V3: Chapter 3

…

I'll admit it.

I'm uncultured.

I went to one or two art museums in my former life, and I went to an art exhibit or two, but that's about it. Concerts? State fairs? Cultural enrichment opportunities? I'm sorry, but have you ever spent a lot of time building an army and watched it crush your enemies. It's fantastic. Not only that, but there's a plethora of other games to enjoy, and besides them, loads of funny video and great books.

Culture, as far as I was concerned, was just an excuse to sell and buy things for egregious amounts of money and not get taxed.

I'm still fairly convinced that's the case now, so the thought of plucking some talents off the gutter and having them paint didn't appeal to me.

So, I decided to go with food as a method of engaging with foreign populations first, but that wasn't enough. Winning on the field of battle was also a good method, but I didn't have any units in queue to replace my losses. Not having reinforcements on route was just asking for trouble, especially across the continent, so I wasn't going to go out and farm neutral mobs for fame in the Warden's territory. That meant that I needed to find other vectors for cultural gains to augment my supply of Influence.

Off the top of my head, fashion had the most initial appeal, but I didn't know jack shit about weaving cloth, let alone tailoring clothes. The Citadels could produce clothes, but that was a waste of their fabricators. I could have armor, weapons, near-unbreakable tools, and even manufacturing equipment like lathes made in Ancient Alloys to augment my population's ability to produce. Even if I could produce tons of fabrics and clothes, they'd just be a waste of time and money because of opportunity cost.

Therefore, fashion was out of the question and so was art, therefore the only thing I had left was theatre.

And, since I already had a whole theatre and circus district, it was easy enough to invest in them and tell them to spread and share their stories across the continent.

It was a poor attempt at Hollywood, but one where the actors and actresses were professional assassins.

I thought that the professional assassin part would make it near impossible for other nations to accept them, but it turned out I was wrong.

As long as they're attractive and entertaining, people will ignore the fact that they're looking at trained killers.

I really wished that I was surprised by that revelation.

…

What kind of ally can you never afford to turn down when you're starting out?

The answer, naturally, is an ally that provides increased rates of production and increased rates of food. Even if you have to pay what little you have in your treasury for both, a boost in population growth and your production rate is something that you can't afford to ignore. Being able to get population capacity up, getting walls finished, and getting a barracks and a stable, that's how you deal with being the last person to get their Citadel in the game.

I've hotseated into enough multiplayer matches to know that you need to swallow your pride an accept whatever anyone else is willing to give you, if you've got the last faction seat and the last Citadel.

Thankfully, the logic was holding true with the Wardens of the Caverns, even if their build order was more thematic than practical.

"A temple right away? I can't say I agree with your choices, but your people seem happy enough." Where Khalai got a nun costume, I didn't know. And, if anyone asked, I also didn't know why the slit that travelled up the long skirt showed off a leg covered in fishnet and a garter. I do my best to keep my eyes up the Dark Elf King's neckline, thank you very much. After our first few weeks together, I've mastered the art of being as cool as ice around him to make things a lot less complicated. "Your people are more pious than I though."

"In the depths, faith is one of the few luxuries that my people can afford." A weird statement for the faction that gets at least one gold for every tile and two for every tile with the rough terrain modifier, but I guess you haven't gotten those researched yet and it wasn't in play below the earth. Don't worry, dude, even the merchant faction barely manage to match you guys economically. "It is not only a monument of culture and faith, but a beacon of a our ways and customs and nearly-lost skills. It is where paladins are born."

"I see." That's what I said, but I was doing my best not to see, as we ascended the stairs. The paladins were in tiny metal bikinis or speedos, while gold paint and runes shone on their dark skin. They were creatures of virtue, who'd fight for the weak, the innocent, and sick, but their list of virtues conspicuously didn't include chastity. Fidelity was there, but it was more being open about now lying about the number of relationships they have and how many children they've got. Protectors and guardians of life? There's a line between that and fetishism, you know? "If such is the case, then I'm glad to have helped."

"Rest assured that we have honored your desire to see our people lifted out of squalor. This was entirely our own project. Your workers and supplies are already swiftly building the blessed housing for our people." After generations spent in the underground, I guess even tenements would seem like a blessing, as long as there was a single window in each unit. In truth, I wouldn't be able to live in one of the apartment units I was having made now. The amenities were all public in nature, so the kitchen, baths, and even toilets were shared amongst all the families that lived in the building. It was one restroom and one kitchen and one storeroom for four families of four, up to twenty people, and even with common rooms it was a tight squeeze. I'd never live in one if given the choice, I'd take a wagon in the open field, but that' just me. For most people in this world, it was a massive improvement over old standards. "We will be relying on you for protection, though."

"That's why I'm here." It was an old tactic from back home. The tripwire system the US had everywhere with their bases, which was pretty much the same as establishing new international borders. My troops and I are here and working with these guys. If someone comes along to invade or fuck around with the Wardens, we can easily say that they were threatening me and risking my life. It wasn't as overt as telling the Guardians of the Moon that I'm not letting them invade the Conquerors, but implying things has always been more acceptable than declaring things. "You don't need to worry about that until I leave."

"And, when will that be, my humble guardian?" Khalai pouted and did that thing where he leaned forward to make his puppy-dog eyes and lashes look cuter. He only grinned when I glared him down and got up and held out his half-gloved hands as if free of guilt. This man lives and breathes cuteness. The worst part is that he knows it. Nothing is worse than an attractive person that knows they're attractive and more so than most. They're the real 1% of life, because they can literally get rich people to fall for them and take half their shit. Well, if I wasn't part of the 1% in this life, I'd cheer Khalai on and root for him, but here I had to worry about him having such a messy breakup that the continent goes to war with itself. Helen of Troy has nothing on this Dark Elf King in terms of potential tragedy generation. The guy's a loose nuke waiting to happen on foreign relations. "Can't you stay with us forever?"

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"No."

"Rejected right on the steps of the temple. How cruel!"

"Nuns aren't even supposed to get married!"

"Your nuns perhaps, but in my culture they're married to everyone."

"That's information I would've rather not known."

Note to self: don't walk into the confessional booths, just in case.

…

Interlude: Rita.

…

"Are you sure?" Ghor Khanrow looked upon me. The man who chose Jack as a figurehead and king of the Citadel while he ruled from the shadows. When I first met him, I thought him an enemy, but now he was my teacher. Just as he was Jack's teacher. "If you make a mistake, you'll send a warning to our true target."

I was at the very heart of the Citadel. On innumerable magic screens, I could see the villages built around the Citadel's watchtowers. More importantly, though, I looked down onto the entire city from the great height of the Citadel itself. Its eyes were better than any mortals, and it allowed me to search for my quarry.

A spy from the Academy.

"This one calls himself Tyron and arrived with a recent batch of immigrants." Jack had the borders carefully watched. Many spies and potential issues were undone by the necessity of identification, which could only be procured in frontier towns or border outposts dedicated to processing those who wished to live in our lands. This careful system was meant solely to slow the tide, and ensure that those coming wouldn't fall through the cracks and be left without purpose and use, in our king's own words. However, it also provided great security to our people. Even forged means of identification or stolen ones could be tracked, especially for positions of import. "He has attempted to gain access to eight separate institutions, including both the Officer's Academy and the University and showcased skills such as arithmancy, writing, and more."

"Or, he could simply be a desperate man trying to gain gainful employment after leaving the Academy lands. Has he tried to make contact with other suspects? What are his habits?" Khanrow placed a hand on the magical mirror that tracked the man and pressed the left side of the mirror. Instantly it showed its memories of the man, days and nights going in reverse, until we reached the man's entry into the city. "Have you reviewed his entire stay here? Even if his identification is forged, if he's making no contact with the Academy, he may very well be an asset trying to stay unknown to his former friends."

"Or, he could be an asset meant to be recruited later and relied upon independently for now." Khanrow acknowledged my point with a nod, but I stated that answer to make the hole in his argument clear. However, it was unnecessary. I pressed the right side of the magical mirror and carefully watched the angle of the sun as time passed. Then, there came the moment I found. Then, another. And, another. I placed each one on separate mirrors by pinching the visions and flicking them at other mirrors, whose displayed the still vision of those separate moments. "Here. Different locations, but thrice over, with someone who arrived three months earlier and began working as a clerk with a merchant. A merchant that I have investigated and whose main home is located near the Conqueror's border gate with the Academy, which remains functional."

Khanrow's judgement was swift.

"Well done, you've identified him as a spy. Now what's next?"

My answer was ready.

"I suggest a posting in the Officer Academy and carefully feed him incorrect and correct information. Any crucial information to the war effort will be incorrect, of course."

"Soldiers can die from the smallest bits of truth known of them by their enemies. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes. Less will die if the enemy blunders on the strategic scale. Tactical losses will be acceptable."

"And, the blood of these men who were sacrificed?"

"They're on my hands. Not the enemy's."

Khanrow was quiet for a long time, before nodding once more. This time was much more decisive.

"With that in mind, do you believe this patsy is worth taking that risk for? Do you believe that he should be cultivated to our ends?" Hesitation meant defeat, but I still took care to consider the information. I looked back on the man. He did not evade the watchful eye of our Citadel, but he was also tracked by my subordinates on the ground. This man could very well be a lure or a distraction… and I could be sacrificing lives in a futile fashion.

It was an unacceptable risk.

Even though I felt shame build up in the back of my throat, I shook my head.

"No. He's too unskilled and most likely to be useless to us, if he cannot evade our eyes on the ground and left so much to be learned so easily." I could not allow my pride to overtake my knowledge and my instinct. After Khanrow's words, I looked again, and saw my previous answer lacking. So I withdrew it. That's all that happened. It's better to make this mistake and wound my pride than lose soldiers for no reason at all. "I retract my previous statement. He can be of use, but not in the capacity I pronounced earlier. It's better to see him struggle and continue to find locations which the Academy wants to infiltrate."

Khanrow was silent, this time for much longer than he ever was in my presence, but in the end he nodded again.

"You pass. Barely. You'll keep working with me and improving. The critical lesson here was to never let your pride get in the way of retreat or choosing another path." He grunted and the veneer of a wise mentor fell away to his usual gruffness and apathy. He looked at the target that I'd watched for days and studied and advised upon and shook his head. "Have him killed, along with the clerk hired by the merchant, and have the merchant interrogated. Remember this: we deal with the cruelty that needs to be done. Nothing more, but nothing less, for the sake of keeping this nation safe. Understood?"

"Understood."

As much as I disliked the man, and how he could override the decisions made by my king, I could not deny that he did his duty well… and that my king needed him.

Still, time will pass and this man will die, and I can replace him thereafter as a true, loyal subject.