Chapter 973 973 Unified Response
Wolfe brought King Petros back to town, where his Nobles were waiting eagerly for the results of the test flights, and news on when they might get their hands on a flying machine of their own.
"Good news, everyone. Saint Noxus has generously donated three small planes to the Crown for official purposes, in the livery of the Palace. We have also arranged for there to be ten stalls available here for next month's Solstice festival.
I am told that it is an important one for the Witches, so there will be many of them here, including a number who have been invited for job interviews.
Now, it is time that we returned home to our duties and began to prepare for the upcoming infrastructure improvements.
I am certain that many of you have arranged for the purchase of Witch Magic while you were here, so I won't keep you from your homes any longer." The King declared.
That seemed like his cue, so Wolfe opened a portal in front of the hotel in the Capital, beside the walk, so they could step out safely and not into the road.
They waved as they walked through, and the hotel staff looked down at the portal like they had won the lottery. There were so many ranking Nobles showing up all at once, and it was already nearly dark there.
Most of them wouldn't want to return home that night in the dark, so they would probably take rooms, and good rooms, suitable to their station.
Then the King himself stepped through. Everyone in town knew Petros, as he had been living here for many years. But now that he was King, that familiar face brought a new type of excitement. A business that could say they were the King's favourite in town had a lot of bragging rights, and even staying one night would be great for their reputation.
Unfortunately for them, King Petros had far too much to do, and as soon as he had stepped through, he opened a second portal leading to the Royal Palace, then vanished.
"I will see you all soon. I will likely show up a day or two before the festival, or I will send someone here on my behalf, to make certain that the King knows of the schedule, and to find out who has been chosen for one of the ten stalls he reserved." Wolfe explained.
"Thank you, Saint Noxus, we will be waiting for your next visit. But before you go, I have to ask something. That portal to the trial grounds, will it still work now that you have opened a portal to your world?" One of the Nobles asked.
"Of course. As long as you keep feeding it mana, it will continue to operate as intended. That's why I will be opening the portal for you to visit. Any other attempts will probably end in the trial's time loop." Wolfe explained.
The Nobles sighed, as they realized they couldn't sneak in beforehand to get a priority spot for their affiliated artisans. The locals were certainly doing the same thing, they assumed. But with ten spots in the prime areas, they should be able to make a lot of sales if they could get King Petros to agree to send some of their people.
Wolfe closed the portal, leaving them to their scheming for the next month, and turned to the gathered Continental Representatives.
"I guess that we should discuss how we're going to handle regular visits from other worlds. Eventually, they will want to see more of the world than just Forest Grove, and we should have a plan in place before that happens so that nobody gets surprise unwelcome visitors." He suggested.
Many of the Representatives nodded, and the Elven Prince gestured around the festival. "I would say that two thirds of the Guardians would be less than pleased to see them, and not just the Demons. The Fallen are trouble everywhere that they go, recruiting for their cult and starting uprisings. That's how they start with the worlds that they convert to their side.
I don't think they would succeed with this world, as there are too many Fae and Demons here for them to run us off without a massive invasion that they wouldn't win, but on many other worlds it has worked."
"Alright, so we will set limits to where they can go, so they don't start problems in other regions. Should we start some sort of list, or do you already know who will be willing to let them visit and who won't?
I know they're quite interested in meeting the witches, but if the Coven's don't want them around, we will have to limit the job candidates to just a few locals and some unaffiliated volunteers." Wolfe reminded them.
Most of the others shook their heads. "No, you will find plenty of volunteers among the former Witches of the One World Army. Things are getting steeled on the other continents, but plenty of them are still eager to get away.
They feel betrayed now that they have realized what was being done to maintain their power, and they want to try being proper Witches, healing nature and making helpful potions. The cursed talismans might have been the final straw for many of them. It was a betrayal by the Saints that they couldn't accept."
Wolfe sighed. "Well, if they're unhappy at home, and they would like to try healing for a living, I can't deny that this is a good opportunity for them. I just want to make certain that they're not going there to plot some revenge against their former allies."
The Representatives weren't particularly concerned with that. They had been working hard to stifle that sentiment and build a feeling of new beginnings. Unfortunately for some, they had just seen and done too much to fit in with the new start.
Many of them were already here in Forest Grove, their Representatives had been quietly moving them here and to the rural villages of Sylvan Coven so they could live in peace, but if they wished to work for King Petros, that would be fine as well.