From Marienburg to Averland, my patrol route was fairly long today, but I tried to keep a weekly schedule even so.
Almost like a bee, I flew about at speed, descending to help in one place, or massacre in another, then collect the loot and drop it over in the nearest town.
Metal was rare and valuable in this medieval world, even broken bits of armor and weapons. They could be re-smelted and forged, mostly as common goods like plows and scythes and whatnot. New weapons would need fresh ore and such, but this is why the Empire of Man had miners. The gold I used to fund roads and bridges and canals, buying the goodwill of the locals, while also improving the economy in general.
A simple investment in infrastructure construction was not so simple in effect, after all. Builders needed to drink and eat, new clothes and tools and carts and horses...a hundred gold for a minor road to a nearby village or mine would improve the lives of everyone in the region, one way or another.
My pile of gold back home was still over 20000 gold coins, an immense sum for such a primitive economy. I had to take care to spread the gold around as much as possible, lest I ruined more than I hoped.
The looted gems I reserved to commission enchanted items and other magical artifacts, especially amulets, bracelets and other wards that could block or deflect magic attacks.
While dealing with a renowned enchanter I heard about some amulet that could ward off magic completely. Maybe a myth, but perhaps not. The Old Ones that crafted the Polar Gates were surely capable of crafting magic blockers as well. I paid an extra ruby for the rumour, and flew away.
While my stay in Altdorf was short, I did manage to surprise visit the Mayor, and donate 500 gold for a cleaning service of the city, and the establishment of a garbage service, including wooden bins on every street. A bunch of starving people will get some work, and the garbage might not smell so bad.
"Did a Gold Wizard come to donate some gold too?" I asked on a whim.
"Last year?" the Mayor mused in surprise.
"Exactly. I asked him to donate 100 gold." I said with a thin smile.
"He gave me 10 gold..." the Mayor muttered in a low voice.
"Hmmm. Wait a second." I demanded and flew right in the Gold Order's tower to grab the guilty Wizard by the neck and bring him in front of the Mayor.
"What is the meaning of this?" the apron-wearing wizard demanded as he turned in outrage, only to fall back on his ass as he saw me.
Stolen story; please report.
"Which hand do you dislike more, Gold Wizard? I know you owe the Mayor 90 gold coins, which means you rather lose an arm than pay up." I asked in a curious voice.
The wizard drew a large bag and dropped it on the floor. "There...200 coins. I'll bring more next year, I promise!" the man yelled in near panic.
I pretended to think about it for a minute. "Perhaps another deal is possible. Have you heard of smokeless powder?" I inquired in a soft voice.
The Gold Order were chemists and alchemists, not simply Wizards. Most of the gunpowder used by the Imperial Army was created by their Order.
"I'll be away for an hour, my lords..." the Mayor muttered as he scurried away, after snatching his donation from the floor.
"...Can't say I have. Smokeless gunpowder, really?" The Gold Wizard asked as he rose and began to think hard, forgetting the previous misdemeanor.
"Well, not perfectly smokeless, but certainly not the black cloud of ash our guns use right now. Something to do with the composition of the powder, as well as the humidity and granulation. And then, the grooves inside the gun barrel might also channel the smoke better, not only to impart spin and accuracy on the bullet." I said in a teaching voice.
"It surely sounds possible, same as these grooves. A spinning bullet might keep to flight better." the man mused in deep thought.
"Especially if the bullet is cast from lead, and made longer instead of round. Plus, lead is both cheaper and heavier than iron, which means the bullet will travel a longer path. I expect the Mayor's Office to receive 10% of your income from now on. The Imperial Army will pay quite a lot for such a wonderful new weapon." I said next, eyeing the Gold Wizard with a stern face.
"...If I can make such a gun, I would pay even more!" the Gold Wizard answered in a weird voice.
"Well, I will come back next year. Lack of results will mean lack of limbs. Get a dozen acolytes and put them to work to build this rifle gun, or you may need to craft yourself a gold arm instead." I warned the man and flew out the window.
I need to invent glass windows too. No, nevermind those. Daemons will not care for glass windows. Guns, lots of guns first!
A short flight to Nuln, and a similar advice to a reputed gunsmith, only without maiming threats. I did need someone to build revolvers for me, and a gunsmith with less fingers would not be useful.
The Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln was pretty well equipped for this age, and were actually crafting field cannons of some ancient version.
I payed in gold for 100 larger guns, in 200 mm caliber for my future army. Yes, 100 gold per cannon was overpriced, but this included research and development, as well as meager pensions for those injured, burned or maimed in testing the guns. Workplace safety was not-existent here. They did use up plenty of apprentices every year though.
They also had steam tanks in the Empire, but I found them sub-optimal. Using iron wheels instead of tracks meant that cross-country mobility was very bad, or nearly none.
Was it really a tank if it had wheels? I sighed inward and flew away. Armored cars should work. Once I had an internal combustion engine. Maybe next decade?
A dozen saved caravans later, I reached Averland and had to fight a dozen vampires disguised as Nobles. Very hard to kill, surprisingly. I had to stomp them, like grapes into wine. Might need a magic weapon, or some specialized spell. Or an ultraviolet flashlight? I sighed inward at the vampires' remains, then scooped them into a bonfire. Hopefully they won't come back from that.
This world sucked!