The Runic Alchemist

After successfully implementing all the changes in Britain's Shropshire, South Wales, and the Midlands, Damian built a fancy wooden building in each of these locations, ensuring that a tree stood nearby. The ID of which would allow him to check on them anytime he wished using a waygate.

Then, with all his friends, Damian used Dreamlight to travel around the world. He had crafted a sacrium runic bracelet for those who would be in charge of a region—Sam, Einar, Evrin, Maelor, Alex, Sariel, Amy, Evante, Karl, and the Highsword Knight Every. Even Kamisen had somewhat recovered by now and had asked Damian to let him help. He never spoke about that day and always remained in his room. Only now, seeing everyone assisting Damian, did he approach him of his own accord. Since Einar and Evrin had no objections, Damian didn't reject him either.

Damian started in Europe. The first place they landed was Sweden—rich in iron, with its exports primarily coming from Bergslagen. Sweden had a reputation for producing high-quality iron. Upon landing in Bergslagen, Damian opened a waygate back to London and allowed British soldiers to pass through. Their job was simple—take control of Bergslagen. He assigned Sariel to handle this task.

The plan was straightforward: control the raw iron sources, clear the area of any opposition power, start mining operations, and transport the iron to a location slightly outside London through a waygate. Meanwhile, Damian wrote a letter to the ruling authority, which in this case should be King Adolf Frederick. In the letter, he introduced himself, explained his intentions, and outlined the benefits of cooperation. He even offered to showcase their industrial advancements in London, demonstrating how their production had already surpassed previous records.

If the Swedish authorities agreed to a contract, Damian would teach them through his selected individual class and ensure that all of Sweden worked for him. If they refused, he would seize control of their major iron sources and utilize them himself, with British forces handling the labor. Sariel's task was to deal with any resistance, ensuring their opponents understood the overwhelming power difference.

The bracelets Damian had given each of his friends contained a waygate spell linking them to both him and their designated base outside London. If they encountered any unexpected situations, they could contact him immediately.

To ensure a steady supply of power, Damian had also placed several large mana generators at their base outside London. This allowed all of his friends to return periodically to replenish their liquid mana containers he had given to each of them—granting them the ability to exert as much power as necessary.

Before leaving Sariel and the British forces in Sweden, Damian gathered all his friends together and instructed, "Our need here is iron. Don't harm people unless necessary. But if they become too much of a pain in the ass, do what you think is right. No civilians should be harmed, their lives should go undisturbed—try your best to negotiate, however you see fit, you will be the highest authority in the region assigned to you."

Sariel simply nodded, and with that, Damian and the others left him behind, boarding Dreamlight to travel to their next destination.

Their next stop was the Ural Mountains in Russia, a major iron-producing region under Empress Elizabeth. Damian left Einar in charge there. She already knew what he wanted, and he had thoroughly explained everything in their previous meetings. After opening a waygate, Damian brought in British diplomats and a unit of soldiers—all now under Einar's command.

France's Lorraine, which had rich iron ore deposits, was assigned to Grace, following the same procedure. For North America, the Great Lakes (Mesabi Region) and Labrador were entrusted to Evante. Each of them carried a handwritten letter from Damian, ensuring a formal approach. However, even if the responses were delayed, the work would commence regardless.

Prussia was given to Alex, Austria to Kamisen, and the Ottoman Empire to Maelor. The more difficult regions, such as China, were assigned to Sam and others more powerful. They did their best to find translators, but in this era, language barriers were particularly challenging in certain places.

Africa's Transvaal region had iron deposits, though large-scale mining was not yet common. Damian assigned Karl to oversee its development from the ground up, accompanied by Lumi and Elias for technical support. They could always come to him if they needed.

Damian himself, along with Lucian, went to Japan. He knew it was a closed-off country at this time, making negotiations nearly impossible, but he still wanted to try. As expected, his flying iron ship terrified the locals. Still, he managed to pick up a translator from the island of Dejima, where Dutch and Chinese merchants engaged in limited trade with the Japanese.

Then, without hesitation, he flew straight to Edo—modern-day Tokyo—to meet the shogun directly. He had no knowledge of Japan's prominent iron mines or furnaces. Given the country's isolation, neither did the British or the rest of the world.

As usual, he landed Dreamlight outside the city. Chaos ensued as people panicked at the sight of his ship, and soon, soldiers arrived, weapons in hand, demanding answers. Through the translator, Damian requested an audience with the shogun. As expected, they scoffed at his "request."

That was until he unleashed a barrage of lightning across a massive, empty area around them, scorching the land.

The second the translator conveyed Damian's not-so-thinly veiled threat, they immediately granted him entry. However, he noticed the word "Akuma" being whispered among them.

18th-century Japan was truly a unique place. As Damian walked through Edo, silent stares followed him. Foreigners were rare, and his presence disturbed the established order. Samurai eyed him warily, hands resting near their swords. Merchants paused mid-sale, whispering behind their sleeves.

As he neared the castle, the streets grew quieter. The imposing walls and deep moat made it clear—this was the seat of power. Guards stood firm, their expressions unreadable. One of them stepped forward, eyes cold.

"The shogun has been informed. You will wait for his decision."