Jeremiah returned to the Mountain Lair with Benjamin after the battle with the Frost Giants. He hadn’t bothered to change the name after defeating the King of the Mountain and claiming the Estate as his own, but wondered if maybe he should so it didn’t sound so intimidating. Especially for the people that waited there for him.
Two men and a woman who had been wandering around, casually investigating the estate, rushed to meet him. Well, sort of rushed. More like ambled over.
The group had been sent by Phillip, the mayor of Midnight Mountain, whom he’d asked to find people who were willing come to the Estate and start staffing and expanding it.
Looks like he didn’t waste any time, Jeremiah thought with a smile. Phillip was definitely showing he was far more valuable than just being the mayor of his first settlement.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly as he approached the trio. There was a large older gentleman who stood stoically watching him approach, a young man who was near giddy with apparent anticipation, and a young woman who looked bored.
“Tell me about yourselves.”
The muscular man stepped forward. His face was wrinkled, and his hair was more gray than black, but there was no sign of old age in his movements. “I was told you needed someone who could fix and build things.” The man’s voice was deep and gravelly. “I was a homebuilder . . . before. Now, I’m a Blacksmith with a Weaponsmith specialization.”
Jeremiah cast Basic Analyze.
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> Name: Sampson Briggs
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> Level: 24
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> Profession: Blacksmith, Weaponsmith Specialization
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It would be a while before the man would reach Level 30 and choose an Expertise, but the Weaponsmith specialization was already more than he’d expected.
“Those are impressive skills,” Jeremiah said with a smile before turning serious. He addressed the group, not just the Blacksmith.
“I am looking for people to staff my new Estate. I have to assign you to certain positions, but you won’t be employees. You will be part of a community that helps me grow this Estate. I have big plans for this Estate, but it will always be isolated, dangerous, and . . . probably lonely.”
The man smiled. “Everywhere in this new world is dangerous.” A single-handed war hammer that looked strikingly similar to a blacksmith’s hammer appeared in one hand, and he slapped the head of the weapon into the palm of his other hand. “I don’t mind bashing a few monsters if it means I can get some peace and quiet.”
Jeremiah had no doubt the man knew how to use the weapon, but he knew the situation wasn’t nearly that simple. The Estate should be as safe as anywhere though. “Well, then, I’m glad to have you here.”
He turned to the other two people and asked, “Are you okay with the isolation and danger too?”
A wiry young man—a boy, really—stepped forward. He had wispy brown hair, a leather satchel hanging from one shoulder, and carried a large book in the opposite hand. Jeremiah could picture him wearing wire-rimmed glasses, though corrective lenses were a thing of the past after everyone on the planet got a Personal Enhancement System that automatically corrected most physical deficiencies.
“This is the perfect place to study and learn all the Integrated Universe has to teach us.” The man looked at Jeremiah, admiration clear in his eyes. “And every great king needs a trusted advisor.”
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> Name: Laurence Wiseman
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> Level: 18
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> Profession: Academic
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Jeremiah hadn’t even known that being an Academic was a thing in the Integrated Universe, but the man definitely had the right name for the job.
I must have skipped over that section of the manual, he thought with a shrug. There had been other things that had seemed far more important at the time. He hadn’t even known Estates were a thing back then.
“In two more levels, I will become a Loremaster,” the young man said, fidgeting nervously. “I can be very useful to you.”
Jeremiah nodded. “Oh yeah, of course. I was just thinking about how little I knew about history and such. I didn’t go through Orientation, and my Elite Trainer only tells me what he thinks I need to know at any given time.”
“Does that mean I can stay?”
“I can definitely use someone with knowledge of the Integrated Universe,” Jeremiah assured him. “Welcome to my Mountain Lair.”
He pushed down the sudden urge to put his pinkie to his lips and cackle maniacally while demanding one million dollars. Instead, Jeremiah turned to the third newcomer.
A girl with short red hair, non-descript black clothing, a leather choker that looked uncomfortably close to cutting off her air supply, and black fingernails looked at him with a bored expression. She carried a satchel that reminded him of something a doctor would carry while making house calls. A pair of goggles and a respirator-like mask dangled from a loop on her belt. She looked even younger than the future Loremaster.
“I heard you might need potions and poisons and such,” the young woman said. “Sabrina told me she used to make potions for you.”
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Jeremiah had been about to send the girl back to Midnight Mountain, but the mention of Sabrina gave him pause. “How do you know Sabrina?”
The red-haired girl shrugged. “She taught me some stuff when she came to Midnight Mountain. I got some ideas from her, and I figured this would be a good place to try out some things.”
His eyebrow shot up when he analyzed her.
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> Name: Amber Griffen
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> Level: 29
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> Profession: Alchemist, Potions Specialization
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“I’m not a helpless little girl,” the young woman said, a small black throwing knife appearing in her hand so fast that he wondered if she had a dimensional storage space. The tip of the weapon glistened. “A scratch will kill anyone or anything below Level 30, and I never miss my target.”
Note to self: do not get on her bad side, Jeremiah thought. There was definitely more to the young lady than her first impression. He nodded then addressed all three. “Alright, let’s get you all settled in.”
He led them toward the row of lakeside buildings on the far side of the valley. There were buildings that would be perfect for each one of his new staff members.
The first building Jeremiah stopped at was filled with empty bookcases and several long tables. It had clearly been built to be a small library, but the interior of the building was currently dull, lifeless, and empty. It reminded Jeremiah of the grayed-out, unavailable options in system menus.
He brought up his Estate Menu and went to the staffing section.
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> Midnight Mountain Staff Members
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> * Benjamin Wright – Personal Trainer
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> Assign New Staff Members
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> * Amber Griffen
> * Laurence Wiseman
> * Sampson Briggs
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>
He knew this would make a good place for Laurence to work, and he assigned the young man the official title of Historian.
A light flashed in the center of the room then expanded out in all directions. As the magical light washed over the room, everything became clearer and more vivid. And full of books, scrolls, maps, and resources a Historian would need.
Laurence spun around, eyes wide and mouth open. “It’s a library!”
The young man raced toward one of the tables and flipped open a book. “A History of the Early Integration Period,” he announced.
He closed that book and reached for another. A confused look came over Laurence’s face, and he held it up. “Crime and Consequence. Is this a novel or a law book?”
Now that’s a good question, Jeremiah thought. I’m gonna have to ask Regu about that one.
Laurance shrugged and tossed the book back on the table then moved over to another table covered in scrolls, drawings, and maps. He was instantly engrossed.
“We will leave you to your studies,” Jeremiah said and motioned Amber and Sampson toward the door.
Laurence waved a hand but didn’t look up from whatever document he was studying.
Jeremiah shook his head and chuckled.
Once outside the new Library, he led the way to the end of the row of buildings by the lake, where two buildings had been built away from the other buildings in the Estate.
The first building was little more than a barn, but Jeremiah knew it would be perfect for a smithy. He assigned Sampson the title of Blacksmith, triggering the magical transformation of the building. A moment later, they were standing in a fully stocked Smithy.
Sampson walked around the building, arms crossed and brow furrowed, silently inspecting his new workplace. After completing a circuit of the Smithy, he nodded to Jeremiah.
I’ll take that as acceptance, Jeremiah thought, already seeing that the new Blacksmith was a man of few words. “I will leave you to your new shop.”
Jeremiah turned to Amber and ushered her out of the new Smithy. “Now, let’s get you set up.”
He led the way to a building that was even more isolated than the old barn had been. It was far away from anything else as possible.
Amber looked at him when they reached the building and raised an eyebrow.
“I figured you’d be working with some volatile concoctions,” Jeremiah explained. “Thought it best if you don’t have any close neighbors to blow up.”
The red-haired young lady shrugged. “That’s fair.”
She pushed past him and into the building, turning back as she entered. “Let’s see what kind of Alchemy Lab your little magic trick can create.”
Jeremiah shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, let’s see.”
***
Jeremiah sat at an elaborately carved desk in his private chambers. The room had transformed from a simple bedroom to something worthy of a king when he’d upgraded the estate from a Cottage to a Manor House by adding his first staff member, Benjamin. There was a huge four-poster bed on the far side of the room behind him, complete with canopy and thick gold-trimmed burgundy curtains. A gigantic fireplace dominated one adjacent wall, and large glass doors opened to a balcony opposite the fireplace.
He couldn’t imagine what the room would transform into when the Estate upgraded to a Palace once he reached ten staff members, let alone when it became a Castle. That would require twenty-five staff members, though, and Jeremiah didn’t expect to ever need that many people. There were currently four other people, and that seemed like a lot.
> Estate Menu
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> 1. Mountain Lair, Level 2 Estate, Staff: 4
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> Two Estate Upgrades available.
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> Buildings:
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> * Alchemy Lab
> * Guardhouse (currently unmanned)
> * Library
> * Manor House
> * Private Portal
> * Smithy
> * Training Ground
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> Staff Members
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> * Amber Griffen – Alchemist
> * Benjamin Wright – Personal Trainer
> * Laurence Wiseman – Historian
> * Sampson Briggs – Blacksmith
Jeremiah sighed. Developing his Estate was going to take some time, but there were certain things that needed to be done sooner than later—getting a guard for the currently unmanned Guardhouse, for one. Getting a private chef for his growing staff was another. And maybe a physical therapist to help with recovery after battles. Oh, and someone to clean the place.
Yeah, this is gonna be a Palace before I know it. He exhaled in exasperation.
A knock on the door stopped Jeremiah from considering Estate growth further.
“Come in, Regu.”
The blue man strode into the room and plopped down on the end of the large bed.
Jeremiah swiveled around in his chair to face his Elite Trainer. “How go things in the Integrated Universe?”
Regu shrugged. “Don’t know. Believe it or not, my only concern right now is what happens on this planet.’
“So, where have you been?” Jeremiah asked dubiously.
“I was meeting with Malinda.”
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “And where was that?”
Regu exhaled loudly. “At my office.”
“And where is your office?” Jeremiah smirked.
“In my penthouse suite in the largest city in the known universe.” The blue man chuckled. “But I was only there for business.”
“I’m sure you didn’t even take time to make a drink at that fancy minibar of yours.”
Regu shook his head. “Oh, no. I had three. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you the whole time.”
Both men laughed for a moment before Jeremiah asked. “Bring anything back for me?”
His Elite Trainer shook his head. “Strict import restrictions.”
“Of course. Hopefully, you at least brought back some good information from Malinda.”
Regu was suddenly very serious. “Yeah, and it’s something we need to deal with right away.”
“Looks like vacation is over,” Jeremiah said. “Tell me what you know.”
“We got a message from Tairlen. Yuri is in some kind of trouble, and he thinks it will affect you too. Apparently, Mido’s Trainer is already plotting against you.”
“Looks like I need to head back to Twin Falls and see what Yuri knows.”
Regu nodded. “I will see what I can learn about this Trainer.”