A Journey That Changed The World.

Archer was going to reply to Vivienne, but a procession of ants poured out around him just as a bigger version of the Vault Ants appeared. They reminded him of Sugar Ants back on Earth but more adorable.

When the queen stopped in front of him, a mature woman's voice echoed in his mind. 'Hello master. Sorry for my children's behaviour, you scared them.'

''Don't worry about it,'' he replied. ''Now, do you guys eat meat?''

'Yes we do, its hard to find any in here master,' the queen answered.

Archer nodded, leading the group of monsters to an open space as Vivienne followed behind with a curious expression. Minutes later, the Vault Ant Queen stopped beside him as he waved his hand.

A dozen Umbraworms dropped to the ground with a crash and killed them with Mana Blasts. When the creatures saw this, they went stiff as he turned in their direction. ''Now you have fresh food. If you need anymore, just let me know, and I'll drop more off.''

The monsters buzzed with excitement as their queen commanded them to dismantle the lifeless worms. The tiny ants swarmed eagerly, tearing off chunks of flesh and hauling the fresh bounty back to their lair.

Leo glanced over their home, his sharp eyes noting the deep underground egg chambers. With a thought, he sealed them off from the rest of the Domain, ensuring their safety. As he worked, he turned to the queen.

''Would you like a passage to the outside world? I could also carve an underground river for you. What do you say?'' he suggested.

'The river would be nice,' she answered honestly. 'Is there a way for us to be safe when going out?'

Archer agreed with a nod, creating a small dome over the area that stretched a few miles that he connected with the cololy tunnels. He also unleashed a few dozen Wild Pigs for them to feed on.

Once this done, Vivienne glanced at him. ''I can send over some Nightmare Guardians to protect the little ones.''

''That would be good, Vivi,'' he replied with a charming smile.

After a moment of focus, Archer shut his eyes and summoned an underground river, weaving its currents to link with the Vault Ant Colony. A heartbeat later, he carved a tunnel through the earth, its path breaking through to a hidden corner of the Domain.

Following that, he turned to the queen, who was panicking as she looked all around her, which he found adorable. He crouched down before bopping it on the head, speaking. ''There's nothing to be scared of. There isn't a monster in here that would hurt my Vault Ants.''

When the queen heard this, she nudged against his hand, replying. 'Thank you, master. I will go check on everything now.''

''Okay, I'll come by again and check on you lot,'' he said, turning back to the sea of treasures.

Without waiting, Archer started emptying all the wealth he stole from the Alliance into the horde. When the Nightmare Ant Queen saw this, her red eyes bulged in shock as the mountains of gold reached the ceiling.

''What the hell do you need all this for? No way, Dracnoia, or you need this much wealth to survive?'' she asked, astonished.

He chuckled at her reaction and answered with an amused expression. ''I'll never stop collecting treasure, Vivi. it's my nature to horde this stuff, but that doesn't mean I won't use it to benefit you girls or the empire.''

Afterward, Archer left loads of gold in his Item Box so he could spend it in the future. Once that was done, he turned to the older woman. ''Do you want to spend the night with me? The sun will set in a few hours.''

Vivienne nodded excitedly. ''That sounds good to me, but I suggest bringing Aeliana along. She's been happy lately, and I'd prefer for it to continue.''

He agreed, closing his eyes to scan the Nightmare Cave Spiders Colony that was bustling with activity. Moments later, he spotted Aeliana sitting in her house, relaxing. This prompted him to send her a message. ''My spider beauty, would you like to come out with me and Vivi?''

The black-haired young woman yelped in fright and quickly glanced around, making him laugh as he continued. ''I'm speaking in your mind. I'll summon you now.''

Moments later, he clicked his fingers, and Aelina appeared with a confused expression but soon smiled when seeing him. ''Hello, Arch! Where are we going?''

Archer gave a casual shrug, his face settling into a thoughtful expression. ''Not entirely sure,'' he said. ''I could cook for you both, maybe? Something from my old world?''

When the two women heard this, they beamed, nodded in agreement, and hugged him. Once that was done, he teleported them to the treehouse above, only to run into Meredith, relaxing in front of the fire.

The blonde maid beamed when she saw them, prompting him to speak warmly. ''Hello, Mere, would you like some food?''

''Yes, please,'' she answered with a happy expression.

After that, Archer turned to the two Monarchs, asking. ''Do you mind if Meredith joins us, girls?''

The Nightmare Queen Ant didn't answer as she turned to the blonde and stepped closer with a graceful stride. Meredith's nerves kicked in, a visible gulp betraying her anxiety as she watched the ant queen come to a halt in front of her.

Then, Redhead's lips curved into a warm smile. ''I don't believe we've met,'' she said. ''I'm Vivienne, Queen of the White Dragon Monarchs. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.''

''I'm Meredith,'' the blonde replied sweetly. ''There's so many of us that some haven't met yet.''

Everyone laughed as Archer started cooking by taking out some dragon meat and dicing it up using Mana Manipulation. After doing this, Aelina appeared beside him, asking. ''Why are you using your kind for dinner?''

''Huh?'' he muttered.

That's when a realization hit him, and he chuckled. ''Does that make me a cannibal?''

Meredith giggled. ''You really don't know much about dragons, do you, love?'' she commented.

''No, they're just irritating creatures who've done nothing but attack me, except for the few I've taken in,'' he rambled in frustration. ''Even then, I haven't bothered learning from them. And honestly, I don't care to start now, it's too late. I'm too far gone to become some noble dragon.''

A hush fell over the three women, but Meredith broke the silence with another question. ''What do you mean by too far gone?''

Archer paused, then answered with raw honesty. ''When I was younger, I was a mess, unhinged, really, because of everything that happened. It started after I killed a bunch of monsters. That chaos crept in slowly, twisting my mind until I met Seraphina. She was the one who pulled me back, the one who healed me.''

''Is that why you always watch her when she's around?'' Vivienne asked.

He nodded, continuing. ''Yes, I'm thankful for her helping me because it allowed me to love the rest of you. Imagine if she didn't find me? Most of the harem would have fought against me, with Brooke probably killing me in the end.''

Following that, Archer shook his head, pulled out some Dragon Ale, and downed a mouthful, which took his mind away from it, prompting him to change the subject. ''Anyway, enough of this depressing shit. Do you ladies want some wine? I believe I stole one of the Novgorodian nobles' wine collection.''

Their laughter filled the air as he pulled out a bottle and poured the liquid into glasses, drawing their curious gazes. ''It smells delicious,'' he said with a grin, ''And since none of you are pregnant, you're all free to drink.''

Aelina was the first to snatch a glass, sipping eagerly as her pointed ears twitched and her red eyes sparkled with delight. She paused after a moment, turning to him with an excited grin. ''This stuff is nice, husband!''

''Let me give it a go,'' the blonde said with a smile, taking a glass and downing it.

Seconds later, Archer watched Meredith's face turn red as she swallowed it, only to exclaim. ''This stuff is worth hundreds of gold coins; I've never tasted anything like it.''

''Of course you haven't,'' he chuckled. ''It was on the bottom floor of a bank, the crates were covered in a layer of dust so think that it acted like protection.''

The trio laughed before Vivienne commented. ''Why did you take this stuff? I didn't realize you liked human alcohol, love.''

Archer glanced at the ant queen with an amused gleam in his eyes and answered. ''Too annoy the nobles, now whoever this belonged to will lose their shit after realizing I've taken it from them.''

The redhead couldn't help but giggle; she tried the wine and happily enjoyed it, which amused him to no end. Following that, he started cooking spaghetti bolognase and bread that he used to eat back on Earth.