Prince Desmond, brimming with excitement, requested an audience with the King. Adam, with a mere thought, teleported Desmond into the King's royal vehicle.
"Father, you have to see what Adam has done to the kingdom!" Desmond exclaimed, pulling his father into the teleportation.
In a flash, they, along with Lyra and Leon, were in the heart of Damarsh, leaving Adam's duplicate to continue the journey with the royal retinue.
The King's face lit up, his jaw dropping at the sight of his once-familiar kingdom utterly transformed into a utopian paradise. "My kingdom... it's magnificent!" he stammered, overwhelmed. "Are there any upgrades to my castle?"
"Thanks to your son, wife, and daughters," Adam replied with a smile, "they helped design the upgrades they wanted for the castle."
The Allure of a Utopian Kingdom
Gazing at his transformed kingdom and renovated castle, the King almost wished he could stay instead of attending the upcoming meeting. Adam, sensing his desire, reassured him, "As long as my duplicate is there, Your Majesty can enjoy your time here. I'll teleport you with him right before the meeting begins."
Before the King could fully immerse himself in his new surroundings, Adam presented him with the realities of governing a rapidly evolving utopia.
"There's much work to be done, Your Majesty," Adam explained. "We're seeing a massive influx of new residents, including nobles from other kingdoms, all eager to become citizens. Your son is currently overwhelmed with paperwork."
Adam continued, outlining his demanding schedule for the next three weeks. "I'll be tied up pushing further changes and helping the residents adjust to their new kingdom. We need to implement new road signs, establish maintenance protocols, and create new jobs with clear rules and understandings. There will be further adjustments depending on how these changes impact the residents' lives. Adapting is hard for most humans, which is why my hands are tied."
He then laid out the King's and Prince's responsibilities: "You both need to handle the immigration process and sign off on all the new changes. There are many more processes you'll need to approve. Until everyone is adjusted, I'll be focusing on this, awaiting Emily's return."
As Damarsh transformed, so did its challenges. Unknown to Adam, information about him had spread, and kingdoms far and wide dispatched spies to uncover his true identity. Adam, despite Lyra's mental assistance, felt the mental strain of managing a multitude of issues and interacting with countless residents.
Even with Lyra's hive-mind capabilities, processing so many inputs at once was taxing for his human mind. He often returned home late, sometimes collapsing onto the couch in exhaustion, leaving Lyra to gently guide his body to bed.
Days turned into weeks as Adam oversaw the kingdom's radical changes: training new workforces, teaching residents how to use new household technologies, and helping them navigate the vastly altered pathways and teleportation hubs.
While most were thrilled with their improved living standards, complaints of confusion and adaptation difficulties persisted. The homeless and impoverished faced the steepest learning curve, their basic needs met but their lack of education posing a significant hurdle. Enrolling them in schools and securing basic employment required dedicated time and effort.
His family provided unwavering support. Both parents, with their old-world wisdom, dedicated their time to helping residents after witnessing Adam's exhaustion. Alyssa and Alynna, growing more mature, refrained from troubling him, instead finding ample amusement and attention from their peers at school.
Arthur, now a trusted confidante of his parents, skillfully managed the family businesses with Leon's invaluable assistance. Leon, as tireless and efficient as ever, provided labor for both the family ventures and Adam's kingdom-wide projects. His unique undead nature and a fragment of Lyra's intellect meant he experienced no mental strain from his hive-mind abilities, effortlessly handling countless tasks.