Chapter 60

Chapter 60

A/N: Some economy and plotting. Also a lot of setting the stage for future.

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The next four months for Neleh were mostly spent with reforming the duchy and its policies. There wasnt much in the way of great change visible yet, but the seeds had been planted and the duchy would see enormous economic growth for the next decade. Many of the plans and reforms would only bear fruit when they got out of the growth phase they were currently in. For example, the changes to almost all of the production and crafting jobs would only show their final result once the craftsmen finished their training under her father and started producing goods for sale to other provinces. Currently all their efforts and most of the products from mines, leatherworkers and tailors were going towards equipping the Order.

As they had suspected, the Order had gained a lot of new recruits after the attack on JaoeTinukai. What was surprising was the number of recruits coming in from other provinces. They screened everyone with the truth spell, to avoid spies and saboteurs, and even ended up catching a few of them. The duchy in general was getting a surprisingly large influx of people immigrating. Part of it was because of the reputations of both Neleh and Estelar. Estelar had also made efforts to raise the fame of the duchy during his time as Nelehs representative. Part of it was also their handling of the aftermath of the attack.

They repelled a major attack by a large army of bandits and dishonored nobles, and the people of the duchy had not really suffered in a major way. True they had lost their homes, but Neleh had helped them in making new and improved homes without cost, and was even loaning money to help them start businesses in the duchy. What other duchies didnt realize was that the duchy would make their money back easily as the people started successful businesses, and would be able to pay back, but also because of an increase in tax revenue from the booming economy. The duchy also owned parts of the businesses and merchant houses, not to control them but to get a small slice of their profits as they succeeded in their business. Most of the people thought this a fair trade for the generous loans they received without any collateral.

The most visible change in the duchy was of course the new capital city Nan Yanoi. On the orders of Elune herself, the city became a site for the second Grand Temple, which was built almost entirely by Neleh herself according to the goddess specifications. Elune had taken great pleasure in having the central statue be sculpted to look like her real form, which was eerily similar to Nelehs own appearance, except more mature. Just to avoid anyone thinking this was her own grandstanding, Elune made sure that Neleh had nothing to do with the statue, and Neleh nearly had an apoplexy when she finally saw the statue. The goddess hadnt told her what it would look like, and Neleh would have ordered the statue removed if Elune hadnt used her own power to protect it.

The temple complex was very extensive, located in the heart of the city, and had one oddity: it held places of worship for the other gods as well, even if Elunes temple was by far the largest. The other temples were more for the members of other races to use for their rituals, if they chose to live in the city either permanently, or short term for business. Neleh sent out a word for the other races of the temples, and allowed each race to send a priest to serve in them, should they so choose. So far the naga had already sent a priest. The city also saw a fair bit of naga activity in general. The river served as a great way for the naga to get both people and goods in and out of the city. The news of the alliance had not spread too widely yet, but the heads of other races knew about it.

The city was still only half built, since Neleh had initially made it with future expansion in mind, and even the recent influx of immigrants wasnt enough to fill it even close. She even had plans to potentially double the size in the future by expanding to the other side of the river and lake, connecting the two sides with great bridges high enough to allow for river traffic. This would form a sort of twin cities with the Order headquarters situated in the middle, on the island. The foundations for the headquarters were already laid, but there was no need to rush the construction. The other half of the city on the other bank was far into the future though.

The central white tower of the city served a dual purpose. It served to attract more mages to the duchy by visibly displaying the might of the newly formed mages guild in the duchy. The tower was a gathering place for any work the mages might do, being filled with workshops and ritual rooms. It had some living space, but most mages elected to get a house in the city in case they might form families, and also for privacy. Since many of the projects from Neleh required magical support, ranging from construction and magic directed towards improving agriculture, to magic used for enchantments and magical items, the duchy did its best to entice magicians to move in. Neleh especially used her fame and position in the academy to lure young magician students that were more amenable to the change of ways Neleh represented. Many of the students also had more personal contact with Neleh, or had at least seen her in person several times.

The tower was also a major feature in defending the city. A dome shaped magical shield projected out from the tall tower at the center of the city. Neleh herself had designed the protective shield, and had called in her favor with Zamekh and gotten some of the dragons to help in constructing the shield. The shield made it impossible for hostile armies to approach the city in addition to protecting the city from magical attacks and harsh weather and natural phenomenon such as earthquakes. The shield drew power from the nearby ley-lines, and could be strengthened when necessary by getting additional mana fed into it. In fact it would become a standard practice for any members of the mages guild to put in some of their excess mana if they were having a light day. The drain on their mana also served as a method of training their mana pool. In a few years the shield would become strong enough to withstand the attacks of the dragons that lived in the duchy.

The added security was another point for drawing in people from other provinces, especially once they became aware of the other features of the shield. In addition to protecting the city from attacks, it was also used to monitor the city within the dome. The highest floor of the tower had a magical miniature hologram of the city, which tracked the movements of everyone in the city, as well as their use of magic. This could be used to find anyone entering the city without proper procedure; in fact such people were highlighted and hunted down. Any people that needed to be found could be found with the use of the map, and any people using certain magic would also be discovered immediately. The spells in question were a list of spells usually required to properly perform espionage in any form.

As a result, crime and spies had a really hard time operating within the city. Combine this with the lack of back alleys and well-lit streets, as well as a good amount of guards on patrol, and the city was as close to crime free as was possible. Another feature that drew people to the city. The Nexus also allowed for either quick evacuation or fast reinforcement of the other cities within the duchy in case of trouble. All this combined started to slowly build the duchys image as not only immigrant friendly and safe place to live, but as the months went by it also started to become obvious that the duchy would also serve as an economic powerhouse with a lot of opportunities.

One of the main driving points of the economy of the province would soon become obvious with the cooperation of the various guilds. In other areas of the empire, every craftsman worked for themselves, and the rarer the ability they possessed or the skill they had, the more exorbitant the price asked for performing their services. For example, enchanters might require huge prices to enchant a piece of gear originally made by a blacksmith for an order they received, thus driving the price up way beyond the costs incurred by the materials used.

In JaoeTinukai, the guild had those with different skills working together to provide the best possible products for competitive prices, and then shared the profits among those that took part in the making of the product. This brought previously rare items available for a wider audience as the prices went down, thus vastly increasing demand. This also went a long away to eliminate the competition between different disciplines. No longer did the blacksmiths hate the enchanters for gouging them for every enchantment, and no longer did the enchanters despise the alchemists that eked out every coin for the materials vital for enchantments.

As Neleh herself put it in her speech to the craftsmen: I dont want any finished piece to be anything but the best quality. Every stitch, every piece of leather and metal that leaves this duchy should have enough magic and enchantments on them to make royalty to blush. The focus of this duchy will be on selling a large amount of high quality goods and materials. Let the other provinces deal in chaff. We want everyone in the world to know that if they want a quality product of any kind, the place to get it is this duchy!

Those working under Nimue have a bit more complex reasons. Their problem is that your prestige and popularity is quickly surpassing empress Nimues and they view that as a threat. They also estimate that you might have more authority in the future than Nimue, and theyre worried about that for varied reasons. For some, its a loss to their authority, so their motives are mostly selfish. For others their motives are more selfless. Theyre worried about a polarized empire gathering around to peaks of authority, and a possible civil war that might follow if you end up at odds. Even if the two of you are friends, those working under you are not. They would end up competing, and that might cause real issues. They also fear that it diminishes the empire if someone else has authority comparable with the emperor. What happens in the future, if for example she wants to go to war with another race, and you say no? Estelar finished his explanation.

So basically all of them are either bitter or jealous? Shiori asked.

A fair if a bit simplistic summary. Estelar replied with a smile.

Well, the first group will face a public execution in a week. I will take care of it myself. A death caused by the Song of Khali should be a pretty decent deterrent, and a warning to other criminals in the future. The problem is the other two groups. We dont have the manpower to get too militaristic with the other provinces until the Order starts to produce fully trained members. We just dont have the required manpower yet. So lets table those for now. In a few years we will be in position to take revenge economically, and if they give us any further trouble even militarily. Neleh mused.

Correct. The problem with the Order is that the training takes a long time. Even if the end result is great, that doesnt help us right now. We have the guardsmen and mages to defend our province for now, especially with the shield in place over Nan Yanoi, but we dont have any offensive power. Estelar confirmed.

The question is what to do with the third group. We cant go after them openly, and I would like to avoid trouble with Nimue. Well leave those working in her court mostly alone for now. We can apply political pressure, as well as have some of them lose out of business ventures. It would be nice if we could ruin some of their other plans as revenge too, for example block some of their political marriages and sow some distrust. For the people of Sun Court I want to send a clear message.

Have some of the most skilled students of fifth Order gather. I have their first mission, and I want to impress its importance and go through details. Well have them all deliver a message to the Sun Elves. Have them leave a dagger and a message in the rooms of the nobles while they are asleep. They should be reminded that the imperial court isnt the only court that can feel the touch of the Inquisitors. Yunalesca is a friend after all, so she wouldnt mind helping us if she learns of them being behind bandit activity. The dagger is to remind them that I can reach them even without the Inquisition. Id like to have them killed, but we dont have the power to antagonize all of them yet. Neleh gave her orders.

After a moment of thought, she continued. Also send a strongly worded letter to king Aelrindel. We will not tolerate the interference of those in his court. Next time they try something, I will kill them personally, and he wont be able to protect them.

On that note, I just heard that the dragons responsible for the attack on the Sun Palace have moved to the mountain. Im guessing he wont be too happy with the dragons that killed most of his family living in our duchy. Asheara said. Strangely she had taken it on herself to monitor anything to do with the mountain of the dragons. The dragons didnt actually mind, as they had a certain level of acceptance towards her because of her being Nelehs mother. Someone who birthed a dragon was ok in their books. The dragons had also been almost gleeful at the idea of Neleh being a father to a new generation of Kirin, when she brought it up with Zamekh. They had actually missed their cousins a little, and had no ill will anymore.

Shiori just laughed in her best evil tone, while Estelar just grimaced. Thatll go over great with the Sun Elves. He said.

At this point I really dont care what they think. Once their nobility is conspiring against us, my good will runs out. Any Sun Elf is welcome to become a citizen of our realm, but thats it. Neleh said with some heat. Shed just about had enough of Aelrindel and the Sun Court.

Oh right, isnt the human spirit mage expert that you mentioned supposed to come tomorrow? Shiori suddenly asked, her quick mind already jumping to next topic.

Thats a segue and a half. Yes, hes supposed to arrive tomorrow. Neleh replied.

Any idea who they are sending? Shiori asked.

None. Neleh replied again. Someone competent I hope.