The Fifth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  “Another academy?” Jia Feng looked at Erik and Rugrat.

  “It would be like an outer feeder academy. We screen people through it, pull them to our side and to Kanesh Academy, or let them go. We send people up there to break through to Expert and they spread that information in Kanesh,” Rugrat said.

  “Okay, but for students, for staff, what are the requirements? There are a lot of people who are going to want to go. They’ve built up savings, resources, and skills. Down here, they’re just another student, but up there, they have position, power, can show off to others. If a lot of them leave, well, Kanesh might become the weaker academy of the two,” Jia Feng warned.

  “For teachers and the internal running of the academy, we will need your assistance. As for students, they will have to rely on their own means if they want to reach the Fourth Realm. I see Kanesh as our main academy. We will always improve the conditions here first before anywhere else. The mana density is nearly two times stronger than that in Vuzgal, the prices are cheaper here, there are more books and less competition for the higher level workshops. The academies will need to adapt to the changing environment,” Erik said.

  Jia fell silent for a few moments before nodding. “If they truly want to go to the Fourth Realm, having them pay their own way will make them more motivated. We cannot take on everyone’s fees.”

  Rugrat leaned forward. “With the teachers, we will be recruiting them to join the Vuzgal Academy, but we will need to evaluate them. Those who pass our tests, we should look at inviting them down to Kanesh Academy and making them Alva residents. All information from Vuzgal will be relayed and held in the library. Still, we’re going to need some books, tools, and items for the academy.”

  “We’ll need items to bring people to the Vuzgal Academy,” Jia Feng said, showing she understood. “We can get the scribes to copy a number of books and send them over to Vuzgal to entice people to join. With the tools and resources, we will need to find out what they need, compile everything that we have. I’ll have the department heads coordinate who they want to send: resources, tools, and other items. It will take some time to organize. While I think that the students should pay, will there be some aid for the staff to move?”

  “Do we have ways to reduce the costs on the teachers and staff?” Erik asked Delilah.

  “We can purchase monster cores from the traders at a set rate. Elise should be able to take care of that.” Delilah looked at Elise, who tilted her head in acknowledgement.

  “Instead of needing to pay immediately, we take the money from their wages until they pay it off, with no extra interest—would that be enough?”

  “I think so.” Jia Feng looked to Delilah, who turned to Erik and Rugrat.

  “Okay, so that is pretty much the summary of Vuzgal, right?” Erik looked at Rugrat.

  “Sounds right to me.”

  “All right. Egbert, anything to report?”

  “The library has had to start using storage devices for all of the books. We need to expand the facilities soon. We are going through the books and items from Vuzgal but it will take some time to do so. I have worked with Delilah and the blueprint office to look at the development of the dungeon. We can actually increase the size of the floor now that we have the higher grade dungeon core. I have a few suggestions for this. If we can cut the rock into bricks with the dungeon core, we can use them later and it takes less time as we’re removing less material. It will allow us to expand the amount of area for the Alchemy garden and farmland. Though I am being asked by most people about the lower floors. Now that we have cleared the Metal floor, people from every department are interested in heading down there,” Egbert said.

  “Glosil, what are your thoughts on allowing people on the Metal floor?” Erik asked.

  “We have control over the beasts now—at least, it appears that way. I still would like it if Egbert is always watching over them and we have some of our military members on the floor as others are working there. At least for a few months until we’re sure we control everything.”

  “Once we confirm all of the beasts are under our control, would that make you feel better?” Delilah asked.

  “Yes, but a part of it is we just don’t know those beasts.” Glosil shrugged.

  “It’s your job to be paranoid. We’ll have a rifle squad at least on the floor where others are. Have the military coordinate visits. In a month, Egbert and Glosil, I want you to meet together, assess the threat of the floor,” Erik said.

  “I ask that the people on the floor are no more than two per soldier I send down there,” Glosil said.

  “That’s going to slow down anything that they do,” Jia Feng rebutted.

  “Slow and steady—better to be safe than dead,” Rugrat said.

  Jia Feng sighed and made a note.

  “Anything else?” Erik asked Egbert.

  “The dungeon in the Third Realm has reached peak efficiency. The only way they can grow more now is if they get new plants. The Sky Reaching Restaurant has gained fame in the Third Realm and Elise is running negotiations to expand into the other headquarter cities. We have finished filling the mana storing formation above us with Mortal mana cornerstones. With time, we will start to replace these with Earth-grade mana cornerstones. Removing the Mortal mana cornerstones, we can send them to Vuzgal to be used there. Though we might start running out of places to use them,” Egbert said.

  “Nice problem to have.” Rugrat laughed.

  “Well, we don’t want to waste them. I don’t think selling them would be the best idea. We just need to find a way to use them and not waste them,” Erik said.

  “Well, if anything, we can have people go back to those Crafting trial dungeons, plant a mana storing formation underneath, and then just mine out the mana stones that are created because of it,” Blaze said.

  “Mana stone mines—sounds pretty cool,” Rugrat said.

  “We’re still far from that. We need tens or hundreds of them in Vuzgal still,” Egbert warned. “That’s all I’ve got!” He sat back and pulled out his newest novel. Bending forward, he was half in the book as he read.

  The others in the room smirked, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.

  Erik didn’t even bat an eye and he looked to Jia Feng.

  “We’ve increased our student population. Right now, the issue is we have a lot of people in continuing studies. Though I think this will thin out some as people head to the Fourth Realm. The student grant system has gone well. Everyone below the age of sixteen has got a full education and those from sixteen to eighteen get two years of schooling for free, with the remaining years needing to be paid for by them. The Sky Reaching Restaurant and the healing house in Vermire have been great locations for people to apply their skills in real world situations. Though we have run into a small issue that Vuzgal could assist with.

  “We have the largest number of high Journeyman healers and cooks. They are improving all the time but they need people to take that next step. If we can get Expert teachers, this would help. The main issue is not advancement—it’s money. They earn good amounts for the First and the Third Realm, but if they were healing people who were in the higher realms, or cooking for higher level people, then they could make more money. With the Sky Reaching Restaurant in Vuzgal, we can adjust to allow them to earn more. Can we do the same with healing?”

  Erik frowned and Rugrat pressed his lips together.

  “I really don’t want to charge people more for healthcare. For food, that is different; it’s a luxury.” Erik cleared his throat, clearly having some difficulty.

  “Why don’t we treat them according to their rank, kind of like the military?” Rugrat said.

  Erik gestured for Rugrat to explain.

  “Well, like a private, a corporal, and a sergeant have different pay grades. Can we have the same for Apprentice, Journeyman, then like the low, mid, and high level? Keeps it competitive but fair. Money is one thing but some people just like proving their skill and abil
ity, being recognized for it. They show ability; they gain rewards and recognition. Nothing monetary, but can get more time with a teacher, access to greater tools or time in a high grade workshop,” Rugrat said.

  Erik looked to Jia Feng.

  She thought on the people in the academy.

  “How would we decide the pay across the different crafts?”

  “The pay would remain the same, one pay for having a Journeyman-level skill and being employed for it by Alva.”

  “If they work two jobs with different crafting skills?” Jia Feng asked.

  “I might be able to help you with that,” Elise said.

  Jia Feng winced internally. It was her job to try to remove problems for Erik and Rugrat, not add more work.

  “Thanks.” Jia Feng cleared her throat. “Also, we have found that people who trained in Kanesh Academy are looking for information on Vuzgal. I’m expecting that a number of our alumni will head to Vuzgal or return now that there are more opportunities of upward progression in all crafting areas. That’s all I’ve really got.”

  “All right, Blaze, you’re up.” Rugrat drummed his fingers on the desk.

  “Well, apparently I am being used to help the military in some way?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yup.” Erik smiled slyly.

  Blaze had a nonplussed look on his face as the corners of his mouth were raised in amusement.

  “Okay, well, the Adventurer’s Guild has continued to expand. We have been testing and watching them throughout. The first batch of Alva recruits are ready to be sent over, which should help increase numbers in Alva. Most of them are people who are from the military, crave to be in the military, or those who are interested in a craft but make their money fighting. We selected these people to bolster the strength of the army with veterans while giving people a way to work on their crafting skills. Even if they continue on with the Adventurer’s Guild, they will be stronger and be able to take on higher level positions.

  “We have been able to create deals with people in the Third Realm to protect trading caravans that cross between realms. They’re high-paying jobs but send our people across the realms now. We’re looking to expand more, picking out key cities that are along trading routes or in high-traffic areas. We have not expanded into the Fourth Realm. Protecting goods and traders there—most of the traders are allied or part of one sect or another. Through some research, that will need to be validated. Most guard forces have people who are at least level forty-five, up to level sixty. That is a big gap.

  “I have put out contracts to farm more monster cores and have running buy orders with the Trader’s Guild. We have set up contracts with traders and the academy for consumables and items, generating a nice little income. As I was told, I have been using everything that the association earns to improve our locations and find new ones. We have had some friction, a few fights here and there—bidding wars on different contracts. I don’t think that much changes with Vuzgal, though it sounds like I should increase our recruitment speed and testing people.”

  “Actually, one thing that might really help you is Elan,” Rugrat said.

  “Yeah, good point,” Erik agreed.

  “You might have heard of Elan Silaz. He’s Qin, Yui, and Domonos’s dad. He ran a trading company down here in the First Realm.” Rugrat’s eyes scanned over to Delilah, who seemed to know what he was talking about. “He has since been recruited into our ranks. He has taken over running our information networks and expanding them. We should have probably invited him to this briefing, but he’s training with the special teams to power level him. Elise, uh, actually, it might be an idea for the three of you to meet, share resources. The informants among the traders and the specialists in the different Adventurer’s Guild have been great at helping us understand what is happening in the realms. Now we want to not only know what’s going on, but affect what happens. He can consolidate our information networks, giving us greater reach. Instead of us all having our own information networks, we have one and it just becomes easier to manage.

  “Anyway, getting back to the point.” Rugrat looked up, trying to figure out where he had left off. “Ah! Information, moving places, gotcha! Okay, so, with his help, it might be easier to get contracts. They can help with recruiting, finding out the background of people. They can streamline things for us. So, everything is taken care of and we just need to set up shop and reap the rewards.”

  Elise and Blaze looked deeply interested.

  “It would be nice to have it all in one place. It is kind of hard to know who is the right person to talk to about different information. Then there are the agents in the Adventurer’s Guild who take over admin and deal with secrets with Alva, while informants just pass along information that they’ve heard on their travels,” Elise said.

  Jia Feng wasn’t that interested, but she could see the possibilities. “Would it be possible to use his information networks to find more students and teachers?”

  “With time, yes,” Rugrat said.

  “May I ask about this whole military training thing?” Blaze asked.

  “I have it as part of my report,” Glosil said.

  Blaze nodded and sat back as eyes shifted to Elise.

  “We’re selling more than ever. With our controls in place, there are very few people defaulting on their payments. Looking forward to moving into Vuzgal and seeing how things are there. Vermire is under our control. Having some problems with the economy of the First Realm. We’re starting to create a reporting system of different prices for different items in the cities. It has led to a massive amount of returns. We are now affecting the First Realm on a regional scale. I have been talking to the traders. We will need to add in controls to make sure we don’t screw up the entire First Realm economy.

  “Second Realm—we’re expanding into lots of industry. Third Realm is hard to break into. We basically have people shifting materials for Alva for the Sky Reaching Restaurant, selling ingredients, and finished concoctions. Will take time to expand into Vuzgal—again, harder market to enter, but with time we should be good.” Elise pursed her lips and looked up. “Yeah, that’s about it.” She looked to see whether there were questions before she turned to Glosil.

  Glosil checked the pad of paper in front of him.

  “The military is undergoing a complete change from the ground up. Basic soldiers will have training in melee and ranged combat, with a small focus on fighting with melee weapons and magic, and a heavy focus on fighting with their weapon system. There will be support elements such as those needed to build, upgrade, and advance equipment. Any upgrades that crafters can create in the academy can be applied to the military to earn compensation. So, new spell scrolls, defensive equipment, offensive equipment, clothing, pills, and concoctions—we will give rewards based upon these different items. We are recruiting personnel from the Fourth Realm, the Adventurer’s Guild, and Alva.

  “Vuzgal’s defenses are being built up. The entrance into Alva has been sealed now that we have the teleportation arrays and the totem. Basic training will be carried out in Vuzgal; advanced training will occur in Alva. It is my aim to raise our military strength to fifteen hundred, a battalion strength force. With that, we can have one company in Alva, and three companies in Vuzgal. The next aim will be to create a regiment, which will have close to six thousand soldiers.”

  “That is more soldiers than we have residents.” Delilah looked at them.

  “We have enough room in Vuzgal to hold at least one hundred, maybe one hundred and fifty thousand people. Most Alvans come from Vermire currently, and they have a population of a few thousand. Vuzgal will be like the floodgates,” Erik said.

  “That is a lot of people to deal with. If we expand too fast, then we could lose control over Alva. There is a lot to deal with: housing, food, the academy, trading, and loans,” Delilah said.

  “A lot of people will probably remain in Vuzgal and while the soldiers are bound to us, there is a process before they an
d their family can go to Alva,” Rugrat said.

  “With Vuzgal out in the open, it is much easier for us to recruit people there,” Erik said.

  “Why are we keeping Alva a secret? Would it be so bad if others knew about us?” Jia Feng asked.

  Erik took a deep breath before blowing out his cheeks, but Rugrat beat him to speaking.

  “We haven’t run into other dungeon masters. We don’t know if they would care about us or not. What we do know is that we’ve got a lot of resources. In the Ten Realms, it doesn’t matter how people got their power; it’s just the fact that they have power. The Ten Realms is a war zone, and announcing that we are going to build Expert-level workshops has drawn the interest of people who are level sixty. What do you think a sect will do if they find out about Kanesh Academy? With Vuzgal, we have an opportunity to bolster our strength.”

  “Well, that kind of doesn’t make much sense,” Blaze added.

  “How so?” Rugrat frowned.

  “Well, we clearly expect Alva and its people to increase in strength with time. As it does so, then others will of course want to take it from us. At what point do we say that we have enough strength that if we reveal Alva there won’t be an issue?”

  Rugrat was stumped and Erik leaned forward.

  “Okay, so when would it be okay to reveal Alva?”

  “Well, we don’t ever need to purposefully announce it. Though we can allude to the fact we know a secret place to train. Once we have complete control over Vuzgal, we should have a force that can defend and attack. We should have deep ties with the other associations at that time. Being open with them, allowing people to move back and forth between the associations and Alva, that would solidify our ties and using their position, not many people would think about challenging us,” Blaze said.