In the past few days, I have been woken up multiple times throughout the night to check on the little crybabies. It doesn't bother me; I was used to waking up in the dead of the night, and it was a pleasant 'problem' to have.
"How can someone so little eat so much?" Sasha asked, holding them in her hand as the two were holding her breasts, sucking on them loudly with a satisfied expression. "Both of them are unbelievable! The morning feeding will be up to Mikan again; I can barely make enough milk for them!"
"Good thing we have her, eh?" I joked, making my wife smile and nod in agreement.
"Um, she is a great help and really good with them! I am also surprised by how calm they are in Yuri and Luna's hands."
"Yet they are also keeping them away." I added with a grin because Luna and Yuri had moved a few rooms away yesterday. Some people just can't get used to being woken up every two hours when they try to sleep.
"At least I can have you for myself!" she happily giggled as I leaned in, kissing her lips, which she returned passionately. "I am already feeling... much better..." she whispered after I leaned back, pulling her into my lap and holding her and my children at once.
"Oh, aren't you afraid you'll get pregnant again? It was not an easy delivery."
"I would do it again," she answered me thoughtfully, tilting her head backward and looking up at me. "It is a small price to pay for what I feel now!"
"First... let's finish feeding them first. Then, if you still have a little bit for their daddy, after putting them back in their crib, I can taste it for myself~!"
"I wonder if they heard you..." She whispered, fixing her hold on the twins, "Because they began sucking with even more force..."
...
....
......
"You look refreshed; how are you doing it?" Yuri asked with a yawn, watching me eating my breakfast. At the moment, it was only her and me because Mikan was with Sasha, helping her feed the kids while Luna was still in bed, lazily rolling around.
"It isn't a big deal; Merlin sleeps even less! Plus, just the thought of me being a father gives me an infinite amount of energy!"
"You are weird."
"Maybe. Anyway, Father will come visit today, so Sasha will show him the kids and let Mom take care of them for a little while. Will you stay or come with me?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm Visiting the construction site to see how it is coming along. According to the reports, we are ahead of schedule. The buildings are ready, and they are moving on to producing and installing the necessary machinery, so I want to take a look for myself before everything gets into place. It would be hard to modify anything by then. After that, I'm going to visit the mines and see what that is like... I should be back by early afternoon if everything is in order."
"Mmhm, okay, I'll come with you. Who else is coming? Merlin?"
"No, he is busy with all the Elena stuff while also preparing for the next school semester. I repeatedly told him to hire more teachers from those already prepared for the job. They were cultivated for this reason, so it is time to use them. It would lessen his burdens, but he can be stubborn sometimes!"
"I noticed. When he feels attacked or challenged, he can flip a switch really quickly and become surprisingly assertive—even haughty, like an emperor or something."
"Mhm, I noticed it, but it can be useful when dealing with others and foreign nobles. I trust him to know the limits and not step over a certain boundary. So, because he already has a lot on his plate, it will be Minister Paxon and Minister Rennar who will accompany us instead. I think they are already there, preparing for my arrival."
"I wonder when Sasha will return to the blacksmiths now that she is no longer pregnant, hehe. She was moaning about it for a long time now!"
"Oh, she will, soon enough. When she is fully back, I can start creating the first prototypes of mechanical limbs for my mech. See how they function and make proper changes where necessary."
"You do know that you are obliged to make one for me, yes?"
"Don't worry—I will give you your own big toy!" I chuckled, leaning back and stretching in my chair. "You can also paint it as you like; how does that sound?"
"I will make it pink and veiny."
"Your choice!" I shrugged, surprising her that I wasn't refusing her vision. "It will be you who pilots it!"
"I wasn't joking, you know! I would do it and be a dick on the battlefield."
"Be my guest!" I answered with a grin, maintaining her gaze, "I am not against giving your artistic nature a free reign..."
...
....
......
Visiting the site was a bigger surprise than I first expected. The road leading there was finished long ago, and as I approached the site, I could already see the eight-meter-tall walls surrounding it. I watched our flags flapping in the wind atop the main entrance while soldiers stood there, always at the ready, guarding its massive, open gate. The moment they noticed us, they all hurriedly blew their horns, alerting the whole industry complex of our arrival.
"They have really good eyes..." I murmured as we were still about 400 meters away, just Yuri and me and nobody else.
"Is it the beast meat? I should start eating more of it."
"If you want... I only have it once or twice a month; I don't want to be that bulky; Sasha said that's a bit too much for her taste."
"I agree with her. There is a line where it becomes... overwhelming. Not everyone has the same taste as Louise. Anyway, I will try to eat it more often then! Who knows!"
"I hope the winter will be exciting; we are running low on it..." I mumbled, but I didn't want to keep on the topic because I knew her reasons.
Since the birth of Arthur and Leyla, I knew the bubbling feelings within Yuri only got stronger. The way she was holding them, caressing their faces, her body language was oozing from her motherly instincts. I knew she was trying everything to somehow work around her battered body and try to get pregnant.
By the time we reached the gates, my two ministers were waiting and welcoming me to Avalon's first industrial complex. Following the two on the tour they prepared for me, I was happy to see that they did not slack off at all. Behind the walls, the land was flattened down, and most of the surface below our feet was smooth, asphalt-like, using the byproduct from the expansion of the mine to create an even surface.
In the end, they finished building the first set of factories, interlinked in the same manner I suggested for them when finalizing the blueprints. That way, they will be able to produce the tractors like working in a modern environment, building them piece by piece and moving them along a production line to let the finished product literally roll out at the end.
Unlike Avalon, no trees remained here, and no greens were around us. The grey color of the stone, wholly designed for productivity, replaced them all. Maybe I should make them paint the factories a bright color, giving them a nicer look... hm. Entering the first three-story-high building, I saw Kraus there coordinating the other blacksmith groups, installing the first milling machines, and getting ready for a test run soon enough.
"We can go and-" Rennar spoke up when he noticed my eyes stopping on the workers, but I shook my head.
"No. I am here to inspect the place and not to interfere with good work. Let them continue!" I purposefully worded it that way so that anyone who heard me would know that I was pleased with what I was seeing. "All of you are doing more than I expected," I continued, looking up towards the high ceiling, thinking, "I may even have the opportunity to include something new... Rennar, Paxon."
"Yes, My Lord?" they asked in unison, placing their hands on their chests and slightly bowing towards me.
"Write a plan for me on how you would organize a night and day shift for the workers."
"A night shift?" They asked, looking at each other.
"Mhm. I may be able to make it so that it would be just as bright in here at night as it is right now..."
...
....
......
"How was your trip?" Sasha asked, walking into my study, holding Leyla in her hands, followed by Luna, trying her best to soothe Arthur, who was visibly grumpy, throwing hands and wiggling around.
"Saaaacchyyyyy, let's swaaaap! Arthur refuses to calm down!" She moaned, a bit panicked, afraid that she would drop him with how violently he wriggled in her arms.
"Ahaha, what's up with him?" I laughed while standing up and taking it from Luna, making her sigh with relief. "What's the trouble, little buddy? Did someone take your favorite tit from you~?"
"Bingo." Sasha answered me, rolling her eyes and looking at us while Leyla was fast asleep already. "I had to pry him off from Mikan's chest; he was already full, burping milk back, but he wouldn't let go. He is like you!"
"I don't burp milk back. I ain't wasting good food!" I answered at once, gently rocking my son, who, it seemed, finally began calming down, no longer throwing a fit in my hands.
"Parent's magic huh?" Luna whispered, shrugging, "He wouldn't stay put in my hands..."
"He knows that it is futile to raise a ruckus before his dad!" Sasha chuckled, sitting down on the couch while I continued answering her previous question.
"The inspection went well. The entire site is basically ready; we are only waiting for Kraus to finish manufacturing and installing the required pieces of machinery. After checking the mine, I saw that it had already produced a good amount of iron, so everything was ready to start building the first prototype."
"I thought about visiting Kraus tomorrow."
"I will have you accompany me instead!" I interjected, making Sasha tilt her head. "I want you to help me create a bigger dynamo, one that I would place in the factory. If we do it right and you manage to create a lightbulb for me, we can always keep the thing open and operational. It would greatly boost our productivity!"
"Lightbulb... what's that? Is that a new spell?" Luna asked while Sasha was already deeply lost in thought as she answered her.
"It is a device that would produce bright light, much brighter than torches. Hmmm... It is not a bad idea! If we can introduce it to everywhere..."
"For now, I would only use it for the factory." I explained, watching my son slowly fall asleep in my hands and listening to our voices, "Copper is still an expensive and rare resource for us, and I want to use it for critical tasks. If the factories can operate from dusk to dusk, our plans will come to fruition even faster. More food means Elliot can enact his changes ahead of time, further elevating our position. In the future, as we gather more and more, we can later expand on it and introduce light to every home, but that is not something as essential as water and heating. I don't even know how stable it will be as we are missing key components, so we are going to produce a much inferior product. Oh well. It is a start!"
"Morning light in the middle of the night..." Luna murmured, biting onto her thumb, "I could read even more books then..."
In the past few days, I have been woken up multiple times throughout the night to check on the little crybabies. It doesn't bother me; I was used to waking up in the dead of the night, and it was a pleasant 'problem' to have.
"How can someone so little eat so much?" Sasha asked, holding them in her hand as the two were holding her breasts, sucking on them loudly with a satisfied expression. "Both of them are unbelievable! The morning feeding will be up to Mikan again; I can barely make enough milk for them!"
"Good thing we have her, eh?" I joked, making my wife smile and nod in agreement.
"Um, she is a great help and really good with them! I am also surprised by how calm they are in Yuri and Luna's hands."
"Yet they are also keeping them away." I added with a grin because Luna and Yuri had moved a few rooms away yesterday. Some people just can't get used to being woken up every two hours when they try to sleep.
"At least I can have you for myself!" she happily giggled as I leaned in, kissing her lips, which she returned passionately. "I am already feeling... much better..." she whispered after I leaned back, pulling her into my lap and holding her and my children at once.
"Oh, aren't you afraid you'll get pregnant again? It was not an easy delivery."
"I would do it again," she answered me thoughtfully, tilting her head backward and looking up at me. "It is a small price to pay for what I feel now!"
"First... let's finish feeding them first. Then, if you still have a little bit for their daddy, after putting them back in their crib, I can taste it for myself~!"
"I wonder if they heard you..." She whispered, fixing her hold on the twins, "Because they began sucking with even more force..."
...
....
......
"You look refreshed; how are you doing it?" Yuri asked with a yawn, watching me eating my breakfast. At the moment, it was only her and me because Mikan was with Sasha, helping her feed the kids while Luna was still in bed, lazily rolling around.
"It isn't a big deal; Merlin sleeps even less! Plus, just the thought of me being a father gives me an infinite amount of energy!"
"You are weird."
"Maybe. Anyway, Father will come visit today, so Sasha will show him the kids and let Mom take care of them for a little while. Will you stay or come with me?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm Visiting the construction site to see how it is coming along. According to the reports, we are ahead of schedule. The buildings are ready, and they are moving on to producing and installing the necessary machinery, so I want to take a look for myself before everything gets into place. It would be hard to modify anything by then. After that, I'm going to visit the mines and see what that is like... I should be back by early afternoon if everything is in order."
"Mmhm, okay, I'll come with you. Who else is coming? Merlin?"
"No, he is busy with all the Elena stuff while also preparing for the next school semester. I repeatedly told him to hire more teachers from those already prepared for the job. They were cultivated for this reason, so it is time to use them. It would lessen his burdens, but he can be stubborn sometimes!"
"I noticed. When he feels attacked or challenged, he can flip a switch really quickly and become surprisingly assertive—even haughty, like an emperor or something."
"Mhm, I noticed it, but it can be useful when dealing with others and foreign nobles. I trust him to know the limits and not step over a certain boundary. So, because he already has a lot on his plate, it will be Minister Paxon and Minister Rennar who will accompany us instead. I think they are already there, preparing for my arrival."
"I wonder when Sasha will return to the blacksmiths now that she is no longer pregnant, hehe. She was moaning about it for a long time now!"
"Oh, she will, soon enough. When she is fully back, I can start creating the first prototypes of mechanical limbs for my mech. See how they function and make proper changes where necessary."
"You do know that you are obliged to make one for me, yes?"
"Don't worry—I will give you your own big toy!" I chuckled, leaning back and stretching in my chair. "You can also paint it as you like; how does that sound?"
"I will make it pink and veiny."
"Your choice!" I shrugged, surprising her that I wasn't refusing her vision. "It will be you who pilots it!"
"I wasn't joking, you know! I would do it and be a dick on the battlefield."
"Be my guest!" I answered with a grin, maintaining her gaze, "I am not against giving your artistic nature a free reign..."
...
....
......
Visiting the site was a bigger surprise than I first expected. The road leading there was finished long ago, and as I approached the site, I could already see the eight-meter-tall walls surrounding it. I watched our flags flapping in the wind atop the main entrance while soldiers stood there, always at the ready, guarding its massive, open gate. The moment they noticed us, they all hurriedly blew their horns, alerting the whole industry complex of our arrival.
"They have really good eyes..." I murmured as we were still about 400 meters away, just Yuri and me and nobody else.
"Is it the beast meat? I should start eating more of it."
"If you want... I only have it once or twice a month; I don't want to be that bulky; Sasha said that's a bit too much for her taste."
"I agree with her. There is a line where it becomes... overwhelming. Not everyone has the same taste as Louise. Anyway, I will try to eat it more often then! Who knows!"
"I hope the winter will be exciting; we are running low on it..." I mumbled, but I didn't want to keep on the topic because I knew her reasons.
Since the birth of Arthur and Leyla, I knew the bubbling feelings within Yuri only got stronger. The way she was holding them, caressing their faces, her body language was oozing from her motherly instincts. I knew she was trying everything to somehow work around her battered body and try to get pregnant.
By the time we reached the gates, my two ministers were waiting and welcoming me to Avalon's first industrial complex. Following the two on the tour they prepared for me, I was happy to see that they did not slack off at all. Behind the walls, the land was flattened down, and most of the surface below our feet was smooth, asphalt-like, using the byproduct from the expansion of the mine to create an even surface.
In the end, they finished building the first set of factories, interlinked in the same manner I suggested for them when finalizing the blueprints. That way, they will be able to produce the tractors like working in a modern environment, building them piece by piece and moving them along a production line to let the finished product literally roll out at the end.
Unlike Avalon, no trees remained here, and no greens were around us. The grey color of the stone, wholly designed for productivity, replaced them all. Maybe I should make them paint the factories a bright color, giving them a nicer look... hm. Entering the first three-story-high building, I saw Kraus there coordinating the other blacksmith groups, installing the first milling machines, and getting ready for a test run soon enough.
"We can go and-" Rennar spoke up when he noticed my eyes stopping on the workers, but I shook my head.
"No. I am here to inspect the place and not to interfere with good work. Let them continue!" I purposefully worded it that way so that anyone who heard me would know that I was pleased with what I was seeing. "All of you are doing more than I expected," I continued, looking up towards the high ceiling, thinking, "I may even have the opportunity to include something new... Rennar, Paxon."
"Yes, My Lord?" they asked in unison, placing their hands on their chests and slightly bowing towards me.
"Write a plan for me on how you would organize a night and day shift for the workers."
"A night shift?" They asked, looking at each other.
"Mhm. I may be able to make it so that it would be just as bright in here at night as it is right now..."
...
....
......
"How was your trip?" Sasha asked, walking into my study, holding Leyla in her hands, followed by Luna, trying her best to soothe Arthur, who was visibly grumpy, throwing hands and wiggling around.
"Saaaacchyyyyy, let's swaaaap! Arthur refuses to calm down!" She moaned, a bit panicked, afraid that she would drop him with how violently he wriggled in her arms.
"Ahaha, what's up with him?" I laughed while standing up and taking it from Luna, making her sigh with relief. "What's the trouble, little buddy? Did someone take your favorite tit from you~?"
"Bingo." Sasha answered me, rolling her eyes and looking at us while Leyla was fast asleep already. "I had to pry him off from Mikan's chest; he was already full, burping milk back, but he wouldn't let go. He is like you!"
"I don't burp milk back. I ain't wasting good food!" I answered at once, gently rocking my son, who, it seemed, finally began calming down, no longer throwing a fit in my hands.
"Parent's magic huh?" Luna whispered, shrugging, "He wouldn't stay put in my hands..."
"He knows that it is futile to raise a ruckus before his dad!" Sasha chuckled, sitting down on the couch while I continued answering her previous question.
"The inspection went well. The entire site is basically ready; we are only waiting for Kraus to finish manufacturing and installing the required pieces of machinery. After checking the mine, I saw that it had already produced a good amount of iron, so everything was ready to start building the first prototype."
"I thought about visiting Kraus tomorrow."
"I will have you accompany me instead!" I interjected, making Sasha tilt her head. "I want you to help me create a bigger dynamo, one that I would place in the factory. If we do it right and you manage to create a lightbulb for me, we can always keep the thing open and operational. It would greatly boost our productivity!"
"Lightbulb... what's that? Is that a new spell?" Luna asked while Sasha was already deeply lost in thought as she answered her.
"It is a device that would produce bright light, much brighter than torches. Hmmm... It is not a bad idea! If we can introduce it to everywhere..."
"For now, I would only use it for the factory." I explained, watching my son slowly fall asleep in my hands and listening to our voices, "Copper is still an expensive and rare resource for us, and I want to use it for critical tasks. If the factories can operate from dusk to dusk, our plans will come to fruition even faster. More food means Elliot can enact his changes ahead of time, further elevating our position. In the future, as we gather more and more, we can later expand on it and introduce light to every home, but that is not something as essential as water and heating. I don't even know how stable it will be as we are missing key components, so we are going to produce a much inferior product. Oh well. It is a start!"
"Morning light in the middle of the night..." Luna murmured, biting onto her thumb, "I could read even more books then..."
