A Journey That Changed The World.

Archer turned to Mathias and motioned for him to join the other commanders just as he noticed the dwarf woman spotting him when she was finished talking. He saw a stunning smile appear as she approached him with a confident stride.

He watched with fascination as she stopped before him, her yellow eyes beamed, causing Archer to respond with a charming smile as he spoke, ''We haven't had the chance to meet yet. I believe you are a relative of Dagny and Solvieg?''

The mature dwarf woman nodded as she bowed low, allowing him to see her ample cleavage, which he suspected was intentional. She quickly spoke in a respectful tone, ''Yes, your Majesty. Those two rascals are my granddaughters.'' Her smile widened as she continued, ''But they are the smartest dwarves of their generation.''

''I assume you're Drogan's wife?'' Archer questioned as the commanders welcomed and started talking to Mathias, who was finally happy to be busy again.

Dellah laughed before shaking her head. ''No, I'm not. He's my son-in-law's father, Your Majesty. The old man is married to one of my closest friends.'' As she spoke, he saw grief across her face, which vanished as she continued. ''I lost my husband during The War of the Undermountain while he held back the Orc Elites so we could escape.''

''I'm sorry for your loss, miss?'' Archer comforted the older woman.

''Dellah Ironfoot,'' she introduced herself with a sweet smile. ''I was the Queen of the Ironfoot Kingdom, and there is no need to be sorry. Death comes for everyone. It was Hrothgar's time to join our God, Moradin, in the halls of Thronheim, where he can celebrate with our ancestors and forever be happy,'' she replied sadly.

Her words caught Archer's interest, so he curiously asked, ''Do you have any living relatives?''

Dellah nodded. ''Yes, the Orc army has captured them and is holding them prisoner deep in the Grey Mountains as they solidify their power while holding them hostage against the remaining resistance.''

''Where are these mountains?'' Archer questioned as he got an idea.

''We are on a large island just off the northern tip of Pluoria. We managed to hold back the Forsaken by building fortresses along our coasts that stopped their advance, but we never imagined that the Orcs, with whom my husband had a treaty, would join forces with the fiends to destroy our kingdom.''

Archer smiled before motioning for Dellah to follow him as he entered a room off the side of the hall. He sensed her following behind him with a confused expression, but he saw a sparkle in her yellow eyes, which amused him.

When she entered, Archer shut the door as he asked with an all-knowing smile, ''What would you give me if I can return all your family and people alive? Well, under my rule in Draconia, they would be alive, so there's that.''

Dellah's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly narrowed them and declared, ''I know you're strong, but not strong enough to free all my kin from their prisons. My people have become slaves to the Orcs and Forsaken.''

Archer's smile grew wider as he replied, ''Oh, I can free them, but at a cost. What will you do for them? Will you use your knowledge to help fuel the kingdom's growth? Will you marry me and become my wife? Or would you build me the strongest navy Thrylos has ever seen?''

When Dellah heard this, her ever-present smile grew wider as she removed some plans from a storage ring and placed them on a nearby table. She turned back to Archer and excitedly exclaimed, ''Come here, Your Majesty.''

He walked over to her, examined her first blueprint, and saw a warship bigger than he'd ever seen. When Dellah saw this, she explained, ''This will be the fleet's Flagship, a Tiamat Class warship designed by my little Dagny.''

Archer saw the blueprint for a Flagship that would dwarf anything on Earth. Three spirals rose from the ship's center, allowing even more space for cannons on the main deck.

The main deck gradually ascended, providing more space for additional guns above the other armaments. After examining the guns, he saw a network of passageways and corridors intricately woven throughout the ship connected to hundreds of chambers.

The leftmost spiral contained a large command deck with the officer's quarters behind it. The crew's sleeping area was big and located in the belly of the ship. Archer spotted over a hundred rooms that lined the ship's sides, which he guessed would house medium-sized ship guns and other war machines.

The arrows indicating their use soon convinced him that the sailors could open the compartment walls he saw, allowing for more firepower during a fight. After examining that part, Archer recognized many chambers for the sailors, including an infirmary, gym, armory, training rooms, prison, galley, observation deck, and large eating hall.

The second spire was home to war machines called Thunderbolt Throwers and Doomstorm Batteries. But the blueprint said they would also be placed all over the ship to protect it from air and anything smaller.

Archer noticed the last spire was home to more crew areas. He spotted recreation rooms and mana showers spread throughout the ship. The blueprint showed workshops, an officer's lounge, and several large crafts in the part of the ship that met the water.

They especially caught his eye, and he guessed they were landing craft that the Marines would use. Meanwhile, the ship, thanks to the runes on its hull, was reminiscent of the battleships on Earth but bigger, sleeker, and more ancient.

It said the ships would be around two hundred and fifty meters long; Archer quickly saw a note that said it had to be made from Mithril and Orichalcum while covered in dwarven runes because those metals would be the best to use for such a vessel.

Archer quickly glimpsed room for thirty guns on the main deck, as indicated by the blueprint circles. There seemed to be three different types of ship guns, and someone wrote three names in the circles: Titan Wrath, Tempest, and Stormbreaker Cannons.

After studying the blueprints, Dellah proudly commented, ''You see, thirty main armaments would consist of the heavy deck guns Solvieg recently designed, and I must say they are some of the best I've ever seen.''

She took out even more blueprints, with well-drawn ship guns displayed before him. Archer examined the blueprints, only to be shocked. He was about to speak, but Dellah beat him to it: ''The first cannon is called the Titan Wrath, which isn't the biggest but very powerful. It will benefit the Flagships and Battleships as they are strong enough ships to handle the recoil.''

Archer nodded as his violet eyes glowed in excitement at the news, causing her to continue, ''Solvieg created them for shore bombardment and destroying other large warships. They use compressed mana that explodes on contact, causing chaos as it burrows holes through the enemy's shields.''

''Who will charge the guns?'' He inquired. ''Won't that be inefficient.''

Dellah laughed before pulling out another blueprint that looked like a square metal box, but there was something Archer didn't know. The older dwarf quickly informed him, ''This mana storage tank can refill over ten thousand shells. I was told that you have a large mana pool and would be able to help charge the first batch.''

Archer nodded in agreement as she explained that her daughter had created the ammunition for the three heavy cannons as he looked at the blueprints. The Titan Wrath Cannons reminded him of small rail guns measuring six feet long. While the Tempest Cannon was the next heavy ship gun, it had a ten-foot barrel and looked deadly.

Dellah said they would be used as ship-to-ship and ship-to- shore weapons or as a last resort against a sea monster. The shells, which can pierce armor and other strong materials, can also decimate mana shields.

The Last cannon, Stormbreaker, would be used in self-defense and long-range attacks against sea monsters. Archer and the older dwarf woman continued to talk. She informed him of smaller cannons that would be put in the compartments of the different ships,

It would be a deadly surprise to any enemy that got close and the powerful mana shields that some of her other kin had created that could be used to protect the ship. Solvieg called the secondary deck guns Doomstorm and Howler cannons, which reminded him of Howitzer and Flak Artillery back on Earth but looked more fantastical thanks to the runes on them.

During their discussion, he discovered that Dagny created the Anti-air and personnel weapons on the second spire and would be added to every ship, including the transport ships.

After an hour of talking, Archer grew tired as there was so much to learn, but Dellah promised to give him a tour when the first ship was underway. As she was putting away the plans, he inquired with a curious tone, ''How much will one Flagship cost?''

Dellah thought for a moment, which revealed the dimples in her cheeks, before answering, ''Your Majesty,'' she suddenly looked nervous. ''One and a half million gold coins, give or take a few hundred thousand.''

''What?'' Archer was shocked at the price and shook his head. ''That is a lot of gold, but it will be worth it.''

He thought briefly before declaring, ''I'll go to the Novgorod Empire and rob their banks to secure the wealth for a fleet.''

When Dellah heard this, her eyes widened, and she rushed toward him, ''No, you can't, Your Majesty!'' That's when she suggested, ''The Ironfoot Kingdom was extremely wealthy, as our mines ran deep and my husband hoarded his treasures.''

Her yellow eyes stared into his as she continued, ''The wealth in the Grey Mountains will build you dozens of fleets and hundreds of Flagships, but it's guarded by the Orcish Army, which is a wealthy kingdom in its own right.''

[Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you]