When the morning ca, I was already up, getting ready to accompany Elliot around the city, planning to show him around. I was fixing my clothes while Sasha was still in the middle of waking up, tussling with her ssy hair. Because of Elliot, my Mom, once again, allowed us to sleep in the sa room if we promised there wouldn't be anything wild going on. By her words, she couldn't allow her little brother to think we were in a bad relationship or sothing similar, leading us to sleep in different rooms. Then she said sothing else that made dumbfounded... That my Uncle was eyeing Sasha, which was... news to .
When she told it to us, it was just after Luna accompanied him out of the dining room, leading him to his guest room while we remained at the dinner table, enjoying the aftertaste of the dessert. I didn't want to believe it at first, but then rlin, of all people, also chid in, looking at with deathly seriousness.
"It is true, My Lord! I was watching him; he glanced at Lady Sasha more than 121 tis at dinner, while I was in second place at 84 tis! Lady Luna was the third with 81 tis!"
"You were counting that...?" I asked, finding it hilarious.
"Of course! I found him weird when he first ntioned it, so I have been keeping an eye on him, My Lord!"
"Okay!" I raised a hand before anyone could continue, "There is nothing bad about it. Sasha is beautiful, so, of course, people will find her desirable. It is inevitable! Uncle has enough self-control to keep it together, and he never once made any rude remarks, is he? Nor did he insinuate anything! What, should I start hiding my wife when soone finds her beauty appealing? Nonsense! rlin, I don't want you to be rude, got that?"
"Y-yes, My Lord!" He answered at once, standing up.
Luckily, the topic died down there, but it also allowed to finally, once again, sleep with my wives together. I missed Sasha's scent...
"Are you sure I don't need to co?" She asked, yawning, barely awake, trying to open her eyes.
"Rest a bit more. It will be a lot of walking and boring talk, so you have ti to prepare. We will et up at the main square and see what Perth has made. I know that whatever it is, it was transported to its spot at night, covered up, hidden from , and is being guarded by soldiers. If you ask , it will be a statue."
"Most likely." Sasha nodded, "I also would bet a lot on it that it will be of you!"
"?" It was sothing that I sohow didn't consider yet. It was... weird. A statue of . Huh... I hope it is not a bad on because where I ca from, statues were only made of those who already passed away. "Well, a few hours and it will co to light! If it is , where will we put it?"
"Hm? What do you an?"
"Should we bring it into the palace?" I asked, turning towards her, smiling, "Or should we leave at the square? Maybe above the front gate? Oh, maybe we should bring it up to the mountain and make a shrine out of it!"
"Pft... idiot!" She giggled, throwing her pillow at . "I love you but would not want you to have a shrine! That sounds weird..."
"True." I couldn't help but agree because that sounded even more ominous than having an ordinary statue.
After leaving our room, I quickly t up with Elliot, who was ready and excited to tour my city. Of course, it wasn't just us; rlin and Oleg were also tagging along. I watched as rlin now wore a much friendlier expression, no longer looking like soone who bit into a lemon. Good, because Elliot never once questioned why my wives are not coming with us, so even if he admires them, so what? It proves their beauty. First, I took him to the forges, showing him how they worked, and of course, his first words were that he wanted to buy the blueprints.
"I want one! Just na the price!"
"Sorry, Uncle, but these are not for sale." I answered with a benign smile, trying my best not to laugh, "These are so things that are exclusive to Avalon. You must understand that I can't let it be built anywhere else. If anyone finds out, we could be in big trouble! Plus... where would you get the CC to work it? Who would charge it for you? I can't send my mages over every ti you deplete it!"
"Ugh... no fair... I want a magical girlfriend, too..."
"Ahahaha! I understand; they are one of the most important people of Avalon." I agreed with a long sigh, patting the shoulders of rlin, who was smiling from ear to ear, wearing his 'wizard' outfit with great pride.
"I got it, I got it... hauh... Damn... This defeats all the blacksmiths' workshops we have back ho. It would speed up our production a lot, minimum doubling it! And now I can only watch it from afar? Cruel... So... What's next? Don't be soft, show ! Make want more!"
"Well... hm, okay, then next, let take you to the printing press and then to the water purification system that also provides the heating for the city!"
"I did notice that my room was surprisingly warm, even when it was cold at night. I had to open the windows; I am not used to such hot evenings! Is that why iron pipes were going along the wall, and Lady Luna warned not to touch them?"
"Yep! They can be searing hot!"
As I led him into where Avalon Weekly was being made, the freshest batch was just being shipped out. When he picked one up, he was surprised at how many details were inside it, explaining ministry decisions so everyone could understand it. Then he noticed that people were advertising their shops and deals on almost every page. As soone who was also keen on marketing and sales, he saw the potential in it but was also unsure if it was sothing he liked.
He really agreed with the advertising part, but the notion of telling and docunting every decision for the common man was alien to him. When I also told him that everyone in this city could write and read, it was not that he doubted , but he questioned whether it would matter. The citizens simply shouldn't and, in most cases, didn't care about it.
"Maybe." I humd, crossing my arms and scratching my chin as we walked out of the city, heading towards the water purification systems. "But I disagree with your viewpoint. I think it is crucial to inform them and make them feel they are part of sothing bigger."
"Exactly!" rlin enthusiastically jumped into the conversation, wanting to prove Elliot wrong. "They may not care about it, but that is not good! We need to make them care about Avalon. Because if sothing bad happens, they won't support it! If they know and understand that they are part of it just as much as anybody else, they will do way much more for the city and not abandon it when they are needed the most."
"Hm... I never thought about that, but I must say that it is not like they can abandon it, even if they don't care about the city. Where would they go? Into the forests? Beco bandits who then chased and killed? Out to the enemy to be slaughtered?"
"Let ask you this then, Uncle! Who would protect a city more ferociously? Soone who is conscripted to do so or soone who volunteers?"
This ti, my chuckle and point hit the mark because he had nothing to answer with. You can force the people of your city to fight for it, but they won't die for it. They will run away and escape at the first sign or opportunity. But, all of that was forgotten the mont he saw how we dealt with waste and watched as a complex system was built up to purify and store it.
"The waste then gets composted and later sent to the farms for use. I also introduced rotation for the crops, but our soil is not good enough, so you don't have to worry. We will still buy your shipnts because we are not independent yet."
"Yet..." He answered, repeating it a few tis, tasting the word, and I knew he realized it. Give it a decade, and we probably will be. Hell, a few new inventions, and it may happen even sooner than that. "I won't ask because I already know there is no way that I can borrow this, yeah?"
"Sorry."
"Guessed so... Damn, I thought you were joking yesterday!"
"Want to move here?" rlin asked, his brows furrowed, and Elliot didn't answer at first, thinking about it.
"Mmmh... The place does look welcoming, and I have only been here less than a day. But..."
"I think Mom would be happy if you replaced her as my Minister. She always does the bare minimum, and she disappears when winter cos, going back ho to Dad."
"Understandable." Elliot grinned, glancing at . "And if I move here, I don't need to borrow your stuff, huh?"
"True."
"But I don't think I will."
"You won't?" Both rlin and I asked, feeling surprised so much that it made my Uncle laugh while watching us.
"Let explain!" As we strolled along the road, heading back to Avalon, he began, "I like my current life and enjoy the challenge. Even if you don't let borrow everything, you will co to and make deals through so you can stay out of trouble. You will make be your front for your new inventions while you act behind the curtain. I'm fine with that because I can also use it to increase my influence within my realm and even in places farther out."
"Wouldn't that place you in a bind?" I questioned him openly because if we were talking so freely, I wanted to know what he thought about it. If we looked at what we were doing from one specific angle, I was using him as a shield that would probably, one day, get hit. Hard. Just like us.
"I am aiming for the sa thing as you. The difference is that I am doing it a bit more... subtly. With my big brother gone, along with his supporters, who do you think replaced them? People I trust while the rest will soon die out. Accidents here, accidents there, an heir gets married into a family that is wholly loyal to ... Shortly, only my voice will carry any aning within the barony."
"So you want to secede in the end..." I whispered, thinking it through, and now I was getting why he wasn't convinced to move into Avalon, even when he was loving what he was seeing. He wanted to beco his own king and not a servant under another. I could respect that.
"Yes, I want to. And when that happens, it will happen at the sa ti as yours. I just hope you will help out."
"Of course!" I answered at once, looking into his eyes. "No questions about it."
"I am glad to hear that." He nodded, smiling, patting my shoulders. "And I do an, just tell what you need for these when that happens. If we split, I want to change my people's lives as you changed those who live here."
"I can help you set up defenses." I agreed, thinking about it, "But only when you are perfectly sure it would not leak."
"Which, you know, wouldn't be possible for a long ti. We are more open than the Frontier. Even if we can't compare to so of the key trading hubs, we do get visitors from the neighboring counties. But I appreciate the sentint."
"I wasn't just saying it to sound kind."
"Hm?"
This ti, all three of us already stopped walking while I crossed my arms, thinking.
"I can't sell you magical inventions, but... I can sell you so of the weapons to prepare your own defenses within your castle. It is for your own safety and maybe equip a personal, fully trustworthy, elite force."
"That would still put you at risk. Not because we would leak it but because keeping it hidden forever in my city would simply be impossible."
"Yes, I get that, and I wouldn't do it imdiately. First, I need to beef up my own forces so that when that happens, I can protect both of us. We will have to fight back together."
"You have an idea... I can see it in your eyes." Elliot chuckled, making nod.
"Your territory is great in producing food and feeding a good amount of people."
"Ah." He exclaid softly, understanding what I was about to say, finishing it for . "You want to raise the footsoldiers, yes?"
"Aye. You would provide the raw manpower; I would provide the weapons and sothing that is even more destructive!"
"And that is?" He asked, but I knew he knew... and before I could say it, rlin finally caught on, answering us both.
"Magic!"
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