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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVy1uN9cJBB
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpakh0YSWjT
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthCbZrqWZp
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySdHsXBpwe
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'I heard about your training today sire. It gave encouragement to the troops.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0dUvsYhB6
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'There's a long way to go.' I glanced at my fleshy arms, so different to my previous body.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvzpAI1GOo
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'I also heard that you scorned the ambassador of Southway.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIXLv3UpFj
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'Oh did you? What did your sources say, exactly?'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyUZzs1HWk
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTBcpODhKG
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkofOsaRhYs
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CZZYSWx9e
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALgdGHwwbi
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9w57QEZho
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW64sEyPVnR
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'Spoken like the old Carlos,' said Parrin with a smile when we had the room to ourselves.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8lbLnqYTr
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoKF7RrEjm
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bEFfyw8Ke
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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?'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigSbKKnNiN
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiAzP2aubc
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzzC8uCAa2
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'How goes your personal progress?' asked Parrin.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEMJ3bNlvx
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoApHzSUED0
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Carlena frowned. 'What level Fighter are you?'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiK8w52ZLd
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf9AUKvfY0
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All three of them turned pale faces towards me, eyes glistening in the candlelight.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45CQqrmhDa
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKgorNDTMU
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'I believe King Wace is level twelve,' muttered the Chancellor pointedly. 'And Queen Rorgesta of Trolland is eleven at least.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGTDl3MSCK
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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?'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFEwRV0MBR
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCG1bZhIbpS
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnaAtOP3JC
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That sounded promising and exactly like the RPGs I was used to.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVdS6aiZky
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Y0GaDp4NJ
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'True.' Lord Arval nodded. 'Don't push so hard you damage yourself.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4d0TgAu61E
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'We need time. Time to fix the kingdom's economy and time for me to level up.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVAciBk2WF
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoVz1aLvJ2
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNPkOStaJw
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspx5pSaqSk
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlv7cU6chD
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ail54p4LV
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQx5abtBCl
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjHwpiooNW
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Everyone greeted my proposal with approval.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuahpFzWQd
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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?'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY03wvBPdG
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'Perhaps,' the Chancellor nodded. 'It would be a mission for Figus.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX1PujURGl
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'When he gets back,' I said.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSEMWOvpGb
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'When he gets back,' Parrin repeated.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijnh2YDiSq
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSOia75ws7
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'Me?' Parrin looked surprised. 'We have scouts, of course.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBW7p0xl7z
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'Yes, but they are all level zero, right? Whereas you are level nine.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPIJtBUYc7
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTnzGYiGPD
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'Just don't take any risks.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7s6f6pr1Jh
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgh3CXe3rG
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'Can the king ask for a massage?' I leaned in towards the General.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruIuwxFT8D
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'Of course. I'll send someone.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP53MTWVAsM
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'Good, I'll go on up to my bed.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3pbxKxysD
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNu0YjOLga
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'Massage sire?' he asked gruffly.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gxB2qqiVN
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'Please.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmRrQv3489
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'Saw you walking today sire. You'll want the legs looked at.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45L7i8LkWa
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'Left shoulder too, from carrying that sword.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeCh9yG5ng
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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.'393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdw89UrLN5
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cO8kvwkCU
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCa7x3xiaz
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzk7x3A2HP
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Greyland393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeQ3dG2kM2
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Economy393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf8c9L4PCG
Currently building:393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTMcV1OlSX
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Monthly trade income: 0393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHz9K1tjm2
Monthly tax income: 54 gold393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A94EFj0nN
Treasury: 2 gold393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIwGvhvdYi
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Daily food consumption: 13 units393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMG9jlnpTx7
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVltXZIyUKV
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 20 days393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5czRzxYTgd
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 33 days393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeih815fy2n
Meat yield: 5 units daily393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYff0hRVVzA
Timber yield: 17 planks daily393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWLPioPAFB
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzUnQSif25
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8t2K8c2wp
Smithy yield: steel pickaxes on hold. Awaiting iron.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVBnnSnEKh
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbawdiX4Ax6
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Research: Shipbuilding One393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z8twkcaqe
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Resources:393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrynH8TvSVz
Wheat: 14 food units393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2xqEUsQoc
Vegetables: 25 food units393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMbuh3KSGz
Meat: 8 food units393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLvinxvCdJ
Wool: 7 bales393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZFxnu4LbJ
Timber: 150 planks393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy28CKgHb50
Iron: 0 ingots393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqenJLgVci
Stone: 39 blocks393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyamKQ8Xew
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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51wwEWO1ZU
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoT2qhUrb6B
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kbAjMR1FS
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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.393Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLNalfBCFp
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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.
