It took Tetsuhiro considerable effort—and eight whole rounds—to finally soothe Mito. Only after promising never to sneak into her bed like that again and signing all sorts of unequal treaties did he bring a smile back to her face.
The next day, he gave Tenzo another talking-to, ordering him to recalculate the miscellaneous living expenses and lower the fees as far as possible without taking a loss!
During this time, Tetsuhiro personally supervised the reforms and continued enjoying tender moments at night. His days were quite fulfilling. The only drawback was that the system kept giving him a pile of useless junk every month.
Before long, a year had passed. This time, Tetsuhiro planned to take things slowly.
"Madara and I will go over and have a look first. You stay here and stand guard."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As the two entered the Portal, a brilliant light flashed on the other side, and Tetsuhiro and Madara arrived in another world.
"The gods have appeared! Hurry and worship them!"
Before either could react, a crowd of people wearing headscarves surrounded them, all kneeling and bowing in worship.
Tetsuhiro took a closer look. Yellow sand covered the ground, the buildings had earthen walls, and he could even see familiar landmarks in the distance—pyramids. The people were all sallow and emaciated, gazing at them with reverence while murmuring prayers.
"May the gods protect us. May the Pharaoh protect us."
"Another boring world." Without a second thought, Madara turned and walked back.
Immediately afterward, the frontline troops began pouring out of the Portal.
The clatter of armor made the kneeling people shrink back even further. Some knocked their foreheads against the gravel hard enough to draw blood, yet did not even dare raise their heads.
Erwin Smith approached Tetsuhiro and gave a solemn salute.