Tundra landed on the engineering planet a few hours after leaving Makura's world.
As he walked through the massive facility, he headed toward the familiar signature of Shitaki's ki.
Teleportation had become inconvenient lately, something that still irritated him slightly.
Still, he had gained power in other areas as well.
So he wasn't truly upset about it.
Tundra sighed and stretched while walking.
That had been the best sleep he'd gotten since the first time he had ever slept.
Maybe he would visit Makura's planet again whenever he needed rest.
Eventually he reached Shitaki's chambers.
Inside, Shitaki was buried in paperwork.
Tundra didn't even wait for him to notice before speaking.
"It's good to see you working so hard, Shitaki."
Shitaki froze.
His body visibly tensed before relaxing again. He had been so focused on his work that he hadn't even heard Tundra enter.
"Oh—uh—yes, my lord," he replied quickly. "It's only natural."
Tundra smiled slightly.
"Only natural, you say?"
"Most men would have stopped working the moment they saw me return the first time."
He folded his arms.
"So. Anything new I should know?"
Shitaki gave a polite smile before letting it fade as he nodded.
"Well… several new unions between star systems have emerged recently."
"However, since you have been such an effective ruler, none of them oppose you or show any desire to defect."
He paused.
"But they could still become problematic if they accumulate too much power."
"How should we handle this?"
Tundra stopped walking and hummed thoughtfully.
"Well…"
"I don't have a problem with unions themselves. They're not exactly a new concept."
He thought for a moment longer.
"I'll issue a decree that unions may contain a maximum of six star systems."
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"But this sort of development doesn't happen overnight."
"So why inform me now instead of earlier, when I first returned?"
Shitaki nodded.
"These unions had only just begun forming at that time. They hadn't done anything significant yet."
He adjusted a stack of papers.
"However… there is another development."
"A new union calling itself the Kanraku Allied Union has recently begun charging a small toll to access their systems."
He frowned slightly.
"A very bold move, in my opinion."
"Almost too bold."
"It feels as though they either believe you will ignore it… or they have someone backing them."
Tundra slowly swayed in place as he thought about the situation.
After a moment he spoke.
"I'll issue another decree."
"Tolls may not exceed ten thousand pol."
"That should cover any reasonable needs they have."
He tapped his fingers together.
"But I'll investigate personally once my spacecraft is completed."
"If someone is backing them, I want to know who."
Then he glanced at Shitaki.
"Speaking of which… how far along is my ship?"
Shitaki thought back to his last inspection.
"The engineers estimated another fortnight before completion, my lord."
Tundra nodded.
"That's fast."
"Especially for a vessel of that size."
"Are they cutting corners?"
Shitaki shook his head immediately.
"No, sire. They've simply been working faster than expected."
Tundra seemed satisfied.
"Very well."
"I'll be in my quarters finishing the paperwork you haven't gotten to."
He turned toward the door.
"Good work, Shitaki."
With that, Tundra left.
It only took him a few minutes to reach his quarters.
When he entered, he immediately noticed how spotless the room was.
He would need to thank whichever maid had cleaned it.
But first—
There was paperwork to finish.
Tundra pressed a button on the projector above his desk.
Sheets of documents appeared as glowing projections across the surface, accompanied by a digital pen.
He adjusted the projection wheel, enlarging the documents until they matched a comfortable size.
After another quick stretch, he picked up the pen and began working.
Several hours later, one document caught his attention.
It had a symbol printed along the side.
A fox.
With nine tails.
Tundra examined it more closely.
It was a request to purchase a large world within his empire.
The problem was the price.
They were offering only half the listed value.
However, the request also promised something unusual in exchange.
The finest magical products their people could produce.
Tundra leaned back slightly as he considered it.
Truthfully…
He was curious about magic.
And he wouldn't necessarily mind selling the planet at half price.
But only if these people were competent enough to justify the trade.
He began writing a reply.
His message instructed them to meet him on the planet in question for further negotiations.
Once that was finished, he returned to the rest of the paperwork.
Most of it covered updates about star system unions.
A few requests also came from endangered species hoping to purchase planets to save their populations.
Eventually he finished everything.
Tundra leaned back in his chair and turned off the projector.
He picked up his custom communicator and issued the official decrees:
Unions may contain no more than six star systems.
Tolls may not exceed ten thousand pol.
Once the messages were sent, he exhaled slowly.
Then his communicator vibrated.
A new message.
Directly to him.
Tundra frowned.
No one should have permission to message him directly.
Curious, he opened it.
The account had been created only hours ago.
Which only made the situation stranger.
Then he saw the sender.
Makura.
She had messaged him.