"Think up? Well... I'd say spellcraft is the hardest to work on..." Crag held his chin as he thought looking into the air.
"That's only one of the things, but it's a good answer. My laptop is only able to complete Holy Light spells because that's all the books I had, but let's show off one."
"Huh?" Crag didn't follow.
"Think of something that the Light could do, that you haven't seen a spell for... Make it simple and small though."
After being suddenly asked, Crag had no idea. He was put on the spot, and his mind couldn't think of anything, with a stretch of silence filling the gap between Jack and Crag.
Jack felt the silence, and broke it again, "How about this. Tux design a small spell that can make a hologram of an undead the caster is thinking about."
"Calculating... Done... Spellcraft ready for Creator." Tux replied almost immediately.
"That was fast. Let me see." Jack looked over the screen, where Crag could see the words on the screen as well.
Crag's mouth hung open, as he saw Jack stand.
Jack hummed his spellcraft, "Fixpho."
In front of Jack, Light burst into radiance, as the sparkles took on the appearance of a seductive figure. While the hologram was a solid gold color, one could tell the fine details of the lady it conjured. She had long hair, that draped like a waterfall around her shoulders, with a beautiful face. She wore a qipao dress with the angel of death insignia and stood with a stance of authority, but with a hint of seduction.
"Whoa, Witchy! Isn't that your first Consort?"
"It is exactly my lovely Leslie." Jack gazed deeply at the figure, his flaming eyes crackled ever so slightly. It wasn't like he didn't just see her half an hour ago, but he still liked to look at her.
"Say, I've never seen your second Consort, I've heard ya have. Can you conjure her up too?" Crag asked.
"Ah... About that."
"I can't believe that she isn't good looking. Are ya holding out on ya brotha?"
"Alright..." Jack hummed again, and the light conjured a tiny skeletal undead, with a head of spider web hair that reached her waist. She wore a full-length dress, with a spider motif. She had a perfect skull shape and an attractive jawline... This was exactly Princess Emily Neith.
"Witchy... This is your second Consort?"
"Uh, yeah... This is Emily."
"...Say... Did you rob this child from her mother?" Crag lowered his head as he looked at this perfect looking child.
"...Crag... I don't usually threaten... But I will break you if you make another comment about her."
"Whoa! It isn't that serious Witchy! I mean, there isn't anything with liking them young. My first wife just had her coming of age ritual, a week before I married her."
"Crag!"
"..." Crag closed his mouth... He felt slightly wronged. It wasn't his fault this undead liked them so young that he was robbing the cradle in the grave.
"Also, for your information Crag, she's eight hundred years old." Jack turned to walk back to his desk, as the golden hologram blew away like dust behind him.
"Eight hundred??? Is she a soul cripple?" Crag asked.
"Cripple?"
"Ya know! A soul cripple. Someone that's soul can't be moved to a new body."
"Oh... Not quite. Keep what I am about to tell you to yourself... Breath a word, and you know the kind of business you do, I will do."
"You got it, witchy. Nothing I say leaves this office, and I'm sure it's the same for you." Crag pounded his chest with one hand.
"Right." Jack nodded.
"Neolith has a prophet, and part of the prophecy he spoke of was that Neolith had to marry their princess as a child bride to the God-King, which at this point, We all figure is me. So, she's my second Consort."
"No kidding, wait... She's a princess of Neolith?"
"Yup."
"Didn't see that coming." Crag spoke openly.
"Well... Meh, best not to think about it." Jack shrugged.
"Okay, so the living tome can make spells. That's damn good."
"Yeah, I think so. Now, that the fun is out of the way, let's talk business."
"Alright." Crag became serious.
"Tux resume project Bellum," Jack said to the golden tome before the screen flashed to an hourglass again.
Jack closed the laptop, and then looked up to Crag, "You did good Crag. My reports tell me that you have indeed put the SEC Trading Company under thumb. Now to make things more official. Are you willing to be titled, Minister of Commerce here in Deagoth?"
"Minister... Sounds good... Sounds legit... What do I do as a Minister?"
"Besides being elevated to an Official of the Court, you will be in charge of all things commercial in Deagoth. You will open a kingdom owned a chain of general stores, in which various foods and goods will be sold at a price specified by Us. This will standardize the use of Glowstone per item and volume. You will also open something called... A bank."
"A bank?"
"A bank will be a place where undead will come and give you money." When Jack found that the undead didn't have banks, he almost fell out of his chair. He wouldn't say the whole of the Underworld didn't have banks, but he knew damn sure they didn't.
"Undead aren't just going to give you money." Crag said with a laugh.
"A bank will be a place where undead store their money for safekeeping and earn something called interest. Interest is made by storing the money. For example..."
Jack went on to explain interest and the purpose of interest. He also came back to another topic, "And you will also grant loans."
"Well, loans have been a long-time business of mine, so it won't be a problem." Crag said again beating his chest.
"We do loans different with a bank. These will be official loans, and nothing shady. Everything will be out in the open."
"What do you mean?" Crag asked.
"Let me ask, how did you get repayment before?" Jack queried.
"We broke all of their bones, or they coughed up the moolah."
"But that's not actually money in the pocket if you break all of their bones?"
"...No... But most will pay." Crag shook his head, "It's the nature of the beast."
"Not when the government backing you. If they don't pay, we will issue a decree to take all of their belongings and leave them on the street. Once on the street, We will also offer government assistance. With this assistance, this will allow them to live in homes We decree, and work jobs We choose. Once they have worked to a significant amount, they can move out and move on to what they want to do.
"Isn't that just enslavement? And how are you going to take their stuff, and then turn around and say, he come live where I tell you too..." Crag pointed at a few flaws.
"No, no, no... We, Deagoth, are not going to take their stuff to pay loans... The bank will!"
"But the bank is backed by Deagoth..."
"Right, but Deagoth isn't the ones taking their stuff... And once you have taken their stuff, We will be there to help them."
"And by help, you mean enslavement."
"Not at all... You slander Us. They are free to get the loan, they are also free to become in debt. Once you have taken their stuff, then they are free to choose Our assistance program, and during their time with Us, they are free to quit at any time, but they will not get Our assistance."
Crag thought this over in his mind a few times, "So as long as they pay the loan, there are no problems."
"That's right. We also cannot make the loans, where they cannot be paid back. They must be fair." Jack hit his fist on the desk, as a few yellow sparks sprang from the impact.
"Alright. I believe I got it... This is damn smart thinking. With the support of the kingdom, we can do proper business, and the game is still the same... But I have to say... You're more evil than I am."
"I might be unleashing the most evil of all time, but I think It's a matter of perspective." With the room now vacant of burnt offerings, Jack stood up to leave, pausing at the doorway, "You will now no longer be called Boss Crag. If you choose, you will be called the Minister of Commerce Crag, or Minister Crag... Do you accept."
"Of course! No problem." Crag stood up and gave a Deagoth Salute behind Jack.
"Good. I will call on you from time to time, with other projects. Start work on what We talked about. If you need money to build anything, please inform my first Consort, Minster of Treasury Leslie.
"Your consort is in charge of the budget... Can't get on her bad side, can I?"
"Nope..." Jack said with a laugh, as he left through the broken doorway after she removed the door.