V4: Chapter 2

…

Ideally, I won't have to give the Conquerors the third Citadel, even after they help me take it, and force them to back down when they demand it. As the opposite scenario, where shit goes completely sideways, I'll have to defeat the Conquerors and fortify against the whole continent as they come after me.

Yeah, the one year time limit is a lie.

I really have no intentions of giving the Scholars' Citadel to anyone else.

It's not a matter of greed, even if it was a very greedy move, but out of logic.

Sure, the Conquerors would be great allies to have, but the math just didn't check out. Having them as completely-loyal allies that'll do whatever I said, didn't replace an entire region and a third Citadel, especially with the oncoming Crises added to the equation. A third Citadel was a massive increase every relevant form of income, unlocked certain techs free of charge permanently, and it also allowed the research of certain technologies. The famine will turn into a speed bump.

The Conquerors are awesome. Crusher is a great guy. The Deliverer is an absolute giga-chad with a kick-ass backstory. Their culture is great, their ladies are incredible, and they're genuinely a great ally to have. It's a damn dream to have them as allies, acting as cavalry and heavy infantry, and fighting alongside them to the end of the game. They're one of the few that you can keep all the way to the end of the game, and even if they win, you're doing fine in life in their true ending, unlike most other factions.

Still, if I picked them over the third Citadel and didn't stab them in the back, everyone loses.

They die, I die, and everyone else dies.

Maybe, if there were only two Crises coming, I could afford to take the risk. It would be a fifty-fifty chance of losing, but I'd take that coinflip just to be satisfied with my choices.

With four Crises?

With the Academy already destroyed, the markets scattered, the Scholars on everyone's shit list, the Merchants are trying underhanded shit, and everyone else eyeing me as a rising hegemon?

Yeah, the choice was already made for me.

The only path forward was to dominate the continent, bring everyone under my banner, and use everything that I could get my hands on defeat the god-awful things coming to kill us all.

And, if I can't do that, the old idea of running away to find an island to live on for as long as possible sounded great, too.

If you can't win a fight to the death… run the fuck away!

…

After the brief tour with the Conquerors capital, I was able to give decent estimates on their capabilities. Citizenry were probably at the satisfied level, not that much positive happiness, but it was positive. Industry-wise, they had a whole district filled with foundries and manufacturing buildings. Food wasn't an issue, as evidenced by the fact there were loads of their kids running around, and usually those guys were in 'sleep mode' when food wasn't readily available. Though I couldn't see their military firsthand, there were plenty of bulletin boards around that asked for people to enlist, notices for a draft, and the parks had sections to practice archery and fighting in formation.

In other words, they were operating off a balanced strategy, which made up for their weaknesses and allowed their strengths to function. If I could scan over their section of the map, I could make a more detailed assessment via the stages of their villages and towns and regions, but just the Capital alone confirmed that they were well on their way towards Tier 2. Taking a quick look at their built districts, facilities, and Colosseum (Wonder), also gave me a decent idea on their army size, simply because I knew when they started out and what they could've built from then to now with the various districts, facilities, and Colosseums subtracted.

They probably had three and a half-stacks, or three full armies and one that half-strength.

If they had less, the people would be happier and they'd have more buildings.

If they had more, the people would be less happy and they'd have less buildings.

Opportunity cost and all that.

Anyway, the trip to the Deliverer's palace took about fifteen minutes and I'd cross-examine my findings with Ayah when we had the time.

The Deliverer's palace was pretty immense, but not for grandeur alone. The man was a goddamn giant twice the height of Crusher and strong, too. He could pick Crusher up by the leg and swing him around with ease. Crusher would probably be swinging his own weapons at the enemy if the Deliverer did, too.

That was a joke.

Maybe.

Anyway, we disembarked and the massive doors had to be pulled open with four guards each to grant us entry, and the insides were somewhat sparse. It was less of a palace and more a meeting hall that you entered the moment you crossed the threshold. Three long tables where the Conqueror's officials would speak and meet in the presence of the Deliverer greeted us, and the decorations of the place were mostly the skulls of giant beasts strapped to the walls, while the rugs were also giant beasts, but skinned and laid out. The chandeliers lighting the place up were iron-wrought and had a few skulls on them, but they were relatively tame, and the banners of the Conquerors lined the walls, spaced out from one another just to stop from being garish.

Didn't have much eyes for the décor, in all honesty, since the Deliverer just dominated the room.

He sat in a massive chair clad in brown robes with a large code of rope across the waist. For the first time, I saw him with his head not covered with a hood, and for the first time I looked at a Conqueror sporting wrinkles. His head was bare and face scarred up, but beyond that he didn't look like an elder leader barely clinging to life as the world went by.

More like those grandfathers who went to the gym everyday who maxed out the weights, did some reps, and left after shaming every other weight lifter there.

Yeah, he looked like an endgame boss ready to get up and start smashing everything between him and me.

"The King of Wisdom has arrived!" Crusher called out, and his words echoed through the hall. The few meetings being held prior to my arrival all over the three massive tables in the hall paused. Dozens of massive orcs looked my way. The average height here was around seven or eight feet, and they were all muscled to hell and back. Yes, the ladies, too. Sure, there are slender, toned ladies here and there, but most of them were just a beefy as the dudes. Mhmm, big ladies with biceps bigger than my head, abs that you can grind meat on, and thighs that can just kill me. I ain't a coward. I'm an adventurer. A mountain climber, to be precise, heh. "The Conquerors receive him today as honored guest! Let it be known our honor rests on his good treatment! Any who challenge this may come and face me!"

I wondered if there was a faction amongst the Conquerors who might have problems with me, when I received my answer.

"I do, father! Let this opportunist be cast out! We need not his aid and contrivances!" From one of the groups, came forth a female Conqueror. Given her way of addressing Crusher, it was easy enough to put the pieces together. She's the dude's kid. I'm so smart! Hurr-durr. Breathing sure is fun! "We have no need of him and his petty tricks!"

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Alright, Jack, you've trained for a long time, and this is your friend's kid, so act like a normal human being.

"Opportunist? If that means being the one who gives opportunities, such is the case." Before Crusher could speak up against his daughter, I stepped in. That stopped the stomping of the mean, green fighting machine wearing a skinned Manticore as a cloak and belt, and little else besides some straining leather beneath it. Ah, she can literally pick me up and pin me down with one hand. Wonderful. Anyway, I clacked my heels together and gave a firm and polite bow. "Crusher, you didn't tell me that your nation had a new leader! I thought that we were friends!"

That made Crusher's daughter go from stopping in her tracks to going wide-eyed and looking over her shoulder, as the Deliverer.

"The King of Wisdom is here by invitation and Crusher cast out his challenge on my behalf." The Deliverer spoke, and it was like listening to the rumble of stones falling down a mountainside. Epic. Also, I need to learn how to project my voice across a hall like him. Him speaking was like having a stereo right by my ear, even though he was at the end of an immense hall. "You are strong, young one, but not strong enough to defeat me. Withdraw your challenge, now."

"…I withdraw my challenge." Crusher's daughter backed down. There were no 'oohs' or 'aahs' only nods of understanding and respect. No one challenged the Deliverer. She must've thought that I'd come here at Crusher's request. In fact, though, I used modern courtesy and asked for permission to come ahead of time and outlined the meeting topics. One of the few things I learned from working an actual job was how to write a decent email, which translated well towards actual mail. "The Deliverer has the right of the matter."

I thought that'd be the end of the matter and she'd just relent, but I found her glaring down at me like I was a piece of garbage.

Yeah, it was pretty easy to keep up the smile.

Honestly, it wasn't even feeling fake anymore!

I've said it once and I'll say it again: power is very attractive.

"You may have proven yourself to the Deliverer, but not all Conquerors look upon your works with respect. The actions of your soldiers are disgusting."

Too bad, I really needed to look good in front of everyone else.

I'd like to get talked down too for a bit longer.

Being vocally fellated 24/7 is tiring.

"For the sake of my people, and for my soldiers, I shall employ every act imaginable for the sake of my nation. There is no advantage too small, nor disgrace too great, that I will pursue and accept for my people." I was cribbing off of lines I'd heard in movies, trailers, books, and even shitty fanfics online with this little speech, but I practiced speaking long enough to pull it off seriously. Not only that, but these guys had no clue I was stealing from other people. To them, I'm just sounding really profound, or so I hoped. Anyway, I gave Crusher's daughter a little bow from the waist. "You may ask me what right I have to inflict such terrible stratagems upon my foes, but I ask you this: what right do I have… to not make use of them for my people's safety and prosperity?"

I was very aware of what my orders were doing to the Scholars of the Skies.

Their region is called Frostcrown and it's their vanilla starting area. Their flying city dwelled amongst steep mountains and extracted science wherever it settled. They had very few plots of land in the region where they could farm food, make improvements like lumber yards, and put down districts where their city would land to make full use of. Land that they can spare for villages and towns were at a premium, but it was all outweighed by the ridiculous science and production bonuses given by mountains and mines.

Frostcrown was being ravaged now.

Villages and farms were being set alight with napalm. Mines were being collapsed wherever they could be found. Forests were being set alight, while water sources were being filled with ash and dirt. Refugee trains were being bounced from the borders by my troops, and being forced to go towards the Citadel of the Scholars, which was their last bastion. A bastion which was being forced to produce food, housing, and necessities instead of weapons, explosives, and other such things as I forced more and more discontent, terrified people into slums around it.

The Scholars showed me the reality of my situation.

While I had a good overview of things, there were limitations that existed in the game that didn't exist now.

It was terrifying that my opponents could innovate and come up with out-of-the-box problems, but I could do the same.

And, there's a lot more fucked up shit in my head than theirs.

My declaration, made with a smile, hung in the air for a long time, even after I raised my head.

Ayah and Sirena both stood next to me, ready to defend me, as the Conquerors remained strangely silent and looking at Crusher's daughter.

I guessed that there was some sort of custom to answer questions given to you in this culture, as she struggled to find an answer to my question. An answer that could convince her peers, her father, her father's peers, and the leader of her nation that she was a capable leader.

I guess that I've forced her into a rather tough spot with that question, huh?

Well, Crusher's a good dude, so I guess I'll retract my statement.

"You can take your time thinking up your answer. I'll be glad to hear a good, reasonable argument against my way of thinking. There are few things worse than never changing how you think nor act, after all." There, that should incentivize the young woman to get things done on her own time. Sorry, but you're working against someone three times your age, quadruple the education, and unhealthy amounts of cultural references to fall back on. I literally have cheat codes in my brain for anything vaguely related to talking to people in good faith. Arguing with me is a fail state. "Now, please, excuse me. I must speak with your leader."

I walked past her and straight towards the Deliverer.

A lot of eyes were on me, as I made my way with my two guards, until I reached the center of the hall and looked up into the Deliverer's eyes.

I held out my hands and gave him the best salesman smile I could muster, while he metaphorically had me in the palm of his hand.

"So? What do you think? A second Citadel for your people after its mine for a year to beat back the famine?"

The Deliverer chuckled at my question.

"And, if I refuse, you shall ask either the Guardians or the Wardens to take it instead, no?"

I didn't hesitate.

"Yep."

"Then, there is no choice in the matter. The Conquerors shall have this Citadel a year after you take control of it, King of Wisdom."

Man, it's nice to get what I want… but, I knew better than to think that the Deliverer didn't have something up his sleeve.

"But, King of Wisdom, you shall only have it by swearing an oath of alliance between your people and mine."

"Sure, no problem!"

Well, there it is.

I knew it was coming.

No one's going to trust me after I keep the Citadel and backstab the Conquerors.