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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqyoTQxsew
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjjWrrdfVk
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MjqzU1q2d
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLaI05BQfS
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'I heard about your training today sire. It gave encouragement to the troops.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3omSaVh47
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'There's a long way to go.' I glanced at my fleshy arms, so different to my previous body.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34iHXijYuy
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'I also heard that you scorned the ambassador of Southway.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmAoilMsF3
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'Oh did you? What did your sources say, exactly?'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAZsXgjBk6
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFlZpAYCMK
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WVnB3cMCS
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMcguHVsyg
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciTvXVIaF5
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkvcdZJwI0
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Bh4ndxfQQ
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'Spoken like the old Carlos,' said Parrin with a smile when we had the room to ourselves.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQz8HwWvNn
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPjZVn9bG5
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGMa7s8Sn9
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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?'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTmnHsQ33D
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlPP3Ck9CR
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyPp9yXkQG
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'How goes your personal progress?' asked Parrin.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR8XnRvLz2
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW28eDr9OCn
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Carlena frowned. 'What level Fighter are you?'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYWqRzbByq
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p6G01oAmQ
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All three of them turned pale faces towards me, eyes glistening in the candlelight.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgjw7JsN3a
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxGgZRRqgw
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'I believe King Wace is level twelve,' muttered the Chancellor pointedly. 'And Queen Rorgesta of Trolland is eleven at least.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFYejQgvme
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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?'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUJUnRiL6B
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKH6ZWylCYD
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxwa46eTV4
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That sounded promising and exactly like the RPGs I was used to.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8nX1hq7ok
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6SdKhOcgr
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'True.' Lord Arval nodded. 'Don't push so hard you damage yourself.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGfGUpHdrM
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'We need time. Time to fix the kingdom's economy and time for me to level up.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I2XJGmJIx
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsCFyJdLho
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcan2rRwhLr
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQzXkRjRcc
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvYYTpWjrr
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3KoHN0K4Q
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkmvnIkxtl
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4SFW1wT4O
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Everyone greeted my proposal with approval.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2BbS5LGT4
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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?'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5QlpJvzys
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'Perhaps,' the Chancellor nodded. 'It would be a mission for Figus.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzCrvu6HSV
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'When he gets back,' I said.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOZDMPHEfW
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'When he gets back,' Parrin repeated.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmdbFBQjvr
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFPtxQwswa
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'Me?' Parrin looked surprised. 'We have scouts, of course.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0OkDsWlIc
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'Yes, but they are all level zero, right? Whereas you are level nine.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoR2cOw0Lr
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvazaWsalF
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'Just don't take any risks.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHINwaAyu0B
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKOiHnSAEL
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'Can the king ask for a massage?' I leaned in towards the General.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKM5v7pzhPv
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'Of course. I'll send someone.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRwYKCdhw3
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'Good, I'll go on up to my bed.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsYpINPAoP
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KvWvBrxt0
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'Massage sire?' he asked gruffly.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJQ21hidTp
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'Please.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODoaOn3AvB
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'Saw you walking today sire. You'll want the legs looked at.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHvhcf6cGp
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'Left shoulder too, from carrying that sword.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjgipInraK
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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.'401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs9c4FNDQC
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpavwgTDIf
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAktXg4dUS
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHZdcf5UTj
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Greyland401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSB1pqMXkE
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Economy401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd56Cz9k9J
Currently building:401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5czTU4jWW
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Monthly trade income: 0401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmvAMrE3wp
Monthly tax income: 54 gold401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68FcerSul7
Treasury: 2 gold401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrXXCsh9RF
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Daily food consumption: 13 units401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50beUwIpjp
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9STf5uXcvQ
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 20 days401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nrizAUj0w
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 33 days401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MExP0EE1V
Meat yield: 5 units daily401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXM74p92y6
Timber yield: 17 planks daily401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7cX8N8Deh
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtqjt35pUQ
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zvJZFTRKc
Smithy yield: steel pickaxes on hold. Awaiting iron.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TeMeBtTpa
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f7QvZE8pt
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Research: Shipbuilding One401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0FSbLio2u
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Resources:401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDmTU3wzuj
Wheat: 14 food units401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Stnijzfji
Vegetables: 25 food units401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGCTB3XQtQ
Meat: 8 food units401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKymnX8NgZ
Wool: 7 bales401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsldagkTOXB
Timber: 150 planks401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR7qBakT3k
Iron: 0 ingots401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpm8dKgdoG
Stone: 39 blocks401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaNVLP1WfO
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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7VW4asQFg
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiaYd6NaqR
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74Kb80Ka4V
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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.401Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzFCG7OYiM
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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.
