“I’m sorry. I’m not an economist. … Ah, that is a word for… a person who studies money and trade and how they function, grow, and work in a society. I … I really don’t know how much I could help with that, to be honest. All I know was there was a big change in economic practices around the sixties for my count… clan and the GDP dropped majorly over time afte…” Joe trailed off, eye’s looking up as he seemed to realize his words were strange and unknown before he sighed, shook his head, and continued, “Look, I don’t even understand a lot of this, and I’m not sure I could explain it to you well. If you seek advice, the only advice I could offer is to make sure everyone, and I mean everyone, in your city benefits in some way, increasing their strengths, be it in adventuring, scavenging, building, crafting… anything. That will cause the wealth of all in the city to rise and bring in great trade from all other cities around you, thus increasing wealth even more and bringing new materials and supplies to your crafters, adventurers, builders… well… everyone, thus increasing their abilities yet again and allowing them to build and create ever greater things. Such things will cause even more cities from even further to seek trade, bringing ever more valuable items, and wealth,” Joe shrugged once more, speaking as if such a thing was easy.
The matriarch smiled at this, realizing he might be knowledgeable, but still naïve, “If such a thing was so easy, everyone would have done so.”
“Most do not because they are too selfish and greedy,” Joe replied with ease.
She blinked, stifling a hint of anger, “And how is greed the issue?”
“How can adventurers purchase the armor, weapons, and protective treasures to survive when they are taxed so heavily they can barely purchase such things. If they cannot purchase armor, they die easily, and you have few strong adventurers and thus few people to tax as new adventurers die long before they can learn and bring in valuable materials.
“How can crafters afford to experiment when they are taxed so heavily they cannot afford to ‘waste’ some materials on a possible strange but new item that may be a waste, or may become incredibly valuable. If they have enough money, it is easy for them to feel comfortable to explore inventing new strange and wonderful things as they are not always busy desperately building and selling just to barely have enough food for family and winter.
“How can builders grow and become master builders if no one builds new buildings? How can cities grow if no one can afford to buy new houses? How can new comers come to your city or want to come to your city if the cost is so prohibitive, almost no one can come?
“What use is all the gold sitting in a noble’s treasury. It does nothing. It pays no one, helps no one, and is only a hoard that does nothing. If nobility began purchasing many things or, even better, investing in building new and better … anything… for the city, the city will gain new … something, the builders and people involved in the project gain significant wealth, they purchase things and those who sell the wares to them also gain wealth. And you tax each person who uses the money. All the money in the city is already yours, but in the cities hands, in the people’s hands, it’s growing your city, your city’s wealth, your city’s trade, your city’s crafter abilities and strength, your adventurers, your militia and soldiers and it always returns to you as tax. In your treasury, it does absolutely nothing.”
The matriarch sat back, stunned, even as her job’s skills began once again following the path of trade and how it would affect the growth of her city, and it only made her breathing increase and heart beat rapidly. Even as her thoughts traced to the results of what he was describing, one small part of her skill quickly highlighted a slow leak of wealth from her city and felt her frown rapidly return.
“Ah, but… those who leave my city take all my wealth.”
“No. They spread the glory of your city and its trade. You will lose very little, to be honest. I do not know if this is a large city or not, to be honest, but if there are larger cities, then you will lose some, yes, but as your city grows in fame, more and more will come visiting, or even wishing to move here. And more and more merchants will begin arriving, bringing ever greater wealth. But you need a reason for people to wish to come. Stagnating your people in mediocrity by draining their vitality, life, and strength from them because they must always struggle to live, spending the vast majority of their day on generating wealth to just survive creates citizens who have no time to grow, develop themselves, the city, or their skills. Then the city stagnates.”
Even as Joe explained those who would return and how they would be attracted to her city, her breathing once again began breathing excitedly and she felt her job’s skill begin to throb, a headache pounding in her skull even as her mind expanded, increasing the web of wealth she was seeing to include the cities and surroundings and suddenly she saw that it was not a loss, but just a continuation of the ‘economy’ on an incredibly grand scale.
Suddenly, she felt a rush of excitement flush through her and gasped as she realized she had somehow grown because of her epiphany, thanks to the great one’s blessing her with his teaching. She took a deep breath, almost bowing her head in thanks, but realized that he would likely not see much in it, and could only offer her thanks in silence. Despite the shock of growth, she still found her mind taken with the idea of economics.
“Is it truly that simple?”
“Yes. But it is not fast. Growth and finding new amazing ideas takes time and wealth, but even if there are no new amazing ideas, there is still a steady growth that will also reflect in a steady growing wealth of the city and the city’s Matriarch.”
She sighed in excitement before sighing once more in disappointment and a slight frown before she shook her head. The great one seemed to notice her despair and she immediately schooled her face, shocked that she had relaxed her control and so easily revealed herself. Despite this, she felt no anger or upset.
“What’s wrong? You can’t do it?”
“I cannot.”
“You do not have the authority to do so?”
“Ah, no. I do, but… it is other… things,” the Matriarch finished with a grimace.
“Treasury’s low?” the great one asked with a smile.
The Matriarch looked to the great one and found herself actually looking away with a angry flush of embarrassment. You are not a child! She berated herself before she looked back to him, “It is … difficult at this time.”
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“Hmm… do you mind telling me what happened? Was there a great war or something recently?’
“No, no such thing, Joe,” she replied with grace.
Kukurnal took the time to shake his head and interjected, saving her from embarrassing herself, “There have been several near calamities from the dungeons here. They do not happen often, but when they do so, it is… costly for the city.”
“But, nothing escaped, right? There was no damage to the city?”
“While the ‘economy’ does dip a little because of calamities, I believe the major cost is the Dragon’s Spear,” Kukurnal replied before bowing to the Matriarch and deferring to her expertise.
She sighed before nodding, “The Dragon’s Spear are powerful and do well protecting cities from dungeon calamities. But, it is as Priest Kukurnal has said, they are… costly.”
She was surprised to see the great one turn his head away and sigh, a subtle look of what seemed like embarrassment washing over his face, “Ah… how costly is the Dragon’s Spear?”
She blinked before replying, “They are quite costly, requiring a single core for each member, a dual core for each squad leader, and a triple core for the captain.”
“Ouch! Um… and how many members are called?”
“It is usually a hundred man squad with five squad leaders and a captain.”
“Woah… so ninety four single cores, five dual cores, and a triple core. You had to call them twice, right?”
The Matriarch nodded with a grimace, “Yes. It was… quite unfortunate.”
The great one seemed to look away, sighing deeply, “I… ah… yeah… sorry about that.”
Both Priest Kukurnal and the Matriarch froze, eye’s widening in fear and awe. She kept her silence at this, but the Priest seemed unconcerned with offending the man, “You … you are the cause of the calamities?”
The great one actually looked up sheepishly before nodding.
“Both?”
The great one sighed before he nodded, “Yeah. My bad. I seemed to have unleashed a hidden something or other. It’s OK. I took care of them all, but… yeah.
“Them?!?” Both the Matriarch and Priest blurted out.
The great one opened his mouth to speak but then silenced himself and simply shrugged with an embarrassed smile. After a moment, he then seemed to suddenly think of something and quickly turned as he exclaimed a quiet, “Ah!”
He reached to his side and pulled out a pouch. He set it on the table and almost opened it before he suddenly stopped and looked to his apprentices, “Guys, do you mind if you crowd around me and hide this next part? Matriarch, could you ask your soldiers to do the same?”
The Matriarch nodded but then waved to the apprentices, “Please, sit. My protection detail can protect us,” she said as she looked to one of the men behind her, “Total privacy, please.”
The man nodded before performing his skill, a silent shroud of shadow and darkness surrounding the whole table and its occupants.
“Is this privacy enough?”
Joe nodded quickly and smiled brightly, “Yes! Very much so.”
He was obviously polite as he still wisely inspected his surroundings, carefully evaluating her man’s shroud of privacy before digging into the pouch he’d pulled from his side. He then shuffled inside with a hand and she heard a gasp from one of her soldiers but constrained herself from reacting and trying to peer into the pouch, frowning at his poor discipline.
The great one, after a few seconds, pulled at two cores… triple cores! Two! How… The Matriarch’s shock only grew as core after core came from his pouch, next ten dual cores and finally another two hundred single cores. He then pulled out another couple dual cores and another triple core before sliding it all over to the Matriarch.
“Yeah… so… those calamities were my fault, so I should really pay for it. This should cover the cost of the Dragon’s Spear plus a little extra for the trouble. I really apologize for it.”
“I… I’m uncertain I could ever accept such a gift!” she replied, trying to hold the shock in her heart. He pulled out three triple cores as if they were nothing. He already gave some cores to the dungeon guardians as well. Just how wealthy…
The great one quickly shook his head in response, “It was my fault. It’s my responsibility.”
“The city of Coushar is my responsibility.”
“True. And I completely agree with you but my actions are my responsibility.”
At this, the matriarch felt her thoughts freeze, uncertainty echoing through her mind as her body shivered then froze as well. She took a few moments but could find no response and the great one continued to simply smile and hold his hand behind the cores, refusing to return them.
She did nothing, still refusing, until the great one’s smile rose slightly and his hand slipped into the pouch and pulled out another single core to add to the pile, not even looking into the pouch. Is that entire pouch full of cores?! She continued in frozen indecision but then he pulled out another core and pressed it forward, another single core.
Finally, she reacted, “What are you doing?” She asked in some shock.
“I’ll just keep pulling out another one until you accept. Soon, I’m sure I’ll find a price you will accept, although you may be quite burdened by how high it may go. Right now, it could be considered an equal exchange as I cost you this and am only returning. But you will accept these, as it is only right.”
“And if I do not?” she retaliated sharply, her ire raising slightly before her face quickly paled and realized she had snapped at a great one. The great one, however, only seemed to smile more, almost seeming grateful that she had snapped at him and pulled out another core, this time a dual slime core, easily recognized as this one had been positioned as she was able to easily see the distinct swirls of a slime’s influence.
“If you continue to be stubborn,” Joe said as he reached in the pouch and pulled out another core and set it on the growing pile, “I can simply stand and leave. I’ll probably drop this convenient shield around you as well and everyone can see a pile of cores on the table for you as I leave with my apprentices.”
“You are blackmailing me!?” she growled, her fear overwhelmed with anger.
The great one stopped, eyes rising, before replying, “There you are. I was wondering when you would speak to me and stop hiding behind your political persona. Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
She sat back, jerking back in her seat almost as if she had been slapped, although the shock of his words were even greater than any reaction she had to being slapped. She considered his words and it took a moment for her to realize that he was grateful that she was eschewing politeness for blunt but sociable debate between well-acquainted friends.
“You…” but she trailed off without anything left to be able to say, her mind blank.
Joe smiled and looked at the cores, “Well, it should be no problem now, yes? We are friends and what’s a few cores between friends.”
“A few cor… friendships have ended and betrayals have erupted for less!”
“It’s a good thing I will not betray you then. I can only hope that you will not betray me.”
She breathed deeply and flared her nostrils before quivering slightly as she realized she had done something so uncouth. I haven’t flared my… She stifled her thoughts and emotions before taking a deep breath, “What do you want.”
A look of sadness flashed through his eyes and he sighed, regret easily seen on his face, “Ah… the politician returns.” Joe shook his head before continuing, “I don’t want anything. I truly wish to repay you for your loss for my inappropriate and foolish meddling in your dungeon and city.
“Kukurnal. Truth or lie,” Joe said before putting down the payment for a Truth Telling from a Priest, “I seek nothing from the Matriarch, except possibly friendship? Or maybe … a friendly relationship… a relationship without tension?” Joe mused for a few moments before suddenly continuing, “and to repay her for my stupidity in the dungeon.”
Kukurnal looked to her before smiling brightly, laughing a bright low chuckle, “Truth.”
She gaped back at Kukurnal before trying to compose herself and look back at the great one, but knew that her face poorly hid her shock and hope tinged with a hint of greed.
“I told you he was a strange one,” Kukurnal interjected, smiling at her.
She glanced back and forth between the two before she let a wisp of a smile on her face, and with a hint of trepidation, dared to subtly mock a great one for the first time in her life, “It seems that way.”
The brilliant smile that erupted on the great one’s face blinded her, more for its innocent gratefulness than anything else, and she felt peace flood her heart, easing her troubled thoughts. She allowed her smile to grow quite a bit more before she finally bowed her head quite deeply and stretched her hand out to take the cores, slipping them into a bag of her own that was almost too small to hold the incredible wealth on the table.
* * *