“Let’s see what other changes occurred due to the age advancement. Mia?”

[Understood!](Mia)

Materials available Wood: 7864 units Stone: 5272 units Food: 1736 units (food is estimated to last 8 additional day) Others: 900 units

“Others?”- I asked unsure

[Michael, they are probably the tools and weapons we deposited in the warehouse.](Alexa)

[Correct! There are 100 axes, 100 pickaxes, 100 hammers, 100 shovels, 100 spears and 100 knives. The other 300 units are probably made of carts, thresh, or spares for the previously mentioned ones.](Mia)

“I see… we have bolstered our tools quite a bit given the sparse materials and tech available. We should have Denise do an inventory check…”

[Understood! Should I bring up the next tab?](Mia)

Looking at the curious girls, I realized that changes might have occurred with Mia’s personality. If an AI becomes more humane, would that be a good or a bad thing?

“Sure… Bring up the Social Policies.”

Social policies are a concept representing the non-scientific or religious advancements of your society. They act as a system of gameplay bonuses, activated little by little as your civilization develops its Culture. Some of these bonuses are empire-wide (meaning they act on all cities and empire components at the same time), while others are related to particular buildings, units, or even Great People. Many Social Policies enhance individual buildings' functions - check the list of buildings for more information on that.

All policies are organised into trees, and each tree has to be unlocked before the specific policies in it can be adopted. The policies within each tree (or reforms) are further organized into branches, requiring that lower-level policies be adopted before higher-level ones become available. Unlocking a policy tree also activates a special bonus, as does adopting all five policies in it.

Current civilization growth – 5 culture points/day

Total gathered – 26 culture points

Social Policies

Mainly used in representing the non-scientific or religious advancements of your society.

Also used to decide the order of cultural advancement, it consists of ten different branches one can chose between and invest in creating a unique civilization.

Each choice can influence a specific field, like for example increasing the amount of Social Policy points, increasing the amount of Faith gained or even improving the Production or Research.

Available social branches:

Tradition (unlocked) Exploration Liberalism Commerce Military Navigation Piety Technology Aesthetics World Order Currently able to buy another reform or a branching social policy from the Tradition reform.

“The Tradition reform seems to have been truly unlocked, so we might be able to see the branching policies available under it. Mia, if you’d please…”

[Acknowledged!](Mia)

Adopting Tradition greatly increases the rate of border expansion (25%) in cities and also grants +3 Culture points in the main settlement. Unlocks a random culture providing building after the Town Hall has been built!

Adopting all Policies in the Tradition tree will grant +15% Food Growth in all cities and a free Aqueduct building in your first four settlements. It also allows the purchase of Great Engineers with Faith Points starting in Industrial Era.

Current branching social policies:

- Oligarchy;

- Legalism;

- Landed Elite;

- Monarchy;

- Aristocracy;

Cost for a new branching social policy: 25 Culture points

[If these options are available, would the order big sister mentioned regarding the social reforms change?](Alexa)

Mia turned her head and looked at me for an answer. I was unsure… Let us just decide as always, after all other information has been acquired. For that, I needed to have the description of each one of those branching policies.

“Mia, let’s see each option before deciding.”

[Indeed, that is the best course of action. I will proceed then!](Mia)

Oligarchy

Oligarchy is a form of government in which a small segment of society has all of the power. Power might be held by a specific family or tribe, or people of a certain religion or from a special caste. Some city-states in ancient Greece were oligarchies, where all power was in the hands of a few elite families.

Benefits: +50% increase in basic attributes (STR, AGI, END, INT) when fighting inside the territory and 10% reduced cost when purchasing policies from the Military reform

Cost: 25 Culture Points

Legalism

Legalism is a policy in which the relationship between the ruler and his or her subjects is laid out in a series of laws, which both sides must adhere to strictly. If the law is fair and is properly enforced, the people will be content and the ruler's position will be secure. While this may seem to cover most governments that follow the rule of law, legalism almost achieved the status of a state religion in China during the Warring State Period.

Benefits: provides a free cultural building in your first 5 settlements (currently available: Monument)

Cost: 25 Culture Points

Landed Elite

Under this policy, the power and prestige in a nation is held by those who own the land. The more land one owns, the more powerful one is. In some cases land ownership may be limited to members of a certain class, tribe, religion, or even gender. Great care must be taken by the landed elite to see to it that the great unwashed mass of peasants don't become angry with them, as such situations often end with a radical redistribution of land, which may or may not be accompanied by the executions of the former landowners.

Benefits: +15% crops speed growth in farms; food designed as territory’s staple food receives 200% increase in both growth speed and quantity production (you can design up to two types)

Cost: 25 Culture Points

Monarchy

Monarchy is a form of government where power is vested in an individual. Often, but not always, power passes to the monarch's heir upon the current ruler's death. (There are some elected monarchies, but not many.) Monarchy is similar to despotism, but with one important difference: the monarch rules within the state's laws, while a despot is above all law. It is of course quite possible for a monarch to be a despot - but it is also possible for a monarch to be part of a political process which allows the people a good deal of freedom. Great Britain would be an example of the latter.

Benefits: -1 unhappiness points per each 2 elves your civilization has; 100% increase in production speed and quantity of staple resources gathering (you can design up to two types of such resources)

Cost: 25 Culture Points

Aristocracy

Aristocracy is a form of government in which a group of the most prominent citizens rule. Membership to this group may be hereditary, or it may be through merit or wealth or all three. The term is derived from the Greek word aristokratia, meaning "the rule of the best." There is a very thin line between an aristocracy and an oligarchy, and which form a government actually is might very well depend upon one's point of view: the rulers might consider themselves aristocrats, while everybody else sees them as oligarchs.

Benefits: +1 happiness for each 10 elves in your civilization; 15% speed increase for special buildings (15% Production Points reduction for such buildings)

Cost: 25 Culture Points

I took a deep breath and felt a headache brewing. Just as Alexandra said, the order in which we should pick the policies and the reforms might change. Is it worth it though? While it might be worth it early on to get Oligarchy instead of Liberalism, all in order to get the Monument built up, it is a two way street.

“This… is tricky…”

[Michael, what should we do?](Mia)

[What do you mean big sister?](Alexa)

[Now that we have a production of 5 Culture Points per day and the option of increasing it with another two though picking Oligarchy, Michael is not sure which option should we pick…](Mia)

“What’s your take on this matter Mia?”

[There are pros and cons… For example, the major pros are the fact that we will have an early on boost of points that will allow us to pick more policies and faster. In addition, we can save up the building time and possibly, the resources required for the Monument. The major cons consist of breaking the previous order and even more important, we will chose to forsake the Liberalism reform this time. That might mean forsaking other branching policies that might be even better once the reform is unlocked. Not to mention, there is a list of available cultural buildings on which only the Library currently shows. Nevertheless, what if in the future better buildings are available? Some that cost even more or has a higher requirement?](Mia)

[I see… Big sister is right, is quite hard to pick between the two options…](Alexa)

“Not really… Thank you Mia! Thank you Alexa! You just made my decision way easier than I thought it would be. We’ll go like we planned in the beginning!”

[You mean…](Alexa)

“Is not good to trip ourselves with short term gains and is better to make a decision after having all the information available about the options. Mia, you can make the honors!”

[Acknowledged! Selecting Liberalism reform… Requesting confirmation…](Mia)

Adopting Liberalism will provide +1 Culture point in every settlemnent. Unlocks a random culture providing building after the Town Hall has been built!

Adopting all policies in the Liberty tree will grant a free Great Person upgrade of your choice near in the main settlement.

Cost: 25 Culture points

Liberalism social reform has been selected!

The cost of selecting it is 25 culture points and you currently have 26 points available.

Would you like to proceed? Yes No Congratulations!

Your civilization continues to climb the political ladder and the people’s sentiment becomes available to be seen in the main interface!

Your civilization acquired Liberalism and received as benefits an increase of 1 Culture Point per day for each settlement you possess (applicable for future settlements as well).

Due to the effect of Liberalism reform on your people, the population sense of security and general happiness increased!

“Don’t tell me I can finally see the happiness thing I kept being reminded of so many times so far…”

[I think that is the case Michael! Look on the main interface… there is a new ‘tab’.](Alexa)

And indeed, just like Alexandra pointed out, a new field became available to be viewed on the main interface showing People’s sentiment. This time I didn’t bother Mia with it and took action myself, bringing up the description for us three to check. The results…

People’s sentiment represents the ways your population feels about the current state of affairs. Morale 100% Positive - Your civilization is willing to work hard with little rewards; Security 90% Positive - Your civilization feels secure thanks to the Wall and the armed forces in the settlement; Happiness 55 Points - Your civilization is happy due to housing, food, water and a safe environment existing (Your civilization produces 5 points/day if the basic needs are met) Unhappiness 55 Points - Your civilization is unhappy due to little entertainment being available, clothing being insufficient and not diverse enough ( Your civilization produces 5 points/day until the basic needs are met) You can convert Unhappiness points into Happiness points by meeting the basic requirements requested by your civilization. Once doing so and the Unhappiness production per day becomes zero or negative, the Happiness production per day doubles.

Once 150 Happiness points are reached, your civilization will be rewarded with a Golden Week! For 7 days all types of incomes in your territory (Culture Points, Faith Points, Reseach Points, Soul Points, production resources, etc.) are doubled.

Well… at least now I have a way to quantify the happiness, security and others… Also, there’s that ‘Golden Week’ thingy… 100% increase to everything from culture points, to research points, faith and even soul points gain… I simply need to decrease the Unhappiness stat and I should get a huge boost for those entire seven days. Also, I can simply wait another three weeks or so and I will automatically have enough points to start it either way.

“What about the newly unlocked Liberalism policies?”

[Can I bring it up this time?](Alexa)

“… ╮(╯▽╰)╭ ...”

[You just need to gesture towards the Liberalism tab and tap gently on it. It will automatically bring up the options available. Then, you touch each branching policy and it will bring it up in front of us. Go ahead!](Mia)

[S..sure! Let’s see… first gesture! Oooh! It worked! It worked big sister!](Alexa)

[Hehe! Good for you! Go on with the next step!](Mia)

[Yes! Next… tap on it gently and again on the branching policies! There are also five like in the case of the Traditionalism reform!](Alexa)

It was somewhat cute and I am glad I decided to involve Alexandra more in things such as this one. Not only will I be able to gain her complete trust that way, but also I might be able to throw some responsibility her way. Having both her and Mia take up the administrative work will certainly decrease the things I need to worry about.

Remembering what Reaper said about how I need to increase both my Tier and my divinity rank and thinking of the second continent, I suddenly began feeling a sense of urgency…

I sighed and tried to focus on the pop-ups in front of me.

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which people or the representatives of the people have ultimate power rather than the power being vested in a monarch or despot. The people or their representatives may elect a leader, but that leader's power derives from the consent of the people. Some classical cultures have had some form of republicanism, notably several Greek city-states and Rome (for part of its history), but for most of world history the monarchy was the most common form of government.

Benefits: 5% decrease in the cost of Production Points in the main settlement and 5% decrease in overall Production Points in all settlements ( adds up to 10% decrease in main settlement and 5% in rest).

Cost: 43 Culture Points Citizenship

Citizenship is the policy of a nation that acknowledges that a certain group of people, usually based upon their race or tribe or where they were born, are members of that nation, and as such, deserve a certain amount of protection as well as some rights and privileges, above and beyond those accorded to foreigners. For example, a citizen can often move around the country freely, while a non-citizen may be subject to deportation or imprisonment if discovered by the authorities.

Benefits: 25% decrease to material cost of all buildings; one free of cost ‘Builder’ Job change for one person (can be upgraded to Great Engineer once reaches Tier 2)

Cost: 43 Culture Points Meritocracy

A meritocracy is a system in which the most talented and worthy are assigned jobs and gain advancement in the government bureaucracy, rather than, say, those who are close personal friends of the current ruler (or congressman), or those from a certain tribe or caste or religion. Many long-lived governments swing back and forth between some form of meritocracy and some less sensible method of choosing those who run things. At first the officials are chosen for their ability, then over the years patronage or privilege creeps into the system and the government becomes increasingly inefficient and corrupt. Eventually things become so bad that the bureaucracy is jettisoned or reformed, and more meritorious officials are once again appointed.

Benefits: +10% Happiness for each settlement you own; 50% decrease in Unhappiness for each new settlement you create.

Cost: 43 Culture Points Representation

Representation is a policy where the citizens of a nation appoint "representatives" to run the government. This might be considered a step up from collective rule, once the population becomes too large to support that government type. In a representative form of government, the country is divided into smaller, more manageable districts (or parishes, or states, or whatever), and each chooses one or more local citizens to represent their interests in the government for a set period of time. The representatives form a parliament or some other kind of deliberative body, and they rule the country. While most representative forms of governments are republics, it is not strictly necessary. Some representative governments elect temporary or permanent kings and other nobility to rule over them.

Benefits: Each new settlement you create will only increase the cost of future policies with 35% less than normal, while each new settlements will provide twice the standard starting points; also starts a Golden Week.

Cost: 43 Culture Points Collective rule

Collective rule is the policy in which every member (or every adult member, or every adult male member) of the society takes part in the governing process, voting directly upon decisions rather than through a representative (as in a republic). While perhaps an effective form of government for tribes or small villages, collective rule becomes increasingly more difficult and unwieldy as the polity increases in size. If half of the citizens of a tribe of 100 each wanted to speak for one minute at a meeting, they could do so in under an hour. If half of the citizens of New York City each wanted to speak for one minute, they would need some 66,000 hours (plus a really huge meeting hall).

Benefits: Provides a ‘Mayor’ Job change one time, free of cost; decrease the cost of future ‘Mayor’ class changes by 25% (a Mayor is required in order to create a new settlement)

Cost: 43 Culture Points

Now I could finally feel the headache I previously felt brewing… Aren’t each one of this policies pure gold? Seems like I was right when I said that a reform that was very stingy with its initial boost, would be quite generous with its policies.

10% decrease in production points required for buildings? That is literally one day less of work for the building unit. Moreover, if that was not enough, I can force a class change to ‘Builder’ for one elf and then promote it to a Great Person, using the Soul Upgrade miracle. Then, to make it even better, I can increase the Happiness value, while decreasing the Unhappiness one, which will automatically push me faster towards the Golden age and if not, I can directly pick Representation to instantly start a Golden Age. For a week, I can directly boost my Culture Points to 12 per day, meaning that I can much easier improve my progression rate.

Then there is Collective Rule… It seems like I could start a new settlement and I should focus on its creation ASAP, but I have nowhere near enough population for it.

“We need to make some babies… ASAP!”

[[…(⊙﹏⊙)… ]](Mia)(Alexa)

Okay... Maybe I could have phrased that better, but the main point still stands. I need to make sure during the upcoming festival all elven girls remain pregnant…

“I mean that we need more elves… We can barely hang on given our situation, so we need more helping hands. Leaving that aside for now, Mia, Alexandra? What’s your take regarding what should we focus on after the Liberalism reform?”

[While I find most of the new unlocked social policies very attractive, I still think we should focus on the order we decided on previously and get the Military reform next.](Mia)

[I agree. Also, since it says in the description of it that we can get more points by killing monsters; we should also wait until we completely researched the Military reform, before the next expedition. Since the next policy has a cost of 43 Culture Points we only need to wait seven more days from tomorrow onward and we can start the second expedition then.](Alex)

[I also agree Michael. In doing so, we will have more workforces available for buildings and we can focus on smelting ores. In the best-case scenario, you can face the first floor of the dungeon with better weapons and armors. Worst-case scenario, you delay the attack by seven days. I cannot see any negative impact from it.](Mia)

“Hmm… you two might be right. We can also have some fight practice done in those seven days, meaning that the dungeon diving unit will be more prepared. Also, in that case, we should try and build up the Barracks if the Metal Casting tech becomes available. The extra experience would be great. Speaking of which, let us take a look at the available technologies to be researched and let’s go to sleep. Is quite late…”

[Understood!](Mia)

[All right!](Alexa)