, but the tree more than made up for it. He doubted he would gain another level sitting here until the place had recovered, but he could get close. Not that he felt the need to do that right now. He pulled up his status screen and smiled at his progress. He was level 21, which meant he was only six levels from getting his class. He placed his points into Intelligence since the attribute was his bread and butter. He was pretty sure that would be the lead attribute for his class, regardless of what he did now. He considered trying to make his new skill now, but he knew that it wasn't the best idea. He felt like his understanding of the skill symbols was too low. He knew what they meant, or what they were supposed to mean, and how they worked. Yet he wouldn't say he was confident enough to make one from nothing.

  He had taken more time to explore the symbol for Severing Disc, and he could tell it was the combined effort of many different concepts. If he was going to make a skill, then he wanted to make something worth it. He wanted to make the best skill he could. He wanted to spend time in the library reading, but he couldn't. He had just gotten to his feet when a wind chime-like sound spread through his cultivation chamber. He cracked his fingers and then made his way to the door, where he found a woman who worked for the unofficial government, though he had no idea who she was.

  "Everyone has gathered and awaits you." She said right before she bowed.

  He nodded as the woman made her exit. He wasn't sure why people bowed to him now, since he had never told them to. Nor did he know anyone who had. As for the gathering, it was a meeting to officially form the government of Nubia. He had put it off until now, but that option had faded. More and more people had been taking advantage of the lack of official law. Not necessarily in a bad way. Which was what he had expected. No, the problem was that there were a lot of people enforcing the law, which made things chaotic. Housing was the biggest point of contention. He had just given people houses, but since a lot of them remained empty most of the time, people would move in and out freely. Something that started as no big deal, but people were also cultivators. It had become more common for people to disappear for a week or two and be thought dead. Someone would move into their house, only for them to come back and evict the person. An eviction that would either turn into one-sided bullying of the other or a fight. Neither was conducive. There was also the danger of his enforcing the rules. A danger that he couldn't avoid. He was becoming a monarch. Or rather, his word was often the thing that determined what would happen. Regardless of opinions or anything else. That power had also extended to his mother. Which made things messy.

  Maximilian shook his head as he strode into his throne room. Something that he found equal parts amusing and worrying. It had started as a bit of a joke, but now it was real. He had a throne, though it wasn't going to be winning any fantasy or artistic competitions. It was his. He strode up the stairs and took his seat. At that moment, the rest of the nearly dozen people turned toward him. The setup was reminiscent of a Chinese fantasy drama he liked when he was in college. He still didn't understand why his advisors had to stand while he could sit, but he also didn't question it. "Good day, everyone. I hope that I have not kept you waiting for too long. Today's meeting is to establish the official government of Nubia. A government that will form the basis of a faction that can stand the test of time. We follow in the footsteps of our forefathers. We forge a path that, through no fault of our own, must be walked. I thank you for offering your wisdom and your counsel."

  His words made him feel like he was in a Renaissance fair or a LARP convention, but he meant every word. The Network had shattered the world, and now it was time to rebuild. The Network made the process harder. There was a brief conversation about reinstating democracy, but it wasn't workable. He wasn't sure if that would change later, but the Network recognized him as the leader. No one else. Nezha and his mother had access to a lot of the subsystems related to governance, but even they had limits. Nezha more so. The construct could only tell him what to do. It couldn't do anything on its own. He could delegate small and mundane tasks, but that was about it. That being said, he was also supposed to delegate. He had the ultimate decision-making power, but he wasn't supposed to be here at all times. Oddly enough, he was supposed to get stronger and be the nuclear deterrent for Nubia. A role he already filled quite well. Today's meeting was to establish the rest of the government.

  He leaned back in his seat as his ministers argued back and forth. They had been at it for over two hours, and as much as he wanted to join in, he couldn't. Not because he didn't know enough. This was his bread and butter, so to speak, but because the moment he took a side, the other would just give up. The only person in the room willing to debate with him was his mother, which defeated the whole point of having advisers. Since he could just argue with his mother if he wanted to. So instead, he leaned back and let them tell him. He listened to all the arguments and had to admit there were no wrong answers. He had already decided he wanted a council of sorts to make choices when he wasn't around, but the nature of that council wasn't simple. He could have a small elite group, but that would lend itself to oligarchy pretty quickly. He could have a massive council like ancient Athens, where everyone would get a say before a choice was made, but that would be too slow. It could work fine for choices that are measured in years, but what if something needed to happen immediately? They would be dead long before they made a choice. Ultimately, he decided to steal from the old United States. He felt that a system of representatives based on region and population was the best. A system that could even let them have a bit of democracy.

  He knew by now that democracy wasn't some magical solution, yet it did make him feel better. It made him feel less like a monarch, which was worth it as far as he was concerned. Of course, this hadn't solved the problem; if anything, it made things harder. As he had no states. The entire population of Nubia was almost equal to a major city in the Old World, which made the situation more of a theoretical one. He decided to go with every state getting three representatives. With the hope being that they would always have an odd number and thus could vote. With that decided, the conversation shifted to the various departments. Something that sparked a whole new round of debate and argument. The former Americans wanted to just take the departments and reestablish them, but Maximilian could tell that wouldn't be the best idea. The people who weren't Americans weren't happy with just remaking the United States. Which was why he stepped in. He decided to establish a Ministry of War, Finance, Homeland, Foreign Affairs, and Justice. He also decided that the army and the peacekeeping force would be different. Right now, they don't have enough people to make that difference important, but he would rather have the infrastructure in place. He felt it was important that the military didn't have control over domestic situations.

  His gut told him that it could lead to some bad situations. He had assumed the ministry of foreign affairs would be the least useful right now, but that was not true. They were arguably the busiest since everywhere was now foreign. Every other settlement was technically a city-state. Which meant diplomacy would be important. Especially when he made it clear he wouldn't just go around conquering everything. The Network hadn't told him he had to, and he had a feeling that his quest line would take care of that area. Each ministry would be led by a different minister. One that he wouldn't select. One benefit of the small population was that everyone could pick their leaders. So he let them. The ministries had two weeks to find someone to do the job. Once they were chosen, they would be in place for ten years or until they chose to retire. After that, a new election would be held. He could already see the problems with that system. From blackmail to forced retirement, but he couldn't see a way to stop that. It would be illegal, but he couldn't come up with a law that would prevent all problems while not creating new ones. The whole situation was a paradox. That being said, he was satisfied with what they had done.

  The only strange part was his mother. Her role had become something akin to a Seneschal or a vice president. Everyone knew she more or less spoke with his voice, so there was nothing he could do about that. She was also the only person besides him who could interact with the Network. Not counting the assistant. With all that decided, the conversation interested him less and less. The existing warriors would have the choice to join either the burgeoning military or police, but there was no rush. They would begin work on a new prison as soon as they had the timber for it. They only had one prisoner, but Maximilian felt that was something that needed to get done sooner rather than later. He didn't want to get stuck with criminals if things got worse. That and if they ran out of room, they might be forced to just execute everyone. Something that would put a bad taste in his mouth, though, did present an odd idea. Did executioners get spiritual energy for their job? If so, they had to level quickly. Especially if the Network recognized titles for that. A level one executioner killing a level 50 warrior could be insane. He would have to make sure the court system was ready for that. He wouldn't tolerate farming people for experience. He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that pointed out it wasn't that different from farming beasts and monsters for that purpose.

  "Alright. I believe that will do for now. Return to your posts and let your people know what decisions we've made. The era of lawlessness has ended. It is time to birth order from the chaos." He let a bit of his aura slip out as he spoke to punctuate his words. Words that he had to admit sounded a bit cliché." The group nodded, bowed, and then filed out of the room. After a few moments, only he, his mother, and Nezha remained.

  "You did very well." She began. "Your public speaking skills have improved a bit, though that's to be expected from a politician."

  He chuckled and got to his feet. "I would say, though, I think more of that is due to the Network's changes. My aura and appearance are boons. I worry that it won't be enough."

  "It is more than most have had, and a few of them managed to form nations."

  "They also managed to lose them." He replied.

  "Nothing is eternal. All we can do is our best. Have you decided what you will do next?"

  He shook his head and started down the stairs. The duo followed soon after. "I haven't. There isn't much for me to do here, so it might be time for me to travel a bit."

  "Have you decided how you would deal with the World Congress invitation?" She asked.

  "I will go, of course. I would like you to accompany me, which means we will need to bring appropriate protection." He looked at the sun as it slowly set. The mountain gave a truly wonderful view. He doubted it was the tallest place on the New World, but it could be. He turned his thoughts to the World Congress and had to admit it was an odd situation. The UWG had called for a meeting with all the factions of Earth. Regardless of size. He had thought it a trap, but his instincts didn't warn him of danger. Not that he could say it worked like that. He wished it had come with a guide, but there was little he could do about it. He was somewhat sure that it was one of those secrets, as no one else had a similar feeling. They still had bad feelings, of course, but nothing compared to his instincts. In addition, his luck attribute was monstrous compared to everyone else's. That didn't mean he would go alone. No one in Nubia could protect him. Not unless he was willing to throw their lives away. Which he wasn't. No, he would bring them to keep up appearances. He was a foreign official, which meant he should look like one.

  "I don't assume you have any information on who will be there?"

  "I could not say. Either the UWG does not know, or they kept that information under wraps. We should assume everyone will be there. It represents a chance to network and form agreements. Something that I imagine the government wants to take advantage of. Being at the center of the world has its benefits."

  "Do you think that they are giving up on ruling the planet, instead shifting to being a neutral faction?" The idea had some merit, but something told him it was unlikely.

  "It's possible. They may hope that you and the other elites will keep each other in check, thus letting them take a prominent position."

  He chuckled at the thought. "So, Switzerland? Regardless of the reason, I believe we should go. On the off chance they have something to offer, I want it. If they don't, it could act as a strong recruitment opportunity.

  "I will compose a list of two or three people to act as guards. I assume you are fine if Joshua is amongst them?"

  "That is acceptable. Though I would suggest you increase it to four. We each should have two guards. Though they all would be tasked with ensuring your safety. Should someone be stupid enough to attack us?"

  "I would prefer it if you didn't go off fighting on your own. It only takes a lucky hit to change the situation." She replied.

  Maximilian was about to remind her that he was stronger than anyone he could bring with him, but he decided not to. He understood that she was still his mother. He couldn't blame her for wanting to keep him safe. "I will do what I can." From there, the conversation became more mundane with neither of them wanting to approach the real subject. It wasn't that he was afraid to bring it up, but he wasn't sure what to say. He was never good with funerals. Especially not now that he was already in the ground. He had considered digging him up and bringing the body to Nubia, but that felt wrong. Both because disturbing the dead still felt taboo, but also because that was where he died. Where he sacrificed himself. It would be wrong to take him from there.

  "I would like you to come with me to see him." Her voice was softer than usual, but he heard it all the same.

  "Of course. Whenever you are ready." He gave her a hug for just a moment before he stepped back.

  "I will prepare the information for you within the next day or so." She said the momentary sorrow had gone from her voice. With that said, she turned and made her way down the street. Maximilian watched her until she disappeared around a corner. Only then did he enter his home to prepare for what was to come.