"So what? Why don't you make new ones? What about those people from the continent beyond the fjords?" said the woman, showering him with a barrage of questions.
"Erica, I just want to be left in peace! Can't you go out and do something instead of bothering me?" he said.
She simply smiled and shook her head, before taking the wine bottle from him and leaving the study. Saedis watched her leave, with mixed emotions. Partly, he was angry. Another part … he didn't know what it was. With a soft sigh, he stood up from the chair he was sitting in and left the study.
"What are you doing here? Are you here to cause some more trouble?" asked Karim, as he pointed his staff at the red-haired girl.
The girl chuckled, before replying, "You have it all wrong, grand priest Karim Balduk. I am here for him." As she said this, she was pointing at Reeve, who was just as puzzled as the others.
"And why are you looking for me?" he asked.
"Have you forgotten our agreement? I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, it's time you fulfil yours!" she chuckled as she said this. She knew that what she said would draw a lot of misunderstandings, but then, she didn't really care. In fact, she actually wanted it that way. After all, watching whatever happened afterwards would probably be funny…
All eyes turned to look at Reeve, and Mrak asked, "Me- … Sir Reeve, what is the meaning of this?"
"Don't worry about it. She helped me to arrange the meeting with the elders of the Southern Water tribe. We made a deal that, if she helped us get what we wanted, I'd teach her how to fight … Here we are", explained Reeve. Of course, the explanation was off! How could he tell Arkad and Myris about the foundation stone? It wasn't about trust, but it was about something else … Okay, it was definitely about trust.
Mrak and Karim exchanged a look of surprise. Myris and Arkad asked what was going on, and they got a watered-down version of what had happened. Afterwards, they proceeded to go inside the new city of Bernice. The red-haired girl was full of admiration as she saw what the new Southern Earth tribe looked like. Some of the houses were new, and they looked not just different, but better as well. She couldn't help but ask, "Which artisan did this?" She was ignored, much to her frustration.
After a brief tour of the entire place, the chiefs were satisfied. They had also built a new 'administration' hall … well … Reeve had come up with the name. Immediately after the tour, they went there. He knows too much, doesn't he? It's not his fault he was a civil engineer in his previous life … Well, technically it was but that's not the point! Eight years of experience did that to him!
Anyways, it was in the middle of the morning, and all the chiefs gathered. There was Mrak, Arkad, Myris and finally, yes … Reeve was there. One might ask, why was he there? Well, currently, with what he had accomplished, he might as well as be a chief of the entire city. Of course, the others wouldn't just agree to it, after all, they all wanted a piece of the pie … or city depending on what perspective one is taking it from.
"We need to come up with some sort of administrative structure or something along those lines. Any ideas?" asked Mrak.
"You could do it like this: The three of you will run the city as the elders, so that when you disagree you can vote", replied Reeve.
"What is voting?" asked Myris.
"Umm oh right", Reeve face-palmed himself as he realized he knew too much. He answered, "Well, whenever you have a decision to make, those who agree with it will raise up their hands. If the number of people who agree is bigger than those who don't, then you'll go with the decision. If it's the other way round, you'll not go through with the decision!"
A wave of aaahs swept through the crowd as they sort of understood the general concept. The meeting went on until the afternoon, when Reeve finally told the chiefs that he was leaving the city.
"But why?��� asked Mrak. He was growing fond of this zombie who knew everything… well… a lot of things.
"I need to find the answer to a few personal questions. Besides, I will be a true protector of this city when I learn magic!" he replied. Everyone else exchanged looks of surprise. They all knew that magic was not something one just learnt to use because they felt like it. Well, they really thought they understood magic, it wasn't their fault.
After saying his farewells, Reeve took up the few gold coins he had left after the construction project. The red-haired girl started following him, since they had an 'unfinished business'. Eskaria couldn't stomach watching Reeve leave with the girl that had deceived her. She too, decided to go along. Even after numerous persuasions from her father, she still left with him. Why did she do this? Who knew?
Now, in the capital city, in a glorious castle, a middle-aged man was busy writing things down with a quill on a piece of paper. This man was wearing a purple robe, a golden crown, various pieces of jewellery and so on. A few minutes later, an old man came into the room he was and said, "Your majesty, the council of elders has summoned you. They require your presence in the hall."
The middle-aged man sighed before standing up and going to the hall where his presence was required. When he arrived, there were four old men inside the hall. Each of them was wearing a grey robe with purple designs. It was clear that they were made for a specific purpose. These old men were sitting on very comfortable chairs.
One of the old men said, "Pectus Volo! Do you know why we summoned you here?"
"No, would you like to clarify the reason?" asked the middle-aged man, with a sigh.
"You have been using the country's resources to hunt for artifacts that only exist in fairytales! We want to know why!" asked the old man who had talked first.
"Well, it's for the benefit of the country. I mean, how long did it take you to subdue Alvarlon? To be honest, if I hadn't stepped in, those negotiations of yours would have been dragged on and on! Now Alvarlon is part of the Three Kingdoms Alliance!" replied Pectus.
"You're not fooling anyone. Do you think you can bring her back if you gather all of them? Stop this wishful thinking!" berated another one. This one had a grey beard that was adorned in various jewellery.
Pectus frowned. These old men were very unreasonable. He was still thinking of what to do, when a bright idea finally came to him. "Fine, so what do you want me to do?" he asked.
"From now on, the country's military will no longer be used in the hunt for the foundation stones! Understood?" said the first old man, while the other ones nodded.
"If you say so. However, I will warn all of you! Whatever I will be doing from now onwards will be my business! If any of you interfere …"
"What will you do?" asked the second old man, the one with the funny beard.
"You'll see", replied Pectus, with an evil smile. After saying this, he left the hall and was followed by the old man who was waiting for him outside.