Chapter 68: Thrust 5

Elania looked and nodded to each member of the Neftasu Council. Yolani wasn’t beside her this time, but she kept her gaze steady despite the nervousness that tingled below the surface.

She refused to let her unease show.

Captain Gaston stood with a confident posture. “The Guard has received their full allotment of the new rifles.”

“Rifles, not muskets?” Elania asked.

Gaston nodded. “A new modification to the weapons takes into account Oracle Aetherhart’s improvement. Grooves have been added to the barrel of each weapon, causing the projectile to spin.”

Surprise flickered across Elania’s face. “All the muskets have been upgraded?”

“It took several days while you were gone to Hels,” Gaston confirmed.

Elania blinked, taken aback by the speed at which thousands of weapons had been modified. “That will be a major improvement to their accuracy and range, then.”

Gaston nodded. “The men have been practicing, and already most of them can shoot accurately enough to hit another airship, at least.” He sat back down.

Captain Montlas took his turn. “The Heart and Gold are currently receiving the last of their upgrades from the city.”

“I thought they had already been upgraded with the defense fields and weapons,” Elania said, confusion creasing her brow.

Montlas shook his head. “The city provided another round of upgrades for free. Two additional sets of starboard and port side protective fields for both ships and additional small-sized rifle artillery from the City Works that can utilize the new timed shells.”

Elania nodded in acknowledgment. The upgrades from the city to the ships were extremely valuable, and the fact that they were done for free was very nice.

Although, she supposed it was only fair, considering they would be expected to help defend the city.

“How are your men acclimating to the airships?” Elania asked.

Montlas smiled. “Very well. They’ve taken to it quicker than I expected. It helps that it gives them a decent purpose, and morale has been high so far.”

“Nothing like results to sharpen the steel,” Gaston added.

Montlas nodded to him, then sat down.

Naia stood up with a sheaf of paper in her hands. “The healing potions from the mushroohum project have satisfied nearly all demand of our citizens.” She paused, her eyes meeting Elania’s. “However, a surge in people from other districts has taxed our resources.”

Elania didn’t flinch. Well, it was definitely her fault, but she wouldn’t change tack on it.

Naia continued, “The current production, as indicated by Allie, shows that we will have enough, but barely.”

A grumble escaped Elania’s lips as she nodded. She would have to scrap the idea of selling the potions to Arlois for the Silvers. “Will there be enough for the Neftasu Guard?”

Naia nodded. “They were considered in my numbers and have priority, just before the Ironfist.”

Elania nodded. “Those two groups should be our first priority—they will be defending everyone else, after all.”

Gaston and Montlas nodded to her.

Elania turned to Naia. “Coordinate with Allie for anything needed to increase production.”

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As Naia took her seat, Amara Steelheart rose, her broad shoulders filling out her well-worn tunic.

“The district reconstruction is essentially complete,” the blacksmith reported. “The rest of the current efforts are mostly on the expansion of existing structures as fast as we can get the modifications approved by Contia’s Theotechnican Guild for improvements and installation of equipment.”

Elania nodded, her mind already turning over the implications.

“There is enough space for everyone now, and maybe more,” Amara added.

If there was more, they couldn’t let it go empty. “We should allow non-refugees into those spaces then, as long as they can pay a nominal rent,” Elania said.

There were flickers of surprise.

Theron cleared his throat, drawing Elania’s attention. “While I agree with helping the poor, I feel I should play devil’s advocate and ask if it is a good idea to spend so many healing potions on civilians at the current time. Perhaps we should stockpile them for the conflict instead.”

Naia and Selia both rose from their seats, their faces flushed with indignation as they began to protest hotly. Elania raised her hand, silencing them with a simple gesture. She let the moment stretch, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze upon her.

Elania took a deep breath. “While it may be challenging,” she said, “we should help as many as we can.”

She paused, letting her words sink in before continuing. “The people who come to us for aid are not just strangers—they are our neighbors and citizens of Contia. By helping them, we strengthen the bonds that hold our community together.”

Elania’s gaze swept over the council members. “In times of conflict, it is not just the strength of our weapons that matters, but also the strength of our spirit. By showing compassion and generosity, we will inspire hope and loyalty in those around us.”

Were the hell were these words coming from? Elania released a tense breath. She wasn’t some heroic leader, but somehow, she knew exactly what to say.

She leaned forward, her hands clasped together on the table. “I understand your concerns, Theron, and I appreciate you voicing them. But I believe that by helping those in need, we are not only doing what is right but also what is strategic. A city united in purpose and compassion is far stronger than one divided by fear and self-interest.”

Theron and everyone else at the table nodded to her.

There was a slight lull before attention turned to Galen as he stood up, his lean frame exuding a quiet confidence.

He cleared his throat and then started. “Our current supplies of non-medicine and non-food items are holding steady,” he reported. “In fact, I’ve been running an arbitrage trade in certain materials, which has produced additional income without costing us any extra effort.”

“How does that work?” Elania asked.

Galen smiled. “We have a large warehouse in the district where we store a variety of materials,” he explained. “Whenever there’s a glut in the market, I purchase the excess supplies at a lower price. Then, when supplies run low in other districts, I sell those materials to them at a higher price.”

He paused, letting the information sink in before continuing. “This process does not affect our own efforts, as we maintain a steady stock of everything we need. However, the arbitrage has generated nearly a thousand crit in additional income—roughly a couple hundred per day.”

Elania’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. A thousand crit?

It was impossible not to be impressed. There was only one thing that bothered her slightly. It was a pretty big thing to implement without consulting her or Yolani.

“That’s incredible, Galen,” Elania said. “I had no idea you were implementing such a smart trade system. Next time, please let Yolani or me know.”

Galen ducked his head. “Of course. I didn’t see any risks in it, but I’ll mention it next time. I figured it was a good way to make use of our storage space and take advantage of market fluctuations. Every bit helps, right?”

Elania nodded. “Absolutely. I didn’t mean that as a censure. I would just like to stay informed.”

She stood up, gaze sweeping over the council members. “If there’s nothing else, I think we can conclude this meeting. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication. Together, we’ll weather this storm and emerge stronger on the other side.”

Murmurs of agreement filled the room as the council members began to gather their things.

Gaston approached Elania, his hand outstretched. “Good work,” he said. “The Guard is ready.”

Elania clasped his hand firmly. “Wouldn’t have made it this far without your help.”

As Gaston stepped away, Naia and Selia approached, their faces alight with gratitude. “Thank you for standing up for the needy,” Naia said. “Your compassion is an inspiration to us all.”

Selia nodded in agreement. “We’ll make sure every drop of those healing potions goes to those who need it most,” she added, her eyes shining with determination.

Elania nodded. “I know you will,” she replied. “Keep up the excellent work, both of you.”

One by one, the council members filed out of the room, their voices fading into the distance as they went about their duties. Soon, Elania found herself alone, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on her shoulders.

She sighed and her eyes drifted to the [HUD] hovering in her peripheral vision.

Her [Divine Power] was ticking up steadily. It would be full soon.

But that wasn’t what riveted her attention.

[Followers: 13,116]

The number was going up, not down.

She had a pretty good idea of why.