In every UNA nation, spring had become a season of construction, not destruction.I leaned back in my chair, savoring the rare sense of quiet.“They’re using this time well,” I said, my gaze drifting to the vast cityscape of New City outside my office window. “Just as we advised.”“They should,” Elijah replied, settling into the seat across from me. “This window won’t last forever. When the Blood Moon rises in the fall, they’ll see the true value of what we’ve built.”“That’s what I’m counting on.”The Council’s real goal was not just to protect the UNA nations from outside wars—it was to train their minds. To shift their thinking. To slowly dismantle their medieval obsession with land-grabs and bloody expansion.When they saw their neighbors engulfed in endless wars while they themselves built schools, paved roads, and secured their homes—they would come to see that the path to power and prosperity didn’t need to be paved with blood. It could be paved with steel rails and concrete hi
"Should I alert the Peacekeeper Council?"I waved her off. "They’re not UNA nations. Let them burn themselves out. What’s important is that the UNA cocoon remains intact. Peace, prosperity, development—it’s a barrier thicker than any wall. While they chase blood, we’ll chase innovation."Elijah sat opposite me, pouring herself tea from the silver pot. "The other nations outside UNA must be watching us closely. Our alliance's strength is undeniable now.""Let them watch. Let them envy." I smiled slowly. "As long as they stay outside the garden, they can fight over the scraps."Across the sprawling map of the Central Continent on my wall, the green pins of UNA nations formed a growing shield—a web of peace tightly woven around Aeternum’s heart.Outside of it?Red pins flickered like dying embers. Wars. Plagues. Desperation. But inside our borders? Construction. Trains. Schools. Medical advancements. Commerce booming. The UNA nations had become addicted to development. And I had no plans
“They’re inviting us now,” I murmured, not really expecting a reply.Selie adjusted her glasses. “As you predicted, sir. Success builds invitations.”“They no longer see us as invaders.”“They see you as the solution,” she said softly.I leaned back in my chair, watching the skyline as the dawn painted the city in gold.“They think they’re hiring a helping hand,” I mused. “What they’re really doing is opening the door—and they won’t close it again.”Elijah strolled in moments later, skimming the same stack of reports.“They’re all happy with the arrangements,” he said, sliding a few signed acceptance letters across the table. “All three nations. They’re honoring every inch of the deal.”“Of course they are.” I chuckled. “We didn’t just solve their problems—we bought their headaches and cleaned them up.”Elijah sat across from me, pouring himself a cup of tea. “And the best part? They still don’t realize what we’ve really gained.”“They think we overpaid for monster pits,” I said, savo
Every week, a small Aeternum transport ship departed the dungeon complex loaded with crates of cores, ores, reagents, and monster protein synthesized under secure labeling. The goods traveled the newly constructed rail link to Aeternum Economic Exchange Warehouse, then distributed across the Alliance—and beyond.No crashes. No looting. No chaos. Within the dungeon’s deepest chamber, General Eliza visited late one evening. A command console lit up with golden details.“Population stabilized at 55%, core output at 82% efficiency, herb regrowth at 90% in two hours,” the lead technician reported.Eliza nodded, pressing her finger to the console. “Excellent.” Then she turned to the gathered officers and aides—among themrepresentatives from Eloesa, Angela, Zaredon—who had been brought in to witness firsthand.She spoke quietly; voice low but authoritative:“Now you know our secret. Dungeons are living power stations. Monster Tides are merely a symptom of poor management.”She paused, letti
“This isn’t official Peacekeeper business, is it?” the queen asked, sipping tea as the aide presented her nation’s dungeon data.“No,” Eliza replied. “This is from the JDA. We’re offering to take the burden of those dungeons off your hands. Full acquisition, no shared ownership. In exchange, we compensate you fairly—upfront.”Queen Lissandra skimmed the scroll, her eyes narrowing. “That’s... a lot of gold.”“And none of your soldiers need to die securing them. We assume full responsibility.”She looked at the marked dungeon in her western forest. A place that had swallowed four garrisons.“You can have it,” she said. “And if you want the two near the river... we’ll even throw those in for a bonus.”Eliza smiled. “Consider it done.”King Roderick of Drevska took even less time. “You’re offering me five thousand platinum pieces for a monster-infested pit I was going to blow up anyway?” He barked a laugh. “Where do I sign?”Mayor Illen of Iglorin hesitated the longest.“It’s not that I d
“We appreciate you coming,” Eliza began, her tone military-cordial. “But this is no celebration dinner. This is logistics.”Queen Lissandra smiled. “And you know how we monarchs love logistics.”That got a chuckle from the room.Eliza remained composed. “As agreed, upon by the UNA Council, 70% of the culled monster resources from Operation Clean Sweep will be stored, processed, and utilized by the UNA Peacekeeper Command.”King Roderick nodded without pause. “As expected, you fought the war; you earned the bounty.”“The remaining 30% will be divided equally between your three nations,” Eliza continued. “Our units will assist in safe extraction and transfer of all harvested cores, materials, and trophies.”The leaders exchanged looks—and all nodded, pleased. Then came the next part.“Additionally,” Eliza said, “with the monsters cleared, we will now begin deploying the Aeternum-developed Dungeon Detection Units.”She gestured to a display showing aerial drones and ground-radar crawlers