Aemillia listened to the young man and nodded to what he said. "If the orks catch you, the divines themselves will not be able to bring you back home safe. May the mother protect you, the wanderer guide your steps and the warrior your blade. I certainly hope we will see you again Aurillius." She nodded and gae a curt salute, one hand over her breast, watching as he left.

Meanwhile, back home, prospecting was under way. On the island, surveyors poked and prodded, but now that boats were streaming across the passage, the mainland had become a focus too. Tents had been set up here and there, the scraping of shovels and clang of picks as stone was excavated for identification. Without iron, there would be no industry, and without industry the Maerinum could not thrive again.

Maxim sighed. He had hardly been a young man when they had made the crossing, and now his age was catching up to him. The sea air helped, as did his regular training, but he needed to impose himself as emperor soon, to mark his legacy. An emperor needed a temple to be crowned in, and so they would need a holy place for the divines to inhabit. This would be his greatest work.