I spent the next day with Esme and Ayla. We decided to tackle the 6th floor of the Underground Forest together. A little bit of work before play.
We teleported to the end of the last floor we’d cleared, then took the elevator down. After about five minutes, it stopped descending. We were now in a cave, so we walked until we found light.
As soon as we stepped out of the cave, it hit us: a sandstorm. The sand even got in my eyes.
Yup, this floor was a desert. It was covered in dunes as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t very far, given that we were immersed in a sandstorm.
A miniature sandworm popped out of the ground in front of us. Its maw looked ready to suck us up. Esme lunged forward and sliced it in half with her ice katana.
“Impressive moves,” I said. “You’ve gotten strong.”
We fought plenty more of those as we walked onward. There were also these black-feathered giant birds that resembled phoenixes. Esme and I took them out with our ice arrows while Ayla used Shimmering Shield to protect us from their swooping attacks.
We had to take a break to drink water. The dehydration really set in fast in this place. The air was utterly dry, after all.
We kept at it, but the dungeon seemed to have no end in sight. Like the prior floor, it was a gauntlet of battles.
After a while, we decided trekking through a desert wasn’t a fun way to spend what was supposed to be a date. We made a fast travel point and returned to Whispering Waters.
“I have a fun idea,” Esme said, her clothes and hair covered in sand. “Let’s return to Rakshana Springs. You know, the original hot spring.”
“Why?” Ayla asked. “We have our own hot spring here, at home.”
“But wouldn’t it be fun to return there?” Esme replied. “Just for a change of scenery. And for nostalgia purposes, of course.”
Esme had a point. Even if we had all the comforts in our home town, a change of scenery was often refreshing. And it would be interesting to return to the hot spring, now that I was king of the island. They’d probably insist that I stay for free, though I obviously wasn’t going to. As king, I had to set a good example and pay for every service rendered to me.
“I’m game,” I said. “We’ll stay in their very best room. What say you, Ayla?”
“Well, of course.” She smiled. “Hopefully we’ll have just as much fun as our prior visit.”
We showered to get the sand off our bodies and put on some fresh clothes. Afterward, we fast traveled to the overworld, then used the roller coaster car to drive to Rakshana Springs. I hadn’t put a fast travel point there, yet, but with so many of them accumulating, I might as well once we got there.
The entire staff greeted us. They even bowed. And as I expected, they offered to let us stay for free in their finest room, though I insisted on paying them. Eventually, after much insistence, they relented and accepted payment.
We were led to our villa: a gorgeous two-story wooden structure that floated over the water itself. It even had its own private, outdoor shower area and bathroom. The interior was covered in pillows and divans, and a massive bed that I could only describe as emperor-sized took up literally an entire room.
“This is gonna be so much fun!” Esme said. “We should visit the restaurant.”
“Agreed,” I said. “After that desert trek, I’m famished.”
We were given the finest table at the restaurant, which was inside of a cave. The stalactites above us shimmered with whatever gemstones were lodged within them.
“Let’s just order the entire menu,” Ayla said. “We can give away the leftovers.”
We ordered everything on the menu. The food was as strange as it was last time, though I had gotten used to it, somewhat. Still, I preferred Tara and Maria’s cooking. It was far more homely.
I enjoyed something that resembled a seaweed salad, while Ayla and Esme tried to sample everything, from the cactus-looking appetizer to the blue cheese dessert.
“Things really have changed,” Esme said. “Remember how we had to farm all those floating jellyfish to even afford a single night here?”
I laughed. “Good times.”
“I’ll never forget the day we met,” Ayla said. “And our little Leaper Lizard farming group.”
“I still love those shoes,” Esme said. “In fact, I’m wearing them right now.”
It was one of the few early pieces of gear that continued to come in handy, along with my Invisibility Clothes.
“Has it been stressful managing affairs in Port City, Ayla?” I asked.
“The nobles can be an annoying bunch,” she replied between sips of her lentil soup. “But I’m learning how to deal with them.”
“I don’t envy you.” Esme chewed a carrot. “I’m glad Remy didn’t choose me for that job. Dealing with rich folks is definitely not my area of expertise, nor does it sound very fun at all.”
Ayla sighed. “I wouldn’t call it fun, ever. But if it frees up Remy for more important things, then I’ll happily fill the role.”
I caressed her cheek. “Never forget. You have a unique title among all my wives. Queen.”
Just hearing that word made Esme giggle. “How wonderful that a servant like me gets to dine with the king and queen.”
“It’s only because you’ve been a good servant,” Ayla said with an evil grin. “And you better continue being good, or else your queen will punish you.”
“I’ll be good.” Esme was practically licking her carrot. “I’ll make my king and queen so happy.”
It sounded like they were ready to begin the fun. But we still had a ridiculous amount of food left to try. The staff continued to bring dishes out on silver trays, and we’d try a few bites of each.
Was this what it was like to be rich, back on Earth, too? I’d heard of rich people buying out entire hotels for a few nights. Buying out Michelin-star restaurants, even. It always sounded so ridiculous and unattainable to me.
But I suppose I’d now attained it. And yet, in my memory, our first visit to this place felt just as fun as our current one. This time, we were in a better room and had more food than we could ever consume, but these extravagances didn’t make the experience that much more enjoyable.
I suppose the true wealth was in the bonds I’d forged with my harem. The fact that Esme and Ayla were both with me was what really mattered. Without them, it didn’t matter how nice my room was or how much food I could order — it wouldn’t be any fun. It wouldn’t be satisfying.
And yet, there were people back on Earth who were willing to kill others — even people they loved — for money. It just seemed so ridiculous. Now that I had everything, I knew exactly what I could and couldn’t do without. My bonds were indispensable, but soulcores and goldcores and even the status of king was only worth it to keep my women safe and happy. The luxuries were just that — luxuries. They didn’t add all that much to the enjoyment.
“Remy is in deep thought!” Ayla said. “Just look at him. So cute.”
“What you thinking about?” Esme asked.
I smiled with a serene sense of satisfaction. “I’m just happy. Happy you two are with me. We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?”
“We’re only getting started.” Ayla took my hand. “There’s still a whole world to explore, and more worlds beyond this one, right?”
“We’ll do it together.” Esme rested her foot on mine under the table. “Master Remy.”
“Hey, I’m a king now,” I said.
“Master-King Remy.” Esme scratched her cheek. “It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it?”
Ayla and I laughed.
The three of us ate and laughed and chatted. Finally, we decided our bellies were full. We took a pleasant stroll around Rakshana Springs, pointing out the things it had that our onsen didn’t, as well as the things we had at our onsen that they didn’t have here. We didn’t have any waterfalls, for example, but we did have a lot more natural shade from the trees that grew in the Underground Forest.
Then we returned to our villa. There were so many pillows spread around the rooms and the emperor-sized bed, that we ended up having a pillow fight. It was something I hadn’t enjoyed since I was a child.
However, because I had such high strength, I had to be really careful. Even a light whack from me could knock one of them out. So I basically just let them pummel me with the massive pillows.
Soon enough, we were tired from throwing pillows around the room. We lay together in the emperor bed. The mood was set perfectly for what was to come next.
I spent the next day with Esme and Ayla. We decided to tackle the 6th floor of the Underground Forest together. A little bit of work before play.
We teleported to the end of the last floor we’d cleared, then took the elevator down. After about five minutes, it stopped descending. We were now in a cave, so we walked until we found light.
As soon as we stepped out of the cave, it hit us: a sandstorm. The sand even got in my eyes.
Yup, this floor was a desert. It was covered in dunes as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t very far, given that we were immersed in a sandstorm.
A miniature sandworm popped out of the ground in front of us. Its maw looked ready to suck us up. Esme lunged forward and sliced it in half with her ice katana.
“Impressive moves,” I said. “You’ve gotten strong.”
We fought plenty more of those as we walked onward. There were also these black-feathered giant birds that resembled phoenixes. Esme and I took them out with our ice arrows while Ayla used Shimmering Shield to protect us from their swooping attacks.
We had to take a break to drink water. The dehydration really set in fast in this place. The air was utterly dry, after all.
We kept at it, but the dungeon seemed to have no end in sight. Like the prior floor, it was a gauntlet of battles.
After a while, we decided trekking through a desert wasn’t a fun way to spend what was supposed to be a date. We made a fast travel point and returned to Whispering Waters.
“I have a fun idea,” Esme said, her clothes and hair covered in sand. “Let’s return to Rakshana Springs. You know, the original hot spring.”
“Why?” Ayla asked. “We have our own hot spring here, at home.”
“But wouldn’t it be fun to return there?” Esme replied. “Just for a change of scenery. And for nostalgia purposes, of course.”
Esme had a point. Even if we had all the comforts in our home town, a change of scenery was often refreshing. And it would be interesting to return to the hot spring, now that I was king of the island. They’d probably insist that I stay for free, though I obviously wasn’t going to. As king, I had to set a good example and pay for every service rendered to me.
“I’m game,” I said. “We’ll stay in their very best room. What say you, Ayla?”
“Well, of course.” She smiled. “Hopefully we’ll have just as much fun as our prior visit.”
We showered to get the sand off our bodies and put on some fresh clothes. Afterward, we fast traveled to the overworld, then used the roller coaster car to drive to Rakshana Springs. I hadn’t put a fast travel point there, yet, but with so many of them accumulating, I might as well once we got there.
The entire staff greeted us. They even bowed. And as I expected, they offered to let us stay for free in their finest room, though I insisted on paying them. Eventually, after much insistence, they relented and accepted payment.
We were led to our villa: a gorgeous two-story wooden structure that floated over the water itself. It even had its own private, outdoor shower area and bathroom. The interior was covered in pillows and divans, and a massive bed that I could only describe as emperor-sized took up literally an entire room.
“This is gonna be so much fun!” Esme said. “We should visit the restaurant.”
“Agreed,” I said. “After that desert trek, I’m famished.”
We were given the finest table at the restaurant, which was inside of a cave. The stalactites above us shimmered with whatever gemstones were lodged within them.
“Let’s just order the entire menu,” Ayla said. “We can give away the leftovers.”
We ordered everything on the menu. The food was as strange as it was last time, though I had gotten used to it, somewhat. Still, I preferred Tara and Maria’s cooking. It was far more homely.
I enjoyed something that resembled a seaweed salad, while Ayla and Esme tried to sample everything, from the cactus-looking appetizer to the blue cheese dessert.
“Things really have changed,” Esme said. “Remember how we had to farm all those floating jellyfish to even afford a single night here?”
I laughed. “Good times.”
“I’ll never forget the day we met,” Ayla said. “And our little Leaper Lizard farming group.”
“I still love those shoes,” Esme said. “In fact, I’m wearing them right now.”
It was one of the few early pieces of gear that continued to come in handy, along with my Invisibility Clothes.
“Has it been stressful managing affairs in Port City, Ayla?” I asked.
“The nobles can be an annoying bunch,” she replied between sips of her lentil soup. “But I’m learning how to deal with them.”
“I don’t envy you.” Esme chewed a carrot. “I’m glad Remy didn’t choose me for that job. Dealing with rich folks is definitely not my area of expertise, nor does it sound very fun at all.”
Ayla sighed. “I wouldn’t call it fun, ever. But if it frees up Remy for more important things, then I’ll happily fill the role.”
I caressed her cheek. “Never forget. You have a unique title among all my wives. Queen.”
Just hearing that word made Esme giggle. “How wonderful that a servant like me gets to dine with the king and queen.”
“It’s only because you’ve been a good servant,” Ayla said with an evil grin. “And you better continue being good, or else your queen will punish you.”
“I’ll be good.” Esme was practically licking her carrot. “I’ll make my king and queen so happy.”
It sounded like they were ready to begin the fun. But we still had a ridiculous amount of food left to try. The staff continued to bring dishes out on silver trays, and we’d try a few bites of each.
Was this what it was like to be rich, back on Earth, too? I’d heard of rich people buying out entire hotels for a few nights. Buying out Michelin-star restaurants, even. It always sounded so ridiculous and unattainable to me.
But I suppose I’d now attained it. And yet, in my memory, our first visit to this place felt just as fun as our current one. This time, we were in a better room and had more food than we could ever consume, but these extravagances didn’t make the experience that much more enjoyable.
I suppose the true wealth was in the bonds I’d forged with my harem. The fact that Esme and Ayla were both with me was what really mattered. Without them, it didn’t matter how nice my room was or how much food I could order — it wouldn’t be any fun. It wouldn’t be satisfying.
And yet, there were people back on Earth who were willing to kill others — even people they loved — for money. It just seemed so ridiculous. Now that I had everything, I knew exactly what I could and couldn’t do without. My bonds were indispensable, but soulcores and goldcores and even the status of king was only worth it to keep my women safe and happy. The luxuries were just that — luxuries. They didn’t add all that much to the enjoyment.
“Remy is in deep thought!” Ayla said. “Just look at him. So cute.”
“What you thinking about?” Esme asked.
I smiled with a serene sense of satisfaction. “I’m just happy. Happy you two are with me. We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?”
“We’re only getting started.” Ayla took my hand. “There’s still a whole world to explore, and more worlds beyond this one, right?”
“We’ll do it together.” Esme rested her foot on mine under the table. “Master Remy.”
“Hey, I’m a king now,” I said.
“Master-King Remy.” Esme scratched her cheek. “It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it?”
Ayla and I laughed.
The three of us ate and laughed and chatted. Finally, we decided our bellies were full. We took a pleasant stroll around Rakshana Springs, pointing out the things it had that our onsen didn’t, as well as the things we had at our onsen that they didn’t have here. We didn’t have any waterfalls, for example, but we did have a lot more natural shade from the trees that grew in the Underground Forest.
Then we returned to our villa. There were so many pillows spread around the rooms and the emperor-sized bed, that we ended up having a pillow fight. It was something I hadn’t enjoyed since I was a child.
However, because I had such high strength, I had to be really careful. Even a light whack from me could knock one of them out. So I basically just let them pummel me with the massive pillows.
Soon enough, we were tired from throwing pillows around the room. We lay together in the emperor bed. The mood was set perfectly for what was to come next.
