Shirtaloon
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Chapter 921: A Framework For Leadership
🕑 Added 2024-07-15 23:00:08 +0000 UTCJason’s cloud ship sailed north from Greenstone. He stood on the top deck, leaning on the rail as the fresh ocean wind washed over him. Nik stood beside him, only the head and shoulders of the diminutive rabbit man reaching above the railing.
“How was it, being back in Greenstone?” Jason asked him. “You kind of vanished on arrival, and we didn’t see you much. I didn’t even see you at the festival.”
“It was strange,” Nik said. “I lived there for longer than you did, when I was training. But so many of the people I knew are gone, or older. It was like the world was passing me by while I was stuck in place.”
“That’s how it’s going to be, sometimes. Especially in places like Greenstone, where even the adventurers are mostly low rank. People will get old, live out their lives. It’s places like Vitesse and Rimaros that have more people who age slowly or not at all.”
“You spend a lot of time around powerful people, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you worried about losing touch with regular people? Growing apart from them as everyone you know stays the same, decade after decade?”
“I am,” Jason said. “That’s one of the reasons I went back to Greenstone. Meeting people I knew back then was nice. When you’re an adventurer, you are often meeting people on the worst day of their life. I went to a village I last saw as rubble. People are happily living their lives, now. It was twenty years ago, so only the older people remember what happened as anything but a story. There’s a man there who, back then, told me about his hopes for his granddaughter. This time, he told me about how those hopes had been fulfilled. It's good to remember what we fight for.”
“But we aren’t a part of their world anymore, are we?”
“No. It’s important that we visit, to remind ourselves what it’s all about, but we don’t belong there. We have our own community to be a part of. Vitesse should be a good place for that.”
“Yeah, it’s a nice city.”
“Wait, even you’ve been there? I’ve been trying to get to Vitesse for twenty years. I didn’t even know.”
“Dad, you created me out of thin air like you were starting your own bible, sent me to violence boarding school and then vanished for a decade and a half. With parenting skills like those, are you really surprised you missed a few things?”
Jason winced.
“I haven’t done as well by you as I would have liked. I can’t make more of your kind, turn you into a species proper, until I reach the fullness of my power. But we’ll be on Earth soon. You don’t know them, but you have family there.”
“Do they know about me?”
“I told my sister, and my grandmother. It’s kind of hard to explain that you made your own universe and created a guy. That has connotations, back on Earth. You know, I could try making a female lehenik. Can I get one of your ribs, real quick?”
“Don’t be a tool, Dad. Also, trying to make a woman for your son is creepy. You’re not leaving her a lot of room for agency, there. Also, she’d be my sister. And my clone, maybe? Yeah, I don’t think creepy really encapsulates how gross that is.”
“Okay, that was a bad idea. In fairness, another guy did it first. I didn’t love his book, but there’s not a lot of reference material for this stuff.”
“See, this is why I didn’t introduce you to my friends in Greenstone. They all think you’re this awesome adventurer, and I don’t want to ruin it for them.”
A grin crept across Jason’s face.
“Your friends think I’m cool?”
“Calm down, Dad. I didn’t say cool. No one said cool.”
“You said awesome. That’s like the better version of cool.”
“No, that just means things explode around you a lot.”
“How is that not cool?”
Jason laughed as Nik shook his head. The smile slid off Jason’s face, replaced with a contemplative expression.
“I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time,” he admitted. “I meant it when I said that I want to do better by you. I hope you’ll give me some time to figure that out. Trying to explain you — and me for that matter — to our family back on Earth. I don’t think it’s going to work until we’re there. Emi is not going to stop hugging you for the first week.”
“I’m not a stuffed toy.”
Jason put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know, buddy. Sometimes there are things about ourselves we just have to live with. There are worse things than being crazy adorable.”
Nik looked up awkwardly at Jason.
“You know,” he said hesitantly. “You could hug me. If you wanted.”
Jason looked down at him with a warm smile, then dropped to one knee and gathered him into a hug.
***
Boko had been a coastal city. When the section of crater closest to the ocean had collapsed, the water spilling had turned it into a harbour. An inlet led into what could have been a lagoon if it wasn’t so large and deep. Islands dotting the water were once temples, shielded from the city’s destruction by their gods.
The cloud ship was anchored offshore from the inlet. The shores of the new harbour were swarmed with essence users and ritual magicians. They were working to stabilise the area, making it safe and ready for a new city to be constructed.
A skimmer set out from the cloud ship, passing over the water of the inlet and entering the harbour. Jason and Danielle rode in black and dark grey shades of luxury as the vehicle steered itself.
“Boko was never the port city that Greenstone is,” Danielle said. “Neither had a natural harbour, which is part of why Greenstone’s artificial island was constructed.”
“I don’t like being back here,” Jason said. “It reminds me of what can happen if I lose control.”
“You didn’t lose control. You were attacked.”
“I know. But what we know and what we feel can be very different things.”
“Yes,” Danielle agreed. “They can.”
“It doesn’t help that we have this last bit of unpleasant business on the way out of the region. We’ve been here for well over a month now, and the idea was to stay for a week. I’m thinking that we put aside the sightseeing and make a beeline for Estercost. Round up as many Earthlings as we can and maybe just portal straight to Rimaros. I’ve got forever to sightsee later.”
“I think the group will be open to that. You’re the only one who has never seen Estercost. Why Rimaros for the bridge to Earth, though?”
“It’s not Rimaros itself we’re going for. I don’t know what kind of side effects may come from completing this dimensional bridge. I was advised to anchor it somewhere remote, and the people that were sucked through from the other end demonstrated the value of that advice. There’s an uninhabited island in the Storm Kingdom. The Builder installed astral magic infrastructure there to ensure I arrived at that location. It’s already attuned to the link between worlds and it’s robust enough to meet our needs.”
“Why did the Builder want you to land in Rimaros?”
“The Builder’s prime vessel overstepped. The Builder was forced into limiting who he would send to kill me. He made another deal with Disguise, who everyone still thought was Purity, to try and get around the first agreement. Sophie’s mother was one of fake Purity’s brainwashed lackeys and the idea was to use her to use Sophie to lure me into a trap and kill me.”
“That sounds so convoluted that I can’t believe anyone thought it would work.”
“I know, right? I think the Builder was transitioning prime vessels at the time. He didn’t have his regular guy to do his mortal-level thinking for him. In fairness, it did almost work. Only because Princess Liara realised the Builder was after me and used me as bait, though.”
“She used you as bait?”
“She bailed me out, in the end. I did force her hand a little, but I’m pretty sure she would have done it anyway. Eventually. But Melody’s interest in me was peripheral. Once the god let Melody’s daughter matter to her through the brainwashing, she became obsessed with getting Sophie back. Carlos and Arabelle think that’s a cognitive key they can use to smooth the mental strain of purging her condition.”
“When will you be doing that?”
“Whenever Carlos and Melody are ready. Probably in the next few days. But the point is, the Builder had some serious dimensional magic infrastructure put in place on the island. Farrah and Clive think we can use it as a foundation to anchor the dimensional bridge.”
“They want to use something the Builder left behind?”
“They think it’s safe. And who would you get in for a second opinion?”
“That’s true. We should check in with the Adventure Society contingent here.”
“Good idea. No point having them interrupt us if we can avoid it.”
The skimmer turned towards a group of stone-shaped buildings on the shore.
***
Jason had avoided naming the city in his astral kingdom after Boko. Given its nature as an oasis, he decided to name it New Water. In the city’s administrative centre, the Duke of Boko was holding a management meeting.
“Over the next week, I will be finalising departments and assigning sub-management roles to…”
He trailed off as a portal opened in the room and Jason stepped out.
“Lord Asano,” the duke said in greeting.
“Still not a lord, Duke Boko,” Jason replied, his tone curt. “Come with me.”
Jason went back through the portal without checking if the duke would follow. The Duke didn’t hesitate, not even pausing to instruct his subordinates.
“Do you think I’m meant to follow?” the Duke’s assistant asked, then the portal closed.
“I suppose not,” she said.
***
Of the various factions involved in studying the aftermath and preparing for the next step, the officials from the Boko government were the largest contingent. They were mostly senior executives from the old Boko government, along with an administrative staff and a team of experts from various departments. Their mandate was to assess the viability of reconstruction and begin preliminary planning. When the Duke emerged from a portal in the middle of their camp, they swarmed him, firing off questions.
“Please,” the duke said, holding up his hands for calm. “I know that there is a lot you want my input on, and I know that you have not had access to me while I have been in New Water. That city must be the priority now, and my focus must be leading our people as they settle into a new home. Anything you feel you need me to decide, simply use your best judgement. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Lord Asano and I have matters of import to discuss. Perhaps a walk along the shore as the sun sets, Lord Asano.”
The duke immediately started walking off towards the shoreline, leaving an array of confused and frustrated people behind. Jason watched the display with a frown, then moved to the leader of the government contingent.
“Some people are coming to get things organised,” Jason quietly promised. “For now, let your people take a break. Let them go see their families.”
A wide portal arch rose from the floor.
“That will take you to a public square in the main residential district. I’ll leave it open for the moment, so your people can come and go.”
“Thank you, Lord Asano.”
“I’m not a lord. You can call me Mr Asano or, even better, Jason.”
“Thank you, Mr Asano.”
Jason nodded and followed the duke who was slowly strolling along a path by the shore. Remnants of ritual magic and stone shaping marked the embankment, along with hardy desert spear grass that had been planted to stabilise the slope. It was late in the day and the sun dipped close to the ocean, soon to drop out of sight.
“What can I do for you, Lord Asano?” the duke asked as Jason caught up to his meandering pace and matched it.
The duke was a silver-ranker, courtesy of monster cores, which was the norm for political leaders. He was a dark-skinned human, typical for Boko’s population, with long hair bound into thick strands by ornate gold clasps. His physique was essence-user lean, but there was a softness in how he carried himself. He had none of the sharp energy of an adventurer, always watching for threats.
“Duke Boko, I told you that you can ask me to connect you to your people here at any time. You have, thus far, only availed yourself of this twice. The last time was almost two weeks ago.”
“Matters in New Water warrant my attention. The vast majority of my people are there. Not only do I have to plan for their wellbeing, but I must also look ahead as the first city leader on an entirely new world. Your astral kingdom—”
“Duke Boko,” Jason cut him off.
“Lord Asano, you may call me Kalar.”
“I call you Duke Boko because that is both who and what you are.”
“Actually, I was thinking that people should start calling me—”
“You are not Duke New Water. You are Duke Boko, and that…”
He pointed at the water.
“…is Boko. That is what you rule. The full extent of what you rule. Your attention, Duke, should be here. This is a tragedy, but also an opportunity. To build a city from nothing. To plan out that which, before, grew up in a tangle over centuries. To make use of a harbour you never had before. To heal the wounds of what happened here, both in the hearts of the people and in the entire regional economy.”
Jason stopped, turning to look out over the water.
“This time is critical, Duke Boko. I know this is hard, no doubt harder than I can understand, not being in your position. But you need to remember where you are from instead of looking to make something new. You need to concern yourself with your people, not your desire to be the first ruler on a new world.”
“My lord Asano, I—”
“I know everything that happens in my astral kingdom, Duke. Every word you say. Every ambition you whisper to your pet songbird. Privacy screens don’t hide you from me.”
“Lord Asano, New Water is a city inhabited only by my people. They trust me. Respect me. You need a steady hand in these times of turbulence.”
“On that, we agree.”
“We do?” the duke asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Jason pointed out at the water where three dark skimmers were approaching the shore from the direction of the temple islands. It was hard to spot them under the darkening sky. They moved onto the land and settled into the grass.
The people disembarking all wore the garb of clergy. The first group had robes of crimson with gold trim. Their sigil was a hand gripping a planet, the symbol of Dominion. The next group had plain robes of undyed linen, followed by a group wearing muted blue.
“Thank you all for coming,” Jason said. “If you follow the path back that way, you’ll find the portal amongst those stone-shaped buildings.”
He turned back to the duke, who was staring in confusion.
“I have asked some of the gods to help me assess and manage the situation in New Water,” Jason explained. “Dominion will help me construct a framework for leadership. I have given them general parameters for a governance framework. Beyond that, they will be consulting with the new residents as to how best to lead the populace and administer the city. The final say is mine, of course, but I think the people who live there should have a voice in how it should be run.”
“But—”
“The priests of Hearth and of Refuge will be organising the people. Who wants to settle permanently, who wants to find a new home, and who wants to wait for the reconstruction of Boko.”
“I know the archbishops for all of those churches. I can—”
“I didn’t ask the archbishops, Duke. I asked their gods. I also asked Dominion to take a look at how you’re managing the affairs of your fallen city. As your city state is now underwater, there is some question as to whether you will continue to enjoy his endorsement. My recommendation is that you go back to your people and work very hard to demonstrate your value in leading them.”
The Duke stared at Jason.
“Why are you doing this to me? You can’t do this to me!”
“Duke, you and your people have been through a lot, so I am doing my best to be gentle. But I say again that I know everything you have done while in my kingdom, and you have butted against the limits of my gentility. You will never enter New Water again.”
“The noble houses won’t stand for that.”
“The noble houses of Boko are free to leave. New Water has no aristocracy, which is one of my parameters for the Dominion priests to work with. Anyone who stays will not have any noble title recognised.”
“They won’t tolerate those conditions.”
“I have neither the time nor the interest to listen to you go through the denial stage, Duke Boko. I’m going to pick up my friend from the Adventure Society camp and leave. I imagine we will meet again, to discuss matters regarding the population. I hope you give matters some clearheaded consideration before that time.”
Jason headed for the closest skimmer as the other two dissolved into clouds of darkness that vanished into his shadow. The skimmer took off as the sun set on the still water that was once the city of Boko.
Comments
Kevin Dillon
Father & Son. Your photo speaks for you. Praises.
Frederick
So, I read "down with heritage base drulers". Not the right spelling for "droolers," but that is definitely what I heard in my head... first... I got it eventually...
Kenneth Welever
Or Nik could just talk with the local goddess of fertility. May not net him a wife but he'd end up with a crapton of children.
ThoMiCroN
Nik could get a mate from another species and Jason could use the magic nonsense of his realm to make a descendant possible.
Iain Grubb
Little sad we didn't get a Burt reunion.
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
deadly chibi
For real though very measured response from Jason clearly are Astral Nexus has done some healing
Douglas Davis
It didn't tie up the huge loose end of Neil and the Mercer girl he was dating that was supposedly still hung up on Jason. Wish it had.
Collin LaShure
Maaaaaaannnn....id be furious if i invited someone to stay temporarily in my house and then they started trying to take it over...lol good on Jason for not just blowing that dude to bits and handling it good cuz i dont think i coulda been as cordial about it as him lol
Darren Bowles
Tftc
LolGamez
Damn bro y'all need to chill. Let the story unfold
LolGamez
Jason didn't include Bible knowledge I guess
Other Tan
Doesn't Nik have a lot of Jason's random Earth knowledge, such as Dungeons and Dragons and Voltron? Shouldn't he have gotten the Bible reference, and just sighed or shook his head when Jason mentioned the Genesis story, or say something like, I thought Earth has no gods.
Youkai-sama
The Silver-rank "noble" tells the living universe what he "won't stand for". 🤣🤣🤣
JL McDonald
#downwithheritagebasedrulers
jacob butler
I am feeling like it will be at least another 10 or 20 chapters before earth departure 5 for Vitesse and 5 for Rimaros or 10 & 10 then head out to earth any thoughts?
JL McDonald
The best part is when Jason hugs Nik... Jason putting the Duke in his place and eliminating nobility in his realm is a close second.
Hons
I'm surprised too, have there been some references someone might know? Thought of him more like a small-scale double or something like that. (Except the optics, this boi is bratty like the original)
Ender419
That is what you a BOSS! Why go up the ladder when you can use a cherry picker to get to the top. Love it!!
jacob butler
The gods are not going the priests are
Sean
How can the gods go into his domain? Beyond the lack of ability to enter Jason’s domain, it’s not even on Pallimastus.
Kismet
I could see Clive's new group building one around the bridge since he's become such a badass, and is part of the bridge builders team. Since Jason is now considered diamond rank with the adventure society, he's got the clout to control who builds by the bridge. I also think he's could possibly make the uninhibited island part of his domain since no one is living there to claim the island, if the Storm kingdom will let him.
Lora Greenberg
I loved this chapter because it is pivotal in tying up lose ends. You see Jason embracing the political landscape with the help of Danielle; revisiting his past haunts to reconnect with the people he cared about , and embracing the leadership role. I can't wait until he fully embraces his Astral king role..I think he's just touched some aspects of it.
Lora Greenberg
I think it's strange for Jason to see Nik as his real son since Nik was born from Jason's unconscious mind. It hits home when Nik asks him for a hug. But also makes cutting remarks about the lack of Jason's parenting skills.
Lora Greenberg
Such a name dropper😆 he spoke directly with the gods and not the archbishops. He's no longer just an adventurer but an astral king. I find it interesting that the gods will have a hand and his new astral kingdom since he never believed in them in the beginning
Andromeda Adams
I loved this chapter! The interaction he has with Nik is wonderful. It truly warms my heart, as a parent myself.
StarkRG
I don't think Cassandra is in Greenstone, she's a high ranking Adventurer, remember?
Chris Pollan
YES!!! I have so much I want to say about this chapter but I'll leave it at just, yes.
Demi
Moppet or not, she was also left behind by Jason twice (intentionally or not). They've got enough to bond over.
NovaZero
I was writing a longer response in agreement and pointing out a few thins so far which are attempts by Shirt to be cheeky and or snarky but ehhhh. So yup.
Douglas Davis
Also one additional thought which will likely be unpopular. I frankly don't understand the point of Nik as a character in the series. Created by some twisted accident involving an transformation zone and a gift from Fertility. We get a weird humanoid rabbit. But why? For what point? What purpose does Nik serve? It feels like Shirt lost a wager and the winner said, "write a half man half bunny into the story as a character."
Douglas Davis
Wow, so they left Greenstone and Neil's love life never got resolved? I was hoping he was going to get back together with what's her face.
wanderer117
Give it a book or so. Once he leaves for the City of the Gods (or whatever that city full of diamond rankers was called) he'll be an underdog again.
Kaladorph
The biggest problem is the entire series Jason's been the underdog. Now he's not. I've been finding it difficult to remain interested :/
Kraede Epoch
I actually always thought Adam and Eve were eww. For pretty much the reasons Nik had.
James Culbreath
Great chapter. I loved how he handled the duke.
StarkRG
Oh man, he's gonna flood Pallimustus with garlic and chickens, isn't he?
StarkRG
If gods form naturally (that is, they are born from an accumulation of Authority as a magical world reaches a certain level), then I'd say it could happen. If, instead, existing astral entities attach themselves to a fledgling world and become god (perhaps they detect Authority accumulating and take it as their own), then I'd guess Dawn might become Earth's first god. She might not even have to change her name...
StarkRG
Yeah, to actually allow priests of Dominion to enter his soul seems like quite a large step for him.
StarkRG
Nik is like a less vulgar, rabbit version of Ted.
StarkRG
Still pretty early days for this book, we're barely out of the prologue.
Omigusrage
Literally on brunch terms with the gods of this world. We didn’t even see them talk to him for it to now seems like an old norm.
Mike Zebill
Jason needs to establish the bridge to Rimaros so he can hop back and hit the food markets easily.
DirePants
Great chapter. Nik is an interesting one. Looking forward to what happens with him. Seeing Jason lay down law on the aristocrats is just delicious. Im very much an anti monarchy type of American and ruling classes make my skin crawl. Plus seeing him ask his “peers” for their godly assistance is nice character development. Slowly but surely he’s getting more comfortable with his new self. Still waiting for some other shoes to drop. Whenever he thinks he’s figured out a balance, reality comes to smack him up. I wonder if Jason will somehow help create gods on earth? Like regular gods who govern aspects. Not our gods who only money, genocide, and apparently masturbation 😂😂😂😂
The Green Magus
I can feel it come soon!
Larsi
Obviously, asking the gods directly is a powermove, but I also just wanna point out how happy I am of Jasons Character growth for being willing to not only work with, but even trust the gods to help and assist him.
Tim
Lol "You know Im not a stuffed toy" sometimes...when youre a super soft and furry animal person, you just gotta give in to it. If Gary was still around he coulda told him. The scene with nik is probably my new favorite. Super heartwarming.
Justin
I need more Papa Jason time with Nik.
Shane
"I didn't ask the archbishops, Duke. I asked their gods." is one of Jason's hardest fucking lines ever. It's not him being tsundere or trying to self-aggrandize anymore. Just a simple statement that shows he operates at an entirely different level than the duke.
John Collier
Sadly at this rate I think your gonna be right
deadly chibi
I mean I'd bet hegemon and Dominion are considered brothers or something akin to it
deadly chibi
I'm loving the fact that dominion and Jason are friends now
Ben Sheahan
Probably not. From what we’ve been told, gods are bound the the planet they inhabit so I doubt they would be able to enter any of Jason’s domains.
Doodlyboy15
Interesting, so the duke was hoping to be the first aristocrat in a virgin land. To ride the gravy train I suppose? Untapped, unlimited and potentially 0 labor cost resources from a budding astral kingdom. I assume Jason is giving some people the option to stay since he'll uhh need practice housing people in his astral kingdom? He surely has other more benevolent reasons but still, starter kingdom and all that fun stuff.
Landsraad
I really want to get to some vampire slaying and Earth govt face slapping
StarkRG
I don't think we'll see Dawn this book, the next time we see her, she'll be acting for her own purposes, in a battle she claimed Jason had already lost, and told most of his friends to get out of there when she told them. She said she hopes Jason doesn't hate her too much afterwards which means she doesn't think there's a chance he won't hate her at least a little. Seeing Dawn again isn't going to be a fun time. Maybe after, though.
StarkRG
I think they definitely see him as a peer, but a new one that needs guidance. His power is different than theirs, but it's mostly on the same scale (some of Jason's power is much lower, mortal and gold rank, other is much higher, transcendent and more eternal and broader than theirs)
Anthony Sebastian
I know that "Dominion's oversight" most likely just means that his priest will be going in and out of the astral kingdom, but I wonder if Jason will ever reach a level of power where he can allow gods to enter inside.
Harbby
Thank you Shirt. Nik needed that hug
Justin
My guess is book 12 ends with the bridge being completed and they are about to head to earth.
Kelly
That was incredibly entertaining. 😂
Michael Hawkins
I don't think he ever hated Dominion to be honest. He's always viewed the gods as just people.
Tyler S.
Biscuits
Stephanie Washburn
Sounds like someone got conquer the planet fever
Rowdy Robby
Arash's nephew Jamar is going to be the kitchen director.
Andrew Whewell
Fantastic!
Zack
I keep picturing Nik as a Lopporrit from FFXIV. Short bunny people that are too cute for their own good. 🐰
Rhett Sellers
Jason needs to be careful while he's getting a rib from Nik. He might find Clive's wife in there too.
ReadingObsessed
NICE 👍
David
I mostly wonder how he still doesn’t get it.
jacob butler
You know its really serious when he is involving Dominion like I know he doesn't hate Dominion anymore but definitely not the best of friends
Chris Furry
Two outworlders produce a Celestine.
jacob butler
Really starting to feel Earth will never come lol I also love how the Duke thinks he will rule a city in Jason's God realm
Zachary Ross
Awesome chapter. I loved the Nik start. But I really loved the interaction with the Duke of Boko.
Alex Schellenberg
I wonder if Jason could contact Fertility on some ideas for Nik babies. Now that I think of it, don't outworlders produce children of other races. Kind of like ditto?
Andrew Johnson
The issue with the Boko residents is almost exactly what I thought might happen. Power struggles and the usual political maneuvering by leaders would be ambitious and try to cause problems for Jason. Although exiling the Duke of Boko this early from New Water was a brilliant twist. Jason flexing and telling the Duke he was talking directly to the gods circumventing the archbishops is an interesting angle. We've not seen the contents of those conversations and I was worried the gods would be angry about Boko but it looks to be just the opposite which I think in the long term is good. I wonder if the gods see Jason as a peer or near peer in power level or somethings else completely. Given he has power on a completely different scale inside his astral kingdom.
Jordan Brennan
Tyftc!
BloodStorm
Im happy we got some movement on establishing the bridge back to earth. Touched base with Nik. I like the Jason asked for some of the local gods for help in establishing leadership framework for New Water. That is some character growth right there. After complaining last chapter I’m happy after this one. I think the adventure society with eventually build a city or a fort around wherever Jason puts the bridge back to earth
Stephen E Wilson Jr.
He was scheming to permanently run a city in Jason's soul realm seeing it as an astral space rather than Jason's soul. He is very confused.
BloodStorm
Is Nik silver rank? I can’t remember
J Holmes
I am having a failure of imagination trying to come up with what sort of dumbassery could have annoyed Jason so.
Danielle Warvel
Wow, that guy was just…I shouldn’t be surprised, but….wow.
ABTelford
I am kinda disappointed we didn’t get to have the scene where Jason has dinner with the fruit juice guys family and meets the son. All of these disjointed scene changes…well, they’re too disjointed, I feel like they need more transitional material. That’s what revisions are for, of coarse, so here’s me hoping Shirtaloon revises some smoothness into the books before publication. 🙂
Devlin
Right! It hit right in the feels.
Abigail Hale
Okay, now I'm dying for some Nik fan art and maybe a giant plushie to cuddle 💕
Ligeia
On a different topic, I love how Nik called the Geller family training program "violence boarding school." Nik may not curse every other word any more, but he can still be pretty cutting with his descriptions, like his view of the Adam & Eve situation -- not quite the way it's normally interpreted! 😅😅
Kazuto Bakura
Thinking the next book might start on Earth. Trouble is most likely to happen when the bridge is being finished. Though we might get clips of Earth since Jason is properly connected to his city's.
ABTelford
Oh heck yes! Give that overly ambitious duke a gentle smack down! Hehehe!!
Adam
Get the feeling Nik is intimidated by Emi. Makes sense as he's 20 years old and his Dad just gave him a hug for the first time, while Emi has always been Jasons Moppet.
Brad Gammey
Duke of a city, or Leader of a new world... the temptation is great, but the world is not for claiming. Sorry sir, thank you for your time.
Chris Furry
Nobility can maintain a noble title without being landed. That far along in the line of nobility the nobility is a birthright, not a matter of bestowal or succession. Think of the Duke of Greenstone, his brother is married to Thalia Mercer and that family is also noble, but had he married a commoner (not likely, but it happens) his nobility would have raised her to noble status, rather than sacrificing his.
Lora Greenberg
I feel like Jason is taking a page from Dominion! I like the banter between Jason and Nik and that he gave him a hug.
Bingus McCready
Book 12 continues to be an absolute hit parade. Thanks very much for the chapter. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go figure out who’s cutting onions. The wateriness of my eyes has nothing to do with Nik and Jason. Nothing at all.
DeviantSalivations
Jason McKillUrFace, attorney at law. It's good to see him doing some governance. You know, without going all stabby stabby.
Chris Furry
I am all for heading straight to Estercost, rounding up earthlings, and portaling to Rimaros to complete the bridge. It is time for Jason to set things right on Earth, reunite with Rufus and Taika, and bring Emi and her parents to see Pallimustus. Also, I would very much like to see Dawn again, and I think that won't happen until he is done there.
John Durrett
Nik getting a clone sister wife is Tight! Barely an inconvenience! For Jason to provide at least. As for Duke Boko, dumber then rocks and as arrogant as a single child. Glad Nobel titles will not be recognized
Scott McCarthy
I finger the Duke's point of the nobles not agreeing funny, they would only still be nobles if they have lands and titles by a lord. If they abandon Boko, those titles and lands are gone, and anything for New Water would be dependent on Jason by its very nature.
JonO
I remember shirt mentioning a hump/clive/Jason throuple situation entitled hump and jive.
Josh Turple
Wonder what the duke said?
Justin Fralin
I'm excited to get to earth. But I also like that we are taking our time here as we won't be back for a while. Also... Jason as a dad is everything.
JonO
Yes nik was basically off screen to now
Scott McCarthy
Ya, the Duke was being foolish and should have k kw better. It might be a "free" city, but it is owned by someone else, someone who has known beliefs on nobility and aristocracy.
Ligeia
He wanted to reestablish his rule while Jason doesn't want any aristocracy in his soul/astral kingdom. HE rules there, not some duke of a small unimportant city.
Gotrek65
Wow I got real Dominion vibes coming from Jason when he was talking to the Duke. Sounds like the aristocrat's are getting the boot because of conversations they were having in Jason's Soul/Galaxy/Universe
Justin
Wait, when did Nik show up? Was it off screened?
Rowdy Robby
#morenik
Agent P.
That dude has to be so confused.
Chris Furry
It was about the usual length at just over six pages, but I get what you mean.
David Cooper
Has anyone written any HWFWM fanfiction, and where did they leave it?
Drew Williams
I will never be first to comment as reading the chapter is my purpose. I have made peace with that. Great job as always Shirt!
Christian Chavez
Nice. I like that he resisted being more threatening or overbearing to the duke. He simply stated how things were going to be.
JonO
He had aspirations to rule in Jason's domain/ universe. He wanted to put himself as first among many not paying attention to Jason saying no, nor the implications of scheming behind Jason's back while not actually being able to since he's in Jason. So.... standard political bullshit.
Scott McCarthy
Nik needs to bribe Stash to take some of cuteness hugging for him.
mhaj58
Nik and Emi are going to be so great together. I’m genuinely tempted to write a fanfic depicting their adventures together with Jason
David Cooper
I wonder what the Duke did to rile up Jason like that.
Julia
it’s crazy how someone’s Always cutting onions in my vicinity during the scenes with nik and jason
JonO
I loved the interaction with nik. It brought moisture to my eyes lol. Also fuck yeah Jason putting duke boko in his place. That's politi-fu-cking to a "T". Mwahaha
Vellgander
People really need to stop playing with Jason
Michael Fannon
New water is the city in Jason's astral kingdom. The Duke sorta knew since he was putting off rebuilding Boko, but he pissed Jason off somehow big time and got kicked out.
Fabienne Bedry
Great chapter, thank you. ❤️
Sylphie
"i didn't ask the bishops I asked the gods"is such a badass line
samwise
The writing and prose gets better and better!
Ryan Majka
Tyftc
RadiantSpren
That seemed....short.
Michael Fannon
Love the part with Nik. And what the actual fuck did the Duke do?
Aaron Schwartz
I’m not sure I understand. Is new water a new name for the city of Boko? Or is it the name of the city the evacuees built inside his astral kingdom? And if it’s the second, why on earth did nobody inform the Duke that they weren’t gonna be able to stay there permanently?
Thomas Todd
Nik is adorable and Jason completely wiped that guy out, he pulled the "you call that a connection, this is a connection"
Phallusar
Ah, to be cruel is to be gentle
Ether
That hug 🥲
Andrew Johnson
BISCUITS!
The Dyslexic Cloud
2?
David Odle
TFTC! Wish we could’ve heard some of what the Duke said about ruling a city in Jason’s soul. Seems like a privileged idiot that got off easy.
Bobby Baxter
First
TimeDrawsNigh
Tftc
RGrocks
hi
Justin Pugh
1st?
