That fact that Pryte was even doing this was kind of insane. Sure, he’d been bored with his job, but he was also comfortable. Just because the restless nagging of adventure had started to poke at him the last few hundred years or so didn’t mean he was likely to give in anytime soon. And then Dave with that damned insignia just had to show up.

  Someday, he would need to make it clear just how many strings he had pulled for him that day. Imprinting that little suggestion for the world where there just happened to be both a Paladin of Knowledge and a friendly ex-Arena manager hadn’t been easy. The Spire wasn’t big on their clerks getting caught using their influence on anyone, but as with everything in the Spiral, the devil was in the details. You just had to not get caught, and it would all be fine.

  The good news was that that part hadn’t been caught. If they had any idea that some of Dave’s more fortunate meetings were because Pryte had prodded a bit of fate along, well, that wouldn’t have been good for him. Now the rest though – Rabyn, Connie, and Sanquar himself – those were some insane coincidences, and Pryte wasn’t big on coincidence when dealing with the scale of the Spiral. That didn’t mean he was about to give in to Rabyn’s fate theory either, though. No, there was a much simpler answer than that, and the more weird interactions Dave had with the System, the more obvious it became.

  Either there was a grand architect behind this working through the System, or it was the System itself. Currently, he was leaning toward the System. He suspected Sanquar’s lost memories were deeply tied to whatever was happening there. What he wanted to know, though, was how the System was allowed to give out this universe as a prize. Something had slipped there, and that was the crux of everything that was happening. Now, it was possible it was just another sign of the eternal decay of the bureaucracy of the Spiral, which was an increasingly large problem as of late. The fact that they were so far behind on a new full expansion cycle was worrying.

  If those just stopped, the kind of wars that would come from it would be beyond anything the Spiral had ever seen. He wouldn’t be surprised to learn that was part of what destroyed the Old Spiral, but that was older than even he was. In his youth, he’d toyed with the idea of trying to learn the lost secrets, but he had seen enough scraps of information in the Spire to be scared off of that for now. However, if Dave lost the tenth floor and survived, it would make for an interesting new life. A journey through chaotic space in search of lost relics. He could get used to that life. Hell, it might even keep him entertained for a few hundred millennia.

  But no, that was less and less likely. While he had the plan in place just in case of disaster, at this point, he was expecting the squad to win the floor. Not easily of course, and he was concerned they may not all survive it. He was still on the fence about whether to talk Maud out of that fight or not. Ultimately, he would let Mel make that call, though. The man knew far more about underdog fighters than he did.

  He took another drink of the odd Earth brew John had first offered him a few days back. It reminded him of something he hadn’t had since he was a child, also a roasted bean drink. It had a nice, rich flavor, and he had grown to like it surprisingly fast. He set his mug down on the table in the newly built veranda. That had been how Trolke had started the day to test out how well adding to the work force would really perform.

  The answer so far had been extraordinarily well. Apparently, Rabyn’s class had some of its own construction features, though specifically linked to food and drink, it still proved useful. John had gone to work on experimenting with his new abilities and passing out the results to help bolster everyone’s stamina, while Connie spent the day pushing her own limits on just how much she could further boost everyone. This, all in combination, meant that Pryte had to work at his own rapid pace to keep the projects flowing.

  “This room is good so far. While the size isn’t going to ever let us host a giant gathering, it should be good for the time being. Rabyn, how’s the attached kitchen coming?” Pryte asked as he examined the building they’d spent the last few hours on. He wished they had time to make something a bit grander, but for now, this would have to do. Rabyn’s meal would hopefully cover the lack of proper decorations for it. There just wasn’t time to get a true seal made for the empire yet. He wanted one with a proper mana field built into it, and that would require a real master of their craft.

  “I have the kitchen layout prepared. We won’t have all the equipment I want for it yet, but I should still be able to prepare a grand feast for your meeting,” Rabyn answered.

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  “Good, make sure you get a menu from John on what is safe for humans. We need to make sure we cater perfectly here. I want to make our position of power clear, but I also don’t want to actually hurt anyone on accident. It’s going to be a fine line, but we can do it,” Pryte replied. Rabyn gave him a single nod in return before returning to his own work.

  “Trolke, will we have time to finish the pavilion as well today? I don’t want to stretch this beyond twenty-four hours, so wherever we are after, that’s where we’ll be until you’re able to get them finished,” Pryte asked.

  “I can always trigger my guidance again in a week, though I understand some of the ingredients John’s using are somewhat rare, so even then, we won’t match the same output. But yes, I think it’ll be done. I even think we will complete the bunkhouse as well,” Trolke replied.

  “Perfect, that’s great news,” Pryte said before heading out of the partial building in search of his next person. He needed to check on Alex and the pregnancy again. The only doctor he trusted enough for a human child couldn’t be here for another week, and while she wasn’t that far along just yet, he still liked to do a daily medical scan when possible. There were days when he regretted not specializing in healing; it had been an early passion of his before the Spiral, but deep down, he knew that regret was mostly a lie.

  He was a gnome, and he was an ancient one at that. That meant there was no single passion that could ever hold him forever. This empire would hold him for a while, though. The pure potential in it to change things was going to be fun. He doubted it would really change the Spiral in any grand way, but some of the little ripples would be fun to see. He hoped the Empire of Dave would at least become a major player in a few hundred years. That alone would be enough to make him smile. The fact that Korl thought he’d threatened him enough to cause this meant that one day he’d have to make it abundantly clear that he liked the path he chose and that Korl had very little to do with it. He was just a simple lever that sped some things up.

  “Well, uh, hi there, nice to see you again, too,” Alex said from around the side of the house. Who was she talking to? Everyone else was working in the front. Even Glorp’s siblings had pitched in.

  As he rounded the corner, he found his surprising answer. The moose was back, bowing its head and rubbing it gently against her pregnant belly. He added that to the list of new experiences he had since signing on with Dave, further cementing in his mind this had been the right idea. “What’s going on?” He asked quietly so as not to startle anyone.

  “Oh, uh, hi Pryte. I honestly don’t know, but I didn’t want to tell Maud because she was so excited to be the first to tame him, but he’s been visiting me all week when I’m out here alone. He seems to check on the baby every time,” she replied, looking embarrassed.

  “That’s different, but I really don’t know much about primal mana beasts. Are you being a good moose?” Pryte asked cautiously. It responded by looking up at him and narrowing its eyes. It gave a quick huff and then turned and trotted away.

  “I think that was a yes,” Alex replied, letting out a small laugh. Pryte took that moment to do a quick medical check-up on the baby, one of the many basic scanning functions of his class, and found both them and the mother still in good health.

  “Well, the good news is you’re still doing well. I wish I knew what the moose was doing, though,” Pryte said with a smile.

  “Glad to hear it. As for him, no idea really, but how’s the construction going? It’s not nearly as noisy as I’d have expected,” Alex replied. As though on cue, there was a large boom, and several curses screamed from the other side of the house.

  “Damn, well, it was going good last I checked, gotta go,” Pryte said, racing off back to the construction, muttering under his breath. Couldn’t they manage anything without his direct supervision? He was going to need an assistant or two at this rate. He might love excitement, but he also liked his sleep.

  Druid classes come in all shapes and sizes. One of the most interesting ones I’ve encountered is the Stellar Druid. They find their calling in the various stellar nurseries of the Spiral, and some even venture deep into chaotic space on missions to unknown regions. These druids then work to shape these baby stars, gently guiding their growth and teaching them the ways of sapience. Why do they feel this calling to awaken some of the most fundamental forces of reality to true awareness? None of them I spoke to were willing to answer that question. Only Morge of the Black Star was willing to even give me even a hint. He claimed that the darkness hungers and that one day, everyone will understand.

  Classes Volume 2 by Zolinjar

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  ? Villainess, Fix The Damn Plot! ?

  by Chicken Immortal

  Su Lan Yi was this close to immortality—until a stray chicken ruined ONE THOUSAND YEARS of cultivation.

  supposedly-dead villainess, with her soul shattered across multiple worlds and an overly enthusiastic System demanding she "fix the plot."

  Her solution? Maximum chaos.

  Su Lan Yi brings villainous chaos to every world she enters.

  What Su Lan Yi doesn't know: this isn't about fixing plots at all.

  ?? CONTAINS: Shameless villainy, multiple worlds of chaos, and one woman's vendetta against all poultry-kind, plus the cutest familiar ever.

  Something is broken in these stories... and she's going to fix it—in the most gloriously villainous way possible.