"I'm sorry, I think I stood up too fast and the blood rushed to my head. What did you say your plan was?"

"We can buy people from the Network."

Roger opened his mouth to respond, but he was at a loss for words. He knew what Alan was talking about, you could indeed buy people from the Network. They were called slaves.

Alan smiled a little, because he could guess what Roger was thinking. "I bet you're wondering why I would suggest buying slaves after I just said I wasn't comfortable with it."

"Yes, that would sum up my thoughts pretty well."

"So, I recently ran into a creature that was being held prisoner by an evil man. He was doing terrible things to this creature so that it would become basically his slave. I came along and killed him, then took the creature and tried to give it a better home. As it grew, it came to resent me because it saw me the same as the other people who had stolen it from its home and abused it. When it told me this, I struggled. Was I no better than the evil man I had taken it from. Whether that was an act of stealing or rescue probably depended on the point of view.

"But I want you to put yourself in the situation of the creature. Would you rather end up with the man who will force you to do what he wants, or someone who will let you live your life? There's an obvious answer there, so the question is a little unfair. But I also found out that these people have no chance of returning to their home, and that they are currently being held in stasis. So if I didn't purchase them, they would remain, for all intents and purposes, dead, until someone else claimed them and used them for whatever they wanted. My proposal is to buy them and then free them."

Roger's mind was spinning a little, but he tried to process what Alan was saying. "So you want to buy these slaves, but then try to give them normal lives. But they won't be free to leave, even if we wanted to let them go, the barriers prevent that. How is that any different than slavery?"

"At its core, maybe it's not, but their other choices are likely worse, and we aren't the ones who put them in this position. This would likely be the closest they will ever see to freedom."

The mayor was starting to understand the rationalization, but there was another problem. "Let's say that buying slaves isn't wrong, I don't think you have enough to make a difference. Slaves cost around fifty gold a person, so it would take almost forty thousand gold to buy enough to increase our population to the next tier."

"Ahh, that's where you're wrong. If we were to buy individual slaves, that would be true. These are usually skilled or particularly well built individuals. You may not have noticed that we also have access to bulk purchases."

This was something Roger had no experience with. The planet he had come from was part of a small alliance of a couple of planets, and they were well populated and didn't have any need for large numbers of slaves. Some individuals might purchase them, but while the practice wasn't frowned upon, it wasn't common. He pulled up the slavery tab on the store menu and then found what Alan was talking about.

"Wow, these prices are much more reasonable. Where do these people come from?"

"Well, imagine you went to war with a neighboring planet. We'll skip over the logistics of how you get there, but you manage to finally defeat your opponent's army and the population surrenders. You could try and fold them into your own population, but without an occupying force, how do you keep them from rebelling? Or, what if you started the fight in the first place because your own planet was overcrowded and you needed new real estate. You don't want to keep the original inhabitants, but mass slaughter isn't your cup of tea. You can put up the entire population for sale.

"Sorting through all those people would be a lot of work, so rather than trying to find those who are truly valuable, it seems that a lot of times they just group people by region and then put them up in bulk. That's who I'm talking about buying."

Alan watched as Roger chewed that over. The weirdest concept in all of this was the fact that there wasn't a time limit on these sales. A lot of entities saw this as a bloodless way of eliminating their enemies. If they made some money off of it, great, but once they placed them for sale with the Network they simply forgot about them. Some of the lots for sale had been up for decades. Those poor people had been nothing but a stored soul in the Network's database, or wherever it used, for years and years. And there were so many of these lots available that they might end up there forever.

The mayor had been right when he said buying individual slaves wouldn't solve their problem. But instead of paying fifty gold for a single person, they could purchase forty or fifty people for the same price from the bulk sales. It would take less than half of Alan's current net worth to purchase enough new villagers to bring up their population so they could evolve the village. It wasn't something he wanted to do all at once, however.

When the Network allowed volunteers to join the tutorial, it made sure to prevent groups larger than four from joining the same village. This was in an effort to prevent a large, planned attempt to take over any of the settlements. Chrisly's family would have been able to dominate the entire tutorial if they could have brought the entire family and all of their contracted adventurers. Even if they could only have stuck together as a family they would have easily been able to control a large chunk of zones.

Because the Network had limited them to four people together, Chrisly's parents had only been able to bring their two children and they had needed to rely on others to exert their control. It was still possible, but if they had been able to bring a hundred or two-hundred people with them, then no natives or recruits would have been able to stand up to them. Alan didn't want something similar to happen by bringing in too many people at once.

Their current population was just under seven hundred and fifty people. He could easily afford to buy eight hundred people to put them over the fifteen hundred threshold, but then the newcomers would outnumber the original inhabitants. Chances are the current residents of Elstree would be able to maintain control, what with their classes and all, but eight hundred people all from the same settlement suddenly joining them could make their will know if they had other ideas. If he instead brought in groups from many different settlements, they wouldn't have the same bond to start. However, they still might develop an us versus them mentality.

Finally, Roger had processed the idea, and looked into the finances. "Okay, I see what you're thinking, and it looks like it should work. How do we want to do this? I don't recommend buying them all at once."

"I agree. It would be great if we could bring in small groups over time and let them acclimate, but we don't have that much time. This tier only lasts three months and we're almost halfway through that. Ideally we want to upgrade to a town with a couple of weeks left before the barriers come down. What do you think of starting small, and then increasing the sizes as we go?"

The mayor thought for a moment before answering. "I like it. That way the first groups aren't so large, and they can start to explore their new freedom, and then help us include larger groups as we go. How will you pick which lots to buy?"

Alan had to admit that he still felt a little scummy as he looked over the list of people to be bought. He could rationalize it all he wanted by thinking of how much better their life would be than it was currently, but it was still buying people.

The listings for lots of people included where they came from, how was listing them, and then an average age and health for the group. Tamee had been the one to explain what these listings were, way back when, but she couldn't give him details about what planets to look for or which sellers to avoid. That apparently crossed the line, but telling him about how it all worked was just good tutorialing.

With no real knowledge of what the planet names meant or who the sellers were, Alan asked for any input Roger had. He hadn't heard of most of them, other than some of the bigger empires, so they chose to go with one of them. If the empire was huge, then they probably didn't pay attention to the small things. It was decided they would bring in fifty people to start with, all from one lot. They were all from the same town, and the average age was mid twenties. Before they finalized it, though, they had to decide what to do about the hundred immigrants from the raid.

"Is there any reason we shouldn't give them classes too?" Alan asked.

"If you're willing, then I say go for it. They made the switch of their own free will, so I don't think we have to worry about them like that group we got from Dewhurst."

At the conclusion to the whole Chrisly thing, his parents had sent a group of 'defectors' who wanted to move to the simpler life of Elstree. It was clearly a ruse to put spies into their village, but they hadn't wanted to outright refuse them. Instead they had been watching them closely ever since.

"How are they doing by the way?"

Roger grimaced a little. "Well, most of them I think have left their old loyalties behind. Giving them classes, and splitting them up so they couldn't discuss it with each other, seems to have won them over to our side. That being said, there are a few that meet secretly, while pretending to be good little citizens in public. There's only five of them, but they could be trouble."

That wasn't great news, but it wasn't unexpected either. The fact that any of them might be redeemable was good news. The next decision was when to start bringing in the soon to be former slaves. They didn't want to wait too long, as there wasn't that much time before the end of the tier. The next day was going to be spent planning and getting ready for the newly thought up competition, so that might not be the best time. Instead, they decided to start the day of the competition off by bringing in the new people. Then they would have a whole day of feasting and celebrations to enjoy.

The rest of the current day was spent with Roger bringing in groups of the new villagers and Alan giving them classes. That took several hours, and then he led them out to the training grounds. The mayor had already sent one of his runners, Aya, to let the people there know that a large group would be coming in. When they saw Alan and the newly classed individuals approaching, most of them left. A few of them chose to stay and help with the training. Alan made a mental note of those who chose to assist him.

The time he spent working with the new villagers proved to be helpful for his state of mind. He had been feeling like he was being pulled in many directions recently, and even if that was mostly his fault, it still was a struggle. Being able to focus on training others, something he had a lot of experience with, was like a balm to his frantic thoughts. As night fell, several hours later, he was able to take a deep breath, free of almost all worries and dismiss the villagers to a good night's sleep.

They would be heading out to the dungeon tomorrow while the rest of the village was competing against each other. The word had gone out shortly before dusk, letting everyone know of the festivities tomorrow. A few of the new villagers were bummed about missing the event, but most were excited about the chance to explore a dungeon. Alan was actually going to head out to the dungeon now, however.

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Making this trip would serve several purposes. He had been gone for quite a while, and in that time Indiana would have grown significantly. Not only should he check on the dungeon core's progress, but he also had a bunch of new items he could share with Indiana. Another thing he could do was check on Akilatjin, and he was now sure TS was out here as well. The bond he shared with the wolf was not as strong as what he and the dragon had formed, but Alan was close enough now to sense his furry friend's presence.

On the walk out to the dungeon, Alan passed by a group of villagers returning from their raids. They were excited to see him, they had been at the dungeon for several hours so they had missed the announcement about the following day. He filled them in, and asked how their dungeon runs had gone. By now, every party was able to clear the first section of the dungeon, which used to be the original full run. Indiana had finished adding on the new sections and this was the first time he got to hear about it.

The squirrels were a hit, literally. Their acorn chucking abilities were impressive and it made for a nice challenge for the adventurers. Everyone thought the furry tree rodents were pretty cute, despite the many minor contusions they caused. The final encounter, three level five wolves, was more of a challenge for people. The parties Alan had run into weren't Principals, they fell more into the middle of the pack. Still, they had decent gear, even if it wasn't a full set, and they were here. That meant they were still committed to growing. Roger had shared that a decent number of the villagers had cut back on their dungeon runs. They were content with where they were, and wanted to focus on the 'real world'.

All of the people here had managed to beat the wolves. Some found it to be a challenge, while others thought it was too easy. That was almost exactly what level Alan and Indiana wanted to create, so that was good. They were also happy about the loot. With a bigger dungeon, Indiana was able to give out more loot. That was helping people fill out their equipment, at least partially. With examples of a variety of gear from Alan, the Motley Swarm, and the Stalwart Companions, the dungeon core had a lot to offer, but it was by no means able to give anything people might desire.

After promising to see them tomorrow, Alan continued his journey. It didn't take him much longer to reach the site of the two dungeons, and he was again confronted with villagers. This time it was people waiting to take their turn. They had heard the announcement about the next day already, but they were still eager to let Alan know about how everything was going. He had taken on the role of a folk hero to these people. Not only had he driven off the oppressive aristocrat who was abusing the village, but he had given everyone classes and found this wonderful dungeon to train in. After adding in the fact that he had lived as a villager for a while, and given them a ton of new food types, it was easy to see why they were starting to revere him.

While he had come here to relax further and to communicate with Indiana, Alan had to admit that he didn't mind the two interactions with the villagers. Alan wouldn't have said he was a born leader, he had been trained by the Army to be one, but it hadn't come naturally. Today, however, he found himself more eager to take on that role. Hearing these people out, and letting them know that he was still here and looking out for them, would improve the mood of the village. It was a few minutes of conversation that could do wonders for the morale of the whole settlement.

He was finally able to separate from them, and sat down by himself to meditate, at least that's what it looked like. In reality he was going to talk to the dungeon core below them, but he didn't want just anyone to know that's what he was doing. He also actually wanted to get some meditation in. His aura was still a little snarled after his recent tribulations. Indiana was aware of what was going on above its dungeon and was patiently waiting for Alan's full attention.

"Hello, sorry I was gone so long." He sent through their bond.

I am glad to see you return, although I sense much has changed. There is a new energy about you.

"I have been stuck in another dungeon for almost all this time. I have learned much that we should discuss."

Do I need to worry that you are seeing another dungeon core?

Alan was literally stunned by that comment. Was Indiana getting jealous, could cores even become jealous?

Did I say that right? I have been watching the people inside my dungeon and thought to try my hand at a joke.

With a long breath out, Alan managed to bring his racing thoughts under control. "Yes, you said that just right. You had me going there for a moment. How has it been going? I hear you have allowed people into your expansion."

The next half an hour was spent going back and forth about everything that had been happening for Indiana. The constant runs by the villagers were doing great things for its growth. The core was strong enough now that it could almost be considered opal level. With that growth had come more room to expand. It wasn't as drastic an increase as last time, but Indiana could now set up another full room if it wanted.

The two of them had discussed whether it was worth expanding now, or if they should wait for more space or different monsters. The dungeon could give better rewards if it was bigger. The more the adventurers inside struggled, the more aether they generated, both the good kind that fueled Indiana's growth, and the type that could lead to a leak. The latter type was turned into their loot, so the more they generated the better for them. However, as it was the dungeon was taking parties almost an hour to clear.

That wasn't that long, but with well over a hundred parties it meant several days between runs, and soon there would be even more people wanting a turn. In the end, they both thought that it would be better to wait. Eventually a more difficult and longer dungeon would benefit those attempting it, but for now it was mostly about volume. At some point Indiana might be able to set up instances which would allow multiple parties in at once.

For the half an hour after that, Alan shared his own exploits and at the same time pulled out his new loot. There weren't that many items, since he had gotten his reward almost all at once, but what he did get was high quality. The most intriguing item was a short sword made of some bright metal that had both a sharpness rune and a light infusion.

Light-Imbued Short Sword of Sharpness (Rare): A well crafted weapon made of rare materials. Its aura has been infused with light mana, increasing the shine of the metal and delivering extra damage with every cut. It was also engraved with a rune for sharpness. When mana is properly applied to the rune, it will greatly increase the weapon's ability to cut and slice. It is approximately 63 centimeters long with a grip made from the hide of a Zorbat.

It was one of the rewards he had earned after completing the dungeon, so he hadn't gotten an opportunity to try it in combat yet. He had started practicing with it while recuperating from his injuries, though. It was slightly lighter than his spewn, but much closer to its weight than the pugio he had previously favored. It was also much closer in size, only being the tiniest bit smaller. That might be a good thing or a bad thing when it comes to dual wielding. His enhanced strength and dexterity provided him with the capability of holding the larger weapon in either hand, and the fact that they were similar in weight and size should ease some of the mental challenge of using them at the same time.

Replicating such a weapon was beyond the young core's ability. Eventually though, it would be strong enough to grant magical items to those who managed to complete it. In addition, with more exposure to such things, Indiana might learn how to mimic the enchantments on other items. Alan's other magical reward, an air infused rope, was an interesting item. The air infusion simply lessened its weight, allowing Alan to throw it up to a great height. He wasn't sure how that would be helpful yet, but his brain was working on it in the background.

After recounting their recent experiences, it was finally time to let Indiana know what he had learned from the other dungeon core. Since they were communicating through their bond, Alan didn't have to worry about anyone else listening in. He was able to explain everything he'd learned and felt with his aether reading ability, and what the other core had told him. Indiana was intrigued by the idea of traveling between planets. The core was also sobered by the knowledge that a dungeon could be so bloodthirsty. Thankfully Indiana was fully on board with the idea of productive struggle. It allowed both the dungeon and the adventurers to grow, forming a symbiotic and not a parasitic relationship.

After almost two hours of sitting in place, Alan finally stood up. The whole while he was talking with Indiana, he had also noticed that Akilatjin was getting closer. For the last half an hour, she had stopped her approach and seemed to be waiting. Apparently she didn't want to come any closer to the other villagers, or maybe she just wanted to meet in private. Either way, it was time to go see what the worm wanted.

It only took him a couple of minutes to track Akilatjin down, and when he did, he found her laying atop TS who was himself laying on the ground. They had decided to talk a rest while they waited for Alan. Rather than addressing the dragon, Alan's first greeting was for his oldest friend in the tutorial. The wolf stood as he approached, without Akilatjin even looking jostled, and Alan threw his arms around his furry neck.

"Hello again my friend. I hope you've been having fun while I was gone."

A soft whuff from TS was enough to express that he had indeed been enjoying himself. Then it was the wolf's turn to greet Alan and he sniffed him for quite a while. Finally he gave a little whimper and licked Alan's face. His concern was obvious.

"It's okay, or at least I hope it will be." Alan finally turned his attention to the round dragon sitting on TS's head. He hadn't been ignoring her to be petty, it was simply a matter of seniority. "And you, Akilatjin, how's it been going?"

She looked much the same as before, except she was a good deal bigger. Her body was almost twice as thick, almost as big around as his biceps, and she was almost another meter longer. Even with TS's enormous size, she was running out of real estate to ride on. Soon enough she would need to travel under her own power. Her scales had grown some as well, and were starting to gain some definition. Whereas before the scales looked smooth, almost drawn in, there were now ridges and a sense of sturdiness to them.

"I have been doing well, but we are not here for pleasantries." She was interrupted by TS rolling his eyes, making it clear that he did not share her feelings. "Anyway, I wish to start off by thanking you for the energy you've been sending me."

Alan had figured out that the dragon had been leeching from his aura, but it was good to get confirmation. Her word choice was interesting though. She made it sound like he had chosen to do so.

"I wouldn't say I was sending it, it felt more like you were pulling the energy from me."

Akilatjin cocked her head back slightly, as if to look at him from a different angle. "Well, yes, that is how the Bond works. I thought you knew what bonding an Ascended Being entailed."

Alan was trying to reconcile how cute she looked at the moment with the terror he had seen of her eating her way out of an enemy and almost missed a key part of what she'd said.

"Did you say we were Bonded? As in a proper bond?"

"Of course, surely you have felt it. Normally there should be a more formal ceremony to create such a thing, but it seems that our unique situation has caused it to form on its own. It still couldn't have happened unless both of us let it, so I figured you were okay with the arrangement."

This was news to Alan, but it made some sense. He had bonds, the kind that showed up on his soul, with several things, but not all of them had the capital B. He and the dragon had a more regular bond at first, but Alan had noticed recently how he was getting more information from their connection. It appeared that Akilatjin knew more about what was going on, so he was going to pump her for information.

"I thought he didn't like me. Why would you willingly form a Bond with me?" This was one of those times when his brain sent one message to his tongue, but his mouth went rogue.

He wasn't sure of the biology of it, but the worm actually managed to let out a sigh. "Someone" She said with a scathing look at the furry head she was sitting on. "Has managed to convince me that perhaps you were not acting maliciously when you took me, and that you were not trying to corrupt me or enslave me when you placed me in that circle. It doesn't mean I am happy about it, whatever happened has clearly done something to change me, but without my mother to watch over me, I realized that having someone Bond with me would help me grow."

Alan was confused. "How does that work? I thought that a person bonding with an ascended being would let them strengthen their soul. What does the ascended being get out of it?"

"Obviously we wouldn't do it for free, we have to get something out of the arrangement. The effect of the bond depends on several factors, the most important one for us is that you are technically at a higher level than I am. Usually it is the other way around. In our case, that means that I am using some of the energy you generate from leveling to grow, both physically and aura wise. You might have noticed that your seeker class is growing slower than it should. That is where the energy is coming from."

Alan had thought that the class was lagging behind, it turned out there was a good reason. He didn't necessarily begrudge her the loss, he had taken responsibility for her when he took her egg, but he hadn't realized what it would cost him.

"Well, it looks like that energy has gone to good use. You look much bigger than the first time I saw you."

"Yes, well, about that. We need to talk."

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