“And you can say anything differently?” Erik said.
“Hey, it makes perfect sense to disassemble and reassemble through obstacles. I would fucking rock an obstacle course!”
Matt couldn’t help but grin as Erik sighed and held his head, pitying himself.
“Case of the special leading the challenged,” Matt said before whistling and looking around.
“I like him.” Egbert pointed to Matt as Erik didn’t seem to quite appreciate Matt’s words.
“Egbert, Matt; Matt, our resident skeleton. Oh, Matt, we have a blueprint office. They look at making designs for buildings. Also, they’re pretty good at making blueprints exactly so people can blueprint different weapons, or physical items. Unless things have changed?” Erik looked to Egbert.
“Nope, nothing has changed. They’re incorporating formations into the buildings as well. We did some with the homes we have now, but they’re looking to reduce energy costs so that people don’t have to pay such a high Mana bill,” Egbert said.
“And here I was thinking I got away from paying my hydro bill,” Matt grumbled.
“Means hot showers and toilets that flush,” Erik said.
“Sign me up!” Matt said, suddenly struck with emotion at having hot water on tap.
“Some people have been making the bidets that Rugrat was talking about.”
“There really is a God!” Matt said, his emotions building as he looked away to make sure no tears leaked out.
Egbert looked at Erik.
“You’re missing out, dude. Bidets—like a god’s sparkly cleaning refreshment of your undercarriage.” There was no change in Erik’s voice; he was completely calm and serious.
“What the fuck happened to you as a kid?”
“I shit like a fucking king,” Erik said.
Egbert opened his mouth several times as Matt got himself under control but no words came out from Egbert. For the first time in history, the skeleton was sunk into a period of speechlessness.
“Now, what’s been going on round here?” Erik asked.
Egbert started with the upgrades to the city, the increases that were going on, the building of the parks, the increased production from all planned areas, the iron mine that with current technologies would be dried out in just three more years, and they were looking for more deposits in the surrounding area. They were also looking at prices of iron ore from other places and the council was buying this ore instead of straining the mines. They could buy more ore; it was at a higher price, yes, but it could make their own ore mines last longer. More people had learned how to make Mortal-grade iron, which could be sold at an increased price; just transforming it into Mortal-grade ingots meant it could be sold to the Second Realm at a great profit.
The traders who were heading to the Second Realm came up, the formation of the Adventurer’s Guild, the loss of twenty percent of their military as they became adventurers instead as the profits of fighting for themselves won out.
The upgrade to existing facilities in the academy, the cookhouse reaching level three and the changes that it meant.
The battle at Vermire and Aditya’s actions in repelling the people of Zatan, as well as the actions of the special teams and the regular parties.
Erik asked pointed questions. This was his area of expertise and he was able to quickly build up an idea of all the moving parts in the battle that had happened.
Matt listened to it all, a bit shocked by the changes, but it wasn’t outside of his realm of possibilities. Simply put, Erik and Rugrat’s ideas were in line with people from Earth’s; their plans and actions had changed the thoughts of the people in Alva so that they were following the same thought process, allowing them to increase the rate that Alva built itself up at speed with practices taken from Earth.
A change in thought and the way one carries out their actions has been able to have this impact.
They made it to the market and the dining hall. People were talking and looking over to Erik. He waved to a few but kept on talking to Egbert to get up to date as he ordered food.
Matt looked at the food choices, seeing food dishes that were prepared in the style of Earth food. He got a number of dishes and sat down. The other two continued to talk about the events that had gone on while Erik was away. His eyes moved to the trading stalls that were in the same area of the dining hall.
Matt used a spell to increase the range of his sight, looking over the displayed items and prices listed by the merchant stalls in his sight.
Then Matt bit down on the steak. He made a grunting noise as he closed his eyes, forgetting trading and focusing on the flavor and tenderness of the steak!
Egbert looked over at him in alarm. Those twin blue orbs held hidden judgement as Erik grinned.
“Good, right?” Erik said.
“I got a buff from it too?” Matt had good food before that had been able to give him a boost, but the price of such food was nothing like the prices he had paid here. If he could take this to other cities and simply sell the food…?
Would I be able to sell such food? How could I stop from eating it myself?
“So damn good!” Matt said, putting his traderly thoughts away and digging into the food.
He talked about a blueprint office. What would happen if I was to bring my modern knowledge of architecture to them?
Back on Earth, Matt had been stuck building lame utility buildings and functional buildings. They were well made and they served a purpose but they were not the most architecturally pleasing buildings ever made. The sight of them wouldn’t make people stop and stare in interest. Also, with those useful buildings, couldn’t he make buildings that were like development plots? Most buildings in the Ten Realms were built as one unit. If he could build them with the earth-normal systems like water, electrical, heating and cooling, then it might make building faster—could turn people from builders to breaking it down into the trade crafts they were best suited for.
It would be like when a family used to come together to build a single place and then moving to a system where people would have plans for a building and they would hire on professionals who would do one part of the building in their craft. The first buildings were sturdy and functional, but the second series of buildings could be built much faster and to a higher standard.
He had done plenty of technical drawings; he could help out on that point and standardize them all, improving the speed to draft a blueprint so that it could be replicated or sold on the market. There would be a need to make a records office and building permit office to deal with the building. All of these systems were from Earth and they were incredibly easy to start, but they would increase the ability of the people of Alva.
I need to see what they’re working with so I can see what I can add to it.
Matt grinned. He did like the thrill of making a deal, but to be able to use his architectural knowledge…he would have not completed the program if he was not interested in building. In Alva Dungeon, he didn’t need to do a set thing; he could make plans for all kinds of things for fun and then buy goods from Alva Dungeon and sell them in the Third Realm.
Matt looked over to Erik, who was talking to Egbert between bites of food.
Buying a place in the Third Realm was a masterstroke, as it opens up all of the channels of the Third Realm up to Alva.
They need to worry about external threats, but they’re hidden in the First Realm. Traders moving across the other realms, creating outposts and bases in these widely spread areas, if they remain neutral and are able to keep out of the conflicts and the same noble in-fighting and rivalry that happens in the Ten Realms and handle Alva like a city back on Earth, with everyone being equal, it will allow them to grow faster than others and have a greater sense of belonging and support one another. Just the cooperation among the crafters helping one another out will be a strength hard to find in other cities in the Ten Realms.
Matt silently judged the city around him as Erik finished getting up to spee
d on everything.
“Okay, I’m going to head to the healing house and Alchemy lab. Matt, if you want, Egbert can take you to the blueprint offices?”
“Sounds like a plan to me!” Matt said excitedly.
***
Delilah sat in one of the new parks that had appeared around Alva. She had been reading a formula she had gotten from the Alchemy lab when she looked up unconsciously, seeing Erik walking toward her.
“Teacher!” A wide smile appeared on her face as she jumped up to greet him.
Erik laughed and waved her down as he sat on the bench as well. “Seems that you have been spending plenty of time in the Alchemy gardens and the Alchemy lab.” Erik smiled.
“I’ve been trying to increase my ability with Alchemy.” She smiled back at him.
“Good! But how have you been? Alva takes some adjustment to get used to.”
“It’s like nothing I thought would be possible. There aren’t many people but everyone’s abilities have only continued to grow. To think that everyone was just farmers and regular people before is hard to envision.” Delilah’s voice softened as her thoughts turned to her family members still in the Second Realm.
“Is there something on your mind?” Erik asked.
“Teacher, you have done so much for me but I want to ask if I can go back to the Second Realm and bring my family back to Alva Dungeon with me. They’re simple but hard-working people. They do not know how I did in the city and I have not talked to them in years.” As she talked, she went through a series of emotions.
“I don’t see why not. I would not feel safe if you didn’t go with one of the adventurer parties, though,” Erik said in a stern voice.
“Thank you, Teacher.” The weight on her heart became easier to bear.
Erik paused as he just looked around the park: couples were meeting together, friends going for a stroll, others working outside.
“It’s much more peaceful in here,” Erik said.
“Teacher…” Delilah paused.
“What is it?”
“Will you be staying for long?”
Erik looked back at the park but his eyes were distant. “I think I’ll stay for some time. There are some things I need to take care of, before the Fourth Realm.”
Delilah was happy but hearing about the Fourth Realm, her smile couldn’t help but sour. She had heard of the kind of hell that the Fourth Realm was from various stories. She didn’t know what was true or not, but from them she knew that the Fourth Realm was a land devoted to war and slaughter. She knew her teacher was a decisive and fighting man but it still made her scared for his safety. He had done a lot for her and helped her out of a bad situation. Everything she had now she owed to him.
Erik got a message and raised his sound transmission device.
He let out a sigh as he stood. “Looks like I have been summoned. We’ll meet up in two days? I want to see how far you’ve advanced. You can probably beat me in Alchemy by now!” Erik smiled.
Delilah stood with him and laughed. “I don’t know if I can meet Teacher’s ability, but I have been able to improve slightly,” she said proudly.
“I look forward to it!”
He took his leave and Delilah looked at his back. He stood tall, a pillar of Alva Dungeon and a man who looked to advance through the Ten Realms. He was no ordinary person and there was plenty of weight on his shoulders.
I need to get stronger in Alchemy so I can help Teacher and run it while he is not around!
Chapter: Reorganization
“Hello, Elise,” Erik said as he saw Elise at the coffee shop.
She stood and the two of them hugged before taking their seats.
“Came back a few hours ago and I haven’t even seen you. What did I do?” Elise asked with a smile as she poured some tea.
“Quite a damn lot—kept the dungeon running, upgraded it, expanded our trade routes, took down a confederation on level with a kingdom, facilitated the upgrade of the cookhouse, and oversaw the addition of nearly four hundred new residents,” Erik said.
Elise let out a wry smile and finished pouring the tea. “Sweet talk like that isn’t going to get you anywhere, Mister West.”
“No, but it makes it easier for me to say thank you. You’ve done one hell of a job and done it better than I or Rugrat could have done. Alva’s achievements to date are also your achievements,” Erik said in a solemn voice.
“It’s strange. I feel like most of the time I’m just putting out the damn flames and hoping that nothing else gets burned down,” Elise said, embarrassed by the praise as she drank from her cup.
“So, what did you want to meet with me about?” Erik asked. “I got the basics from Egbert, and I was planning to meet with everyone and talk to them to understand the situation better.”
Elise took a deep breath and put her cup down. “I want to be released from my position as council leader.”
Erik, who had been about to take a drink from his cup, stopped his hand mid-air and lowered it. “Okay. Who do you propose would take over your position?”
“I don’t propose anyone to do so. I do propose a new system of government to reflect the needs of the people of Alva that will better serve them in the future. As it stands, we have outgrown our current structure and we need to make changes in order to better serve the people of Alva and increase the speed that we develop.” Elise paused to gauge his reaction.
“I am listening,” Erik said.
“What I was thinking of was creating a system that promotes people based upon their ability and their temperament. Like with the military, those who are the strongest commanders, able to lead their people into battle and emerge victorious even in the worst of situations, and are able to beat others in a stand-up fight. We need those kinds of people leading all of Alvas departments. The best trader, the heads of the academy being picked out due to their ability instead of their seniority, then the head of the academy being picked from those people. We would make new departments: the leader of the adventurers, the leader of the academy, leader of construction, leader of the military and then the council leader to look over everyone else. They would be elected for a four-year period. Each position will be staggered, so every year one will be removed and another added. This will stop them from building up political parties. It will also mean that there will always be someone with four years’ experience as part of the council, able to help out the others.”
“Okay, so we pick out the people who excel in their field to lead that field, but why would they want the position?” Erik asked.
“Prestige? Funding? The ability to guide the future of Alva? Not only will they get the position, the resources of Alva will be there to help them advance their strength. After two terms, they will have to step down for at least one term, but if they are better than their opponents, they will return to the peak after those four years,” Elise said.
“No elections, only based on ability—I do like it.” Erik nodded. “Though who will be neutral enough to deal with it?”
“Egbert,” Elise said, making Erik raise his eyebrow as the pieces fell into place.
“He is completely bound to you and Rugrat. He cannot betray your orders; if you give him orders to carry this out, he will follow them to the letter. He would be the secretary of the council, which would elevate him to the highest position other than the council leaders, which would be you and Rugrat. He would chair the meetings and deal with the running of Alva. He might act as if he hates the task but he loves to be around people and Alva is essentially his home. It has been a long time since he saw the glory of the gnomes grace this place. He wants to build it back up and push everything to greater heights.”
Erik turned thoughtful. “Okay. I’ll give him three months to get everything sorted out. And I don’t want him to base the tests on just one’s ability; I want him to get an idea of their ability through observations and the like. Thank God we don’t have privacy laws.” Erik laughed to himself as Elise merely looked at hi
m before shrugging at another one of his odd sayings.
“So, what will you do if you’re not the council leader?” Erik’s tone softened, asking as a friend instead of the dungeon master.
“Trade.” Elise’s face broke out into an excited smile.
“Oh. And you and Blaze?” Erik asked.
“What do you mean?” Elise asked, thrown off-balance. Her wide eyes looked at Erik and then around to see whether anyone had heard anything.
“Well, why else would a smart trader like you with some funds be in Alva Village? Also, I’m not freaking blind. I have been married a few times.” Erik frowned at his own words before dismissing them from his mind.
Elise looked around and then to the table, not sure where to look or what to say.
“That much, huh?” Erik snorted and looked to the ceiling, tapping his fingers on the table as he sunk into thought. “Well, it would depend where he fell in this new shake-up.”
“What do you mean?” Elise looked at Erik with laser focus, her eyes thinned.
“We have had both Glosil and Blaze as the military part of the council, but with this new system there will only be one at the table, though we will also need another person from the Adventurer’s Guild. I can’t help but wonder if there will be one of them moving over to the Adventurer’s leadership spot. In a way, although the adventurers are not people of the military, they are people of Alva. The military force is our front line—our scouts and might—but the adventurers could be thought of as our reserve force. They might even have members who are stronger than those in the military as they will get a large amount of Experience being in the outside world but they are individuals instead of a fighting force,” Erik said.
“Though both of them, wouldn’t they want to try to be the leaders of the military?” Elise asked.
“Glosil followed Blaze because he saw that there was no way for him to increase his ability or level in the military, but Blaze left because he had been awarded with the right to create a village. He could have turned it down and continued to progress in the military. He has a great knowledge of military matters in the Ten Realms but he doesn’t have the fire of a younger man or a man whose heart and soul is called to the military,” Erik said, his words confident. He had seen it before when people he knew had left the military. When he had left the military, he had wanted to keep fighting, but the rules and the red tape of the military held him back, turning it into a political game he didn’t want to deal with.
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