While preparations for the portal activation were ongoing, our town had a lot of smaller projects. Abandoned houses were being rebuilt. Our market square was being expanded and we prepared storefronts for future merchants. In the centre of it was one of our dryads. She had a cherry tree which looked lovely.

I certainly wanted some nice restaurants and cafes. Should I open one myself? I had no intention of actually managing it but hiring personnel should be easy. Certainly a thought for another time.

What I did know was that I wanted to implement a new electrical system. While we did not have actual plugs worked out yet, I asked the builder to include some wiring in the walls. I also asked the dryads to connect their roots to it. I also insisted on water pipes and proper bathrooms with showers. Hopefully I could mass produce water heaters that worked with our electrical system. Right now people used enchantments for warm water, it was not a cheap option. I wanted such amenities for everyone.

The grove had another neat benefit. The plants in our town seemed to thrive. Each dryad was surrounded by some nice flowers, or other plants. It made the town more beautiful and would certainly help with tourism.

I was just walking through town when a small blue ball flew straight towards me.

"Hello Adhira." I greeted my storm sprite maid knight. She seemed to be in quite the hurry.

"Lady Amaya, an envoy of the high queen has arrived! She seeks an audience." Adhira reported.

"Oh. Is it something really important? Since you flew quite fast." I wondered.

"No idea. Lucy is talking with her right now. Sandra suggested it would be a good idea to inform you as quickly as possible!" She replied.

I nodded. "Ok, I will head back to the keep."

When I arrived I found a rather frustrated high elf. The lady wore a green robe, with slits at the side. Likely so she could ride. She wore black pants underneath the robe. Overall the woman was dressed somewhat elegantly while not compromising too much on practicality. Her hair was blond and relatively short, it barely reached her neck line. Her emerald eyes matched the color of her robe. She wore a saber on her belt. The weapon was elegant but definitely functional.

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"Countess Amaya, it is an honour to meet you." The woman said, as a greeting. "I am Lady Elisee, knight of the High Queen Maeve."

"Greetings. What brings you here?" I asked.

"The High Queen was hoping you would visit her, before settling down. She extends an invitation to her court. But more importantly, disturbing rumours have reached her ears." Elisee said.

"She is concerned about the portal to hell." Lucy commented.

Elisee's eyebrows twitched. "Countess Lucy has dismissed my concerns…"

I held up my hand to stop her. "Look, we do have plans for such a portal. But it would be to Lilith's domain. She has helped against Beira. Queens Loriel and Solana should be familiar with her. She is our ally."

Elisee looked annoyed by my interruption and explanation. "Countess Amaya, while we are temporary allies, the demon lord is not a trustworthy person. Ashmedai is still causing trouble in the former Empire. His legions are still engaged with our forces. They have failed to summon him so far and might try to use this portal instead. The threat of a demonic invasion in our lands is considerable."

Lucy just laughed.

"Countess Lucy is not taking it seriously!" Elisee complained.

"I mean, if Ashmedai wants to save us the trouble and come to us it would be a win. It's not like he would be a problem." I replied.

"I am aware that you are an archfey…" Elisee started.

"Not just any archfey. She is the Lady of Storms. Peer to the Lady of the Forest." Lily interrupted. I had not noticed her before. "And her betrothed is Lucy, a four tailed kitsune. Are you truly questioning their power?"

Elisee's eyes widened at the mention of the Lady of the Forest. I had no idea what the exact treaty between her and Maeva was. But I suspected our high queen was very aware of who she was dealing with.

"Look. I can understand your concern." I admitted. Having a portal to hell being opened sounded sort of bad. "But you can look at this more like an opportunity. It allows us to hit his forces from the rear, so to speak. It also improves our trade. Izanami, the Lady of the Forest, was also interested in that. We are extending our train network to her portal. The Dominion will be a glorious place connecting three planes, in a way."

"Lilith has assured me there are some demonic creatures that taste good. And Shani is already singing about all the slaughtering she is going to do in hell." Lucy added.

"Hey, you can stay here with us and witness the activation of the portal. It should not be too long until we are ready. You could be one of the first to visit hell!" I offered.

Elisee paled. Her hand almost moved to her saber. "I… I will have to report this. If I disappear…"

"Oh. I was not threatening you!" I tried to reassure her. "This was a genuine offer. It would be perfectly safe. You can leave at any time, if you want. But the portal is opening. So you might as well see it and write a proper report."

Elisee looked slightly calmer, but only slightly. "You are going to open a portal, without the prior consent of the high queen?"

I scratched my head. "It does sound bad when you say it like that. But trust me, I know what I am doing. This will be fine. I am sure Maeve will love it."

Somehow Elisee looked unconvinced.

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