During the caravan's journey westward, the exact travel route was dynamically adjusted after evening discussions among the wives. This time, the itinerary deliberately included several major demi-human settlements.
This detour was entirely for Shion's logistical needs.
Even with the royal peace treaty signed, the scars of the civil war were still fresh. It was impossible to fully guarantee that rogue factions, extremist militants, or individuals traumatized by the conflict wouldn't try to sabotage the trade routes. Therefore, accompanying Shion and Laila directly through those sensitive border territories for a period of time was an absolute operational necessity.
As the journey progressed toward their ultimate destination of Water Gate City, the wives assumed Regulus held a deep personal interest in Priestella, so they eagerly shared their historical and cultural knowledge of the region.
However, aside from Water Gate City itself, what Regulus heard discussed most often along the way were rumors regarding Kararagi.
The reason was simple: Water Gate City sat squarely on the western border of the Kingdom of Lugnica, directly adjacent to the prosperous Kararagi city-state—a nation famously established centuries ago by Hoshin, known historically as the God of Commerce.
Because of that cultural root, Priestella was heavily influenced by Kararagi, with architecture, dialects, and daily customs bearing distinct traces of his home world.
To be completely honest, Regulus was quite fascinated by Kararagi's cultural footprint. After all, there was an old modern adage: The ideal harmonious life consists of hiring a Chinese chef, marrying a Japanese wife, and taking a French lover.
While that saying varied depending on era and perspective, since it had circulated so widely, there had to be a kernel of truth to it. Leaving other matters aside, Regulus had developed a profound appreciation for the traditional 'Japanese wife' dynamic. Kisaragi Naoko's polite, disciplined, and comforting demeanor during their recent interactions had proven to be a deeply pleasant experience.
In fact, under Naoko's subtle influence, several of the other wives had noticed their own behavioral shifts and proactively adjusted their approaches to pampering him. From this, Regulus observed that even within a generally harmonious, massive household, small domestic competitions were inevitable.
As the ultimate beneficiary of those affectionate competitions, Regulus had zero intention of stopping them.
Besides, if there were zero competition or playful jealousy among his wives, Regulus would not only start questioning the emotional efficacy of the submission marks, he would begin doubting life itself. After all, the existence of domestic rivalry could be indirectly interpreted as how deeply they cared about his attention.
As for his own feelings toward them, Regulus openly admitted that his initial drive was rooted entirely in absolute possessiveness. But through the steady rhythm of their daily lives, these brilliant, gorgeous women had gradually and naturally anchored themselves in his heart.
One afternoon, as the caravan passed through a small, rugged border town, the locals shared a piece of intriguing news: a brand-new set of ancient ruins had recently been uncovered in a rocky valley a few miles away.
Discoveries of untouched ruins were rare, instantly sparking the interest of several wives. Among them, Ine's two distant, high-born female relatives who had been recently tricked into joining the mansion seemed particularly enthusiastic about exploration and travel.
"Should we go take a look?" Ine suggested, her eyes sparkling.
"The ruins have already been excavated by local treasure hunters for a week," Carol countered skeptically. "If we go now, we probably won't find anything of high value."
"That's true," Shion mused. "But since independent explorers are still swarming the site, it means the deeper chambers haven't been fully cleared. Maybe there are still undiscovered magical artifacts left behind."
Regulus fell into a brief moment of silent contemplation.
The most valuable items typically recovered from ancient ruins were magical artifacts—specialized tools possessing unique supernatural functions that ordinary people could use directly without opening a spiritual gate. Their utility varied wildly: amplifying spellcasting, firing elemental projectiles, enhancing physical durability, or granting utility functions.
However, outside of mass-produced utility items, rare combat artifacts were exceedingly scarce, representing treasures that even wealthy nobles or powerful knights struggled to acquire.
As it happened, Regulus had been quietly collecting magical artifacts.
He wasn't hoarding them for his own personal use—no matter how exotic an artifact's function was, it was utterly insignificant compared to the absolute, conceptual invincibility of the Authority of Greed. Their true purpose was for the protection of his wives.
Among his massive household, a considerable number of women were non-combatants with minimal physical defense. Better safe than sorry. To prevent any unexpected accidents during their travels, equipping them with reliable defensive and utility artifacts was a sensible precaution.
Taking a slight detour to inspect the ruins was entirely feasible.
Regulus turned his gaze to the elven trade manager. "Shion, can we adjust our caravan route to pass near these newly discovered ruins?"
"Let me check the regional maps," Shion replied professionally, pulling out her leather-bound ledger and cross-referencing the townspeople's directions. After recalculating the milestones, she nodded. "Yes. There is an established dwarf mining settlement nearby, so stopping here won't delay our overall schedule to Priestella."
"Good. Then let's go take a look."
The caravan promptly changed its heading, rolling off the main trade road and winding into the rocky, boulder-strewn valley where the excavation site was located.
Upon arrival, they found a sprawling tent city set up by opportunistic merchants and treasure hunters outside the ruins. Stalls lined the dirt paths, selling miscellaneous loot recovered from the site, including communication mirrors, chipped mana stones, and various rusty trinkets.
Regulus stepped up to a vendor's stall displaying a collection of communication mirrors.
A communication mirror, as the name implied, was a magical tool enabling remote audio-visual contact between holders. Unlike one-of-a-kind combat relics, communication mirrors were specialized utility items that could be replicated by skilled alchemists.
Picking up one of the items from the velvet cloth, Regulus inspected it. Compared to a standard, newly manufactured mirror in the Capital, the artifact recovered from these ruins was older, heavier, and worn at the edges—a clear testament to centuries of neglect.
He vaguely remembered that Subaru had utilized a similar salvaged mirror during his confrontation with Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti. While not extraordinarily precious on the open market, they were exceptionally practical. To ensure connectivity across his expanding network, Regulus wanted every single wife in his household equipped with one.
"Ah, excellent eye, sir!" the merchant praised, leaning over the counter. "That piece is a genuine antique straight from the deep strata. Buying a few for a noble collection is an exquisite choice. Since you appreciate quality, how about I let it go for the price of a standard, modern mirror?"
Regulus stared blankly at the merchant.
To sell an unverified, excavated antique at the full market price of a brand-new, factory-standard mirror was an obvious, shameless attempt to fleece a wealthy buyer. Who in their right mind would pay premium rates for uncalibrated junk when a clean, guaranteed model could be bought in the Capital for less?
Shaking his head with a faint smirk, Regulus dropped the mirror back onto the cloth and turned away.
Just as he was about to signal the caravan to resume moving, his eyes caught sight of a peculiar group walking past a distant tent cluster.
It was a tall, pale-skinned man with an aura of gloomy exhaustion, escorted by a massive, heavily built multi-armed warrior.
Isn't that Stride Vollachia? Regulus narrowed his eyes, recognizing the infamous schemer at a glance.