《AK – The Alchemy Kingdom》


 Chapter 176 - 176 – A New Life I

    Year 5, Summer, Third Month, First Week


    Mason stared anxiously at the misty lake. For the first time, he felt something that wasn¡¯t pure wonder while looking at the mysterious fog that protected AP from prying eyes. Breakfast shifted uncomfortably inside his stomach as he saw a dot coming through the mist. Soon, the image became clearer, and a boat¡¯s form appeared.


    The operator stood at the front, confident that they would reach AP without any problems. Behind him, Mason counted a dozen or so Adventurers. Most sat quietly, but a handful of them looked scared, probably newcomers. However, what he really wanted to see was the middle-aged couple shivering at the back seat of the boat.


    Countless memories flooded his mind as he remembered how unhealthy his parents were. His dad could barely stand for a few hours and his mother, though she tried to hide, had severe back pains. For a moment, Mason regretted making them suffer the hurdles of crossing the forest. Even with the potions and transportation that he arranged through Keller, their journey would weigh heavy on their frail bodies.


    But then, he remembered the new life they could build together in here. A few days ago, he rented a private hut with two bedrooms, which he had clean spotless, and bought a few things to make it more comfortable. He even spent most of the night working to take this morning off to receive his parents, and now it was finally time.


    The couple¡¯s fears instantly disappeared when they saw him. After living a tougher life than most, they didn¡¯t believe in half of what Keller told them, but they decided to take a chance on their son either way. But now, even without seeing everything, they knew Mason was living a good life here. They had never seen the boy so healthy and handsomely happy.


    When it was their time to exit the boat, they could barely contain the excitement of seeing him. Fortunately, Mason and the operator were used to helping people disembark, or else the couple would probably start their life with an accident.


    ¡°Mason! You look so¡­¡±


    A stream of tears formed on his mother¡¯s face as she couldn¡¯t find the words to express her relief and happiness. Though she would never admit, even to herself, when he left to work as a porter, she thought he would never come back. His ailing father wasn¡¯t much better at expressing his feelings.


    ¡°Son¡­ Thank you!¡±


    The warm encounter even got the attention of a few Adventurers. After confirming that his father was good to go, Mason took them to his hut. Although his dad was trying to hide, his tiredness was evident.


    ¡°Adventurers¡¯ Point, or as we call it AP, is a place for Adventurers to rest up and organize their hunts. Just like a post village but inside the forest. I have been earning my keep by providing some basic services for the Adventurers, cleaning, organizing, taking care of their equipment, even passing messages and getting them food from the pub. AP¡¯s lodging and food are great, but they don¡¯t have servants¡­ Everything is very expensive, but that also means I can charge a lot too¡­¡±


    His parents felt overwhelmed by everything, so they only nodded and tried to memorize Mason¡¯s words. The perfectly built huts also didn¡¯t escape their perception. By now, it had become a landmark of AP.


    ¡°This is my hut... Our hut.¡±


    The couple stared at the small wooden hut with disbelief in their eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it, of course. I just rent it.¡±


    However, the shock and somewhat proud look didn¡¯t disappear. At least not until his father remembered his words about the cost of AP¡¯s services.


    ¡°How much are you paying for it?¡±


    Mason laughed awkwardly under their concerned eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about prices later¡­ But I promise you that the money I earn is enough to pay for food and rent, and I can even save some crystals¡­ Oh, AP doesn¡¯t deal with coins, only with crystals, mostly energy crystals.¡±


    The boy ignored their confusion and urged them to enter the hut. If this much was paralyzing them, he couldn¡¯t imagine how they would react once they learned how much he was paying for rent and food.


    ¡°There¡¯s a water bucket in the corner. The biggest room is yours, so you can rest there. I¡¯m gonna get some breakfast at the pub. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    His mother wanted to say something about not spending too much with them, but Mason darted out of the hut before she could. Before he returned, the couple decided to check the room and clean themselves.


    Otto went to their room first while Nora picked the bucket. When she entered the room, she almost dropped the bucket in shock. Although it wasn¡¯t a big room, the bed was covered with finner fabric that she had ever used, and they even had a small table at the side. They only had some rags and hay mattress on their previous shack, not even a proper bed. Tears escaped her eyes as she stared at the furniture, but her amusement only lasted a few seconds because her husband weakened voice was demanding her attention.


    ¡°Nora¡­ What¡¯s this?¡±


    The question attracted her attention to the set of garments laying at the border of the bed. The clothes looked simple but far more well-made than what they could afford. Of course, her husband knew what the clothes were. The question was obviously directed at what they should do with it.


    Suddenly, Nora realized something. She looked at her own garments and Otto¡¯s. Though she tried to maintain them clean and reasonably neat, there wasn¡¯t more mendings or care that could keep them from becoming rags. If they laid on the bed or even keep walking around the hut, they would dirty everything. So, their son had been thoughtful to the point of getting them new clothes and good ones, from what she could tell. A spike of shame nipped her heart. For a moment, she felt too poor and dirty to live here, to use those clothes and lay on the nice bed.

 Chapter 177 - 177 – A New Life II

    Fortunately, Nora remembered something Mason said when he pleaded for permission to work as a porter with the Adventurer group. Why couldn¡¯t they have a better life? Hadn¡¯t they work for it? When did they ever hide from work? Had they committed a crime that condemned them to a life of suffering? No, they didn¡¯t. Her family and herself deserved better, and her son had finally found a way to get it. She looked at her husband¡¯s complicated expression and put on a brave front.


    ¡°What¡¯re them for if not for us to use? Did you expect Mason to find such a nice home and clean it so thoroughly, just for our dirty rags to mess it? Otto, I know we haven¡¯t care about our appearance lately, but we can¡¯t lose face for our son! Let¡¯s clean ourselves and put on those nice garments before he¡¯s back.¡±


    The man forced a smile and didn¡¯t dwell on it anymore. She was right, their son had done enough already. Now they have to do their best to help him.


    Half an hour later, the couple was enjoying the comfortable bed when they heard Mason arriving. They ignored their bodies¡¯ protests against leaving the bed and went to the entrance room. There, the boy was waiting with a lot of dishes, which occupied the small table entirely. Nora quickly counted two soups, one common bread and another one visible stuffed with something, a steak of the size of her hand, and a pot with vegetables.


    Besides the sumptuous quantities, the steak was what truly shocked her. Before, they only managed to get some leftovers of fat, but now, their son was offering so much meat. How much had this cost? They could never afford such an expensive meal, not even if they sold themselves.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Mason laughed embarrassedly and explained.


    ¡°Things here are a little different¡­ But this isn¡¯t what I usually eat. The meals are great, and all options have some meat or at least broth. I planned to get three portions of the cheapest meal, which could be the soup and loaf or the stuffed bread, but when I told Rachel about your arrival, she insisted on giving me these dishes for that price.¡±


    ¡°Is Rachel your¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, dad! She manages AP and the pub, with her HUSBAND, Ben.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK¡­ The people responsible for AP are really different from those in the Kingdom¡­ They are nice and never treated me as inferior.¡±


    Mason urged his dazed parents to start eating while he explained more about AP. Even so, they still stared at the food for quite some time before they finally started to eat.


    ¡°I know of eight employees working under Ben and Rachel. Two in the pub¡¯s kitchen, one in its the counter, one in registration, two working with transportation across the lake, another fixing and moving things around, and the last one selling the potions on the main office¡­ But that¡¯s only the people we see working. The Adventurers say they probably have a lot of people working behind them. I don¡¯t believe everything, but nobody ever saw how they build these perfect wooden huts and furniture. Also, they think someone is always watching at the other side of the lake, or else, how would they send a boat at the perfect time to ferry people across the lake?¡±


    Mason¡¯s parents didn¡¯t think it was so strange, but maybe they were too focused on how good the food tasted. They didn¡¯t have anything to compare it to, but it definitely tasted Originly.


    ¡°The Adventurers have a theory. Actually, they have a dozen or more, but one seems to be more acceptable¡­ They think there¡¯s a group of powerful Mages running everything from behind. I just don¡¯t understand why someone so powerful would do all of this¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m just happy I found this place, and you¡¯re here now.¡±


    From now on, their lives would never be the same.


    ***


    ¡°Mom, can you finish cleaning the huts? Ben told me a group of Adventurers should arrive soon. I want to receive them and leave a good first impression¡­¡±


    Nora cleaned the sweat out of her forehead and nodded. The next day after arriving, she launched herself at work, trying to help Mason serve as many Adventurers as possible. Her job mainly was cleaning, organizing, and as since yesterday, mending clothes. Surprisingly, when she approached Mrs. Mathilda looking for extra work, the woman suggested that she mend the Adventurer¡¯s clothes and even gave her a needle and thread.


    Mason loved the idea and quickly started to advertise the service to all of his clients. Since her youth, Nora had a gift for sewing, but she never had the opportunity of working with something other than their ragged clothes. But now, even if amateurishly, she was earning roughly six crystals every week with the craft.


    An optimistic thought appeared on her mind as she scrubbed a pair of boots, but she pushed it away before it transformed into hope. Today, her husband looked more energetic and even helped Mason carry food to a few huts, but she shouldn¡¯t start hopping for recovery, not after years of seeing him bedridden. Her son argued that the magic-infused food could be helping him recover but still, hopping was just too dangerous.


    Even so, she agreed with buying a better meal at least one day every week. The food might not cure Otto, but it would definitely make them healthier. After a month, she was finally accepting AP prices, but they still made her hesitate every time she was paying for something. Even getting her payment felt strange.


    Together, mother and son offered services to an average of 15 Adventurers every day, earning almost 500 crystals per month. Even including the weekly meat dish and an individual meal they were sharing every evening, their expenses only amounted to 300 crystals. She finally understood why her son didn¡¯t mind spending so much on food and rent. They were earning too much to care.


    For the first time, she was living a good life, and the future looked even brighter.

 Chapter 178 - 178 – Modules

    Year 5, Fall, First Month, First Week


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    Karl put the designs away and took a sip from the strong black tea. He tried to control the reaction, but a deep frown appeared over his face once the drink hit the right taste buds. Or should it be the wrong ones? Even though he fought against the open display of immature taste, the bitterness of the tea bested him, as it happened every other day.


    The Alchemist refused to admit that he didn¡¯t like the black tea because it was too bitter and to add insult to injure, he wouldn¡¯t get the same boost without it. He even tried to stop drinking it a few days ago, but that just proved to be a waste of morning potential. In the end, he could only accept the result and conserve his anger to fight another day. Even so, to avoid embarrassing himself further, Karl asked his assistant to go to the counter and order another stuffed bread for takeout. Then, he used the brief solitude to swallow down the rest of the tea.


    By now, most establishments were serving tea, and though it wasn¡¯t as good as the tea garden, most customers didn¡¯t have the sensibility to actually notice it. Of course, the whole idea of providing a relaxing garden still guaranteed a thriving business. However, both Johan and the shop manager had tasted the sweetness of being a sensation, so how could they be satisfied by anything less?


    Soon, the assistant was back, and Karl resumed their previous conversation:


    ¡°The thing is, I just finished designing a new communicator, which should facilitate the operator¡¯s work and reduce errors¡­ But not too long ago, we changed the communicators to include the keyboard. A lot of people complained about wasting resources. I¡¯m not dumb. Most complained because they had to spend money to get a new communicator, mostly the hunters, but they have a point. Every time we upgrade a design, we ended up wasting resources. It wasn¡¯t so evident before because we only had simple designs on either stone or wood plates¡­ Now I¡¯m just wondering if I should hold off this upgrade and let them use the current communicator longer. What do you think?¡±


    The boy lowered his head to think about it and hide his complicated expression. Having his opinion valued by his boss was flattering, especially considering Karl¡¯s position. However, he didn¡¯t want the weight of this kind of decision on himself. So, he decided to answer with the first thing that came into his mind, not bothering with making sense.


    ¡°Boss, can¡¯t you just upgrade their communicator instead of throwing them away?¡±


    After speaking, the assistant waited to be laughed at for such a simple-minded idea, but surprisingly, Karl had an enlightenment expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Not quite, but close enough¡­ I should have thought about it sooner. To avoid wasting materials, I should start making the tools in modules. So, every time we develop an improvement, we would try to exchange or add a module instead of throwing everything away. In fact, this could also help with maintenance since some parts are often worn or damaged before others¡­¡±


    Karl¡¯s assistant took two sentences to realize that his boss was talking to himself and not actually answering him. If this were the first time or even a rare occurrence, he would surely be disappointed or angry, but he was already used to it.


    ¡°I have to make some changes in the design, but with a small repair, we can add this to the current communicator, while the new ones should have the complete upgraded design. With this, our progress wouldn¡¯t be slowed, nor would our tools be wasted¡­ Go call Oliver. His imagination can be put to good use in this project.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    While the assistant ran off to get the apprentice, Karl continued to draw the modifications in the designs. Separating the arrays in different modules could be achieved through two different methods, and in some cases, they would even use both of them. The first method didn¡¯t even require redrawing. They could separate the arrays physically and add them to the complete design through removable parts. In fact, many tools already used this method.


    Creating removable parts for every array would increase the crafting difficulty and cost, but only on the production side. The Alchemy costs would remain the same, and they might even lower when upgrading the tools. At this point, Karl realized he also needed to talk to the crafters and the blacksmith about improving the tools¡¯ design because the upgradable designs would increase the lifespan of the tools.


    Even though the removable parts¡¯ method was the easiest and didn¡¯t increase the Alchemy cost, which was their limiting resource, it might not be enough to make a magic tool upgradable. Sometimes, the change in the design would be too big, requiring the modification of the overall design. The communicator was an excellent example. The inclusion of the keyboard just by replacing removable parts in the previous version would be impossible.


    So, the second method would need to account for future significant changes in the design. Although Karl had a good idea for it, he would, of course, pick Oliver¡¯s brain about it. After all, the apprentice had the most innovative and crazy ideas. But for now, his solution was to create a central part, which would cover the fundamental processes of the tool and independent parts connected to the main design. So, in the event of a significant change in the tool, they would only need to exchange the independent arrays preserving the central array.


    Returning to the communicator example. The central array would only connect with the tower through lighting signals. In contrast, the independent arrays would provide the powering, the magic keyboard, and any other future improvements. Fortunately, the connection between the independent and central arrays could be easily made by an Alchemy mark. Though it would increase the Alchemy cost, any Alchemist could draw it.


    The design and re-design to cover this new standard, on the other hand, would difficult the work of the Alchemists in the short term. However, once they got used to it, upgrading the tools would become much easier. Though the specific numbers were uncertain, the time to improve the designs could even be reduced by half.


    When Karl finished organizing the two methods in his mind, Oliver had already arrived. Then, the master and disciple engaged in a two-hour discussion to decide on details and fine-tune the methods.


    ¡°Now, we have to discuss the design that gave origin to this whole discussion, the communicator. Before we go into the new design, can you sum up our current design?¡±


    Although he wasn¡¯t involved in the second version of the communicator, Oliver had studied it previously, so he proudly nodded and started to explain.


    ¡°The basic difference between the previous and new version of the communicator is the keyboard addition. The keyboard is a group of letters that the operator can press to form a word. Behind every wooden key, there¡¯s an activator array (square) to sense the touch, an Alchemy mark to represent the letter¡¯s concept, and a signature absorption array (six-pointed star) to receive an incoming message. If a key is pressed, the letter¡¯s concept is sent to the tower through the communicator array. When the tool receives a message, the incoming signal comes in the form of letters¡¯ concepts too. Every signal represents a letter, so only the key with the matching concept will react to the signal through the signature absorption array. The letter will briefly shine, and the operator can put the letters together to form a word. The key array uses the same concept mark of the letter for both sending and matching the receiving signal. That¡¯s why it has an addition array, to combine the two independent effects.¡±


    ¡°The keyboard has a key to represent every letter. The keys have the same array behind them, with only the concept mark to differentiate each letter. When the key is touched, the activator inside the direction array (triangle) sends the concept through the other alchemy mark connected to the keyboard. This second mark is also inside of a direction array, which points to another array in the communicator. The receive message function of the keyboard is simpler. It only transmits the incoming lightning signal, which is absorbed by the matching letter mark/signature absorption array.¡±


    ¡°The concept-to-signal array receives the concept sent from the keyboard through the mark. This array combines the concept signature with the concentration rune to form a unique signal for each letter.¡±


    ¡°The last part is done by the communicator array, which sends the signal to the tower. It works similarly to the previous version, using the manifestation rune to create lightning combined with the previous array to give the lightning the specific concentration that represents the letter. ¡±


    Karl''s calm smile indicated that Oliver¡¯s explanation was enough and clear. After four years of study, the disciple was capable of comprehending and explaining all non-spiritual tools.


    ¡°Now we can talk about the upgrade in the communicator. Because of the speed of the messages, sometimes the operators mistake or don¡¯t see the words correctly. So, I was thinking about adding a module to display the message instead of using the keyboard for both operations¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 179 - 179 – Continuation Of The Sandine War

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re gonna show up¡­¡±


    Samia kept her eyes on the locator, but her perception was also focused on the hoodied boy standing beside her. Although he had sworn an oath, she didn¡¯t trust it. After all, they could have missed a loophole, and though Akino had never shown any hostility, a month ago, he was part of the enemy forces. Even so, she felt relieved after freeing him.


    As the boy recovered, it became more uncomfortable and dangerous to maintain him restrained. The bubble retrains weren¡¯t that reliable, at least not for prolonged use. According to the Ministry of Defense''s tests, a Mage or a Fighter could break it with enough force once it was weakened, which would happen after some time of use.


    Fortunately, a few days ago, command sent an oath binder through the bat messenger. Even though altering the soul was dangerous, the oath had become common amongst those who worked for AK¡¯s government, especially in the Ministry of Defense. All agents, soldiers, watchers, and even helpers, were required to take the oath.


    Of course, her orders were to offer the oath as an option to the restrains, and Akino accepted it once he understood how it worked. Thankfully, his former army slave status wasn¡¯t soul binding, like the private-owned slaves. In fact, this was the standard procedure since the soulbond would require a singular master, and an army slave wouldn¡¯t be worth the price of the bond. On the other hand, if he were a bonded slave, the consequences of the oath would be unpredictable.


    So, Akino had sworn an oath to never go against AK¡¯s interests, which Samia clearly stated to avoid any ¡°misunderstandings¡±.


    The shadow turned to the bored Fighter and answered:


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±


    Aside from the oath, she had received another mission. To observe the Sandine attack, which would probably happen in the next few days. Though they knew the capabilities of the enhanced weapons, they still had to discover how efficient they would be in the hands of the Beastkin. Additionally, command wanted to estimate their strength, both Kingdom¡¯s and the Sandine¡¯s.


    ***


    The dark cover of the night extended through the arid southernmost lands of the Kingdom. On this moonless night, hidden figures moved silently towards the Oasis. This auspicious night had been chosen both by convenience and luck. Though the rage had been overflowing the Sandines ever since they lost the Oasis, the means for revenge only arrived three days ago. Since then, they were eager for payback, and now, it was finally time.


    Instead of attacking with their entire army, which would definitely spoil any surprise attempt, they decided to attack with a small team. The plan was to surprise the enemy at night and hit them hard before retreating. They didn¡¯t plan to reconquer the Oasis right now as it would be unrealistic, at least until they got enough enhanced weapons.


    After training with them, they realized the enhancements were even stronger than they initially estimated. The bull tribe had only brought 50 weapons (machetes, axes, and hammers), but the Beastkin Commander deemed it enough to give the Serions a good beating. So, he chose 150 Beastkin to launch an attack the next day.


    Soon, the unfinished stone walls appeared, and the Beastkin warriors slowed their pace. The fortifications were another reason for their haste. Once the Kingdom finished building the walls, it would be too difficult to take the Oasis back. The shadows stopped 50 meters from the walls, but the night wouldn¡¯t protect them for long.


    However, before the soldiers had a chance of finding anything, flying figures dived from the sky and silenced them. Muffled screams echoed through the night, and though they weren¡¯t too loud, the Sandines wouldn¡¯t risk wasting the surprise. So, they dashed at the wall opening, ready to claim the lives of their enemies.


    Suddenly, a faint green mist appeared around every Beastkin. The strange effect could be traced back to an old Beastman holding a bone staff. The shaman was using the soul power of deceased Beastkin to boost their strength. Shamanism was an ancient and primitive craft that kept their ancestors¡¯ souls on the material dimension to use their energy to cast protection, boost strength, curse, and a few other effects.


    Actually, the green mist would only give a small advantage to the warriors, but any help would be welcomed. At this point, they threw away any hope of approaching unnoticed. In less than two minutes, they reached the camp. The black wolf commander led the charge, but twenty weaker soldiers formed the first line of warriors following him.


    Breaching through the tents, the wolf left the weaker Beastkin to deal with the army slaves, who slowly exited their tents just to be slaughtered. Like in battle, the coward Kingdom army would put the slaves in the outer tents to delay the enemy, but the attacking squad wanted nothing with them. Their true target waited deep into the camp. Seen from afar, the invasion looked like a spear piercing the camp. The surprise earned them free reign to slaughter, but that only last until they reached the Guards¡¯ barracks.


    Though unprepared and not fully geared, the Guards welcomed the invaders with sharp metal. The leading wolf was the first to meet the enemy, who failed to block his attack. The machete cut right through the sword before leaving a fatal wound on the soldier¡¯s chest. Without sparing a second glance to the fallen Guard, the Beastman moved forward to slash another man while his warriors spread around to dispatch unlucky soldiers.


    Even in normal circumstances, a Guard would be hardly a match for seasoned Beastkin warriors, and with the introduction of the enhanced weapons, they become moving targets. Although spreading havoc amongst the lower and bulk forces of the Kingdom was very enjoyable and would weaken their troops quite a bit, their targets were still deeper. So, they kept piercing through the camp, leaving a line of bodies to mark their trajectory.


    The Guards performed better than the slaves but also failed to organize any coordinated defense. Even so, the Beatkin took another ten minutes to reach the Fighters¡¯ squad. The wild warriors didn¡¯t hesitate to dash against the armed and organized soldiers. Five Fighters fell screaming with throwing axes embedded into their armor and body, marking the opening of the real battle.


    Even though they didn¡¯t expect the barbarians¡¯ weapons to be capable of going through their armor, the trained Fighters didn¡¯t panic. The commander¡¯s orders were simple enough, so another five soldiers replaced the fallen even before the Beastkin got to them.


    Glowings of different intensities could be seen through the Fighters¡¯ formation. The soldiers were trying to absorb as much energy as they could to reinforce their bodies. Usually, a Beastkin warrior would be stronger than Humans, so the priority was strengthening their muscles to meet the attacks and counter with speed and technique.


    Baring a wicked grim, the black wolf met the Fighters with the same enthusiasm, but this time, his attack was blocked. The soldier¡¯s sword was left with a superficial mark but didn¡¯t show any other signs of damage. The soldier and Beastman continued to trade blows while the others around also started to fight. For a moment, it looked like their tactic of baring the Beastkin had worked, but then, the first bloodied scream appeared.


    A soldier was smashed by a bear Beastman carrying a war hammer. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for bigger and stronger Beastkin to use heavy weapons, but when facing a Fighter, the slow Beastman would receive some injuries before hitting the target. However, the soldier miscalculated the speed of the attack and ended up receiving the weight at once. Similar scenes happen all around the camp. Unexpectedly, the Beastkin warriors had broken the balance of the weapons¡¯ dynamic, dismissing the mobility limitations and keeping the heavy hammer''s force.


    After a dozen exchanges, the Serions¡¯ weapons started to crack, and more Fighters fell. Even so, the formation held and the Beastkin didn¡¯t advance, but not without a hefty cost in soldiers'' lives. The enhanced weapons had given an excellent edge to Sandines, but this was a battle against thousands. Soon, the Beastkin warriors also started to receive wounds and die.


    Once a Beastman died, another one appeared behind and took the enhanced weapon. But the difference in numbers started to become more evident. Almost half of the Sandine warriors were occupied holding the Guards and slaves on their rear, while fifty enhanced weapon users clashed against the Fighters. The carnage compelled the invaders to keep going, but their numbers started to stretch too thin.


    The wolf commander was submerged in the heat of the battle, though every time he finished an opponent, he stepped back to analyze the situation. So, when he realized how many warriors fell, he reluctantly ordered a retreat.


    Piercing the camp until they were entirely surrounded by enemies was a bold plan. If the commander didn¡¯t have the confidence of breaking through the enemies on the rear when they had to retreat, he wouldn¡¯t be so reckless. Seeing the overall situation, the camp¡¯s commander was sure that the Beastkin wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.


    However, the battle scene changed quickly. The Sandine warriors started to retreat, and one by one, the Beastkin holding the enhanced weapons, moved to the rear to slaughter anyone who tried to bar their retreat. The other warriors took their place, trying block the Fighters. In a few minutes, more Beastkin fell, but the retreat led by the forty-one Sandines with enhanced weapons couldn¡¯t be stopped or even delayed, at least not by the Guards and slaves.


    Ten minutes later, 48 shadows escaped from the Serion camp. Even though they lost most of their numbers, more than a thousand enemies perished under their weapons. Surprisingly, the roughly 500 slaves and 300 Guards who died weren¡¯t the most significant losses in the Kingdom¡¯s army. The almost 200 dead Fighters could be considered a heavy blow to the military.


    Of course, the dead only represented a tiny fraction of the army, but this result was unacceptable considering the circumstances. From now on, the Serions would set up a better watch during the night.


    The Sandines, on the other hand, considered the attack a success. Though they lost many warriors, they made the Kingdom bleed and confirmed the efficiency of the enhanced weapons. As for a bigger and proper counterattack, they would wait after getting more weapons. They would, however, keep harassing the Serions with smaller attacks.

 Chapter 180 - 180 – Ministry Of Education I

    Year 5, Fall, Second Month, First Week


    ¡°Ernest, I have to talk to you¡­¡±


    The project manager danced around the kitchen, picking up breakfast, gently kissing his wife, and tickling his one-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, he was pressed with time and could barely spare a few minutes for his family. Since last week, when he was assigned to the project responsible for improving transportation between the Capital and the Tunnel, he didn¡¯t have time to sit through a proper meal.


    Though he would prefer to lead a less critical project and spend more time with his newborn child, the job was a one-time opportunity, with a bonus big enough to pay for the rest of his house installments in one go. Additionally, his performance would be carefully observed by Minister Reiner. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible to get a promotion if he did a good job.


    ¡°Can it wait until tonight?¡±


    Instead of answering, Moira showed an angry expression. Ernest knew better than to ignore this sign.


    ¡°I¡­ I can take ten minutes.¡±


    The man sat by the table and switched from hurriedly swallowing the food to normal eating. Moira also sat down but continued feeding her hungry daughter.


    ¡°You know that it has been a year since I started working in the Ministry of Education¡­ As we agreed, I¡¯m only doing a half shift so that I can spend more time with our little princess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We talk about this, Moira. I want to spend more time with her too, but we can¡¯t lose this opportunity¡­ I promise to ask for some time off after the project is finished. Then, I can watch over her, and you can focus on your job too.¡±


    Although he had interrupted her more because of his short time, she couldn¡¯t help but feel irritated. In her perspective, Ernest thought that his job was more important. Of course, he was looking at it from a rational perspective, but he couldn¡¯t say that the pride of the Alchemists wasn¡¯t influencing him.


    ¡°Ernest, they offered me the Minister position.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the severity of the matter, Moira would probably savor this moment to gloat over him. After all, he always talked about his job and career, but she was the one advancing first. However, the shock and disbelief in his eyes didn¡¯t bring any satisfaction, only a painful feeling of being underestimated. Wasn¡¯t she capable of great things too?


    On Ernest''s defense, advancing to the highest position with only one year of experience was too fast, regardless of her competence.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Unfortunately, he chose one of the worst possible reactions.


    ¡°How? Because I¡¯m good! I learn how to read and write in less than a year. Do you know how difficult this is? Although it has only been a year, they recognize my ability to teach, and I often help with the Ministry¡¯s problems. Katlyn has been asking me to handle difficult situations for months¡­ Only now I realize that she was preparing me for the job.¡±


    Moira ended up being a hidden gem, and Katlyn wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to be freed from the Ministry. Actually, AK was currently facing a significant shortage of people in all areas. They had too many projects and not enough people to carry them. Of course, any outsider would be shocked at how much they did with only a little over 2000 citizens. Alchemy was a wonderful craft, but there was only so much it could do.


    So, though Moira undoubtedly had the ability, the unrealistically quick promotion happened because of the lack of experienced people. Previously, AK¡¯s projects were lagging because of the scarcity of magic materials. But after outsourcing the materials from AP and the Sandines through the bull tribe, the problem has been solved. Now, they faced another problem. The lack of human resources was limiting most projects.


    Even though they predicted that giving freedom to their citizens would result in organizational problems, the Council didn¡¯t expect it to be this serious. Actually, even if they had total control over the job distribution, the shortage would only be delayed. After all, what Kingdom could be built with only 2000 citizens?


    Now, Moira and Ernest encountered their own workforce challenge. They both had been successfully advancing in their careers, but their newborn also demanded attention. They could, of course, turn to Ernest¡¯s parents for help, but if they did, the price might be higher than they could afford. Since they finally escape the control of the opportunistic and exploiter seniors, the young couple promised never to return.


    After recovering from the initial shock, Ernest understood why she was concerned about the promotion and not booming with happiness. So, he did the only thing he could. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, Ernest put on his best smile and said:


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible, honey. Now our daughter¡¯s future is guaranteed. Don¡¯t worry about time. I can quit my job¡­¡±


    Moira felt an instant surge of satisfaction for finally having her ability recognized, followed by a deep feeling of sorrow. She didn¡¯t want her success to bury her husband¡¯s dream. Seeing her depressed mood, Ernest tried to cheer her up, saying that he could pick up the pace once their baby has grown and that it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, at least not compared to reaching the Minister''s position. Still, the achievement left a bitter taste on her mouth.


    Ernest stood up and kissed his girls. After reassuring Moira that everything would work out just fine, he turned around to leave for his last day of work. However, he suddenly stopped by the door.


    ¡°Moira, I remember something¡­¡±


    Seeing the spark of hope in his eyes, Moire dared to hope too.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I heard one assistant talking about a children¡¯s care center¡­ Apparently, Minister Said organized an association to employ some Elders that don¡¯t have a family and can¡¯t work in other areas¡­ They started by taking care of a dozen orphans, but soon a few parents who need to work all day and don¡¯t have elders in their families also paid them to watch their kids. The price is a little rich, two crystals a day for what I heard, but it would be nothing compared to your Minister¡¯s wage¡­ I didn¡¯t consider this before because I not sure if they would take such a young baby, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Quickly, go to work and let me check this before I talk to Katlyn. Don¡¯t say anything about quitting for now. Let¡¯s see what happens first¡­ If they accept our daughter, I wouldn¡¯t mind paying extra.¡±

 Chapter 181 - 181 – Ministry Of Education II

    Moira observed the Ministry of Education¡¯s staff with a heavy heart. Although the Ministry held the same organizational status as the other Ministries, their current resources couldn¡¯t even be compared with a small department. Their building only had three rooms for studying, one for entrance and reception, and a staff room. The rooms were poorly furnished with a few tables, chairs, and a stone board.


    Technically, the Department of Magic Tools¡¯ Studies, where the operators are trained, was also under the management of the Ministry of Education. However, the Department was practically self-manageable. They even had a separate building. So, in terms of work and results, her focus was only here.


    As for the available staff, the Ministry only had eight full-time employees. Aside from Moira and three others, the rest of the team were all Elders. Currently, AK couldn¡¯t spare any knowledgeable youngsters, so most of the technical teachers were Elders. AK¡¯s education was structured based on what Marlen and Omero could remember from the Democracy. For now, they only had two major areas, basic and technical studies.


    Basic studies involved reading, writing, calculations, and Alchemy. The importance of reading and writing is self-explanatory. Literacy would allow them to record and pass knowledge and also communicate better. Similarly, the ability to deal with numbers would be essential for daily transactions. Now, the reach of basic Alchemy was still in debate. Every day, the number of magic tools entering their lives only grew, so learning how to deal with them was also necessary.


    According to the Council¡¯s decision, all citizens from the age of six to fifteen had to participate in a daily three-hour class, while the others could choose to attend a daily two-hour evening class. Three full-time teatchers and Moira taught writing and reading. Unfortunately, they still didn¡¯t have people with enough knowledge to teach calculations, so Katlyn and Alfeur, who had been taught by their parents, would take turns to give the class.


    Surprisingly, teaching Alchemy wasn¡¯t a problem at all. Once the Ministry of Alchemy added teaching basic classes as a way of earning credits to advance, the disciples fought for a chance to do it.


    The evening optional classes, on the other hand, ended up being much more difficult. Since the youngsters were required to study daily, the Ministry only had to divide them into groups of different levels. But the evening classes were filled with adults and elders who didn¡¯t maintain regular attendance. Fortunately, Moira had the idea of using the young students to tutor the others in the evening.


    The Ministry offered a small payment for all students who learned enough and wanted to come back in the evening to help others. Besides solving the shortage of teachers, the idea ended up stimulating the young students. Though they still didn¡¯t have a practical measurement, the teacher could tell the students were improving.


    The technical studies covered crafting, finances, management, and health. These classes were still being structured, but their aim was clear, to prepare people for better performance in their future jobs. The idea also came from the Democracy, but AK was still struggling to establish a curriculum and arrange teachers. For now, they could only count on Marlen and Omero to teach management and finances and Said for health. Since these elders had their own obligations, this couldn¡¯t go forever. Hopefully, a few students would learn enough to become teachers themselves.


    Right now, Moira was discussing with her staff ideas to improve attendance in the optional classes. The problem wasn¡¯t only low interest. The workers didn¡¯t have time to study. Even so, her job as the Minister was to improve attendance as much as possible.


    One of the young teachers spoke:


    ¡°How about extending the age for mandatory study?¡±


    The other young employees also nodded to the idea, but the elders disagreed. Like them, Moira understood AK¡¯s situation. They couldn¡¯t afford to worsen the shortage of workers in other areas. So, they continued to discuss how to attract tired and overworked citizens. Fortunately, coming up with creative ideas was the reason why she was chosen as for the position in the first place.


    ¡°What if we ask the Council to value the basic studies? They could give extra crystals for those who learned or use them as a requirement for promotions¡­ We would need to find a way to test if people really learned, but that could be easily arranged.¡±


    They continued to polish the idea until they had something to propose to the Council. Soon, evening came, and it was time for the evening classes. Moira looked out of the window concerned expression. She wondered if Ernest would pick their daughter at the right time. However, before she got lost in her fears, the students and tutors started to arrive.


    The classroom was becoming dark as the sun disappeared on the horizon, but nobody in the room seemed to care. Suddenly, a glow appeared on the ceiling, and bright light spread through the room. They still didn¡¯t have enough light crystals to install the lighting system inside houses, but as a government facility, the Ministry would enjoy this privilege.


    At this time, one of the helpers entered the room carrying a tray with stuffed bread and some black tea. The simple evening meal was another idea Moira had to attract more people for the class. Though they didn¡¯t have a big budget, the incentive was important for the hungry and tired workers. She counted the students again and smiled after realizing that their number had almost doubled.


    After helping the tutors separate the groups with similar knowledge and distribute the studying material, she left to check the other room. When she entered the second room, she was surprised by a bigger number of students. Fortunately, she repressed a cheer and didn¡¯t ruin her acting as a respectable Minister.


    After years of being scorned and mistreated by her inlaws, Moira finally recovered her self-confidence. Now, she could be proud and fully enjoy the feeling of doing an excellent job.

 Chapter 182 - 182 – The Seamstress

    Year 5, Fall, Third Month, Third Week


    ¡°Do I really have to move?¡±


    Lew made sure to say it with a pleading tone and a sullen expression. He clearly didn¡¯t mind looking childish in front of his subordinates.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The answer came in unison from three different voices, leaving no room for objection. Even so, the Fighter wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight.


    ¡°Am I not the boss here? Why does it feel that I¡¯m the one following orders?¡±


    The secretary and the agents accompanying him instinctively recoiled once they remembered of their position. They knew Lew wouldn¡¯t replace them because of this breach of decorum, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t going to punish them in training. Unfortunately for him, not everyone could be bullied into silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the reason why you need to stay on the Tunnel¡¯s base. What¡¯s the purpose of a Military base if the Ministry of Defense insists on working from a basement under a pub?¡±


    Even though Diana was subordinated to him as the military general, she also held the position of Chairwoman. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t undermine Lew on military matters.


    ¡°I know, but in the underground base, I can come up in meet normal people every day¡­¡±


    Lew¡¯s careless words earned a couple of angry glares. Though nobody voiced it, they had clearly taken offense.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to say that you¡¯re not normal¡­ It¡¯s just that everyone from AK is kind of a workaholic. Nobody knows how to have some¡­ fun.¡±


    The apology attempt only made them more offended. Though, only Diana had the courage and position to speak their mind.


    ¡°Try spending all your life starving and working to death to enrich an oppressive Kingdom¡­ I¡¯m sure your concept of fun would be working to maintain your freedom.¡±


    Lew wanted to object, but he realized she was right. Although he had suffered too, it was nothing close to what they had experienced. The group continued to move towards the Tunnel¡¯s entrance in silence. After the discussion, the mood had taken a noticeable dive. So, Diana decided to break the uncomfortable situation and build a bridge between them. After all, they would gain nothing by reinforcing their differences.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re moving to the capital¡­ You could visit AP every week. Also, I understand that we need to start living for ourselves. I mean, we should learn how to enjoy our freedom¡­ Maybe we could open a pub on the base.¡±


    Lew almost choked when he heard the idea.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Diana, I¡¯m all in for helping everyone loosen up a little, but it¡¯s not a good idea to bring some kinds of entertainment to the base. Things tend to go bad when you mix liquor and military¡­ We could open a pub in the civilian part of the Tunnel, though. I hear that people are getting a little crazy from overwork in the capital. Maybe they could use a pub too¡­¡±


    Diana could understand why mixing those two things might cause problems. However, something about it bothered her.


    ¡°I see¡­ But if it¡¯s not a good mix, why did you insist on keeping the command station under the pub?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ***


    Mrs. Mathilda pressed her husband¡¯s arm and hesitantly followed the group into the cave. She had been informed that the cave led to a tunnel across the Green Mountains, but even so, she still feared the appearance of beasts. Daughter of a commoner seamstress apprentice, she spent her 45 years listening to the tales of a vicious forest harboring monsters by the thousands.


    The seamstress could hardly believe how much her life changed in the last couple of years. Until 25, she had bounced through ateliers in Wind Castle working as an apprentice to many respected sewists, but as a commoner, they never gave her a chance to be more than that. Although her bosses were technically commoners, they all had a connection to nobility. Most were bastard children of some Lord or related to them. So, she never had the proper upbringing to practice the craft independently, regardless of how good she is.


    However, everything changed when she met Keller. The cunning Merchant had contacts in all the nearby cities and promised to leverage them to sell her clothes. Though that was far from her dream of being recognized and lead fashion trends, she could at least work on her own and afford a comfortable life. The agreement ended up giving her more than financial support. The man responsible for collecting and protecting her goods became her husband. Almost 20 years later, she had a lovely home, a family, and a complete workshop that would shame half of the seamstress in the city. But still, she was forced to work in the shadows.


    Mathilda thought that this would be the furthest her life and career would go, but then, two years ago, everything changed when her family was forced to leave Wind Castle in a hurry. Although Keller guaranteed their survival, she relived how frustrating it was to be kept from her life¡¯s calling. So, when he came with a proposal to venture into the forest, to a place where her work would be needed and recognized, she accepted without thinking twice. Her son and husband hesitated, but she convinced them that Keller would never trick them. Of course, the Merchant was also forthcoming with the dangers of the place, but what could be more dangerous than living in the Kingdom?


    Now, it had been a year since they came to AP. Mathilda¡¯s initial impression was of a wonderful place but not big enough for her work to shine. The mending and fixing jobs that appeared daily were sufficient for support, but she yearned for more. Once the Mages and more stylish Adventurers started to appreciate her work, she finally experienced the feelings of a renowned seamstress. Unfortunately, AP could only bring a few customers a week, and again, she had reached the limit of her career.


    After so many unexpected opportunities, Mathilda believed, or better saying, she hoped for a chance to do more. Then, as if the Origin had listened to her prayers, Keller and AP¡¯s manager offered her a chance to supply a bigger and untouched market. How could she say no to this Origin-send opportunity?


    Of course, AP still needed their job. So she left her son, who could use this chance to develop his own work, to take care of her store, and the mending work was handed to a talented woman who came to AP recently. Because of her connection to Keller and her husband¡¯s position, Mathilda knew a few things about the mysterious business partner behind AP. However, aside from knowing they were the source of some powerful magic artifacts, she didn¡¯t know much more.


    So, when they passed the cave and entered the Tunnel, she was shocked, not as much as when a lake suddenly surrounded AP but still shocked. The Tunnel was already a marvel structure, but after a year of renovations, the place looked like an underground high-developed city. First, the light effect was improved by using more light crystals and a better design. The new drawings, which were now hidden from sight, spread the light efficiently, giving the impression of natural illumination.


    The floor was covered entirely by alined stones, forming an unusually flat and even road. It looked like each stone had been polished evenly, something rarely seen even in noble¡¯s homes. The marvel effect was achieved through a new construction tool, the stone screed. The magic tool used a MQ earth crystal to flatten stones by rearranging their internal structure. Besides leveling the rocks, the tool also bonded and closed small gaps between them, making the stone floor strangely comfortable to walk on.


    Unfortunately, they still had to transport and place the stones, and even using LCs, the task occupied a construction team of 20 people for one month. So, to reduce the workload, they chose to build the walls and ceiling using wood instead of stone. Also, the drawings behind the wooden walls would probably need maintenance after some time, so it was better to build it with a material that¡¯s easy to replace. Still, the perfectly made stone floor and the wooden walls gave an unusual architectural effect to the Tunnel.


    The tunnel width had also been increased to allow a cart to pass in the middle while people walked at the sides. After walking 200 meters, the first cave rooms appeared. The room on the right had a big closed gate, while the one on the left only had an archway. Both rooms had a written sign above the entrance. Lew explained that the closed room was a security area, and the doorless one was a free access reception of the Tunnel.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t explain that the security area had an operation¡¯s center and a squad on duty at all times to respond to any emergency. The room was close to the Tunnel¡¯s entrance to allow them to move out without delay.


    The reception room was basically an enormous cave with a restaurant, a water source, and some seats. Since the Tunnel didn¡¯t receive visitors, the room¡¯s purpose was to provide a resting point and space for one of the five food stores of the tunnel. In fact, the reception was the most visited recreational area in the Tunnel because most soldiers and agents worked near the entrance.


    The Ministry of Defense¡¯s personnel, the miners, and the rest of the citizens stationed in the Tunnel would add up to more than one-fourth of AK. So, even with the strained resources, the Council also decided to develop the Tunnel. Either way, the Green Mountains would be their frontier against the Kingdom.


    Mrs. Mathilda and her husband were invited to stay in the reception until the next caravan left for the capital, while Lew and his officers continued to proceed for the Ministry of Defense.

 Chapter 183 - 183 – Military Base I

    Lew tried to make some small talk to brush away his previous indiscretion. Fortunately, the 40 minutes they spent walking from the reception to the Ministry¡¯s office was enough to restore their usual friendly exchange. The Tunnel was divided into five sections of roughly three kilometers, and the Ministry was located in the third section.


    Each section has its own effect and power supplies, which could be connected to other areas when needed. After several tests, the Alchemists concluded that extending the elemental effects through more than a couple of kilometers would drain too much from the crystals and weaken the properties. So, they had to steel their hearts and use the extra crystals they recently got to power the Tunnel. In truth, the complete renovations had been going on for a year now, but they still had to remodel two sections.


    On a straight line, the underground path had to cross a little more than ten kilometers of Mountains, but cutting through caves was the easiest and safest way through it, so they ended up with a 15 kilometers tunnel. Surrounding their magical underground road, they found another 105 caves, connected directly or behind rocks but close enough to dig a connection.


    Initially, they only used the 19 caves directly connected to the tunnel because they were easy to access, but the remodeling plan proposed to open 52 more in two years. At this point, they had only opened 21 caves. Dozens of unseen problems appeared, and much of the initial plan had to be adapted. For one, most of the new caves had a different level from the tunnel, and some were several meters lower.


    The truth was that the method to find the caves didn¡¯t account for level differences. The magic reader could track the energy that flowed through the walls in direction to paths of less resistance, the natural caves. Though they could roughly guess the distance of the cave by the strength of the flow, they couldn¡¯t identify specific details.


    Actually, the difference in level was far from being a severe problem. It only delayed their progress. Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the surprises they found inside of the caves, such as water and ores resources, and the worse, beasts. Usually, getting access to more resources could hardly count as a hindrance. Still, it would delay their advance and require an adaptation since the cave would no longer be appropriete for other purposes.


    In fact, the plan to open a path from the mine to the Tunnel had already given them access to more mineral resources than they needed. The water caves, on the other hand, were extremely useful for the operation of the city.


    Now the Tunnel was officially considered the first city of AK aside from the Capital. Considering the sheer amount of people living under the Green Mountains and the expanding mining operations, the Council decided to name the place a city and put some effort into developing it, thus the renovation plan. However, due to their workforce limitations, they would only provide essential services for now. The five food stores were the first basic facilities brought to the Tunnel, but soon, a small school, a health center, a financial services center, and a city planner¡¯s office would also be built.


    The city design proposed an expansion towards the two sides of the tunnel. The Ministry of Defense facilities were built on the right, while the other civilian and governmental buildings rested on the left, towards the mine. The two sides division was chosen primarily because of security reasons. Although they didn¡¯t have any outsiders walking through the city, it was better to prepare for the future. Roughly, only 20 percent of the caves are located on the right side, so reserving it for the Defense¡¯s buildings was the obvious decision.


    Officially, the Ministry would only have four entrances connected to the tunnel, reducing the risk of infiltration and the costs with security considerably. The first access was the big gate near the tunnel¡¯s entrance, which remained closed at all times aside from military mobilization.


    The second access was the heavily guarded military quarter located in the second section of the tunnel, with access restricted to the military. The following entry was the Ministry¡¯s office in the third section. The office¡¯s reception wasn¡¯t restricted, but the buildings connect to it were.


    The commanding center of operations could only be accessed by the Minister, the generals, special agents, and the working staff. Similarly, only the Minister and the agents could access AK Intelligence Agency, which was also connected to the office. The last connection gave access to the production facilities and storage located at the fourth section of the tunnel. Currently, this area was only used as an armory, but the Council already approved the construction of some military production workshops. Unfortunately, AK didn¡¯t have experienced personnel to keep two production sites at this time.


    On the left side, besides the resource caves and the recreational areas, the tunnel was also connected to a couple of unfinished residential areas. Since the Defense¡¯s facilities were fully operational, the next step of the city plan was to house the families of the soldiers and agents stationed on the base. It would be difficult to keep the families together during war or missions, but it didn¡¯t make sense to separate them the entire year. Of course, some might prefer to stay in the capital, but the Council had an obligation to offer them a choice.


    Lew and his escorts passed through the security procedures before finally entering the command room. For now, the access was limited to spiritual signature checking, but Lew had requested something more restrictive from Karl. Even though the Alchemists already had an improved design, they would require spare MQ bubble crystal, which wasn¡¯t available for the time being.


    The staff officer responsible for the command¡¯s management and the respective secretary paused at Minister¡¯s arrival. Fortunately, they recovered from shock fast enough to offer salute before it could be considered a breach of military discipline.


    Lew had grown up in a military camp, so he knew the importance of maintaining a strict protocol, so even the smallest and meaningless breaches would force him to pass down some punishment. In the officer¡¯s defense, they weren¡¯t expecting his arrival. The Minister had already delayed the transfer for a month, so nobody expected he would just give up by now.

 Chapter 184 - 184 – Military Base II

    ¡°Report.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. No emergencies or level five missions are being carried. The first stage of the Sandine war operation was a success. The shadow confirmed that the Army of the wind region is staying to deal with the Beastkin counterattack. The young eyes operation is facing a setback. Shadow two continued the operation in Twin Suns, but her initial attempts at Fire Gate failed. Regardless, the agent remains uncompromised. Two escorting operations are in course. The teams under Officer Tael and General Sania met and should be approaching AP in two days. The other operation is led by shadow three, escorting Merchant Keller to Twin Suns. They already are within the tower¡¯s reach and should be entering the forest in a few hours.¡±


    The ¡°report¡± command demanded an overview of all emergencies and operations above level two overseed by the staff officer. To simplify communication and improve response time, every operation, being military, intelligence, or security, was classified into levels from one to five, according to its importance.


    Level five are extreme situations that could compromise AK¡¯s security, like wars or invasions. Level four is reserved for battle engagements and missions that concern national security. Level three and two operations involve dangerous missions that don¡¯t offer risks to AK, such as escorting or beasts hunting. Finally, level one operations include any routine drills, like training, watch, and scouting.


    Actually, Lew already knew the operations¡¯ information since he had been performing his duties at AP, but even so, he wanted to check if the staff officer was sharp enough. The Ministry, just like their Kingdom, was still too immature to establish a proper organizational system. Chances were, they would need to restructure their positions within all the Ministries a couple of times before achieving stability. Mostly, the Councilors were following the organization of other nations.


    In the Ministry of Defense¡¯s case, Lew organized three separate branches under him. The military branch followed a simplified version of the Serion Kingdom Army, in which he was the highest-ranked officer holding the position of commander. Though he was free to command the military, he had to follow the Council¡¯s policy. So, it wasn¡¯t in any way free reign, just freedom to decide how to achieve their goals.


    Under the Commander of AK¡¯s forces stood the generals, who could command AK¡¯s armies. Taking a page out of the Kingdom¡¯s book, Lew decided to create different armies. Though the Serions had five armies because of their power distribution, since no Warden would send their forces to be controlled by another, neither would the Royals.


    Although Lew was going for benefits in mobility and versatility, the decision also came as a solution for placing many lofty figures under him. Fortunately, Tael promptly stepped down from the dispute by declaring that he would be satisfied at a lower position, leaving only the infamous mistress of fire and the spear demoness in the competition. However, instead of choosing between Sania and Diana, he decided to give them equal and independent positions.


    General Diana led AK Army while General Sania commanded AK Special Forces. Most of the soldiers served in the Army, roughly 250 citizens. And rather than an elite army that would rarely move, like the Serion Royal Army, the Special Forces (SF) were envisioned as a highly mobile force to deal with national emergencies and missions. Even with only 50 soldiers, the SF would receive a bigger budget and access to the best magic weapons, creating a balance between the two armies.


    Because of their small numbers, Lew had to simplify the chain of command. So, following the commander, and the two generals, came five officers, who would be responsible for the army divisions, four in the Army and one in the SF. Tael was currently holding the position of Officer in charge of the Capital¡¯s base. Unfortunately, nobody else had the accomplishments to hold the position. So, they planned to choose the other four officers in a year by promoting the best captains.


    The captain position was next in the command line. Each captain would lead a unit specialized in a field (archery, defense, attack, scouting). Thankfully, the veteran members of the extinct hunting team were sufficiently competent to fill the 20 captain positions. Hopefully, by the time four of them were promoted to Officers, there would be accomplished soldiers to take their places.


    So, officially, AK¡¯s military ranks are Commander, General, Officer, Captain, Soldier. However, the Minister also created a Staff Officer position to hold the gap of missing officers until they were promoted. The staff officers are Lew assistants, who served under him since he took over the Ministry, so they knew enough to carry orders and adhere to the military rules.


    Another branch of the Ministry of Defense is the Intelligence Agency. The Agency was created to provide information on enemies and possible threats, so their training focused on developing a different skill set than the common soldier. Basically, the agents were divided into two groups, agents and staff agents. Both the standard and special agents are tasked with missions to gather intelligence. The former operates inside AK¡¯s domain or in the Eastern Forest, while the latter can be assigned to foreign nations. The staff agents, on the other hand, are responsible for processing the collected information and overlook the active missions.


    All agents have to keep up with basic training, but only those who pass a strict test can enter a unit and be assigned missions. Until then, they are considered staff agents. The shadow unit is the oldest and most selective unit of the Agency. The ten shadows, who are called from shadow one to shadow nine, plus their leader, the shadow, are outfitted with shadow element equipment. It goes without saying that shadow tools can hide the user from sight and perception. So, the shadow unit is responsible for missions that require concealment. Currently, the three agents with the ¡°special agent¡± title belong to this unit.


    Although the shadow unit holds an elite status, the undercover unit has even fewer members. The eight undercover agents stationed at AP have the mission of gathering intelligence indefinitely. For this unit, concealment is useless. In fact, they need to develop their social skills to extract more information while keeping calm and staying vigilant at all times. On these parameters, Rachel and Ben became role models for others by befriending many Adventurers and surviving several attacks.


    Finally, the recon unit, which employs most of the agents, is responsible for identifying and keeping track of beasts and targets through the forest and inside of AP. The agents of this unit have a skill set similar to the shadows but more focused on locating targets.

 Chapter 185 - 185 – Military Base III

    The last branch of AK¡¯s defense is the Watch. The department is responsible for the security and escorting of AK¡¯s citizens. For now, they only engaged with beasts that try to attack construction and transportation teams, but Lew knows that they will need to provide internal security in a not-so-unforeseen future.


    While the Agency demands versatility and the military pursues lethality, the Watch¡¯s training focuses on protection and neutralizing threats. Though it might seem similar, the goal can change everything. All branches look for results, but while the army fights to kill the enemy and the agents to complete a mission, the watchers aim to protect their people.


    Organizationally, the Watch is even more straightforward than the other two branches. With only three ranked positions and the standard staff, the force employs a little over one hundred people. At the top of the Watch is the position of Officer, which for now, is only held by Toni.


    Since their job targets local threats, an officer''s influence is also limited to a region. So, as AK grows, other officers should be appointed, probably amongst the accomplished captains. Like the generals, the officers have to respond to the Minister and command the captains. The eight captains under Toni lead their watchers unit, and each is assigned a region to protect or an escorting mission.


    After assuming his post, Lew checked on the specific position of Tael¡¯s and Sania¡¯s team and moved deeper into the Ministry¡¯s facilities. In the next room, there was a secured chamber with tree paths.


    If he went to the cave corridors on the right, he would arrive at the military training facility, specifically at the training room where the soldiers learned about tactics. Following the structure of the Kingdom, the soldiers were trained in tactics, survival, and combat. However, Lew also added basic studies to teach the soldiers to read, write, count, and use magic tools to help them operate the enhanced tools better.


    On the left, the Minister could access the Agency. The nearest room was the tracking office, where the staff agents would use several drawn maps and markers to position agents, beasts, targets, and any relevant information. Lew had specially requested a skilled drawer amongst their citizens to paint the maps acquired through Keller and their recon unit. Most reports with a position update from agents came to this room first.


    The surveillance towers installed between AP and the forest¡¯s borders also send their locating alerts directly to the tracking office. The towers used a MQ wind crystal to locate different targets, and in the event of a return signal with a positive indication, it would send a lightning signal to the communication tower, which would be automatically redirected to this office. The system demanded at least two staff agents at all times to process the information, but it was worth identifying any approaching threat.


    Lew looked at the two corridors before continuing towards a third one located ahead. Again, he pressed against a spiritual lock to access another restricted area. Inside, the Minister was greeted by a staff officer and two soldiers chosen to provide security this week. The relatively small room had two access to go even deeper into the facility. One of the rooms was secured with the common spiritual lock, but the other had a solid bubble barrier.


    The proceedings to remove the barrier involved preparing a team to deal with possible attacks from what was behind it. Once everything was ready, the dark blue magic layer disappeared, leaving an ominous silence in the room. A minute passed, but nothing drastic happened. With a nod, Lew confirmed his intentions, and the team proceeded to enter the warded room.


    The secret place was less accomodating than the previous rooms. Only the ground was covered with stones, while the walls looked like a typical cave. Of course, the natural mixture of rocks and earth hid the hardening effect, which protected the room from earth digging beasts. The cavern in front of Lew had six sub-caves surrounded by thick walls, undoubtedly altered to create clear entrances. Two caves were sealed with the same dark blue layer of energy, which locked the entire cave.


    The Ministry of Defense was using this fortunate natural unusual formation as a prison. Lew had a solemn and heavy expression. Not a trace of satisfaction could be seen on his face. He didn¡¯t like keeping others imprisoned, but the alternatives would either soil his soul or create future international incidents. The results from the forced soul interrogation still weighed heavily on his memory.


    As an attempt to soothe his conscience, he made a mental remark that an alternative had been offered to the prisoners. In truth, most would want death, but that mercy was only granted during the battle. Killing them now was somewhat dishonorable. The team securing the room didn¡¯t take the seemingly calm situation for safety. They accompanied Lew towards the sub-caves without relaxing their guard, ready to attack at any sudden change.


    ¡°Did you reconsider the proposal?¡±


    The glowing children-size being stared at Lew with disdain. The light inside the sub-cave brightened, almost outshining the arrays at the collar restricting the strangely beautiful Fairy. The new custom-made restrainer absorbed the energy from the vengeful prisoner and directed it towards themselves. Soon, they dropped the attempt of a light attack. It wasn¡¯t the first time they tried to use it, but they just couldn¡¯t control themselves.


    ¡°Filth Human! You dare to lock this luminous one¡­ I, the heir to sacred light of the radiant sun clan, shall give you due lighting punishment!¡±


    Lew tried to argue with the Fairy, but the enraged creature didn¡¯t stop cursing or promising him enlighting damnation. In the end, he could only give up and move to try his luck with the second Fairy prisoner. The other one, whom Tael identified as Advika, was much more controlled, but they refuse to talk instead of verbally assaulting him.


    The Ministry wasn¡¯t new to arresting enemies, the spies and assassins sent by the friendly new Wind Lord would fill up their prison caves in a couple of months, but not a single survivor would choose to stay imprisoned. The mercenaries would be offered the option of taking an oath to block the memories of AK and prevent them from returning before being released into the forest, while the sound Mage¡¯s retainers could take an oath to behave, earning the chance to move to another room with a lot more comfort and freedom. Though the decision met resistance, the Council agreed that it would be helpful to keep prisoners for a future diplomatic exchange.


    Surprisingly, the Faries dismissed the oath option without even considering it. Though they could try forcing the oath on them, it would probably cause soul damage. Trying to force a soul modification wasn¡¯t easy unless they wanted to go all out and enslave them, much like they were doing with the beasts.


    Without an alternative, the Minister could only give up on the prisoners for now. They had much to do before the Council meeting. He couldn¡¯t say how so, but something told him that AK would soon go through another big change. Lew just hoped their relative peace would continue for a few more years.

 Chapter 186 - 186 – The Council Meeting I

    Year 5, Winter, First Month, First Week


    The cold wind swept the dry leaves through the Capital¡¯s main road making the few, who dared to go out, shiver. On normal days, the roads would be filled with eager workers and lively children, but the early winter annunciation dissuaded people from outdoor activities. Though sudden, the cold was anything but unexpected, as winter never failed to come every year. Hopefully, the improvements in the city¡¯s heating circle would be done in a few days, or at least before the snow started to fall.


    The seemingly desert business and governmental districts were, of course, an illusion. No AK citizen would shrink from the duties to their recently founded Kingdom, they just chose to do whatever they had to, where the temperature was less aggressive. Unfortunately, not everyone could afford to stay indoors. Soon, a handful of people dashed through the roads, almost running to their destination. Amongst them, a young couple walked, curiously calmer than the rest.


    To everyone else¡¯s shock, the woman was even parading her strong tanned limbs, as if the cold didn¡¯t matter. The man, on the other hand, was a little more reasonable and was wearing a warm long coat. Even though he was appropriately dressed, others still silently reprimanded him for walking slowly.. The fact that his face was noticeable red, only made onlookers more confident in their evaluation. Strangely, nobody seemed to remember that four years ago, the lack of clothes would be a common and expected sight.


    ¡°We should talk with them¡­ It¡¯s better to get this over with quickly¡­¡±


    Diana was talking to Karl, but somehow the words seemed to be directed at herself too. The Alchemist tried to hide his embarrassment by forcing a confident expression. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t aware that the uncontrollable blushing made all his efforts null.


    ¡°Talk about what?¡±


    Karl was taken back by her straightforwardness, but fortunately, he managed to speak without stuttering. Blushing aside, he would keep his dignity, or at least try to. However, judging by her glare, he shouldn¡¯t have spoken that at all. He got used to her unannounced and, in his opinion, undeserved rage, as well as how to survive it. So, he immediately tried to appease her by talking about recent military accomplishments while throwing in a few discrete compliments.


    Karl felt a sense of pride, if only by having the ability to calm the famed mistress of fire. But, how could he know that Diana predicted his reaction, and chose to do it just to see him embarrassedly trying to pacify her? Though, she wouldn¡¯t mind if he took it seriously and answered her directly. The thought raised an unrequested discomfort on her heart, so she decided to tease him further to dispel it.


    ¡°Grandpa might be complicated¡­ But your parents should be OK, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Before Karl could sink deeper into her trap, Toni jogged beside them, with his usual cheerful and unconcerned behavior.


    ¡°Good morning Karl. Good morning Diana¡­ Did you guys hear about the meeting¡¯s topics? Grandma Marlen¡­ Sorry. Councilwoman Marlen only told me to put someone in charge of the station, it must be a long discussion this time¡­ Did something happen?¡±


    The trio continued to discuss their guesses about the meeting''s topics until they reached the Council building. Each councilor would bring up their own problems and reports, so the meeting would naturally last long, but somehow they felt that this one would be even longer.


    ***


    ¡°First, I would like to welcome you to this important meeting. Unfortunately, not everyone could be present, but Councilors Lew, Samia, Sania, and Tael will be participating from the Tunnel through communicators. I¡¯ll refrain from extending my opening since we have much to discuss¡­ Though we have some pressing issues, let¡¯s deal with the formal matters first.¡±


    Omero started the meeting with his regular solemn speech but quickly moved on to the specific reports of each Ministry. Of course, the main topic¡¯s mention was deliberate, but his purpose was to keep the reports simple and not incite curiosity. Tradition would prompt Kanin to talk first, but since farming was now under the Ministry of Foods, Marlen started.


    ¡°Feeding everyone is no longer a problem for AK. Our crops and the meat gathered by hunters have been enough to sustain us and even store for winter. So, I proposed we focus on quality and diversity now. It would be nice to have options to chose from.¡±


    Marlen''s distinction from the regular elders was evident. She set a pattern for the reports, short and clear, slow enough so the operator could type her words, but not too slow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the quality of the crops to Kanin, but I have a few ideas to improve the storage and preparation of the meat. I discussed it with Reiner, and the Alchemists should help with some tools when they are free. For diversity, we could get more from AP, but the transportation costs¡­ It¡¯s the same for the vegetables we¡¯re sending. If we can¡¯t improve the transportation, we should open some fields close to the Tunnel, at least for fresh green vegetables.¡±


    The idea was reasonable enough to earn everyone¡¯s support, so the Farming Department would try to spare a team and send it to the Tunnel when spring came. Sadly, the other ideas required the aid of the Ministry of Alchemy, which was currently too busy to start another project. Even so, Karl promised to help them as soon as they could.


    Marlen also brought up the opportunity of trading food with the independent tribes. Currently, the trade was being handled by Keller¡¯s niece, who was acquiring it from the fire region. Since they already transported the weapons from AP, adding a couple of extra carts with food wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. Of course, it would be limited to grains and anything that could survive transportation without going bad. Other specifics were left for later. It would be of no use going into details before the fields near the Tunnel were opened.


    Kanin¡¯s report as the Head of Farming didn¡¯t add anything worthy of attention. Their harvest was yielding the expected and no serious problem appeared. Though the lack of challenges was welcome, they couldn¡¯t help but feel a little strange about the stagnation. The councilors were, after all, used and eager for constant changes. Well, all the councilors except for Kanin who preferred simple and steady.


    In the end, the man agreed with the Minister¡¯s proposal of trying to grow new crops for the sake of diversity. They would ask for Keller¡¯s help to get other seeds, but they would also explore a few wild options, taking a page from the tea garden¡¯s book. Not all wild plants could be grown on fields, but it was worth a try.

 Chapter 187 - 187 – The Council Meeting II

    After they finished discussing AK¡¯s food prospects, Marlen made a gentle nod towards the nervous newcomer. Moira hesitated for a moment but managed to push through the embarrassment and fear. The Minister of Education had been invited to the meeting to participate in the report¡¯s round, and though she was required to take a secrecy oath, the Council was welcoming enough to let her hear the other Ministers¡¯ reports. Of course, any military and security matters would be left for the councilors-only meeting.


    ¡°The¡­ The Ministry of Education doesn¡¯t have enough teachers¡­ In fact, we¡¯re only holding on because the classes aren¡¯t popular amongst the adults. Thankfully, the children are facing their studies with much more excitement. In the beginning, they complained and resisted, but after we started the tutoring project things changed. I think they gave a chance to the studies because they wanted the part-time job, and now it looks like they¡¯re really enjoying it¡­¡±


    The woman stuttered a little at first but soon picked up the pace. She remembered how Marlen and Kanin made suggestions and decided to do it too.


    ¡°I think¡­ No, I propose we do something to encourage more adults to study too. Most think they don¡¯t need to, but I¡¯m sure it would help them somehow. Councilman Karl said something about helping them use magic tools. But, we shouldn¡¯t start the incentives before increasing the number of teachers¡­¡±


    Not only literacy, but all basic studies are crucial for the development of AK. The Council had already decided that their growth would depend on highly competent and skilled citizens. After all, if the Democracy could stand up the Kingdom with cunning and knowledge, they would do it too. Even with Alchemy on their side, they would need to master a basic level of education, especially with Alchemy. Karl himself had stated that people would need to be schooled in AK¡¯s basic subjects to fully use the future magic tools.


    Although the other councilors thought he was being a little dramatic, Karl¡¯s statement was actually very reasonable. For now, they had only scratched the surface with spiritual-activated and communication tools, and the need for education was already clear. Literacy was an obligation for operators or anyone who wanted to use a communicator, and though pushing their spiritual signature into a tool, like in the lock or the oath, didn¡¯t require much knowledge, more complicated concept-driven tools would appear.


    The new magic forge was a good example. If Arnold didn¡¯t know his way past the basic zero to ten numbers, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control the temperature in the tool. In truth, even knowing how to count to a hundred didn¡¯t save him from spending a month to master the temperature through spiritual concepts. So, what would take for tools with more than one parameter or that required a more complex concept? The future Karl envisioned for AK would require knowledgeable citizens, trained in basic subjects and capable of logical thinking.


    Unfortunately, the matter of increasing the number of teachers fell into the same lack of human resources pit. In the end, they would need to ask for all who are literate and knowledgeable to find some time to work as part-time teachers. The Council would lead by example in this matter, but they didn¡¯t expect great results from it. They were already overworked as it is, so people could find little to no time for taking one more job, even if they offered rewards. Still, the Council couldn¡¯t neglect education since it was a long-term effort that needed to be done as soon as possible.


    As for encouraging adults to seek education, they would spread the information that it would be required to use the new magic tools. This should be enough incentive to push the more eager and visionary citizens. After all, they couldn¡¯t push demand too much without more full-time teachers. They also decided to create future incentives, like additional payment and promotion requirements, for those who studied. However, that would only be done once they had the proper teaching resources.


    The education unsolved dilemma left a bad aftertaste in the room, but they had to move forward regardless. Next to report was Minister Alfeur.


    ¡°The Ministry of Construction is struggling with the same problem, the lack of manpower. Even so, we move forward like any construction, focused and steady. After two years of hard work, we finally finished the initial 82 houses, but we already have orders for new houses pilling up. Most were initially afraid of paying so much for a house or taking on the responsibility of paying for too long. However, after saving a lot of crystals and experiencing stability, almost everyone is eager to leave the earth huts. We predicted as much, but we already have 73 requests for new homes, and I imagine many more are looking for a house to rent.¡±


    Though the number didn¡¯t look too high and the construction teams were now outfitted with magic tools and the experience in using them, they also had many more projects. Like the Tunnel remodeling, the new path to the mine, and expanding the road between their cities. At those trying times when they needed to do more work without increasing the workers, everybody would look for Karl. Sadly, the Alchemists didn¡¯t have anywhere to turn to when they didn¡¯t have enough hands to keep up with demand.


    Actually, Karl could think of a dozen improvements to the construction tools. However, the gains in productivity would hardly be worth the time of the Alchemists to redraw and test the arrays. So, he was waiting for a major breakthrough before modifying the tools. Apparently, they would need to think of something fast. Unfortunately, the construction sector wasn¡¯t the only one in need of a boost of efficiency, practically all Ministries did.


    Alfeur realized that neither Karl nor Reiner would propose something to help at this time, so he could only continue.


    ¡°People are eager to get a house, but we can only keep going as we had, delivering five to six houses a month. Now, the Tunnel is another problem entirely. The place looks better than some parts that a saw of Wind Castle, but nobody likes to live in caves. The Ministry of Defense keeps sending soldiers¡¯ requests for houses. Some families are threatening to come back because of the difference in living conditions. We¡¯re trying to build the living districts fast but¡­ The truth is that we didn¡¯t even finish renovating the Tunnel, almost five kilometers need work¡­¡±


    The Minister didn¡¯t bother shortening his complaints about the remodeling plan. Apparently, the pressure was getting under his nerves. Once again, AK¡¯s main challenge became clear. They wanted to grow too fast and too large. First, it was resources, but now they hit a workforce limitation.


    When Alfeur grew tired of pouring down complaints, the Council started to discuss a solution for the problem, even if it was a temporary fix. So, after a lot of deliberation, they decided to give some benefits for the Tunnel residents to placate them and gain more time. Increasing the soldier¡¯s wages was out of the question, the Ministry of Defense¡¯s budget was already a problem, so they had to go with access benefits. They would promise to insert any magic tools, food, and living improvements first in the Tunnel. Hopefully, this would be enough to calm the soldiers and their families.


    The idea wasn¡¯t the best or most effective, it might not even work, but was the best they could come up with for now. Next, Said started the Ministry of Living¡¯s report. Unexpectedly, the Ministry wasn¡¯t facing limitations due to the lack of workers. However, the report was mostly about their citizens¡¯ problems caused by overwork.


    The purpose of this Ministry was to protect the welfare of all AK citizens. Earlier, the problem was already evident, but hearing about a trend of increasing unsatisfaction and exhaustion placed some severity and urgency on it. Fortunately, everybody knew the importance of contributing to their infant Kingdom, and their previous suffering was still fresh on their minds. However, there was only so much one could take willingly. Nobody could tell how far they could push before breaking.


    Aside from the dreadful forecasting, the report also brought some significant information about the job distribution in their country. One of the tasks carried by the Ministry was the registration, which was finally complete. The 2070 wooden tablets even earned an exclusive room inside their building. Each tablet only had a written name and an Alchemy mark, hardly worthy one year of work. However, those marks could store a lot more information than any scroll.


    One by one, all AK citizens were properly registered, and any relevant information was stored. They never had such an accurate record before. Age, home location, remarkable features, relatives, job, and the unique spiritual signature which could differentiate anyone, everything was recorded. Even babies who couldn¡¯t willingly provide their spiritual signature, had an unsigned tablet waiting for when they were old enough.

 Chapter 188 - 188 – The Council Meeting III

    For now, the records only offered an overview of their population, leaving the complex magic applications promised by Karl to an unforeseen future. However, the records were in no way useless. Just the age and job distribution accurately registered on them were enough to justify using it.


    ¡°As we all know, the Ministry of Defense employs most of our citizens, 602 to be exact, and more than half of them are part of the military. Though they represent the biggest group in AK, their requests and complaints are pretty simple. They want better living conditions and to live close to their families as much as possible. Since these are already being handled by the Tunnel¡¯s remodeling, I don¡¯t have any suggestions.¡±


    ¡°Next, we have the Ministries of Food and Alchemy, which employ almost 300 citizens each. Aside from overworking, a few farmers are facing some persistent poisoning, even with the detoxifying potions. It¡¯s not as serious as the hunters and foragers, but we need to pay attention to it. We might be seeing some build-up resistance to the potions¡¯ effect or they¡¯re somehow exposed to something that either weakens the potions or aggravates the poisoning¡­ Oh, holy Origin. Sorry, I forgot that I¡¯m talking on behalf of the Ministry of Living¡­ Old habits of an old healer. Mary can talk more about it later¡­¡±.


    ¡°The rest of our citizens mostly complain about overworking. There are other things, but that¡¯s just our people being finally free to speak their minds. Currently, we only have 40 unemployed people. Of which, 32 are sick and four are too old. The rest are first-time parents who don¡¯t want to part with their children yet.¡±


    This report would shock the leader of any nation. If the population size was ignored, it would be unthinkable to have practically all citizens working, but for the ex-villagers, such a thing was only natural. However, they wouldn¡¯t keep up with the strenuous work schedule for much longer.


    The meeting proceeded with the Ministry of Health¡¯s report. The poisoning continued to affect roughly 150 citizens every month. Fortunately, the cases only caused mild symptoms and were easily treated with detoxifying teas and a change of environment for a week or so. Even so, Mary couldn¡¯t guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t cause other problems in the long run. For now, the poisoning didn¡¯t enter the general statistics of health, but they were tracking it carefully.


    Another worry was the number of sick, who were considered inept to work. In their current predicament, every single worker counted. On AK, everyone over the age of ten worked, except the sick and elders who couldn¡¯t handle work. Of course, the children and elders took easier jobs. Retirement wasn¡¯t an option, they couldn¡¯t spare any able hands.


    ¡°Why do we still have so many sick?¡±


    Lew¡¯s question came from the communicator and was transmitted by the operator. Indeed, having 32 people unfit to work out of 2000 seemed too high considering their healing tools and magic nutrition. Although almost half of their population would suffer from some sickness throughout the year, they wouldn¡¯t let it prevent them from working. In fact, more than ten percent of the citizens had some physical permanent condition caused by their previous situation or by beasts of the forest, but they never considered not working. So, the reported sick only accounted for those who couldn¡¯t work.


    ¡°As much as I would like to blame it on overwork or beasts, I¡¯m afraid the causes are a lot more complicated¡­¡±


    Mary made a gloomy pause and looked at her former teacher. She was searching for comfort, or any old wise advice that could make her job easier, but everything Said could teach, the young healer already knew. The rest would have to come with experience.


    Years of losses and grieve had taught Said to accept the inevitable, but Mary had experienced magic and hope. Though she knew her limitations, Alchemy had lighted a fire on her heart. She wanted to fight against the so-called incurable illnesses. Unfortunately, she was still too far from what she hoped to become.


    ¡°Some diseases are too cunning and unforgivable. Even with vitality potions and using the healing tools the sick still¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ We can¡¯t cure them, yet. But half of the sick only need time and care. There are a few things that can help us avoid the most common illnesses. Improve our food is always a good thing, but we also have to be cleaner and more careful. The health keepers could visit the homes and explain it¡­¡±


    At the old Caiset, the villagers didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think about hygiene and health habits, they just survived. But now, they had to discuss it, unless they wanted to keep losing people to common diseases. Then, they discussed how to encourage change in their habits. Omero, Marlen and Lew talked about what they remembered of the sewage systems used by the Kingdom and the Democracy.


    ¡°We improved the potions¡¯ recipe, but we¡¯re keeping it for AK use only. We can¡¯t keep up with the demand without more workers, though. It¡¯s not too difficult to produce more potions, but the clay vials aren¡¯t enough. So, if we find an easier way to create them, we could double the potions without the need for another elixir crystal.¡±


    Karl understood Mary¡¯s insinuation and nodded. Besides improving their productivity, the potions¡¯ trade was bringing some important resources, so he would have to find some time for it. Everybody looked tired but they still had one report to go before finishing the first part of the meeting. So, without wasting any time, Lonni started his report.


    ¡°The Ministry of Finance is finally getting a handle on the mess created by using crystals as our money¡­ Honestly, I still don¡¯t understand why we¡¯re using it instead of coins like the other places¡­¡±


    Introducing the Alchemy badge and conceptual money in a community where the majority could only count to ten hasn¡¯t been easy. In the beginning, the Ministry had to solve almost a dozen incidents daily, and they still dealt with a hand full every week. Fortunately, on this matter, small numbers worked in their favor and AK citizens were slowly guided into accepting the currency.


    Lonni wasn¡¯t the brightest of the elders neither the most forward-thinking. Omero and Marlen had spent countless hours explaining how the monetary system worked and Karl had already given up on convincing him about the benefits of using crystal currency. However, that wasn¡¯t even close to how difficult it was to make him accept the imaginary crystals, as he called the balance of the Alchemy badge.


    Surprisingly, even with his shortcomings, Lonni ended up being good at his position. His pragmatism and the simplistic approach that many could relate to, help him at least keep things on the tracks. Of course, as their Kingdom grew, they would need to find someone more suitable, but he would suffice for now.


    ¡°Later, when we have more magic tools available for general use, you¡¯ll understand the benefits¡­¡±


    Fortunately, the Minister decided to accept Karl¡¯s words and moved on with his report.


    ¡°Right now, almost every family is spending their money on constructing or buying a house. So, all the money is going towards it, but when they finish paying¡­ Omero, you told me that too much money could unbalance the market and cause problems. Let¡¯s be honest, we don¡¯t have much to spend on besides eating and housing. I know we predicted as much, and we planned for expensive magic tools to be available for popular use eventually. By the Origin, it¡¯s the only reason I think our crystal market might work. But how long is gonna take? I mean, in a year or two, a lot of families would be finished with the installments¡­¡±


    Though Omero was the one being quoted, the councilors instinctively looked towards Karl. The Alchemist just shrugged uncomfortably. They all knew what was preventing their magic crafting revolution, which was the same limiting all other projects, the lack of human resources.


    The fact that a young man could amass the trust and attention of everybody when things looked dire, made the former Chief feel a sting of jealousy. He would, of course, use this chance to remember everyone that his experience was worth something.


    ¡°Alchemy is an essential part of our foundation, but we shouldn¡¯t rely solely on it. In fact, we should encourage activities for our people to spend their crystals and also de-escalate the overworking consequences. Wasn¡¯t that the plan for bringing the seamstress from AP? Many asked for better clothes, but we could go even further and invest in this area. We could also consider opening a tavern¡­¡±

 Chapter 189 - 189 – The Council Meeting IV

    The idea caused some disagreement amongst the Council, but they couldn¡¯t deny that it had its merits. The most obvious challenge was personnel, but once Lew explained that they didn¡¯t need a specific place for it since liquor could be sold in the food stores, the idea became possible. Even so, it would require transportation, both from AP to the Capital and from the Serion Kingdom to AP.


    Actually, the Council didn¡¯t like giving money to the Kingdom, but they had to come to terms with it until they could trade directly with the Democracy. Introducing drinking in a workaholic community had its own risks, even more since they didn¡¯t have any previous contact with it. However, if they could do it slowly and carefully, it might help them mitigate the accumulated stress on their workers.


    Said and Mary were totally against it. From what they knew, liquor would intoxicate the body, which somehow was the purpose of most drinkers. Physical consequences aside, according to Lew, the practice would help relax and deal with the ails of the mind. So, the trick was on the dosage, drinking enough to wash your concerns away without hurting your body. Though, such a dosage might not even exist.


    Minister Lonni, on the other hand, looked satisfied with the prospect of the new source of income.. Unfortunately, the feeling didn¡¯t last long as he started to go through the numbers of the next report with his secretary.


    ¡°Once more, our earnings weren¡¯t enough to cover the Ministries¡¯ budget. The last seasonal budget was set to one million crystals, but we came short of almost 200 thousand crystals. The difference was covered by the mined crystals, but we estimate that only half of the amount actually represents our growth.¡±


    Although the councilors had been successfully warned by elder Lonni¡¯s tone, only Marlen and Omero thoroughly understood the situation. The specifics of the lesson taught by their trading teachers had already faded from memory, but core parts still remained. A nation¡¯s economy is based on the balance between supply and demand, but demand is often represented by money instead of need. So, excess demand without proper supply would create a cascade of problems.


    When Lonni took over the seat, they spend a whole afternoon trying to explain the financial concept, though they barely understood it themselves. Soon, it became clear that they made a mistake. The wages on AK were too high, and the citizens didn¡¯t have the means to spend it. Everybody who hesitated to buy a house was now looking for the city planners to place an order, which filled the constructing team¡¯s schedule for the next two years.


    The first and easier course of action would be to increase the prices, but that would generate another problem itself. If the food at the restaurants and stalls cost any higher, many would go back to prepare their meals at home, which meant less spending and a decrease in overall productivity. People were used to eating out, but they were in no way incapable of preparing their own food if need.


    Fortunately, the responsible citizens were saving crystals for the promise of magic tools instead of overbuying other things. In the end, the trick was finding new ways to fork the money back to the Council with something their people would be happy to pay for. Sadly, until they could solve the workforce problem, crafting Alchemy tools was out of the table. Encouraging a clothing trend and introducing liquor to the food stores would be good short-term solutions, but far from enough to last more than a couple of seasons.


    Karl had a few ideas but with little to no impact on the general consumption, so he chose to save them for his Ministry¡¯s presentation. The finance report came to an end with another sour taste of leaving something unsolved, but they couldn¡¯t stop and nobody seemed to have a solution.


    With the first part of the meeting over, the councilors stopped to eat something and agreed to reconvene in an hour. Moira wasn¡¯t sure if she should leave before or after the meal, so she decided to avoid any embarrassment and excuse herself after paying compliments to the Council members.


    ***


    ¡°The first part of Sandine war mission is complete and now we need to decide if we want to keep arming the Sandines. We have three shadows watching over the tribes and the frontier. Thanks to the two towers constructed towards the south we have daily updates. Still, we need to train more beast messengers. Right now, information is our best advantage.¡±


    Usually, the Ministry of Governance¡¯s report would come first, but Omero asked to be left for last. So, Lew started his report through the operators. With the introduction of the display module, the operators relayed the messages faster. Even so, typing the message took a lot longer than speaking.


    ¡°How many soldiers they have and how many weapons we sold?¡±


    Omero¡¯s question made most councilors shiver. It was easy to forget how their nation was ridiculously smaller than others in terms of population.


    ¡°The Kingdom¡¯s forces have something around 90 thousand soldiers, but the Mages regiment was pulled back before we intervene. They would account for something between 500 and one thousand Mages. The Beastkin just received reinforcements, and now amount to roughly 20 thousand, 300 already armed with our weapons.¡±


    Even though the operator was the one relaying the message, the Council realized the cues on the report, especially the one about the Mages regiment being absent. The two former democracy agents exchanged a look, and Omero continued asking:


    ¡°Do you think they can take back the Oasis? What¡¯s the risk if we keep supplying weapons?¡±


    The reply came almost a minute later.


    ¡°The Sandines are confident they can push the Serions back. I think they were ready to give up on the Oasis and retreat for a couple of years, but the weapons gave whoever is in the position of War Supreme Commander the chance to retaliate and keep the seat longer. Once they take the Oasis back, the Mages should be called back. Usually, after spending a lot, the regions involved would receive an additional influx of resources from the conquered land. It¡¯s an unofficial compensation for the war expenses. So, I bet that even those arrogant Elementalists would be forced back if their rewards were to be taken. There¡¯s a small chance of escalating the war and drawing more attention to our weapons, but the Wardens wouldn¡¯t let others meddle in so easily. The Fire Duchess is too proud and the new Wind Lord can¡¯t afford it.¡±

 Chapter 190 - 190 – More People I

    Lew¡¯s report was transmitted through the communicator and progressed slowly. Yet, nobody dared to not pay attention to it. Although they could certainly use more numbers, the Ministry of Defense''s priorities laid on resources. Since they couldn¡¯t match the Kingdom with numbers or magic power, they would need undenied superiority in information and strategy. The plan was to avoid confrontation, but that would happen eventually. So, they have to control the board, choosing where, when, and how to fight.


    ¡°We need more shadow and bubble crystals. The only way we can keep the Serions at bay is by expanding our reach. With enough eyes on their cities, we can anticipate their moves¡­ Sooner or later, our presence will be noticed by the other regions, so I would rather be prepared for it. Military-wise, we¡¯re focusing on organization and training. The Fairies incident could have been avoided with scouting and the right group combat tactic. However, our weakest point is the defense against magic, which could be improved by bubble shields.¡±


    The thought of fighting the Kingdom made the councilors feel uneasy, though one of them was actually excited.. If this happened four years ago, the frightening combination of domestic problems and external threats would make them crumble. But now, they had experienced the impossible many times. So, underneath the initial fear, they all carried the confidence of survival.


    ¡°Our foreign intelligence is handled by the shadows, as the only agents equipped with the necessary concealment abilities. For now, we have the resources to send two shadows on high-risk missions, and one is already stationed in the Sandine war frontier. The other eight are restricted to missions inside the forest because their LQ shadow crystal offers obscurement and not concealment. I would prefer to keep it that way, but we could send them if needed. ¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, Samia came up with a plan to expand our intelligence on the Kingdom. As you all know, we¡¯re collecting information from a group of orphans in Twins Suns. They already proved their value with the information about the war. If we could establish a net of informants in all big cities, or maybe even in all cities of the Kingdom, we would stay one step ahead of them¡­ Our first attempts to repeat it on Fire Gate failed, but I¡¯m not ready to give up on the informants¡¯ net just yet. That¡¯s why I pulled Samia out of the Sandine war mission, I think she might be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°Then, the shadow crystals problem?¡±


    Marlen was fully aware of the difficulty of getting more crystals. Chances were, they wouldn¡¯t find any on the market, even if they offered a hefty sum.


    ¡°We still need it. The informants will reduce the number of agents required to gather relevant information, but even then we would need to move our shadows inside the Kingdom.¡±


    The Council was relieved that at least one Ministry wasn¡¯t suffering from lack of manpower, though obtaining shadow crystals would be evenly difficult. In the absence of a better solution, they decided to ask Keller if he could get the crystals. It was a long shot but the best, if not the only option they had. Finally, it was time for Reiner to make her report.


    ¡°The Ministry of Alchemy is overflowed with projects and demands. I know it¡¯s the same for the other Ministries, but Alchemy should take priority.¡±


    A wave of disagreement spread through the circle after her bold statement. The opposing voices talked about physically intensive jobs, overwork time, and other reasons while the ministers felt entitled to get the extra hands for their area. Yet, Reiner remained unfazed by them.


    ¡°With more Alchemists, we could craft more tools and help all the Ministries. Aren¡¯t we the Alchemy Kingdom?¡±


    Alfeur wasn¡¯t ready to give up on the imaginary new workers, so he immediately retorted:


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of magic tools if our people work to death? We fled the Kingdom to escape abuse not to create it anew.¡±


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re just exaggerating. Nobody is being forced to work¡­¡±


    The councilors started to throw shallow and somewhat offensive statements around, and soon the others were dragged into the discussion. Only those in Tunnel weren¡¯t forced to take sides as the translators could no longer keep up with the discussion. Strangely, Omero remained silent and didn¡¯t give his opinion. Marlen knew what he was about to do, and even though she also earned for it, she couldn¡¯t help but feel hesitant. Would it cost their freedom?


    ¡°We should get more people for all Ministries¡­¡±


    The discussion came to a sudden stop. One by one, the councilors turned to Omero. At first, his position seemed like a neutral stance, but then, what did he mean by ¡°get more people¡±. Since they were all privy to the elder¡¯s past and his unpeaceful ambitions, they could guess where he was heading.


    Marlen took a breath and accepted he was going ahead with it. Now, she could only play her part.


    ¡°We did welcome a few of Keller¡¯s trusted employees, but we did it because they had important skills, it was worth the risk. Are you suggesting we invite others to come? It could be dangerous¡­ They wouldn¡¯t share our values¡­¡±


    Omero didn¡¯t allow others to add and quickly pick up from where Marlen left. For him, this was as easy as breathing.


    ¡°Indeed¡­ To solve our problems we would need a lot of people, and it would be impossible for them to join us without sharing our vision. Actually, aside from a few passionate masters who live for their craft, few would dare to stand with us against the Kingdom. Only does who suffered their oppression would understand us¡­ We have walked far from that little farming village, but the truth is that if it wasn¡¯t for Alchemy, we would still be Caiset. So, why don¡¯t we share this gift from the Origin with others?¡±


    The eyes of the councilors, both in the Capital and in the Tunnel, widened in surprise. Would he truly dare to propose it?


    ¡°We need people, but we need more of our people. We need those who were slaved by the Serions, who experienced firsthand what they are capable of. People who would understand what we built here and would fight for it, with their all... Sadly, we¡¯re only unique because we escaped, thousands continue to suffer the same fate or worse. Shouldn¡¯t we extend our hands and help them too? Together, we would be strong enough to stand up to the Kingdom, to protect our freedom.¡±


    Karl, and certainly most of the councilors, knew what Omero¡¯s goal was, yet how could they not be moved by his words? They wouldn¡¯t mind sharing their graces with others in similar situations, but they never considered saving others. They weren¡¯t even confident in protecting themselves, much less others. And then, Marlen continued to play her part in the noble scheme.


    ¡°We should help others when we can, but we¡¯re not strong enough to face the Kingdom and free others.¡±


    ¡°Yet, we did it when we were just a small village¡­¡±


    The words caused an impact on the Council, but they wouldn¡¯t be convinced into attacking the Kingdom. They wouldn¡¯t let him destroy the peace they built. However, they played their part, just as Omero predicted.


    ¡°At current strength, it would be suicidal to face the Serions. But we didn¡¯t need to fight them directly to escape, didn¡¯t we? Of course, we sacrificed many loved ones to get here, but wasn¡¯t it worth it? And even so, with our current strength, would we need to sacrifice as much again? Don¡¯t think that we¡¯re done with the Kingdom just because we¡¯re here, they will never let¡¯s go. What do you think it¡¯s the purpose of that post village being built in old Caiset?¡±


    Another shadow of fear was cast upon the Council when they considered the Kingdom¡¯s motivations. A month ago, rumors about the Wind Lord rebuilding Caiset into a post village arrived through some Adventures. If the news were to be trusted, they would start building it next year.


    A post village would attract Adventures, Mercenaries, Merchants, and even private noble forces to explore resources nearby. It would be unusual to build a post village without an energy vein or rare resources close, but the rumors talked about exploring the Green Mountains. The Council was fully aware that it could be an attempt to attack them, but even if it was confirmed, they couldn¡¯t act on it.


    ¡°What do you propose?¡±

 Chapter 191 - 191 – More People II

    Everyone stopped their considerations and waited for Omero. As risky as it could be, they were curious to learn what scheme he had devised.


    ¡°We make use of the same system that was used to oppress us. The regions enforce their autonomy and the higher nobles delegate their tasks to lower nobles. They don¡¯t share information willingly and they would rather try to solve problems by themselves for fear of punishment. So, we use this same isolation to free people in secret.¡±


    This time, the reply came from Lew through the communicator..


    ¡°You¡¯re right, any Lord would try to keep matters quiet in their domain. But it would impossible for something as big as freeing a village. Guards and Merchants would talk about it, and the impacts on the market would further spread it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it takes time. To my knowledge, there¡¯re 12 smaller regions in the Kingdom, and if we liberate one resource village from each of them, it could take a year before they realize it. If we do it fast enough, we might even escape the eyes of the Wardens.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Insane!¡±


    The usually silent Kanin was the first to react, and by the expressions of the other councilors, he wasn¡¯t the only one to think so. How would they go around the Kingdom collecting thousands of people without being noticed? They would need to cross thousands of kilometers while carrying sick, or at least unhealthy, villagers. Forget hiding from the Serions, how would they even feed and protect such numbers?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ First, we¡¯re using their pride and system in our favor. We would target only resource villages with no contact with Merchants and Adventurers, just like Caiset. So, the news would only spread slowly. We could also create diversions to justify the villagers'' disappearance, blaming it on beasts or other parties, like the Sandines. We could start on the earth and water regions, and leave the wind region for last. By moving every rescued village to the next section, we avoid getting caught by the city Lord, who wouldn¡¯t dare to search on other sections. Then, we rescue another village in that section before moving them all to the next section.¡±


    The shocked and confused expressions didn¡¯t prevent Omero from going on.


    ¡°After we get the three villages of the earth region, we send them through the boundaries of the fire region and enter the Eastern Forest from the Independent Tribes. The water region would be even easier if we open a path from the Tunnel to the Tribal Lands. Next, we would free the villages of the fire region, and pass through the Independent Tribes and forest again. We should save the wind region for last, though we could choose to skip it entirely to avoid confrontation.¡±


    ¡°How would we feed, protect and move people fast enough?¡±


    After listening to the plan, Karl was a little relieved, as it didn¡¯t involve confrontation. Even so, he would only consider it after Omero proved it feasible.


    ¡°For food, we would need to rescue one local farming village from each region. Normally, the best option would be to skip farming villages, as they might cause the biggest impact. But we can exploit the Kingdom system to solve this too. Marlen, care to explain the Serion Kingdom resource distribution?¡±


    After nodding, the elder spoke.


    ¡°Each section of the four regions has three types of resources. Magic resources, tribute resources, and basic resources. The magic resources are crystals and other elemental materials obtained through hunts and expeditions launched from post villages. These villages attract Merchants, Adventurers, Mercenaries, and other private parties. Tribute resource villages produce the specialty of the region, which is sent to the Elemental Capital and later to the Capital of Elements. Last, basic resource villages serve the local Lords, providing food, clothing, and other small products. ¡±


    The councilwoman¡¯s flawless description lightened the mood in the Council again. Omero wouldn¡¯t waste this opportunity, so he continued:


    ¡°We could focus on basic resource villages to avoid drawing the attention of the Wardens. They should notice eventually, but not fast enough to catch us. If we target local farming villages, we could use the crops to feed the rescued, and the rest can be taken from beasts that try to attack the convoy. Of course, we would need to send more food, but that¡¯s manageable. They would walk during the day and rest in a protected camp at night. After fleeing their section, we could stop for a few days to give villagers time to recover. With enough potions and bubble crystals, we could push away poisoning long enough to get them to a safer location. It¡¯s not a perfect plan, but we can discuss it further¡­ If possible, shouldn¡¯t we help others?¡±


    The room turned silent as everyone considered the plan from their perspectives. Even after being outlined as possible by the ex-Chief, it still looked too dangerous and complex to work. However, he wasn¡¯t done just yet.


    ¡°And how would you propose we solve our crisis? We don¡¯t have enough hands in all areas. Even if Lew didn¡¯t ask for more soldiers, he was just being sensible. Look at the size of the Kingdom¡¯s army. If they build a post village in Caiset and start sending people our way, what should we do? How about when the Wind Lord decided to come after us himself? We need to grow, but we need more people. Imagine our strength if we could add 20000 eager workers to our cause. We need them, and they need us. We have already done the impossible many times, don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re much stronger now.¡±


    The speech brought enough emotion and highlighted the right points to get through them. Even Kanin was feeling the urge to agree to it. Their workforce shortage wouldn¡¯t be solved easily, they couldn¡¯t just open their capital to stranges. Except if they shared the same experiences and values as the former villagers.


    Then, the councilors'' attitude towards the rescue plan changed. They started to throw in problems and possible challenges, not to disqualify it but to improve it to the level of becoming real.


    ¡°What about the sick, elderly, and small children? They would have higher numbers than we did, and we would be dealing with many villages.¡±


    Said¡¯s concern was on point, her priority lay with those who couldn¡¯t take care of themselves. The question was directed to Omero, but unknowingly, it had become a matter of Council. Fortunately, even after facing many hurdles, leaving the weak behind wasn¡¯t something they would consider.


    At this time, Karl was the one who spoke up.


    ¡°We could still use carts to transport them¡­¡±


    The voices of obvious opposition started to build up in the room, remembering the costs and difficulty of finding enough pulling beasts or wind horses, but Karl pushed through them:


    ¡°Aside from the seamstress, Keller also sent a cart builder to us. We still didn¡¯t have time to talk, but we might be able to improve the carts from its building process. I can¡¯t promise anything, but at least we should be capable of improving its speed and capacity. But what if we could make it independent of pulling beasts?¡±


    The possibility was dropped like a wide-range explosion, even in the far way Tunnel, the councilors could barely suppress their excitement. For each Ministry, the access to a self-pulled cart represented something distinctly fantastic.


    The previous topic was forcefully shoved away on everyone¡¯s mind, as they started to ponder on the new possibilities. Cheaper and faster transportation between their cities, an improvement on logistics, more revenue for the Council, and more resources for everyone. Military-wise their strength would also jump a few levels. Though it was presented as a possibility, they never considered that it couldn¡¯t be done, they trusted Karl¡¯s ability too much.


    After saving himself from calculating the changes that the new invention would bring, the architect of the grand rescue plan realized they had gone off the rails. He cleaned his throat to get their attention and tried to pull them back into his plan.


    ¡°That would solve the problem of those who can¡¯t walk here. How long would it take to make the carts?¡±

 Chapter 192 - 192 - More People III

    Karl wore a complicated expression while he tried to estimate it. The reason why he didn¡¯t want to reveal his plans and expectations for the cart project, was exactly this kind of behavior. He knew the others would drive him mad with questions that still didn¡¯t have answers. Fortunately, they were at least sensible enough to not appear with unrealistic requests like building enough carts to transport back all the rescued. That would take years and more resources that he could count.


    ¡°Humm¡­ It¡¯s difficult to say, I didn¡¯t even share my opinions with the cart builder. But from the Alchemy side, at least half a year, maybe a little less if we have enough hands.¡±


    The estimative cool them down, and soon, they started to breathe normally again.


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s discuss it later when Karl knows more. I propose we make a list of requirements, so we could understand what would be needed.¡±.


    Marlen''s seemingly neutral suggestion was unanimously accepted by the other councilors, and Omero proceeded suggesting the key points.


    ¡°First, intelligence. We need eyes all over the regions to decide on the best targets, the escape path, and prepare countermeasures. It¡¯s in line with the Ministry of Defense request, if we could establish an information net in every city we would only need one shadow in each of the four regions to supervise it. Either way, we have to get more shadow crystals¡­ Any ideas? I don¡¯t think Keller can get it.¡±


    Unfortunately, nobody seemed to have a solution. At least not until Lew hesitantly added something.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ We should send a team to the Death Valley¡­¡±


    Surprisingly, most councilors had forgotten that Lew participated in a mission to the deadly place before joining them. However, they didn¡¯t have any difficulty remembering the dreadful recounting of his unpleasant adventure. The fearful reactions revealed that none of the Council members was eager to send their people there. Yet, the communicator continued to send a message from the Tunnel.


    ¡°It would be a dangerous mission, but if our goal is limited to shadow crystals, it could be done. We faced the shadow beasts at the entrance of the valley before we even had contact with any death energy. Usually, for a highly dangerous collecting mission of just a few crystals, we would send a team of shadows. But I think the beasts would easily see through the concealment and even use it in their favor. So, it would take a strong small team equipped with everything we got.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the personnel and how long would it take?¡±


    Although he knew that the military had 300 soldiers on standby, he had to be polite and ask.


    ¡°Yes. Sania¡¯s team would be perfect for the job, but she would have to keep the team small, up to a dozen soldiers. Anything more would attract unwanted attention from the Tribes and reduce their mobility. Training and preparations would demand a couple of months, but if we don¡¯t want to wait until next winter, they would need to leave in a month and come back before spring. It would suicidal to face the regular number of beasts in the forest and the valley. And we would need bubble shields for all of them, plus wind boosters.¡±


    The message stopped for a few seconds but was resumed shortly.


    ¡°The team would leave the Tunnel and reach the Tribal Lands through the forest, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to use wind horses in an unopened path. They could go through the wind region or walk, but we don¡¯t want to risk being detected by the Wind Lord, and it would take too long to walk. With the wind booster, they would get there in a little over two weeks and also avoid beasts along the way¡­¡±


    Lew¡¯s slowly transmitted plan calmed them a lot, he had the experience so they trusted his judgment. Now, they were curious to see if Karl would be able to craft the tools in time for the mission.


    ¡°For the Origin! We¡¯re already strained as it is, but you want us to make a dozen boosters in what, two weeks?... Anyway, I don¡¯t know how but we¡¯ll get it done, the plan will not fail because we lack magic tools! But we¡¯re not crafting any new shields, you¡¯ll have to get it from other soldiers. We still have dozens of undesigned magic carts to craft.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    After discussing some last details, the first part of the plan was done. Samia would responsible for building the information net while her sister would lead a team to Death Valley to get the materials required for spreading more shadows through the Kingdom.


    ¡°Next, we need a plan to get enough resources. How about we start by estimating all we need? Food, carts, potions, crystals¡­¡±


    As a resource specialist, Marlen easily coordinated them into forming a list of materials for each area. Everything would need to be checked again after Samia got the information, but it was good enough to get things going. They planned to free ten villages, which would amount to roughly 20000 people.


    Statistically, they would be looking at about 3000 villagers who couldn¡¯t walk back, and they would treat them as 4000 for safety. However, they would only move two-thirds of the rescued at the same time, so they had to craft 200 carts, 180 to transport people, and 20 for food. Karl felt a giant headache while hearing the numbers.


    Food, on the other hand, would be their wildest guess. In the end, they hoped to find enough grains and vegetables to last until they enter the Eastern Forest. They hoped to get the furthest rescued batch to the forest in four months, and back to the Tunnel in less than six. Which meant, providing them with at least two months worth of food. Even with the improvement on their plantation, Kanin would need to double their fields. Fortunately, the heating circle would allow them to keep producing through winter, otherwise, they would never dream of taking in this task.


    For crystals, they would need two protection barriers for each village, adding up to 12 bubble crystals for the first six villages. Last, they had to make four strong detoxifying potions and one healing potion for every person, resulting in a total of 100K potions. The terrifying amount made everybody speechless. They knew that life couldn¡¯t be measured in terms of crystals, but as leaders, they couldn¡¯t ignore the staggering cost of more than three million crystals. The sum, which was enough to run AK for a year, made them hesitate.


    In truth, it was worth it rescuing the 20K, even in terms of practical gains. Aside from boosting their projects and freeing their overworked, the new citizens would bring at least one million crystals of seasonal taxes. So, they would repay their ¡°cost¡± in less than a year. The only problem was how to pay for it. Right now, they could barely pay for the other costs of the plan.


    An easy option would be sealing their potions or tools to the Kingdom, but they didn¡¯t want to give benefits to their worse enemies. Though, it would be kind of amusing to have them finance the escape of their own prisoners. Fortunately, the price of the potions was paid to their government, so they would only have to front the cost of making them and forget the loss of not selling for profit. Every Ministry involved could also make a comprise to shorten the costs.


    For this number of potions, the Alchemists would need to build twenty extra potion-making tools, but Reiner agreed to organize a volunteering schedule to draw them for free. Alfeur also promised to find a few crafters and convince them to help build the tools for free. Unfortunately, the workers who make the potions and clay vials, couldn¡¯t be free-sourced. So, in the end, Lew had to lend them 50 soldiers, who would rotate with others after one month.


    When they finished organizing the potion-making operation, the cost was reduced to 30K crystals used for buying the elixir, life, and plant crystals needed for production. They would ask Keller to get it as soon as possible, and hopefully, they would have enough potions to start the plan in the summer.


    Once they dealt with the required materials, only the complementary tasks such as opening a path between the Tunnel and the Tribal Lands were left to plan. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Defense had to shoulder those too. It was an unproper use of their soldiers and a loss of training time, which was dearly needed for the missions to come, but they had no other options. Employing a third of AK¡¯s workforce also had its downside.


    A new era for the Alchemy Kingdom was on the horizon, and like everything else in their short history, it would be built on sweat and blood.

 Chapter 193 - 193 – The Shade I

    Year 5, Winter, First Month, Third Week


    On the third week of winter, snow fell all over the Serion Kingdom painting in white cities, villages, houses, and castles alike. Well, everywhere except for the south, in the fire region. The land touched by the everlasting fire spell would never know cold or ice. Throughout all the extension of the flaming dominion, the fire energies burned bright, enhancing the sun¡¯s blessing by the day and leaving the warmth of the earth by night.


    Close to the eastern fire border, on the city known for never sleeping, a shadow blinked between the illuminated streets and the dark cover of scorched stone buildings. It crossed the low city market and the slums, before entering a rundown shack.


    Sometime later, the shadow traveled again and stopped at a dirty shelter filled with sleeping orphans in the poorest part of the slums.


    In one of the deepest rooms, it loomed over the unfortunate children until it reached for a girl. Surprisingly, behind the bruises and dirt, the dark brown-haired child wore a calm and easy smile, unusually seen in the sleep of those who suffered so much. The orphan slowly opened her sunken eyes but jumped up once she realized the presence of a stranger..


    ¡°Miss¡­ Is that you? Miss, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡­ Stay quiet and come with me.¡±


    The sleepy girl didn¡¯t resist and readily followed the shadow outside, focusing all her attention on jumping through the other children. When outside, she noticed the shadow fleeing down the street, faster than before. Without thinking, she dashed after it, paying close attention to avoid the light and open spaces, as it did. Even in the dark, the girl¡¯s eyes shined with curiosity and admiration.


    The shadow speed increased, and the pursuer had to run faster too. However, she soon remembered one of the few instructions given by her hidden savior. Be like a shadow at all times, silent, fast, and hidden. So, she tried to calm her breathing, and lighten her hurried steps. And at a small level, she did. She moved like a shadow, or at least, similarly enough to avoid the attention of those who weren¡¯t sleeping.


    For a brief moment, she was exhilarated. But again, she recalled that a shadow was calm and quiet, even on the inside. Soon, they entered an old hut, even shabbier than the shelter. The shadow stood close to the wall, touching an ordinary stone. It shined drawing a circular diagram on the stone. Then, it moved back revealing a hole and a path down.


    ¡°Miss¡­?¡±


    The girl wanted to ask, but she could only follow the shadow inside. Strangely, she never considered that it could be dangerous, she just feared being incapable of following the shadow. But when her shaking foot stepped on a lower step, she felt relieved and no longer hesitated. The darkness inside was gone in a second, and the girl almost fell back due to the sudden light invasion.


    Once she was used enough to open her eyes, she opened them and saw a world full of wonders. The floor and walls were covered in perfect-sized and cut wood, in a level of craftiness that could surprise even a homeless child.


    The furniture, a bed and a table, though simple also had exquisiteness that screamed wealth. However, the most wonderful and unbelievable thing was the crystals, one at the center, lighting the room, and a couple more over the table inlaid in a wood tool with drawings.


    ¡°You get used to the sudden light.¡±


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Sit over there... You passed my test, and now you¡¯re ready to become one of us. But before, you need to know our mission¡­¡±


    The girl continued to nod furiously. As long as she doesn¡¯t have to hurt the other children, she would accept anything.


    ¡°We will bring freedom, to children and older, to Humans and others, from here to all the four regions, to everyone who suffered under the Mages. They told you that the world outside these walls is dangerous, but we¡¯ll show you all the beauty and magic there. They say you¡¯re inferior, born to serve them, but we¡¯ll give you the power to end them. But if you follow me, you¡¯ll live in the shadows, always watching the colorful world from the dark. Those you save might never thank or even know of you. You¡¯ll be silent, cold, and unseen¡­ What¡¯s your answer?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I accept! Miss, I want¡­¡±


    ¡°Call me shadow from now on. And I¡¯ll call you shade¡­ Maybe in time, you can become a shadow too¡­¡±


    ***


    After eating and drinking some oddly unflavored water, the eager girl finally calmed a little. This time, Samia¡¯s mission was to strengthen her information net in Twin Suns, so it could become a proxy for all the intelligence gathering in the fire region. Her proposal, which had been immediately approved by Lew, was to create a local branch of spies to infiltrate the Kingdom.


    Previously, their operation was limited to acquiring information from the homeless children in exchange for some coins. In fact, the costs and risks of doing so were extremely low. Even if they were caught, the children wouldn¡¯t know anything that could be traced back to AK. The spied would probably just assume it to be the work of another region.


    However, the strategy changed and AK decide to invest in the young spies. Truth was that even if they had enough crystals to place one shadow in every city of the Kingdom, their reach would still be limited. Also, the rescue plan would require a lot of information and they only had six months to gather it.


    So, the shadow came up with a plan to extend their hands into the Serion Kingdom by training the most promising orphans. Of course, they would take an oath of secrecy, just like the shade did.


    Their job would be managing the information net and carrying basic missions. To help them, the alchemists developed a magic belt to be used under their clothes. The tool would give them some basic obscure, speed, and lightening effects, which had to be recharged weekly at their base.


    The design was simple and pretty straightforward. A Lightness and a Contain Rune connected to a Direction Array that would transmit the effects to the wearer, powered by a MQ energy crystal embedded in the belt. The belt had to be placed over the effect recharger, to pass the properties obscure and wind affinity, from the shadow and wind crystals to the Contain Rune, which would slowly release the effects until discharged.


    The tool¡¯s output was tiers from a shadow gear, which had stronger lasting effects and would include wind boost, solid bubble barrier, sound cancelation, and even concealment in some cases. Still, the belt would help the shades stay unnoticed and escape when needed.


    First, the shade learned how to access the base and operate it. Instead of trying to teach the illiterate girl how to read and write, Samia focused on a few codes for messages over the communicator. Her reports would be limited to the status of missions and a couple of emergency codes, anything else would be passed in person.


    Then, they spend a big part of the night training the girl¡¯s balance and movements when under the effect of the enhancements. Being magically lighter and faster could be quite difficult. In a normal situation, the shadow would give her some weeks of free testing before moving to another mission, but they couldn¡¯t afford the wait.


    ¡°Your first mission is to choose someone to distribute the coins and collect the information from the other children. I don¡¯t need to tell you the importance of choosing someone you can trust. You have two days, then we¡¯ll be leaving the city for a week or so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, M¡­ Shadow.¡±


    She wanted to ask more about it, but manage to repress the curiosity.


    ¡°I have a mission at Fire Gate but I need to train you a little longer, so you¡¯ll be following me.¡±


    What the shadow omitted, was that the girl would be a big help in getting the trust of the local orphans in a new city. Though many would think that they could use the homeless children just by offering some coins, they would be shocked to find out how suspicious the little ones are around strangers. Fortunately, Samia already had the trust of one of them herself, and hopefully, it would be the key for accessing the children of other cities.

 Chapter 194 - 194 – The Shade II

    ¡°Hey, Maryn. I have some word from the spark market¡­¡±


    ¡°No names, from now on¡­ And I¡¯m shade now. What did hear?¡±


    ¡°Got it, shade. Word is the Duchess is sending some real Fire to the Oasis, some big badass Mage¡­ They say she¡¯s pi**ed with the losses and wants to burn the Beastkin for good. This is worth some coins, right? Oh, and you need to find someone else to cover the market, I¡¯m changing my spot to the Burning Bucks¡­ Pete¡¯s gang wants to get some of my ¡°bread¡±. I told him a dumb maid in the market gives me two coins to carry her food. Now he wants to try too¡­ You should give small Toothy a chance, he¡¯s good and quiet, he won¡¯t say a pip about it¡­¡±


    Maryn assessed Smutt for a second and smiled, but then she remembered her new identity and went back to having a blank expression.


    ¡°Smutt, do want to earn some more coins?¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes brightened as he almost said yes without asking how.


    ¡°You have to do my job, collect the information, and give the coin.. Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Re¡­ Really? How much more?¡±


    ¡°Three times more¡­ What do you think? Can you do it?¡±


    Smutt didn¡¯t need to consider it at all. Since he started collecting information for Maryn, he hadn¡¯t slept on an empty stomach. Still, he feared that one day the job would disappear and he would starve again. So, earning more was a chance to save coins for the future. He would bury his coins somewhere and guarantee his survival for a long time. Maybe he could even have a proper life in the future.


    When she started receiving the coins, Maryn had similar thoughts. She wouldn¡¯t dare to scheme the money out of Miss shadow, but any extra she made would be kept in a secret space inside the shelter¡¯s walls. The few silver coins she saved would keep her fed for a couple of months, which was comparable to a lifetime for the homeless.


    So, he accepted. The specifics of the job were actually easy. He would listen to the informants, pay them the due coin, and report everything carefully to Maryn when she comes to him. Occasionally, he could also invite trusted children to become informants too. Of course, he would bear the consequences if any of those he trusted snitched. Anyway, he could also report any suspicions to avoid being blamed.


    The next day, Maryn introduced all the informants to the new collector. The rule was not to talk about the arrangement with any others, so the children didn¡¯t know who was in the net besides her, and now Smutt.


    However, the shade kept one of her informants a secret from the new collector. Following the shadow¡¯s command, she gave a new task to her best informant, spying on Smutt. The child would observe the collector from afar, and report everything to Maryn in exchange for double coins. For both the collector and his watcher, she carefully explained the importance of keeping their money hidden and even suggested a few places and safety measures.


    ***


    ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s¡­?¡±


    The hooded shadow looked at the girl sitting in front of her, and felt an urge to pet her head. Fortunately, Samia was trained enough to not follow such strange impulses. Even without seeing her face, she could feel shade¡¯s excitement, it was her first time seeing the world outside.


    Usually, the shadow would move on foot. Though it was tiring, she could stay concealed and wouldn¡¯t have to care for the mount. But how could Maryn endure running for 200 kilometers? The girl was already fighting against the magic poisoning. With the help of detoxifying potions, of course, but fighting nonetheless.


    Before leaving Twin Suns, Samia disguised herself as a fire Mage and bought a horse, while Maryn was posing as her maid. The sight of Mage riding in the same horse as the help would be scorned by many, but it wasn¡¯t that uncommon. Practically all Mages would hire a maid or a page to serve them. However, quite a few wouldn¡¯t have the means to afford a carriage or a second horse for the help. So, they dragged the servants beside them on foot, then rode with them when out of sight. They could force the help to follow by foot through the entire trip, but either they would be delayed or kill them in exhaustion.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s Fire Gate, the city the rules the second section of the fire region.¡±


    The incredible sight made it impossible for the girl to repress her amusement. Though the magic fire ring over the castle in Twin Suns was no less fantastic, she was used to the sun that never slept. The fire gate, on the other hand, was an entirely new wonder.


    The first time she saw it, Samia was shocked too. The giant circular gate made of fire and adorned by exquisite dancing flames, only failed to monopolize one¡¯s attention, because the walls of living flames, which circled the city, were equally mesmerizing.


    The magical construction was maintained by a century-lasting spell and a HQ fire crystal, as the symbol of the second most powerful family of the fire region. The imposing wall aside from perfectly matching the pride and strength of fire Mages, also worked as the ultimate protection of the city.


    Differently from Twin Suns, which was the most diplomatic city in the region, Fire Gate was a land ruled by strength. Samia wouldn¡¯t dare to be careless in such a place, so she wore a fire energy stimulating tool, powered by the fire crystal ring on her hand. Even in close inspection, they wouldn¡¯t tell her apart from other fire Mages. However, things would definitely turn for the worse if they forced her into a battle, so low-key still ruled.


    Maryn dismounted and walked the last kilometer on foot. Unprotected by the shadow¡¯s closeness, she was now free to feel the true intimidation of the fire gate. Fortunately, shaking would also go well with her maid disguise. And so, the pair passed the burning gate without incident. The Guards at the gate wouldn¡¯t dare to stop or question a Mage.


    Soon, they made way through the city and stopped at the border of the commercial and the lower districts. The streets of Fire Gate were strangely similar to Twin Suns, the same burned stone layout, only intenser scorched marks and occasionally destroyed buildings set the former apart. On the way, they spotted many potential informants, but their current role kept them from approaching.


    Their target would later be found at the slums, but the worse a Mage was allowed to do in terms of lodging was the borders of the commercial district. Anything else would be considered beneath them and a humiliation to the class. Fortunately, the shadow already had a referral from Keller, so she went straight for a regular-looking Inn.


    The horse was silently left in the care of a servant, while she walked inside with Maryn behind. The entrance followed the standard Inn layout, a big counter, some seats, a bigger doorway leading to the tavern, a smaller one to the employee quarter, and a staircase to the second floor with the guest rooms. Before Samia even stepped inside, a young helper and an older man, who she guessed to be the Innkeeper, were already bowing. They were probably used to serving Mages, and wouldn¡¯t risk drawing their ire.


    ¡°Welcome to the Fire Keep Inn, my Lady Mage. How may we serve you?¡±


    The situation left Samia uncomfortable but she had to keep appearances. Without sparing them as much a glance, the pretending Mage declared:


    ¡°We¡¯ll be staying for a week. My meals should be delivered to my room. You may draw a bath for me, in an hour.¡±


    As they previously agreed, Maryn move forward and placed 23 silver coins over the counter. The Innkeeper quickly understood the situation and motioned for the helper to guide them to the room.


    ¡°Please, this way, my Lady Mage.¡±


    Mages are part of a superior class, but that didn¡¯t guarantee they would have money and the means to live comfortable lives. Even so, most of them would deem it humiliating to haggle on prices, or even discuss it with the lower classes. It wasn¡¯t the first time a Mage came to the Inn and silently agreed with prices for specific services. The Innkeeper knew that one silver was for the daily rent of the simplest double bedded room, and two for the meals of the Mage and the maid. For the week, it would sum up to 21 silvers, which left two extra silvers as a tip.


    However, as usual, the poorest Mages still wanted to pretend to be generous. The ¡°tip¡± of two silver coins wouldn¡¯t be enough to pay for the horse care in the stable, and the warm bath water the Mage would surely be expecting. Unsurprisingly, this situation was very common, just enough to avoid a complaint with the City Lord, but still a slap on the face of the commoner Innkeeper. Samia didn¡¯t like doing it, but it would be the standard for poor Mages to get revenge on the lower commoners who earned more than they.

 Chapter 195 - 195 – The Shade III

    ¡°To use your equipment properly, you need to feel the obscure effect. Switching it on is just the beginning. Once you¡¯re able to resonate and understand the effect, your instinct will guide you through the shadows, helping you move unnoticed. Then, you should feel where and how to move. Try it. Remember, the effect is subtle, like being covered by a thin invisible but darkish veil.¡±


    The shade continued following her master through the slum streets, but she tried to feel the so-called veil instead of focusing on staying hidden. After five minutes, Maryn started to doubt if she would ever feel anything, but then, she stumbled on a strange sensation. It happen just when she moved from the shadow of a building to a fire lited street.


    She saw, or better saying, she felt something blocking the firelight. Blocking wasn¡¯t the best word for it, but she didn¡¯t know a better one. It was true, it was subtle. But now that she knew what it was, and how it felt, she couldn¡¯t imagine not sensing it.. First, the sensation of being ¡°shielded¡± from the light, then the urge of moving towards the shadows.


    They walked around the dilapidated buildings for hours, but she was too focused on the feeling to realize her own tiredness. Now, sensing the effect became second nature, she could even feel the difference of shadowness inside the shadow of buildings. But fortunately, before she could push herself to exhaustion, Samia ended the training.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too eager. In time, you¡¯ll feel it even more. Give your body time to process everything, we¡¯re not shadow Mages, so we need time to adapt. Now come, I¡¯ll show you our base here.¡±


    Maryn wanted to say she could handle more, but once she stopped, the fatigue came at once. So, she followed the shadow to a nearby rundown hut that look the same as any other around.


    ¡°The key to open it is the same, but you need to know the location of the lock.¡±


    Samia approached a stone in one of the walls and pressed it. The scene that Maryn has gotten used to seeing in the base of Twin Suns repeated itself. They descended the earth stairs and entered a similar, if not equal, room as she knew. Suddenly, the shade felt an urge to learn about her master¡¯s means.


    ¡°How was it built? Do you have one in every city?¡±


    The shadow was pleased with the girl¡¯s attitude, it seemed that her investment wasn¡¯t misplaced.


    ¡°The base was built with tools similar to that one you carry. We don¡¯t have one in every city, but soon, we will.¡±


    Maryn instinctively looked at the belt hidden beneath her garments. Now that she had experienced the true wonder of the tool, she wasn¡¯t surprised it could also build a magical place. Without thinking, she went even further.


    ¡°How? Where did you get it?... Sorry, I asked too much. Forgive me, master shadow¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK. One day you¡¯ll prove yourself worthy of knowing the answer¡­ Now, let¡¯s talk about your disguise¡­ You know shade, we could afford to pay the children ten, or even twenty times more. So, why do you think we don¡¯t?¡±


    The words ended up having a bigger impact on Maryn than she realized or cared to admit. With this much money, they could stop being homeless. In her opinion, one copper coin for information was already fair. For the Origin, it was enough to feed them and they only had to listen to gossip on the streets. However, she never considered that her benefactor had the means to be even more generous. The first answer that came into mind was the cost, if more money they could enlist more children. But she knew the answer wouldn¡¯t be that simple.


    ¡°I¡­ I think it¡¯s to avoid attention¡­ Just by not starving, other orphans already notice us. If we had enough to pay for a house and clothes¡­ Too much attention.¡±


    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re already dealing with that¡­ We could pay the children ten times more, easily. But it would invite more danger. Someone might even try to torture them for the truth.¡±


    Maryn understood it, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel bitter about it because it also meant the orphans were fated to living on scraps, even with their help.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t need to be sad. We might not be able to save everyone, but if we keep this up, we¡¯ll save many¡­ You¡¯re not a homeless child anymore, you¡¯re a shade now.¡±


    The overwhelming unwrapping emotions made the girl take a step back.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll not live in the shelter anymore. From now on, we¡¯ll create a disguise for you to live in the light, while you¡¯ll be the shade in the dark, moving through the shadows without a name, hidden. Now, in the future, all the children who prove themselves will be given the same opportunity.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Her eyes were filled with tears and the words refused to go out. Actually, she didn¡¯t know what to say. She felt grateful, relieved, and sad, all at the same time. Grateful for the opportunity, and relieved for not being homeless, but sad for having to leave her friends behind.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything. In your disguise, you won¡¯t be rich, at least not for now, but you¡¯ll have a nice place to live and food won¡¯t be a problem¡­ But first, I need your help to find and train informants in all cities of Kingdom¡­¡±


    Maryn couldn¡¯t hold any longer, she knelt and started crying.


    ¡°Thank you, Master. Thank you!¡±


    ***


    A frail and dirty girl scraped some dark porridge from an old-looking bowl. Then, she fed it to a sick young boy who laid over some rags. The ailed child struggled to open his mouth and suck the barely edible gummy from the thin fingers.


    The sunlight would soon disappear, so the girl urged her brother to eat faster. Then, the last rays of light cast an unknown shadow behind her. The feeble child panicked and turned faster, ready to defend her sick sibling with her weak body if needed. However, she didn¡¯t see one of the street rats as she expected.


    Standing at arm''s length from the scared child, was a hooded figure only a few inches taller than the girl herself.


    ¡°Do you want to save him?¡±


    The girl shivered with the cold voice, but she couldn¡¯t take a step back, or else her brother would be unprotected.


    ¡°I''m gonna show you, but I''ll do it only this time¡­¡±


    The shade took the hood back until her face was visible in the dim light, then she covered it back.


    ¡°Wh¡­ what?¡±


    The girl had disbelieve written all over her face. But, the shade didn¡¯t care. She passed a copper coin and a clay vial to the trembling girl, before saying:


    ¡°One coin for one information. The potion can help your brother, it costs one coin too. You now own me two pieces of information.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Go to the markets, taverns, Inns, the city gate, and listen. It doesn¡¯t matter which information, but never lie to me and don¡¯t tell anyone about this. I''ll be back soon. Remember, one coin for one information.¡±