The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 513: The Domes

From the outside, the four massive domes of the Kyros aquaponics facility gleamed like frosted jewels under the sky, each arching into perfect curves of glassy brilliance.

They could have passed for conservatories or ornamental gardens, and nothing about them betrayed the secrets inside.

He stood at the base of one dome, silent for once, taking it in.

"This," Kira said smugly, "is just the outside. Don’t look so surprised yet."

King Garick, who wasn’t exactly surprised, just grunted and followed her inside.

The visitor-friendly entrance almost made him stop in his tracks.

A bright, polished reception counter stood to one side, staffed by a smiling young attendant, and a spacious lounge with gleaming benches and tables opened beyond. A faint shimmer in the air obviously screamed of the presence of spiritual energy here, too, just enough that even he felt it swirl faintly under his skin.

"You have spiritual energy concentrated here?" he muttered.

The attendant, still smiling, bowed politely.

Moving past the lounge, they stepped into a garden area that immediately drew Garick’s attention.

Rows of raised soil beds stretched out in neat, orderly lines, each full of vibrant green plants he didn’t recognize. He didn’t need to. The faint shimmer of spiritual energy coming off them was unmistakable, even to him.

Garick paused in the doorway, his sharp gaze sweeping over the scene. The earthy scent hung in the air, clean and grounding. Around the edges of the room, small tool sheds stood in corners, plain and unpolished, and a few simple wooden tables were scattered about. It all looked quaint, even a little rustic, yet somehow purposeful.

For a long moment, he simply stood there, quietly taking it all in.

"These are spiritual plants," he said at last.

It was not a question.

Jax, who was lounging behind the group, let out a soft chuckle.

"That’s right, Your Majesty. This area was originally just meant to be a rest zone for the workers. But they asked if they could plant something here instead. So it became a little experiment, a place where they can learn to farm the manual way and try growing whatever they want."

Garick stepped closer and placed his palm over one of the beds. The faint, living energy pulsed beneath his fingers, subtle but undeniable.

"You grow spiritual crops," he murmured, his voice quiet but heavy with thought. "At home, we only ever forage for these. No one cultivates them like this."

But really, it was more because no one’s figured out a way to properly cultivate them.

Meanwhile, the cadets exchanged knowing glances. They all thought the same thing: this "garden" was actually a test site.

The soil from the cindermoss burrowers had shown promise, and they were quietly experimenting to see if they could develop domes specifically for soil-based spiritual agriculture in the future. Although they weren’t lying when they said that it happened because the people of House Kyros suggested they use the space in this manner.

King Garick nodded, clearly impressed they were growing food, the same food he’d been eating just a while back.

When Kira announced they would now move to the next area, Garick froze mid-step.

"There’s...more?" he asked, suspicious.

Kira smirked and crossed her arms.

"Of course there’s more," she shot back. "Father, with domes this big, why would we stop at dirt boxes?"

They entered the main dome, and the king stopped dead.

The multi-level farm stretched upward in a breathtaking sprawl. Stacked platforms overflowed with rows of bright green plants, their uniform heads glistening under the lights.

The giant Orc squinted, still unsure what exactly he was looking at. He had only just learned these were called lettuce, yet here they were, covering the entire space in layer after layer of crisp, thriving growth.

In some areas, he caught glimpses of other crops, but it was this endless forest of unfamiliar greens that left him speechless.

For a long moment, he could only stare.

Smooth?

Just what was he thinking?

There’s no way this could be labeled as smoothing the mess when clearly the goal of the place was to astound. To wow.

Because just look at that?! Thought the ruler, who wasn’t really sure what to say after learning about this place.

Then Luca stepped forward, a faint smile on his face, and nudged Princess Kira lightly.

"You should explain it, Your Highness."

Kira straightened, clearly enjoying herself now.

"Father," she began, "this facility was designed to grow food that can be harvested daily. It’s an industrial farm based on a method called aquaponics."

As she spoke, she thought privately to herself. Technically, this was just them trying to make use of the space they carved out here. It was much larger than the dungeon-linked setup they already had. The spiritual energy here was diluted compared to what Luca used before, but with the new stabilizers they developed, it still worked beautifully.

Garick continued to look around, his jaw tight but his eyes wide.

He had seen farms before, as beings dependent on traditional food, Orcs were dependent on hunting and farming. But those were just for sustenance. Crops that kept people alive, nothing more. If you wanted spiritual plants, you had to forage and fight for them.

But here...even these green things glowed with energy.

"Wait," he demanded suddenly, turning to his daughter. "Are you saying...even these lettuce heads carry spiritual energy?"

Kira’s golden eyes sparkled with pride.

"Yes. Every single one of them, Father."

Garick stared at her.

"And you claim," he pressed, "you can harvest...every single day?"

"Yes, Father," she replied easily. "Because each day, new plants are grown. And every time we harvest mature ones, new seedlings replace them. It’s a constant cycle once it’s started."

Garick muttered under his breath.

"How is this even possible..."

He could understand the few crops from that room before this; he could picture several people caring for those plants religiously.

But this many plants?

And yet even when he looked around, he couldn’t see that many people?!

Kira grinned.

"That," she said, "is aquaponics."

The confused father frowned.

"And what, exactly, is aquaponics?"

Kira pointed to the towering glass cylinders scattered around the dome.

"These," she announced.

Garick squinted up at them.

The massive tanks glimmered with water, shadows moving within. He stepped closer, catching sight of sleek silver shapes gliding through the tanks.

"These creatures," he said slowly. "What are they?" He asked, incredulous.

"Apparently, it’s fish, Father."

"All of these are...fish? Edible fish?"

"Yes," Kira confirmed.

He took another step and turned in place, scanning the countless tanks.

The sheer amount of meat represented here hit him hard. Every tank held different "fish", and there were so many.

It wasn’t that they had no fish; it’s just that normally they looked like giant beasts and had razor-sharp teeth. Also, many would also opt not to eat them, fearing that those creatures might’ve consumed something deadly.

Garick finally looked back at the crops, then at the tanks again.

"You’re growing both meat and plants," he said flatly, "at the same time."

"Correct," Kira said, clearly enjoying his expression.

She explained, "The tanks and crops are dependent structures. The fish waste fertilizes the water, which, after being filtered, is then used to feed the plants. The water could then be recycled back to the fish. It’s sustainable."

Garick’s eyes narrowed.

"And what about the fish? You harvest them, so how do you replace them?"

Kira led him to a railing where they could glimpse the lower levels.

"There’s a separate floor, away from sunlight and in a controlled environment, where the fish are bred. That way, they don’t breed up here and clog the systems."

Garick stared down into the lower level, then back at the endless green.

The tour continued, and Garick found himself walking in silence, taking it all in.

The air here was clean and faintly charged, almost like walking through the daycare. Every breath left him feeling a little more alive.

He glanced at the cadets trailing behind them. They were smiling faintly as they stared at the fish tanks, pointing out different species and laughing softly among themselves.

Ada appeared at his side and inclined her head.

"Your Majesty," she said calmly, "at present, there are four domes in operation. Each has a similar setup, though some are configured specifically for medicinal plants and rare herbs."

Garick blinked at her, caught off guard yet again.

Ada simply smiled, perfectly composed.

"Four," he repeated under his breath.

Finally, he looked down at her.

"This place," he said roughly. "What is it really?"

Ada glanced toward Kira, then Luca, and finally back at him, her smile growing ever so slightly.

"It’s the work of everyone, Your Majesty," she replied.

"This is what we’ve been busy with. And this is what Princess Kira had been passionate about."

And this was what had nearly driven them all mad. Especially the day her boss, Princess Kira, in all her royal wisdom, decided to plant carrots in the deep water culture. Ada still couldn’t tell if it was curiosity, overconfidence, or just Kira trying to see how far she could push their sanity before someone snapped.

But still, it was A+ for effort.