Preparing the Kingdom and an Unexpected Visitor

While Snyder was still rubbing his back, the guards brought Jarod in.

When Jarod saw Snyder rubbing his back, the flames of gossip lit up in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, what happened to you?"

Seeing the eagerness in Jarod's eyes, Snyder's face darkened.

"Ahem, it's nothing. I've just been overworking myself lately." Snyder did his best to cover it up, but Jarod clearly didn't believe him.

"All right, I called you here because I have a task for you. Do you remember when I told you I'd be sending you on a mission?"

Jarod put aside his thoughts of teasing him, his expression turning serious. "I remember. Is it time to set out and explore?"

"Yes. You'll lead the team this time. Take a thousand people with you."

"A thousand? Isn't that too many? It's just an exploration mission."

"No. The elements told me that place is full of danger. I'll feel better if you take a thousand people."

"Understood."

"This is an energy detector. Once you get there, you can use it to find out where that energy is."

"Once you find it, don't make any rash moves. If you're not confident, send me a letter."

Snyder took the energy detector out of a cabinet and handed it to Jarod.

Jarod took the energy detector and put it in his magic backpack.

"Go on, make your preparations."

Jarod was just about to leave when Snyder's words stopped him.

"You still don't have a partner, do you?" A sly look appeared on Snyder's face.

"Uh, no. Why?" Jarod stammered, unable to hide the panic on his face.

"I'll ask your sister to find someone for you. You're not getting any younger, and you can't keep fooling around all day. You need a woman to keep you in line." The more Snyder spoke, the more devious his expression became.

"No need, no need. I'll find someone myself. There's no need to trouble the queen." Jarod refused again and again. At the mention of Maiev, he was like a mouse before a cat.

"No, no, no. As your elders, it's only right that we do this."

"All right, now go pick your people and get used to working together."

Seeing how firm Snyder was, Jarod stopped insisting. Instead, he left to enjoy what little remained of his time as a single man and escape the interrogation that would soon come from his sister.

Snyder was delighted to see Jarod flee in such disarray. You little rascal, you think I can't handle you? he thought.

Snyder returned to his desk and began handling the state affairs on it.

There was the matter of the standing army. Snyder rubbed his head with his hand. It was a thorny problem.

Dank LS, Suramar, Eldre'Thalas, and Shandaral each had their own armies, and their numbers differed.

Now, the three distinctive cities, the central city, and countless villages, towns, and outposts all needed troops to defend them.

In the end, Snyder decided to break the armies up and reorganize them. He needed a kingdom with only one voice. He wanted direct control of military power, with the army pledging allegiance directly to the king.

Details of Aikaite'er's military

Royal Spellbreaker Guard: Composed of powerful warriors, equipped with magic-immune armor.

Royal Spellcaster Legion: Composed of the strongest Shamans, mages, and Druids (who had only just begun training and would gradually be added later). Though they were spellcasters, they were also capable in close combat.

Watchers: Made up of people from various professions and civilians from different walks of life. Their informants were spread throughout the kingdom of Aikaite'er. You never knew whether your neighbor was a Watcher.

City defense troops: Aikaite'er's basic military force, equipped with standard-issue gear.

Militia: Soldiers when they took up arms, farmers when they laid them down.

Standing spellcaster legion: An ordinary spellcaster force made up of mages, Shamans, and Druids, stationed in towns and small cities.

Elite warrior troops: Troops stationed in the three major cities and important fortresses and outposts. They were all candidates to become Spellbreakers.

Elite spellcaster legion: Like the elite warrior troops, they were stationed in important cities, fortresses, and outposts.

Nature's Grace Legion: A specialized Druid force. They usually roamed the continent of Hailidos, carrying out missions to protect nature.

Hand of the Elements Legion: A specialized Shaman force. They usually communicated with the Elemental Spirits and carried out missions to maintain the balance of the elements.

Moon Guard: A force left over from the ancient empire, mostly elite spellblades. They were a sharp blade and one of Snyder's personal guards.

Hand of the Bright Moon: Created by Snyder himself and composed of warriors, Shamans, and mages. They were one of Snyder's personal guards.

Golem troops: Powerful melee units made up of powerful Arcane and elemental golems.

Ranger troops: First-rate marksmen and an elite scouting force.

Iron Fleet: Aikada's navy (still in the planning stage).

Snyder looked at the list of military forces. There seemed to be rather a lot of them.

Aikaite'er couldn't establish them all for the time being. He could only build a framework and fill in the rest gradually.

Ultimately, there were still too few elves. He had to increase their numbers. Hailidos was vast, and it could support a larger population and more species.

Once Jarod finished his exploration mission, Snyder needed to send people to other continents to introduce other species and fill the gaps in Hailidos's range of species. (The setting here was that, because Hailidos had risen from the sea, there were no other species on it.)

Snyder looked again at the map of Aikaite'er on the wall, searching for places to produce food. After all, if the population was to grow, everyone needed enough to eat.

He marked several plains on the map. They would become food production centers.

Suddenly, Snyder sensed a group of aquatic, serpentine creatures approaching Aikaite'er with a purpose. (The elements around Hailidos were all his eyes.) Snyder hurriedly used teleportation magic to appear along their path and see what they wanted.

A portal opened at a spot on the edge of Hailidos, and Snyder stepped out.

Snyder sensed the serpentine creatures drawing closer through the sea. He began preparing an elemental spell, ready to scour the ground with Rain of Fire if things went wrong.

They began coming ashore. The female serpentine creature at their head saw Snyder and slithered toward him.

"Stop! Take one more step and I'll cast a spell!" Snyder shouted at the strange creatures as they drew closer.

"Snyder, has it been so long that you don't recognize me? Important people do forget things easily. It seems you've forgotten your old friend now that you're a king." The one at the front spoke. Her voice was a little hoarse, but it sounded familiar to Snyder.

"Your voice sounds familiar. Wait, are you Lady Vashj?" Snyder realized who she was.

"You finally remembered me. At least all the care I gave you back when I was an elf wasn't for nothing." Lady Vashj's past life flashed through her mind.

"How did you end up like this? Wasn't the place you were in submerged during the Great Explosion?"

"Don't be impatient, Snyder. I'll tell you how we became these ugly creatures."