Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he had discussed the matter of dealing with Telskyura several times, Vahn found himself in a peculiar situation where he didn't know how or when to take action. Currently, he was filling out a stack of paperwork, something almost equally as confused to him since Vahn knew that printing technology in the record was limited. He wasn't sure who was going through the tedious process of actually writing up the paperwork he constantly seemed to be working on. Still, this wasn't nearly as important as the matter with Telskyura so Vahn the matter to the back of his mind as he wondered how he should initiate things...

In almost every other instance, it was the actions of the other country that caused Vahn to take decisive action against them. Dealing with Telskyura was completely different since he would essentially be 'invading' them, even though they hadn't really antagonized them. Just entering the country would be violating laws that they had established thousands of years prior. Because of this, though Vahn knew he 'needed' to take action, he wasn't entirely sure how to go about it without acting like an outright tyrant. He was relying on Tiona and Tione to make the decision since it would be easier to provide 'support' for them on the matter. However, even this wasn't necessarily the best way to go about things as there was a chance the two would be considered 'exiles' that had been marked for death if they brought him into the country...

One of the troublesome things about Amazonesses, especially once they were mature, was that there were very few who even remotely feared death. If it was to take down their common enemy, there would 'literally' be hundreds of thousands of Level 2, and higher, Amazonesses throwing their lives away to try and kill Tiona and Tione. It wouldn't matter if they knew the action was futile as, being the followers of a Goddess of Death, dying in battle was the most honorable form of death. Because of this, Amazonesses that had grown beyond their prime would take up arms one last time before venturing into dangerous lands and slaying as many monsters as they could before their own lives were claimed...

While thinking about how 'troublesome' foreign affairs could be, Vahn completed the doc.u.ments he had been working on before referencing texts related to foreign policy and negotiation within his mind. Presently, though there were nine regions on Eden, the number of Kingdoms and Provinces dotting the lands and its surroundings numbered seventeen, excluding the Elven Kingdom and the Iron Hills. Vahn was thinking about gathering the leaders of every major Nation together for a conference of sorts, even though it would be run and moderated at his behest. Since he was going to become an Emperor, these Kingdoms would either have to join his Empire willingly or, much like the other corrupt Nobles he had met, Vahn would depose them.

Vahn didn't see any issue with a country being led by a King or Queen but he didn't think it made any sense for the descendants to be the only 'rightful' heirs to the throne. This type of mentality was exactly how you ended up with deeply rooted corruption, as those born into positions of royalty and nobility thought they were 'above' other people, even though they were as normal as everyone else. Since he knew about how reincarnation worked, especially within the context of the record itself, Vahn knew that the very wastrels that lorded themselves over others could have been nothing more than a bandit or a slave in their previous life. The only thing that truly mattered was what you had done to 'earn' the right to rule over people...if you couldn't even meet the basic requirements to govern well, you weren't suited to your title at all.

In the future, Vahn would be making it a requirement for all landed Nobles, including Royalty, to have their heirs attend and graduate from both the School and the Academy. Vahn would pass a decree that, unless they have earned the right to be called as such, nobody could claim themselves as inherently more 'Noble' than others. This also served the purpose of preventing said heirs from becoming twisted by politics and infighting from an early age, as they would be required to attend the School in their formative years and continue studying until they were a.d.u.l.ts. At the same time, the Academy would essentially become one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the entire world. They would be the 'guarantor' that allowed people to have the power and authority to govern over others, giving the Academy and everyone that graduates from it greater prestige.

Now, Vahn just needed to come up with a proper setting to gather all of the Continent's leaders, including Asfi's parents, into the same room. Ultimately, Vahn would be forcing them to take a step back and fall under his authority, irrespective of their will. Since the benefits for their Kingdom and their people were inarguably beneficial, their only reasons for doing so would be to retain power for themselves or to try and oppose his policies. Though they had this right, from a certain perspective, Vahn didn't care about their thoughts on the matter since it was 'inevitable' at this point that the entire Continent would be united under his rule.

It wouldn't take much effort to expose almost any Kingdom or Noble for their corruption, especially if they have ruled for a long time, so Vahn knew it wouldn't take that much time and effort to shift the perspective of the populous in his favor. Since the policies he intended to enact would greatly improve the living conditions of 'commoners' and 'peasants', Vahn knew they would side with him after experiencing the benefits. Not only would their economy be bolstered, but Vahn intended to make future travel between every country easier, all while improving the quality of life and public order of every City, Township, and Village. He couldn't completely eliminate crime, but there were more than a few methods to discourage heinous and organized crime, at least on the 'surface'...

While he was drawing up a template letter that would be sent out to every Kingdom's monarch, Vahn sensed that Loki was making her way towards him. At this point, his domain easily covered the entire Manor so Vahn was able to subconsciously keep track of everyone within. He quickly set aside his work and rose to his feet, giving him ample time to reach the door before Loki, a smile on his face as he opened the door and said, "Good afternoon, Loki...to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Though she could easily manipulate her own aura, Vahn could usually tell if Loki had business to discuss based on various factors, including the basic speed of her movements. Loki wasn't exactly a 'lazy' goddess, but she had a habit of ambling around when she was thinking or had nothing to do. When she had something to take care of, she was usually decisive in her gait and moved at a steady pace, something Vahn was able to track through his domain relatively easily.

Loki habitually made her way into the room, unfl.u.s.tered by Vahn's behavior as she made her way over to his padded seat and sat down on the armrest, clearly indicating him to take a seat so she could sit in his lap. When they were alone, Loki almost exclusively sat on Vahn's lap, straddling his h.i.p.s as she hugged his neck and spoke about what was on her mind. This was something Vahn had grown accustomed to so he had already followed behind Loki, taking his seat and letting her adjust herself as he loosely placed his hands around her h.i.p.s and asked, "What is it...?" in a soft tone. In response, Loki wiggled her h.i.p.s playfully before snickering a little as she said, "There are a few things I needed to talk to you about, mostly in regards to Telskyura..."

Vahn wasn't really that surprised by Loki's words as he was perfectly aware that she took many actions in the interest of the Alliance, even without conferring with him. It was impossible for him to manage so many moving parts himself so Vahn entrusted those capable of assisting him to arrange matters on his behalf. Because of this, when Loki mentioned Telskyura, Vahn felt more than a little relieved as a smile spread across his face, causing him to hug her body a little tighter as he said, "I've been thinking about them a lot lately. If you have any good news and advice, I would be more than happy to hear it."

In response to Vahn hugging her waist tighter, Loki had leaned into his chest, resting her head against his shoulder as she said, "I know you've been struggling with thoughts of how to deal with them for a while now. I've made a few arrangements to help make things easier...though there are also some things I know will trouble you. Sorry about that..." Loki's words were accented by her hot voice tickling Vahn's neck before, punctuating them, she kissed his neck a few times before awaiting his response. Vahn was currently guessing at what Loki could have arranged that would be troubling to deal with. Their conversations generally flowed with Loki making relatively vague claims and talking points, leaving Vahn to 'guess' at what she had come up with. This was a way they could express how well they knew each other and it was something both Vahn and Loki enjoyed...

A few things readily came to Vahn's mind, causing him to trace his fingers around the small of her back as he asked, "Does it have something to do with Kali...?" Because Loki shouldn't have any way to influence what was happening in Telskyura, Vahn assumed she had gotten in contact with her fellow goddess instead. When Loki's body tensed up slightly, Vahn knew he had hit the nail on the head, causing him to ask, "Did you come to some kind of agreement...ah...I see...!" Even as he asked, Vahn realized several ways Kali would be able to help deal with the matter of Telskyura at large. She was the most influential goddess in the entire country, giving her inarguably more power than even the Queen, Hippolyta, herself. So long as it didn't go against their established culture and traditions, there were several ways to progress things forward without him having to be the initiator...

With this in mind, a small smile appeared on Vahn's face as he asked, "We'll be having a War Games between the Alliance and the Telskyura, correct...?" This time, Loki began to chuckle, clearly amused by the deductions Vahn had made, kissing his neck once more before adjusting her position so she could look him in the eye. Her expression had turned slightly more serious as she explained, "Freya and I negotiated terms with Kali and there will indeed be a battle...however, it will not be between the Alliance and Telskyura. You can take Tiona and Tione along with you, but the fight will ultimately be between you and the seventy-third Queen of Telskyura, Zria Hippolyta. It will be a purely physical fight within their Sacred Coliseum, spectated by the strongest warriors in all Telskyura..."

This time, Vahn was a little confused by the situation, as this was one of the potential scenarios they had discussed previously. There were a lot of problems associated with fighting against Telskyura directly as the 'aftermath' would be very difficult to deal with. If he truly defeated Hippolyta in front of her elites, Vahn knew he would become the 'goal' of many of the Amazonesses in the stands and they would likely be breathing down his neck for several years in an attempt to get children from him. However, this 'did' ensure that they would be able to smooth things over in the future, as the upper echelons of Telskyura would have been effectively 'crippled' and unable to conceive under normal circ.u.mstances...

Vahn frowned slightly, remembering that Loki said there were some 'troubling' things he'd have to deal with. This was indeed a very troubling matter as, even though he 'could' do it, Vahn didn't want to have hundreds of children, especially if he couldn't take care of them. He already struggled with the children he already had, and there were still more already on the way. Shakti would be giving birth in a few months and Vahn had recently gotten both Lunoire and Artemis pregnant as well, the latter intentionally. She 'needed' to return to Heaven in order to avoid having her Arcanum shattered if something happened to her body in the Mortal World. Since it would take a few decades for her to be able to return, they had decided to have a child and raise it to maturity before she returned to Heaven and reformed her avatar.

Loki, understanding Vahn's concerns, placed her hand on his cheek as she did her best to put on a gentle and caring look, clarifying, "We already came up with a few ways to prevent the outcome you're thinking of, Vahn. Though there will have to be some exceptions made, you won't have to go out of your way to i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e a bunch of Amazonesses you don't even know..." Towards the end of her words, the edge of Loki's eyes twitched, catching Vahn's attention as he said, "Tell me..." Though he already had some expectations, Vahn was curious about what kind of agreement Freya and Loki had made with Kali. Because she was one of the 'necessary' components in a lot of his plans, Vahn wouldn't be too surprised if Loki had arranged things on his behalf...

Releasing a small sigh, Loki contemplating how best to phrase things but, feeling Vahn's hand rubbing her back, she felt less worried and simply stated, "Kali will migrate to Orario and help in the establishment of the Amazoness community. However, this is predicated on the fact that she wants a child of her own...a Vanir. At the same time, you will need to i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e Hippolyta, the Captain of her Royal Guard, Myrina King, and one of the Captains of the Kali Familia. I would suggest the younger sister, Bache, as that Argana woman will probably get killed by Tiona or Tione at some point..."

Since it was far fewer than the 'hundreds' it could have been, Vahn felt strangely relieved when Loki only mentioned a few names. Even so, Vahn still felt a little uncomfortable with the arrangement since his memories from Tiona's and Tione's [Hearts Desire]s showed Kali as having a very childish figure. Though she was still bigger than Lili, the latter was a Pallum and had fully 'developed' to have a mature, albeit petite, figure. Kali, however, was an Amazoness, the same as the people who had worshipped her for millennia. Though she was well over the age of maturity, and their culture didn't place any emphasis on actual age, only strength, Vahn still felt off-put by the idea of sharing a bed with her. He could vividly remember the somewhat emaciated looking goddess with her blood red hair and extremely revealing outfit...she wasn't the type of goddess he would really want around his children, much less having one...

(A/N: Not so fun fact, Kali weighs around 30kg and is around 138cm tall. She is actually much taller than Lili's previous 110cm, but their weight is around the same.)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Magical Paperwork...','RIP Monarch-sans...','Vahn fears FBI-sama xD')

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