A week passed.
For the first time since arriving in Solmere, Jax and the Vixens had absolutely nothing urgent demanding their attention.
No dungeon alarms.
No emergency guild summons.
No grueling trainings.
No slaves to save.
No world-changing inventions.
Well...
No new world-changing inventions.
Eldrich had been specifically instructed to avoid those for at least seven days.
The scientist had reluctantly agreed.
Jax wasn't entirely convinced he understood the assignment.
It was a good week.
The celebration started almost immediately.
The same night they returned from Crystalshire, Jax quietly visited three of his restaurants and spoke to the managers.
"Anyone who walks in tonight eats free."
The managers blinked.
"Everyone?"
"Everyone."
"And the drinks?"
"Discount them."
One manager looked horrified.
"Do you know how expensive this is going to be?"
Jax smiled.
"Probably."
Then he walked away.
By sunset, the city was celebrating.
Music spilled from taverns.
Street performers filled the market square.
Families gathered around outdoor tables.
For one night, nobody worried about coin.
Nobody worried about monsters.
Nobody worried about tomorrow.
They simply enjoyed being alive.
The Vixens discovered that fame was strange.
Very strange.
Children followed them.
Not constantly.
But often enough to be noticeable.
Llandra handled it with grace.
She signed wooden practice bows.
Posed for sketches.
Answered endless questions about archery.
Zee tried.
She truly did.
But every time someone recognized her, she turned red and looked like she'd rather fight another A-Rank dungeon.
Bunny loved every second of it.
A little girl presented her with a crudely carved wooden hammer.
Bunny immediately treated it like the most valuable treasure she'd ever received.
The child nearly cried from happiness.
Nyxian, meanwhile, became a menace.
She started charging snacks for autographs.
The children paid willingly.
"This is extortion," Jax informed her.
"It's capitalism," Nyxian corrected.
The children seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement.
Jax decided not to interfere.
The Compound quickly became the center of Solmere's social life.
Someone was always visiting.
Someone was always swimming.
Someone was always eating.
Most days involved all three.
Brannic stopped by frequently.
The dwarf claimed it was because he needed to discuss weapon modifications.
Nobody believed him.
Especially after he spent an entire afternoon floating in the pool while pretending to evaluate construction quality.
Merriweather visited even more often.
Mostly because she liked watching people react to the pool.
And because she enjoyed stealing food from Jax's grill.
She denied both accusations.
Repeatedly.
Loudly.
While eating stolen food.
Grathok arrived three times during the week.
The troll merchant somehow managed to look wealthier every visit.
On the third visit, he arrived carrying enough paperwork to kill a lesser man.
Jax immediately became suspicious.
"That's never a good sign."
Grathok grinned.
"Oh, it's a wonderful sign."
The troll dropped several ledgers onto a table.
Jax opened the first one.
Then the second.
Then the third.
His eyebrows rose.
"Already?"
"Already."
The Crystal Cave materials were selling at a pace none of them had expected.
A-Rank monster parts.
Crystal armor plating.
Rare alchemical components.
Dungeon resources.
The market couldn't get enough.
"You brought back enough material to start three separate industries," Grathok said proudly.
"I've already got merchants traveling from neighboring cities asking about supply contracts."
Jax nodded slowly.
"Good."
Grathok leaned back.
"You know what's terrifying?"
"Probably."
"The Crystal Cave profits aren't even going to be the biggest thing you've done this year."
That got everyone's attention.
The troll pointed toward the Transit Nexus.
"The portal."
Silence settled briefly.
Even now, it was difficult to comprehend.
Crystalshire and Solmere.
One minute apart.
The implications were staggering.
The city was changing.
Rapidly.
Construction crews worked daily.
New businesses opened.
Old businesses expanded.
Market stalls multiplied.
The abandoned warehouse district was slowly coming back to life.
The Transit Nexus alone had created dozens of jobs.
Warehouse workers.
Clerks.
Guards.
Logistics coordinators.
Maintenance crews.
And that was before future expansion.
People had started calling the district "Nexus Row."
The name stuck.
Jax pretended not to be pleased.
Nobody believed him.
One afternoon, Miriella visited the Compound.
The slime receptionist had become a regular guest.
Mostly because the Vixens had adopted her.
Miriella wasn't entirely sure how it had happened.
One moment she had been processing guild paperwork.
The next she was being invited to pool parties.
Life moved quickly around Jax.
Very quickly.
Unfortunately for her, Nyxian was present.
Which meant peace was impossible.
The moment Miriella entered the water, her slime physiology adapted.
Her form shifted.
Curves adjusted.
And Nyxian immediately noticed.
"That's cheating."
Miriella nearly submerged herself entirely.
"It isn't cheating!"
"It absolutely is."
"It's biology!"
"It's suspicious biology."
Miriella looked helplessly toward Jax.
Jax wisely pretended he had suddenly become fascinated by a nearby cloud.
Self-preservation was an important life skill.
The week passed quickly.
Almost too quickly.
For the first time in years, the Vixens weren't surviving.
They weren't worrying about their next meal.
They weren't scrambling for coin.
They weren't desperately hoping things would improve.
They were simply...
Happy.
And Jax found that surprisingly satisfying.
More satisfying than dungeon rewards.
More satisfying than gold.
More satisfying than fame.
Watching them thrive felt different.
Better.
On the seventh day, Guild Master Kaelor Fangmere arrived.
The moment Jax saw him, he knew something was wrong.
Not because Kaelor looked worried.
The Guild Master rarely looked worried.
But because he wasn't smiling.
That alone was unusual.
The lion-like beastkin accepted a drink and settled into a chair overlooking the pool.
For a while, he simply watched.
The conversation continued.
Food was served.
The sun slowly lowered toward the horizon.
Then finally—
Kaelor spoke.
"I've got a problem."
The table quieted.
Jax set his drink down.
"Guild problem?"
Kaelor shook his head.
"Kingdom problem."
That got everyone's attention.
The Guild Master reached into a leather satchel.
Then tossed a folder onto the table.
Jax opened it.
Inside was a sketch.
At first glance, it looked like a mountain.
A crude drawing.
Poorly detailed.
Nothing remarkable.
Then he noticed the scale.
Villages.
Roads.
Forests.
The mountain towered over all of them.
Bunny frowned.
"That's a terrible drawing."
Kaelor nodded.
"It is."
"Who drew it?"
"The third scouting party."
Zee adjusted her glasses.
"What happened to the first two?"
The Guild Master was silent for a moment.
Then—
"They disappeared."
The mood shifted immediately.
Laughter faded.
Conversations stopped.
Even Nyxian sat forward.
Jax flipped through the remaining reports.
More sketches.
More witness statements.
None of them matched.
Some claimed it was a giant.
Some claimed it was a dragon.
Some claimed it was alive.
One report contained only three words.
The mountain walked.
Jax looked up.
"Blackthorn?"
Kaelor nodded.
"Three villages abandoned."
The Guild Master pointed toward the sketch.
"The problem is..."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"That mountain wasn't there last month."
Silence settled over the Compound.
For the first time all week—
The future felt uncertain again.
And somewhere beyond Solmere, in the neighboring kingdom of Blackthorn...
Something impossible was waiting.