Mark of the Witch

9

^^ Pirate Ship ^^

There were, in fact, plenty of bandits to be found, with a week of searching, but a depressing fact occurred: As Baroness, the Safety of my People and my Roads was my responsibility, so obviously I didn't get a reward for it, besides my Approval stat going up and an increase in my Reputation. With around six Bandit Camps demolished, my Reputation was back up to 100, and my Approval Rating was at 100%, apparently, so I figured that was enough, leaving Rollo in charge of the City while I was away and heading north to Surge City once more to see my new Piers. The Hundred Warriors from the Lion's Guard Faction were left in charge of the city's public safety, as they'd arrived two days after the war had ended and had been loaned to me indefinitely by the Faction Leader. I'd held off on Upgrading my Castle just yet, despite them barely fitting into my Barracks, because I'd been informed that you couldn't Upgrade your Hall or other buildings with things you were unaware of beyond the very basic upgrades the system gave people for free; in other words, I needed to study up on some of this world's architecture if I wanted to upgrade everything more efficiently, and my next destination would solve that little quandary, as I was headed north, right for the Black Tower.

This arrival in Surge City went a little smoother; I simply trotted Rex in with a wave to the guards, Gregarious following behind on his mammoth of a warhorse, and approached the gleaming white docks with a sigh of contentment. "Lovely... just... lovely!"

A small, hunched old man appeared from the building as I approached, clasping his hands together and bowing a little bit despite his already-bent form, introducing himself as 'Tobin', the Dock-Master and Supervisor of this Pier, one of three such individuals. "Have you decided to open the Docks, Lady Bambini?"

"Yes, I have; the Roaming Willows Faction Alliance will be my main collaborator, alongside the Lion's Guard Faction, and they are to be given priority rights to the docks, but all trade is acceptable now; provided it falls under the guidelines I set for you previously, of course. I also plan to sail to the Black City, so be a dear and arrange passage for two people and two horses across the Turnip Sea?"

"At once, my lady!" He nodded and hobbled back inside with his little cane, the sheer picture of a kind old man, before a bellow shook the entire building. "IMMEDIATELY BEGIN ALL PREPARATIONS FOR OPEN TRADE!!! CHARTER A SHIP FOR BARONESS BAMBINI TO THE BLACK CITY, PLUS ONE, AT SPEED!!!"

I chuckled softly after I'd recovered from my near heart-attack, shaking my head at the immediate bustle of activity visible on all three docks. "Well, I suppose we'll be well taken care of, don't you?" Gregarious just nodded silently, leading his horse through the now-open warehouse and towards the end of the pier, where one of my ships was patiently waiting, ready for anything. Loading the horses into the ship was a simple task of using a crane and settling them into the hold, but considering the Crane was magical now and didn't require any straps at all, it went smooth like butter, and we were off at sea within fifteen minutes, which I was sure was a record somewhere. Settling into what I had a sneaking suspicion was the Captain's Quarters, I made myself comfortable at the wide desk, and began reading the maps that were present, but after only a few seconds I dropped them and sighed. "No wonder my Map was so valuable... these are utter trash."

The taciturn Paladin glanced at the maps in question, then snorted softly, sitting down on one of the two tastefully decorated beds in the room. "Those are Epic-Grade Maps."

"Hmph!!! Not if my Cartographers have anything to say about it!!! Once they've made enough maps and rearranged the 'Averages' for Maps, I imagine these will become Common-Grade or just Scribbles, not even proper 'Maps'... regardless, the Lion's Guard Guild only has to make requests to receive Maps; we are Allies, after all. I'll happily share a few dozen Epic or Unique Grade Maps of the waters within a few hundred kilometers or so with your Captains, or maybe I'll just have members of the Wanderer's Guild act as Navigators? That'd be more efficient, I think, because my Navigators can make maps of their own as they go with their Faction-Specific Cartography Skills."