Sage_of_Eyes
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V8: Chapter 13
🕑 Added 2024-09-07 23:04:59 +0000 UTCV8: Chapter 13
…
There’s no shortage of people out there who’ll fuck up if given the slightest chance.
Case in point: back in my original world, people need to be warned against eating detergent.
That’s a world where most people have at least twelve years of minimal education, where literacy rates are at around ninety percent, and companies are interested in not being litigated.
Here?
Most people have a year or two, literacy is basically considered a professional skill, and small businesses are jostling for every advantage that they can get away with.
I’ve read in history books about bakers mixing ground up stone into flour to extend the amount of bread they can get from a bag. Meat processing facilities where meat goes rancid before they even put it into cans. Doctors operating without washing their hands or disinfecting their tools. Hell, some weird news stories from abroad told me that some noodle shops were filling their bowls with opium to get customers to come in.
Basically, what I’m getting at is simple: along with building up a massive industry, it was also an immense concern on my end to keep everything neat and safe. Not out of the goodness of my heart, but because I want to get out as much as possible from my population. Someone taken out of commission from a stomach illness is someone who isn’t working for weeks. A bad doctor poorly treating patients means people who could’ve gotten better are suddenly crippled. Even additives to bread like sawdust or ground up rocks can lead to illness or ruin teeth, leading to people who undoubtedly work less because they’re in constant pain.
Everyone took a lot for granted back on Earth.
Anyway, I couldn’t do everything myself, so I relied on Ayah to set up the department of safety to look after such issues. I didn’t want people dying because of stupid reasons. Everyone can do some sort of work, and housing and food is cheap, so go ahead and work, generate stuff, and pay your taxes. If you’re doing that, you can be as stupid as you want, and I’ll keep people trying to take advantage of you off your back.
If you can do something for me, anything really, I’ll do my darndest to keep you doing that for as long as you can.
I’m not winning this this thing alone.
…
The Conqueror’s Citadel looked a lot better than I last saw it.
Granted, the last time I saw it, it was fresh from being firebombed to get all the demonic-infested creatures out into firing lines.
By my command, and into my firing lines, too.
So, the bar was quite low.
Anyway, the desert region is one of the best for generating money in the game. Rare earth metals, exotic spices, and strategic resources were aplenty. The caveat to it was that you were limited to starting at the place with the Guardians or the Conquerors, since both weren’t as reliant on food. Well, the Guardians weren’t that reliant. The Conquerors just went into hibernation when and ‘lost’ population temporarily when they didn’t have enough.
Improving desert tiles is a bit more expensive, but they pay for themselves in ten turns or so, and after that they’re pure profit. The tech is also early in the game, and you can improve them with more research, and with a desert-oriented administrative Champion, you’ll get money flowing out your ears. There’s a reason why Conquerors or Guardians are all depicted as blinged out in all their tech tree art later in the game.
I couldn’t find a desert-oriented Champion to rule over the city, but I did find several scholars and funded a whole institution to pursue the skills that they were reported to have and implement them. Desert admin champions had four special administrative skills they could invest points into. For now, we only had one working. Sand Sifting techniques allowed the sands to be moved and processed through magic and find small particles of rare earth metals and gold, which led to gold being produced from every desert tile. As far as I knew, the desert region on this continent is wholly artificial and is for resource extraction and maybe even production.
Anyway, Crusher no longer had magic, but he did have the best medical suite available on the planet, so he was looking good when I met with him again.
Good and covered in silks and jewelry.
Enjoying your cushy desk job, you bastard?
“Crusher, well met.” We met in the palace at the base of the Citadel. I called it a palace, but it was just big to accommodate the Conquerors who visited it normally. Here Crusher met with the administrators and clerks and scholars of the region to administer over the region. His hand engulfed mine when I shook it. He had so many massive rings on his hand that I half-expected to have some gold dust on my hands when I pulled away. “I see that you’re enjoying the fruits of your labors.”
“The time will come when you will peel back the low rates you’ve placed upon us. Until then, my people will bask in our newfound wealth.” Right, for the sake of reconstruction, I lightened to tax on this region to near zero. A lot of my current treasury was going into making this place work along with filling the Scholar’s region with mines and research labs. Without the Merchants giving up their treasury for me, I’d have had to stall the growth of both regions to finance my assaults on the Death Lord. Anyway, for now, any money they generated while reconstructing was being turned right back into their region. “We have a year or so left, correct?”
Five turns, so…
“A little more than a year. I’m glad we didn’t have to pull much away with the conflict against the Death Lord. The sooner everything is working the better. Of course, we’ll make a survey first and properly evaluate the situation and tax accordingly.” I don’t have time to carefully create corporations and set up the systems necessary for free enterprise to work. The lands in my regions will be exploited. That’s the whole point of this place. The Academy at the center is supposed to be where everything was rebuilt, then all around it are places to utilize for resources. The Citadels produce resources for a massive frontline against the entire world, the regions around them are rich in resources, and everyone should be safe at the center of the continent behind three layers of defenses. If only the Academy got the memo. “Ah, I brought Conquest’s medals and accolades. She requested I bring it to be placed at your household for her brothers and sisters to look upon.”
Ayah brought the box forward. The nice, cedar box had velvet inside that the medals could be hooked onto. It was all for the sake of presentation. It was funny to hear people gasp at the award ceremony when Conquest came up, and instead of getting handed a few medals, she instead got a decorated box full of eight. I had no doubt that she won’t have to pay for a drink for the rest of her life.
“She’ll be the death of her siblings. They’re still young and training, but she’s set herself up as a star to be reached.” Crusher grumbled, but gingerly accepted the box with great care and looked upon the multiple awards with pride. Three were for honorable service in major battles, ranging from the initial attacks, to putting down the Death Lord’s ace-in-the-hole, and finally in the final battle against the Death Lord itself. Three more were for her covert operations and the specialist missions. The last two were my analogues to the medal of honor and the distinct service medals for going above and beyond the call of duty and gravely risking her life for the mission. “You have my thanks. The next generation of Conquerors will be strong.”
I didn’t bother to mince words.
“They’ll need to be. The enemies we’re all going to face in the next ten years are beyond the Death Lord.” Crusher gave a sharp nod and sat straight at my words. The Merchant servants present in white robes bowed and excused themselves when he gave them a wave to leave. I waited until they were gone. “We’ve found the source of the living metal. Right now, your people armed with anti-material rifles are our only counter, even if they send a middling force. They’re living war machines half-flesh and half-metal, and with mastery over powerful weapons from days long past.”
“How powerful?”
“They run as fast as horses, have armor greater than knights, and on they wield fully automatic versions of the cannons I’ve given your troops. One of their number can easily route a force of a thousand. Five a whole army.”
“Mages?”
“They won’t stay still. Only fortune would allow them to be destroyed… or sacrifice.” If you’re running only pike and shot, you could swamp them with pike and pour fire on them. Most of the damage will be coming from your Champion buffing your rifles, and doing their own damage. In all honesty, more people would survive if I gave them explosive vests or explosive spears. Hm, shaped charges are just explosives with a copper liner, right? I should investigate that. “They still need a supply line, and they’re few in number, but command multitudes of slaves.”
Crusher leaned forward at that.
“And, nothing will be done to save these slaves?”
“Will I be exchanging the lives of my citizens to save them? No. If they’re captured and if they surrender with their masters dead, I’ll happily see them educated and working.” That answer seemed to suffice for Crusher. The various enemies we were to face used the mortal races as serfs, sacrifices, prey, or toys. If I could tap into that labor pool, I would, but it was hard enough for skilled professionals to make the journey into those lands undetected. Hosting whole exoduses would supply us with incredible amounts of labor, but it’d just be an exercise in seeing how many we can get to die running before the enemy gained on us and killed them all. “In order to counter these enemies, I want sharpshooters trained with new magics. Your finest shooters in veteran squads to train with their weapons empowered for more damage and armor penetration.”
“…I see. Skill will allow the delivery of fearsome firepower. Skill alone. I approve.” Magics existed out there that could help guide projectiles into foreheads. However, magic wasted on increasing hit chance is magic not used to buff damage and armor penetration. There’s always a trade-off. In the end, it’s better to be able to kill your opponent outright, than invest into hitting them and not killing them at all. “You’re sending another expedition outside, yes? Conquest should be sent along with it.”
“I’d rather not. Her temperament won’t allow her to ignore the horrors that we find out there.” Crusher frowned at my words, but didn’t contest them. Certain traits in Champions just made them bad choices for certain expeditions. “She’s better suited for the raids I have planned. We’ll send her out there to get the measure of our enemies and retrieve corpses and equipment for study. That’ll be in a few months.”
I aimed a pointed look his way and he grunted.
“No, my students are not capable of a feat like that, yet.” I hoped that the raids I planned on mounting to gain technology and information would have Crusher supporting it, even if it was through an apprentice Champion. “I’m searching for a general for our people. A leader to aid my daughter as she lives up to her heritage as a warrior. Unfortunately, such people are rare amongst my kind.”
“Keep looking. You know yourselves best. Find someone amongst your people, or recruit someone who can work with your people.” Champions are, quite frankly, have a preference towards their own people. Unless you mod the game, or play on some weird weekly map with freaky settings, you’re not going to see a Conqueror with bonuses Descendant units. You need to find someone of their own people to lead them. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t have Sarala over here. Even if he plays his cards perfectly, Conquerors will chafe under his rule. “The funds are ready to elevate someone to the state of Champion, or to hire a Champion outright. So long as your people approve and they are capable, they shall be supported. The support of the Conquerors is essential to the survival of as many as possible.”
I didn’t mince words and I didn’t lie. Crusher and the rest of the Conquerors aren’t stupid. They know what they’re worth and there’s a lot of them. If they wanted, they can put pressure on me to get more rights and privileges. They’re just too honorable to do that. However, if I neglect them and if I don’t acknowledge them, then they’ll be unhappy and work against me regardless.
In-game, it’s essential to rebuild infrastructure, set up courts, and put the region you’ve taken onto its way towards recovery asap, because if you don’t… you’re looking at problems down the line.
Problems in the shape of militia forming from the pops of the region threatening to destroy tile improvements. The more improvements they break, the more they upgrade themselves and improve their numbers, until you’re looking down the barrel of a full-blown army in your resource production zones.
If those problems were Children of the Elm, they’re basically free XP. Let them eat an improvement or two, so they’ve got some numbers, then have your chosen Champion feast.
If those problems are Conquerors, then you’ve got a big problem on your hands and they might take a city or two and fortify it before you can get a big enough army onsite to deal with them.
Yeah, not interested in that, so I’m going to spoil them.
“Very well, they will be found. Now… will you allow me to be a good host, or is there more to do?” Crusher’s voice and intonation was the same as always, but I’ve spent enough time with him to know when he’s joking. I raised my hands and chuckled, while shaking my head. More work for later then. He rang a bell and the servants returned, while he allowed himself to recline, which pretty much had him engulf nearly the whole sofa he sat at opposite of me. “How goes your hunt for a bride? Will you be marrying that goddess of the Children of the Elm that’s been found?”
“I thought work was over and that it’s no longer time for business?”
“At least have a bastard or two out of wedlock, so there’s some hope if you fall.”
“We’re moving on, Crusher.”
“Bah.”
He grumbled, before laughing lightly, and I did as well.
Right, time to relax for a bit, before burning the midnight oil later.
Comments
SlanneshSoldier69
I always love when they find something major from a ruin or a wonder from an expedition.
Luis Z
Ya jack waifu when
Birbman
I still thought we haven't seen the wonder from the metal guys expedition
Valerian
So another expedition will be sent out soon. And raids are about to go too. So a random wonder and more combat exp and enemy intel is on the way.
