Chapter 219 – Ruler

"Aunt Linda can come."

"So can grandma and grandpa!"

"What about your cousin? Is she still in Hawaii?"

"No. She can come too."

"I'm gonna go pick up some chicken and steak for carnitas!"

"Be sure to get some tri-tip and magic meat too! And don't forget the bread rolls!"

"Do we have any sauce? And where's the smoker?"

"I'm sending for a car to go and get Mike!"

Dream watched as his family ran around the house or left for the store busily. All of them called up different members of the family or friends to notify them of the situation, and there were soon a few dozen people who were scheduled to arrive the next day.

And while there were so many people coming, it wasn't of any consequence. With how much money Dream's family was making now along with the big mansion, they could easily accommodate whoever they wanted. Apparently over the last couple of years, all the parties and gatherings during the holidays or special occasions were hosted at their house. 

So, while Dream's family prepared for the party tomorrow, he went and took care of some things. 

Walking up to a random wall in the house, Dream focused his influence. Sure enough, just as Melody said there were enchantments throughout the house.

'These enchantments are crap though. Let's fix that.'

Smiling, Dream sent in some mana and reprogrammed the enchantments with his own golden script. Soon, all the enchantments throughout the house were revamped and strengthened many times over, turning the place into nothing short of an impenetrable fortress, especially in the magically underdeveloped Earth. 

With his control over magic, nothing leaked out or alerted the family to the changes. After that, Dream went over to the garage where the cars were. The place was big enough to fit 10 cars, but there were only four, one for each person in the family aside from one that Dream's mom had taken to the store. He didn't care though and snorted at the sight of underwhelming engineering.

"Move."

With a word, Dream pushed all the cars across the garage, clearing out the area. He spoke to Sophia.

"Are the materials here?"

[Outside the house.]

When she spoke, the garage door opened by itself, revealing the driveway and a big blue sky. Outside of it was also a large cargo ship, inside of which were materials Dream called over earlier to build some flying cars for his family. 

Opening the hatch to the ship, Dream could see some small fusion reactors and other materials like graphene-glass and metal.

"Come here."

Dream waved everything over, and the cargo ship was quickly emptied. Then, when all the materials were inside the garage, he began forming them according to a quick schematic Sophia drew up. 

Only 3 minutes later, there were 5 new cars inside the garage ranging from a large truck to a low riding sports car. At first glance, they looked like normal high tech luxury cars, but their functions far surpassed anything available on the planet.

[These things run off of the basically inexhaustible reactor. They can fly, have self driving software, and are virtually indestructible to anyone under the class 4 level. It's also very spacious and comfortable inside since there's no need for tons of components.] 

"I'm sure they'll enjoy them. One more thing. Have the factory make a butler bot for this house to keep it nice and tidy. Mom will like that."

[Done.]

"Good. Now, how about we head to the city? I'm interested to see its development."

Saying that, Dream went and flew out of the garage toward the new Haven.

...........

"Well that's a rather magnificent sight."

As Dream approached the city, he could see the towering Tree that rose thousands of meters into the air, covering the city cluster like a canopy. There was also the city itself with its 1000 meter tall skyscrapers. Even from a distance, he could see thousands of people and vehicles that flew between the buildings, looking like busy little bees.

"And then there's those guys."

Dream smiled as he looked at the thousands of people who stood at the borders of the cities being blocked by small armies of bots. They were all people who wanted to enter, but that still wasn't allowed, so they just stood by in wonder, basking in the glory of the Tree.

"Oh well. That'll be changing soon. Now where's Luna?"

Dream flew into the city, bypassing all forms of restrictions and directly heading to a building in the center city. This building was one that was built around the Tree itself, and it's where the highest administrators in the cities resided.

Landing on top of the building, Dream spoke.

"Luna."

"Dream!"

A bright voice was heard, and Dream saw a graceful figure suddenly appear near him. 

"Becoming more proficient with Iris's portal skill huh?"

"Slowly but surely. What about you? I haven't seen you for almost two weeks."

Luna spoke as she came up to him and gave him a kiss. After enjoying each other's lips for a few seconds, Dream smiled.

"After I took care of everything on the planet, I ended up studying the portal for a bit. Today it finally closed, and once it did, I went and found my family."

"Really? How'd it go?"

"Pretty good actually. I've said hi to them all, and now... Well, let's say that we're having a little celebration."

"That sounds fun."

"Yea. And by the way, you guys are invited."

"You told them about us?"

Luna's eyes went a little wide, but the next moment, she smiled.

"Hold on, did you tell them about both of us?"

"Uhh, kind of?"

"Hmm... Well, it's no matter. We'll just make it a surprise. So, when's this little party?"

"Tomorrow. And it's not little. I'll warn you beforehand, but the family is gathering, and you guys will be under a lot of eyes."

"Just how big is your family?"

"Immediate family, there's only six of us. The whole family, there's a few dozen."

"...Wow."

"Yea, and they can get rather rambunctious, something I know you guys aren't used to. Again, just warning you beforehand."

"I don't see any problems. I'm actually excited. I never thought I would ever get to meet your parents."

"I think you'll like them. Though, I'm worried about Iris and my sister."

"Why?"

"Well, both of them are strong headed, and both of them seem to be battle maniacs. If they get into it, it'll definitely turn into a fight. Just my speculation."

"I'll keep an eye out then."

"Thanks. Now, that's tomorrow. Today, why don't you tell me about how the settlement is coming along."

"Ok! Surprisingly, it's coming along well. Follow me."

Grabbing his hand, Luna led Dream down into the main city. When they landed on the street, they were greeted with hundreds of people walking or running around everywhere, as well as dozens of shops and businesses. Luna spoke as they walked down the street hand in hand.

"With your design that mostly mimicked how the Haven worked, everyone was easily able to adapt to the lifestyle. Food is being distributed, water is plentiful, and facilities are all running perfectly. Since that's the case, everyone immediately got to work on reopening businesses and going back to their previous lives in the Haven. And while that was disrupted by the fact that there are now five cities instead of one, with the transportation and communications systems, that was pretty quickly gotten used to."

"So the businesses are settling down well?"

"Yes, thanks to your bots. I was surprised to see that you made a place for every business that existed previously, even going so far as to design their establishments exactly the same. With that and the fact that your bots assisted in moving supplies and helping the owners, shops were able to resume operations rather quickly."

"Mm. While the locations are different, I didn't want the shock of migrating to be too large, so I tried to keep as many things as I could the same. The reason this was possible is because every single 'legal' business was documented with the bracelets, allowing Sophia to organize everything the way she did."

"Hm, I'm starting to think that the bracelets are your best piece of tech in the city. Or maybe the most important."

"Information is valuable. And convenient. By the way, how's everyone adjusting to their new 'carriages'?"

Dream spoke as he looked around and saw dozens of flying vehicles. These were part of his efforts to create a functioning transportation system. Since there were now five cities and much more land than before, people needed a way to easily move from one place to another, whether it was between buildings or across cities. Dream couldn't think of anything better than cars. But since his level of technology was far above just regular automobiles, he decided to integrate flying cars with self driving capabilities. 

Unlike the cars he built for his family though, these cars ran off of batteries that could be recharged at stations. They also weren't as strong since he didn't bother to use super high grade metals and complex enchantments. But they got the job done efficiently and reliably, which is what mattered. 

However, since people were still settling down, they didn't really know about the cars. And if they did, they didn't really need them. For one, Dream made it so that the cars costed money. More specifically, the currency he created known as credits. In order for money to circulate, it needed to have a use. The cars were one of these things that could be bought. There were also many other things that could be bought, but Dream wasn't sure about how the economy was functioning, as all that was left to Luna and the rulers.

"As you can see, the cars are only being used by a small amount of people. It's mainly business owners with stuff to move around. Though, I imagine it won't take long for it to start being picked up by the general populous."

"That's something I wanted to ask about. How's the economy doing?"

"Good, but it could be better, hence some of the policies I've enacted. I had done this in the Haven not long before the migration. In order to promote your currency and an economy, I started making essentials like food and water as well as other commodities cost something. Since things were no longer free, people needed to make money, and that meant they needed to get a job. At first I started some projects that could inject money into the community, and then I gave 'sponsorships' to anyone starting a business. This kickstarted the economy rather well, but then the portal came along and things had to halt.

Now though, that's beginning to start up again. I made food free again since there needs to be an adjustment period, but after another couple weeks, I plan to reinstate pricing. People know this, and that means everyone's trying to get a job or start a business. People are already making money and the economy is beginning to cycle once again, and while it'll take a while for things to really get going like a proper society, we have plenty of time and aren't going anywhere."

"Hmm..."

Dream nodded as he listened, going into thought. Information he knew about economics flew threw his mind, giving him ideas.

"That's good. The pricing for commodities and such was a good idea. And I'm sure after a while, things in the cities will start to prosper. But, this place has a lot more in store for it than just an isolated economy."

"You're talking about opening it to the public?"

"Yes. That's the main purpose of the central hub, the fifth city. In the future, I'm hoping it'll act as a bridge between Earth and the 'aliens'. This means though that this place will have to engage in trade with the outside world, but that's not a bad thing. Trade means money and resources. However, establishing trade with anyone is going to be difficult, hence why I wanted to talk to you about it.

When the people here begin to settle down, you and the rulers need to begin to establish a formal government and systems of business. Only when our foundation is solidified can we start to engage in discussions and trade with other people. Now, I don't expect things to go well at first since Earth is far more developed and smarter than anyone in this place, but it'll allow people to learn how to handle themselves in this new world."

"I see what you mean, but we're farther along than you think. The rulers have already established their own form of government. While it's still loose since they aren't quite sure how to accommodate your presence, it's functioning just fine. As I said before, giving power to the rulers and letting them handle things as they have before was the best choice you could've made."

"I see... Then here's what you can do. After things begin to streamline, and you and the rulers have sufficient confidence in yourselves, I'll allow you guys to make formal contact with the outside world. First we'll start with the governments, then once we've been accepted into the world as our own sovereign state, we can engage in business."

"A sovereign state? You mean you want to found your own nation? I don't know if that'll go well since we're right in the middle of a superpower."

Luna spoke unsurely, and Dream understood her concerns. He was basically saying that he was going to take land from America and establish his own nation right in the middle of them. That wasn't something that would fly with them. However...

"I don't really care if they're a superpower. For one, you need to realize that in this world, these five cities contain the most powerful force. Hell, I myself could wipe out all life on this planet, so when it comes to establishing sovereignty, I have every right. Even without me though, this place can't be messed with out of sheer power. This means that when it comes time for discussions, there's no backing down. Especially when it comes to you, Luna.

While I'm not exactly present most of the time, I know you've taken up one of, if not the highest leadership position amongst the rulers. You're their head, and because of me, you're their guide to the outside world. Naturally, you're going to be the one to negotiate with the powers of the world and make known your presence, establishing yourself and these cities in this world. But that's going to take the attitude of a ruler. Here, you can't let your guard down or you'll be taken advantage of. So, are you able to do that? Stepping up to the challenge of leading an entire nation into the world of politics and business?"

Dream looked at her in the eyes. He knew that leading the Haven had become one of Luna's new purposes in life. Just as Dream studied and pushed the boundaries of magic and technology, Luna now ran these cities and worked toward their prosperity. At first it was just a hobby, but after a while, he could see her devotion to it. Naturally, Dream wanted to support her in her endeavors, but stepping onto the world stage was a daunting task. To do so would require a lot from her, and he saw this as the moment where she would either fully devote herself to this lifestyle, or step back and continue it as just a hobby.

After Dream asked her, she looked off into the city full of bustling people in thought. After some silence, her face became solemn, and she nodded. 

"I will do what it takes to lead this place. While I still have a lot to learn, there's nothing on the line. This place will remain no matter what, so I will simply do my best to make it prosperous. If that means taking on the current world leaders, then I will do so."

"Alright then. You have my full support. My nigh unlimited resources in the form of materials and robotic manpower are at your disposal. However, I think there's one thing you should know."

"What's that?"

"A nation needs territory. While I've already claimed many square miles of space, there's no way a fully functioning and self sufficient nation can remain so constricted. So, I plan on expanding our territory. Or more specifically, I plan on creating more territory."

"How so?"

"Two things, man-made islands and space stations. I'm planning on building habitable space cities in the atmosphere, and then islands in the ocean. This will give us plenty of land to further expand and develop. Plus, it'll be good tourist material, making it so that we can attract more earthlings to our nation that resides in the ocean, on land, and in space."

"I see. That is indeed a good idea. I guess, just tell me when you finish and I'll start making plans to colonize."

"Of course."

"Mm. Now, since you're finally here, why don't we go on a date?"

Luna spun around with gleaming eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck. His brows raised a bit as a small smile revealed itself. 

"A date huh? It's been a while since we've had one of those. Sounds good. I can give you a tour of the planet known as Earth."

"Okay! Hey Iris! Get over here!"

Smiling brightly, Luna shouted, prompting a figure to pop out of thin air. Iris looked at the two who were standing in the middle of the street looking like a couple on their honeymoon.

"What's up?"

"I'm taking you girls out on a date. There are many sights that I'm sure you'll enjoy."

"So we can go outside?! Yay!"

Iris jumped excitedly. She had been forced to stay within the city all this time as Dream didn't want her sowing chaos, but now Dream was finally opening the doors.

"Don't get too excited. It's a date, so you're staying with me."

"That's fine! Hehe, so where are we going?"

"Everywhere. I'm thinking we can hit up a few major countries by the end of today. We'll go sightseeing, taste their food, all kinds of things. How does that sound?"

"Good! Really good!"

"Then let's go."

Dream and Iris grabbed hands. He then wrapped the girls up in his magic before taking off into the sky, flying to the nearest place on a list that he and Sophia quickly prepared on the fly.