Chapter 194 – Accumulating Power

2 weeks passed since the final battle...

During this time, the Haven gradually settled down and the remaining 40 class 4's took full control over their districts. Everyone started getting used to the systems around the place and disputes drastically decreased with the help of the guards and the AI on everyone's bracelets.

The demons also settled their activities on the surface. Since they had wiped out all life on the planet, there was nowhere else to invade. Nothing came to kill them, and they could go on with whatever they wanted. Curiously, this led to them conglomerating.

A majority of the demons moved down to the third continent, otherwise known as the demon continent. There they set up massive communities and kingdoms of demons that spanned half the continent. The same thing occurred in the center of the human and animal continents, albeit those establishments were smaller. 

With that, the demons were no longer scattered across the lands, and Dream was able to relax his guard. If no demons were present over the Haven, there was no chance they would discover it. This allowed Dream to go on with improving the smaller qualities of life within the Haven. 

The first thing he decided to do was actually expand a bit. Sophia had designed the Haven with upgrades and modifications in mind, so digging out some dirt and building more city space wouldn't be that difficult. Even the Tree could be manipulated to grow further outward. The hardest part would be ferrying out excess material like dirt, but even that had been planned out.

Dream was sure to build a secret entrance and exit to the city, allowing external resources and supplies to come in and out. The entire area around the Haven was filled with mountains, so it wasn't difficult to build a hidden cave in one. This allowed him to send in more metals and materials into the city that would accommodate for the expansions. And when things finally calmed down, this is exactly what he did. 

Dream never stopped his mining teams on the moon from gathering resources. They ceaselessly piled up raw ores and processed them into huge ingots. Every few hours there would be cargo ships filled with resources flying into the factory. Those resources could then be sent down to the Haven to be used in whatever projects Dream had in mind. 

Unfortunately, there was only so much metal could do to improve the lives of the people within the city. As the Haven was totally isolated from the outside world, there was no way for people to go out and collect other organic resources like wood, plants, and animals. Everyone was stuck using whatever was provided to them in the city, which didn't include much. Only things like fish and their byproducts were available in bulk. 

But it wasn't like there was nothing. When everyone was moved from the Empires, they took their livelihoods with them. Anybody at the class 2 level and up had inventories so each person was able to take a lot with them. Multiply that by almost 300 million, and you were given a rather plentiful supply of exotic items. Whether people wanted to trade them was a different story though. There wasn't an economy yet, and that meant there was no incentive for people to buy and sell. 

This was the next issue Dream wanted to solve, and he had a good idea as to how to do it. He needed to supply outside organic materials and create jobs based around the materials he brought in. It would have to be mostly commodities and basic goods though. Nobody had any use for things like armor or weapons anymore, so their attention would be focused on things like furniture, clothes, food, and entertainment devices. 

To solve this problem, Dream had two methods. One was to simply go out and gather resources. The demons had conglomerated in a few places, vastly reducing their spread. This meant his bots could go out and gather without fear of being discovered. He could send them to forests for whatever wood they needed or hunt animals for their products. 

The only problem with this plan was the lack of commodities. Things like sugar, cotton, spices, and other popular plants weren't being farmed anymore. Their farms had been reduced to nothing with the demon attacks, so those were incredibly scarce. However, this was what Dream's greenhouse was for. 

Under Sophia's masterful designing capabilities, she was able to make the schematics for an incredibly efficient greenhouse that could grow all types of plants. All that was needed were the seeds, and she had made sure to gather plenty of samples from the farms they came across while kidnapping entire kingdoms. 

With that, they had plenty to kickstart a greenhouse. Though there was one problem, and that was space. 

The majority of the city was taken up by buildings and facilities. While Sophia had built a place for the greenhouse, it wasn't very big. It definitely couldn't accommodate the needs of nearly 300 million people. So Dream decided to come up with another plan. He was going to just build his greenhouse elsewhere. 

There was plenty of open space on the planet, so Dream had Sophia pick out a safe area away from any demons and build an enormous greenhouse there. After she chose a spot on the human continent close to a coast, bots were sent over to set up a greenhouse. However, this greenhouse would be massive and couldn't be finished in a day. The plants also needed time to grow, so it would take at least a month to gain anything. At least, that was until someone came to Dream with some advice.

As they were ruling the districts, the class 4's had a good idea as to what the people needed, especially the ones who had been the rulers of an Empire. This prompted them to speak with Dream on occasion, giving him advice on how to improve the Haven. And one of the things that had been brought up was the farming issue. Not only that, but he was given a rather interesting solution. 

Apparently, there existed farming skills. These skills could be used to nourish entire fields should you have enough people. It could accelerate growth, makes plants healthy, and even cause them to produce a more bountiful harvest. While the farming profession wasn't very popular, class 1's and even class 2's were known to make great livings should they have the skill. They could produce far more than others and it wasn't rare for them to be directly connected with famous restaurants. 

Either way, these rulers knew where to find the farmers, and if Dream was able and willing, they would be able to help set up a farming system in the Haven. However, Dream already had the idea of making the greenhouse. So after a bit of discussion, they just decided to combine the two. 

Dream would construct the greenhouse as planned, and the farmers would be sent over to help. They could cooperate with the bots and live a life with their families outside of the Haven. Their safety would also be guaranteed, so there was no risk. The whole thing would allow the Haven to have a steady and bountiful influx of organic resources and, hopefully, they would be able to kickstart an economy.

And so, all the plans were put underway. Dream created a digital currency utilized with the bracelets that everyone had, bots went out to gather wood and hunt animals, the Haven started expansion projects, people were allowed to open up businesses that traded with the digital currency, and the greenhouse was built to produce commodities and other goods. 

With all that, the Haven started its development toward a fully functioning city that people could thrive in. Although people had to adapt, it was only a question of when, not if. 

.......

....

"Hey Dream?"

Up in the factory, Luna and Iris came walking over to Dream who was working on a device.

It was 2 months since the Haven was sealed. In this time, nothing major happened, and the only ongoings were the projects within the Haven like booting up an economy and farming at the greenhouse. Since Dream had less to worry about during this time, the construction of the particle collider was resumed, and he went back to experimenting with various things. 

However, Iris was now coming to him with a conflicted face. He got curious and turned to her.

"What's up?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure how to put it, but the demons are... doing something."

"Doing something?"

"It's hard to explain. Whenever I go down to attack their kingdoms and whatnot, I get a weird feeling from the aura that comes off it."

Iris scratched her head as she tried to describe her experience. She and Luna would frequently go down to the various small demon settlements and go on massacres. It kept them busy, let them practice their skills, and reduced the demon population. While Dream had been apprehensive about letting them reveal themselves like that, his worries were eventually dashed when nothing came of it. 

From what she described, the aura coming off the kingdoms was more powerful than usual. Especially in one particular kingdom on the demon continent. That kingdom was the most powerful one and was home to the strongest gathering of demons. Even Luna and Iris had to tread lightly there, and they would only fight there if they wanted a real challenge. Now though, Iris could faintly feel changes in the power that emanated from the kingdom.

"It's like they're accumulating power. I obviously wasn't able to see anything, but I get an uncomfortable feeling whenever I get close."

"Hmm... Luna?"

"I'm feeling it too. Although I always get a bit of an uncomfortable feeling around the demons because of my power alignment, I can tell that it's worse than usual."

"Interesting... You know, I remember the Pope saying something about what happens should the demons take over. I had kind of forgotten about it. Is he still alive?"

[He is. He's been living happily and expanding his church bit by bit within the Haven.]

Sophia spoke to answer his question. Hearing that, he nodded. 

"Alright. Why don't we go ask him about it? I could use some fresh air anyway."

"Yes, you could. You've been up here for 2 months. I still don't understand how you can just build stuff all day. Even Luna is starting to do her own things at the Haven. I'm gonna be all alone soon."

Iris shook her head as she questioned the hobbies of Luna and Dream. Dream had always been one to isolate himself for days on end with a variety of projects. But now, Luna was also developing certain hobbies. She liked to go down to the Haven and work alongside the district rulers. She would take part in managing many different affairs, getting involved in the politics that Dream didn't feel like stifling.

Although she was still green, she was able to learn different people skills from all the rulers. Especially Vythica, the elven Ancient. Vythica had managed the affairs of the Elven Empire for thousands of years and was one of the most competent rulers there was. They got along well, and Vythica enjoyed teaching Luna all the ins and outs of politics and ruling people as she did. 

And the teaching wasn't for nothing either. Although Luna had been isolated from society for the vast majority of her life, she slowly came to realize that she was surprisingly a people person. She enjoyed learning the business side of things and working with people, and as she came under the tutelage of Vythica, her hidden talent for business and politics started blossoming. Apparently it was something that came from her mother who also dabbled in politics when she was locked up. 

This was all very distressing for Iris though. Dream would always have an experiment, and now Luna would go off and play queen at the Haven. She was often left by herself to go and hunt which was her favorite pass time. While she didn't mind that much, she would get lonely sometimes. 

............

After finishing up his little project, Dream and the girls headed down to the Haven to find the church that the Pope resided at. 

When they arrived in the city, Dream found that it looked much different than before. The buildings, ground, and ceiling all constantly glowed with blue lines similar to roots. These enchantment circuits were controllable and they would light up during the day, making it very easy to see. On the ceiling also resided some large blue lights formed out of the roots which would act as substitutes for the sun. They glowed the brightest, and at night, everything would dim, thus creating a day-night cycle.

The city also bustled with people. Metal and wood carriages that run off magic ran up and down the streets, transporting goods. People bartered at stalls, and restaurants constantly had people going in and out during the lunch hours. 

"Looks like things are coming together."

"The greenhouse was able to produce huge amounts of food, and the animal hunting done by your bots around the world was able to give a good supply of various meats. Although there aren't any surpluses and the supplies are expensive, it's something. The same goes for the crafting professions which are now in very high demand. Everyone wants something made whether it's for their house or business. It's done very well in creating an economy."

Luna spoke as they observed everyone. With the work she had been doing here, she obviously knew the details. 

Dream nodded as they walked. He didn't spend much, if any time managing the Haven, only making sure that there were enough bots for everything. All those other responsibilities were left to the rulers who knew how to do the job best. As long as society functioned, he was happy. 

Soon, the three arrived at a church. This place was just as active as the rest of the city, and it seemed that the demon invasion only strengthened the presence of the church. 

"Hm, let me scan around."

Not wanting to waste time, Dream let out his influence that instantly washed over the entire church. The only person who noticed this was the Pope himself who was the target of the influence.

"Dream?"

"Hello Pope. We've got things to talk about."

Smiling, Dream walked into the church, and a minute later, he was walking into a library. This was where the Pope currently was.

"Good day Dream! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Greeting them amiably, the Pope motioned for them to sit at the table he was at. On it were a few books that he seemed to be reading. 

When they sat down, Dream got straight to the point.

"I'm gonna make this quick. It's about the demons."

"Oh? What about them?"

"A long time ago you mentioned something about the demons taking over the world and the consequences of something like that happening. Well, this one here has discovered peculiarities in the demon kingdoms that have been established. Do you know anything about that?"

Dream pat Iris on the head as he spoke. When the question was asked, the Pope's brow furrowed as a troubled expression donned his face.

"Peculiarities? Could it be... Are they gathering power?"

"Yes. That's what I felt when I visited them."

Iris spoke as the Pope hit the nail on the head. Hearing that though, his expression got worse. 

"Then what I feared is indeed coming true."

"What is it? Is something happening?"

"...Yes."

Nodding, the Pope suddenly activated his magic and created a bubble around them, barring any potential listeners. 

"If you wish to understand, then we'll need to go back a little bit. I hope you don't mind a bit of a history lesson."

"I've got time."

"Good. Then first, allow me to explain what we know today as the Ancient Era. A time when the greatest warriors and mages in history laid the foundation for the Empires that we once knew, and the time where the Church was officially founded."

The Pope gravely spoke, preparing himself for a bit of a lecture.