Bethel pursed his lips, grudgingly admitting Alaric's logic held some weight.
"By the way, where's Will? I haven't seen him…" Alaric suddenly recalled the Snake of Mercury, who should've been at the biological lab but was nowhere in sight. His expression turned suspicious.
Bethel, clearly in the know, coughed. "Will's with Ouroboros. I checked on him when I got here."
"What?" Alaric was genuinely surprised, turning to Bethel with a puzzled look. "Since when were they so close? I remember when I told Will about moving the lab to the Forsaken Land, he was dead set against it. Took me ages to convince him…"
Bethel met his gaze, his expression subtle as he said diplomatically, "Ever consider that the lab's just too creepy for Will to stick around?"
Bethel had wondered why Will was hanging out with Ouroboros. When he asked, Will shot him a world-weary look and said, "Spend some time in that lab, and you'll see why staying with your enemy feels like a blessing. At least the dumb snake's easy on the eyes, not some freak show."
Bethel hadn't fully grasped it until Frank gave him a tour of the lab. Then it clicked.
Frankly, the lab's monsters weren't dangerous... at least not to an angel. They were small fry. But their mental toll was real, each one a sanity-draining nightmare. No normal person would want to linger.
At Bethel's words, Alaric fell silent. As a bit of a stickler for aesthetics himself, while he supported Frank's experiments, he had no desire to see those creations a second time.
"Fair enough," He said finally. "As long as he shows up when trouble hits."
"He left an avatar behind, dormant for now but ready to activate in a pinch," Bethel replied.
"That'll do," Alaric nodded, then glanced at Bethel. "So, you heading out next? I'll be here a few days, doing some research."
Bethel hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'll stay. Your recovered powers are still limited. Someone needs to be here to handle any surprises."
…
And so, Alaric got busy. Aside from Jack's relatively leisurely daily life, his Lucifer avatar and true self split duties: one joined Medici to root out Outer Deity lackeys, while the other stayed in the lab, studying the Mother Tree of Desire's power through Suah.
Amid Alaric's rare bout of hard work, Reinette and Sasrir were also pulling overtime.
With Tolzna sidelined for recovery, Alaric entrusted most Rose School matters to Reinette, the Temperance Faction's top figure, with Sasrir assisting.
Reinette proved reliable. Though not at her peak, she handled matters with expertise. With Sasrir's hefty support, they efficiently sorted out the Rose School's mess.
Assets were inventoried, redeemable members sent for reform, hopeless ones locked up for later use as disposable tools, and affiliated groups either absorbed or disbanded.
Beyond that, countless smaller tasks were managed, fully bringing the organization under control.
But this was just the beginning.
The Rose School had a major role to play in future plans for the Southern Continent, requiring ongoing attention.
For now, Reinette could handle it, especially since Tolzna, after some recovery, was back on duty. Sasrir, freed up, returned to his own tasks, including taking charge of the border cities.
During this time, the assistants Alaric secured from Herabergen came online. The old dragon was true to his word... the 200 assistants were all top talent, greatly easing Alaric's shortage of capable hands. Medici and the others finally got some relief from their overtime hell.
Once the Rose School matters were mostly settled, Alaric was liberated. His Lucifer avatar no longer needed to grind, so he made time for a trip to the border cities.
No grand reason... just two things. First, the trial rules in the border cities had taken effect, and he wanted to check on them. Second, Klein had finally digested his Faceless potion and was requesting leave to advance to Marionettist. Alaric needed to approve it.
Plus, Sasrir was about to officially take over the border cities' operations, and Alaric wanted to be there for it.
Arriving, Alaric noticed the cities were livelier than his last visit. More accurately, there were more people, but the vibrant, spirited atmosphere remained.
Strolling alone, Alaric observed subtle changes.
Last time, thanks to Medici's early grip on the cities and his reforms, most residents were hopeful about the future, though some still harbored visible worries.
This time, Alaric saw newfound confidence in nearly everyone.
Curious, he asked around and, unsurprisingly, learned it tied to the trial rules. Many saw them as divine miracles, proof of godly backing. In a world where faith in gods was mainstream, this boosted morale significantly.
It also explained the population growth... people were bringing family and friends to the cities after the "miracles" appeared.
An unexpected bonus, though not entirely surprising.
Alaric saw no need to correct this perception. Viewing the rules as miracles wasn't harmful. In a world with real gods, many of his allies needed faith as an anchor against madness.
Plus, the "miracle" narrative would ease the rollout of more rules.
Alaric was pleased with what he saw. Even more satisfying was that, after rescuing Mr. Door, Tolzna, and others, his Playwright potion was nearly digested. Witnessing the border cities' transformation due to the rules fully completed its digestion.
***
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