Ecstatic needs:
Music: Caprice 24 [Garrett vs Paganini]
Environment: Indoors
Action: read on a table in a well-lit place
Nose: Sweet perfume
Touch: fabric
Palate: chocolate
CHAPTER II: IRON MOUNTAIN
The nobility was restless, anxious, distressed, wandering around the Castle of Ashes. Some walked there, others here, and I, João Geórgios Rosu, did not understand that sea of steps, I grabbed a servant by the arm who was walking down the corridor to get some precious information. He said it was for everyone to meet in the throne room, a recent call. Current? When something is already in the mouth of more than a dozen, it is not something recent. What irritated me most was the fact that I didn't even have a message from my servant. These free spirits are really uncontrollable. But let's get to it, the king! I walked calmly to the meeting place and looked, as always, at all that colossus built by the Emperor of five centuries ago: Adawolf Hutte. A giant dome made of gold and lapis lazuli, so much wealth in a failed kingdom. The throne was known as The Fallen Six Hundreds, after all, it was made of the skull of 611 kings and queens that Adawolf killed with his own hands, gold-plated with silver details and adorned with the finest cloths.
The throne was in the center of the dome surrounded by soldiers. Those who held the highest positions and, consequently, the king's greatest confidence, stayed behind the throne, just listening to the pronouncements. I arrived on time, positioned myself near the meeting door. Everyone was talking and the hall was filled with the noise of several voices. Five advisers were on my side, the youngest of them, Lodur Hutte, was the youngest of the six, counting on me. He looked magnificent as usual, the youngest son of the king, having two brothers and two sisters. A wise man for his age, he had the title of the Lord of the Currency, and it is not for nothing, if it were not for him the ice that names this kingdom would have dominated everything that is productive. Another adviser was a lord older than the king himself, Ziu Richter, the Warlord. Despite his age he was a great connoisseur of war. If we didn't have The Five, an elite group, many of their actions would be compromised. Brothers Hugin and Munin Bote are the Lords of the Law, dealing with everything that is legal and diplomatic, members of a family renowned in this regard. The last was the Lady of Faith, Balda Licht, priestess of the capital Iron Mountain, representing the Magician Alabastrino in the icy lands, although the church in the East has broken with the church in the West, which is where we are.
As you can see by my name, I am not from that kingdom, I come from the Southern Kingdom, welcomed by the Hutte dynasty for my gifts, after all, I am the Lord of Philosophy. It took me a while to fully understand the German language, but I got my way.
In my position, I could only see the king's hand making a gesture for silence. That throne, in my mind, made him look more comical than grand, after all, he was very disproportionate to his body, looking like a small child sitting in a big chair. The room was quiet, making even the coldest heart suffer. The king, with a good tone of voice, announced that the reason for that meeting was the war with the Empire of the West, formally named Kingdom of the West. He needed to know how many soldiers the 16 main nobles were willing to supply to the kingdom.
The nobles approached and spoke their numbers, I will not say the details, but there is a rule in this world dominated by monsters: the fewer people, the more difficult it is to survive. Physical strength is the true owner of the universe. Few men were offered, just over a thousand, but that didn't matter, each of the Five was worth more than a thousand men, some of the few men blessed by the Kiss of the Goddess.
The king came down from the throne. You can't say that he got up, anyone is small on that mountain of gold and silver, except the king who built and sat on that thing made of bones. He called the six advisers and we went to the private meeting room. The rest of the people in the room returned to their duties, or rather, to their leisure while they were masters of others.
We sat at the round table, the light illuminated everything in a beautiful way, shining in the vases full of flowers from all over the world. Lodur liked a specific flower, pink peonies, he always had a specimen hanging with him on his clothes, in fact a very beautiful flower.
Then I asked the king what region he was planning to attach. He looked at me and replied that he was not planning to attach anything, but rather to recover. A few decades ago the Ice Kingdom had some lands to the west where the four-color crystal mines and their variants were located, a tremendous wealth that was taken over by the Western Empire. The Five had not been formed at that time. Hugin commented that the Northern Kingdom would be willing to send troops in exchange for trade deals if the kingdom tries to take over a region with crystal mining. Ziu interrupted him saying that the troops they had were enough and Lodur was in favor of the old man, arguing that the kingdom's accounts were not stable for such negotiations, it must be remembered that those who produce wealth are only those who work and invest, we only we consume. The mines were indeed a necessary undertaking.
Balda and I were asked about the position of the people. She said that the pillars of faith in the gods were solid, and that any heretical doctrine was being faithfully removed from the capital. The persecution of the Red Clan around the world has always been, literally, a hell to deal with, after all, they are a sect as old as the world. I said that the people were concerned only with what they would eat and what they would be distracted from, no critical thinking, just momentary survival. The king commented on expanding the agricultural areas within the wall and calling on some wise wizards to perfect the plantation if the operation was successful, leaving it all to Lodur to resolve.
There were not many disagreements at the meeting, a little discussion here, another one there, but what does it matter? The king's will prevails, and he wanted to use the kingdom's full potential in this struggle. My job here is to bring the ideas and desires that arise from the core of those who live in the tutelage of the king, owner of lands that were not even touched by a living soul, only the voice of command.
When we left the room, the king ordered the clerk to send a hummingbird to the South City, giving him a small scripture with the royal seal, a very symbolic flake of ice created by Adawolf. These hummingbirds are magnificent creatures, after all, they are small and fast when drunk with magic. Expensive potions by the way. I didn't know the contents of the letter, but I suspected it was for the commander of the elite soldiers, Noah Stronblod, a family from the countryside, a totally barbaric boy, mainly because he lost both arms.
I went back to my rooms at Torre Nordeste, nothing too sophisticated. I had to send a letter to a distant acquaintance. My servant entered the room, which I took in from poverty. I don't teach him anything, I just keep his good natured nature out of the perverse clutches of social conventions, in short, he is free.
I asked to get my coat, the day was beautiful to hear what the population was thinking about things, but I bet it will be nothing more than usual.
As I was leaving my room, Lodur came to meet me. He asked what I thought of the measures taken and I said very solemnly that it was almost perfect, almost because the man can always make mistakes, don't you think?
Yes, yes, mistakes and betrayals can come from the people closest to you, just the right incentive. He walked away, had matters to attend to, and was grateful for the analysis from afar. I didn't wait, I walked quickly down to the city in order to fulfill my obligations as Lord of Philosophy.
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