A long bath helped, but afterwards, as I made my way down to dinner, every step was a painful one. My muscles were already stiffening. It would be even worse in the morning. Still, I was determined. And that encounter with the ambassador of Southway just made me even more so.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCELOa7D8p
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A long, polished wooden table had been laid out with what looked like a banquet to me, despite my instructions. Silver candelabra held our source of light, light which glittered off a wide array of polished trays and bowls. There were grapes; cherries, apples and peaches stacked high; there were at least four kinds of fish, filleted and laid out with herbs and lemon on trays decorated with fishing net designs; bowls of peas, green beans, tomatoes and carrots were full to the brim, at least four different kinds of bread had been prepared, with slices and rolls displayed on yet more silver trays; while goblets of cut glass sparkled, ready to receive wine from a choice of six decanters.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQv0ISejP8
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The table was laid for four people but the placings were spaced so far apart that it was like a socially distanced event during the COVID pandemic back home. Much to the consternation of a servant who was standing by the wall and hurriedly came over to help, I started re-arranging the plates and cutlery, bringing all the places up to the top end.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarQQximi1V
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No sooner than I'd taken my own seat, than Lord Arval, my Paladin General came in with a brisk march. Even for dinner, it seemed, he wore his chainmail and carried his sword. With a gesture that was nearly a smile, he took the seat to my right after I pointed to it.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj3LbNtNte
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'I heard about your training today sire. It gave encouragement to the troops.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauvjTxyTGs
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'There's a long way to go.' I glanced at my fleshy arms, so different to my previous body.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXj5b3KZySM
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'I also heard that you scorned the ambassador of Southway.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0na4rtzh5k
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'Oh did you? What did your sources say, exactly?'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96DvP3kYmt
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'That you were offered wine and women for the rest of your life if you'd do the bidding of their king and you refused, telling him that it was him who would be grovelling in chains before you.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFq8KaDaDx
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'Did I though?' I laughed. 'The story has grown. Good. They have the spirit right at least. That guy was so smug, I wanted to punch him in the face.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wrnUAFfTj
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We were interrupted by the arrival of Chancellor Parrin and the sorceress Carlena. Although they were not arm in arm, there was something about them that suggested to me they might be a couple. They were the right ages – she with silver hair and he with the grey and sliver of his beard – and they moved towards me with an ease in each other's company.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTanjlozthL
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'Another innovation I see,' said the Chancellor with a glance at the place settings and then at the servants. I got the message: careful, go easy on the changes.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9m9rP9uxI
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I repeated my story of meeting the ambassador of Southway, to the approval of Parrin and Carlena but they were surprisingly taciturn. Only when we had eaten did Carlena lean towards me, so that I caught the full intensity of her stunning purple eyes, and whisper, 'send the servants away please, so we can talk properly.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo53TtStUJ
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I nodded. And after the next time my glass was refilled, I slapped the table with my heavy palm (it was effective for that at least). 'Out! Servants out and don't disturb us until you are called for.' I spoke with unnecessary volume as they jumped to respond.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsl1ytqC4W
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'Spoken like the old Carlos,' said Parrin with a smile when we had the room to ourselves.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WAGCrgxvG
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The two of them then began an interrogation that would have never have been allowed by the previous king. What was I researching? What was I building? How would we cope with the loss of our grain-generating lands? What other information was in the menus? On the whole they were cautiously positive about my decisions and plans. At least, they didn't propose I make any changes to it. I was warned that my popularity, already very low, would drop further if we did start trading iron to the necromancer king, but they could see the necessity of this.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtc56NQEZrO
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By the end of their questions, I was totally clear about one thing. Carlena, Parrin and (to a lesser extent) Lord Arval saw me as their instrument. I was accountable to them and had to take their instruction. In business terms, this was a board meeting and I was the CEO, not a king with absolute power. This didn't upset me. I could totally see their point of view: the kingdom was on the ropes and everything they owned, including their lives, was in jeopardy. They couldn't afford any mistakes from me. Also, while I quite enjoyed the authority of being king and the way all the people were quick to obey me, I didn't like the barrier that the role created. At least here, with these three, I could be myself.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AvB7gGxxH
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'I have a question about the menus,' I looked from one to the other. 'How is it there are so few people on them compared to the size of Carrick?'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2frXHH7UH
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It was Carlena who answered. 'I believe the numbers allowed on the menu are capped in some way by the overall happiness of the realm. Most of our citizens would join the menus if allowed, wanting Miya to triumph and not wishing to be conquered. You should try to facilitate them.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLHULz57bv
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That made sense and exporing how to raise happiness was yet another goal for me to add to the 'to do' list.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC5PrhwTwY
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'How goes your personal progress?' asked Parrin.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMAdr89Txd
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'I don't know yet.' I patted the rolls of stomach fat that were resting on the table top. 'I've made a start on shedding these. But I haven't seen any change to my character sheet yet.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkWtyIH8pG
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Carlena frowned. 'What level Fighter are you?'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRSObtZ7ye
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'I'm not even a Fighter yet,' I confessed. 'In fact I was thinking my character sheet meant I should be a Sorcerer or Cleric.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfi0szfOcj
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All three of them turned pale faces towards me, eyes glistening in the candlelight.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmXMzCplfl
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'Oh no,' said Carlena. 'Not a Sorcerer. You won't have any spells. To obtain spells you have to build a scriptorium of the spell level and then research them, getting a random result It would take you forever. And it's not what we need on the battlefield.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHejJxw2ggc
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'I believe King Wace is level twelve,' muttered the Chancellor pointedly. 'And Queen Rorgesta of Trolland is eleven at least.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqWLFdyifM
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I caught the Scout's eyes and said, 'I'll start levelling up soon. But with my current stats, I'd be a hopeless warrior of any sort. I have to find out can I improve my Strength before starting my personal progression as a fighter. Really, I should be a caster: a mage or cleric. And I also need to know how to level. Do I fight monsters? Complete quests?'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CDOf9jkCK
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'I suppose you are right to wait,' Lord Arval spoke after a short interval. 'But every day that you are not progressing is a day more for them to get ahead. You could easily reach level two or even three by performing task quests in the town itself.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fLy8zSW7a
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'And we can bring you to areas nearby where there are monsters you can fight and kill for experience,' offered Lord Parrin.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9BaecZUR0
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That sounded promising and exactly like the RPGs I was used to.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgmn50gIjJ
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I took a deep breath. 'I will progress soon then. For now though, my body is a mass of aches and pain. I can barely lift this fork with my left hand, my shoulder is so sore. There's nothing more I could have done today to advance this body towards where it should be.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffjuef4arN
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'True.' Lord Arval nodded. 'Don't push so hard you damage yourself.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tUHzyHXec
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'We need time. Time to fix the kingdom's economy and time for me to level up.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7K1gjUwGJF
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'Indeed. And in that light, provoking the king of Southway might not have been wise.' Carlena spoke tentatively, as if exploring the idea.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJV4WNhO0PY
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'Sean was right to refute him so publicly and so firmly,' Arval came in, 'the message to the soldiers and people was clear. We will endure.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS7UizMmCU
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Chancellor Parrin nodded. 'I think so too. But still, there is a real danger of the two armies continuing their advance together and overcoming our defences.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpp12x5mWP2
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'Speaking of which, I'd like to see them. We have a fort at the head of the valley that leads here, right? I might be able to upgrade it.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy47cUNdWW5
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'You can't get there, it is thirty miles away and no horse can carry you.' It was Arval who made this depressing, if practical, point.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCF879YgWwy
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'I can show you on the map at least,' offering Parrin, 'and you should be able to find a menu for it. It's called Three-Ways Fort.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyVHSfeB41
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'I'll check later. And if it's all right with you, I'll move any remaining troops from here down to it, including the new archers.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cUwzgDbgo
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Everyone greeted my proposal with approval.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vPFwGvI6N
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I had been thinking about Carlena's point about unnecessarily provoking King Wace. 'Could we maybe divide them? By talking with Queen Rorg… whatever … the Trolland queen. By suggesting that we might be willing to be a protectorate under her?'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDXNDxOCNT
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'Perhaps,' the Chancellor nodded. 'It would be a mission for Figus.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXyTmF1v3W
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'When he gets back,' I said.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr3cO9AdWM
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'When he gets back,' Parrin repeated.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVJYh7ny1m
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'In the meantime, I think you need to go down to the lowlands and monitor the enemy's movements, to give us notice if they are advancing.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgYKdBY6wx
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'Me?' Parrin looked surprised. 'We have scouts, of course.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0zywN2dt7
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'Yes, but they are all level zero, right? Whereas you are level nine.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcdAaA3Z1f
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'It's been a while since I dusted off my scout skills, but you know what, I'll do it!' Parrin rubbed his beard around his mouth, where a smile was forming. 'I'll set out in the morning.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaL5e3Y9Wh
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'Just don't take any risks.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpxz6to62G
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When our strategizing was at an end, Lord Arval called the servants back in and we resumed a more formal tone, until I was ready for my bed. Well, not quite ready.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0ljujv57l
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'Can the king ask for a massage?' I leaned in towards the General.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqGi9KJPGk
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'Of course. I'll send someone.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjDGaSeXSu
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'Good, I'll go on up to my bed.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYGzQqMxGW
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It was an effort, I was almost tempted to ask for help and a push, but my groaning legs carried me up two flights of stairs until I collapsed on the bed. Not long after I did so, a heavy knock came on the door and after I called for the person to come in. It was the masseur I was expecting. Well, not quite. A tall, muscular man in a soldier's tunic came in.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfo39ZHidH
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'Massage sire?' he asked gruffly.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIl7j1IJOw
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'Please.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNn8e5m3or
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'Saw you walking today sire. You'll want the legs looked at.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTssKIHGPoR
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'Left shoulder too, from carrying that sword.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeNyUQjtDG
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He nodded. 'Too right. You know they make the dummy out of lead, deliberate like? So when you pick up your first real blade, it feels light.'477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarAx4OyDsC
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I didn't reply and soon I felt his hands on the backs of my thighs, through my clothes. I wasn't going to remove them, even if that limited his access.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzXwqOF041
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Before long, I was getting some serious work done, loosening my cramped and tight muscles and while it was borderline painful, it was effective. What with the wine and the exercise, I'd sleep well. There was one thought still nagging me though, arising from the questions that the sorceress and the chancellor had raised with me. Oh yes. The hunting lodge, level 2 had been due for completion earlier this evening.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbad6EqWeE
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I paused the massage long enough to call down the town menu, then got back into position while I studied it.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV4JrVWmII
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Greyland477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t6JBltVIj
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Economy477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgNZG1O1Yo
Currently building:477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vsj517L9z
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Monthly trade income: 0477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXSxigw82y
Monthly tax income: 54 gold477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTt3vA2PhPb
Treasury: 2 gold477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEZFtwCA3P
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Daily food consumption: 13 units477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbfyGYGmUN
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOJLMu4TFV
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 20 days477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SX2Hq9VDw
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 33 days477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42JDpHLEIT
Meat yield: 5 units daily477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXSFFq7plu
Timber yield: 17 planks daily477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWCZNqvlaV
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcD29LoGnUe
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGurUDeStR
Smithy yield: steel pickaxes on hold. Awaiting iron.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCblumjD34E
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItqStoXwA4
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Research: Shipbuilding One477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Lkl3hXdtA
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Resources:477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HlT73FXaP
Wheat: 14 food units477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyyy4ltpfA
Vegetables: 25 food units477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuaXiXSwTR
Meat: 8 food units477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGkF3J0wYk
Wool: 7 bales477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5gzWb4OpH
Timber: 150 planks477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQAst00fkN
Iron: 0 ingots477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1KFnhuKyJ
Stone: 39 blocks477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlK8sLzLWO
Cloth: 4 bolts
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The meat yield had gone up by one. I had hoped for two but I couldn't argue with a 25% increase. That still left us losing about 6 food units a day, with reserves of 47. I winced, and not from the pain of the knuckles digging into my shoulder. I had to set a new town building project and the attractive options were hunting lodge level 3 or mine level 3. Both would take two days to upgrade.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uKBDPEiIn
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In trying to figure out which of the two would work best for solving the food crisis, I realised that something was wrong. The smithy should have made me eighty-four steel pickaxes. If they significantly improved iron output, I would build the next level of hunting lodge. Yet the smithy was on hold.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOAnoE3VIG
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The problem was iron. I had made a mistake. I blushed at the thought of talking about this with the others. If I had waited to create the new archers, I would have had plenty of iron for the pickaxes. Scrolling deeper into the menus, I could see that the Smithy had built a stock of 12 pickaxes before I had assigned the remaining iron to training the archers. Then it had come to a halt.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qdWG20Z1x
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Oh well, I allocated the twelve new pickaxes to the miners and given that at least two iron would come in tomorrow, the Smithy would be able to make 24 steel pickaxes, which would surely improve the daily output of iron? Three days would see me with a mining workforce fully equipped with the new pickaxes. Three days though. When I should have been using those days in building up a surplus ready to trade for food if Figus came back from the Necromancer with a decent deal.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DDPOiCvKy
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This was discouraging, but more positive was the discovery that the hunting lodge level 2 had the capacity for four more workers. That was a must. I assigned the new hunters from the reserves of workers (now only 8 strong) and went for the hunting lodge level 3 as the next build. While iron was vital, food was even more so and there was no guaranteeing that my ambassador would even return, let alone with a trade agreement.
