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Ivor just stared at the man in front of him.

“I’m sorry. Did you say Gaia?” Ivor asked.

Reece Fletcher nodded, “Yes. That’s the name of the world you are on.”

Ivor was unexpectedly taken aback, because mythology around Gaia existed on Earth. He certainly hadn’t anticipated ever finding it elsewhere, and he told Reece as much.

“While that is interesting, I’m not sure it makes a difference for your situation,” Reece said matter of factly.

Reece was right. Ivor had come here to meet other humans and learn. He was hoping to raise his Mage-Errant Class up after all. He was also curious about something, though.

“I suppose you’re right.” Ivor replied. “I’m curious about the sword above your fireplace.”

Reece looked over at the object in question. “I used to be a soldier, but I gave up that life to farm.”

Ivor frowned, “How does that work?”

“How does what work?” Reece seemed confused.

“You were a soldier. I’m assuming some variation of a Fighter Class,” Ivor started.

“Yes.”

“Now you’re a Farmer, which is a Profession.”

“Yes.”

“How were you able to switch?” Ivor asked.

Reece frowned again, “I just switched.”

Ivor was missing something here. “Let me back up.On my world, we were only allowed to switch during the Evaluation. As far as I know, once we returned to our planet we are unable to switch Professions or Classes.

Reece’s eyes got wide. “Oh, well that would explain the confusion. On Gaia, we can switch our initial Profession or Class once during our lifetime. We lose half our levels and the corresponding stat gains. We can keep some skills, but nothing that was Class specific. I got to keep [Long Swords], but not [Battle Charge] which was specific to my Soldier Class. Does that clear things up?”

Ivor nodded, “Yes. It’s not the only time I’ve heard of the System using a different template for a planet. Did you keep [Identify]?”

Reece nodded, “I did. It’s why I was a bit confused at your question. You clearly have combat skills, but your information lists you as an Inveterate Explorer, which sounds like a Profession. I figured you had switched at some point from a Fighter Class.”

Ivor was learning more about his new acquaintances. They had offered to teach him about Gaia, despite off-worlders being persona non grata with the powers that be. It was payment for Ivor saving Ewan, Reece’s son, from a wolf attack. His wife Amy and daughter Ava were busy preparing a meal the family would share with Ivor.

“Dad, can Ivor compete in the tournament with the Profession he has?” Ewan asked. The tournament was a chance for those under Level 20 to showcase their abilities in front of various governments, guilds and noble houses.

“Not with that Profession and not at his level, no,” Reece replied.

“Unrelated question, then we can get back on the topic of the tournament. Are there good maps here?” Ivor asked.

Reece nodded, “Sure. If you have the coin, you can get good maps in most towns and definitely in the cities. Why do you ask?”

Ivor nodded, then triggered the switch to his Mage-Errant Class which he could only do once per month. If he could get good maps, he was ok losing his [Navigation] skill. Ivor pulled up his stat sheet for a quick verification.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Level: 15 (38)

Class: Mage-Errant (Active) [Null]

Profession: Inveterate Explorer (Inactive)

Strength: 246 (369)

Agility: 246 (369)

Endurance: 246 (369)

Constitution: 246 (369)

Intelligence: 340 (374)

Wisdom: 340 (374)

Willpower: 263 (500 - Limit)

Perception: 340 (374)

Health: 3690

Mana: 3740

Stamina: 4083

Free Stat Points: 0

“Go ahead and identify me again.” Ivor said.

Reece concentrated for a moment, then his eyes widened. “I thought you said you weren’t able to switch, or is this some kind of skill or artifact?”

“I’m a special case due to an Inheritance. I can switch between my Profession and my Class, but there are restrictions. Lately, I’ve been looking for ways to build my Mage-Errant Class.” Ivor said.

“I know what the word inheritance is, but you make it sound like it’s something special.” Reece said.

“Oh, ok. Yeah, an Inheritance is like a special dungeon that provides substantial rewards, but at great risk. It makes sense that you haven’t heard of one since Gaia has been out of touch with the rest of the System worlds.” Ivor explained. Reece had already explained to him that Gaia had been cut off for many millennia from the rest of the System.

“Sounds powerful and risky for sure. Well, with your Class and level, you shouldn’t have a problem joining the tournament. You’ll need some coin to register, but it’s not that much, if I recall.” Reece said.

“I assume you use System coins and credit.”

“Gold, silver and copper, yep. You’ll find shops that take System credits in bigger cities or at the System Market if a town has one.”

The conversation changed once breakfast was served. Ivor found out that Ewan was ten years old and Ava was six years old. The family had been farming here for a little over five years. The nearest town was North Mountain Valley. There were West, East and South Mountain Valley towns in this Barony, as well. Baron Hamilton had his seat of power at the center of this northern area in the city of Northwood Hold. There were a few small villages dotted around some of the towns. Reece ran one of the farms in the area. Most of the towns in this northern area focused on logging and mining. Farms like the Fletcher’s were used to reduce the cost of bringing in food from the more fertile lands in the south.

This particular land, Penael, was one of the five major powers on Gaia. It was a monarchy ruled by a queen. Reece didn’t know what level the queen was, exactly, but he thought they would be over Level 100, beyond Master and into Epic levels of power. There were four dukes that answered to the current Queen of Penael, which was one of the powers that advocated for rejoining the greater System community. In addition, there were Barons that ruled under the dukes.

From what Reece told Ivor, the continent they were on was a sort of Pangea situation. All five powers were on this massive continent. The continent itself seemed to cover two-thirds of the planet, and it was roughly oval-shaped. At the center of the oval were the tournament grounds. All five powers touched on the central portion, and all wanted to maintain access to the natural treasure. Penael was situated at the top, mostly center of the continent. To its west was the the Crimson Council, whom Reece fought in the war with. To the east of Penael is the Kingdom of Juniel. Penael and Juniel have a long history of cooperation.

On the other side of Juniel, is the Magocracy of Samua. Samua is mostly concerned with magic and its advancement. The weapons, spells, and artifacts that come out of Samua have helped Penael fend off the Crimson Council for eons. Samua is the smallest of the powers by land area and population, but their power is undeniable.

Finally, between Samua and the Crimson Council is the Confederated Sects of Mewic. Reece explained that the Crimson Council and the Sects were both very aggressive and warlike. If it wasn’t for internal power struggles and wars with each other, the two may have conquered the planet. Despite their constant posturing and occasional attacks, the Crimson Council and the Sects were largely contained. They definitely didn’t want the status quo to be upset. If the others could bring in outsiders, it could be devastating to the two holdouts. Samua just didn’t see the benefit in doing it.

“Well, we’ve been yapping for a bit too long. It’s time to get chores done.” Reece said as he stood up.

“What can I help with?” Ivor said.

“I’d been planning on chopping some more firewood in the next few days. We’re coming out of the winter season, but it still gets cold enough to need it. If you don’t mind doing that, it would be appreciated.” Reece said.

Ivor nodded and walked with Reece and Ewan outside. Ewan still needed to feed and water the animals. As Reece went to get the horse out of the barn, he showed Ivor where the wood would go, what size logs he wanted, and how much they needed. There was an axe nearby that Ivor picked up and immediately started sharpening.

“You’ve definitely cared for a blade before,” Reece commented.

Ivor nodded. Reece beckoned him outside and showed him where it was ok to fell some trees or chop up some that had fallen in the winter. Ivor finished sharpening the axe and headed towards the nearby woods. Ivor took his time. At the speed he could go, he could have all the man’s wood chopped for the year by the end of the day. Instead, he took the time to enjoy the outdoors. The last few months had been pretty hectic for him. He hadn’t really had any time to just decompress after the Inheritance of the Arch Magus.

Ivor got the wood chopped and stored. He then roamed some to make sure there were no more wolves. That odd lone wolf he killed to save Ewan had him concerned, but it looked like it was an outlier. There didn’t seem to be many monsters out this way that would cause problems either.

Dinner was a meager affair. Ivor offered to hunt tomorrow to earn his keep. The family could use the meat. They had run through most of their stores over the winter. With two growing children, it wasn’t a surprise. Eventually, the kids were put to bed. Ivor was sitting out on the front porch, looking up at a completely different starry sky.

He heard the door open, and two sets of footsteps approached. A pleasing smell wafted down to him as a cup was handed to Ivor. The warm fruit cider made Ivor smile as he took a tentative sip. Ivor had left the two well-worn but sturdy chairs empty as he sat on the top step of the cozy porch.

“What’s it like?” Amy asked.

“Hmmm?” Ivor inquired over a another sip of the delicious cider.

“What’s your world like?” She asked.

“Ah. Well, not much different from what I’ve seen here so far. It was reformed during the evaluation, so we are missing things like horses, pigs, and chickens. They could be in other parts of the world, but I’m not sure. I’ve been to a few other worlds, as well. There is always something that is just slightly off or different. Sometimes, it’s completely different. We only have the one moon, unlike your two,” Ivor said, still staring up at the night sky.

“Do you have any children?” Amy asked.

“I do. A daughter,” Ivor said.

“You leave her to adventure? She can’t be very old.”

Ivor chuckled, “I’m older than I appear. When the System came, I was sixty years old. My daughter is in her thirties.”

Ivor turned to see the stunned look on their faces.

“It was another Inheritance I found on the Evaluation world. It drastically extended my lifespan and reduced my visible age to about thirty years old. I’m not sure how I’ll age now.” Ivor said.

“How drastically did it extend your life?” Reece asked.

“Nearly a thousand years,” Ivor said.

Amy choked on her cider. It took a moment for her to recover.

“That…is hard to believe.” She said once she had her breath back.

Ivor smiled, “I know; much about me is. It’s ok if you don’t believe it.”

There was a long silence as the three of them were just enjoying the sounds of the night. It didn’t last, of course.

“You said you have a skill that allows you to identify worlds like ours, but you didn’t say anything about how you got here. With your relatively low levels, it… well, it makes me wonder if we are seeing the real you.” Reece said.

Ivor sighed, “I’m not sure how much to tell you. It’s not that I think you’ll do anything with the information. However, if someone takes an interest in me and traces it back to you, it could mean trouble. I don’t want that. You can stay ignorant.”

Reece looked at Amy, who just shrugged in return. Reece sighed.

“I think we’d like to know more,” he said.

Ivor shared nothing specific about his skills or stats, although he suspected Reece figured they were high. He told them that he was an Emperor, and described the extent of his lands on Earth, Etifedd, Unae and Qizut. He talked about Arlossis and the Os’id. He told them about the Adventurers Academy he had just started, and the settlers on Etifedd. He told them about Olympus Mons and the Gerat, who were fantastic explorers. He talked about the two Inheritances, and he explained what he knew about Chris’ Inheritance and how it affected Marie and her team. They talked late into the night by the time he was done.

“Thank you, Ivor. We should get some sleep. I hope you don’t mind the hayloft.” Reece said, a little apologetically.

“No problem at all. I actually don’t sleep all that much.” Ivor said.

The couple went back inside their house, while Ivor went back to the mountains to retrieve his travel circle. It looked like he was going to be traveling a good distance away, so he’d need the travel circle if he had to leave this world quickly.

The next morning, Ivor helped muck the stable and pull in some water from the well. He asked where some good hunting was, and Reece gave him directions. It was farther than Reece could cover in a day, but Ivor was there in minutes. Ivor found a herd of deer and some wild boar. As the Fletchers already had some hogs, Ivor watched and noticed there were an overabundance of does in the herd. He quickly grabbed one by the neck and snapped it. The rest of the herd scattered at the loud sound and his sudden appearance. He waited until it vacated its bowels and bladder, then he stored it in [Null Storage].

Ivor took his time getting back, as he was trying to keep a low profile, and they didn’t need him getting in the way of their daily routine. He wasn’t sure which parts of the deer Reece wanted to keep, so he didn’t field dress the deer before bringing it in. Reece showed him where he could hang the deer in the barn while he got his skinning and butchering tools. He had Ewan come out to watch and help. The boy would be out hunting with his dad in a year or two.

Amy had some spices handy, and the family had some wonderful deer steaks that night. The three of them talked again that evening. Ivor let them know that he was interested in this tournament. One of the reasons he was seeking out other human worlds was to learn more about his magic. This seemed like an opportunity.

“You have some good armor. I didn’t get a good look at that spear you used the other day, but you should probably consider how you want to represent yourself. There will be a good number of high level people paying attention to you if you progress in the tournament.” Reece said.

Ivor winced, “Yeah, this armor is probably too high level. I have another set that is Advanced level. I suppose I can pass off the spear as a family heirloom, handed down from generation to generation, or perhaps I’ll go with an exile story.”

“Maybe you’re a sole survivor. It would better explain why you left the cold wastes. The spear is the last remaining piece of your clan. It would also stop most from pressing you about your clan. Nobody wants to bring up someone’s pain like that. Well, no one that isn’t an asshole.” Reece replied with a smirk.

It was a good idea. Ivor had another thought, “I know you’ve seen me store things away. How prevalent are spatial storage devices on this world?”

“Common folk won’t have them, but it shouldn’t be an issue for you if you stick with the sole survivor story.” Reece replied.

Ivor chuckled. Sole survivor seemed to be a recurring theme in his life. It was the name on his main armor set, after all. The tournament was several months away. So, Ivor wasn’t in a hurry. Reece said it would take a few weeks to get to a city with a travel circle. He would likely go to Northwood Hold to reach the tournament grounds.

Ivor had helped Amy pull some things out of their root cellar when he had an idea.

“I’d like to help out a little more, and I know you don’t have too many chores for me. I’d like to make a cold storage room off of your root cellar.” Ivor on the third morning.

Amy’s eyes lit up as she said to Reece, “We could finally get that cow, and we could store fresh milk and butter.”

“It would be nice. What do you need?” Reece asked.

“I’ll need to go find some monsters for the cores I’ll need. All the ones I have on me are too high level for this type of enchantment. Other than that, I’ll want a door to use. The door should be fairly well-made with no gaps in the wood.” Ivor said.

“Well, let’s plan on heading into the village. Old Tom can probably have your door built in a couple of days. I’ll meet Frank about the cow. We need to pick some things up, anyway. Amy is almost out of spices.” Reece said.

The next day, they packed up what little they were taking with them. Amy suggested they take some of the deer meat. It wouldn’t keep too long, and the townfolk would appreciate it. Amy and Ava stayed behind as Reece and Ewan rode in the driver’s seat while Ivor lounged in the back of the cart. Ivor had switched out to his new Advanced level armor set.

It took a little over an hour to get to the village. Reece’s farm was the furthest north from the village. From what Ivor could tell, the village had around a hundred and fifty people with another fifty or so scattered around the local farms. Big enough for a few shops, including a carpenter and a smith. They needed a door and hinges.

They pulled the cart up next to the general store where Reece was picking up some bulk dry goods he didn’t grow, like beans. He pointed Ivor to where Old Tom had his carpentry shop. It was back the way they came. The carpentry shop and the smith were both noisy places, so they were located at the end of the village, away from most of the houses.

There was a small storefront for little things. An old woman was behind the counter, looking over as Ivor entered.

“Oh ho, been a long time since we seen a stranger in these parts. What can I do ya for young man?” The old woman had a mischievous smile on her face.

“I’m helping the Fletcher family, as thanks for taking me in and feeding me. I need a door for an expansion to their root cellar.” Ivor said.

The woman’s smile broadened, “Good for you, young man. Always good to pay back a kindness. Let me just call that lazy husband of mine. TOM, YOU OLD COOT, SOMEONE NEEDS SOMETHING!!”

The yell was so loud, Ivor wondered if he had actually taken health damage. A few moments later, an old man came out of a back door into the shop.

“Damn woman. You can just come get me. Gonna scare away the business with that caterwauling.”

“This young man is helping the Fletchers. Needs a door for a cellar addition.” The woman said, all sweet smiles again.

The man stuck out his hand, “Tom Boyle. Those are good young folks, those Fletchers. What kind of requirements you got?”

Ivor shook the man’s hand, “Ivor Kemble. Well, I have an enchanting skill, and I’d like to make a cold room for them. I need a door that isn’t going to let a lot of air transfer. It needs to be pretty solid.”

“You going to be enchanting on the wood?” The man asked.

“I shouldn’t need to.”

“You want it pre-framed?”

Ivor was a bit surprised that the man would ask. “Sure, if you have a standard size you use. That would make things easier for me.”

The man nodded, “Ok, I can have it done in a couple days. I’ll take half up front. Pre-framed with all the hardware and a good hardwood is gonna run you about twenty silver.”

Ivor had made sure to put a small coin pouch in his armor. He didn’t need to be using any kind of spatial storage here. He pulled out ten silver and handed them over.

“Nice doing business with you, Ivor. Come by in a couple days.” Tom said and headed out the back door after handing the money to his wife.

“Tell that Amy, I’ll have some jam for her and the little ones in a few weeks.” The old woman said. Ivor nodded and left the shop.

Ivor walked back to the general store to see Reece talking with another man. Reece and the man shook hands. The man walked away as Reece and Ewan started loading goods into the wagon. Ivor pitched in, and the work was done in no time. They headed back while Ivor told them the news about the door.

When they got back to the farm, Ivor set out increasing the size of the existing cellar. He used [Shape Earth] to deepen and widen the existing cellar. He then used it again to dig out another, much smaller room. It took him more time to move the things in the cellar than to do the work.

He headed back into the mountains and found some stone he could use for the cold room. He used [Shape Stone] to get pieces of, roughly, the size he needed, and stored it all in his [Null Storage]. When he got back, he pulled the stone slabs out and started using [Shape Stone] to fuse it all together to make a perfectly square, small stone, cold room. He put two of his enchanted sticky light plates in the cellar, one in each room.

After dinner, he went down to the cellar and pulled out the Vamheal Rune Codex. When he was working on the academy shield in the Inheritance of the Arch Magus, he had gotten the idea of how he could use the Vamhael Runes to utilize ambient mana as a source of power. He still had to get the lower level cold monster cores, but that was the easy part. He needed the room to be cold, but not freezing, so he built the enchantment to allow him to adjust the level of cold. Once he had it figured out, he wouldn’t need to experiment like this again.

Once the main enchantments were on all the walls, floor, and ceiling, Ivor headed out to hunt some monsters in the mountains. It took much longer than he anticipated. He finally found some petite sprite-like monsters that coughed up some Basic level cores for him to use. He needed five, but he got ten, just in case. It was already late morning by the time he returned. He apologized to the Fletchers for not leaving a note. The poor family thought he had just disappeared.

He went back down to the cellar to finish up some last touches on the enchantment. He wasn’t going to fuse the cores into the enchantment until he had the door in place, which he could pick up tomorrow. It was going to be a family affair. The traders would be coming soon, and Amy had some orders she wanted to get to them before they left again on their trade runs.

When Ivor asked why the village didn’t have a System Market, the Fletchers didn’t know. Reece was aware that some of the larger towns and cities had them. He said it had been this way as long as anyone knew. It was just as strange as this world being cut off from the rest of the System. Ivor shrugged. The System Market didn’t replace the usefulness of trade, as evidenced by the booming trade routes that were cropping up in Cymru.

The next day, they all piled into the cart and headed to the village. They would likely be bringing back the door and a cow. Spirits were high as they left later in the day because they were going to have a rare treat. Ivor was going to pay for a meal at the inn. That way, Amy didn’t have to cook when they got back late in the evening.

It didn’t take long for Ivor to get the door. It was going to be perfect. He gave Old Tom an extra silver for the effort. While the Fletchers were going around on their chores, Ivor took the horse over to the smith to get it re-shoed. The man was a talker. He said it soothed the horses as he was working on the hooves and shoes, but Ivor thought he just liked talking to folks.

By the time the horse was done, it was time to meet the Fletchers at the inn for dinner.

Empire - Earth Reformation Book 5 is available on Amazon. Get it here: https://a.co/d/03DjswTG

Ivor is back from the Inheritance of the Arch Magus, but he can’t rest. A group calling themselves New America have declared war. It may be that Ivor’s past has come back to haunt him.

Still, that’s not the only thing on his plate. He has a whole new planet, devoid of mana, to figure out what to do with. He’ll need help and he knows it; after all, he now has an Empire.

Ivor brings together a collection of leaders from Unae and Qizut to help implement his plans. During his high level discussions, an enemy since the very beginning makes its move. Ivor is done playing around. It’s time to end this threat once and for all.

When Ivor reaches out to try and acquire additional allies, he’s betrayed. For the first time, Ivor lets loose and shows his true power. The System worlds will come to learn a fact that is unavoidable. When you mess with Ivor or his people, no betrayal goes unanswered.

This is a free preview for all Substack subscribers. I will be releasing three more preview chapters for free about three weeks apart until Empire is published in mid-August 2026.

Paid Patreon members (Brad Botz Books) of the First Evolution tier will receive new preview chapters every five days until a few days before Empire is published.

The chapters in this book are much longer than the previous books. As a reminder, since my ebooks are exclusive to Amazon, I’ll need to take all posts down a couple of days before it’s published.

As always, thank you to all Substack members. Your support is very much appreciated.

Attention citizens of Earth and Cymru…..

New America has declared war on Cymru…

“Well, fuck!” Ivor said as he raced towards the travel circle in the distance. It took seconds to reach the travel circle to Qizut, but Ivor stopped short because of the dead bodies lying all around it. A lone individual was sitting in a chair.

“Council’s Shadow. I’m not sure what is going on here, but I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Ivor said.

“No doubt due to the war. Relax Mr. Kemble; it started about a month ago. It’s being handled well by your people, including your daughter and her team. As for what’s going on here, well, we had another opportunist on the Council. Had. He’s lying right there with the people he sent to try to intercept you. Someone got the information about when you left for the Inheritance, and it was pretty easy to figure out when a year would pass; assuming you lived, of course. Given this is a mana desert, they couldn’t keep people here for long. It was the frequent use of the travel circle to a restricted address that got them caught. Not that it would have saved them when you got here.”

“Zed, why didn’t you update me about the war?”

“You took off like a madman before I could say anything else. Your reaction times are sub second like our mental communication. He is correct; the war is well in hand, albeit at a bit of a stalemate at the moment. I am sure you can ease the situation, but you do not need to do it right now. You have plenty of time to get your affairs in order.”

Ivor shook his head. “I literally stepped out of the Inheritance and that was the first message that I saw.”

The F’on assassin nodded, “Well then, please give yourself a moment. Nothing is going to happen in Cymru if you take some time to read all your notifications; it has been a year after all. I imagine you have enough of a mana pool to sit here as long as you need.”

Ivor chuckled, “Yeah. Got another chair?”

The Council’s Shadow stood up and produced another chair. Ivor thanked him, sat, and dove into his notifications.

You have brought mana to a mana-barren world…

Path of the Precursors II -> Path of the Precursors III…

+ 10 to all stats

You can select a choice of a System Boon:

• Choose a new skill

• Combine several skills

• Modify existing skill

• Retain Spell Prodigy Title

Ivor had been offered this kind of choice once before. It was interesting that the System was offering to give him back the Spell Prodigy title, though it was probably due to his new Class. Ivor opted to keep the title, as he didn’t have any particular skills he wanted to do anything with at the moment. Besides, it seemed like this option might come up again if he advanced on the Path of the Precursors.

Previous actions allow you to claim world XSEVLIQ418362…

Would you like to claim this world? Y/N

Ivor selected Yes.

20 Dungeon Seeds received…

Would you like to rename world XSEVLIQ418362? Y/N

Please provide a new name for this world….

You have named this world Etifedd. Would you like to keep this name? Y/N

You are the sole controller of the world Etifedd…

Path of the Precursors III -> Path of the Precursors IV…

+ 10 to all stats….

Title changed….

First Monarch -> Emperor….

+10 to all Mind stats….

All current proclamations have been superseded…

Please provide a name for your Empire….

You have selected the Empire of Cymru…

Please provide a name for your citizens…

Your citizens will be referred to as Cymruan…

Ivor didn’t expect the title change or the Dungeon Seeds, but it was in line with the other things the System has done. He wondered if Unae and Qizut got a notification. He also wondered if it would inform Cymru’s citizens. Ivor shook his head as he should have read the next notification.

Attention citizens of Cymru, Earth and Menevris, Ivor Kemble of Cymru has been recognized as an Emperor by the System. This designation was validated upon his claiming of the world Etifedd.

System recognized Emperors gain both benefits and responsibilities beyond those of a Monarch. Countries, other empires, and worlds can petition the Emperor to become part of the Empire of Cymru.

Yep, that was definitely going to cause a problem somewhere. He had Zed filtering the important notifications. There were tons of others he could skip.

You have completed the Inheritance of the Arch Magus…

+ 10% to Intelligence, Wisdom and Perception….

Increases to Intelligence at each Class Evolution to a max of 50%…

Increases to Wisdom at each Class Evolution to a max of 50%…

Increases to Perception at each Class Evolution to a max of 50%…

+ 100% Mana Regeneration….

You have chosen to accept the Unique Class Mage-Errant…

Your new Class is set as Inactive….

Your existing Profession is set as Active…

You can switch between Profession and Class once per month….

Additional options may become available as you advance….

Mana Manipulation skill moved to Base Skills list permanently…

Well, the System, sort of, told Ivor some more information about switching between his Class and Profession. Every month wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Ivor would lose out on all the Navigation abilities of his Profession. He wondered about the [Identify] skill as it was in his Profession and Class. However, the next set of notifications answered that for him.

Identify skill present in Class and Profession…

Identify skill moved to Base Skills list….

Identify skill retains highest achieved level - Expert…

Ivor finally got through all the notifications that mattered. He pulled up the stat sheet he hadn’t seen in four years. With all the title changes, Ivor’s stats all went up by 20 points. His Mind stats went up an additional 10 points and an additional 10% added to the total.

Ivor Kemble (Human)

Level: 35

Class: Mage-Errant (Inactive) [Null]

Profession: Inveterate Explorer (Active)

Strength: 227 (340)

Agility: 227 (340)

Endurance: 227 (340)

Constitution: 227 (340)

Intelligence: 321 (353)

Wisdom: 321 (353)

Willpower: 244 (488)

Perception: 321 (353)

Health: 3405

Mana: 3531

Stamina: 3847

Free Stat Points: 0

Until he got his Mage-Errant Class up to Level 35, he would not get any more stat increases. He might get them from Titles, but not from leveling. He had to chuckle to himself; his stats were well into Mythic territory. He didn’t think he needed more stats right now, or for a long time. He would just have to make sure he didn’t level his Profession too much before he switched to his Class. Now, well, he had some things to do. He finally looked back at the Council’s Shadow.

“Alright, anything I need to know?” Ivor asked.

“Nothing major, your Emperorship, sir.”

Ivor rolled his eyes. “Please don’t start with me. It was a long four years.”

The man sobered at that statement, “Do you mind telling me about it?”

Ivor shrugged and gave him a condensed version of the Inheritance. He didn’t say anything about the work on the Vamhael rituals. Something he said must have resonated with the assassin.

“It’s tough for those of us in the work we do. We are inherently social creatures, yet we choose to live apart. Do things others can’t do, won’t do, or don’t approve of. It makes it all the more difficult when we have to leave friends or even good acquaintances behind.”

“Agreed.”

“Your explanation will mollify the Council. Had you come back with a grin and a story of easy conquest, they would have had a fit. Instead, they’ll realize it was wise to stop sending people to their deaths. What do you plan to do with this world?”

Ivor thought for a moment, “I have an idea, but I need to run it by a few people first. My idea involves Unae, Qizut and Cymru, but I’d like to get this war situation sorted out first.”

“Ivor, I think you should take a close look at your map of this area.” Zed interjected.

Ivor pulled up his map. It only showed the very small area of a kilometer or two that he had traveled between the travel circle and the Inheritance.

“Zoom out slowly.”

Ivor did as Zed asked. Eventually, he zoomed out enough to find a map icon out in the middle of an area he hadn’t been to. It was a familiar icon, indicating a dungeon.

“Zed, is that the private dungeon?”

“I believe it must be. Your title change mentioned bringing mana to a mana-barren world. Somehow, planting that Dungeon Seed manifested in the real world. You have plenty of mana to burn; you should go check. I also think you may want to make that dungeon public, as it may increase the rate of mana accumulation on the planet. That is just a guess on my part, though.”

“I have something I need to check out. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Ivor said as he got up and quickly headed into the distance. What took him a few hours in the Inheritance took him minutes with his normal stats. The mountain range and contours seemed the same, but the stunted trees and vegetation were different. He found the cave and entered it. The dungeon door was still standing at the rear wall. Ivor quickly changed the private dungeon to public, but changed nothing else about it. When he touched the door again, it was a Level 60 dungeon: Infernal Incursion. A notification appeared.

Mana infusion of world Etifedd increased…

Create more dungeons to increase the rate of mana infusion…

Ivor now knew what he needed to do with all the dungeon seeds he had. Twenty-four new dungeons would likely drastically speed up the mana infusion. He wondered if he needed to space them out. It would make sense to do that; after all, that’s what the System did. It was something that would have to wait, however. Ivor returned to the travel circle.

“Find what you were looking for?” The Council’s Shadow asked.

“Yeah, it’s a dungeon. Long story, but the mana level should start rising on this world.” Ivor explained.

“Is that why you were allowed to claim it?”

“Probably. Who knows exactly why the System rewards you with certain things?” Ivor shrugged.

“Well, I suppose you want to leave. Do you have a way back? I’m assuming you want to destroy our travel circle.”

“No, not necessarily. Give me a moment to check something.” Ivor said as he dove into his overlay. As a System recognized Emperor, he had access to a screen similar to a Monarch. However, he could set the conditions for the settlement of his planet, but he switched it off for now.

“Alright, there’s no risk of anyone trying to settle or take over the planet, but I think Qizut and Unae could benefit from the dungeon. It’s a tough one; you’ll want teams. I would suggest most teams be a little over the required party level.” Ivor said.

“How…”

Ivor held up a hand, “I can explain later. Right now, let’s head back to Qizut. I’ll stay long enough to provide the map to the dungeon, but then I need to get to Cymru.”

A thought occurred to Ivor, “Do you have any kind of enchanted object to allow you to change your appearance?”

“How long does it need to last and what level of [Identify] does it need to overcome?”

Ivor took a moment. “I’d say it would have to last a month, and it should fool anyone below Legendary.”

The Council’s Shadow drew in a breath, “Yeah, there is one, but you’d have to ask the Council. What do you need it for?”

“Actually, I was hoping you would use it.”

“Me? Why?”

“I’m likely going to this New America and doing some things they won’t like.”

“What things?”

“Destabilizing institutions, theft, and probably killing a few who need it. Things like that.”

For the first time Ivor could recollect, the Council’s Shadow burst out into a full laugh. Ivor couldn’t help but smile at the outburst.

“How could I refuse an offer like that?”

“Will the Council give you leave to go?” Ivor asked.

“The Council doesn’t dictate to me. In addition, I always have people ready to take my place. In fact, the team of mine you worked with, they are all potential replacements for me. If I die or retire, or just decide to go back to work, any one of those people is prepared to take over for me.”

“Alright, then let’s go see if we can convince the Council to lend you the magic item.”

The two men stepped onto the travel circle after Ivor collected the bodies in his [Null Storage]. Ivor fed mana into the travel circle; with a flash of light, they were standing in Qizut. The Council’s Shadow quickly brought Ivor to the council chambers. The Shadow spoke to some people who rushed off to get the councilors.

In a short time, all the councilors had arrived except one.

“Emperor Kemble, welcome back. It seems your efforts were fruitful. I would ask that you tell us the tale, but we are waiting on one last member.” The High Mage, Surus Vengrix, said as he bowed slightly.

“Councilor Trantak won’t be joining you anymore. Ivor if you will.” The Council’s Shadow said.

Ivor pulled the bodies out of his [Null Storage]. There were a few gasps, quite a few head shakes, and an actual facepalm by the High Mage.

“Don’t tell me this idiot tried to attack the Emperor?” High Mage Vengrix sighed.

“Oh no. I caught wind of their little ploy and was informed of their repeated travel. I followed the Councilor to the travel circle. He had bribed one of the workers, so that person will be taken care of shortly.” The Council’s Shadow said.

“Emperor Kemble, my deepest apologies.” The High Mage said.

“Yes, well, perhaps there is something you can do for me. I have asked the Council’s Shadow to accompany me on a mission to infiltrate the city of the people who declared war on Cymru. We need a magic item that the Council has. The item will change his identity for a long enough time and to fool a high enough level that it won’t be discovered by anyone on Earth. He says there is such an item in your possession,” Ivor said.

The High Mage looked at his fellow Councilors, “A cheap price to pay. Are you sure there isn’t anything else?”

“I have the beginnings of a plan to settle my new world, and I would like to include Qizut and Unae in those plans. I just ask that you hear me out and seriously consider my offer when the time comes. In the meantime, I have restricted all settling on the planet.” Ivor said.

“You can do that?” One of the Councilors asked.

“Apparently so,” Ivor responded. “There is a dungeon on the planet that is public. It’s Level 60 and quite challenging. I can share a map and what information I have and will reach out to share with Unae as well. Perhaps you could offer transportation to the dungeon. No pressure, just thought it would be a good way to get you two working together. Also, the teams are likely to need a mix of Classes; all martial or all magic might have a hard time with it. Anyway, that’s just my advice; do what you want.”

“Your advice is always well received,” the High Mage said.

Ivor nodded and turned to the Council’s Shadow. “Get your item and meet me at my manor house. I will get a message to Cymru’s Guardian and get you added to the list; you should receive a message shortly. I need to head to Unae.” Ivor turned back to the Council, “He can fill you in on the Inheritance.”

Ivor quickly headed back to the travel circle and made his way to Unae, where he was met by the Seneschal. The king was currently out of the palace visiting one of the principalities. Ivor left all the information about the dungeon with the Seneschal and finally got to take the travel circle home.

Ivor arrived at the travel circle building outside his manor house; in the valley his original Freehold was situated. For the first time in four years, Zed’s holographic-like image stood behind the activation console.

“Don’t let anyone outside of this valley know I’m here yet,” Ivor said.

“Of course, Ivor. There are some things you should know before the Council’s Shadow arrives. First and foremost, Marie and her team are fine. Second, there are about three hundred New Americans at or around Level 40 outside Hunter’s Rest. They can not get through the shield, but they have been sending out people to harass and destroy outlying villages and farms. Third, they have hostages. A delegation went out to discuss things and was immediately captured. They have suppression cuffs or collars on, and are being held somewhere in the enemy camp to prevent retaliation. Fourth, they learned that ignoring your higher level protectors prevents them from being attacked. The System stipulation was that the mercenaries you hired could only defend themselves. It is a bit of a stalemate, but the New Americans seem to be here for the long haul. I think they are assuming a long siege could negatively affect the populous enough to try to create a change in leadership.” Zed explained.

“A coup,” Ivor said.

“Yes. It is possible they have had people inside already. The first attacks came out of the blue. It had to have taken them at least a month to get here from New Washington.”

Ivor shook his head, “Unoriginal morons. Do we know where New Washington is?”

“Yes. One of the mercenary scouts around Level 60 backtracked their path. I will send you the map now.”

A new addition to Ivor’s map appeared; it was heading almost directly east of Hunter’s Rest. At his current speed, Ivor could get there in a couple of days.

“Any idea if there are spies in Hunter’s Rest or the other cities?” Ivor asked.

“As a Guardian, I can assist, but I am not able to provide that kind of information. It is a System restraint to prevent Guardians from trying to overly influence the natural development of the planet and its species.” Zed’s display said.

“However, this version of my consciousness has no such restriction. The transfer of knowledge across my consciousness is complete. I will give you a list of names. It is now up to you to decide how to handle this. I will point out that despite your level, you are one of the most powerful people I have ever heard of by just stats alone. What I am trying to say is that you are, in a way, god-like. You could rule like a god-king. However, even the creators of the System did not think that was a good idea. That is why they created the System as they did.” Zed spoke in his head.

“I understand, buddy. With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Spiderman, Ivor. Really?”

“Hey, if the superhero philosophy fits, I’ll wear it.”

Ivor stepped out of the travel circle building and started walking towards the manor house. Radus and Iken Eephel, his manor caretakers, were standing on the porch. A slightly cat looking monster stepped off the porch and made its way straight towards Ivor. It stepped up to Ivor and rubbed its head against his leg.

Ivor laughed and reached down to scratch the earth cat turned tame monster on the chin, “Happy to see you too, Kitty.”

Kitty followed Ivor up to the manor.

“Welcome back, sir,” Radus bowed, followed by Iken.

“What’s all this, Radus? Bowing? You know I’m not one for that nonsense.” Ivor frowned.

“Well, how am I supposed to know? Never worked for an Emperor before, now have I.” The cranky man shot back at Ivor.

Ivor chuckled as he walked up the steps and grasped the man’s forearm in the traditional F’on greeting. “Well, you have me there. Still, tone it down, ok. It’s been a long four years, and it looks like I have to get to work already. Oh, there will be a visitor arriving shortly. He might look like F’on or a human; not sure yet.”

Radus frowned, “Not sure what he’s going to look like? It sounds like a long four years if you’re having that kind of trouble.”

“Oh, stop.” Iken slapped her husband on the shoulder. “We’re happy to have you back. I’m sure the person will announce themselves. You don’t just give anybody access to your home.”

“True, although it is an assassin from Qizut. So, maybe my decision-making is suspect after all.”

Radus laughed as they all walked into the house. Iken guided Ivor into the private dining room. It was lunchtime, and she wasn’t going to have him going hungry after he had just arrived.

Ivor had just sat down when Zed appeared, “Your guest has arrived, Ivor.”

“Direct him into the dining room, if you would, Zed.”

A few minutes later, a familiar F’on walked in; Ivor motioned him to sit. Shortly after, Radus and Iken came into the dining room, pushing some carts laden with food. As they came into view of the visitor, both of them stopped. Radus was the first to speak.

“Guild Master,” Radus said with a nod. “I’m assuming you’re the guest. Otherwise, I have to warn you, this is a job you shouldn’t have taken.”

The Council’s Shadow laughed, “Mr. Eephel, Mrs. Eephel, your warning is well received. You are correct; I’m a guest. I, more than most, understand what the Emperor is capable of. After completing an Inheritance that, presumably, killed many thousands of Qizut, I can scarcely imagine his current strength.”

“How do you two know the Guild Master?” Ivor asked.

Iken answered, “It’s standard practice for people in higher positions in the Unae monarchy who worked in the palace or close to the royal family to know the important people from Qizut; especially the head of the Assassins Guild.”

“It is the same in the Magocracy with those close to the High Council.” The Guild Master said.

“Were you able to get the artifact you needed?” Ivor asked.

“I was,” he said and started transforming before their eyes. Where before a dark F’on sat, there now sat a rather plain-looking human with light brown hair, brown eyes, and no facial hair. He didn’t look like Ivor, not even remotely, but he had that same “forgettable-ness” to him that Ivor did.

“Is there an effect on it that makes people not want to remember you?” Ivor asked.

The now human male looked surprised. Ivor was happy that facial reactions were not robotic or off-looking. “Indeed, it does.”

“You need a name.” Ivor said. “I can’t keep referring to you by your titles.”

“What do you suggest?”

“How about Kevin Garvey? It’s someone I used to know and, more importantly, it’s someone my daughter’s team knows about. If they hear that name, they’ll know you’re someone I know. It’s unlikely anyone would know that particular Kevin Garvey, but if you get challenged, just say it’s a coincidence. I won’t be using my Bill Smith persona. I’ll be Ken Johnson this time.”

Ivor didn’t stand for overly formal behavior when he was around people he knew so, Radus and Iken ate with the two as they discussed plans for travel to New Washington. Ivor sent the map to Kevin, and they discussed the next steps. Ivor had needed a day to gather some things. They planned meeting points along the route Ivor suggested they take. The Scout who had created the map included not only towns and villages along the way but also camping or hiding spots in between and near those towns and villages. Kevin estimated his movement speed and picked out the spots he would stop. If towns or villages were hard or impossible to get into, they chose alternate sites nearby for rendezvous. Radus and Iken explained that the Os’id miners had gone back to Arlossis after they finished mining the Mana Steel.

Over the last year, the exploration of Arlossis had increased, bringing in higher leveled adventurers to help keep the monster population in check. The miners could start in new areas on their own planet. They had left a message for Ivor that they would be happy to send another crew when he was ready. Zed had told this privately to Ivor, as the Guild Master wasn’t aware of his Mana Steel mine. Zed indicated that there was a truly impressive amount of Mana Steel in the vault at the mine.

“I’m ready to go at any moment. Given your speed, I should get going soon,” Kevin said.

“About that. There seems to be a party of New Americans hunting somewhat near the exit to the valley. They can’t actually see it or penetrate it, but they may notice Mr. Garvey leaving.”

“What are they doing?” Ivor asked.

“It looks like they have some captives. I noticed some people being dragged along in chains. I would imagine those are suppression cuffs of some kind.” Zed continued.

Ivor thought for a moment, then smiled. He wouldn’t normally put himself in this position, but that was the old him. The new him sometimes forgot how powerful he was.

“Zed, do you think those cuffs would suppress me fully?” Ivor asked.

Zed laughed, “I am not sure even you could afford the materials to suppress someone with your stats, Ivor. Since I know you have not checked, because such things do not concern you overmuch, you are in fact quite wealthy.”

Ivor explained to the others what was going on and laid out his plan. He excused himself and went down to the vault and opened it to retrieve a number of items. He stored his Expert set of armor, which he used as the Justicar in the Inheritance into his [Null Storage] and donned his Sole Survivor set, minus the mask/hood and gloves, which he left in [Null Storage].

Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble

Type: Bonded

Features:

Self-sizing

Self-cleaning

Self-repairing

Color changing (Limited)

Camouflage (Maximized)

Structure changing (Limited)

Dimensional weapon storage

Comfortable

Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increases by 75%

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

Boots of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Level: Epic

Requirements: Ivor Kemble, Armor of the Extreme Sole Survivor

Type: Bonded

Features:

Self-sizing

Self-cleaning

Self-repairing

Color changing (Limited)

Camouflage (Maximized)

Structure changing (Limited)

Surefooted

Muffled

Comfortable

Dragon Skin (+Retractable)

Part of a Set: 1/4

Set Features: When all set pieces are worn, armor effectiveness increases by 75%

Dragon Skin: Increases armor effectiveness by 150%

Ivor then proceeded to pull grenades and spike traps that he had left behind into [Null Storage] as well. He also pulled in several bars of Mana Steel. He was planning on switching to his Class once in New Washington. He had a feeling Mana Syphon would come in handy while robbing vaults, and he needed a place to store mana if his Ritual Mana Storage got full. He quickly pulled up both skill descriptions.

Mana Syphon (Advanced) - Active

Syphon mana directly from non-biological entities or objects only to be stored in a System-approved mana container. Increased levels increase the speed of syphon.

Ritual Mana Storage (Advanced) - Active

You can store mana for use in rituals only. Storage size scales with the skill and size of the Mana Pool. Current storage size - Mana Pool x 5.

Finally, Ivor grabbed his Mana Steel bastons. He hadn’t gotten a chance to use these, really. They were Master level weapons. It was the highest level he could have achieved currently, as he didn’t know any weapon smiths who could create higher level weapons for him. It was on his list of to-dos.

Ivor returned to the porch and changed the look of his armor to a scuffed, dark brown set of leathers. It didn’t look shoddy or damaged, just well-used. He had changed his identity to Ken Johnson, a Level 32 Hunter. He wanted to look high level enough to be out on his own but not high enough to worry the group of New Americans. Zed indicated that they were all Level 40 and above. Ivor wondered aloud about this many people being at such a high level so quickly.

“It’s likely they were power-leveled. If you can hire mercenaries, it’s possible the New Americans did as well, somehow. From what you’ve told me about your previous World Guardian, it wouldn’t be surprising to find additional people had contact with off-world entities and organizations.” Kevin said.

“That is my conjecture as well,” Zed replied.

“Another mystery to look into, along with why they started this war,” Ivor said as he was idly scratching Kitty behind one of her ears.

Kevin looked down at the monster, “I know there is a story there. I hope to hear it on the road.”

Ivor laughed, “Fair enough. I’m sure you’ll just shake your head at the absurdity of it all.”

“That aptly describes nearly everything that happens around you, Ivor,” Kevin replied, while Radus and Iken nodded enthusiastically.

“If this goes the way I think it will, I should be able to meet you in two or three days. If it’s been a week, something is wrong. Turn around and head back; you’ve been added to the access list. You’ll be able to see the entrance here.” Ivor said and headed out.

It was time to become a hostage.

https://a.co/d/02JWGj8m

The Mages of Qizut have gifted Ivor the location of another Inheritance. Much like his first Inheritance, this one is dangerous; perhaps even more than the first one. Thousands have attempted the Inheritance. None have returned.

Quite a bit is known about the Inheritance; the instructions are clear. Ivor will enter the Inheritance of the Arch Magus as a Level 1 Mage. He will need to complete four years at an academy while one year passes outside. There are limits to what he can bring with him.

It doesn’t sound too dangerous. Then why have all the others never returned?

It’s a mystery Ivor and Zed are willing to explore. Those other people didn’t have Ivor’s titles or stats. They definitely didn’t have a former AI turned Sector Administrator/World Guardian/Freehold Guardian along for the ride.

Many people wonder what it would be like to start over. Ivor is going to find out. There’s one thing that’s kept him and those he cares about alive since the Earth Reformation; power through growth. He’ll be away from Marie and his Freehold for an entire year, but growth demands sacrifice.

As usual, amazing cover illustration and design by Stacey Reine Eddy -

https://sreinedesign.com

1. A one day Daily Deal on Amazon for Evaluation - Earth Reformation Book 1 is happening on Sunday April 19th. Evaluation will reduced in price to $0.99. So, it’s a great time to buy it for a friend as a gift or pick it up cheap, to own, if you read it on Kindle Unlimited. I don’t have any plans to remove it from Kindle Unlimited, but if you are one of those that wants your own copy without clogging up your KU list, this is your time.

2. Audio is done for the Evaluation audiobook. However, the release is in a bit of a holding pattern. I’m currently in talks with a couple of publishers revolving around audio and a few other things. Obviously, me releasing it myself, then immediately pulling it down if I sign over rights to a publisher is a bad experience for customers. In addition, it’s not a great first start in a business relationship with a publisher. So, for now, we wait.

3. Inheritance - Earth Reformation Book 4 will be up for pre-order on April 24, 2026, assuming Amazon doesn’t delay things for some reason. The publish date for Inheritance will be May 15, 2026. That’s when pre-orders will be fulfilled and KU readers can read it.

4. There are some fancy new graphics on the product pages for each of the books on Amazon. They are in a section called “From the Publisher”. On desktop, they are right below “Customers also viewed/read” sections, and on mobile they are near the bottom when you scroll down. Even though I’m an indie writer, I think they add a little more professionalism to the product page. Go take a look at them. Stacey, my cover artist, did a great job.

I’m trying to get better about posting a bit more frequently. Honestly, this past month has been insanely busy. It’s always a balancing act of not sending so many low content posts that people get annoyed versus people getting annoyed I’m not posting enough. I’m working on finding the right balance to keep it interesting.

As always, thanks for the support.

Like that article said, the platform change for paid subscriptions to Patreon was just a business decision. I’m going to keep the Substack account. You can find the Patreon by searching Brad Botz Books on patreon.com.

I have no control over the timing of the refunds. That’s all up to Substack to process.

I appreciate your patience during this transition.

Brad

The audio for Evaluation is still in progress. The main narrator will be Scott Dawson. You can learn all about him and listen to some samples of his work here:

http://www.scottdawsonvo.com/

There will also be a female narrator doing the female character voices only. More information on her coming in a week or so.

Since I’m funding the audiobooks myself, I have much more control over how the audiobooks are done. I did some unscientific market research on Facebook posing the question of what audiobook listeners liked. I got over a hundred responses, and what I learned was that people like what they like. Some liked a single narrator, some liked dual narrators and some liked a whole cast of characters. I like the idea of a female doing the female characters. So, that’s what I’m going with.

Editing for book 4 is also in progress along with work on the new cover. Book 4 comes out in mid-May

The first chapter of book 4 comes out on February 28th to all subscribers. I will be sending preview chapters via email to paid Substack members while the paid subscriptions are still paused.

Go check out the pinned post for more information about how the pause and cancellation will affect everyone:

That’s it. Gotta get back to finishing up book 6.

Brad

I’m pausing paid subscriptions as I’m moving to a new platform for paid subscriptions, Patreon. In fact, you can already go there and subscribe: https://www.patreon.com/BradBotzBooks.

As much of a pain as it is, it’s a necessary move as it provides much more flexibility for what I want to do with future ebook and audiobook releases.

I’m not completely abandoning Substack. I’m just not going to pursue paid subscriptions here.

Here is a Substack article about paused payments works: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041618252-Can-I-pause-payments-on-my-publication-on-Substack

How does it affect me?

The pause simply stops the billing cycle, and it prevents new subscribers from signing up for paid memberships.

• Free subscribers - no change

• Monthly paid subscribers - paused billing, still retain access to paid posts

• Annual paid subscribers - paused billing, still retain access to paid posts

I will be continuing to post paid content like chapter previews that all paid subscribers should still be able to access during the pause.

My current published ebooks will be updated with the switch to Patreon.

What are your future plans?

I will be keeping the pause in place until the end of March 2026. At that point, I will be canceling all paid subscriptions. An email will go out to paid subscribers about the cancellation and refunds should be processed.

You can read about everything in this Substack article: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360060408872-How-do-I-turn-off-paid-subscriptions-on-Substack

If you have questions, feel free to reach out here on Substack.

I’m currently only publishing the series as ebook, but I’m working on a print version. I’m also considering audio, but that process will take a bit more thought as it either involves me doing a lot of the work, or legal contracts with publishers. Neither of those is my favorite thing.

Here’s the link to the book on Amazon: Return - Earth Reformation Book 2.

Hope you enjoy. It’s wild ride.

P.S - Preview chapters for book 3 will be coming out on Substack soon. If you don’t want to wait for the book 3 to drop in March, become a paid subscriber. I’m planning on a chapter a week until the book publishes.

Cover illustration and design for Return - Earth Reformation Book 2 by Stacey Reine Eddy - S.Reine Design Studio

Here is the direct link

I’m currently only producing it as an ebook as part of the Kindle Select program, which is pretty common for my genre - Fantasy/LitRPG, to get access to Kindle Unlimited and get in front of readers quickly. After the 90 lock in to Amazon, I’ll likely publish to other platforms as well. If there is good enough support, I will probably create a print version.

A mysterious “System” transports millions of humans to an Evaluation planet while it reforms the Earth. The humans are given a very short time to select a combat Class or a non-combat Profession for the evaluation period. Magic has replaced technology, and humanity will have to adapt or perish. Only about 1% of humans will survive.

Unfortunately for Ivor Kemble, there was an error and he was sent to a harder Evaluation planet… a much, much harder one. However, he isn’t some orphan boy with no skills and resources or a clueless frat bro that has never been in danger. He spent his entire career as a contractor for various government agencies operating in some of the most dangerous places on Earth. He’s the man they send to do the dirtiest of dirty jobs the government wants no one to know about. He is very good at his job.

Ivor intends to survive and return to the reformed Earth to find his daughter. He may be alone and in danger, but, well… thats just an average Tuesday. In the Evaluation, survival is the only metric.

This book has game-like stats, skills, spells and level progression. No AI was used in the creation of this book’s content.