The coordination it took to hide a meeting like this behind privacy wards was something they’d perfected over the years. Whether it was dealing with a troublesome noble house that needed to be quietly suppressed, or having to simply get their stories straight before they publicly discussed something in the Hall of Leadership, they’d had plenty of practice at this type of thing.

Walking into the room chosen for the meeting, City Lord Cosgrave felt the wards pushing against her essence field. While at one point it had been an unpleasant sensation, over time she’d come to associate it with a feeling of safety.

Looking around the room, she could see that everyone she’d invited was already there. General Branson sat at one side of the square table, his usually stoic face showing subtle signs of stress. Next to him was Lord Voltan, whose familial ties with the Royal Academy made him an excellent resource whose help would aid them understanding their recent guests. Across from them was Lord Bennings, who as usual looked mildly annoyed at having to deal with the plotting nobles that plagued her day in and out.

The city lord repressed the smirk she felt at the thought of how many schemes Lord Bennings had been associated with, merely due to the fact that everyone wanted to include her as a voice of reason so they would not accidentally cross the lines into illegality. The Tower of Law was responsible for making sure the kingdom’s laws were followed, so there were protocols in place for nobles to request private consultations for meetings just like this, specifically to help them stay within the rules while they schemed and plotted against each other.

While it was in no way mandatory, considering all that was happening she’d be a fool if she didn’t take advantage of the opportunity for a personal consultation with the Tower of Law’s director. Despite Lord Bennings tendency to send lawmasters to meetings like this, at the level they were currently playing at, the woman’s presence was both necessary and unavoidable.

They were using a dimly lit room in the basement of the keep for the meeting, and unsurprisingly it was just as cold and damp as she expected it to be. The pulsing runes along the walls which had been clandestinely installed were almost overpowering the singular essence light hanging over the table. Had she had more time, she would have ensured their meeting took place somewhere a little more dignified.

Taking her seat, she began without any preamble, “Lord Voltan, let’s begin with you. What have you found out from your granduncle?”

Lord Volton barely cared about the current happenings. As far as he was concerned, the new lord and his escapades had very little to do with him. Nevertheless, he’d still dutifully looked into what the city lord asked. After all, banking a favor or two with so little effort was simply the most logical play considering how little he had to lose.

Leaning back in his rickety chair, he sounded extremely bored when he replied, “Well, for starters, the new evaluation team is made up of a tight-knit group of scholars who’ve followed Academian Quincy for years. From what I’ve been told, they’re typically involved in ferreting out internal issues within the academy, and for the most part, they are seen as investigators rather than scholars. How they came to be assigned as a last-minute replacement is anyone’s guess. My granduncle made it clear that there was something fishy about their appointment, but he had no idea what. Even with everything happening quickly over there, there are still a lot of parties paying close attention to this matter. Regardless, I got the distinct impression that most of the Royal Academy’s upper echelons were glad to see Academian Quincy and his team out of Hennings and no longer able to poke their noses into whatever plots the locals were currently up to.”

The general looked pensive, as he crossed his arms while raising a fist to his chin in thought. Lord Bennings didn’t look remotely interested and seemed to be patiently waiting for her turn to speak.

City Lord Cosgrave pursed her lips and said, “That’s a worrying development. Do you think they’re here to look into how Dorchester has treated its new lord?”

Even if they were, it had very little to do with him. So, Lord Voltan merely shrugged lazily and replied, “I couldn’t say. I’m sure their primary purpose is to evaluate Lord Walker’s abilities, but beyond that, it’s entirely possible someone lodged a discreet complaint or two on his behalf.”

The general, fed up with the situation growled, “We did nothing illegal. Everything that happened to the young man was perfectly within the bounds of the law. We made sure of that.”

Lord Bennings took that as her cue to join the conversation. “While technically correct, your lack of action considering your foreknowledge of the plots against him, the noble spies you allowed to be assigned to watch over him, along with the agent you personally included on his team are all documented facts that could contribute to you being stripped of your position on the grounds of incompetence, and possibly even lead to charges on the grounds of gross negligence and misconduct.”

Lord Bennings’ emotionless face turned to look at the city lord, and she added, “City Lord Cosgrave, I’m sure I don't have to tell you what possible charges you could be facing if the evaluators decide an investigation is necessary. Both of your children, along with your former consort… Need I say more?”

The city lord and the general both looked at each other in commiseration. Everything they’d done was in the best interest of Dorchester. Yet, those lofty intentions wouldn’t save them if the evaluators chose to formally criticize their actions. They were at the mercy of strangers, and neither of them was particularly happy about it.

Lord Bennings let them stew for a few seconds as if she was silently punishing them for including her, even tangentially, in their stupidity before she continued, “The good news is that I don’t think they particularly care about what you’ve done. To be honest, from an outside perspective, Lord Walker has bested you both thoroughly and come out all the better for it. With him not holding any grudges, and everything already being appropriately handled from a legal point of view, I very much doubt the evaluators will bother with either of you. From what my agents have observed, the evaluators are currently focused on helping Lord Walker adjust to his new position. They seem to be taking it as a given that his new status will be ratified without issue. To them, his time as a noble in Dorchester will be nothing but a footnote in his legend. From the moment they arrived, they’ve been digging into House Walker’s public accounts, and arranging for the legal transfer of his interests over to House Verena. They’ve also been using their legal authority to access the private records from the Center concerning what little testing Lord Salvatore-Verena had done on Lord Walker. That is more or less all they’ve been doing. So, I very much doubt you have anything to worry about.”

Both the general and the city lord gasped in relief while glaring at Lord Bennings for giving them such a scare. Seeing their faces, Lord Voltan couldn’t contain himself and started laughing unabashedly, not caring in the least when their glares turned to him. He seemed to believe they deserved it and wasn’t shy about showing it.

The city lord seemed to freeze in place as if she’d had a thought. “If they’re going to be directly transferring House Walker’s interests, then are we still going to be able to tax them for the transfer?”

The only upside to having Lord Walker pulled out of the local ladder was that he would no longer be able to have so many business interests in Dorchester. After the exploit he’d found, it was a gift from the heavens that he wouldn’t be able to keep his House here. She’d been planning to host the auction here at the keep, and then justifiably tax the hell out of the transfers.

Lord Bennings smirked and said, “As far as I can tell, the evaluators are planning to fold House Verena as a branch house under Lord Walker’s personal house and then transfer all his interests to them as a welcome gift. I believe the only thing he’ll retain is his ownership of the former Dorchen estate, which will probably be rebranded as his personal lodgings, and therefore exempt from local property taxes. I regret to inform you that they seem to be very thorough with their paperwork.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The city lord clutched her fist in annoyance. She immediately recalled one of her mother’s favorite sayings, ‘When the world offers you a reprieve from your mistakes, immediately check with your accountant, as you’ve probably just been robbed.’

—--

Nero was trying to put things into terms he could understand. It was the only way he’d be able to keep his sanity.

Running his hand through his hair, he tried to keep it simple, “OK. So, I’m like a walking house that is registered in the capital. My money and stuff is all going to be stored there, in whatever local currency the capital uses. Which are also called valens for whatever reason. But, as it’s the kingdom’s capital, the valens there are what all the cities base their conversion rates on. Next, since I won’t actually be living there, anywhere I go I’ll have an automatic account opened in whatever local city’s region I find myself in. With that, I can pay for stuff and do whatever I want. Right so far?”

Both Nick and Quincy were leaning back in their chairs, obviously enjoying Nero’s confusion a great deal.

Nick replied with a smile, “More or less.”

Nodding, Nero went on, “As a unique, I’ll be able to take my troop of adherents, which I should refer to as my ‘party’, along with me. We’ll go around getting paid to solve problems or investigate things I’m interested in, and we’ll… or rather I’ll be getting paid by the city giving the quest or the kingdom depending on what I’m doing. Quests are posted in either the Hunting Hall, or the Adventurers Hall, depending on what is available in the city I find myself in. Also, I’m responsible for keeping my crew fed and armored, and they in turn give up their citizenships to join me?”

Nero looked at the two men questioningly. He felt more and more like an idiot as he continued talking. Although he was merely restating what they’d told him, albeit in simpler terms than they’d used, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was sounding more and more insane the longer he went on. Which of course led to him being more than a little shocked when they continued to nod along as if he were actually making sense to them.

Trying to repress the urge to laugh at the absurdity, he continued his recap, “And it is expected that I will travel around the kingdom, visiting cities and sticking my nose in whatever strikes my fancy, whether it is slaying beasts or dealing with local threats. Then, as an added bonus, I’m probably going to end up marrying various local nobles, starting houses, having a few kids, all before I head off into the sunset for my next adventure, leaving my new wife and kid to run the local House I’ve left for them. Have I got that part right?”

Nick shrugged and replied, “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way, but yes, that’s how it usually works.”

Nero had essentially distilled more than an hour of conversation into a few short statements, which when heard out loud, sounded completely crazy. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself from seeing parallels to all the stories he’d ever read, along with the countless games he’d played.

What was even more maddening was that he could see how their society all fit together like a giant puzzle, coming together in a grand tapestry to create a logical, albeit bonkers, system.

Nero sat in silence, ignoring the two men who were patiently waiting for him to come to terms with what he’d learned.

His thoughts were churning like a maelstrom in his head. Despite how crazy it all sounded, he couldn’t help but wonder if any of the governmental systems back home would have made any more sense after being boiled down to a few honest paragraphs.

His own former government was rife with contradictions and insanities. It was a land of freedom with libraries full of law books on how that freedom could be legally expressed. Free speech zones, dedicated crosswalks and bike lanes, building codes, leash laws, enough required licenses to fill twenty wallets, and countless other subjects spurning multiple opinions nobody could agree on. And, it was all under a democratic government that was run by a two-party system with delegates chosen from a limited pool determined by the country’s elite. Which in turn was elected by a committee as a hopeful representation of the country’s actual opinion. And he didn’t even want to try and tackle state’s rights versus federal ones, as he knew he’d only sound like a dipshit if he tried.

But, he’d lived there, and it had worked fine, better than fine. People got up in the mornings, went to work, and lived their lives without issue. Taxes were paid, roads were paved, and most people even had internet access. All in all, it was a wonderful country. The massive country-wide arguments were fun ways to pass the time, and he really hadn’t had much to complain about if he were being honest with himself. So, who was he to criticize it outside of his chatroom ramblings?

Now that he was in this new world, shouldn’t he give it the same courtesy he gave his old one? It’s been pretty fun despite people trying to kill him and the coed bathrooms.

It wasn’t like the system was any crazier than what he’d read about the Middle Ages. Those times were batshit crazy. Not that the Renaissance was any better, come to think of it. Hell, at one point in history, people walked twenty paces and shot at each other to decide whether or not someone should feel insulted. Was that any more logical than a sword fight determining legal culpability?

When it came down to it, all forms of government were just complicated social constructs to dictate who was right and who was wrong. Violence and words were always the bedrock of humanity. Both the Greeks and the Romans had coliseums. While one was filled with argumentative old men, and the other filled with gladiators, they both fought a whole hell of a lot without solving anything.

So, perhaps having roving bands of homeless busybodies was a perfectly valid way of handling things. And going around charming ladies while kicking ass with his own personal squad of thugs didn’t sound so bad if he were being completely honest with himself.

Coming out of his thoughts, he looked up at the two amused locals and asked, “So, how many adherents can I have in my party? And how are they usually organized?”

Academian Quincy leaned forward to put his forearms on the table, replying, “As many as you can afford, and in any configuration you want. You could have all warriors, mages, administrators, or any combination thereof. And with your income from the interests you have here in Dorchester, as long as you stick to visiting the weaker cities, you could probably afford to have around 50 adherents under your banner. Although, if you plan to travel by teleportation, that would end up being quite expensive. Not to mention rather wasteful.”

Nero nodded, deep in thought. His brow slowly furrowed, his lips pursed, and his eyes narrowed as if he’d come to a difficult decision. He decided then and there to embrace the game-like logic of the world and treat all of this as some kind of strategy-type kingdom simulator.

He had unlocked Dorchester and was now earning valens from his local house… the Verenas. After promoting his character profile from commoner, to noble, and now unique, he’d finally unlocked the travel option. He now needed to fill his follower slots, and then finish up the quests in this starter city so that he could start unlocking more cities. At the top of his unfinished quests list, there was the density shift and the kobald threat.

Cocking his head in thought, he went over his mental gymnastics, trying to see if he’d stuck the metaphorical landing. ‘Yeah, sounds about right. I’m sure there is stuff I’m missing, but as long as I keep putting things in terms I’m familiar with, I should be able to figure it out. I’ve got a pretty high reputation with Dorchester, and I’m working on my Oglivarch rep with every quest I complete. I just have to remember to not get bogged down in the details… I can do this,’ he told himself firmly, trying to sound encouraging.

Refocusing on Academian Quincy, he asked, “So after I do this evaluation thing, when will I officially be a unique?”

Academian Quincy replied, “Well, we shouldn’t have a problem getting you a provisional appointment by the end of tomorrow. However, your evaluation will be ongoing. Don’t worry, the kingdom is paying us to be here, so you are not responsible for us. We’ll stay with you, help you with whatever you need, and compile our report over the next few weeks. After that, if you want us to stay with you, you’ll have to take us on as adherents.”

Nero widened his eyes at the thought of Academian becoming one of his followers. Suddenly, a lot of the little things he’d noticed suddenly started making sense. Although what Quincy had just said was probably meant to be a throw-away line to subtly put the idea in his head, Nero thought it explained some of the man’s actions he’d been wondering about.

Turning his head to look at Nick, he remembered Nick’s assumption that he and Nero would be parting ways.

Like he was watching a tennis match, Nero swung back to stare at Academian Quincy, remembering how the man had tried to act as some kind of advisor back at the estate. That explained all the tension he’d noticed between the two nerds. Nick doesn’t want to be an adherent, because then he’d have to give up being a noble in Dorchester.

Nero felt a realization smack him in the face, and he leaned back in his chair in shock. ‘Vera will definitely be staying in Dorchester, running her house. She and Nick both will be staying here. They won’t be part of my adventuring party. How could I not have thought of that?’ he asked himself while cringing at his mental lapse.

Looking up at the academian, he said, “We’ll see how we get along. I might just take you up on your offer, but it won’t be anytime soon.”

Nero wasn’t about to trust someone he barely knew. Especially not when the stakes were this high. He’d gotten lucky with Nick and Vera. Every other noble he’d met deserved every bit of his natural mistrust and suspicion.

Moving on, Nero said, “Alright, so by tomorrow night, I’ll provisionally be a unique. Does that mean I can start accepting quests and requests from Dorchester, and get credits from the kingdom for completing them?”

Nick nodded, and spoke up, “Yes, but you first have to wait for the council of leadership to file an official request, thereby activating the quest. I imagine either the city lord or General Branson will want to talk with you to work out the details before they finalize anything.”

Nero was about to ask Nick to help him speculate on how he could help the city while maximizing his benefits when they were interrupted.

Scholar Idrius walked up and said, “Please excuse the interruption, but we’re ready for Lord Walker now. If you could follow me, my lord.”

She then turned on her heel and walked off without another word.

Despite her amiable smile, Nero had the suspicion that the woman was very much a ballbuster, and her gentle demeanor was skin deep, at best.

Standing up, Academian Quincy said with a wide smile, “Alright Nero, let’s see what you can do! I have to admit, I’m a little excited to see you in action.”

Not knowing what they had in store for him, Nero just shrugged and said, “I’m not gonna make any promises, but dollars to donuts, you’re gonna love it. Just ask Nick. I always leave them wanting more when I play lab monkey.”