My face fell. “I understand.” I was still on my tight schedule.
Jim offered me an apologetic smile. “Is there anything else you’d like to report?”
“Actually, yes. I’ve found David Tenenbaum.”
Both Tal and Jim gaped at me as I explained the situation that led to our meeting and how NEO’s time dilatation acted as a bridge that allowed the player to communicate with other people.
“That’s an incredible discovery,” Jim said excitedly once I’d finished recapping the details. “We’ve all been so focused on the research and breakthrough opportunities FIVR time dilation offered, we neglected to pursue the possibility of the technology aiding challenged people. Just think, there might be many other improperly diagnosed people who can be helped. We have to look into it.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I said. “Anyway, David wanted to send a message to his parents. Do you think you can contact them and let them know he’s okay?”
Jim smiled. “I’ve got the contact details of every player in the game. But why don’t I let you be the one to talk to them? I’m sure they’d prefer to speak to the person who met their son.”
“I’m … uh …” I didn’t expect that. “Yeah, of course.”
Jim turned to his computer and typed a few commands. He then pressed a button on a speaker built onto his desk and got up. “Why don’t Tal and I give you some space?” he suggested. “We’ll be right outside.”
A female voice answered the call. “Hello? Tenenbaum residence, to whom am I speaking?”
I sat on the chair as the two other men vacated the room. “Hello, Ms. Tenenbaum. My name is Oren Berman. I’m one of the players in NEO, and I have a message for you from your son.”
***
The call took about ten minutes. Tal and Jim were waiting for me when I stepped out of the office.
“So?” Jim arched an eyebrow at me. “How did it go?”
“Emotional,” I sighed. “His mom cried, then his father. But they were both ecstatic to hear that their son was alright. They almost didn’t believe me when I told them I’d spoken to him. They feel better now about him being stuck in the game, though they still want him out.”
“Good,” Jim said softly. “It’s hardest on the loved ones that are left behind.”
Having said something similar about Bob’s death to a certain VI, I could certainly relate to the sentiment.
“I’m ready to log back in,” I said.
Jim nodded. “Your capsule is ready.”
Tal led the way toward the lab and opened the door with a flourish. “After you, your royal chiefness.”
I grinned at him. “See you soon.”
I stepped into the capsule, and the world around me melted away.
9 - Economics
I found myself back inside the war room at the Chief’s Haunt.
The players had long since left, and aside from the few goblin maids, there was no one around the house.
I had some housekeeping to do in the clan before heading out to the Stoney Barrens.
First up, I had to check in on the newly opened trade routes. I accessed the Settlement Interface and switched to the Breeder’s Den tab.
Breeder’s Den
Basic food available: 30,070 [daily yield: 2,030]
Advanced food available: 7,203 [daily yield: 1,710]
Exquisite food available: 1,561[daily yield: 220]
That was a lot of food for four days, but I frowned as I ran the numbers in my head. It should have been more.
Kaedric, I projected my thoughts, please meet me at my house. Bring Yeshy with you.
While I waited for them to arrive, I accessed the Global Economy screen and selected Everance’s trade details.
The screen opened to a list of almost every type of item and resource I could think of. Common items like wood, food, and weapons were complemented with exotic stuff like adamantium, rare potions, and imported exquisite goods. The prices, however, were staggering. Everything cost at least ten times more than it should have.
“What the hell?” I growled.
“Ah, I see you’ve inspected our new trading partner’s prices,” my trade minister remarked as he and Kaedric followed one of the maids into the war room.
“Why are the prices so high?” I asked.
The gremlin shrugged. “They don’t like you.”
I blinked at him.
“You forced them into a trade agreement,” he explained. “Diplomatic relations with foreign settlements can affect global economics. Since the other towns we trade with are all part of your clan, you get the best possible deals they can offer. Everance is not so generous.”
“Damn,” I said. “I was looking forward to tapping into their market.”
“You can still purchase from them,” the gremlin said. “It’s just going to cost you more. On the bright side, their hostility doesn’t affect their buying needs. With most of their agricultural towns conquered, the city has to import most of its food through the sea and will gladly buy large amounts of raw food.”
“How do you know so much about them already?” I asked.
The gremlin chuckled. “By agreeing to trade with us, Everance was forced to build a Gremlin’s Guild inside their walls. I’m not allowed in myself, but your traveler friends have already located a few of the local travelers who agreed to manage our affairs. I offered them a quest to keep an eye out for new trade opportunities, and this is what they’ve found so far.”
“Let’s sell them everything they need,” I decided. “I could use the extra tax income.”
Yeshy nodded. “I’ll set it up. I’ll make sure to give us preferences regarding food purchases as well. We’ll need it, especially with the recent setbacks.”
“What setbacks?” I asked.
“Some of our caravans were raided,” the gremlin explained. “Outlaws like juicy trade routes. A few bandit groups got away with some of the goods before your forces were able to drive them back.”
I sighed. “And I recently recalled all the patrolling soldiers and now the bulk of the army is on its way north. I thought we said that 40 soldiers per caravan should be enough to protect them.”
Kaedric shook his head. “That’s an ample force to repel most common outlaws, but there’s a significant bandit presence along some of our southern trade routes. Thankfully, not much was stolen, but it might get worse if left unhandled.”
“Let’s handle that, then.” I paused for a moment. “How are we going to handle that?”
“If I may make a suggestion,” Kaedric said smoothly, “simply eradicating the threat won’t be a long-term solution. Others will soon replace them. Establishing a permanent garrison in the heart of the conflicted area will be the best approach.”
“Great, let’s do that.”
“I’ve already instructed the researchers to develop the appropriate blueprints,” Kaedric said. “They are about a third of the way to completion.”
“Alright,” I said, my thoughts racing ahead. “We’ll need to build this outpost. We’ll need to bring the resources to the appropriate location, and that will take time.” I looked at the mounted wall map for an appropriate location.
“The outlaws attacked from the small mountain range between Woodhaven and Claytown. It looks like they have a hidden base somewhere in the mountains they use to raid caravans. It’s a central spot with good visibility; a perfect place for bandits to make their base.”
“So … here?” I pointed at a spot on the map just to the east of the mountain range.
Kaedric nodded. “We should send scouts to look for the best place to establish an outpost so it will cover the most ground.”
“Tell Savol to send them. The army should still be around Storg. How long will it take them to get there?”
“About a day to march over and survey the area. Even less if we send out bonetis-mounted scouts.”
I�
��d almost forgotten about our newly acquired mounts. “Good idea. Have the scouting party bring the mobile shrine along with them and tell the army to commission a new one in the meantime. As soon as the scouts find a good location, let me know and I’ll teleport over there.”
“Of course, my lord.”
“All done,” Yeshy declared. “A new trading route has been established with Everance. It will gather food from the nearby settlements. The taxes will provide us with an additional 250 gold every day.”
“Nicely done,” I complimented him and accessed the Global Economy screen again.
Global Economy
Tax rate: 25%
Daily income: 1,425 (current treasury: 20,270)
Active trade routes: 6
Active patrols: 6
Thanks to the deal I’d struck with Everance’s spymaster, my clan’s treasury looked better than ever.
“I think it’s time to summon some new soldiers,” I said. “I promised Sullivan a thousand; let’s see if I can write off some of that debt.”
“Shall I take care of that for you, my lord?” Kaedric asked.
“No. I’ll do it. Let’s go outside.”
I bade my trade minister goodbye and walked the short distance to the Breeder’s Den.
“First, I want to summon as many bonetises as possible,” I decided.
“We have 320 units of limestone in our stores.”
I queued in 32 of the mantis-like creatures. A few goblin haulers came running by carrying piles of the white stone and shoved them into the building. Soon, a line of palm-sized eggs came rolling out and quickly hatched into level 22 bonetises, giving me 60 total in my army.
“How many hob lieutenants can I summon given our current food supply?” I asked.
“That will be 370,” Kaedric replied. “That number will exhaust our entire stock of advanced food and will consume 60 percent of our basic food.”
“Alright,” I said. I queued in 300 hob lieutenants then added 46 goblin healers, the maximum I could with our current supplies. I glanced at the amount of remaining food. I still had 15,000 basic and 681 exquisite food available. The advanced food was gone. But I wasn’t through yet. Using most of the remaining basic food, I summoned 80 new Infernal Ogres, leaving me with 3,000 basic food.
A long line of level 19 hobs started spewing out of the Breeder’s Den, followed closely by goblin adepts at level 16. The unnamed level 25 Ogres came next. They quickly filled up all available space outside the building, blocking the road.
“Welcome to the GreenPiece Clan,” I said.
A silence fell over the newly summoned creatures, and they all turned to regard me with a focused, near reverent attention I wasn’t used to. Another symptom of my recent ascension to a tier 4 boss.
“Those of you who aren’t named will be given one,” I continued. “You will join the ranks of our immortal warriors. You will fight, die, and rise to fight again for the glory of our clan.” I felt the goblin in me stir with excitement at the sight of the powerful force cowering before me. “Fight well. Make our enemies bleed and tremble at our name. For the GreenPiece Clan!”
“For the GreenPiece Clan!” They roared after me.
I ordered the new troops to accompany me to the cathedral, where I performed the naming ceremony for the Infernal Ogres. I'd prefered to take the time and let them acclimate first - to increase their chance of survival - but the army was on the move and I needed them to reach it. Thankfully, in an unprecedented stroke of luck, only two Ogres failed the process. Then I proceeded to grant all the new soldiers the Lucky Bastard skill and several additional spells to the adepts. By now I was so used to the process that each transfer hardly took a second; I was able to go through everyone in half an hour.
The bonetises didn’t get any skills, though. As naturally unintelligent beasts, it was almost guaranteed they’d implode if I made the attempt.
“Kaedric,” I said. “Have everyone geared up and send them through the portal to Storg to catch up with the rest of the army. They shouldn’t have made it too far yet.”
My seneschal bowed. “Of course, my lord. Though I fear we have enough gear to equip only 51 of the Ogres.”
I winced. “I forgot to check the inventory first.”
“If I may make a suggestion, my lord?”
“Sure.”
“Ogres have thick skin so they can make do without armor for now. As for weapons, we have just enough Ogre-sized crossbows to hand out. They can focus on ranged attacks and perhaps equip large tree branches in case they’re needed in melee.”
“That’s a good idea, but I don’t like our troops going out without an extra layer of protection.”
“Our crafters will be able to provide the required amount of armor within a fortnight, or we may order it from Storg.”
I mulled over the suggestion. “I prefer our crafters stockpile armor for the future Ogres we summon. How much will it cost to import the armor we need?”
“The minimum quantity of 100 units of leather armor of suitable size will cost 7,800 gold.”
“That’s nearly half our treasury.” Still, the gold wasn’t helping me by just sitting there. “Alright, I guess that was the whole reason for not spending it all on food. Tell Yeshy to arrange the trade. At least we’ll have some spare sets of armor for the next batch of Ogres.”
Kaedric bowed his head. “I shall make the necessary arrangements, my lord.”
“Anything else I need to know about the clan?”
“The foblin population has just passed 8,000 and is starting to get out of hand again. Another culling would be advisable.”
I had sacrificed thousands of foblins as cannon fodder against the army that was sent to stop us. It was a necessary step to ensure our victory, but I wasn’t prepared to just casually sacrifice thousands of my kin. Not without a good tactical reason. “Keep them in check for now. I might need them later.”
“Yes, my lord. Other than that minor inconvenience, everything else is well in hand. Our production chains are working at maximum efficiency and morale is high.”
“Good. In that case, I’ll leave you to it.”
The crowd of over 400 new troops started to filter out toward the barracks.
Everything was being taken care of. I had about a day ahead of me before the scouts would reach the bandits’ area and report in.
It was time for some enchanting.
***
“Hey, Vrick,” I greeted the goblin crafter as I entered his workshop. “Is it ready?”
It had been a long time since I’d had a conversation with my clan’s first lieutenant. Vrick had originally commanded our meager goblin forces before I started using the Breeder’s Den to summon our stronger hobgoblin kin. At my encouragement, Vrick had taken a liking to leatherworking and was single-handedly responsible for the high quality of armor the light infantry soldiers and Ogres were wearing. At this point, he had several other veteran leather workers under him, but Vrick was still the best.
“It is ready, dreaded Shadow Lord.” Vrick bowed respectfully and pointed toward an armor stand at the back of the shop.
I approached the armor and inspected it. It was a beautifully crafted full-body piece that would snugly fit a certain goblin princess. The entire armor was covered with small greenish flakes in vortex patterns that spiraled around larger red flakes embedded at the key sections of the body: stomach, back, hips, shoulders, and forearms. I could sense the exquisite craftsmanship without even needing to inspect it.
“My finest piece yet,” Vrick said proudly as he approached me. “Thin layers of finest oxsaurian leather, embedded with the last of the Pyrolith scales we had in stock. Each demon scale is surrounded by smaller kobold scales in a pattern that inherits the strength of the larger one. The spirals will evenly distribute the force of an impact across the entire body, significantly reducing damage. The piece is also quite light, allowing for a full range of motion. It will stop a weapon better than a suit of unenchanted armo
r weighing ten times as much.”
I nodded and analyzed the armor.
Royal Scale Armor
Description: An exquisitely crafted piece of armor that offers full protection to the wearer’s body. Composed of a mesh of finest oxsaurian leather, naturally fire-resistant demon scales, and interlocking tempered kobold scales, this suit of armor offers excellent protection while providing high mobility for the wearer.
Runecraft Viability: Can hold up to 6 runes.
Type: Armor [full-body set]
Rank: Magical
Durability: 220/220
Armor: 40
Effect I: 50% fire resistance
Effect II: Completely negate damage lower than the armor value.
“That’s amazing, Vrick,” I said admiringly. The armor was decent for a non-metallic piece, but its ability to negate damage was amazing. Normally, armor halved the damage of hits lower than its value. It typically required armor value four times greater than the sustained damage to completely negate it. This would be especially useful given my impulsive vow of not allowing Lirian to get hurt.
I looked up at the expectant goblin and feigned a scowl. “It’s much better than the Pyrolith Gambeson you made me.”
“My apologies, Shadow Lord.” Vrick bowed his head. “I’ve learned much since crafting your armor, and I didn’t have access to all the materials I now have.”
“I’m only joking.” I pointed at my own fine mithril vest. “I’ve already found a replacement.”
Vrick sniffed. “Metal. Well, if you don’t mind spending 50 times more for the precious metal simply to achieve the same elastic properties as proper leather armor …”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry, as soon as I get my hands on some dragon scales or something similar, I’m going to order my next suit from you.”
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 16