Archer stared at the blue-haired princess before speaking, "You know my goal, Teuila, but to achieve that, I need more wealth than anyone has amassed on Thrylos to make my dream a reality, and it all started on Draconian."
He spun around and pointed toward the island in the distance, "I will develop Draconia over the next few years. Cities and towns will pop up everywhere along with my company, which will reach out to other continents to expand."
"Won't you have to change the name? Wyldheart Industries is a dead giveaway that it belongs to you."
Archer shrugged, "Oh well, I don't care who knows because no other person on Thrylos will have what we will be selling. Plus, there are the Silvershield Mercenaries that I am planning to start; they will guard the company's properties worldwide while the navy supplies them by sea."
When they heard his plan, they all smiled, but the Kraken Princess asked in a curious voice, 'How will you afford all this?'
"Eventually, they will pay for themselves, but the initial investment will come straight from the banks of the Novgorod and Nightshade. Rumors speak of generous donations toward the good people of Draconia."
When the three girls heard this, they laughed, clearly understanding his implication. Archer chuckled at their reaction before addressing the platform manager, who was anxiously standing with a few Sea Guards.
"Who are you, human?" he asked the nervous-looking individual.
The man bowed. "I am Philip Silverthrone. Son of Alfred and Mia Roger," he introduced himself respectfully.
"So you're my uncle then?" Archer asked.
Now, he looked at the older man who shared the same features as the other Silverthrones, which surprised him, but he soon didn't care as he knew the family had joined the Draconia Kingdom after leaving the empire behind.
That's when Philips's voice reached his ears and pulled him back to reality, "Yes, Your Majesty. I believe I've met you a few times when you were a baby."
Archer nodded, "Do you mind giving us a tour of the platform before taking us down to the seafloor? I haven't seen it yet."'
Philip looked regretful as he replied, "I cannot, Your Majesty. Lady Farrah asked me to help with a third platform to the north, and I was about to board a ship."
'Well I'll do it myself,' he thought before waving the man away, "Don't worry about it; setting up another one is more important. I'll explore the place myself."
The older man nodded before rushing off with the guards following behind. Once they were gone, Demetra commented, "I'm hungry. Can we see what sort of food they serve here?"
"Yes, let's head to the dining hall, which is this way," Archer said while leading the three girls toward a large building.
Following that, Archer and the girls reached the lift, where a few Sea Guards stood on watch. When they spotted him, they saluted while the group stood on the platform just before it
started lowering.
When the lift traveled downward, the group saw a massive green shield blocking the seawater from pouring in. The cold air caused the three girls to shiver, so they took out their winter cloaks and wrapped them around themselves.
As the lift lowered, they spotted hundreds of mana lamps moving around like a hive of ants while the workers stacked a pile of crates off to the side. Demetra spoke, "There's a Titan skeleton down here; I can feel its aura."
When Archer heard this, he grew curious and questioned, "Where?"
The shark girl pointed to the east, where there was a massive hill with only a few lights. "I'll
send some workers to unearth it before the platform moves."
Demetra nodded, but Archer continued, "What can these bones be used for?"
"Armor for your warships, sea wall, and airships, husband," she answered. "There are many things. I'd have to sit down and think about it, but I can give you a list when I do."
"Thank you, Dem," Archer said before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Just after that, the lift hit the seafloor below, allowing him to see the army of Sea Guards patrolling the area while miners worked hard to pull resources from the caves and caverns.
Archer was amazed by everything. It looked like an alien world, with various plants littering the landscape while underwater trees stood tall. The ground was muddy, but he noticed a walkway made using earth magic that made travel easier.
The group stepped off the lift and was greeted by the Sea Guard commander, a woman in her forties, "Your Majesties, what brings you down here?"
"I just wanted to check out what the mining platforms could do as this is the first time I can see them," he said just as an explosion went off.
Archer looked at Kassandra and Teuila, who nodded before rushing toward the noise while he
and Demetra stayed behind, which confused the shark girl who questioned, "Why aren't we
going love?"
"More creatures are coming," he said before turning around and transforming into his Shadow Prince form. "Guard the lift, Dem, and don't let the monsters close, or they will
destroy it."
She nodded with a determined look in her yellow eyes before he sunk into the shadows and spotted crab-like monsters. These were the size of cars and had a black carapace hiding them in the surroundings.