Twenty Four.

Twenty four hours. That was all I would get to make sure that everything went well for the transfer. My own body would skid to a stop, sliding through a layer of dust before entering the bath house at the command outpost. My operation for diplomacy had gone well, and now that the tribe was being transferred over to the mainland, everything would be according to schedule. The lady at the front knew exactly what I wanted upon entering, and had the baths prepared by the time I had taken my shirt off. A familiar smile would greet me, giving me a bit of relaxation as I moved down the hall behind her, following closely. A light arm would wrap around her waist while I picked her up, and sat her inside the same room I had always taken a bath in. Her voice was soft and quiet in the morning, and she watched as I took care of everything myself before floating up and over to the steamy hot pile of water. Without warning, I would freely fall from the air, sending water everywhere in the room. A deep breath would exhale while I sprawled out across the structure, and enjoyed the relaxing feel of a hot bath. Leaning my head back, she placed a towel underneath it, so that I could get some rest. Closing my eyes, it didn’t take long for me to lose track of time. The young maiden would wake me up about half an hour later while cleaning something from my hair. Great... I got my hair dirty.

Lifting my head up, I swiftly shook my head, sending water flying around me. The young human girl held up a large towel while I flipped out of the water and into it. We quickly dried myself off, while another lady came to the door. After informing me that the food I had requested was now here, I threw on a clean robe, and moved out towards the main hall of the building. Still no show from the other spirit, so I figured he was still busy way down there in the other village. With the platter of fruits, meat, and bread now in front of me, I dug quickly into it, not really worrying about any types of public socialism or appearance. When I was satisfied with having enough food for the day, I threw a piece of bread into my pocket and walked swiftly outside. Two women from the inner chambers came to see me before I leapt off the ground and shot into the air. Twisting around, I moved West towards the coast, then turned south. It would only take an hour of flight around the area for me to get my bearings and figure out a proper heading. Raising altitude, I would be able to see land way off in the distance. The beautiful morning gave me several miles of visibility, and from there I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Looking across at the harbor area, my body would fly across the lower cloud line towards my objective.

A light bit of fog cover would be in the harbor, while there were already people gathering their things and loading up on the ships. I was surprised at the decent amount of people who had arrived here. I had many looks of anger, frustration, some of hatred, and a few of relief. After all, I was delivering them to their own promised land. Without fail, I had done my part, offered them peace, and was about to give them a new home, that would be completely theirs and without trial. Diving down towards the ships, I would flip over before landing on the deck of the largest one. It was rather friendly of the other spirit to allow me use of his navy for a little bit. After all, I would be creating my own within weeks, or months. Two naval farers approached me, giving me information that the ships were ready to depart. Within two hours of waiting, everyone would be here, and we could get these boats on the water. Stretching, I acknowledged their report, and headed straight over towards the captains quarters. Closing the door, the switch would be locked, and I would take my place on the hammock, where I could get some decent sleep. The sleep would be short lived, as a rocking motion would wake me up. A light yawn would escape my lips while I rolled over and landed on all fours, stretching like a cat. Time to go get this show on the road.

The air was nice and cool, while the surf left a slight bit of mist in the air. My eyes would expand across the horizon, allowing me to see four other ships. They were all small to mid sized, and the decks had people across them doing all of their duties. Floating up to the bow, I took a look across the water while water came across my body. It was cool and crisp, rather refreshing if I had to put a finger on it. I smiled lightly while feeling the boat tip upwards, then down across a breaking wave. The current was northern, and a light wind helped propel us forward. I would stay there, watching the water until the island was far out of sight. A little later, land would appear, gradually at first, then begin to spread until I was confident that we had reached our destination. The smile would slowly grow, while the boats came into shallow waters. The four other ships, two on each side, would raise their sails, giving a nice, easily controller bank into the shore. The sudden stop would drop several children across the deck, while family members laughed in enjoyment at the sight. The planks would drop, followed by rope. The land was thick with foliage, unclear and ready for a new civilization. There was no harbor to dock at, so this was the best we would be able to do for now. How enjoyable this was about to be.

250

Slowly, I would lift my body up from the deck and fly forward, leaving the ships for a moment. Having a light twist, my arms would come up across my body, while my hands spread to the sides. The forest was thick, and my primary concern, now that I could see the mountains in the distance, was the weather that would be coming later. We had little time to clear the land, so now, I would take care of that myself. For now, the boats would be able to provide shelter, at least for two or three days. At this point tents could be built, and the people truly begin to live in their new homes. Taking a deep breath, my hands would spark with energy before thousands of tiny glowing balls spread out around me. The people on the decks looked on in wonder, while the balls descended from the sky and into the tree line. The balls would expand, growing in number before sparking. “hall of the thunder king.. glory.” With my words complete, the tiny electrical balls would spark and burst, detonating across the landscape. I smiled at the sight, trees falling and a large indentation now forming in the trees. We could save a huge amount of time by saving the lumberjacks from having to cut down trees, especially if they were already chopped down and ready to just refine. That was what would make me primarily happy, to be able to effectively save time here. Rock on.

252

Landing on the shore, I took a solid look at the boats that had landed. The first off would be the slaves that had been graciously donated by the other spirit. I was rather satisfied with the even number, it was a solid one to start. He had given me fifty slaves, of which I had ten lumberjacks, ten miners, ten farmers, ten carpenters, and ten merchants. Within the hour, I would have the rest of the villagers on the shore, watching as I began organizing their new home. The initial layout would be simple and easy to understand, with much of the focus in defense. If these were my people, then I would protect them. The other yaksa had done his part, and now I had my own people with little effort.
“People of the island tribe, you have been given a new chance. The other spirit would have you all dead, and instead, I deliver you from his dark treachery and evil, to a new home, where you can prosper and live in peace. I have given you this land, in my name to reconcile the sins of your fathers. Here, you may start a new life, with no reparations from the old ways. Here, on these shores, your new home will be built from your own sweat and muscle. Here, on these shores, a new, prosperous life for your children, and their children .Here, on these shores, I found Arnatia.”
There was a mix of cheers, and murmuring.

251

It would take time for me to get their trust, but through that time I would not only earn it through my own service, but through my protection of them. Turning, I pointed to the forest that had been taken down, sending the lumberjacks to their work. It would take a few days, but the clearing to the north would be a proper place for farmland, once the ground was ready. Until then, we would have to deal with importing the food as necessarily required. Shaking my head, I would then direct the carpenters behind the lumberjacks. They should get started on creating the foundation of their new home. “Merchants, set up what little shops you have to prepare and provide for your people. Others, do what you can to help the lumberjacks move wood. This will require a group effort from all to create your new home. Go now, and do what you can!”
Standing there, I pointed to the boats, wondering if the other spirit would get mad if I were to dismantle them for wood. I figured it would be a pain in the ass, but that wood would be valuable to the creation of their new home. It was ironic that the spirit who wanted them dead would provide them the necessary resources to create their new village. I guess having a navy would be a necessary thing for the future construction projects as well. Then again, more slaves would be needed as all too well.

250

The slaves, after serving their work, would be granted freedom. Each slave that I purchased or brought here, would be given position as a member of our society. I did not believe in slavery, but I did believe that people did wrong things that deserved repentance. In many ways, service to the greater good could earn them that repentance, and a place in our society. Through my mercy I could show the slaves how to become a functional part of our village, and by freeing them, earn their trust and loyalty in the form of continued service. I would have to do a further survey on the area to figure out the mine situation, but I was sure that we would need stones to build a solid foundation for the village on. The other part was for defensive purposes. Stone was a vital resource, and being on the mainland would give us an advantage with trading over to the island. Then again, as long as we were inside an open trade agreement, things would be rather simple. The other enjoyment was knowing that we could control the economy of what went in and out of the island, and charge a tariff or tax for it. That would give us a bit of an advantage in our economy as well. The older members of the village came over to get my attention. Of course, I would in turn give it to them. After all, I would need them and their respected leadership to successfully manage the people here.

257

“I need one of you to manage the economy. There are merchants here, and we need them to expand across the land to gather resources from other villages and cities. I would like you” –points to older guy-, “to manage all of this. What’s your name?” He looked at me before nodding and giving a response. After acknowledging it, I appointed him as Treasury Director Caddo I would have to appoint an entire council for this village, and have it run as a democracy, which to think of it, was a type of government that wouldn’t be invented for a few hundred more years. What a culture fuck this was going to be. OF course, even with a democracy I would still be running things from behind the curtains. This way, religion could be fully reinstated. Chairs, tables, and tents were being unloaded from across the boats. At this point, I was seriously considering taking down those boats and using them as wood to build with. The sound of axes striking wood could be heard off in the distance, and I could see people starting to make a clearing. Within a few hours, a decently sized encampment would be created by pushing trees out of the way, and stacking them around in a large oval. The area that I had cleared was large enough to start a small village in the countryside. Unfortunately for me, I had no reason to keep a small village, especially with my idea of expanding into a fully fledged city.

255

I was starting to stress a bit while listening to the tress hit the ground. We had little tools, and I knew that we would have to focus more for a bit on getting the necessary tools to build our civilization. Thankfully, some of them had tools and stuff, and were openly sharing them with others so that we could all make progress towards building our home as fast as possible. Speaking of building that home, I had a few other things to take care of, and that meant working a bit longer. With the other spirit wanting to head for the ruins, I would probably have to be there early tomorrow The villagers were already looking hopeful that a new home could be built. I was particularly satisfied with the outlook, and as the sun reached its mid day high, the foundations of a small settlement would be able to be seen. Being in a good mood, and seeing the progress, I would spend the afternoon flying overhead and making a route towards fresh water. The lightning strikes would take a decent amount of energy, but would be worth clearing up to the river. Touching down on the river bank, I would dip my hand into the cool water to taste it. As I thought, it was clean, and from the more rocky area to the north. This was perfect, and the fresh water would be perfect for the crops that we would make starting next week some time.

250

With that in mind, I figured it would be easier to irrigate the farms, and bring the water to our own village this way. Now that I had left a trail of destruction behind me, I could follow it quickly back to the village. Taking to a low level of flight, my body would keep to the tree line before dipping underneath the foliage and sliding to a stop at the outskirts. People were still busy, working hard to get everything settled and organized. The ground was being torn up, while men filled in the areas with dirt and padded it down with a blank of wood. The result was a flat, hard surface that would be good for building houses upon. Looking around, I found that this was happening in several locations. Taking another sight in, I looked across at the ships sitting lightly offshore. I would have to start building docks for these things. After all, naval trade was going to be a huge asset for our community development program. Wiping the sweat off my forehead from the lightning that was used, I strolled into the center of the future village. I had ten merchants, now twenty lumberjacks, and twenty carpenters. With these numbers, the merchants could go trade goods for wood, which could expedite the process of getting our village created. I would also want to invest in more slaves, as they would be a necessary requirement in the completion of our village. With a smile, I would call over the treasurer.

255

My discussion would be swift and simple, focusing on the values of wood ,and what it would take to get us ore wood than necessary. I would rather us have more than we needed, than less than we absolutely need. It was a problem I would avoid starting at the beginning. Sitting down at a table in the center court, I watched several others come over to join me. One of them was a man who looked rather militaristic. He had been a captain in the village, and was going to be my military advisor. The others would all take similar roles for the increase in our resources. Words would be to the point when it came to the financial advisor. “Send our merchants to the cities, have the funds spent on wood, then returned here. We will need, what looks like, a decent amount of wood, and a little bit of rock to get this place going. Any questions?” There were heads shaking, before everyone split up. Lifting off the ground, I would return to the ships so that I could get some rest. After all, tomorrow would be a trip to the other side, while I had to work on getting some docks built. Unfortunately, I had lost more than enough sleep over these people, and a nap would be the first thing for me to get. Sleep was top priority as I pulled myself into the captains quarters, and locked the door. It was dark, quiet, and gently rocking, a perfect way for me to get to sleep.

261 / 3061

+10 Carpenters
+10 Lumberjacks


+20 wood
+10/100 Small House
+10/100 Small House