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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡei6cBUcoVT
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sHyVC7ffs
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FFSiio4gM
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zErKKZrRZ
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'I heard about your training today sire. It gave encouragement to the troops.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHZ9gnMwev
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'There's a long way to go.' I glanced at my fleshy arms, so different to my previous body.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJ6zk6fWhA
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'I also heard that you scorned the ambassador of Southway.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhR7RTc37ze
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'Oh did you? What did your sources say, exactly?'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO7mVhhGnV
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoRJMgyN20
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t7HYNVmht
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgzpplQWul
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWU0TpKsr0
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRJ8VugtZW
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPDqSILlfw
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'Spoken like the old Carlos,' said Parrin with a smile when we had the room to ourselves.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgxnAuGKBn
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBl8H3fCJT
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIAywh49yc
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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?'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUBFQ3yTo5
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lEBrWL3xq
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOY5sAZVtY
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'How goes your personal progress?' asked Parrin.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccWalemAAF
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKF6Doo32m
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Carlena frowned. 'What level Fighter are you?'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIhaNcsFb9
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7f2zBYqRZ
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All three of them turned pale faces towards me, eyes glistening in the candlelight.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUl8S25Uid2
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbf8NeB5ZIL
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'I believe King Wace is level twelve,' muttered the Chancellor pointedly. 'And Queen Rorgesta of Trolland is eleven at least.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4CSO5EcMa
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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?'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0ACtPj3MB
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqFJZIyZXe
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfy5pzb9U5f
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That sounded promising and exactly like the RPGs I was used to.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfEJfL4Aur
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MVDmPyFvx
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'True.' Lord Arval nodded. 'Don't push so hard you damage yourself.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZaRT9oMpJ
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'We need time. Time to fix the kingdom's economy and time for me to level up.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnKUo7eMjz
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfL8FLauK5X
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUs0c8P76Z
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdLLz2IaE2
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTW6UF4YDt
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fGWyK853Q
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRYtTbXJR2
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcqAmShIll
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Everyone greeted my proposal with approval.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlsTTL2bPy
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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?'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYMuvP2esf
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'Perhaps,' the Chancellor nodded. 'It would be a mission for Figus.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrqWvgvbsQ
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'When he gets back,' I said.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJoRiQ9obc
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'When he gets back,' Parrin repeated.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOzGIAetVg
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGRnepn5d7
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'Me?' Parrin looked surprised. 'We have scouts, of course.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSvEi82qEi
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'Yes, but they are all level zero, right? Whereas you are level nine.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Hn2zLe09x
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP32Yr74FFA
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'Just don't take any risks.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgMzlDZe0S
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6jJM3XYpW
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'Can the king ask for a massage?' I leaned in towards the General.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLb0mvmE7i
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'Of course. I'll send someone.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbFJUBQ9AW
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'Good, I'll go on up to my bed.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyP8Daf2zOf
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wrHcKNW2I
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'Massage sire?' he asked gruffly.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbW56WEN6g
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'Please.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lwPWLAFYt
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'Saw you walking today sire. You'll want the legs looked at.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob9B21MQ7B
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'Left shoulder too, from carrying that sword.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxeJgv3mH8
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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.'373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXWW4o4qlB
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYWwVrN34V
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY39V8LA3EG
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJXzoisQ0Z
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Greyland373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDMfLWoa74
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Economy373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwg0p6HB5J
Currently building:373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnAo11igsT
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Monthly trade income: 0373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTh8WpCQsy
Monthly tax income: 54 gold373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovF5bzy1mv
Treasury: 2 gold373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54vc474v55
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Daily food consumption: 13 units373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JV9zGPZjh
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ930aEcrUKV
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 20 days373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFtKu7GYuh
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 33 days373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKkUBX9ayN
Meat yield: 5 units daily373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyyRbTiLk2
Timber yield: 17 planks daily373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98f0NytxAJ
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOg4BOyWLiy
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCdLoFZiHb
Smithy yield: steel pickaxes on hold. Awaiting iron.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7su01roMRM
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ilqOyrOM0
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Research: Shipbuilding One373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXf2dIEZkM
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Resources:373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXgirNJJes
Wheat: 14 food units373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcjbvcIo7D
Vegetables: 25 food units373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ214hZrj1Bt
Meat: 8 food units373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbPQYCsQ0U
Wool: 7 bales373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdJH5RgjWP
Timber: 150 planks373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoCjcfPu8Y
Iron: 0 ingots373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrE62iFZJs
Stone: 39 blocks373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eTDp1yiBy
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1uPPESYJT
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbwB1KgKiP
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnG5AcpR5MK
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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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iXjwWxVsD
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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.
