Alana watched how the two new priestesses interacted with each other as if they were old friends.... they weren't sure how to physically interact with each other, that was the only way she could describe it. Sure they were new to the bodies that were currently inhabited, but they seemed intimately familiar with each other's minds. Gloss was caring and compassionate when it came to Cald, she understood her emotions, while it was obvious that Cald would be lost without Gloss.
Cald's attention would go everywhere and anywhere, and Gloss could grab it as if it was a rope to draw her back in.
"Well ladies, are you ready for the meeting?" After they had left the HUB and made the building disappear, they went through an actual portal to a larger temple.
Cald put her helmet back on, "You know it!"
Gloss nodded and followed Cald out the door to meet with the group which was still waiting for them.
The entire group immediately looked at the helmetless Gloss and their breath hitched.
"Eyes of power." Muttered one of King Desmians Aides.
The kind smile that Gloss had on her face would make anyone feel at ease, regardless of the almost effortless and unfathomable flying speed she was capable of. What other powers are hidden behind her beautiful face?
Alana trudged forward towards the temple, "Come, let us return and get these Priestesses back to Tevate."
"Wait I thought the City was called Teran-Soure?" Caldesan asked.
"Ah well, the City is Teran-Soure in the Tevate Empire," Alana said.
"Indeed, and we have a King instead of an emperor, and we also refer to the land as Tevate, so it can be confusing." The King said, then in a higher volume, as they walked the 100m back to the temple he said, "So, do you wish to have a planning meeting in the Temple, or should we just go to the palace where there are meeting rooms and conference chambers?"
"The Palace is fine, I just can't wait to start building!" Cald said while sounding super excited.
"Haha, well, that is good to hear young Priestess. But since the good King Desmian Chandlar is hosting us for dinner, it might be convenient to have our planning meeting there." Lord Jaenen said.
"hehe, so, what are Elven cities like? Do you have architecture made from living trees?" Gloss asked as soon as she heard the Elf speak.
She looked so earnestly excited and curious that the Elven High Lord laughed before nodding, "Of course we do, the only other materials would be from dead trees or rock, and we use magic to grow our trees into buildings. We do not use dead trees like humans and beastmen, or the Coral Reefs that the Naga grow with their magic, and don't forget the Dwarven ability to stone shape with their magic." He explained. "We like to be surrounded by life."
"Cald?" Gloss asked.
"Yeah! We have to." Cald replied.
"Yup."
"Yup." They knew they had to visit them all and see what they look like, it IS a fantasy world after all.
King Desmian exchanged looks with High Priestess Alana. "They are certainly eccentric, but also pure of heart it seems." They were following far enough behind the two priestesses that they didn't hear their talk.
"Yes, I believe they are very kind-hearted, and their light should not dim, we should not let them see the horrors of war. I think it would be most horrible if they saw the destruction that remains where Alantor was. I think that they are either very young, or the world that they came from was full of peace. Most people these days will need people like them, who seem the happiest while helping others." Alana said.
"They do seem very excited just by the prospect of building, as if it is such a trivial matter they do it for fun, it is very curious how naive they seem to be." King Desmian said almost remorsefully.
"The end of the war was the best thing that has happened in many years. The scars of the land, and the people are still great though, and the priestesses should be able to help the people just by being who they are in the presence of our peoples, I believe at least." Alana said as she walked with the King.
"Hmmm, we should never show them the destroyed city, the horrors that were inflicted on our race are beyond comparison, there are a lot of people from all sentient races there burying the bodies and cleaning the destruction. I don't think we should build another city there though. At least not for a few generations." Desmian said quietly.
It was true, the battles for the only stronghold of the races were gruesome. It had only been a few weeks since the war ended, and all people could do was refrain from saying the name of Atlantor. It was usually only referred to, or called "The Stronghold." But it was taken down by people that were controlled by the devil race.
"Good, I believe that they will do amazing things here, I think we should let them get set up, and give them all the resources and protection we can afford, it will be dangerous on the roads for ones who do not know this world," Alana said.
The King nodded, "Yes, I have been thinking about a few ideas that we can bring up in this meeting. I also have a few reports from the other kingdoms, as far as their basic needs, it seems that no kingdom is asking for a lot of help, despite being in the same situation as us. I just wonder how much help they will be."
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"Gloss...I don't know about this," Cald said while holding up the robes provided. They weren't see-through, but they would show a lot more than Caldesan was comfortable with.
"Caldesan, you have a beautiful figure, do not be afraid of showing what you have," Alana said with a smile.
The two pioneers looked at each other, Gloss wasn't necessarily opposed to wearing the robes but at the same time she didn't know if she would be able to access the powers granted by mods without it, and that was something she could not let happen.
"Priestess Alana, while I am not opposed to this, I am pretty sure that we would be more comfortable in our true clothing. I do not wish to cause disrespect, and we are very happy for the hospitality, but I must insist that we be able to wear our normal gear, however, we will unequip our Exosuits and I will be willing to not wear my helmet unless needed." Gloss said, as logical as always.
"Yeah, I am not wearing this robe, it's like something I would wear to sleep though! It is so soft! What is it made of? Not polyester haha." Cald said.
"Oh, well, I was just thinking that you would be more comfortable in the robes, but that is fine, and it is made out of Elder Spider silk. You may keep them if you wish. But I do hope that you will show your faces, it would put people at ease. Your eyes will give them hope. There is much power in them."
The priestess said.
"What do you mean?" Glossarai said.
"Your eyes glow because you are filled with great power. Knowing that you are here on behalf of FicSitine, will bring people hope. She is known as a peaceful Goddess, and this is now a time of peace." Alana said reverently.
"Well, we will be wearing these suits when we start manufacturing and building, it might be good for people to see us in our gear." Gloss continued.
"I suppose you are right, well then shall we head to the Palace? We will have to take a carriage instead of a portal, it is not too far though."
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The group of Alana, one of Alana's lower priestesses of FicSitine, and the two pioneers drove through the human city it became clear that poverty was abundant, not to mention overcrowding. The city itself could be beautiful, but it was extremely dirty, and it did not smell great.
The pioneers had frowns on their faces while looking at the people that seemed to be miserable, they also seemed to be in a trance, and every person had a thousand-yard stare.
The people on the streets almost ignored the carriage entirely which seemed to add to the staring effect. Their carriage was very nice and expensive looking, but it highlighted the problems this empire faces.
"Make no mistake, the war just ended. We have more refugees than we do actual citizens of the city it seems. People are happy that the threat is over, sad at the loss of family and friends, confused as to what to do next, and also scarred by the things they have endured. We try to help with the mental state as best as we can, but as the King said earlier, we are barely holding on." Alana tried to explain the state of the world.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I know we can't do much for people's state of mind, but I wish we could just start building right now, I know we can help people!" Caldesan said while looking out. All she wants to do is just start building, it is clear having to wait until tomorrow is like waiting for Christmas morning to come.
Alana just smiled and the other priestess had a question, "So what do you build?" Melissa asked the two priestesses.
Cald and Gloss exchanged smiles, "Everything!" They said together. Melissa's face remained skeptical.
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Exiting the carriage into the empty palace grounds was like entering yet another world. From crowded streets, even in what would be called the noble districts, to empty open courtyards, driveways, and patrolling guards.
They followed a servant into the meeting room where King Desmian and an entourage of aides and advisors and even one butler were working together, organizing lots of paperwork, maps, and charts. Across from the High Lord Jaenen and his servants were doing the same sort of dance.
There was one cat demi-human sitting near King Desmians group reading through some documents, and one member of the Naga Species down the table from the reading cat demi-human was looking at a tablet that seemed to glow with some blue color. The Naga was interesting to look at as they were almost entirely covered in fabric, minus the very tip of their tail, hands, and head. It all seemed to be excellently crafted, although the color seemed to constantly shift into different dark sea blues and greens.
"Ah, greetings High Priestess Alana, and Priestesses Caldesan and Glossarai." King Desmian said after noticing them enter.
"Hey, could you call us Pioneers? It is our title after all." Caldesan casually said to the leader of the human empire.
The King didn't look mad, and instead only curious, he glanced at Alana, then said, "Of course Pioneer Caldesan, thank you for sharing your title with us, I meant no offense if any was given." The King said carefully, as if unsure how the Pioneer would react.
"Thanks! But Don't worry, we just prefer it is all!" She said excitedly.
"Okay, so let's talk plans, we have some great ideas! Can we hear the basics of where you would like us to start though, it would help give us a direction after we have a starting base." Glossarai said.
"Straight to business then, this is Representative Gnolt of the Naga, and First Chosen Marchen Al'Mare of the Beastkin. I present Pioneer Glossarai and Pioneer Caldesan. They say they can help restore infrastructure and more. I have personally witnessed some of their amazing powers. So Pioneers, would you give us a description of your ideas or plans that you have so far?" King Desmian said.
"Greetings Pioneers, and honor to meet you." The Naga said in a very deep voice that you could feel resonate in the air.
"Good day as well, I am at your service Pioneers." Marchen Al'Mare said as he stood and bowed, when he talked he rolled his 'r's and annunciated differently depending on what word he was saying.
"Hello!" Cald said as she waved awkwardly.
"Nice to meet you! Call me Gloss!" Gloss said just as awkwardly, even though their helmets were off, it was hard to tell if they were serious at first, but the longer the representatives were around them, the more they began to feel comfortable with the Pioneer's eccentric behavior.
And as if rehearsed, at the same time the two pioneers began to explain ridiculous and insane-sounding ideas.
"Alright! So, we need to make one quick base to gather resources to make a larger base, Gloss, I am thinking 100x100 for the first factory floor, also, I am thinking we immediately start with coal power and jump straight to nuclear, it will be so much cooler, we just need the basics and I have enough resources to begin the basics for both nuclear and coal. Power is our first problem for sure, I mean Introducing a world to electrical power is an insane upgrade, but it can be done easily!" Caldesan said.
"Alright! So, we definitely need to get some basic power going, obviously coal, but at the same time we need to experiment with our extraction methods because if it is exactly like Satisfactory was, then we can mine and harvest nearly unlimited resources on a per-minute basis. I mean the real question is about the water extraction, I mean I can do 300 or 600 gallons per minute, so then we will also need oil for plastic for bottles, and we can also talk about worldwide plumbing and electricity!" Gloss also said at the same time.
The two Pioneers were looking at the slack-jawed audience, which wasn't sure if they just heard some sort of spell being cast, or the ramblings of the insane.
King Desmian exchanged looks with Lord Jaenen, "Alright well, allow me to introduce you to my Chief of Staff who will be working with you directly, Pault Freeman." As he gestured to a plain-looking man to his left. "Lord Jaenen I believe you have a representative as well?"
Lord Jaenen managed to close his mouth, "Ahem, yes, of course, this is my Assistant, Charine. I will go with King Desmian, we surely have important matters to also discuss."
The King and the High Lord exited.
Not to be deterred both Gloss and Cald split up and began to talk about efficiency, the rest of the room geared up for what would be a very exhausting meeting...for all but the two Pioneers.
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"Sooo....what is the difference between a factory...and a...Mega Base...you said?" Marchen the Cat demi-human asked while rubbing his temples.
"Scoff." Came from Caldesan.
"Did you just say the word scoff?" Charine, Lord Jaenens assistant asked with a bewildered tone.
"Ahem, the difference is obvious, a factory is usually just a factory, a Mega Base is much more than that, it is ALL the factories inside one massive building, it will be the largest one on the planet, including the apartment buildings you think are too tall.
"Okay, and why do you want to make this Mega Base?" Charine continued.
"Because that is what we are supposed to do," Caldesan said with a bit of snip in her voice clearly not understanding why Charine couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind building this impossibly huge and time-consuming structure.
The deep voice of Representative Gnolt resonated once again through the air, "What is Satisfactory if you don't mind me asking?"
"It was our world. At least our second one." Caldesan said while doing one of those not lying, but not telling the full truth statements.
"Okay, so how about tomorrow we all go to a good spot to make our starter base and we can show you what we mean by per-minute resource collection." Gloss said while trying to put an end to the pointless bickering between Charine and Cald.
Not one second after Gloss put an end to the conversation, a servant came into the room, "My Ladies, My Lords, We are ready for you in the Grand Hall for Dinner." The Maid-like dressed servant said while bowing.
The entire room besides Gloss and Cald let out a sigh of relief. Those two were a handful and there were two of them!
The meal wasn't anything to write home about, there were shortages for war, so they got very few vegetables and herbs and spices on the meat. Regardless of the lack of varied food, it was very filling and they found themselves sharing a large chamber even though they were given two rooms.
__________________________________________
The next morning the Pioneers found themselves standing in less lush grasslands than the "easy" starting location in Satisfactory.
"Hmmm, you said there was a place that we could make toxic?" Gloss said while thinking about nuclear power and waste.
"What do you mean...toxic?" King Desmian asked as the group of people followed the Pioneers as they walked into the grasslands.
"Well, not toxic, but Radioactive. It would kill all forms of life, as Radiation breaks down organisms at the cellular level." Glossarai explained.
Everyone looked confused as Cald nodded in agreement.
"I am sorry, these must be terms from your last world but they do not have meaning to us." Lord Jaenen said, as politely as ever.
The Pioneers stopped walking and looked back at the confused group. "Oh yeah, that makes sense. You should google it." Cald said with a smile at the continued confusion.
"Well, of, so to start we need energy, or what we call electricity. There are several ways to go about getting it. But on a nation/continent-wide scale we will need something called Nuclear Power. Nuclear Power comes from an isotope called Uranium-235, we can create enough, but just being near it will...well eventually it will kill you. But pretty much, for this isotope to remain stable, it has to do something called nuclear fission, where three little events happen, and that is the release of radiation, followed by the release of usually two or three neutrons, and finally the reformation of two new nuclei." Glossarai stated as if reading it from Wikipedia.
"But anyways this energy is released in the form of heat, and it is applied to water which heats up to just over 271 degrees Celcius(520F) which causes the water to create steam which spins a turbine that is connected to a generator, and boom you have electrical power. And a lot of it." Caldesan said with finality.
The audience was just overwhelmed with what seemed to be a new magic system, that the 2 Pioneers use. It must be incredible, "How many words were invented for this new magic system? It has to be in the thousands." King Desmian thought to himself.
"I am not sure if that helped but we will take your word for it, so King Desmian, is there such a desolate place that they may make their...Nuclear Power?" Lord Jaenen said while raising an eyebrow in the Pioneer's direction.
"Well yes, but that would be that desert that we were at yesterday, there is a large swath of untouched land that butts against the Seas of Desolation, which before the war was already too salty for any sort of life. It would be a perfect place to put some structures." King Desmian answered knowingly.
"I don't think they understand how big this stuff is Gloss," Cald said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, that makes sense."
"Allow me to show you the size of a single Nuclear Reactor. How big is it Gloss....six by six?" Cald asked receiving a nod from Gloss.
With the Smart! Foundations mod for the game Satisfactory, you can adjust how many foundations, walls, platforms, or machines, you want all at once with a couple of key swipes and mouse wheel rolling. But how would that apply here is the question.
Caldesan, pulled her....building....weapon thing out and spun it once before tossing and catching it, while Glossarai quietly clapped at her side.
Caldesan pointed the tool in the direction they were walking and giant beige bags seemed to fly out of nowhere a huge metallic clunking sound was repeated 36 times in about a half second as 6x6 foundations immediately came into existence right on the flat ground.
"Aaaannd here we go," Caldesan said as a massive golden-yellow structure came into existence. It seemed, just like the other things they have constructed, to come out of nothing, however, this structure was so huge that it must have taken much longer. Instead of appearing from a gold flash, it seemed to form itself from the objects that flew at it from somewhere above her. Then a loud series of booming detonations seemed to sound from the structure as it settled on the foundations. It was conical in shape and had to be nearly 50 meters tall, but the front had a tall tank filled with teal-looking water or something of the sort, with all kinds of piping on the inside.
"That was incredible." King Desmian said.
"So yeah, we will need a few hundred of these eventually, if we are to give power to all the main cities," Caldesan said.
"Well, if the network is 100% efficient like in the game, then we could have ALL the power in one spot. So we will probably need more than that. Normally there is drastic wattage loss over great distances. Also, this society doesn't use as much power as...ours does yet." Glossarai said.
"Either way we will need some coal generators....like 30 going, obviously that requires pumps, but I bet we could make all those to get started with basic refinement." Caldesan continued.
It was apparent that they were going down endless conversational paths that left the rest of the people standing invisible in the wind.
"Pioneers! Perhaps we can go to the desert so you can start building!" King Desmian did his best to stop the snowball effect of magical discussions.
It was finally time to begin Mega Base, remember efficiency first!