THE MOMENT
"Since when are you a Dark Lord?" Bailey asked. The teenage empress sat on her throne and listened to Aurelio's request with a smile. The throne room was crowded with guests and merriment. Her question came before she gave an answer.
"A couple of days ago," Aurelio shrugged. "I wasn't really curious about Dark Lord mode until I won Oren's server. It looked fun," he added.
"Oh, excuse me," Bailey motioned for him to step aside. Aurelio looked behind himself, then quickly shuffled to the side. Half a dozen men dressed in green and gold uniforms approached the throne, then knelt before Bailey.
"The solar farm is ready to begin operation, your Lordship," the man at the front of the group spoke with his head bowed.
"WHAT!?" Bailey jumped to her feet and raised her voice. "WHAT!!??" She approached the group, then looked down on their leader. "Repeat that," she said. She grabbed the man by his arm and forcefully pulled him to his feet. "Tell EVERYONE!" she said. Aurelio watched with confused amusement. The trembling man turned to face the visitors in the hall.
"THE SOLAR FARM IS READY TO BEGIN OPERATION!" he yelled. He tensed; but, his nerves only lasted for a moment. After his announcement, the gathered visitors cheered and Dark Lord Bailey patted his shoulder. Only then, was he able to relax.
"Congratulations!" the Dark Lord smiled. "You completed the project ahead of schedule; I believe that entitles you and your men to a generous bonus," she said.
"Thank you, your Lordship!" the man immediately fell to his knees again. Bailey shook her head and pulled him up again.
"Get off your knees and take your men to visit the Quartermaster to choose your rewards," she said.
"Yes! Yes, thank you!" He began repeating his gratitude and bobbing his head up and down in a repeated loop of bows. "Thank you," he said until they were finally gone.
"That's why I want your help,`' Aurelio said once Bailey returned to her throne. "How did you even build a solar farm??" he asked. Bailey shrugged.
"Most Dark Lords take all the financial perks and divert the funds to themselves. But, there's a lot of fun things to unlock if you pick the education perks and improve the kingdom overall."
"Oh...," Aurelio nodded. Then, he shook his head. "Nevermind. I don't want my income to take a hit."