"I... Hmmm..." Irene hesitated under my questioning gaze. "But you do realise that I won't overuse that power needlessly?"

"I wouldn't ask for a Miracle if I could do it in any other way." I lowered my head in regret. "It's not for riches but to save lives, Irene."

"I know..." The Saintess covered her head in her hands. "I'll try."

She looked at me and we moved directly to Avalon's food storage. Rows upon rows of gigantic shelves organised similarly to massive warehouses back on Earth. Racks that were nearly ten metres tall and hundreds of metres long occupied one of the subspaces of my Dungeon. In a sense, it was Jasper's domain, one of many stockpiles under his care. While this was a warehouse, it was also a part of the Dungeon that escaped all logic. Nothing stored here would spoil or go bad. The room was many kilometres wide and equally long. In fact, it was roughly the same size as Avalon itself. However, it was only one of many floors in the, normally, inaccessible space, accessible only to those with my personal permission. The warehouse, granaries, and stockpiles of Avalon were vast. While the amount of food looked impressive and unlimited, it occupied only a tiny portion of that truly massive hall.

"I ask you, Heavens, for a Miracle to save our people. Avert the hunger from us..." Irene prayed and I could only wait.

A gold light exploded in the room but before the glow subsided even a little bit I pulled Irene into my arms. She was panting heavily, sweat covering her entire body, and her gaze was unfocused.

"Well... I should have expected that..." She mumbled with great effort. "I'm almost fully drained."

"You deserved the rest, my Dear." I hugged her.

"That certainly gives us the time we need." Lavender looked around. "It will take a while before we establish farms in the flat lands and I fear even this amount of food won't be enough to keep us until we are ready."

"I don't think I'll be able to use that particular Miracle request often. It's... It doesn't feel right, Theon." Irene trembled slightly. "Of course, I will use it again if we really need to..."

"I will find a solution to improve our production before we have to rely on your Miracles again, Irene." I slowly shook my head. "How much would change if we dedicate two Dungeons solely to the agricultural production, Lavender?"

"Hmmm..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It certainly would help. We could plant potatoes, which aren't the most exciting food but they are certainly filling. They are also versatile, making them an excellent food source. Their only downside is that they can only be planted in the Dungeons under your control."

"Then let's do that... Amber, Hestia, and Lavender, I want you to prepare a team sufficiently large to manage a Dungeon farm the size of Avalon or Westwood." I looked at them as we disappeared from the now filled to the brim storage and moved to the sitting room in the Palace. "Please rest, Irene."

I put her on a large, plush pillow and she fell asleep as soon as I stepped back. We then returned to the conference room where the remaining officials were still trying to figure out how to distribute food.

"All right people." I clapped my hands loudly to get their attention. "Thanks to Saintess Irene, we now have enough food to last for four months. As of today, two Dungeons will be solely devoted to food production. Labyrinth of Despair Dungeon, Rowan, and Restless Marsh Dungeon, David."

I felt the mentioned Dungeon Cores focusing on me with surprise but I sent them instructions on what I expected them to do. While they weren't exactly thrilled, they began building farms. Meanwhile, Lavender and Amber discussed what workforce would be needed. Recruiting Dryads who would enjoy taking care of new gardens wasn't particularly hard. However, finding enough farmers and other associated classes would be difficult. It took us the better part of three days before we had assembled the required materials, farming supplies, and, most importantly, heavy machines.

Before we noticed, four days had passed.

"Darkness can only exist in the absence of light…" I said quietly as the first rays of sunshine broke through the seasonal darkness.

"The day has returned!" Amber announced and put her hands together to pray.

"Blessed be Eriar and his might, that dispersed the evils of the night!" Irene continued, and she put her hands together as well.

"And blessed be Avalon and its inhabitants." Luna lowered her head but her wagging tail betrayed how really happy she was.

"You did it on purpose?" I smiled while the three of them laughed.

"Mom?" Tommy tilted his head and grabbed Amber's hand.

"It's nothing, Tommy," I said with a warm smile. "It just brings back memories..."

He simply nodded without conviction or understanding but Freya just hugged him. "I'm with you and also think it's not fair, Tommy."

"Let's go." Mia smiled and fixed a strand of her hair. "It's time to greet the sun."

•••

The Voidlings had stayed quiet for the entirety of the days of darkness. A small blessing that counted for something, I guess... Nonetheless, the situation with the rescuees was very slowly improving. Their situation was similar to our previous cases but the scale was entirely different. Vastly different... Among the freed slaves there were always a group of people who, seemingly, switched between their circumstances as if by the flip of a switch. There were usually enough of them to help the teams tasked with, basically, uplifting the remaining population. There were also the polar opposites who couldn't stand the change and feared it. While they weren't dangerous to average Arcadians who overleveled them multiple times, they posed a threat to other former slaves and their outbursts undermined all our work. Fortunately, they were the easiest to spot early on and isolating them was usually the best solution.

However...

"For the fucks sake..." I buried my face in my hands as I read the report I still refused to accept.

"That's one possibility." Amber chuckled as she leaned back and crossed her ankles. "If I remember correctly, you wondered how polygamy was not only accepted but encouraged..."

"I mean..." I planted my face on the desk with a heavy thud. "I can't argue with the logic behind these numbers."

"Currently, the population of Arcadia was nearly seventy-nine percent of women and twenty-one percent of men," Mia added with a sigh. "If not for the Immortal Legions, our country would have already collapsed. The attrition rate is unsustainable... Oh, sorry... You are stuck on the gender distribution statistics..."

"It's rather hard not to be, if you ask me..." I grumbled from the table surface level.

"He wasn't expecting the gender gap to be this huge." Amber bit her lower lip with an expression suggesting that she wanted to continue teasing me. I also saw that she was painfully aware that it wasn't a laughing matter. "But, I suppose he is right. Considering that we will probably rescue even more women from Vestargo's slavery, we will only increase that gap. With most of the Arcadian men serving in the Army, we can... Well... Encourage them, I guess?"

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?" I very slowly looked up at my gorgeous wife.

"It's fairly easy with the Guardsmen Corps... We can provide them with housing that would be sufficient for large families." Amber shrugged. "It's harder for the Navy personnel... Anyway... I dropped that problem on Aoi and Tia."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Fortunately, our grand Emperor is already providing everyone with a good example." Mia purred from my side with a playful flicker of her cat-like ear.

"Ha, ha... Very funny..." I crossed my arms in front of myself.

"It might sound like she is making fun of you, but she is moderately serious, Theon." Amber rolled her eyes. "Thus far, it had been fairly normal to have two or three official wives. With you on the throne, with ten official wives, well... Eleven if we count Minerva... The point is that now it's normal for men to have five, even seven wives. I don't have to tell you how important that is from the population standpoint."

"So... They needed me as their excuse," I said flatly and sighed. "As long as it works, I guess..."

"It is working." Mia smiled brightly. "It also helps that prominent men in the Empire seem to take the hint and find more wives from among the saved girls. I can't say if it's a deliberate action or not, but all of them were involved in helping the refugees."

"By prominent you mean?" I looked at her slightly confused.

"Your Generals for example. Ban and Drake have taken three more wives and Blair two more. Or people like Ian, Ragnar, Verni, Bjorn-"

"All right! I get it." I raised my hand and looked at my secretary. "Please, commission for me a poster with a big print 'don't let nobility grow in power' and hang it somewhere where I can see it from my desk, Eva..."

"Of course, my Lord." She smiled and returned to her work.

"So... We have a population balance crisis on top of a humanitarian aid crisis. I'm happy that Cahrona is using Fleur's Psychologist teams to help with the aid crisis..." I rubbed my temples. "A fucking war is easier to manage..."

I complained loudly only for Mia to start chuckling. I looked at my wives and smiled to myself. Without them, I wouldn't be able to rule this country.

"Maybe for you." Amber put away the report she had been focusing on and stood up.

"Perhaps." I looked at the ornate ceiling. "But without you, my wise Empresses, I would be completely clueless on how to solve most of the Arcadian problems."

"Don't sell yourself short..." Amber smiled and opened the window.

She trembled from the cold but stepped to the side, determined to allow some of the fresh air into the office. From the outside, sounds of the city waking from the darkness came up to us; slightly more muffled than usual but considering that the bulk had volunteered to help with rescues, I wasn't surprised it sounded calmer than usual. All the active Adventurers and Adventurer's Guild personnel from Avalon had been dispatched to help the freed slaves. As far as I knew, there was only a single receptionist left to guard the guild hall. After a moment, Amber closed the window and returned to her seat with a visible shiver.

"Anyway... The JDF was deployed to the secondary position across the border with Vestargo. Galahad is holding the line while I spend a few million mana to rush the respawn of my Legions. They will be ready to redeploy by the end of the week." I drew in the fresh air with a smile.

"Theon! Theon!" A slightly alarmed but otherwise excited Luna appeared next to me, interrupting me. "Tommy ascended!"

"What?!" Amber shouted as she jumped and vanished from the room with Mia.

Luna simply grabbed my arm and teleported us to the greenhouse. My wives were happily chirping around Tommy, who had been stuffed into some oversized robes that, judging by their colours and ornaments, belonged to Tia.

"Oh, our little boy will be breaking girls' hearts right and left when he grows up..." Irene whispered near me with a proud voice and looked at me with a chuckle. "Like his daddy."

I laughed and walked over to the small star of our show. Freya was kneeling nearby with a big smile on her face so I assumed everything was fine.

"Dad! Dad! Look!" He smiled and spread his arms and ruffled his shining black hair. "I'm like you!"

"I see! You are such a handsome boy, Tommy!" I lifted him into the air and spun him around with laughter.

His fox-like, fluffy tail was black with a metallic shine while its silver tip was wagging happily. Tommy was laughing as well and his emerald-green eyes were gradually shifting into sapphire-blue on the edges.

"Will we now eat yummy food?!"

"Of course!" I put him on the ground with a chuckle. "And once we eat something yummy, I'm sure your moms will want to take you to Lady Wendy for some new clothes."

•••

Fiona stared numbly out the window at the lecture hall of the University and sighed. Things started to get interesting with the appearance of the Imperial Prince but the subsequent discovery of the slave city basically put everything on hold. Arcadia, literally, had no more workforce to spare. Or, at least, that was the latest topic her dad discussed with her mom and Myrna. He was amazing, to be honest... He loved her as if she were his daughter and, despite being seemingly everywhere where the Emperor needed him, he always had time for her. However, recent events had forced him and her moms to move to the Abyss Dungeon to help Stella with her research.

"Miss Fiona?" Someone called her name.

The voice sounded slightly familiar but she couldn't place a name to it. It was like she heard it once or twice but, suddenly, it changed ever so slightly. Fiona turned around and looked straight at the handsome boy standing behind her. Suddenly, she gasped and rose in shock.

"Your Highness!" She curtsied and smiled at him with huge saucer eyes. "You... I... You look amazing!"

"Thank you!" He smiled warmly and blushed slightly. "I... I would like you to call me by my name, Miss Fiona..."

"Only if you only use my name." She smiled as well.

It seemed like everything was going to become even more interesting...

•••

Ian reviewed, for the second time, the documents gathered by Stella and Dahlia for the teleportation relay and sighed heavily.

"So... Are you telling me that you haven't found anything useful?"

"No..." Dahlia was depressed but wouldn't stop fidgeting.

"Okay... Calm down." Ian tried to remain calm himself but the situation was a little humorous. He actually wondered how to deliver the punchline as he looked at the Wolfkin woman. "Have you tried to actually use the control room you found?"

Both Stella and Dahlia looked like they wanted to say something but in the end, it was only Stella who huffed at him.

"We can't control it! We have tried but it's not responding to our attempts!" The Faé Queen pouted. "We aren't that clueless, Ian!"

"You know, not you..." He rubbed the back of his head and pointed at the Grand Inquisitor with the hand in which he still held the reports. "I asked her."

"Me? Of course not! I'm not a scholar, you remember?"

"No, that's clear, but you are also, it seems, the sole 'Recognised User' in the complex, Grand Inquisitor Dahlia..." He chuckled slightly. "Not Scholars. Not Stella. You."

Stella raised her finger as if she wanted to argue but she, very slowly, turned red and then crimson. After a minute or so, without a word, she grabbed Dahlia's hand and pulled her from the office. Ian trailed behind them with an amused expression on his face. The structure was currently staffed with a mix of Mortals and Avalon's Denizens. With Praetorians and Noble Slimes on site, everything was slowly coming together. The Maids and Butlers were even cleaning the structure and it slowly began to look impressive. The warm ceiling lights were easy on the eyes and simultaneously made every detail and glyph on the wall look sharp and crisp. The dark-green stone of the structure was carved with glyph symbols and fairly complex decorations. They passed a few checkpoints, unbothered by anyone, and quickly entered the control room.

"Impressive." Ian whistled as he approached one of the control stations.

The room was brightly lit but that was all in terms of lights or other activity inside. The rows of consoles were dark and dormant, without a single light or puff of mana coming from them. The room was unnaturally quiet as if something was actively muffling any external noise. Ian, undeterred by Stella's stern and slightly panicked stare, started touching panels, pressing buttons, and switching levers. In the last case, he always returned them to their initial position, at least. Once he was satisfied with whatever experiment he attempted, he looked at the Grand Inquisitor with excitement.

"Let's start simple... Try a voice command, Dahlia."

"Okay..." The Wolfkin nervously nodded and opened her mouth but then she looked at Ian and blushed. "How? And what kind of command?"

"Good question." He shrugged. "In Vanushka, commands like 'diagnostic', 'status report', or 'purpose' worked without causing any harm to the structure. They are simple questions about the basic status or functions of any given facility and the golems were instructed by their creators to give such information if asked by the operators."

"All right..." Dahlia cleared her throat but only when Auburn put his hand on her shoulder, she relaxed and loudly demanded: "Status report!"

For a moment, there was no activity in the room before a single console, the closest one to Dahlia, flared into life. Its screen displayed multiple red entries and just a couple of green ones. Ian took out his communication slate and started taking pictures while Stella started translating them. He laughed briefly and proceeded to touch the console that gave out a warning beep but nothing more happened.

"Now, don't touch anything, Dahlia." Ian grinned at the woman who nodded nervously. Then he looked at fired-up Stella who flexed her fingers with an equally wide grin. They both nodded to themselves. "Let's play..."

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