After forty-two laps, I was beyond exhausted, my large body drenched in sweat, my left arm on fire. Every time a citizen came through they stopped in complete astonishment, sometimes gathering in groups to stare, until a frown sent them scurrying about their work. I lived for the nod of approval from Carradock each time I arrived back at the gate against which he leaned, often in conversation with other soldiers. Also, for the thought of a long, long warm bath.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fcAMcJEZK
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A castle servant, the one from breakfast, was ahead of me, twisting her apron in her hands and looking everywhere but into my face.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWsQS24Kxd
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxiBeN2K5n
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'Chef–' she flung her hand out in a gesture towards the keep, where a short man in what looked like a grey baker's outfit '–wants to know what to prepare for dinner.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGkxBJjasf
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'Dear lord.' I came to a stop, worried my aching legs would not want to resume. 'It's not important. But keep it simple.' My predecessor had obviously enjoyed eating extensive meals with several courses. 'Just a couple of slices of roast meat and …' What would an athlete eat? Food with plenty of protein and vitamins. 'Wait. Grilled fish. Nuts. Fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and carrot, that don't need much, if any, cooking.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCn0rEBK5VZ
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PbwizUjS2
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'Ahh…'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IeI2yi2Pf
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'What?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaeldzqClb
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'Chef won't be pleased.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBeISBxxBu
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I stared at her. 'Hands up if you are king.' I put my own hand up. 'That puts me in charge.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD1XhpCXQJ
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Once she had turned away, alarmed, I returned my focus back into my final few laps. Although it was distracting I when I turned a corner and was facing the keep: there I could see the chef remonstrating with the servant. He kept looking over at me, as though in appeal, but I wasn't having any of it and focused on moving one leg, then the next, and on keeping hold of that enormously heavy sword.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPnDWR2Z2b
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I wasn't allowed to settle into my rhythm again though, for with a clatter of metal-hooves on cobblestone, a small group of riders came into the barracks yard. Some were soldiers of mine but one was carrying a green pennant (deep green, with a golden wolf's head) and dressed in expensive-looking clothes.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvHhHrAipB
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'King Carlos?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMzDGVVVyR
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylaX23LQGg
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhyVkWXY7p
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'Yes?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXeqBlISny
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My impression that this was a man who was attentive to his looks was reinforced as he dismounted and made his bow. No one had a beard as neat his without some effort.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3d5yI56RLp
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'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSofKAWSID
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'Pleased to meet you.' My politeness was automatic. I felt no warmth towards this man. Quite apart from the fact his rich, fur-lined cloak and black, oiled hair alienated me, this was the enemy.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ4WFahojE
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnfREq52gR
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBmBla8Jns
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I shook my head. 'There's nothing you can say that I would hide from my people. Why are you here?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPB9xw4lAHO
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhSenNrBMm
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLh3V3KslR
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Supressing a smile, the ambassador from Southland shrugged, as if to pass off any blame. 'King Wace, in his generosity, offers to make Greyland a dependency of Southway. You,' he gestured to everyone, 'are spared conquest. And you personally, sire, will be given a comfortable retirement, dining on the finest food of our realm in the company of delightful personal companionship, in return for implementing the decisions of his highness on your interface.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZnTBunNYn
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A silence fell over the square and even the crows stilled their caws, as if to listen to my answer. I let my heart and breath settle.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp2BVSkvfn
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'Firstly, we are not conquered yet. Secondly, we all know what it would mean for our kingdom to be run by an invader…' I raised my voice for all to hear. 'People dragged off to work wherever your ruler wanted; our soldiers used up in his battles to spare his own troops; our wealth drained into your coffers; starvation and ruin here.' I knew what I was talking about, it's what I intended to do to them.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkMxDBOGEu
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDDsv3xmQU
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'Good. If we see you again, you'll be executed as a spy. Greyland will never surrender and you can tell King Wace that unless he withdraws from our territory, it is he who will suffer conquest.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuRwzYE7En
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'I'll tell him of your empty threat and he will laugh. And he will remind you of it when you are in chains at his feet.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU79pKRqxXi
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'That is disrespectful.' I was furious and at least a part my anger was drawn from the uncomfortable feeling, fear even, that he was going to be proven right. I walked over to him, using my height and bulk to lean down and snarl. 'Vincit qui patitur, he who endures conquers. And Greyland will endure.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPWjHLlkL1
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Perhaps he saw the determination in my eyes. Perhaps he understood how close I was to striking him with the sword in my left hand, which no longer felt heavy. In any case, the ambassador's head dropped and he stepped back, then turned away to find his horse and remount.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmKkceYjBq
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rUbNuRt1P
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'Yes sir.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XPmLr0Zxf
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'Right, then everyone, back to work. We're going to have to work extremely hard, myself included, to endure and escape conquest.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKAhaxcjdM
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Muttering broke out among the people and it was hard to judge the tone. Certainly, it was not the cheering enthusiasm of a people rallying to their king. But among the soldiers especially there were several faces that looked brighter and more supportive than they had.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOxcmfCp4D
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Wd1sTmwb3
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'Forty-three sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4YYrMfHWm
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'Damn pedant.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEbe8BB5n7
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The last few laps were painful. It did help, however, that I could study the town menus and take my mind from the constant complaints of my body. That gave me one measure of the effect of my responses to the ambassador from Southway, which was that the score for Happiness under the people menu had risen from 14 to 16. At least it hadn't gone down, so on the whole, they seemed to approve of resistance rather than surrender.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH9YVJgYgx
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvd62wwqRWU
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Military357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3LOWyM2yB
Light infantry: 32357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJeQGjctPW
Heavy infantry: 12357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk93oe8U3iA
Archers: 18357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrSSArGFkU
Light cavalry: 24357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAIxRjtH9s
Heavy cavalry: 4357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAhEEGNEnr
Ballista: 1357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnTkPfhYmL
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Hospital: 17357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ0iQdIZlB
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxntGSMIgQ
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvc69ytPcZ
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKaL2WV98N
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Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
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Why was I training heavy cavalry? They were costly in terms of iron and tactically useless. We would be holding defensive positions for the foreseeable future and while I hoped the day would come when I rode at the head of a line of formidable heavy cavalry, that was a long way off. Although it meant losing whatever raw materials my predecessor had invested in the project, I cancelled the heavy cavalry from the training queue and instead added fifteen archers to it, at a cost of 10 iron ingots and 15 gold and 15 of the unassigned townspeople.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTSs1Lst2R
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That left me 12 unassigned townspeople to think about. Before setting them to various tasks, I needed to know about building a trading vessel. When I tried to call up information about ships, I got a frustrating message.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqjdzk7H5t
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Shipbuilding357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtdPosi1tM
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Unknown.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7Wn0Ek3OG
Create a Shipwright to unlock this option.
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'Hey, you!' I called out to a skinny youth, who was hanging around near the steps of the keep watching me with earnest eyes as though I was last man in for a cricket team that was over a hundred runs behind. And I couldn't tell if he wanted me to fail or succeed.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mm2nRpHAk
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'Sire?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjyJt0lYxv
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9LpX3cjYj
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJz609MSac
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I was on lap forty-six when the carpenter arrived, he was a bald, confident looking man, with intelligent brown eyes.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHjK0yxpGP
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFdAdJaSbW
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'Sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpZrAjVg2u
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4m9NvaZMyy
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3meqZ05QY
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqfGSoidOE
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The man looked at me, surprised, then down at the ground. 'As you know, sire, I only have access to a limited menu in order that I can view my tasks... I couldn't be sure about research, but Shipbuilding does sound like it will make the role of Shipbuilder available to you.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hwO4V34bv
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m8A1pFBmL
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'If it becomes an option sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnd1hNb4KP
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'Would you like to do it?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaMjq2KtHX
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxWTnCFqzr
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'Yes,' I said, a little impatiently. 'I know that. But I'd rather people enjoyed their work than hated it.' This wasn't just coming from my innate sense of politeness, it was practical too. I wanted that town happiness score to rise and surely by assigning the right people to the right jobs, at least when it came to specialist roles, that was going to help?357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsj2I2urdh
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We walked the entire length of the barracks square and turned back towards Carradock before the carpenter answered. 'I think I would like that sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7izkgqmzFO
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'Right so, find someone in your workshop who wants to be the Chief Carpenter and I'll make you Shipbuilder in…' I checked the research menu, dropped Navigation (there was no penalty, but I risked having to restart it again from the beginning), as it still had five days to go, and swapped to Shipbuilding 1, 'four days.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvPJgv2EGB
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'Thank you sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9mYEHlehx
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'Now tell me this. I see a lot of people in the town. But not very many on the menus. Why is that?'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzt5zQusna
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Again, the carpenter looked astonished. Then a little wary, as if I'd set a trap. 'People want to join the menu, sire, to serve the goddess... and you. But it's limited, isn't it? They can't get on unless you've been able to make room.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOK8UW3N8l
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That wasn't an answer that clarified very much, but I gave him a grunt to signal he could go back to work. It was as much as I could manage. As for the twelve unassigned people in the town, I decided to leave them for now. Soon I'd want shipbuilders and sailors.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqZgDB5aeT
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Forty-seven.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcjJMVgwdZ
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Forty-eight.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5eOSORtJQ
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Forty-nine.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gC2pUB65y
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Fifty.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzu9HIhij7d
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'That's me done for the day.' I spoke to Carradock with as much nonchalance as I could muster. As if I could do another fifty, although every muscle was groaning.357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PwnzdhDjd
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'Well done Sire.'357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bNIg5shzK
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
