Outside the grand hall, Olivia, Lark, Noi, and Amber stood together, waiting for the ministers to finish their little performance inside. Olivia shifted her weight, arms folded, clearly impatient.

  “I can’t believe they’re actually taking credit for this,” Lark muttered under his breath, shaking his head. His sharp eyes flickered toward the door. “We do the heavy lifting, and they slap their names on it.”

  Amber, leaning casually against a pillar, smirked. “Typical. But you know how it is—if the Celestial Emperor isn’t made to feel like he’s the mastermind, he’ll throw a fit. Let him have his statues. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

  Olivia glanced at them both, her expression calm but focused. “Exactly. This keeps the peace between Atlas and the Celestial Emperor, and we all know that’s fragile. A few golden statues and some pagodas are a small price to pay.”

  Lark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but it still burns. Atlas isn’t even here, and they’re all about making the Emperor feel like he’s the one running things.”

  Amber chuckled, pushing off the pillar. “Atlas doesn’t care about statues. He cares about winning.”

  ‘‘‘

  Just then, the doors opened, and the ministers came out, looking like they’d just pulled off the grandest political coup of the century. Their smugness was practically radiating off them.

  Olivia raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word, letting them pass. Lark, however, couldn’t help himself. “They really think they saved the day, huh?”

  Amber smirked, stepping in to make sure Lark didn’t push it. “Let them enjoy it. Once the pagodas go up, and the Emperor’s staring at his own statues, he’ll be happy. Atlas gets his defenses, and we keep moving forward.”

  Olivia nodded. “We’ll report back to Atlas. He won’t care about the statues, but he’ll appreciate the pagoda strategy.”

  As they started walking away, Lark shot one last glance at the doors. “Still, those statues better not end up looking ridiculous.”

  Amber grinned. “Oh, you know I’m taking a picture if that happens.”

  ‘‘‘

  Olivia, Lark, and Amber returned to Fort Bone, and it didn’t take long for Atlas to meet them in the war room. He leaned against the table, eager to hear what had been decided. “Alright, what’s the news?”

  Olivia smiled. “You’re going to love this. The Celestial Emperor’s ministers took the bait. They’re proposing to put up pagodas with golden statues of the Emperor in every territory you conquer. You get defensive fortifications, and they get to stroke the Emperor’s ego.”

  Atlas straightened up, a grin spreading across his face. “Wait, I get defensive territories, and all I have to do is let them put up some shiny statues? Hell, that’s a deal I’ll take any day.”

  Amber raised a hand, smirking. “There is one catch—the Emperor wants really grand statues of himself in front of the pagodas.”

  Atlas waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, as long as they’re not life-sized.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “Make sure they’re not. I’ve seen the Celestial Emperor. He’s what, 5’6” on a good day? If they put up a 5’6” statue, he’ll lose his mind.”

  Lark chuckled. “So, you want us to make him larger than life? Ten feet tall, maybe?”

  Atlas laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, let’s not go too far. Seven feet will do the trick. Just big enough that he feels important, but not big enough that people are snickering behind his back.”

  Olivia nodded, amused. “Got it. Seven-foot statues. And the pagodas will be designed for defense. Everyone wins.”

  Atlas clapped his hands together. “Perfect! Finally, a diplomatic solution that doesn’t involve me having to pretend I care about politics.” He shot a glance at Olivia. “And you really think the Emperor’s going to be happy with this?”

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  Olivia smiled. “Oh, he’ll be thrilled. His ministers are already strutting around like they’ve pulled off a masterstroke. We’ve got this.”

  Atlas nodded, still grinning. “Alright, let’s get those pagodas up. And remember, no life-sized statues. I don’t need the Emperor throwing a fit over his height.”

  Lark snickered. “We’ll make sure he feels like a giant. In his own head, at least.”

  Atlas gave her a wink. “That’s all that’s needed.”

  The diplomatic team all joined in with happy smiles. Ever since Atlas had gotten his last achievement he always seemed to have a warm and inviting aura around him.

  TITLE: DOUBLE THE EMPIRE

  Wow, you’ve gone and done it. What are you going to do with so much territory? You know you can build a massive harem, right? That is the only logical choice.

  BONUS: Mana glimmers over you, creating a charming effect of sparkles. Makes you more persuasive to the opposite sex.

  This aura while it didn’t have any combat, or financial bonuses definitely made it 100% more enjoyable to hang around him. If he was a pop star, it would be a killer bonus, as a wasteland warlord? It was just a small enjoyable perk.

  ‘‘‘

  POV : WASTELAND

  The sun was beating down on the scattered remnants of the American army, their uniforms dirty and torn as they fled into the desolate wasteland. They were doing their best to stay hidden and out of sight.

  In the distance, the sound of marching boots grew louder—Atlas’s army. With battle-hardened precision, they moved, escorting builders toward the razed town areas.

  Noi rode at the front, her eyes scanning the horizon, always alert. As the chief builder, she had been tasked with overseeing the construction of the golden pagodas and statues. But it wasn’t just any job—Noi had a 10% achievement bonus for anything she built, and she was determined to make these structures impressive enough to keep everyone off their backs.

  TITLE: Fixer Upper

  You built a structure you clearly could have bought, you cheapskate.

  BONUS:. Every time you build a self-designed building, it’s 10% infused with mana. Thanks for saving us the mana.

  She scanned the area looking for the best possible placement of the structures.

  That’s when she noticed the America United stragglers. Their hiding had been ultimately futile.

  “All right,” Noi called over her shoulder, her voice loud and firm. “Let’s clear out the remnants first, then get these builders to work.”

  THWIP!

  Crossbow bolts whizzed past as her troops expertly dispatched a few stragglers of the American army hiding among the ruins. The last of the resistance fell quickly.. The last survivor tried to make a break for it, but a crossbow bolt took him down before he even got ten steps.

  THWIP

  THUD

  Noi seeing the victory, raised her hand in a quick signal. “Builders, move in!”

  The crew of builders, protected by armed escorts, swarmed into the town ruins. They moved fast, unloading materials and marking off areas for construction. Noi jumped off her mount and strode through the area, issuing commands.

  “First pagoda goes here! Make it shine!” She tapped her foot on a flat piece of ground, mentally calculating the structure’s dimensions. “And don’t forget—statue’s gotta be just above life-size. The Emperor wouldn’t be too happy about the real version of himself looking up at everyone.”

  Her team chuckled, but they worked fast, eager to get the bonus that came with completing such high-profile builds. The first statue, a golden replica of the Celestial Emperor (just a bit shy of 7 feet), was hoisted into place. The pagoda was coming up just behind it, gleaming in the sunlight as the builders applied a shimmering gold finish.

  One of the builders grinned at Noi. “Gotta say, boss, this wasteland really gets us moving.”

  Noi smirked, wiping some dirt off her hands. “Good. Keep at it—remember, the faster we get these up, the sooner we can move to the next town.”

  THWIP!

  A crossbow bolt flew towards them.

  “Attack!”

  The armed escorts quickly covered the builders, who had all ducked down in fear.

  They saw a bandit running away after taking the shot. The bandit had been out looking for a defendable area when the first attack had been made, returning to see that his comrades had been killed, he had fired his crossbow in anger, hoping to get some vengeance and then flee.

  He thought his plan had a good chance of success. However the bolt had missed. He didn’t get a second chance. One of Noi’s guards took him out in a heartbeat. Riding him down on his skeletal mount.

  SLASH!

  “Nooooo.”

  “These guys never learn,” Noi muttered, shaking her head at the crushed bandit. Her troops scanned for more threats. No more bandits seemed to be in the area.

  The construction crew hardly quickly returned to the task at hand. The pagoda was halfway finished, standing tall among the debris of the old town. As more of the golden structure was pieced together, it became a symbol of unity—between Atlas and the Celestial Emperor, between the Portal Crushers and the new world they were shaping. Sure, there was still plenty of tension between them all, but these pagodas were a start.

  By the time the sun dipped toward the horizon, the first town was officially transformed. The pagoda gleamed in the fading light, and the statue of the Emperor stood proudly in front of it.

  Noi glanced at her handiwork and smiled. “Not bad,” she muttered. “Not bad at all.” Then, raising her voice, she called to her troops, “All right, everyone! Time to move out. Next stop—new town, new pagoda. Let’s keep this momentum!”

  And with that, the army gathered up their supplies and began the march to the next razed settlement. Behind them, the golden pagoda shone, marking their passage like a beacon.