"I'm sorry. I'm not an economist. … Ah, that is a word for… a person who studies money and trade and how they function, grow, and work in a society. I … I really don't know how much I could help with that, to be honest. All I know was there was a big change in economic practices around the sixties for my count… clan and the GDP dropped majorly over ti afte…" Joe trailed off, eye's looking up as he seed to realize his words were strange and unknown before he sighed, shook his head, and continued, "Look, I don't even understand a lot of this, and I'm not sure I could explain it to you well. If you seek advice, the only advice I could offer is to make sure everyone, and I an everyone, in your city benefits in so way, increasing their strengths, be it in adventuring, scavenging, building, crafting… anything. That will cause the wealth of all in the city to rise and bring in great trade from all other cities around you, thus increasing wealth even more and bringing new materials and supplies to your crafters, adventurers, builders… well… everyone, thus increasing their abilities yet again and allowing them to build and create ever greater things. Such things will cause even more cities from even further to seek trade, bringing ever more valuable items, and wealth," Joe shrugged once more, speaking as if such a thing was easy.
The matriarch smiled at this, realizing he might be knowledgeable, but still naïve, "If such a thing was so easy, everyone would have done so."
"Most do not because they are too selfish and greedy," Joe replied with ease.
She blinked, stifling a hint of anger, "And how is greed the issue?"
"How can adventurers purchase the armor, weapons, and protective treasures to survive when they are taxed so heavily they can barely purchase such things. If they cannot purchase armor, they die easily, and you have few strong adventurers and thus few people to tax as new adventurers die long before they can learn and bring in valuable materials.
"How can crafters afford to experint when they are taxed so heavily they cannot afford to 'waste' so materials on a possible strange but new item that may be a waste, or may beco incredibly valuable. If they have enough money, it is easy for them to feel comfortable to explore inventing new strange and wonderful things as they are not always busy desperately building and selling just to barely have enough food for family and winter.
"How can builders grow and beco master builders if no one builds new buildings? How can cities grow if no one can afford to buy new houses? How can new cors co to your city or want to co to your city if the cost is so prohibitive, almost no one can co?
"What use is all the gold sitting in a noble's treasury. It does nothing. It pays no one, helps no one, and is only a hoard that does nothing. If nobility began purchasing many things or, even better, investing in building new and better … anything… for the city, the city will gain new … sothing, the builders and people involved in the project gain significant wealth, they purchase things and those who sell the wares to them also gain wealth. And you tax each person who uses the money. All the money in the city is already yours, but in the cities hands, in the people's hands, it's growing your city, your city's wealth, your city's trade, your city's crafter abilities and strength, your adventurers, your militia and soldiers and it always returns to you as tax. In your treasury, it does absolutely nothing."
The matriarch sat back, stunned, even as her job's skills began once again following the path of trade and how it would affect the growth of her city, and it only made her breathing increase and heart beat rapidly. Even as her thoughts traced to the results of what he was describing, one small part of her skill quickly highlighted a slow leak of wealth from her city and felt her frown rapidly return.
"Ah, but… those who leave my city take all my wealth."
"No. They spread the glory of your city and its trade. You will lose very little, to be honest. I do not know if this is a large city or not, to be honest, but if there are larger cities, then you will lose so, yes, but as your city grows in fa, more and more will co visiting, or even wishing to move here. And more and more rchants will begin arriving, bringing ever greater wealth. But you need a reason for people to wish to co. Stagnating your people in diocrity by draining their vitality, life, and strength from them because they must always struggle to live, spending the vast majority of their day on generating wealth to just survive creates citizens who have no ti to grow, develop themselves, the city, or their skills. Then the city stagnates."
Even as Joe explained those who would return and how they would be attracted to her city, her breathing once again began breathing excitedly and she felt her job's skill begin to throb, a headache pounding in her skull even as her mind expanded, increasing the web of wealth she was seeing to include the cities and surroundings and suddenly she saw that it was not a loss, but just a continuation of the 'economy' on an incredibly grand scale.
Suddenly, she felt a rush of excitent flush through her and gasped as she realized she had sohow grown because of her epiphany, thanks to the great one's blessing her with his teaching. She took a deep breath, almost bowing her head in thanks, but realized that he would likely not see much in it, and could only offer her thanks in silence. Despite the shock of growth, she still found her mind taken with the idea of economics.
"Is it truly that simple?"
"Yes. But it is not fast. Growth and finding new amazing ideas takes ti and wealth, but even if there are no new amazing ideas, there is still a steady growth that will also reflect in a steady growing wealth of the city and the city's Matriarch."
She sighed in excitent before sighing once more in disappointnt and a slight frown before she shook her head. The great one seed to notice her despair and she imdiately schooled her face, shocked that she had relaxed her control and so easily revealed herself. Despite this, she felt no anger or upset.
"What's wrong? You can't do it?"
"I cannot."
"You do not have the authority to do so?"
"Ah, no. I do, but… it is other… things," the Matriarch finished with a grimace.
"Treasury's low?" the great one asked with a smile.
The Matriarch looked to the great one and found herself actually looking away with a angry flush of embarrassnt. You are not a child! She berated herself before she looked back to him, "It is … difficult at this ti."
Stolen novel; please report.
"Hmm… do you mind telling what happened? Was there a great war or sothing recently?'
"No, no such thing, Joe," she replied with grace.
Kukurnal took the ti to shake his head and interjected, saving her from embarrassing herself, "There have been several near calamities from the dungeons here. They do not happen often, but when they do so, it is… costly for the city."
"But, nothing escaped, right? There was no damage to the city?"
"While the 'economy' does dip a little because of calamities, I believe the major cost is the Dragon's Spear," Kukurnal replied before bowing to the Matriarch and deferring to her expertise.
She sighed before nodding, "The Dragon's Spear are powerful and do well protecting cities from dungeon calamities. But, it is as Priest Kukurnal has said, they are… costly."
She was surprised to see the great one turn his head away and sigh, a subtle look of what seed like embarrassnt washing over his face, "Ah… how costly is the Dragon's Spear?"
She blinked before replying, "They are quite costly, requiring a single core for each mber, a dual core for each squad leader, and a triple core for the captain."
"Ouch! Um… and how many mbers are called?"
"It is usually a hundred man squad with five squad leaders and a captain."
"Woah… so ninety four single cores, five dual cores, and a triple core. You had to call them twice, right?"
The Matriarch nodded with a grimace, "Yes. It was… quite unfortunate."
The great one seed to look away, sighing deeply, "I… ah… yeah… sorry about that."
Both Priest Kukurnal and the Matriarch froze, eye's widening in fear and awe. She kept her silence at this, but the Priest seed unconcerned with offending the man, "You … you are the cause of the calamities?"
The great one actually looked up sheepishly before nodding.
"Both?"
The great one sighed before he nodded, "Yeah. My bad. I seed to have unleashed a hidden sothing or other. It's OK. I took care of them all, but… yeah.
"Them?!?" Both the Matriarch and Priest blurted out.
The great one opened his mouth to speak but then silenced himself and simply shrugged with an embarrassed smile. After a mont, he then seed to suddenly think of sothing and quickly turned as he exclaid a quiet, "Ah!"
He reached to his side and pulled out a pouch. He set it on the table and almost opened it before he suddenly stopped and looked to his apprentices, "Guys, do you mind if you crowd around and hide this next part? Matriarch, could you ask your soldiers to do the sa?"
The Matriarch nodded but then waved to the apprentices, "Please, sit. My protection detail can protect us," she said as she looked to one of the n behind her, "Total privacy, please."
The man nodded before performing his skill, a silent shroud of shadow and darkness surrounding the whole table and its occupants.
"Is this privacy enough?"
Joe nodded quickly and smiled brightly, "Yes! Very much so."
He was obviously polite as he still wisely inspected his surroundings, carefully evaluating her man's shroud of privacy before digging into the pouch he'd pulled from his side. He then shuffled inside with a hand and she heard a gasp from one of her soldiers but constrained herself from reacting and trying to peer into the pouch, frowning at his poor discipline.
The great one, after a few seconds, pulled at two cores… triple cores! Two! How… The Matriarch's shock only grew as core after core ca from his pouch, next ten dual cores and finally another two hundred single cores. He then pulled out another couple dual cores and another triple core before sliding it all over to the Matriarch.
"Yeah… so… those calamities were my fault, so I should really pay for it. This should cover the cost of the Dragon's Spear plus a little extra for the trouble. I really apologize for it."
"I… I'm uncertain I could ever accept such a gift!" she replied, trying to hold the shock in her heart. He pulled out three triple cores as if they were nothing. He already gave so cores to the dungeon guardians as well. Just how wealthy…
The great one quickly shook his head in response, "It was my fault. It's my responsibility."
"The city of Coushar is my responsibility."
"True. And I completely agree with you but my actions are my responsibility."
At this, the matriarch felt her thoughts freeze, uncertainty echoing through her mind as her body shivered then froze as well. She took a few monts but could find no response and the great one continued to simply smile and hold his hand behind the cores, refusing to return them.
She did nothing, still refusing, until the great one's smile rose slightly and his hand slipped into the pouch and pulled out another single core to add to the pile, not even looking into the pouch. Is that entire pouch full of cores?! She continued in frozen indecision but then he pulled out another core and pressed it forward, another single core.
Finally, she reacted, "What are you doing?" She asked in so shock.
"I'll just keep pulling out another one until you accept. Soon, I'm sure I'll find a price you will accept, although you may be quite burdened by how high it may go. Right now, it could be considered an equal exchange as I cost you this and am only returning. But you will accept these, as it is only right."
"And if I do not?" she retaliated sharply, her ire raising slightly before her face quickly paled and realized she had snapped at a great one. The great one, however, only seed to smile more, almost seeming grateful that she had snapped at him and pulled out another core, this ti a dual sli core, easily recognized as this one had been positioned as she was able to easily see the distinct swirls of a sli's influence.
"If you continue to be stubborn," Joe said as he reached in the pouch and pulled out another core and set it on the growing pile, "I can simply stand and leave. I'll probably drop this convenient shield around you as well and everyone can see a pile of cores on the table for you as I leave with my apprentices."
"You are blackmailing !?" she growled, her fear overwheld with anger.
The great one stopped, eyes rising, before replying, "There you are. I was wondering when you would speak to and stop hiding behind your political persona. Hi. It's nice to et you."
She sat back, jerking back in her seat almost as if she had been slapped, although the shock of his words were even greater than any reaction she had to being slapped. She considered his words and it took a mont for her to realize that he was grateful that she was eschewing politeness for blunt but sociable debate between well-acquainted friends.
"You…" but she trailed off without anything left to be able to say, her mind blank.
Joe smiled and looked at the cores, "Well, it should be no problem now, yes? We are friends and what's a few cores between friends."
"A few cor… friendships have ended and betrayals have erupted for less!"
"It's a good thing I will not betray you then. I can only hope that you will not betray ."
She breathed deeply and flared her nostrils before quivering slightly as she realized she had done sothing so uncouth. I haven't flared my… She stifled her thoughts and emotions before taking a deep breath, "What do you want."
A look of sadness flashed through his eyes and he sighed, regret easily seen on his face, "Ah… the politician returns." Joe shook his head before continuing, "I don't want anything. I truly wish to repay you for your loss for my inappropriate and foolish ddling in your dungeon and city.
"Kukurnal. Truth or lie," Joe said before putting down the paynt for a Truth Telling from a Priest, "I seek nothing from the Matriarch, except possibly friendship? Or maybe … a friendly relationship… a relationship without tension?" Joe mused for a few monts before suddenly continuing, "and to repay her for my stupidity in the dungeon."
Kukurnal looked to her before smiling brightly, laughing a bright low chuckle, "Truth."
She gaped back at Kukurnal before trying to compose herself and look back at the great one, but knew that her face poorly hid her shock and hope tinged with a hint of greed.
"I told you he was a strange one," Kukurnal interjected, smiling at her.
She glanced back and forth between the two before she let a wisp of a smile on her face, and with a hint of trepidation, dared to subtly mock a great one for the first ti in her life, "It seems that way."
The brilliant smile that erupted on the great one's face blinded her, more for its innocent gratefulness than anything else, and she felt peace flood her heart, easing her troubled thoughts. She allowed her smile to grow quite a bit more before she finally bowed her head quite deeply and stretched her hand out to take the cores, slipping them into a bag of her own that was almost too small to hold the incredible wealth on the table.
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