EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 267: Unity

After promising he would get back to him once the Dragon's Pavilion had a clearer understanding of how to proceed, Vahn parted ways with Minato and met with Venelana, Grayfia, and Misla to apprise them of the situation and hear their opinions. Consequently, they spread the word to the rest of the executives—leading to a marathon screening of the expanded Naruto anime in a private theater.

Though he had viewed Naruto's completed and various what-if sequels multiple times at that point, Vahn found great joy in rewatching them alongside his loved ones. The private theater replaced traditional cinema seating with plush, three-person chenille recliners, so over the course of the nearly ten-day marathon, he went from giving Koneko a lap pillow and caressing Kuroka's velvety bottom to being sandwiched between virtually every combination of his lovers at least once...

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[Day 40]

Following a half-day recess, which, like the marathon itself, occurred in compressed time, Vahn found himself at the head of a large, ring-shaped wooden conference table with Koneko's familiar, Shiro, curled atop his lap as Venelana kicked things off, stating, "Alright, now that everyone is up to speed on the situation in SW-2092, we will now open the floor to opinions and ideas on how to best or most expediently integrate them as one of our core worlds."

As was often the case during such discussions, Sona was the first to raise her hand, her expression and tone calm behind her square-rim glasses as she proposed, "Considering their geopolitical situation, I believe there are three feasible approaches we can take. The most expedient is to reach an agreement with the Daimyo of each Elemental Nation and offer to provide them with the necessary resources they lack. The second is similar, but it involves dealing with the hidden villages. As for the third, it would require us to establish a branch of the Dragon's Pavilion within SW-2092, fulfilling a similar role as the Shinobi Union."

"The third option would surely lead to dissent, but the others would lead to us being taken advantage of by the corrupt officials currently in power," affirmed Rias, contending, "We can still provide what each hidden village needs to bring them to our side, but establishing a central authority is the fastest way to introduce broad changes and reforms."

"Then the solution is simple," chimed Aileen, leaning sideways in her chair with her left foot pulled up and her right cheek resting on the knuckles of her right hand as she suggested, "Just plop a Tower down in the center of their continent and only allow those who agree to obey the Pavilion's laws to enter and benefit from its resources. Then, erect a barrier that prevents killing and restricts power systems, just like the Tower of Ascension's safe zones. Anyone who violates the Pavilion's laws within it gets expelled and won't be able to reenter without an appeal."

Not expecting Aileen to actively contribute to the discussion, everyone at the conference table, including Vahn, stared at her with raised brows and expressions ranging from stupefaction to wonder.

"Why is everyone looking at me strangely...?" asked Aileen, furrowing her brows and looking decidedly more sheepish as she reminded, "I was the Black Tower's Administrator for nearly two hundred years. I admit I didn't always take my job seriously, but I started to after my illness was treated and have been studying hard since joining the Dragon's Pavilion..."

"No one here is judging you, Aileen," asserted Vahn, seizing the initiative and smiling as he affirmed, "I'm confident I speak for all of us when I say we're impressed. It will take considerable setup, but if there are no better suggestions, I would like to move forward with yours."

"It's such a good idea, in fact, that I would like to propose we consider this as standard procedure moving forward," appended Venelana, adding, "The combination of a proxy Tower and a respectably large safe zone is nothing short of brilliant. It reinforces the Dragon's Pavilion's status and image as a higher power, and the opportunity to Awaken would level the playing field between ordinary civilians and Shinobi. If we offer education, healthcare, and merit-based rewards, we'll draw people from all walks of life—particularly the disillusioned youth."

clap clap clap clap

"Yes! Yes! I love this idea! Let's make a nation like a magical Disneyland that also doubles as a beacon of hope and personal growth!" exclaimed Serafall, eyes wide and starry as she clapped her hands together and suggested, "Can we make the Tower pretty? Like, crystal spires, floating gardens, maybe a sweets district, and—oh! Let's have it glow super bright at night! Then it can be like an actual beacon people can see for hundreds of kilometers~!"

Sona, sighing softly beside her sister, pushed her glasses up before cooly stating, "While aesthetics and entertainment are important for soft power and cultural integration, we must also consider administrative logistics. A nation mandates a central administration or government, tiered education systems, and comprehensive law enforcement, even with an anti-killing barrier in place. To that end, I volunteer myself to oversee its early-stage organization and development."

"Make sure to include a research hub," added Ravel, crossing her arms and cupping her chin as she contended, "The Elemental Nations have multiple bloodlines and chakra-based phenomena that could offer new insights into transdimensional magic and power systems. We'll need an interdisciplinary team—preferably one without preconceptions about the source material."

"We'll also need a trauma-informed social reintegration program," stated Misla, reasoning, "Many Shinobi, particularly in the wake of the recently concluded Third Shinobi World War, suffer from PTSD. If we want long-term stability, we have to offer more than training and power—we have to heal the wounds their society and setting have imposed upon them. More immediately, we need to root out corruptive elements like Danzo, whose personal ambitions and delusions of grandeur make it so he would rather see the world burn than flourish under someone else's direction."

"Magnificent..." muttered Vahn, drawing everyone's curious gazes to his awed, fiery-eyed expression as he adopted the broadest smile he could manage and expressed, "I'm sorry if this is derailing the momentum of the conference, but this is simply too awesome. I know we've all been playing our respective parts to the best of our ability, but sitting here and hearing everyone provide their input—I can't help feeling like I've become part of something truly wondrous..."

"That's our line..." hummed Rias, narrowing her eyes and adopting a loving smile as she asserted, "None of this would be possible without you, Vahn. We may form the individual parts of Dragon's Pavilion, but you're both the foundation that supports us and the firmament that protects us. You unite and allow us to be more than the sum of our parts..."

Seeing everyone nod, smile, and offer supplemental affirmations to Rias's statement, Vahn couldn't help becoming teary-eyed. He didn't cry, but for the quintillionth time since he became the bearer of The Path, he felt truly and unequivocally blessed...

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"To have prepared all this in a single day...the capabilities of the Dragon's Pavilion are as frightening as they are reassuring..." remarked Minato, his blue eyes swiftly scanning the documents Sona had prepared, committing them to memory with superhuman speed.

"We're very thorough when we need to be," hummed Vahn, sitting across from Minato with his desk separating them. The latter had expected to be contacted at the end of the current Tower cycle, so being called back the very next day left him uncharacteristically astonished.

"Is it truly possible for the Dragon's Pavilion to create a safe zone outside of the Tower of Ascension?" questioned Minato, raising his gaze from the documents and staring intently into Vahn's eyes.

"Anything that can be imagined is possible through the Dragon's Pavilion," contended Vahn, appending, "If we wanted to, we could convert an entire world into a safe zone. However, that would disrupt the world's balance to an egregious extent. We're already stretching the limits of plausibility with the proposal before you, but we're willing to shoulder the karmic burden with the expectation your world will eventually become a part of our core transdimensional network."

"I will do my utmost to make that expectation a reality..." affirmed Minato, his expression and tone sincere and resolute. The proposal in front of him denoted him as his world's official representative—even going as far as to grant him dependent immunity to all forms of harm and sealing within the confines of the Elemental Nations for ten years. In essence, he was being presented with a decade of nearly unconditional, comprehensive support from the Dragon's Pavilion, presumably making him karmically responsible for everything to come.

"If I or the Dragon's Pavilion had any doubts about that, we would never have reached this point..." asserted Vahn, rising to his feet and extending his right hand. Minato was a little confused at first, as handshakes weren't particularly common in his world, but he quickly put two and two together, mirroring Vahn's smile as they all but cemented his world's future over the next ten years...

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'Today has been incredible...' thought Vahn, reclining in his chair in the wake of Minato's departure, his fingers linked atop his abdomen and a smile adorning his face as he reflected on everything that had occurred. In response, Laev-tan floated down from her perch behind him, settling into his hands as he naturally unfolded and opened them to receive her.

[You've gathered some reliable allies...] remarked Laev-tan, her raspy but pleasant voice echoing in Vahn's ears as if she were speaking directly into both.

"They're so much more than that..." responded Vahn, speaking openly as it was just him and Laev-tan present.

[Indeed] conceded Laev-tan, diminishing but not ruining Vahn's mood as she reiterated [That's why you need to become stronger as quickly as you can. Things only go as you plan when you possess the power, not just the authority, to ensure they do.]

"I know..." responded Vahn, producing an oil rag to habitually polish Laev-tan's elaborate haft as he muttered, "But, just for this fleeting moment, let us pretend like everything is proceeding exactly how—"

Ding!

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Though it occurred near-daily, Vahn couldn't help exhaling an immensely exasperated sigh when he pulled up his chat interface, confirming he had received a message from Bonney. This time, she was inviting him over to celebrate her Party's successful conquest of Char's Crucible, so while he had been relishing the ruminant tranquility of his office, he returned Laev-tan to her perch and dutifully teleported over...

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[Day 119]

With the current Tower cycle nearing its end, Vahn naturally requested Masane and Rihoko to meet him and Venelana for a meal. Masane had previously joined the Maid Battalion as a Third-Grade Maid, precluded from becoming a First due to her lack of maturity, but he didn't want her or her daughter to think their futures had been decided.

"So, have the two of you made your decision?" asked Vahn, wearing his best smile as he reiterated, "Even if you choose to return to your world, you will receive the Dragon's Pavilion's support. But if—"

"We're staying...!" exclaimed Rihoko, rising to her knees and slapping the low-lying table everyone was seated at as she asserted, "Everything my Mama and I need is right here!"

"Rihoko-chan..." sighed Masane, her expression and tone saturated with affection. She had already made up her mind, believing the Pavilion was the safest possible place for her and her daughter, but seeing the almost desperate resolution in Rihoko's eyes reinforced her decision.

"Then it's decided. From here on, the two of you, Amaha Masane and Amaha Rihoko, will be permanent residents of the Intertwining Dragon's Palace," affirmed Vahn, maintaining his smile and nodding approvingly as Venelana brought her palms together and smilingly clapped with the tips of her fingers.

"Good..." muttered Rihoko, sitting back in a very proper seiza and patting her chest before directing a half-lidded stare and establishing a telepathic link with her mother. What she specifically expressed was a mystery, but based on Masane's startled flush, hand waving, frequent glances at Vahn, and insistence that she was doing her best, it wasn't difficult to infer that Rihoko was looking for insurance in the form of a Papa...

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