Chapter 854
Anton’s father told them that Oakswood had become a trade hub for the surrounding villages. This was largely because Anders had established a portal to Ormunda, allowing products from the major city to flow into the village. Oakswood would likely soon become a town and, eventually, a city.
Based on the information Anders had gathered, Oakswood’s development was progressing even faster than that of Mendi’s capital city, their original homeland. This was primarily due to Oakswood’s direct access to Ormunda through the portal Anders had established. Ormunda was an extremely large and wealthy kingdom located on another continent, one that had been largely untouched by the undead scourge. In contrast, most of the kingdoms in Rendindura had been devastated and were only beginning the process of rebuilding.
“Oh my divines, Father! You could even become a king if you wanted to!” Anton exclaimed jokingly.
However, both he and Anna were stunned when Anders neither laughed nor immediately dismissed the idea.
“Father, are you planning to enter politics?” Anton asked.
“I am in an excellent position to do so. Our family in Ormunda is stable, and our businesses provide us with a steady source of wealth. I have been using part of that wealth to further develop Oakswood. If I were alone, I would never have considered becoming a leader in this devastated land. But I’m not alone. Because of your portals, I have access to advisors from Ormunda who can help me gather influence, and I can always hire more. Thanks to the bloodline magic you gave me, I am technically a wizard as well. No matter how much we deny it, wizards are the elite among humanity. With all of that going for me, I have developed an ambition to lead this village and transform it into a town, a city, or perhaps even the center of a new kingdom,” Anders told his children.
Anton and Anna were speechless after hearing such a revelation.
“If Father becomes king, I’ll become Prince Anton, and you’ll be Princess Anna!” Anton suddenly declared.
His joke drew laughter from both his sister and his father.
“Whatever you decide to do, Father, you have my support. Unfortunately, since I’m currently aboard a ship, I won’t be able to return immediately if you need my help,” Anton said.
Anna echoed Anton’s support. She also proudly stated that she might soon be able to command considerable influence herself. Within a year, she expected to reach the rank of Archmage, which would firmly establish her as a prodigy and grant her the full support of the academy.
“I understand your situation, son, so I do not expect you to return immediately to support me. Besides, my plans are still in their early stages, and circumstances may change,” Anders replied.
“I don’t think they will, Father. Given the current situation in Rendindura, if becoming a king is truly your goal, then you need to seize the opportunity now and do everything possible to see it through,” Anton said.
“What about Sonya? What does she think about all this?” Anna asked.
“She said she would support me regardless of my decision,” Anders replied.
“Of course, she would support you. Once you become king, she’ll become queen! I bet she’s already calling herself Queen Sonya in her head,” Anton said.
That earned him a light slap on the head from his father.
Anders scolded him, insisting that Sonya was not like that. She was a kind and humble woman whose only wish was for her family to be happy. Anton quickly reassured his father that he had merely been joking.
When it was Anna’s turn to talk about her life at the academy, she revealed that she had received permission to delve into the Corridors of Amuneta twice a month. Each expedition typically lasted three to four days.
She then admitted—much to Anders’ displeasure—that she had been delving alone.
Thanks to the support abilities of her Paladin class, she was able to defeat dungeon monsters with ease and without assistance.
Seeing her father’s reaction, Anna quickly reassured him that she was extremely careful. She only explored the upper floors and would only descend farther if the monsters proved easy to defeat. Her Sorceress class granted her access to the Teleport skill, allowing her to escape if things became dangerous, though she had never needed to do so. She also carried several of Anton’s portal scrolls as an additional safety measure.
Because of her dungeon delving, her previously stagnant Sorceress class had now reached level thirty, granting her access to the class’s most powerful spells.
The academy was unaware that Anna was venturing into dungeons alone. They assumed she was receiving assistance from capable companions, as her family’s mercenary company was widely recognized within adventurer circles as one of the strongest groups in Ormunda.
The academy had allowed her considerable freedom because her progress had skyrocketed after she began dungeon delving. Initially, they believed it would take her two years to reach the rank of Archmage. Now, however, she might achieve it in less than a year.
Anna had also begun studying how to manipulate the mana structures of her Sorceress spells. She had already succeeded in transforming Ice Bolt into Water Arrow and had gained enough control over the spell structure to produce as much Mana Water as she desired.
Her current goal was to transform Blizzard into Mana Rain.
Anders already knew how to accomplish this and had been using Mana Rain to nourish the flower gardens, fruit orchards, and grain fields surrounding Rose Manor.
He had also begun casting the modified Blizzard spell over the farms he had contracted near Oakswood. The results were so extraordinary that many people believed the lands had been blessed by the divines.
Anders reiterated that Mana Rain was likely the single most useful spell Anton had ever shared with the family. It was also, quite possibly, the spell that would eventually help him secure a throne.
With the support of his children, Anders admitted that his determination to pursue a crown had only grown stronger. Over the coming months, he intended to devote himself fully to advancing that ambition.
After more than two hours of conversation, they began their adventure in the world of Diablo II.
Anders and Anna still valued the power their Multiplayer characters provided and wanted to continue increasing their levels. They also hoped to obtain stronger equipment to further enhance their abilities.
Both Anders and Anna asked Anton whether he could provide them with additional legendary items.
Anton explained that he could only bring eight legendary items into the real world each year.
Without hesitation, Anders requested four of those items for himself, while Anna claimed the remaining four.
Anton could only sigh and agree.
He already possessed a large collection of items that he had transferred from the game, so he did not mind giving the newly acquired ones to his father and sister.
Over the next several hours, while Anders and Anna hunted monsters and gained experience, Anton followed behind them while compiling a list of the most powerful runeword items he could eventually bring into the real world for them.
He also reminded them that there was a strict schedule governing when he could transfer such items and that he would still need to hunt for them in-game, a process that could take a significant amount of time.
Their adventure in Diablo II that day was highly productive.
All three of their Multiplayer characters had surpassed level seventy, and Anton had provided his father and sister with a comprehensive list of the powerful items he intended to acquire for them once the new ladder season began.
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