Chapter Nineteen

Olivia

Olivia was a few hours into revising her estimates for just about everything the camp would need when she decided she needed a break. Trying to work through the night to solve a problem is good and all, but Olivia wanted to avoid her productivity dropping so low that she was just wasting her time. She left her office and tried to go to sleep. She laid in bed for a while with thoughts about the settlement flying through her head for a good hour before she gave up. She decided that she needed some sleep aids so she headed to the bar to get the closest that the settlement had.

The first thing she noticed was that the bar was packed and that got her thinking. Adding all the new adventurers meant they definitely needed another bar, maybe even two. Since they were going to have to be visiting the guild anyway placing the next one near there would probably be good. The problem was it would be harder to supply and manage as it got further from the settlements center. Olivia forcibly cut the thoughts off as she realized doing her work in her head the entire time she was out was not much of a break.

She ordered a beer and sipped it as she walked around the bar until she saw John tossing axes in the corner. Relieved to see the face of someone she actually liked talking to, she walked closer and watched until he finished his game. When he was done he walked over and greeted her.

“Hey Olivia, What brings you out here?”

She gestured to her drink as she replied

“All the newcomers created enough work that I needed a little sleep aid. This was the closest I could get.”

They walked over and took a seat at the bar as the conversation continued

“I know what you mean. I'm sure I’m not as busy as you are but these new guys feel ridiculous. I was telling them how to not die in the dungeon and they wouldn’t listen to me until I fought somebody.”

Olivia laughed and responded

“Their leadership isn’t any better. He came in and tried to ignore all the plans for the settlement like it was natural. On top of that apparently they only brought enough food for the short term. If our first harvest isn’t exceptional we will be reduced to hunter gatherers.”

John took a sip of his beer

“Certainly sounds like they’re all idiots.”

“I can drink to that.”

Olivia raised her glass and clinked it with John’s before they both drained their whole drink. They each ordered another round and continued to vent to the other.

By the end of the night they were both considerably drunk. They walked as a pair, each supporting the other so they stumbled a little bit less on the way back to their cabins. They reached Olivia’s cabin first. She reached down to try and open the door and ended up falling to the ground and bringing John with her. They sat there jumbled together and Olivia started giggling hysterically. That was enough to get John going as well and soon they were both convulsing with laughter. They sat there laughing until they had trouble breathing. After that they got up and Olivia managed to get back in her cabin. Once there she drank some water, ate some cheese and nuts, and went to sleep.

Olivia was woken up by a blinding ray of sunlight poking through her blinds. She had a splitting headache, full bladder, and a lot of work to do so she forced herself up and started thinking about what needed to do first. She quickly realized that was to relieve herself. After that she needed to go meet with the apprentice space mage. They were supposed to send back a sample of the blood river flowers before the end of the day. She went through her normal morning routine and sent her assistant to make sure John got up for his shift before heading out for her meeting.

She went straight to the adventurer’s guild and found the mage drawing a complex circle made of chalk outside the adventurer’s guild. Olivia walked up right behind him and waited for him to finish a line before speaking.

“How is the setup for the teleport going?”

It was lucky she waited, because the mage nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke

“Uhh, It’s going well. I should be able to send over the first sample before noon if everything goes well.”

Olivia nodded

“Is there anything I can do to help or should I just check in later?”

The mage looked down at his feet

“I am fine on my own. As long as the flowers are here when I finish the circle I don’t need anything else.”

“Can do”

With that said Olivia left, gathered every blood river flower that they had harvested so far, and worked on paperwork for a few hours. Once it was getting close to noon she headed back to the adventurer’s guild carrying all of the flowers. When she got there the mage looked up and said

“I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”

She sat there watching as he gave the circle a few finishing touches and then he channeled his mana into the circle. A small square drawn in the center of the circle changed from being filled with dirt to looking like a window into a warehouse. It was fascinating to see the wrinkles on a man's face who was hundreds of miles away. She was still examining the portal when the mage spoke

“Ma’am can you please start putting those flowers through? It’s hard for me to hold the circle.”

Olivia picked up a flower and started to reach her hand towards the portal

“No No!” The mage burst out “I'm only an apprentice. My portals aren't rated for living beings. If you put your hand through there who knows what will happen. Just drop the flowers in.”

Olivia pulled her hand back and said “Please tell me about such important details earlier in the future” then she started dropping the flowers through the portal

As soon as the first one went through the portal an old man on the other side picked it up and hurried to a nearby table. As she dropped more through she watched him taste the flower, examine it with a magnifying glass, and mince some up before dropping it in what appeared to be water. When he was done he called and men came in carrying boxes just large enough for the portal. They threw them towards Olivia and as soon as they passed through the portal snapped shut. Olivia turned to look at the mage and found him lying on his back gasping for air.

She went over to the mage and confirmed that he was alright before moving to the boxes. The first box was filled with communication crystals. Initially they only gave them one, but there had to be at least ten inside the box. Olivia checked the second box and found that it was filled with high grade potions, the kind that were normally reserved for the military. She hurriedly put the covers back on the boxes before picking them up and carrying them to her office while thinking “Dear gods what are those flowers used for?”

Chancellor Harry Alexander Philip IV

The Chancellor watched as the portal to the settlement opened. At first all he could see out of the portal was the sky. That only lasted for a second before a woman walked into view. She had the flowers in hand and started to drop them through the portal. As soon as the first flower came through he called for the alchemist to test it. The man rushed over and grabbed it before darting back to his work station. The minute it took to positively identify it as a blood river flower felt like an eternity. Once the alchemist confirmed it he called for his men to give them what supplies could be passed through the portal.

Once the goods were transferred he went straight back to his office and started planning his next move. One of the assets under his control had just confirmed that it was vital to the future of the empire. If he played this right then he would be able to gain power and wealth far beyond his previous goals. The question was how should he proceed. The first option was managing everything himself. This was obviously best if it succeeded, but he had a feeling this was going to attract too many powerful people for him to hold onto it alone. That left getting a backer. One who would shield from other powerful influences while still giving him ample rewards.

He started going down the list in his head

“The crown princess? Wouldn’t work because she is too vicious. She would probably just take everything for herself.”

“The crown prince? Also out. He has too much power already. There would be no room to negotiate.”

“General Arnold? He was already in a bad spot so he would definitely pay handsomely for help, but was he too low to provide the needed security?”

The Chancellor went through nearly every powerful figure in the empire before settling on the perfect one. The second prince. He was powerful, but desperately needed achievements that matched up to his older brother. He had been ruthless in the past, but not excessively so. And what successful royal wasn’t at least a little ruthless anyway?

With his first choice in partner decided he called for his assistant and sent her off to arrange a meeting with the second prince. He worked on perfecting the next supply ship for the settlement for a few hours, and then his assistant returned. Apparently the prince had cleared his schedule and was willing to meet today. He hurried to the prince’s palace, and was promptly left standing in an opulent hallway with plenty of pictures and statues, but no chair in sight. Every second he stood there shifting from foot to foot to try and get some weight off his knees, but his excess mass insured that there was too much to go around. Normally he would wonder whether this was a power play or the prince being truly busy, but the lack of chair made it clear it was the former. Just as he was considering disgracing himself by laying on the ground one of the prince’s aides came out and led him into the office.

The office was filled with two chairs, a desk covered in papers, and walls that were covered with commendations and rewards. The chancellor stood there looking around until the prince gave him the okay to sit down. He landed on the seat with a thud and silently thanked the gods that he could get a bit of rest. He looked up as the prince said

“So I understand you have an offer you think I can’t refuse.”

The chancellor started to sweat as he grovelled

“I’m sure I don’t have anything that someone as great as you can’t refuse. I just have access to important resources that I need help securing. I know it will be mutually beneficial. If you’d like I can tell you the details now.”

Sweat continued to drip down the chancellors back as he waited for the prince to speak. He shivered when he heard the prince’s cold tone.

“Just resources? I have abundant resources here. If that is all you have to offer then I’m not going to be very happy with this waste of my time.”

The chancellor gulped and tried to correct the misunderstanding

“It’s not just resources. It is a strategic resource. One that could change the direction of the war.”

The prince raised his eyebrow

“Oh? Pray tell what you consider to be a strategic resource?

“I believe I have found a sustainable source of blood river flowers. The only difficulty is getting them here.”

The prince's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. It wasn’t much of a break in his poker face but it was enough for the chancellor to know the prince was very interested.

“With your help I could transport the flowers safely and not fear internal enemies. You would just have to provide a little manpower and the prestige of your name. What do you think?

The prince thought for a second before replying

“Based on what you told me so far I am interested, but I do have one question. Why don’t you just teleport the flowers? Then you wouldn’t need me at all”

The chancellor sighed as he responded

“Unfortunately teleportation greatly lowers the value of the flowers. Unless you can get an archmage skilled in teleportation stabilizing both sides of the portal they lose a large portion of their potency when going through.”

With that answered they started hashing out the details. They talked for hours before the prince stood up and gestured towards the door.

“I believe that covers just about everything. If you think of anything else contact my assistant and she will arrange a time. For now I have another meeting to attend.”

The chancellor stood up, bowed as deeply as he could, and thanked the prince for his time before walking out the door. When he got out he saw that the sun was already going down he jumped in his carriage and urged the driver to speed up. His mistress was supposed to make him a celebratory dinner tonight and he didn’t want to miss it.