219 A Route to the Stars

In the end, negotiations between Arcavia and the southern kingdom had taken several days. While Corco had been able to put pressure on Devaerter early on and thus gained control over the talks, a contract between nations was never a simple matter. The exact details of the agreement had been worked out between Corco's advisors and those of the Arcavian kingdoms in long, drawn-out sessions over the course of several nights.

In the meantime, Corco and Pahuac had gone on prolonged hunting trips he had surprisingly enjoyed more than he had thought. Maybe it was because he hadn't had any time to relax in months now, but he really sank into the beauties of nature, while Pahuac and his dogs chased after the panicked wildlife. Despite his lack of involvement, the final result of the contract had been to the king's satisfaction.

Three times a season, the two sides would set up a sort of temporary market at the mouth of the southern pass. There, Arcavian merchants could come buy Saniya's goods for reasonable prices, at least compared to the prices they could demand back home. However, they would not be allowed to enter any deeper into Corco's kingdom, under the threat of death. Thus, any Arcavian killed inside Corco's lands from now on would have no recourse, as the actions were sanctioned by the two sides. If they still sent spies and got caught, the two eastern kingdoms had no reason to complain.

At the same time, Corco would tolerate Borna and Cahlia's occupation of Port Ulta and abstain from military action against them for the moment. While he would not acknowledge their legitimacy – something he would never be able to justify in front of his people – they were safe from Corco's army so long as they stayed within the confines of the one estate they had gained power over.

In return, the Arcavians had agreed to cease attacks on the southern kingdom's ships all throughout the Weltalic Sea. Not only would this allow his ships to sail north to Porcero and the bronze coast on their usual trade routes without interruptions, it would also allow Atau to finally start his journey; at least once the ships had been upgraded.

In the meantime, there were still many more issues to be handled, so the king didn't linger in the hill fort any longer. As soon as the ink had dried on the contract, he began his return trip to Saniya. Though on his way back, he picked up an old acquaintance who had waited for him in Cashan.

"Watachaychay greets King Corcopaca." Even though Corco hadn't seen the young apprentice priest in a year, he recognized him nonetheless. Although the boy had grown, he still had the same bald head, and still the same youthful appearance with the same insecure posture.

"Wait, aren't you the kid from Mount Urquna? The one who gave me his koto when I was there on my way home to the capital? Don't tell me you're here to represent the priests." Even though he liked the kid, Corco was incredulous. When he had sent a runner to the priests and asked them for someone to negotiate with, he hadn't expected some minor apprentice to be sent. It appeared as if the grand readers inside the mountains didn't put much thought in his offer even before they had heard it.

"Master and Lord Pachayawna thought it wise to send someone King was already acquainted with. While this- this mortal is no-one special by hims-self, he is still the apprentice of the grand r-reader."

Despite his best efforts, it seemed like the kid still hadn't fought off his stutter. However, there was no reason for the king to look down on him.

"Yeah, you are huh?" Corco responded. Even though the kid had left a somewhat incompetent, if friendly, impression during their last meeting, his status was still enough to speak for the grand reader of Mount Urquna. There was no reason to play elitist and deny him the conversation now. "In that case, how about we travel back together? I don't really want to stay in Cashan for too long, still got lots of work left to do back home. Some of that work concerns you, by the way."

"This young mortal would be honored."

After he had accepted the invitation, the young priest followed the king onto the ship that would transport them down the Tunki river and back into Saniya. Once aboard, the two entered the king's cabin and took a seat, as the landscape slowly drifted past them in the window to the outside.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Corco restarted the conversation. Now that they were alone, they could talk without all the etiquette needed in public, something he much preferred.

"Yes, more than a year since our first meeting, King Corcopaca," Watachay replied, visibly uncomfortable with all the luxurious silk and satin around him. To ease the atmosphere, the king tried some small talk first.

"It's fine if you just call me Corco. You still playing the koto?"

"Indeed I am. In fact, I play every day." The young priest smiled, already much calmer and rid of his stutter. "Although I am afraid to say that I have not improved much over the past year, despite my best efforts."

"Wait, didn't you say that you were only playing to help you focus during meditation? Why does it sound like playing became the main focus all of a sudden?"

The young priest stared at Corco with a confused look on his face, before his features began to lock up in fear. Maybe he understood only now why he had been sent out into the world by his master: He was being disciplined for wasting his time on music instead of focusing on his spiritual duties. Rather than shatter the young man's world any more than it already had been, Corco decided to distract him. In the process, he could even get to the purpose of Watachay's visit, so it was a win all around.

"You know I called for Urquna's assistance for a reason, right?"

"Of course, King Corco, but even Master cannot fathom King Corco's goals. Besides spiritual guidance and support during rituals, what help could the mountain readers possibly lend the southern kingdom? The local priests of the southern kingdom should be more than enough to handle these everyday issues by themselves."

The mountain readers were the collective group of priests who had set up their temples within the Sallqata Mountain range. All of their temples were placed right next to sites of pilgrimage, and all of them were specialized in predicting the future, which meant that all of them were professional stargazers.

"Sure, the locals can help me with the normal stuff like funerals, births and weddings, but from you I need help they can't provide. I need someone who understands the stars and their movements... or rather, I need people who understand astronomy and mathematics better than anyone else. In all of Medala, the stargazing priests are the best candidates for the job, which is why you're here right now."

"Of course the priests would love to support King Corco, but the seers have their own duties. They cannot leave their mountains unguarded for too long. What would happen if the readers worked for King Corco and missed a vital sign from the heavens as a result?"

"Wait, slow down," Corco interrupted with his hands raised high. "I never said I wanted the readers themselves. I know that's asking for too much. Plus, you neither know what I want yet, nor do you know what you can get in return, so don't be so quick to reject my offer just yet."

"Then please, could King Corco inform this mortal what support he wants?" At this point, the little apprentice boy was gone and had been replaced by a competent priest. It was a strange transformation Corco hadn't expected, but he was glad that he could talk without any interruptions.

"Well, what I need from you are two things: One, I need a formalized version of an astrolabe. Basically, I need a map of the stars and their movements as you understand them."

"That... the priests would be unlikely to agree."

"Of course they would be," Corco sighed. An initial rejection was something he had expected. After all, the livelihood of the stargazers was based upon the preservation of the ancient knowledge of celestial movement. They wouldn't give their exclusive advantages up easily. "Still, I want you to hear me out, and then I hope you can at least relay my offer to them. Here's what they get in return if they help me out. Or rather, this is the first thing I can offer them, and they can expect more of the same quality soon after."

Although Corco held out his telescope towards Watachay, the young priest made no attempt to take it.

"King Corcopaca, no matter how valuable the treasures you wish to offer, accepting them is impossible. Please do not make things impossible for this mortal."

In response to the repeated rejection, Corco exhaled another audible sigh. Although patience had never been his strong suit, he decided to stifle his anger and try the calm route for once. After all, he was the one asking for a favor, not the other way around. Even more, the priests were part of upper society and thus conservative in nature. Most would be opposed to change by default. Still, they would change their minds as soon as they could expect benefits from the exchange, something Corco was willing to provide.

"Okay, I understand what you're worried about. But I won't force you to do anything just because you accepted a gift. Still, since it bothers you so much, for now I'll just lend it to you, no strings attached. Just try it out for a bit and tell me what you think. Look through the narrower end, and take off the cap at the wider end. That's right, point it out into the landscape."

Under the king's instructions, the priest gingerly picked up the telescope and did as instructed. As soon as he spied through the telescope, he jolted back and looked at his host in visible confusion. However, the king only offered an encouraging nod in return. For the next hour or so, a fascinated Watachay keep his eye firmly pressed against the telescope, then pulled back to check the vision with his own eyes, and then used the telescope again. In the meantime, a patient Corco waited until his guest had finished. The route to Saniya was long, so there was no reason to rush. By the time the ship passed Cashan's copper mines again, Watachay finally returned the instrument with a sigh of his own.

"This is unbelievable. How could something like this even exist? However, it is right before my eyes, so the truth shall be the truth. Yet now even more than ever, it is a gift far too precious to accept. It is not something this mortal will be able to repay all his life, and Master will never agree to King's offer, even with this."

"Don't worry, Saniya has already produced several of these, so it's not that expensive. Plus, it looks like you still don't quite understand the value of my telescope. Maybe it's because you were aiming it wrong. It cannot only be used as a spyglass to enhance objects along the distant horizon, it can also be used to enhance the most distant of objects. In all this time, haven't you tried looking at the sky?"

As understanding of the king's offer dawned on his face, Watachay's eyes turned large in shock.

"Looks like you finally get what I have here, so I think you're about ready to hear my offer. If you agree to write me an accurate celestial map, I will have my people build your master one of these, but a hundred times the size. With that sort of telescope, you'll be able to observe the stars with a level of detail and precision no one before could ever have imagined. Even better, I can also offer you a new method for charting and predicting the movements of stars. Although we haven't quite figured out the underlying principles of celestial and planetary movement yet, I can guarantee you much more accurate predictions than ever before if you use our methods."

Even though Corco's second claim about calculus wasn't something Watachay could confirm at the moment, he still seemed excited by the offer. After all, with just a decent-sized telescope, the priests would be much closer to the heavens, and thus closer to understanding them. By now he should be aware that even his conservative master would at least consider a deal with the king under these parameters. As expected, the priest glanced back and forth between the telescope in his hand and Corco's smile for a bit, before he replied.

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"And for King Corco to offer up these instruments, the Pacha priests only need to reveal some of their knowledge on the planets, would that be correct?"

"Well, now that you've seen the telescope, you should understand that I can chart my own celestial maps with the use of this tool, so denying me won't actually prevent me from gaining the knowledge. Your agreement would speed up my progress though, which is why I wanted to talk to you first. Plus, I don't want to offend the priests. I would much rather work with them instead. I'm still a Yaku after all. Though if you agree, the map isn't the only support I want from you." Corco's smile widened. To him, the second demand was much more important, even though it would be much easier to accept for the priests.

"Ah, I have heard that King has employed Pacha priests as judges in his city. Would that be the reason?"

"Nah, the judges are just an emergency measure cause I wanted to get the judicial system up and running quickly. Plus, we have more than enough judges for now. What I really need is, as I've already said, experts in mathematics and astronomy. That's because I don't want just a map of the stars, I also want one of the ground. First, I want you to start with a map of my capital, Saniya. Unlike all the nonsense that goes for maps these days, it'll be an accurate one, not some artist's representation full of sea snakes and ancient heroes. Then I'll have you continue to map out the entirety of the southern kingdom, and then, the world. Isn't that nice? If our cooperation works out, you won't have to worry about your status again. You'll have work until the end of time."