Chapter 93: Tanaka and Eldoris Dominion

Months had passed since the First Border War. The battle itself had been long ago and many had forgotten the details, but the changes it had caused were still apparent all over Eldoris. The Dominion itself had changed. Tanaka could see the changes every day. The rough settlement that had been surrounded by monsters and few dirt roads was now home to proper roads. The main road was broad and flat, composed of packed earth and stone, allowing cart-transport between the many districts of the Dominion without the worry of rain. Tanaka watched as a group of goblins pushed a wooden cart along the road.

"Push harder!"

"I am pushing!"

"You are barely touching it!"

"I am pushing with my entire body!"

Tanaka watched from the side as the cart suddenly moved forward. All three goblins stumbled and one landed flat on his backside. Tanaka covered his mouth as the goblin looked up at him. "Lord Tanaka, please pretend you didn’t see that."

"I saw everything."

The goblin sighed. The Dominion continued to move on around them. New storage buildings had been erected closer to the center of Eldoris, separating different materials and goods. Food was away from tools and medicine was kept in separate, secured rooms. Building supplies were stacked closer to the entrances, allowing quick access when a new project was announced. The workshops had changed, too.

Goblins had taken to organizing them, some even marking off storage areas so that items were easily found without having to rummage through piles of other equipment. Tanaka entered one of the buildings and was immediately greeted by Eldrin, who was currently behind a large desk covered in documents. The man looked exhausted. Tanaka stopped and frowned.

"How bad is it?"

Eldrin slowly looked up.

"You made the Dominion grow."

Tanaka blinked.

"I suppose I did."

"Then stop pretending you’re surprised when someone has to manage it."

Tanaka laughed. Eldrin pushed another stack of documents towards him. "These are requests for new houses." Tanaka looked them over while Eldrin continued. "And these are for food storage." "And these?" Tanaka asked after a moment. "Construction." Tanaka gaped at him. "There are more?" Eldrin pointed to a different desk. Tanaka immediately left. "I suddenly remembered that I have somewhere else to be." Outside the walls of the Dominion, the sounds of construction rang out. The Ogres had become one of the biggest parts in the expansion. At a large construction site near the northern edge of the Dominion, several Greater Ogres moved massive pieces of stone. Raishin stood nearby, watching as the stone was carefully placed. "Move it slightly to the left." The Ogre carrying the stone adjusted his stance.

"Lower it."

The stone settled on the foundation with a deep thud. Thoral, a Greater Ogre in charge of the project, crouched down to examine the foundation. "The weight is distributed correctly." Raishin nodded. Tanaka watched the two men. "You’ve turned them into professionals." Raishin looked at the workers. "They just needed direction." Tanaka smiled. The Ogres had stopped using sheer strength when it came to construction. Instead, they were learning the proper methods. The Kijin had also taken up several different roles within the Dominion.

Rogan had focused on weaponry and military equipment. Raveana had taken up combat training and regularly challenged warriors to sparring matches. Ryuken had taken to organizing the formations and preparing defense strategies. Relia had become more involved with the Dominion’s protection of its citizens. Tanaka witnessed her doing so later that morning. A group of young monsters were trying to cross one of the busier roads when Relia stepped forward and stopped any carts from passing.

"Wait until the road is clear."

The young ones complied.

Once the road had been cleared, Relia helped guide the group to the other side. One of the children looked up at her. "Thank you, Lady Relia." Relia smiled. "You’re welcome." Tanaka watched from the shadows. The Kijin were no longer just warriors. They had become part of the foundation of the Dominion. The same could be said of the Orcs.

Near the southern edge of Eldoris, a group of Orc hunters had returned from a trip into the forest, bringing several large animals with them. Leading the group was Razer, all dirty and covered in leaves, with a large axe resting against his shoulder. Behind him walked several younger Orcs, one of which was still excitedly talking about how they had found the pack after nearly an hour of searching.

Razer stopped near the storage buildings. "Separate the meat from the hides." The hunters immediately got to work. Another Orc arrived. "We found signs of a larger herd farther west." Razer nodded. "We won’t hunt there yet." The Orc looked puzzled. "Why?" "Because we hunted that area recently." Razer gestured towards the trees. "If we take animals from the same grounds, the population will disappear." The Orc nodded. "We rotate the hunting grounds." "Exactly." Tanaka stepped forward. Razer looked up. "Lord Tanaka."

Tanaka looked at the hunters. "You’ve been keeping the food supply stable." Razer nodded. "We have enough hunters to provide meat, but hunting isn’t just about killing what we find. If we want the Dominion to survive for generations, the forest has to survive too." Tanaka smiled. "That is exactly the kind of thinking I want here." Razer looked towards the nation. "The Orcs can also help with dangerous-area gathering and wilderness training. Some of the younger races aren’t ready to travel deep into the forest alone." Tanaka nodded. "Then teach them." Razer grinned.

"We will."

Tanaka continued his tour of the Dominion.

The changes were everywhere. The Moonhares had expanded their herb gardens. The Star Wolves had established new patrol routes. The Mana Birds had begun charting the areas beyond the Dominion. The Kobolds were collecting stone, ore and other materials. The Goblins were turning the resources into tools, weapons and equipment. The Ogres were using them to expand the settlement.

It was now a nation.

Malachiel’s blessing had changed the lands as well. Areas rich in mana had appeared throughout the nearby forest. The local vegetation had grown more dense. New creatures had appeared. Even the dungeon beneath Eldoris had changed. The slime population had exploded overnight. Tanaka eventually found Sora teaching a group of newly born slimes. The small slimes bounced excitedly as Sora bounced up and down in front of them.

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"Lesson number twenty-three! Never enter a dark tunnel without knowing what’s inside." Tanaka laughed. "You’re doing a good job." Sora turned proudly. "I know." "I didn’t say you were excellent." "I am an excellent teacher." Tanaka stared at him.

"Just don’t teach them anything dangerous."

Sora paused. "Define dangerous." Tanaka pointed at him. "Exactly." Sora bounced proudly. The Dominion was growing at a faster pace than Tanaka had anticipated. New races had appeared as well.

Lizardmen.

Serpentkin.

Other beast races and minor monster species.

They had either heard of Eldoris or simply found the Dominion’s territory to be safer than what the wilderness could provide.

Tanaka gave them names, allowed them to settle and made sure they were aware of the Dominion’s rules. One afternoon, he found Drakar overseeing a group of Kobolds unloading stone.

"Careful with that."

The Kobolds lowered the materials to the ground. Drakar turned at Tanaka’s approach. "We have plenty of strength," he said. "We only lacked organization." Tanaka smiled. Drakar looked towards the expanding nation. "It is changing quickly. The other races are becoming part of it." "That’s the idea." The Wyrmkin nodded.

"We can increase our resource gathering. The Kobolds can also handle transportation between the mines, storage areas and construction sites."

Tanaka looked out across Eldoris. He could see it now. A system had formed. The Dominion was no longer depending on him completely. That thought both satisfied and stunned him. For so long, he had been the one making all the decisions. Now, people were beginning to do it themselves. That evening, Tanaka stood on a balcony overlooking the settlement. Malachiel stood beside him. The True Dragon looked bored.

"This is taking too long." Tanaka glanced at him. "What is?" "Everything." "You’re supposed to be supervising." "I am supervising." "You’ve been staring at the same building for ten minutes." "It is an interesting building." Tanaka stared at him.

Malachiel continued looking out over the Dominion.

"It has walls." Tanaka sighed. "You really are bored." "Extremely." Tanaka laughed. A few minutes later, the leaders of Eldoris gathered beneath the Crystal Tree. The Leadership Council had become necessary.

Tanaka sat at the head of the group, with Sora bouncing beside him. Raishin stood nearby, while Eldrin carried several documents. Sylva sat calmly with her hands folded. Torga rested heavily against the ground. Raizen stood proudly. Zephyr perched above them. Drakar stood beside the Kobold representatives. Razer arrived shortly after and Malachiel took a seat at the far end. Tanaka looked around. Everyone was there.

This time, there was no question that the Dominion had outgrown its organization. Tanaka spoke first. "Eldoris can no longer remain hidden." The council fell silent.

Eldrin nodded. "I agree." Sylva looked out over the settlement. "Our healers are already supporting more people than before. If the population continues growing, we will need more supplies and better systems." Torga nodded. "Our defenses are stronger than they were before." Raizen added, "Our warriors are prepared." Zephyr spread his wings. "I’ve mapped most of the surrounding territory. We know the major routes approaching the Dominion." Drakar folded his arms. "The Kobolds can support construction and transportation."

Razer spoke next. "The Orcs can keep the food supply stable. We can also teach wilderness survival to the newer races."

Raishin was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "The question is not whether we can survive outside contact." Tanaka looked at him. "It is what comes with it." Raishin nodded. "Once other nations learn that Eldoris exists, some will come looking for trade." Eldrin added, "Others may come looking for territory." "And some will come looking for war," Raizen said. The room became quiet. Tanaka remembered the First Border War. He remembered the human army. He remembered Gareth. The Empire’s strongest warrior had entered Eldoris, believing he could crush the monsters standing in his way.

Tanaka had personally fought him, and the battle had shown the dangers the human world could bring. But Gareth was gone now. So was the army. And Eldoris was no longer the settlement he had attacked. Tanaka looked towards his people. "We cannot hide forever." Raishin nodded.

"Then we should decide what we want the outside world to see." Sylva smiled. "A nation that is willing to trade." Torga added, "And one that knows how to defend itself."

Razer crossed his arms. "Anyone who comes peacefully should be treated peacefully."

Raizen’s golden eyes narrowed. "And anyone who doesn’t?" Tanaka smiled. "They will learn why this place survived."

Malachiel suddenly leaned forward. "Finally." Everyone looked at him. He smiled. "Let them come." Tanaka sighed. "You were waiting for someone to say that, weren’t you?" "Of course." Eldrin looked around the council. "So what happens now?" Tanaka stood. "We open Eldoris to the world." The words settled over the council. No one disagreed. Tanaka looked at the leaders. I will prepare the message, the mana birds will carry it to every major settlement and nation we can reach." He turned back towards the council." Tanaka looked around one final time. "We will open our nation in one week."

Eldrin smiled.."Then I suppose I’ll need more paperwork." Tanaka laughed. Malachiel stood. "At least something interesting might happen." Razer shook his head. "You really enjoy trouble." Malachiel smiled. "Only when it comes to me." Tanaka looked out over Eldoris. For months, Eldoris had been growing quietly.

That was about to change.

Tanaka smiled.

"Let’s see what happens when the world finally notices us."