"Huh, that's actually not a bad idea……yeah, I'm all for it!" Responded Sylvar with a nod.

  "I agree, that sounds like it could be fun," Added Belia, with a look of intrigue.

  It was currently the 2nd of June, and I'd invited each of the other nations to send representatives to Abyss, in order to share a certain proposal that I'd come up with. Specifically, an annual tournament between the nations, for the purpose of developing and fostering friendly relations.

  I wanted to improve the relations between the current four nations, and while considering how to do so, I wound up thinking about options from my old world. I then got the idea of sports, but since everyone's got superpowers here, those don't really work in this world.

  So, instead of regular sports, I decided to go with something that fits in this world……and I remembered how popular the Brawl of Glory tournament was in the Rustlands, so I figured, why not do that, but on a much larger scale?

  "Hm, that does sound quite interesting. I shall report back to Idyll and inform you of our response," Remarked a Dwarf who was here as Idyll's representative.

  "Hey, what about the power balance? Like, if you enter the tournament, the outcome's all but guaranteed," Pointed out Sylvar.

  "Hm, in that case, we'll set a power level limit for the main tournament, and maybe have a bunch of exhibition matches afterwards, with those who fall above the upper limit," I suggested, after mulling it over, before adding, "Or we could also have multiple divisions. As in, a division with those who have power levels of less than 50,000, and another division with those of power levels between 50,000 and 100,000."

  "Ohh, like how fighting competitions in our old worlds had divisions based on weight or age," Responded Sylvar in intrigue.

  "Exactly. And each nation can take turns hosting the tournament too, that'll get our citizens more and more used to visiting other nations. Not to mention that such tournaments can be quite profitable too, if we set up concession stands and whatnot. It could be quite the lucrative affair," I surmised objectively.

  "I like this idea, I must say……I'll be sure to try and convince the Rustlands to agree to it, which shouldn't be too hard since it's a mutually beneficial endeavor in the long-term," Said Belia with a gleam in her eyes.

  "Alright, then, we can discuss the rules for the tournament in detail once we know which nations are participating. Hopefully, all four nations will be involved, but as there's no guarantee of that right now, we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves. But assuming that it does work out that way, I'd like to hold the tournament soon, maybe by the end of this month?" I suggested optimistically.

  "Fine by me, and I'm sure I can convince the others in Liberty to agree to this too. They all really enjoyed the Valentine's day festival that Abyss held, so they've got a pretty favorable opinion of this nation right now. Sure, some are still a bit apprehensive regarding the fact that monsters live here, but I'm sure they'll come around with time," Replied Sylvar with a nod.

  "Yes, many in Idyll are of a similar mindset. They are wary of Abyss, but they have grown quite partial to the goods and products that you export to us, so their view towards this nation is ever-improving," Added the Dwarf representing Idyll.

  Hey, now, that's pretty encouraging to hear. Things really have been going well lately, it was a bit slow at first, but there's definite, clear progress between the four nations now. If we can get to the point where each nation strongly relies on the others for various reasons, then the possibility of war arising again will be heavily nullified.

  After all, each nation is in an area that thrives with different resources, and by trading those resources, we establish a balance between the four nations, a mutually beneficial balance that none of the nations will be willing to break.

  There's another reason why I'm holding this tournament, in order to get an idea of each nation's overall strength. I may be striving for peace, but it'd be foolish to not be prepared for in case things don't go as planned.

  And in addition to gauging the strength of the other nations, we can also show off a glimpse of Abyss's strength simultaneously……in other words, if anyone's thinking of invading us, make them think again. I don't think that's all that likely as things are now, but still, it won't hurt to do so anyway.

  "Alright, if that's everything, I'm heading back to the Rustlands now. I'll let you know what they decide in regard to this," Said Belia, as she walked through a portal with a wave.

  "Yeah, please do," I responded as she left, before turning to the other two as her portal closed up, "Okay, I can send you guys back to Liberty and Idyll whenever you're ready. Just find one of my monsters and give them a tap when you're ready to respond to my proposal."

  As part of the whole peace thing, I no longer had invisible monsters scattered inside the other nations, since spying on them isn't exactly the best move when trying to strive for peace. I do still have plenty of monsters scattered about outside of the nations though, since there's the bandits and all.

  Well, not that they've even shown up since we ambushed them in that trade center in the snowy plains, so maybe they've disbanded already……but, I don't know, I couldn't help but feel that they're still around somewhere.

  I'm not gonna let myself write them off until we've captured or killed them all, because that could be exactly what they're waiting for.

  Anyway, not long after that, I teleported Sylvar and the representative from Idyll back to their respective nations, or at least, just outside those nations, where my monsters were posted.

  I then let out a tired sigh as I slumped into my throne, feeling kinda beat. I feel like I'm constantly mentally exhausted these days, seems like I've always got something on my mind. Valentine's day was the last time I took a full day off to relax and not think about everything.

  But, then, the very next day, my workload had piled up drastically, and even with using Clone Magic to divide up the work, it was still a ton of crap to wade through. Man, who knew that running a nation would be this much work?

  I can kinda understand how some rulers are so incompetent, they probably just shunted all of their workload onto their subordinates. I refuse to do that though……I already delegate a fair amount of the work to my subordinates, any more and I'll have no idea what's going on in my own nation.

  And I really don't like that idea, so at least at a minimal level, I try to keep myself in the loop of what's going on in the country. I probably should try and figure out a way to make things more efficient and manageable, but I'm still not all that experienced with this stuff.

  So, for now, I might as well put my immense stamina reserves to good use and keep working. And while I am working pretty hard, I think I've done well to keep from overworking myself……I never pull all-nighters or whatever, I always make sure to head back to my room with Persia and sleep at night.

  Hm, maybe I should consider adopting some method of stress relief, just a way to blow off some steam when I feel overwhelmed. Unfortunately, at my current power level, me letting off some steam the usual way could be the equivalent of setting off a nuclear bomb.

  There's no one left in this world who can force me to go all out, I now possess more power than I know what to do with at this point, and no one else even comes close. I'm strong enough that I could dictate the path of this world by force if I really wanted to……but while doing things that way would certainly be easier, it's not real peace. It won't actually last.

  To establish a lasting peace, I need to do things the hard way. And I can take all the time I need, I'm beyond the point where my body can die naturally now, I'm as close to being immortal as one could get.

  And in order to remind everyone of that fact, I'll include myself in an exhibition match during the tournament, assuming that the other nations do in fact agree to it. I've played a significant part in changing this world to what it is now……so it's my responsibility to see it through……

  _____________________________________________

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

  Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

  Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:

  https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP