《ELECTUS - A tale of Peaceful Demons.》Ore to Gold
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Approaching King Zar's throne again is Seer. He didn't hold papers on his hands this time and he doesn't seem to be in a good mood either.
Trying to be kind, basing everything from the look on his face, King Zar asked. "What news do you bring me, old friend."
Hating how close minded people are, he filled the King in with details. "Sire. I hate to inform you about this, but after the deconstruction of the Chapel started, people who stood in solitude with the religious organization known as illas, abandoned our Kingdom."
Feeling perplexed, the King took a few seconds to reply so to fill in the gap of silence, Seer continued. "They followed the Chapel Master out of the Kingdom, the believers carrying their own life savings. They've sold their furniture but left everything cheap behind."
The King's point of view being far different, he weighed in. "Hmm... that's good news. Were any of them my workers?"
Seeing where the King is getting at, Seer specified. "No, they're just people who made their fortune through religious propaganda. The houses are of good quality as well, 10 people can live in one house without invading each other's privacy!"
With this situation turning out for the better, King Zar continued with his queries. "We've let go of dead weight, what about the Chapel members and their protectors. How many houses did they leave behind?"
Highly detail oriented, Seer coughed. "7! They seemed to have shared houses to avoid big expenses, that's how I've been told."
With the silence stretching nearly half a minute, Seer patiently waiting. The King demanded, "Now listen closely. We just recruited 100 homeless Workers in total a few days ago. All those 100 shall live in those 10 big good houses temporarily until the new houses are built."
Aiming to be highly precise, or at least make Seer be that way. The King also requested. "Do not forget to fill Parchments and store them in the Castle, so we know who to put in which house in the future. We need to document everything, we can't memorize it."
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His enthusiasm bustling like a little girl over a new pair of shoes, Seer chattered. "Of course Sire! Those families will be so happy. Judging from their background, they don't mind sleeping with 10 people in one room."
In the midst of happiness, a question bashed Seer on the head and he didn't spare to ask. But what about the taxes?"
This part is at least easy to put together, the King slowly specifies. "The Workers may bring whoever they please in their house to live, as long as it is a family member. And the tax is the same as per every house, 40 Gold Coins."
But of course having sympathy for them too, the King explicitly demanded. "Each individual in the house needs to pay. If there are 10 workers in a house, each one needs to pay 4 Gold Coins to make a total of 40. That should at least help them feed their families more or even buy them new clothes."
Gazing at the King, feeling admiration. Seer complimented, "With this level of sympathy, you will win the masses over in no time."
"I plan to make Pameres Kingdom a place where any poor person can get wealthy with hard work." Mouthed Zar while actually smiling for once.
"And it will be, it's not impossible." It's nice to see Seer being on board with this plan now, let's hope he maintains this enthusiasm. But he also has to ask, "Sire I have one more question. What about the 7 houses the illas officials left behind?"
Pitching an idea, Zar queried. "I want to make profit out of the Mines. Our new set of workers we will soon hire, will live in those 7 houses. But first, answer me this. How much does a raw Iron ore cost?"
Puzzled of why the King switched topics this quick, Seer just had to directly answer. "It costs 8 Gold Coins according to market price."
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"What about an Iron Ingot?" Asked Zar yet another question, with full concentration on Seer.
A bit tired, unwilling to think where he is getting at. Seer again shortly answers, "25 Gold Coins if I recall right!"
"Perfect and what about an Iron Sword?" Zar butchered with half a smile, interesting as he rarely smiles.
Thinking that the King will be buying Swords again, Seer put an attempt to talk him out of it. "70 Gold Coins Sire, it is a bit costly."
Letting silence stretch a few seconds, Zar asked. "Are you seeing my point of view Seer. Did you catch on?"
"Ummm..." Seer stood puzzled.
Cutting it short so this plan can get in motion, Zar clarified. "I want to sell Iron Swords, we can make a good Income if we sell a few hundred each month."
Instantly finding a flaw in his Highness' plan, Seer pointed it out as he counted his fingers. "But have you considered the wood, blacksmiths and leather strips needed to make them?"
This is child's play, the King just gives a command and Seer follows. "We already have enough Workers experienced in lumbering, so handles aren't a problem. The Hunters and Blacksmiths however, require some work to obtain."
Finally catching up, Seer queried. "Do you want me to fill out some papers for recruitment Sire?"
Wanting to get this over already, Zar shortly stated. "Yes but for another day. I need to make 2 deals which could boost our economy."
And focusing towards the bigger problem that demands attention. "Gaster Kingdom is near the ocean and they have a port. I can't afford to send my construction Workers all the way near the ocean and back just to build a port. It is too dangerous, expensive and time consuming."
With options narrowed when it comes to using a port, Seer questioned. "So you plan to do business with another continent?"
"Yes but for that we need to make a deal with that race of which has Witches and Wizards with Healing Magic, what's it called?" Asked Zar, he isn't trying to be racist, but he doesn't know much of anything out of Ignis.
Instantly catching up, Seer replied. "You are talking about the Zamerians Sire, that's a good idea. It takes only around 2 weeks to reach that Continent. So ships will be constantly moving from there to Ignis but there is one problem!"
Jerking his eyebrow up, Zar asked. "What could the problem be?"
Having thought of this in deep detail under a short period of time, Seer laid out. "We will need at least 15 Blacksmiths to withstand the daily amount of Ore. Not to mention that Blacksmiths are harder to find, harder than Stonemasons."
The personal assistant stopped for a while, took a breath and continued to add. "If a Blacksmith has over 10 years of experience, he can likely make 3 quality Iron Swords in one week while an apprentice could likely make only 1 good quality Sword per week."
The King hasn't considered that, but of course he can fix it. "Hmmm, troublesome but if the monthly pay for an apprentice is 100 Gold Coins, we might be able to recruit more."
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Starcraft Unbound
Earth has been taken over by beings well beyond our control, their reason was boredom. Now, a set number of individuals have been selected based on methods and means only these beings understand to enter into pocket universes, or game worlds. The 'players' may never leave these worlds, the original story can be changed. It is ever growing and evolving, some get fairly lucky and enter simple games, like minecraft, others enter horrendous landscapes of doom, litterally, several were sent into the game Doom, and are viewed by all those on earth not forced into this arena like hell. Earn a following, earn extra prizes, die...then you die for real and another is sent to take your place from the beginning. No one knows what happens if you beat your respective game, because no one has...Me? I'm a an ex soldier, fought in the last real war against these 'Beings'. For some reason, likely a final fuck you, they have sent me into my own personal favorite ancient game, will I find redemtion, or death?
8 430The Dawn of Blood
As the saying goes, "Ignorance is bliss." That is a good way to describe us. We are constantly seeking to improve, to evolve. Coming up with laws and theories to better understand the world around us. But what if it was all for naught. What if what we think is truth is nothing more than the actions of higher beings, far beyond our reach. Upon the discovery of an entire new reality, remaining ignorant is certain death. The only way to live is to grow, to evolve, to adapt. This is my first novel so any feedback and criticism is greatly appreciated. I hope that I'm able to grow as a writer through this and hope that people enjoy my work. Credit for the cover image goes to Richard Luong. Check him out at https://tentaclesandteeth.deviantart.com.
8 138Deal Maker
The power of a contract is absolute. For a witch, breaking it means death and eternal torment. And only through the power of a Covenant can a fair contract be assured. Reina is ambitious, cunning and most of all skilled, making her the most desired apprentice within the Covenant of Shadows. In her world, the line between good and evil does not exist. There is only self-interest, and standing out is not always a good thing. Because as she has learned, there is such a thing as attracting too much attention. However, getting involved in the intrigues and plots of the Covenant of Shadows is something Reina could do without. Then again, To be chosen by Alice, the First Witch is a dream come true and a curse like no other. Deal Breaker (book 1) Cover art by Jun Rao. Thank you!
8 97The Goblin Nation
They should have fought back. They felt his disdain, but no one wanted to believed - believe that they were never loved. That they can just appease him again. Sacrifice their lives again. Conquered their enemies again. Built wonders for his majesty again. And when they finally accepted the truth, it brought them to their knees as his machines burned down their wonders and reduced them back into animals. But there was still hope. The Stellars told of our survival. Our downfall was just the beginning. Our regression into animals was merely a delay. At the time, our people were split into different tribes. Before the doors to the infinite sea are open. There will be a child born to stand against his machines, born to challenge his majesty. And with a sword in one hand and a scepter on the other, that child - that hero, will lead his kingdom. The kingdom of goblins. Sun, the goblin child born to save all of goblin kind. A former human from an unknown world died and reborn with little memory of his past. Join him as he takes on the world, make new friends, uncover the secret of his past, and lead the goblin kind out from the darkness.
8 251Ancestral World: Memorial Clouds
A world that was ruled by no one at first and became a peaceful modern society. Under the shiny and clear sky with the cherry blossoms all around the school, a young man was waiting for his new chapter of life to start. He wanted a peaceful life after the figting that he had done over the years. Having the thought that of the new school life in front of him would lead him to a nice life, dangers await as his existence to other people are nothing but an obstacle. He has to fight his way through to protect his new companions that he made and keep his life that will be ruled by peace someday.
8 195Blood in the Wilderness
When a company hiking trip is hijacked for a mad scientist's experiment, things begin to turn strange when a hiker suddenly disappears and others begin to show remarkable new abilities. The search to discover the truth behind these events is complex...and dangerous.
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