Steel and Mana

Chapter 97 – Elliot’s Plans

When the morning came, I was already up, getting ready to accompany Elliot around the city, planning to show him around. I was fixing my clothes while Sasha was still in the middle of waking up, tussling with her messy hair. Because of Elliot, my Mom, once again, allowed us to sleep in the same room if we promised there wouldn't be anything wild going on. By her words, she couldn't allow her little brother to think we were in a bad relationship or something similar, leading us to sleep in different rooms. Then she said something else that made me dumbfounded... That my Uncle was eyeing Sasha, which was... news to me.

When she told it to us, it was just after Luna accompanied him out of the dining room, leading him to his guest room while we remained at the dinner table, enjoying the aftertaste of the dessert. I didn't want to believe it at first, but then Merlin, of all people, also chimed in, looking at me with deathly seriousness.

"It is true, My Lord! I was watching him; he glanced at Lady Sasha more than 121 times at dinner, while I was in second place at 84 times! Lady Luna was the third with 81 times!"

"You were counting that...?" I asked, finding it hilarious.

"Of course! I found him weird when he first mentioned it, so I have been keeping an eye on him, My Lord!"

"Okay!" I raised a hand before anyone could continue, "There is nothing bad about it. Sasha is beautiful, so, of course, people will find her desirable. It is inevitable! Uncle has enough self-control to keep it together, and he never once made any rude remarks, is he? Nor did he insinuate anything! What, should I start hiding my wife when someone finds her beauty appealing? Nonsense! Merlin, I don't want you to be rude, got that?"

"Y-yes, My Lord!" He answered at once, standing up.

Luckily, the topic died down there, but it also allowed me to finally, once again, sleep with my wives together. I missed Sasha's scent...

"Are you sure I don't need to come?" She asked, yawning, barely awake, trying to open her eyes.

"Rest a bit more. It will be a lot of walking and boring talk, so you have time to prepare. We will meet up at the main square and see what Perth has made. I know that whatever it is, it was transported to its spot at night, covered up, hidden from me, and is being guarded by soldiers. If you ask me, it will be a statue."

"Most likely." Sasha nodded, "I also would bet a lot on it that it will be of you!"

"Me?" It was something that I somehow didn't consider yet. It was... weird. A statue of me. Huh... I hope it is not a bad omen because where I came from, statues were only made of those who already passed away. "Well, a few hours and it will come to light! If it is me, where will we put it?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Should we bring it into the palace?" I asked, turning towards her, smiling, "Or should we leave at the square? Maybe above the front gate? Oh, maybe we should bring it up to the mountain and make a shrine out of it!"

"Pft... idiot!" She giggled, throwing her pillow at me. "I love you but would not want you to have a shrine! That sounds weird..."

"True." I couldn't help but agree because that sounded even more ominous than having an ordinary statue.

After leaving our room, I quickly met up with Elliot, who was ready and excited to tour my city. Of course, it wasn't just us; Merlin and Oleg were also tagging along. I watched as Merlin now wore a much friendlier expression, no longer looking like someone who bit into a lemon. Good, because Elliot never once questioned why my wives are not coming with us, so even if he admires them, so what? It proves their beauty. First, I took him to the forges, showing him how they worked, and of course, his first words were that he wanted to buy the blueprints.

"I want one! Just name the price!"

"Sorry, Uncle, but these are not for sale." I answered with a benign smile, trying my best not to laugh, "These are some things that are exclusive to Avalon. You must understand that I can't let it be built anywhere else. If anyone finds out, we could be in big trouble! Plus... where would you get the CC to work it? Who would charge it for you? I can't send my mages over every time you deplete it!"

"Ugh... no fair... I want a magical girlfriend, too..."

"Ahahaha! I understand; they are one of the most important people of Avalon." I agreed with a long sigh, patting the shoulders of Merlin, who was smiling from ear to ear, wearing his 'wizard' outfit with great pride.

"I got it, I got it... hauh... Damn... This defeats all the blacksmiths' workshops we have back home. It would speed up our production a lot, minimum doubling it! And now I can only watch it from afar? Cruel... So... What's next? Don't be soft, show me! Make me want more!"

"Well... hm, okay, then next, let me take you to the printing press and then to the water purification system that also provides the heating for the city!"

"I did notice that my room was surprisingly warm, even when it was cold at night. I had to open the windows; I am not used to such hot evenings! Is that why iron pipes were going along the wall, and Lady Luna warned me not to touch them?"

"Yep! They can be searing hot!"

As I led him into where Avalon Weekly was being made, the freshest batch was just being shipped out. When he picked one up, he was surprised at how many details were inside it, explaining ministry decisions so everyone could understand it. Then he noticed that people were advertising their shops and deals on almost every page. As someone who was also keen on marketing and sales, he saw the potential in it but was also unsure if it was something he liked.

He really agreed with the advertising part, but the notion of telling and documenting every decision for the common man was alien to him. When I also told him that everyone in this city could write and read, it was not that he doubted me, but he questioned whether it would matter. The citizens simply shouldn't and, in most cases, didn't care about it.

"Maybe." I hummed, crossing my arms and scratching my chin as we walked out of the city, heading towards the water purification systems. "But I disagree with your viewpoint. I think it is crucial to inform them and make them feel they are part of something bigger."

"Exactly!" Merlin enthusiastically jumped into the conversation, wanting to prove Elliot wrong. "They may not care about it, but that is not good! We need to make them care about Avalon. Because if something bad happens, they won't support it! If they know and understand that they are part of it just as much as anybody else, they will do way much more for the city and not abandon it when they are needed the most."

"Hm... I never thought about that, but I must say that it is not like they can abandon it, even if they don't care about the city. Where would they go? Into the forests? Become bandits who then chased and killed? Out to the enemy to be slaughtered?"

"Let me ask you this then, Uncle! Who would protect a city more ferociously? Someone who is conscripted to do so or someone who volunteers?"

This time, my chuckle and point hit the mark because he had nothing to answer me with. You can force the people of your city to fight for it, but they won't die for it. They will run away and escape at the first sign or opportunity. But, all of that was forgotten the moment he saw how we dealt with waste and watched as a complex system was built up to purify and store it.

"The waste then gets composted and later sent to the farms for use. I also introduced rotation for the crops, but our soil is not good enough, so you don't have to worry. We will still buy your shipments because we are not independent yet."

"Yet..." He answered, repeating it a few times, tasting the word, and I knew he realized it. Give it a decade, and we probably will be. Hell, a few new inventions, and it may happen even sooner than that. "I won't ask because I already know there is no way that I can borrow this, yeah?"

"Sorry."

"Guessed so... Damn, I thought you were joking yesterday!"

"Want to move here?" Merlin asked, his brows furrowed, and Elliot didn't answer at first, thinking about it.

"Mmmh... The place does look welcoming, and I have only been here less than a day. But..."

"I think Mom would be happy if you replaced her as my Minister. She always does the bare minimum, and she disappears when winter comes, going back home to Dad."

"Understandable." Elliot grinned, glancing at me. "And if I move here, I don't need to borrow your stuff, huh?"

"True."

"But I don't think I will."

"You won't?" Both Merlin and I asked, feeling surprised so much that it made my Uncle laugh while watching us.

"Let me explain!" As we strolled along the road, heading back to Avalon, he began, "I like my current life and enjoy the challenge. Even if you don't let me borrow everything, you will come to me and make deals through me so you can stay out of trouble. You will make me be your front for your new inventions while you act behind the curtain. I'm fine with that because I can also use it to increase my influence within my realm and even in places farther out."

"Wouldn't that place you in a bind?" I questioned him openly because if we were talking so freely, I wanted to know what he thought about it. If we looked at what we were doing from one specific angle, I was using him as a shield that would probably, one day, get hit. Hard. Just like us.

"I am aiming for the same thing as you. The difference is that I am doing it a bit more... subtly. With my big brother gone, along with his supporters, who do you think replaced them? People I trust while the rest will soon die out. Accidents here, accidents there, an heir gets married into a family that is wholly loyal to me... Shortly, only my voice will carry any meaning within the barony."

"So you want to secede in the end..." I whispered, thinking it through, and now I was getting why he wasn't convinced to move into Avalon, even when he was loving what he was seeing. He wanted to become his own king and not a servant under another. I could respect that.

"Yes, I want to. And when that happens, it will happen at the same time as yours. I just hope you will help out."

"Of course!" I answered at once, looking into his eyes. "No questions about it."

"I am glad to hear that." He nodded, smiling, patting my shoulders. "And I do mean, just tell me what you need for these when that happens. If we split, I want to change my people's lives as you changed those who live here."

"I can help you set up defenses." I agreed, thinking about it, "But only when you are perfectly sure it would not leak."

"Which, you know, wouldn't be possible for a long time. We are more open than the Frontier. Even if we can't compare to some of the key trading hubs, we do get visitors from the neighboring counties. But I appreciate the sentiment."

"I wasn't just saying it to sound kind."

"Hm?"

This time, all three of us already stopped walking while I crossed my arms, thinking.

"I can't sell you magical inventions, but... I can sell you some of the weapons to prepare your own defenses within your castle. It is for your own safety and maybe equip a personal, fully trustworthy, elite force."

"That would still put you at risk. Not because we would leak it but because keeping it hidden forever in my city would simply be impossible."

"Yes, I get that, and I wouldn't do it immediately. First, I need to beef up my own forces so that when that happens, I can protect both of us. We will have to fight back together."

"You have an idea... I can see it in your eyes." Elliot chuckled, making me nod.

"Your territory is great in producing food and feeding a good amount of people."

"Ah." He exclaimed softly, understanding what I was about to say, finishing it for me. "You want me to raise the footsoldiers, yes?"

"Aye. You would provide the raw manpower; I would provide the weapons and something that is even more destructive!"

"And that is?" He asked, but I knew he knew... and before I could say it, Merlin finally caught on, answering us both.

"Magic!"