CC 10: Thesaurize ~ Three!

Putting the finishing touches on his plans, Joe decided that he’d incorporate the Special Aspect of Scattering and hoped that would be enough to give the greenhouse some resistance to the chaotic nature of Jotunheim. “It's supposed to give items bonuses in damage against magical defenses, but in theory it should work to repulse the chaotic energies here.”

He didn't have much information on this aspect, as he hadn’t had a chance to use it on anything other than a ritual in the past. That gave him pause, and he realized that the ritual he’d used it with, the Ritual of the Crawling Storm, would be an excellent addition to his ritual towers. “If I take out the Mage hunting portion of it, and just have it crawl around the killing corridors… yeah, I like that. It's probably going to have to wait until I figure out how to recharge the rituals without doing it myself, because that one was pretty mana hungry if I remember correctly.”

Breaking out of his thoughts, Joe realized that the volunteers sent by the council to help him activate his ritual had arrived. He turned to them with a bright smile, clapping his hands, before freezing in place. “Master Stu. I admit I’m pretty confused as to why I'm seeing you.”

The Dwarf simply glared at him, unable to speak around the thick leather muzzle that he was wearing. A Legionnaire stepped forward, politely nodding at Joe. “Councilman Joe, please don’t address the prisoner directly. He’s paying for his crimes with community service, but isn't allowed to speak to others during his period of house arrest due to his propensity to create trouble with his words.”

“Ah. I see.” The Ritualist let out a heavy sigh and sized up the Dwarf, who was still glaring at him. “I certainly won’t question the wisdom of this decision, I'm sure it was the best option available. Also, not speaking to anyone in particular, but after the Town has decided that you’ve paid for your crimes, I’ll try not to hold our personal history against you.”

Most of the other people involved in the process wanted to be there, and that was good enough for Joe. After arranging everyone, he activated his ritual and let the aspects flood out of his storage. Joe couldn't help but feel great pleasure in seeing the metal framework of the greenhouse spring into existence, then the glass appearing as if it were ice slowly creeping across the surface of a lake. “I can't believe how difficult it used to be to gather the resources required for this. How far I've come… how far will I go?”

In what felt like no time at all, the greenhouse was standing on its own, and the flow of mana and aspects vanished. The surface of the greenhouse refracted light, creating a scintillating display as if he were looking at a disco ball. “Kind of reminds me of my Exquisite Shell… I wonder if there’s a way to push aspects into spells?”

“‘Scuse me!” Joe hopped to the side as dozens of Dwarves pushing wheelbarrows caravaned over to the entrance of the greenhouse. The human looked around slightly wide-eyed; he hadn’t seen or heard them coming, even with their bearded leader barking orders at the group. “Sandy soil all the way to the left and down! Anyone carrying seedlings for succulents, radishes, carrots or the like, follow them. Clay to the right, get those roses, sunflowers, and broccoli moving right away! This place needs some color, and I'm sure someone can figure out how to keep a plant alive out there after we grow it.”

The Dwarf clearly knew his soil and plants, and was directing everything like a master logistician. Joe watched in awe as everything was smoothly brought into the greenhouse, with far more aplomb and efficiency then he’d seen in almost any industry so far. “What do you have there? Loamy? Excellent! Front and center with the loam soil, we’ve vegetables to grow. You there, bald human! Thanks for the building. Now, stop standing around and help, or get out of the way!”

Joe decided that he’d pitch in, and was quickly handed a tray of seedlings. Walking into the building, which was already starting to heat up from the magical influences of the world, as well as the false daylight streaming down on them, he quickly found that the Dwarf in charge was walking alongside him. “Hey there, I'm Joe. Let me tell you a little bit about how this building works.”

He went on to explain the issues of monsters that would be drawn to the potent vegetation, the fact that the flora would turn rabid if it weren’t carefully managed, and his concerns over the general danger of the greenhouse. The Dwarf listened carefully, only asking questions at the end, and quickly showed that he had the situation under control. “Thank you for the information. Anytime you need fresh vegetation, let us know. In fact, you'll be hearing from me very soon… I'm an Expert herbalist on the cusp of Mastery, and I'll be coming for your position on the council. Keep an eye out for Herbie Thymebeard.”

Joe froze in place, turning to look at the hard-eyed Dwarf in surprise. “What? Why would you do that? What is it with Dwarves coming out of the woodwork to go after me?”

“I bear you know ill will…?” Now Thymebeard was the one that seemed confused and off put. “That's how the council works. Every new Master gets a chance to challenge a standing member. It's not an attack, it’s a way for us to showcase our skills and announce our new-found Mastery to our people.”

“Oh.” Joe thought about that for a few moments, realizing that the position on the council was going to be far more annoying than he’d thought it was. Long meetings, constant challenges now that there were new materials and product lines being created, all so that he could have a little bit of say in the community. The Ritualist weighed the different paths he could walk against each other, and decided that he would maintain his position. Even though he had just officially joined, the decision was still close. “I look forward to being able to congratulate you on your Mastery in the near future. At least I know that if you take my position, you’ll be able to run things very smoothly.”

“Uhh. I don't want your position.” The Dwarf shuddered at the thought. “Hold on, if I challenge you, you're not going to make me win, are you? How do I rig this so that I don't get the council position… maybe I'll have McPoundy-”

Joe chuckled as the Dwarf began muttering nearly the exact same arguments that he’d been having in his own head moments prior. “Don't worry about it, friend. I'm thinking we’ll have plenty of conversations in the near future. Here, have some seeds from Floodwater Grapes. Ah… be careful, there’s a human noble house on Midgard that would eviscerate you for growing these.”

Tossing over a sachet of seeds that would eventually be able to turn into some of the best wine in three worlds, Joe casually waved and walked out of the greenhouse. He was filled with purpose, he’d meticulously planned and laid the foundation for the next surge of construction, and it was time to get additional workshops ready for use.

Over the next several scores of hours, between Beast Waves every forty-eight hours and careful selection and construction of the buildings commissioned by the council, time flew by. Resources and—more importantly to Joe—aspects flooded into the Town, sparking a huge wave of industry. The first product made by the leather workers was a brand new pair of shoes for Joe, who was able to march around the frozen tundra much more confidently from that point forward.

The greenhouse was already starting to take care of the supply limitations for several of the newer and original shops, as well as already growing flowers that would be used to scent the luxury soaps Joe had a stake in. Thanks to the plants’ rapid growth in the mana rich environment, there was even a breakthrough for Jake the Alchemist, who proudly displayed a Grandmaster-ranked Injection able to permanently offer immunity to the cold environment of Jotunheim, as well as a massive reduction in any damage taken from cold-based attacks.

Woodworkers were already putting in orders for the saplings growing, Brewers had started their first batch of Novusheim Special Ale, and fur hats were turning out of the Millinery. Joe was especially glad for the last one, as he’d been mostly clothed in his robe of Liquid Darkness, relying on his Exquisite Shell to deal with the elemental terrain damage. He’d already commissioned fur-lined clothes, as well as a new cloak that would blend in with the environment.

Metal and stone were flowing into the Town from the mine and quarry that had been placed to the east outside of the walls, to ensure no burrowing monsters would rear their ugly heads through the fault of the citizens. Frankly, Joe thought it was hilarious to watch a bubble float over the walls three times a day, filled with ores and enormous chunks of stone. Part of him was surprised that the council hadn’t put Master Stu in one of those two locations, working with his hands to break large rocks into smaller rocks, then into gravel.

The high quality materials were put to use immediately, and ever so slowly the city began to outpace Joe in the creation of new walls. Individually, they were all slower than Joe, but there were nearly eight thousand stone workers among the Dwarves, as the craft had been known as a noble profession of their race for millennia. Even with all of the embellishments, artistry, mosaics and the like that were added to show where the stones were coming from, the walls began to grow at a ridiculously rapid pace.

It wasn't long ago that nearly everyone living here had assumed this town was doomed, and now it was a town that had evolved into a thriving hub of industry, but above all else: fortified defenses. Now that their diet was slowly balancing out, thanks to the addition of fresh greens and alchemical multivitamins, the people were working harder, staying happier, and becoming stronger. Their basic needs had been met, secured, and now they could hunt for the opportunities offered by Jotunheim.

Feeling calm and composed, Joe entered the Town Hall in preparation of another meeting, only to flinch backward as a letter appeared in his inbox, flashing with bright red lights that indicated someone had sent it with extreme urgency, and paid a huge price to make it interrupt his vision.

Subject: Joe! Help!

Joe, I hate having to write you this letter, but I find that I’m in desperate need of help. I've been sent to respawn nearly a half-dozen times. Our Camp was destroyed by monsters when we tried to upgrade to a Hamlet, and I've been bounced around Jotunheim every time I run into so much as a Penguin. Turns out I got to test the respawn mechanic for you. Zero of five, do not recommend. If there's no affiliated settlement within about a hundred miles, it just drops you randomly across the world.

I got dropped in a Hamlet working toward becoming a Village, but guess what? Now I'm stuck here with a human leader that is really into Elves, we are talking crazy levels of zealotry. Turns out I wasn't wrong, I was being targeted by the Theocracy. Where they just played dumb, he directly has been calling me a traitor and is making me shovel snow for fifteen hours at a time as ‘penance’ for ‘corresponding with the enemy’, whatever that means.

I need to get out of here, and if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.

-Daniella

“Well, abyss.” Joe closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, conflicted over his next course of action. “What do we have to do to stop people from reading our mail? Do we need to boobytrap it?”