While the first round of guests finished their journey to the surface with slightly, or majorly, increased luggage, Max got a rather intriguing proposition from the Envoys. They wanted to accompany the research teams of the Hunters to a site closest to the city so that they could get a full picture of what the hiking experience would be like for the guests who wanted to brave the great outdoors.

Nobody had told them that there were basically no animals in this world. They had only introduced a bare minimum to begin forming the ecosystems so that they could populate the world naturally over the next few years or decades.

They were also deliberately not near the city or any of the historical sites that had been identified. They hadn’t even introduced relatively cute things like squirrels, as they were natural predators to some of the floral species, and their digging activities might disrupt the ruins if they decided to make a nest there.

Knowing how things were supposed to be placed was just as important to the Hunters as finding them intact, and the site that they wanted to visit had been partially excavated by the terraforming devices already to grant them access, but nothing had been moved from its original location.

[So, will you come to the surface with us? The envoys need data to send back on the completion of the Terraforming, as well as the ruins, and I think a few hours of staring at alien relics could be a good time to relax after the stress of dealing with people all day.] The envoy of the Hunters suggested.

The Dryad wasn’t leaving anything to chance. She had decided that Max was good luck since his ship could keep a World Tree growing smoothly, so she harassed the staff until they sent someone to get him and bring him to her for the trip.

[I’m on my way with the Dryad. We will meet you at the landing bays on the lower floor of the city in thirty minutes unless you want to come back to Terminus and join the other Enovys in my shuttle.] Max suggested.

[Ours has all the tools in it, so we will take it straight to the dig site, but I will join you on Terminus and go down with the others. It should be fun, like a class field trip.]

It might actually be like a class field trip from the new Academy aboard Terminus, given the variety of species that they had represented, but they were still in the early days of the first Semester and weren’t ready to be heading out on planetary excursions this early in the year.

The sports leagues seemed to be well underway, though. The Hoops Field was busy nearly every time he checked in on the cameras, and so were the running tracks. He didn’t bother checking the inside of the Academy, they would let him know if there was an issue that they needed assistance with, and they had their own security on staff.

“Greetings Envoy. I see you brought friends with you.” Max welcomed the reclusive Dryad once he reached the hangar bay where she was waiting, running a gentle hand through the branches of one of their Shin botanists.

“Your staff has been incredibly welcoming, for sure. Will it be a problem if I bring him to the surface with us? He wants to see the plants that you introduced to the surface as much as I do, and I know the others will have an escort with them.” She asked.

That was true. They would have at least one assistant and a pair of bodyguards each, so the Dryad, who was travelling alone, wasn’t overreaching to bring a single companion, even if it was a member of the staff here aboard the ship.

“That shouldn’t be a problem, as long as he has gotten someone to cover his shifts while he is away.” Max agreed with a wink at the Shin.

While he couldn’t guarantee that there was anything going on between the two, the gentle way that the Dryad was stroking his branches certainly implied that they were more than casual acquaintances. He was going to deliberately avoid going into their memories to understand how that worked exactly.

The other envoys, including the Huntress, met them at the hangar bay where Nico had brought them over the new model of the experimental shuttle for the trip to the surface. It was supposed to be the smoothest flight of anything that they had, and it was larger than the old twenty-person shuttles, which wouldn’t comfortably fit this group.

There was definitely a gap in their fleet between shuttles and Cutters, but such large surface missions that didn’t involve combat or transferring large amounts of goods simply didn’t happen often enough that they needed a specific vessel for them before now.

Maybe he would have to keep one of the Yachts around for such diplomatic events. They were overkill for most practical uses, and they couldn’t carry Mecha or Gear efficiently, but it would be awesome for impressing the dignitaries.

[Nico, bump the two landing craft for the planet, plus a Command Yacht, to the top of the production list. We need a better vessel for ferrying around dignitaries, and I want my Cutters back. Huntress Khan’s thoughts say that she’s coming to visit you now that we’re all leaving you unattended.] Max informed his second in command.

[I will get right on it. We just need to make a delivery of the custom order that is in the bay right now. Working with live clients isn’t a factory line, and there is a lot of sitting time while they make up their minds, and it’s been cluttering the bay.]

[They paid a lot of money to use that bay, though, so we can’t be too mad. Just be sure they’re happy with their end product, and pick a new bay if you absolutely must, but I want those planetary transporters finished asap.]