The Fourth Realm (The Ten Realms Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  “We only have a certain amount of land, if we sell it all now and then it increases in price later, wouldn’t we be the idiots? We are selling only two percent of the land and three percent will be rented. We are looking to create an industry of wandering inns that will house people that are visiting for a short period. The prices will be reasonable so that people can come, trade for a short period and then leave, making most of our population mobile. Though we can draw people in with the Sky Reaching Resturants and Bala Dungeon in the valley, it can offer Journey man level gear and even expert level items and we triggered an event that we triggered when we entered the dungeon. Something called a crafter trial. I’m not sure what it is, but we finished it. It says that it will take some time before our rewards are revealed. With just the dungeon able to give weapons and armor, including a powerful armor set, people will flood from all over. Vuzgal is on the rise.”

  “Crafter Trial?” Hiao Xen’s brows pulled together as he held his chin. “Crafter trials have appeared in other dungeons, they are dungeons with crafting workshops, one creates items and then offeres it to the dungeon and then the dungeon once confirming the grade of the item will give them a prize and allow them to access higher grade workshops. These dungeons have started a new round of competition as some have the apprentice grade, others the Journeyman grade, while the crafters lose the item, the rewards can be many times greater, such as a higher grade blueprint, or training manual or rare resource.”

  Hiao Xen fell silent, Erik sitting there opposite.

  “With the protection of the associations it means that there are few people that will try and challenge Vuzgal in the near future. If it is a crafter dungeon trial, what do you plan on doing?”

  “Charge them one Earth grade mana stone to enter? Or talisman, there’s a talisman thing on the wall,” Erik said.

  “Well that practically confirms it, there are talismans given to the crafters, some are using them as medallions to show off their ability. They can be used to bypass workshops. If someone has a journeyman level talisman then they can access Journeyman level workshops. Okay, that changes things. If we can use the neutrality of the city, motivate the Crafter’s association to sell materials, advertise to others about requiring materials. There are a number of workshop areas in the city correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, if we can renovate those or combine those, do you have city planning?”

  “We’ve looked at it some,” Erik pulled out a map and passed it to Hiao Xen.

  “You should widen these roads and put the city on a grid system, also I would own the stores beside the major roads, that way you can retake ownership and expand the roads as needed. With time you’ll push to the North. The roads around the Totem need to be developed more, that will become our bottleneck until traders can start coming down the roads. There is a war going on to the West, the north road is in disrepair, the East road is still rough from your fight with the Blood Demon Sect. Roads and ease of access is the main problem of any city. We need to plan for a thousand years in the future, not tomorrow.”

  Hiao Xen was noting down information as Erik looked on, not wanting to break his though process.

  “We’re going to need to upgrade the sewage systems and the city’s infastructure. What about on the military side of things?”

  “We are looking to recruit more people and increase our strength quickly. Don’t want to rely on the associations too much.”

  “Good, but remember if it is in their interest they’ll send more resources over to affirm their position. Don’t be arrogant, but remember, if it benefits you both then they’ll probablu go for it. You can leverage these benefits, tying them closer to Vuzgal. Standing by youtself is only going to hurt in the future. Even the associations need one another from time to time.”

  “The valley around Bala Dungeon is also filled with Earth and Water attribute Mana, making it an ideal location to grow different alchemical ingredients. That, with the natural higher density of Mana in the Fourth Realm…” Erik shrugged.

  “You are learning,” Hiao Xen praised.

  “Okay, so what about the house prices?”

  Hiao Xen snorted and sat back.

  “I’d say keep them the same,” He waved the pencil in his hand as an idea hit him.

  “Actually, I’d say that you hold an auction for them,” Hiao Xen laughed.

  “What?” Erik asked, lost.

  “Well at the first few auctions, few if any people will buy anything, that gives us time, people will think that we think too much of ourselves. At the same time we talk and negotiate with the people of the assocaitions, get their backing, we build up these wandering inns for people to stay in, renovate the city and increase the military strength. Now what is your aim for the city?”

  “I’m, not sure, crafting and trading?” Erik asked. “Why do I feel like I’m the person being sold on this idea?”

  Hiao Xen paused for a moment. “Well, building a city, it’s exciting no? And I’m just offering some friendly advice! Okay so, we’re looking at crafting and trading, which I think plays to your strengths. I have also heard that there are people interested in your weapon technologies, that could be a good revenue generator,” Hiao dropped his voice suggestively and then cleared his throat.

  “So if you can rebuild those crafting workshops in the city, peole will just come for that, if there is really a crafting dungeon then we have that as well. Then with the Blue Lotus auctioning off items and then the Crafter’s association people using the workshops, or buying and selling items. Add in the general merchants and we’re looking good. You have already drawn in the Alchemist association as well. Damn, “Hiao Xen chuckled. “Then, well there are the dungeons, the sky reaching resturant, if you’re neutral as well. High prices with entrance fee?”

  “No, keep it low, more people coming and going,” Erik said.

  “Looks like you have been thinking ahead, tax rate?”

  “Seven percent, less three than other cities, and then it can reach five percent for different groups, gives us room to barter.”

  “Good! Okay, so for construction? Your biggest flaw is really people.”

  “Well it would be your job to hire more people, for building, our troops and the undead can all work as laborers. A lot of them are apprentices and there are a few journeyman crafters among them,” Erik smiled secretively.

  “What?” Hiao Xen asked.

  “Well we have the designs for an Expert level workshop.

  “What kind of workshop?”

  “All of them,” Erik dragged out his words as Hiao Xen felt his blood boiling in excitement. He wanted to yell out his questions. How did he get expert grade workshops blueprints? Why are his soldiers Journeyman level crafters?

  Hiao Xen calmed himself and took a deep breath, looking at the map, his notes, seeing an image in his mind. Thinking of the level of destruction in Vuzgal.

  “I will need to talk to my family before I agree to anything,” Hiao Xen said.

  “That makes sense. Take your time,” Erik said.

  “Well, looks like you two are up to something.” Rugrat said as he entered the courtyard in a teleporting flash with a man beside him with a beard and an odd-looking hat.

  “Small projects, Erik?” the man asked in wonder as he looked around him.

  “Hiao Xen, this is Matt Richardson. He’s a friend of mine and the one who will be in charge of fixing this place up,” Erik said.

  “Ah, so you’ll be the one managing this place once I’m gone. Sounds like you’ll need all the luck that I can give.” Matt reached out his hand.

  “Rebuilding Vuzgal will be a hard task.” Hiao Xen confirmed as he extended his hand.

  “Thankfully, I’ve got blueprints already made up for a lot of what we’ll need, so that should make it a bit easier. I get to set my own hours, which makes things a bit easier to manage. I’ll focus on the inner city first and then the outer city. Though some of it will remain empty lots or ba
sic rooms for guilds and associations to fill in.” Matt let out a sigh. “A task from Erik is rarely easy.”

  “Good to see you, Hiao Xen. Hope that the family has been well,” Rugrat said.

  “They’re both doing well. My son has applied to be a guard for the Blue Lotus and there is a high chance he will be accepted, though the attack mages have their eyes on him. He was able to open another two Mana gates since you last saw him,” Hiao Xen said with some pride.

  “I knew he had it in him!” Rugrat guffawed with a hearty laugh.

  “Well, you have much to do and I need to go and discuss this with my wife. I hope you all have a good day.” Hiao Xen said as he departed.

  ***

  “Let’s go to my office.” Erik led Rugrat and Matt to the castle, giving command to Yui to organize the carriages of materials that were headed to Alva.

  “How are things from lower?” Erik asked as they walked.

  “Organized things—the leaders are all talking to one another, organizing, consolidating and such. We’ve expanded fast and furious style in the last couple of months. Got a bunch of new recruits across the board, more people than ever. Elan Silaz paid a visit. I talked to him about our plan to grow some eyes and ears more aggressively. Everything is going well. We don’t have anything of immediate concern. How are things going here?” Rugrat explained.

  “Everything is according to what we planned. We need to work on building up the city. Should take a few weeks to stabilize. Most of the people from Tareng have left, only a few have bought a piece of land. I’m talking to Hiao Xen about managing all of this. I sent word to Old Hei about Vuzgal.

  “I talked to some farmers, showed them the valley and they drew up some plans on it with a few alchemists to see about working the land there.”

  Erik nodded as they fell silent.

  Matt was looking around the city with a professional eye as there was a noise in the distance.

  Erik and Rugrat saw George flying as an irate Gilga chased after him.

  “Looks like George ruined her midday nap.” Erik chuckled as he shook his head.

  “Little devil,” Rugrat sighed.

  “So, what do you want me to do with the city?” Matt asked.

  “Vuzgal was originally broken down into the inner and the outer city. The inner city holds most of the noble homes, the higher-classed crafting workspaces and upper markets.

  “I want to focus on the inner city first, on cleaning up the streets. The castle is the central piece and the roads around it are like a wagon wheel with the spokes outward, with the intersections having watchtowers to watch over the area.

  “I want to turn these intersections into places for markets. I want the waste and water system to be reworked to our standards through the whole city. I want to have Sky Reaching Restaurants located in the city, as well as Wayside Inns for people to rest in at a cheap fee. The inn’s will be for adventurers and people who are visiting. It will be a cheap place to stay for a few weeks so people don’t have to get homes. I aim to have a high amount of non-resident traffic moving through the city.

  “Once the inner city is cleaned up, we’ll plan the outer city. The outer walls will be turned from a circular wall into lines of bunkers and the streets will be in a grid form. The east, west and south gates will act as the basis of the grid system. Cut through what is left, put down water and waste systems and roads. People will be allowed to buy plots of land in the outer city, though we will break them up into sectors.

  “To the east and west sides, where the roads come in, we will have merchant houses and warehouses. On the major roads of the entire city, I want to have storefronts but as the roads meet and head more south, we will have more crafting workshops. To the north, we will have the Fighter’s Association and people coming to fight at the dungeon.

  “There will be a major intersection ahead of the castle where the associations are located, then the castle and then roads that lead to the dungeon. These will have rich buyers and sellers of high-quality goods to tempt those going into the dungeon.”

  “So fighters in the north. Traders and warehouses east and west. From north moving south, there will be crafters, then the associations, then the castle, then high value traders, then the southern exit into the valley. Have Wayside Inns located at different key locations. Mark building zones the outer city but have people build their own homes. Need a planning office here to make sure that they build it up to code. The inner city will need to be repaired; need zoning for different places and jobs. Break up where businesses can buy land, so at least when starting there isn’t a monopoly over the best trading spots.

  “Fit in some residential areas inside of the warehouses and close to the crafting workshops. It will be crafters who want to stay inside of the city or the workers we need to commute to the government buildings. With the bunker systems, we will get a lot of ruck from the walls, but building the bunkers shouldn’t be so complex. Basically need to make a modular design and then replicate it over and over again. These undead workers have the Fuse spell, right?”

  “That’s correct,” Erik said, sensing that Matt was more throwing the question out than needing an answer as he was stuck in thought.

  Matt pulled out his freshly updated map from Erik and looked at it. “Well, I can send these plans back to Alva and get people in the blueprint and city planning department to start breaking up the land and zoning it. Then I’ll have them work on the Wayside Inns. As much as it looks like fun, I’ll need to work a while on the bunker system. I would suggest that we have Qin up here to look it all over. She can maybe fit a formation to it all, increase our fighting strength.”

  “What about the barrier?” Erik asked.

  “With a wall we’re going to get that area underneath that the enemy will be inside the barrier. If we go with interlinked bunkers, have to talk to the formation masters, but being a big bubble I think that we can go right infront of the bunkers, gives ut cover and then only if the enemy is ontop of the bunkers will they be inside the barrier

  “I’ll need your help in designing the bunkers. They’ll be pretty simple, but I’ll make them so that people have bathrooms, underground medical facilities, air circulation, heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Rugrat was talking earlier about formations to help mages defend. I can hide those in different open areas, turn them from courtyards and trading areas into mage casting areas.”

  “With the Mana cannons we can probably hook them up to the dungeon core for power.” Rugrat added.

  “Shouldn’t be an issue,” Matt shrugged. “Though might be good to ask some mages about different offensive spells can use so that we can try and fight back against them.

  “You’re speaking my language,” Erik nodded in confirmation.

  They reached the castle and Matt pulled out a map of Vuzgal. “Right now, order the undead to start cleaning up the streets. That will make construction easier in the future. I’ll plan out the streets, then the waste and water systems, then power systems. I can just enlarge what plans I have already made from before, plug those in.”

  Erik and Rugrat led him into the main pillar and then through a secret door into the dungeon core.

  Matt looked around at the glowing Mana stones. “Damn.” Matt whistled. The Mana density was much higher in here, making one feel relaxed and temporarily forget their thoughts, before focusing them and removing the fatigue in their body.

  “Could you give me access?” Matt inquired as he composed himself again.

  Erik pulled up a screen, giving Matt the correct dungeon access.

  Matt moved to the center of the room. The dungeon core was located underground, hidden from the eye but he was still able to access the building interface to see the city above them.

  Matt pulled out pieces of paper, blueprints he had already designed.

  Once he input a number of them into the Vuzgal dungeon interface, he pulled up the large three-dimensional map of Vuzgal.

  Matt inputted all
their previous plans into the dungeon interface and adjusted where needed or where conflicts arose.

  The dungeon started to make changes underneath the city, firming up stone, creating basements, building new sewage lines. Changing the makeup of the ground so that the covering stone just needed to be placed down and fused. Work began on the first bunkers, hidden away from prying eyes.

  He studied it for a second and then started to put down Sky Reaching Restaurant foundations. They were based off the same design of the original in the Third Realm. They were shorter in the outer city and grew taller and larger in the inner city. The tallest restaurant just a few blocks from the association and castle, commanding an incredible view over the city.

  “What about the Wayside Inns?”

  “Have some done up apartment-style, then others that are the one main hotel and then separate buildings. As larger groups come, they’ll want to have an entire house to themselves. Vary the sizes so that even if a powerful group comes, they’ll have a place for them and their guards to stay,” Erik said.

  Matt made some notes and moved the city display around a few times, expanding it on certain buildings.

  “What are you doing?” Rugrat asked.

  “Well, instead of designing them from the ground up, I’m finding buildings that suit my needs at least in part; then I’ll use those parts, put them together, check the structure and then build them. Nice and simple—don’t need to start from scratch either. Though that bunker system will be all new,” Matt said.

  “You put more thought into it?” Rugrat asked Erik.

  “Yeah, we’re on an incline to the various approaches so we slope the ground down further. Make a ramp up to the bunkers. The front-line bunkers will all have repeater fire bases and rifles. When we upgrade to machine guns, we can switch the repeaters for them.”

  “When we can get the ammunition issue sorted out, I need to revisit that,” Rugrat sighed.