The Runic Alchemist-Chapter 536: You Are Home

The Shogun, Tokugawa Ieshige, handled the situation rather calmly. Damian showed him the steel ingot, the waygate, and explained what he wanted from them. It wasn't a threat but simply a declaration—he needed their iron. If they didn't give it willingly, he would have to resort to other methods.

The Shogun was shaken, as were all his retainers, just like the locals had been when Damian unleashed lightning unlike anything they had ever seen or heard of, right in front of their city. The Shogun asked Damian and Lucian to stay as guests for the night, promising to give them an answer in the morning after careful consideration. Damian thanked him for the offer but politely refused. He had other places to go.

From there, Damian went directly to India. Even though the country was largely under British influence, he still met with the Mughals and the Marathas, offering them the same deal as he had offered the others. They too asked for some time to decide.

The people of different parts of the world might reject him individually, but once they realized that their enemies and rivals were also being offered the same opportunity—or had already accepted it—the situation would change. No one wanted to lag behind in the arms race that the entire world was now diving into headfirst.

As planned, everyone who could attend the meeting at the London base via the waygates had arrived on time. Damian had constructed another grand wooden structure there—this time on the ground, much larger than his floating residence, which was still intact. Half of the structure was used as storage for all the British-manufactured steel ingots that Damian could store in his spatial storage each day.

The other half served as a residence for all of them, though Damian had instructed everyone to remain in their respective regions as much as possible to oversee the soldiers under their command. Since this was the first meeting, they had all made an effort to be present. In the meeting room, Damian listened as each of them recounted their experiences.

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They had all delivered the letter personally and ensured it reached the right hands. Cleared the cities of any opposition power, not disturbing the civilians much. Now, their primary task was to wait and continue mining iron in the meantime. Each of them had unleashed powerful spells, intimidating most of the resistance they encountered—though some had to go further than others.

Europe had been less problematic, as many there had already heard of Damian. However, as he had predicted, Sam in China, Maelor in the Ottoman Empire, and Karl along with others in Africa had faced stubborn opposition. They had been forced to "educate" the locals with overwhelming magical force, proving that conventional strength and sheer numbers were meaningless in the face of their power.

Now, all these rulers and leaders were left mulling over their next move, which was exactly what Damian wanted. If they accepted his offer, he could gather more help and finish this task more efficiently. If they refused, he would have to raid mines and "borrow" as much iron as possible. No power who refused him will be left in peace though, that much he could promise.

After the meeting, everyone returned to their respective regions, leaving only Damian and Lucian behind. They had already extended their offer to Japan and India, and once they received their answers the next day, they could lead the British there to begin operations—whether the locals agreed to cooperate or not.

Damian had designed and redesigned his main project's blueprint countless times. It was nearly ready, but he still needed to see if it would actually work. That night, in their room, he lay beside Lucian, staring at the dark sky outside the open window.

Suddenly, she asked, "Where is your home?"

"Huh?" Damian replied, not entirely paying attention.

"You said this world was your home, right? Which country is it?" she asked again.

"It's not here yet.. I was born centuries after this time. I've only heard stories and read about this era in books," Damian replied.

"You're from the future of this world?" she asked, surprised.

Damian simply nodded.

"Then.. You know what will happen to them?"

"More or less. But I doubt things will play out the same way now that I'm here. I don't even know if I'll still be born in this timeline."

"Will that affect the current you?"

"Guess we'll find out.."

Lucian hesitated before speaking again. "I thought.. never mind.."

Damian turned toward her, placing a hand on her slender waist and pulling her closer with a smile. "You know, I'm now obligated to ask what goes on in that pretty little head of yours that you never say out loud."

"Is that so?" She grinned mischievously.

Lucian was exactly as he had imagined beneath her armor and layers of clothing—slim, flexible, and athletic. Yet, her curves remained undisturbed, forming a perfect harmony that was uniquely her.

She slid closer, nestling under his arm and nudging his chest with her nose. "I thought you wouldn't want to leave this place.. The people here are like you. They have knowledge like yours, mannerisms like yours. I was afraid you'd start feeling at home here."

Damian lifted her chin, noticing the vulnerable look in her eyes—one he had never seen before. He kissed her gently and whispered, "There's no one left here that I know. But there are plenty in our world. Believe me, I'll take you home with me."

"I know.." she replied softly, and with that look on her face, Damian had no choice but to go several rounds with her again.

The next day, they returned to Japan. With the IDs Damian had collected, they used the waygate and arrived in seconds. All the Daimyo had spent the night deliberating with their Shogun, and in the end, they saw reason. Against an overwhelming force, anything they could muster was meaningless. It was better to make friends with the devil than to face him as an enraged enemy.

They agreed.

The rest of the day was spent discussing terms and signing contracts. Damian instructed them to gather their most prominent scientists and metalworkers to attend a class conducted by one of the British engineers he had personally trained. Since Japan had agreed to contribute 20% of its iron, Damian limited the number of British personnel stationed there, allowing only those necessary to oversee the rapid implementation of changes. The politics of the land will go undisturbed.

India was a half-success. The Mughals were too fragmented to make a unified decision or enforce such reforms across their territories. So, Damian struck a deal with the Marathas instead. More than the 20% iron, they were far more excited about acquiring enough power to drive out the Mughals and all foreign forces.

The British might have concerns about Damian arming the locals and strengthening them to the point where they could resist foreign rule, but they weren't in a position to challenge him.