A long bath helped, but afterwards, as I made my way down to dinner, every step was a painful one. My muscles were already stiffening. It would be even worse in the morning. Still, I was determined. And that encounter with the ambassador of Southway just made me even more so.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tT1vGLZ2W
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A long, polished wooden table had been laid out with what looked like a banquet to me, despite my instructions. Silver candelabra held our source of light, light which glittered off a wide array of polished trays and bowls. There were grapes; cherries, apples and peaches stacked high; there were at least four kinds of fish, filleted and laid out with herbs and lemon on trays decorated with fishing net designs; bowls of peas, green beans, tomatoes and carrots were full to the brim, at least four different kinds of bread had been prepared, with slices and rolls displayed on yet more silver trays; while goblets of cut glass sparkled, ready to receive wine from a choice of six decanters.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvbtrhYxpm
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7qJetxv5v
The table was laid for four people but the placings were spaced so far apart that it was like a socially distanced event during the COVID pandemic back home. Much to the consternation of a servant who was standing by the wall and hurriedly came over to help, I started re-arranging the plates and cutlery, bringing all the places up to the top end.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxpd1tl6TM
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXa9G23R6Ye
No sooner than I'd taken my own seat, than Lord Arval, my Paladin General came in with a brisk march. Even for dinner, it seemed, he wore his chainmail and carried his sword. With a gesture that was nearly a smile, he took the seat to my right after I pointed to it.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWROYon4dI
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'I heard about your training today sire. It gave encouragement to the troops.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7eKw6MC9K
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'There's a long way to go.' I glanced at my fleshy arms, so different to my previous body.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TnWhJqENe
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'I also heard that you scorned the ambassador of Southway.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYMhYM7p3e
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURJXJUHYiI
'Oh did you? What did your sources say, exactly?'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOk1GkuyvV
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'That you were offered wine and women for the rest of your life if you'd do the bidding of their king and you refused, telling him that it was him who would be grovelling in chains before you.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqVUkw1yEA
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma1BtA7jwF
'Did I though?' I laughed. 'The story has grown. Good. They have the spirit right at least. That guy was so smug, I wanted to punch him in the face.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnxAXbEKpr
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoSnbTdoSc
We were interrupted by the arrival of Chancellor Parrin and the sorceress Carlena. Although they were not arm in arm, there was something about them that suggested to me they might be a couple. They were the right ages – she with silver hair and he with the grey and sliver of his beard – and they moved towards me with an ease in each other's company.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzItFgIUdz1
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'Another innovation I see,' said the Chancellor with a glance at the place settings and then at the servants. I got the message: careful, go easy on the changes.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvsXtWeTsG
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XNtHIlytB
I repeated my story of meeting the ambassador of Southway, to the approval of Parrin and Carlena but they were surprisingly taciturn. Only when we had eaten did Carlena lean towards me, so that I caught the full intensity of her stunning purple eyes, and whisper, 'send the servants away please, so we can talk properly.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceGwRes1Hi
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ikjwXNjwd
I nodded. And after the next time my glass was refilled, I slapped the table with my heavy palm (it was effective for that at least). 'Out! Servants out and don't disturb us until you are called for.' I spoke with unnecessary volume as they jumped to respond.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESKe1UM9Sv
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T5glOiVSk
'Spoken like the old Carlos,' said Parrin with a smile when we had the room to ourselves.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmeg7VdXll
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuR3B5bZBH
The two of them then began an interrogation that would have never have been allowed by the previous king. What was I researching? What was I building? How would we cope with the loss of our grain-generating lands? What other information was in the menus? On the whole they were cautiously positive about my decisions and plans. At least, they didn't propose I make any changes to it. I was warned that my popularity, already very low, would drop further if we did start trading iron to the necromancer king, but they could see the necessity of this.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdT7c9NVpe
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW22kfZkpv0
By the end of their questions, I was totally clear about one thing. Carlena, Parrin and (to a lesser extent) Lord Arval saw me as their instrument. I was accountable to them and had to take their instruction. In business terms, this was a board meeting and I was the CEO, not a king with absolute power. This didn't upset me. I could totally see their point of view: the kingdom was on the ropes and everything they owned, including their lives, was in jeopardy. They couldn't afford any mistakes from me. Also, while I quite enjoyed the authority of being king and the way all the people were quick to obey me, I didn't like the barrier that the role created. At least here, with these three, I could be myself.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcMuQhnzXR
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gLcPhIwRB
'I have a question about the menus,' I looked from one to the other. 'How is it there are so few people on them compared to the size of Carrick?'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pKZ14F3KK
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvc40uns1O3
It was Carlena who answered. 'I believe the numbers allowed on the menu are capped in some way by the overall happiness of the realm. Most of our citizens would join the menus if allowed, wanting Miya to triumph and not wishing to be conquered. You should try to facilitate them.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdedOKzFVr
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2OXiGeGsW
That made sense and exporing how to raise happiness was yet another goal for me to add to the 'to do' list.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTtfG9hlpB
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkrVCERPkQ
'How goes your personal progress?' asked Parrin.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31AjV94PwF
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'I don't know yet.' I patted the rolls of stomach fat that were resting on the table top. 'I've made a start on shedding these. But I haven't seen any change to my character sheet yet.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBsfElwKD8
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2j2WDeRhY
Carlena frowned. 'What level Fighter are you?'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUKMxAtXID
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'I'm not even a Fighter yet,' I confessed. 'In fact I was thinking my character sheet meant I should be a Sorcerer or Cleric.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66QRYhod6y
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All three of them turned pale faces towards me, eyes glistening in the candlelight.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLi8jQLJmF
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEVnnbYOeQ
'Oh no,' said Carlena. 'Not a Sorcerer. You won't have any spells. To obtain spells you have to build a scriptorium of the spell level and then research them, getting a random result It would take you forever. And it's not what we need on the battlefield.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsBB3SUOZy
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQV02JTZ4M
'I believe King Wace is level twelve,' muttered the Chancellor pointedly. 'And Queen Rorgesta of Trolland is eleven at least.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lpo8eqM01
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjheGTTZLs
I caught the Scout's eyes and said, 'I'll start levelling up soon. But with my current stats, I'd be a hopeless warrior of any sort. I have to find out can I improve my Strength before starting my personal progression as a fighter. Really, I should be a caster: a mage or cleric. And I also need to know how to level. Do I fight monsters? Complete quests?'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9RhdNxZM4
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRfF3TuWGS
'I suppose you are right to wait,' Lord Arval spoke after a short interval. 'But every day that you are not progressing is a day more for them to get ahead. You could easily reach level two or even three by performing task quests in the town itself.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkMi7lBI7G
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0qrKGHMFe
'And we can bring you to areas nearby where there are monsters you can fight and kill for experience,' offered Lord Parrin.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS8kOSXEiM
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDqYTWBEjK
That sounded promising and exactly like the RPGs I was used to.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FvisUgVJU
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBxToWuaCe
I took a deep breath. 'I will progress soon then. For now though, my body is a mass of aches and pain. I can barely lift this fork with my left hand, my shoulder is so sore. There's nothing more I could have done today to advance this body towards where it should be.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1dDNowHI6
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftXBiJS7B3
'True.' Lord Arval nodded. 'Don't push so hard you damage yourself.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5Sn2LQ5b7
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYrl9ufLVt
'We need time. Time to fix the kingdom's economy and time for me to level up.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AMILJ7c41
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'Indeed. And in that light, provoking the king of Southway might not have been wise.' Carlena spoke tentatively, as if exploring the idea.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpT3VGJQAF
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvvI4ELiQ9
'Sean was right to refute him so publicly and so firmly,' Arval came in, 'the message to the soldiers and people was clear. We will endure.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8JDghPyEP
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Chancellor Parrin nodded. 'I think so too. But still, there is a real danger of the two armies continuing their advance together and overcoming our defences.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGY55E9yssi
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WdwmNfHxT
'Speaking of which, I'd like to see them. We have a fort at the head of the valley that leads here, right? I might be able to upgrade it.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsvwFbUrPy
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXdpk6w2eK
'You can't get there, it is thirty miles away and no horse can carry you.' It was Arval who made this depressing, if practical, point.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeg7VqQIfr
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIn72Gfrhkp
'I can show you on the map at least,' offering Parrin, 'and you should be able to find a menu for it. It's called Three-Ways Fort.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS2UrXGXGv
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmtiyjdIdO
'I'll check later. And if it's all right with you, I'll move any remaining troops from here down to it, including the new archers.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgQyrvv8ei
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXao84RjO5
Everyone greeted my proposal with approval.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc4EJwXv9Q
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kIGyUGsEc
I had been thinking about Carlena's point about unnecessarily provoking King Wace. 'Could we maybe divide them? By talking with Queen Rorg… whatever … the Trolland queen. By suggesting that we might be willing to be a protectorate under her?'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqtU0R0JhI
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqVP04xAWM
'Perhaps,' the Chancellor nodded. 'It would be a mission for Figus.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fHxbICdXP
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEgjvCUeJB
'When he gets back,' I said.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1f395Bhw7D
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'When he gets back,' Parrin repeated.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6Fja65Bd4
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'In the meantime, I think you need to go down to the lowlands and monitor the enemy's movements, to give us notice if they are advancing.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyXr1wrFz7
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaTGFAEVVi
'Me?' Parrin looked surprised. 'We have scouts, of course.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3QFbZNvsa
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'Yes, but they are all level zero, right? Whereas you are level nine.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdVQoUEOm5
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiZojqmnWc
'It's been a while since I dusted off my scout skills, but you know what, I'll do it!' Parrin rubbed his beard around his mouth, where a smile was forming. 'I'll set out in the morning.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DPAhVCIK2
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMaN71ebM8
'Just don't take any risks.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGPMTMCaE8
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2aBpdKglG
When our strategizing was at an end, Lord Arval called the servants back in and we resumed a more formal tone, until I was ready for my bed. Well, not quite ready.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3Ab7bu1cS
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'Can the king ask for a massage?' I leaned in towards the General.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgikIDx7k4E
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'Of course. I'll send someone.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1NprXbLLP
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'Good, I'll go on up to my bed.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxvFDu9rBw
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvt3m9rUCo
It was an effort, I was almost tempted to ask for help and a push, but my groaning legs carried me up two flights of stairs until I collapsed on the bed. Not long after I did so, a heavy knock came on the door and after I called for the person to come in. It was the masseur I was expecting. Well, not quite. A tall, muscular man in a soldier's tunic came in.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWr6yWekET7
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn0ITjk9zU
'Massage sire?' he asked gruffly.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lj3c1a2ZG
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'Please.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfkqvPipDT
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'Saw you walking today sire. You'll want the legs looked at.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qF9ND2k63
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'Left shoulder too, from carrying that sword.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKQ5ip1YNJ
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He nodded. 'Too right. You know they make the dummy out of lead, deliberate like? So when you pick up your first real blade, it feels light.'494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qTyuD9zEB
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡii3d24ZlXt
I didn't reply and soon I felt his hands on the backs of my thighs, through my clothes. I wasn't going to remove them, even if that limited his access.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKy3QY4LiyL
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENNqobfrhJ
Before long, I was getting some serious work done, loosening my cramped and tight muscles and while it was borderline painful, it was effective. What with the wine and the exercise, I'd sleep well. There was one thought still nagging me though, arising from the questions that the sorceress and the chancellor had raised with me. Oh yes. The hunting lodge, level 2 had been due for completion earlier this evening.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYnujWFchR
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknr5uegeSC
I paused the massage long enough to call down the town menu, then got back into position while I studied it.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvN7sl4bMP
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOAQK7UTLc
Greyland494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYxlxbC9l4
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNv6wADBEyd
Economy494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkYxyFBb6z
Currently building:494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QRGtzLbpo
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjLvZ9alQb
Monthly trade income: 0494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczpI2qbpWq
Monthly tax income: 54 gold494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIGHZyMSAN
Treasury: 2 gold494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNnsDbjfIQ
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdaC96A1r1
Daily food consumption: 13 units494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMXDCFttNM
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu90ch0lUyI
Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Tmj0htQ3Y
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 20 days494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj52SonCiSH
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 33 days494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSWnCmZ78c
Meat yield: 5 units daily494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPXAeJPzAh
Timber yield: 17 planks daily494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ213CUVSKDf
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKtIFJQipy
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHM4P8z1pg
Smithy yield: steel pickaxes on hold. Awaiting iron.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNceqHUksP
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NtL3HMKEC
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Research: Shipbuilding One494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8hJWOnQhB
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Resources:494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSz124d5sb
Wheat: 14 food units494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5vFlmBGBa
Vegetables: 25 food units494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQ7zerpjHU
Meat: 8 food units494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX20PrJXYJ
Wool: 7 bales494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOATRVS6fNO
Timber: 150 planks494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3WGKnW78u
Iron: 0 ingots494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5PJgVL3In
Stone: 39 blocks494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyxIP0wbbQ
Cloth: 4 bolts
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3QHcEtcMb
The meat yield had gone up by one. I had hoped for two but I couldn't argue with a 25% increase. That still left us losing about 6 food units a day, with reserves of 47. I winced, and not from the pain of the knuckles digging into my shoulder. I had to set a new town building project and the attractive options were hunting lodge level 3 or mine level 3. Both would take two days to upgrade.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Se62VoSom
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt6AKq0S9Y
In trying to figure out which of the two would work best for solving the food crisis, I realised that something was wrong. The smithy should have made me eighty-four steel pickaxes. If they significantly improved iron output, I would build the next level of hunting lodge. Yet the smithy was on hold.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimycnZZDcA
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzE1oNOkpj
The problem was iron. I had made a mistake. I blushed at the thought of talking about this with the others. If I had waited to create the new archers, I would have had plenty of iron for the pickaxes. Scrolling deeper into the menus, I could see that the Smithy had built a stock of 12 pickaxes before I had assigned the remaining iron to training the archers. Then it had come to a halt.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlrPZYtOsn
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0A1Xr8Gq5b
Oh well, I allocated the twelve new pickaxes to the miners and given that at least two iron would come in tomorrow, the Smithy would be able to make 24 steel pickaxes, which would surely improve the daily output of iron? Three days would see me with a mining workforce fully equipped with the new pickaxes. Three days though. When I should have been using those days in building up a surplus ready to trade for food if Figus came back from the Necromancer with a decent deal.494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2VD4YRHAN
494Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfJPDxmPRC
This was discouraging, but more positive was the discovery that the hunting lodge level 2 had the capacity for four more workers. That was a must. I assigned the new hunters from the reserves of workers (now only 8 strong) and went for the hunting lodge level 3 as the next build. While iron was vital, food was even more so and there was no guaranteeing that my ambassador would even return, let alone with a trade agreement.
