Three Hundred and Sixty-Eight. One project done.

Three Hundred and Sixty-Eight. One project done.

"Such bullshit," Mike grumbled. "It took us how many months to find a planet that wasn't covered by a tentacle monster or a frozen wasteland?"

"To be fair, I'm pretty sure there is more than just one person jumping from universe to universe," Dave offered.

"Well, we definitely don't have enough crystals to compete in his auction," Amanda sighed.

"Anyone who does is taking a real risk," Bob added. "He snapped some photographs from a distance. He doesn't know what tier the world is, or if it's even compatible with human life. Plus or minus a percentage point or two and the air we breathe will kill us." He shook his head. "Without doing an actual survey of the planet, it could be worthless."

"We'll find our own, eventually," Dave said. "In the meantime, today is the big day."

"Clean water for Dharavi," Amanda agreed. "Maybe not much in the grand scheme of things, but it'll change a lot of lives for the better."

Bob nodded. The Indian government had come through, sourcing the pipes needed, as well as the pillars. It had still taken three weeks to get everything in place and connected, as well as building a containment pond for all the junk that the ritual effect would be cleaning out of the river, but everything was in place now, and ready for him to cast the rituals.

"We'll still have two days left, should we go back to Hawaii?" Bob asked.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

"I have to go to Sydney," Jessica said. "My Mum and Dad haven't seen me for ages, and it's looking like it'll be another bit until we come back to visit again, yeah?"

"You should start working on getting us into the country then," Dave suggested.

"I've got the PM's number," Jessica shrugged. "I'll just call ahead, make a reservation, right?"

Kiara Julwry answered her cell phone carefully. The number had shown up as an unknown from the United States.

She didn't recall giving her personal number to anyone in that country, ever, but the people who did have that number were either very important, or very close to her.

"Hello?" She answered.

"G'day," a cheerful voice replied. "It's Jessica Wright. I'm swinging by to see my folks, catch up, introduce them to my mates, and I didn't want a repeat of Mumbai, so I'm calling to let you know."

Kiara frowned as she struggled to remember who exactly Jessica Wright was, then her frown deepened. She was that veterinary student who'd gotten involved with the yanks and kicked off the disappearance of the ranchers.

"Ms. Wright, from your tone, I take it you don't intend to enter the country through conventional travel?" Kiara asked.

"Not so much," Jessica agreed. "We've got a spaceship that we'll park up top, and we can either fly down or portal down."

"You're an Australian Citizen, and as long as you're not violating any laws, which you probably would be if you flew, as I don't believe you're a licensed pilot, you have every right to enter the country," Kiara began. "You mentioned bringing other people with you. I don't suppose they are also Australians?"

"Mostly yanks, but a few people from Thayland," Jessica replied happily. "Bob, Dave, Amanda, Jack, and Mike are all yanks, while Erick, Bailli, Eddi, Wayna, Harv and Eli are from Thayland." She paused. "Huh, I guess we're a pretty split, as far as Earth and Thayland."

"You'll need to bring them through customs," Kiara said firmly. "We have a system in place for registering visitors from Thayland."

"I suppose laws are laws, yeah? Should we just come into the airport?" Jessica asked.

"Yes, that would be ideal," Kiara replied. "I'll have someone notify them of your impending arrival."

"Brilliant, tell them to look for the flock of pterodactyls with people riding them," Jessica offered. "Should help avoid any confusion."

"Pterodactyls, right," Kiara said with a grimace.

"To that goal of being learned and wise, I would like to ask you to convey an offer to His Majesty Kellan Garvades," Rajiv continued. "I know that the people of Thayland have embraced the technological advancements that Earth has to offer, but it's been very much a piecemeal arrangement. Our worlds have so much to learn from one another, and the situation you helped remedy is an example of our failing to do so. I would like to establish a pair of universities, sister campuses, one on Thayland, and one here on Earth, where the best and brightest from both our worlds can learn from one another. India will be happy to provide the campus, the faculty, and the funding here on Earth. We can easily accommodate ten thousand students."

Bob closed his eyes for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

The Prime Minister wasn't at all what he'd expected. From his first conversation on the phone, the man had been friendly and genuinely concerned for his citizens. He was sort of a less angry version of the United States President.

Having people from Thayland study at a university was a brilliant idea. There were doubtless a lot of professors who would love to teach again, and he could think of quite a few people who would not only enjoy taking courses, but could also put them to good use.

On the other side of the coin, if Kellan could gather up experts on the various schools of magic, Bob would find time to audit some of those classes. Trebor was a huge advantage, but Bob didn't harbor any illusions about being some sort of great wizard.

"While I can't speak for his Majesty, I can promise to relay your offer with my endorsement, however little weight might carry," Bob replied.

Rajiv chuckled. "You give yourself too little credit, my friend. I've heard the King of Greenwold speak of you, and I believe he holds you in high regard."

The Prime Minister offered him a thumb drive. "The details of our offer," he explained. "I know you're busy, and that you undertook this project during what was supposed to have been your vacation, so I won't delay you any further. When you plan your next vacation, feel free to call. India has some truly amazing things to offer, and I'd be happy to have the arrangements made for you."

"Thank you, Rajiv," Bob replied, nodding his head as the Prime Minister moved back over to his officials.

"So, we need to hire someone," Amanda said, finishing her pitch.

Upon returning to the Freedom and taking a much needed rest, Amanda had discovered that Bob's facebook page had exploded. There were requests from hundreds of groups and individuals. Miraculously, only a few of them were bullshit. They were, for the most part, issues that their respective governments weren't addressing. Clean water and sanitation were a big part of the requests, but there were some unique ones as well. There was a species of fungus in Paraguay that apparently really liked mana, and was causing real issues with the crops grown in the area.

Amanda and Dave had spent the entire day following up on the requests, mostly by notifying the governments responsible.

"I really don't want to encourage the perception that I'm able to fix people's problems," Bob shook his head. "There are some instances where I can help, and when I can, I will, but I'm just one person."

"You're a little bit late when it comes to dodging the 'Hero' bit, yeah?" Jessica winked at him.

"There is that," Dave agreed. "You saved the whole planet. That's not the kind of thing people just forget."

"I agree that you shouldn't be responsible for everyone," Amanda agreed. "What I'm suggesting is that we pin a notice at the top of your page, letting everyone know that you're willing to listen, and to make sure the information reaches their governments."

"And if they won't help, you can refer it to the Endless," Eddi said proudly.

"The Endless aren't in every country yet," Amanda said with a smile.

"Just have whoever you hire reach out to the Antarctica tower," Eddi replied.

"The Antarctica Tower?" Bob asked.

"Yeah," Eddi grinned. "There was a Dungeon smack dab in the middle that no one was using, so we built a tower on top of it." His smile faded to a frown. "Didn't I tell you about that?"

"No," Bob shook his head. "No, you did not. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered if you had told me that the Endless had effectively claimed a chunk of Earth for themselves.

"Oh," Eddi shrugged. "Sorry, we've been so busy I must have forgotten." His face brightened. "But you know now, so no big deal. We've got a full tower there, so there are enough people that we should be able to address almost anything that comes up, as long as we don't get slammed with a hundred things at once."

"Does anyone else know about this tower?" Bob asked.

"I don't think so," Eddi replied.

Bob rubbed his temples for a moment. "Ok, let's hire someone. Their first job is to let the President know about the Endless occupying Antarctica. We'll the President handle it from there."