Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 458: Reuniting With Past Connections

After warning Isaac about Alice, Avery stayed quiet for a moment, then looked at him again.

"So, what about you? You can share your wives’ abilities. That means you should also be able to transform into a dragon now. What color dragon are you?" she asked.

"Black." Isaac answered without hesitation.

Avery didn’t look particularly surprised. She simply nodded once, as if she had already considered that possibility.

"You have a lot of bloodlines. It makes sense that some kind of mutation occurred. Becoming a black dragon isn’t strange in your case," she said.

Isaac nodded slightly.

He didn’t think too deeply about it, knowing Avery was correct. If Alice was the result of the second possibility, carrying the fate of Calamity, then he would be the first possibility, a genetic mutation.

As for Alice’s fate, he never thought about hating her for it. Even if that brought bad luck, he would stay with her forever.

"Thanks for telling me all of this," Isaac said.

"Once again, you don’t need to worry too much. Dragon societies have gone extinct. There’s no one left to hunt her. I just wanted you to know because it’s something related to fate," Avery replied.

Isaac nodded again.

The conversation naturally ended there. He canceled the Mirror Dimension, and the space around them folded back into reality. The farm reappeared, along with the gentle hum of mana flowing through the crops.

Avery left quietly after that, and Isaac returned to work.

He began reorganizing the land. The crops he had brought from the past were valuable, and he wanted to handle them carefully. After some thought, he designated five hundred hectares specifically for those crops. The area was large, but the city had expanded enough that space wasn’t an issue.

He moved through the fields methodically, planting row after row. The soil absorbed the seeds smoothly, and mana spread through the ground to support their growth. The work took time, but it wasn’t difficult, and spending time like was strangely satisfying. By the time he finished, the fields were neatly arranged, and the faint aura of the past-era crops had already begun stabilizing.

Isaac took a short rest afterward, sitting near the edge of the farm. The breeze carried the scent of soil and fresh growth. It was calm.

After a few minutes, he stood up again and left the farm.

He decided to go around the city and meet people.

His first stop was the blacksmith shop.

Paul was hammering a piece of metal when Isaac entered. The rhythmic clang echoed through the room, but the moment Paul noticed him, he stopped and wiped his hands.

"Well, look who finally showed up," Paul said.

Before Isaac could reply, a large figure rushed toward him. Tyr’s wooden body creaked slightly as he moved, and the treant stopped right in front of Isaac.

He looked visibly happy.

Isaac reached out and patted his bark-covered arm. "You’ve grown."

Tyr gave a low, pleased sound. His branches swayed slightly, and a few leaves rustled.

Isaac spent some time with them, talking about the shop, the recent weapon orders, and Tyr’s progress. While they were in the middle of the conversation, the door opened again.

Several awakener students entered.

They were the same ones Isaac had trained with weeks ago. They greeted him respectfully, then moved toward Paul to handle their weapon maintenance. The atmosphere became livelier as more people joined the shop.

Isaac stayed there for a few hours, speaking with them casually. The conversations were relaxed, and the time passed quickly. Eventually, he left and headed toward the universities.

He visited the new summons first, checking how they were adapting. Some were still nervous, while others had already begun training seriously. Isaac spoke with them briefly, giving a few instructions and making sure they had everything they needed.

After that, he met the summons who had already joined guilds. They reported steady progress, and several of them were already participating in small operations. He also met the summons who were going to be part of his army. Their training had improved, and the discipline among them was noticeably better.

Once he finished, Isaac took out an orb.

The [Orb of People’s Voice].

It was a legendary-grade artifact he had received from the system long ago. The item allowed him to hear honest opinions about his rule, along with urgent complaints from the people. Normally, he had staff monitoring it constantly so problems could be addressed quickly.

This time, he decided to listen personally.

He activated the orb.

Voices began flowing into his mind. Some were casual conversations. Some were concerns. Others were simple remarks about daily life.

It seemed most people were settling in happily.

Since the city had expanded, space was no longer cramped. Isaac’s crops had also introduced cheaper and healthier food. The change had affected the entire market. Secondary food industries had begun using those crops to create new items, and small businesses were growing.

Now that Isaac had brought even more crops from the past, the market was expected to improve further.

He also heard reports about the orcs and nagas.

They were settling nicely in their designated regions. There were occasional tensions, but the awakeners Isaac had stationed around the city ensured that no one created serious trouble. Humans avoided provoking them, and the orcs and nagas followed the rules.

The nagas, in particular, were handling their tasks diligently.

Isaac listened quietly for a while.

Then he spoke. "Ruby."

A hologram appeared beside him. "Yes, Master Isaac."

"Increase the welfare of the nagas. They’re working properly. It’s fine if we ease things for them a bit," he said.

"Understood."

Ruby disappeared.

The nagas had caused him many problems in the past, but now they were under the curse and genuinely working hard. Giving them a small reward felt reasonable.

After spending several hours listening to the orb, Isaac finally deactivated it.

Evening had already arrived.

He headed toward the Sanctum of Masters.

The principal was sitting outside, on his personal lawn, with a cup of green tea. Across from him sat the former governor, Jeremy. The two were chatting quietly until they noticed Isaac approaching.

Jeremy’s smile disappeared immediately.

He clicked his tongue. "Go away. I already see your face during work. I don’t want to see it during leisure time too."

Isaac laughed slightly, and the principal chuckled.

"You were praising him so much and now you say this when he is here?" the principal chuckled.

"Stop lying, old bones," Old man Jeremy snapped.

They talked for a while. The conversation was casual, moving between city matters and smaller topics. The atmosphere remained relaxed until the sky darkened further.

Eventually, Isaac left and returned home.

By the time he arrived, everyone was already there.

Alice and Emily had returned from the city. Celia was also present. Catherine had spent most of the day with Isaac already. The house felt lively again.

Isaac also called the dragon maids.

He told them they could return to the Cradle if they wanted. They discussed among themselves for a while. Most of them decided to go back, though a few chose to stay behind to take care of the children of the Crawling Serpent tribe.

Before leaving, they insisted on cooking dinner.

Isaac agreed. He knew refusing them would lead to nowhere.

The meal turned out excellent. The table was filled with dishes, and the atmosphere felt warm. Everyone ate together, talking casually. It was simple, but comfortable.

After dinner, Isaac gave Emily a massage.

She looked visibly tired. She had spent the entire day preparing for her quest, managing city responsibilities, and handling upgrades. Her shoulders were stiff, and she relaxed slightly as Isaac worked.

"You pushed yourself too much," he said.

"I had to," she replied quietly. "Tomorrow’s important."

Isaac didn’t argue. He continued the massage until the tension gradually left her body.

By the time he finished, Celia was already leaning against his back.

"My turn," she said.

Isaac sighed softly. "You’re not even tired."

"How can you say this to me? Look at my noodle like arms. They look so weak," she raised her arm and flexed her muscles weakly.

Isaac didn’t argue further and started massaging her shoulders. Celia looked satisfied immediately.

As the massage continued, she tried to pounce on him several times.

Isaac caught her and set her down.

"We need to rest. Tomorrow’s Emily’s quest. There’s a lot to do."

Celia grumbled, clearly dissatisfied. But after a moment, she nodded.

"Fine."

Her sudden agreement made Isaac suspicious. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but Celia avoided his gaze.

"Then good night!" she said quickly.

"What are you planning?" Isaac asked.

"What do you mean by that? Don’t accuse me like I’m some sort of habitual criminal!" Celia said righteously.

Isaac wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t press further.