Tribune Latic Shree Ponpti strolled along the length of the new Westtown docks. Piers that were constructed a week ago by the architects her father commissioned to come north before he ever arrived at the Triad. Along with the teams of skilled workers, her father also arranged for several ships full of grain that were now unloading their cargo to the cheers of the people.

It was a strategically planned occurrence. The ships could have arrived weeks ago, right after her father left to return to Olimpia, but that wouldn't have the desired impact on the Southtowners. Like most of the North, they were a stubborn, resilient, and proud people, which served them well over the years.

As their relevance waned, they had to rely solely on themselves. While all one had to do was walk north along a river to reach them, few found the journey worth the effort. Most who went north did so because they were compelled in some manner. The most common were those who were running from something or needed to restart their lives. Whatever the reasons, the result was that the north practically became an island unto itself where it was rare to find someone willing to go, and fewer still were welcomed.

And that was a problem. The North's importance had quite literally changed overnight. Some might want to pick the night when the Kin captured two-thirds of the Triad, while others will go with when the Letairry razed Southtown, but the effect was the same. The North had become relevant again.

Finally, someplace other than the Red Sands could get you military acclaim within the Republic. Would you rather go to a bloody and brutal conflict where you had a likely chance to encounter knights or even city lords or battle against mindless beasts that did half the work for you as they smashed what little minds they possessed against stone walls? The choice was easy for anyone who possessed even a slight disposition toward politics.

The reality of the conflict turned out to be far worse than anyone could have anticipated, but now things have changed again. With the Kin all but in an alliance with the Olimpians, Basetown — and the surrounding areas — needing to be reconquered, and Southtown being reconstructed, opportunities for all layers of society were abundant.

The environment should have been perfect for someone to step in and reap the benefits. There was just one little problem. With the deaths of recent months somewhere far north of a hundred thousand when you combined the Cradle and the areas around Basetown, the desperation of the northeast wasn't nearly as desperate as it could have been. Avoiding a famine by culling the population was a silver lining if there ever was one.

Without that looming disaster, the people of Southtown believed they could survive without any aid, which was fundamentally wrong. Well, Shree supposed that it was theoretically possible for it to happen. But the fact of the matter was that it wasn't going to be allowed to happen.

Rather than wait for lengthy, drawn-out discussions where the potential of someone else to appear and make everything else harder, if not impossible, increased, Shree's father hastened the process. Some men were stationed south at the Arch, one of the few large bridges crossing the Rush, and bought most food heading North at above-market rates.

It was expensive, especially considering a portion of it was going to be given away, but it also drove up food prices and created an artificial famine for the Southtowners. Given that most still didn't have real homes and that wasn't looking to change anytime soon, Shree's appearance with construction crews, who were capable of mining, transporting, and then constructing buildings, went a long way toward ingratiating her with the people.

Ships carrying food arriving at docks that her family created was another not-so-subtle association in people's minds to her generosity. Maybe some knew she was playing a game on them. Perhaps some even suspected that she — or her family — had something to do with the spike in food prices, but those voices were few and far between. More to the point, no one cared when they could suddenly feed their children.

Rivers of people poured from the shanty town and gathered at the border of the caststone docks. Some were brave enough to step forward to ask, plead, or threaten a worker setting up one of the stalls for some of the grain, but every one was sent back and told to wait a bit longer for Shree Ponpit to address them.

Intentionally, word spread that they were waiting on her, but she acted like she wasn't concerned in the slightest. She walked among the dock workers, smiling so widely and brightly that her face had long since started to throb at her temples. Still, she walked among the caldrons and laborers, ensuring to turn to the crowd and wave to them on occasion.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

After most of an hour had passed with the crowd growing, Shree strolled her way over to a platform in the center of the work area and climbed on top of it. Even with the cool river less than a hundred yards to her back, the day was sweltering from the oppressive sun and the non-existent wind. As she lifted her legs five times to cover the steps, the only thing she wanted was a cold glass of tea and a shaded pavilion to lounge in.

She got none of that. Instead, Shree could intermittently smell her pungent body through her perfume as her pores insisted on attempting to surpass the Rush in water flow. Needless to say, her clothes were soaked, and large beads dripped down her forehead into her eyes. As she took center stage, all that was waiting for her was a stick with an interlaced wire disk on its top.

It was a clever device that one of her servants discovered when he visited the Bankside Market. Like all of the Kin artifacts, it had limitations in that no Olimpian could inject psy into them, and they would run out of energy within days of their activation. However, it was worth the cost, in her opinion, and it served as an excellent demonstration piece.

Walking up to the stand, Shree grabbed the wooden stick with her left hand while her right reached up and removed a copper tab crammed between a small gem and the greater frame containing the latticework in its center. Taking a moment to lick her lips while the green gem flashed, Shree hesitantly said, "Excuse me." in her normal speaking voice.

While her voice should never have reached everyone, the resulting boom that came from the wire mesh was as if she had somehow spoken from the mouths of a dozen shouting centurions. Many of those in the crowd flinched and took a step back, shocked by the noise assaulting their ears.

Bringing a hand to her chest, She continued, "Ahh, excuse me. That was louder than I anticipated. As some of you might know, my name is Shree Ponpti, the current Tribune Latic of the 15th Legion. However, right now, I am serving as a representative of the Ponpti House. While I am a Noble from a long and distinguished lineage, I am not a knight, and I am only able to address all of you like this due to the presence of this wonderful little invention of the Kin. I am told it is called a projector, and while most have little use for it, the legion and nobles would find themselves falling over each other to acquire one."

Clearing her throat, Shree looked around, noticing some chuckling at the thought of the haughty nobles scrambling to get something that was regarded as worthless by them. "Oh, I do beg for your forgiveness for my forgetfulness. None of you are out here to look at something many of you have no doubt seen in the Bankside Market, but it does do you well to bear the thought in mind. My family desires to be among the first to take these goods and transport them south to new markets. To do that, we need to establish ourselves here."

At her words, there was a murmur of discontent that rippled through the crowd. It was so blatant you didn't need to be able to feel emotions to detect it. If anything, all they had suffered had made them more reticent to accept one of the old families stepping in and attempting to assert their authority, though the commoners could do little more than be a nuisance if push came to shove. However, that annoyance could buy time for another family to swoop in and play the hero, pushing out the oppressive, overreaching Ponptis, which was unacceptable.

"Yes, I was told that would be your approximate reaction. As such, I have come up with a strategy that I believe will be acceptable to the stubborn people of the North." A little chuckle followed her words, but most were looking at her warily, waiting for her pronouncement as if waiting for the falling axe to kiss their necks. "For today and today only, we will be handing out a free meal to anyone who wants one. In the following days, women and children may come by and receive a meal should they submit themselves to being examined. If they pass after a few questions to verify they have no other food source, they will be given food. For all others, they will have to work to earn the right."

Surprisingly, that earned her a small cheer of approval, something that she would have never considered happening in Olimpia or any of the other major cities of the south. Letting her words and the reactions die down, she continued, "This work, while it will be making a profit for my family, will be for the betterment of all. I have already received permission from Legatus Panta that he will allow quarrying along the Skirt. With the skilled laborers that my family has hired to come up here, we will be quarrying stone to construct a new city, one that we have already started by creating these docks."

Stamping her foot, Shree thumped her heel against the stone platform to emphasize her point, and many heads tilted down as if they were taking in the construction for the first time. "My people can handle the skilled labor, but the stones will still need to be moved a hundred miles. We, the Olimpians, are a proud and mighty people. Our history stretches for thousands of years. We have withstood countless assaults, and the North more so than any others. Are you willing to look across the river and see the Kin's cities and walls growing in grandeur by the day while you wallow in the dirt?"

"No!" Shouted a few voices in the crowd, a cry that was quickly picked up by those who weren't paid to do so. "No! No! No!"

"Neither am I," Shree said, shaking her head. "If I am going to live in a city, I want it to be one I can be proud of. One my children can grow up and flourish in, rather than fleeing south for a better life. So I ask you, are you willing to work? Not for me or my family, but for your own future. For your children. Are you willing to endure hard, grueling labor to construct a city that not only the North can be proud of but the entire Republic?" The screams of approval were the only thing Shree could make out, but then again, that was all she needed as she stood on the podium, beaming out at her future workforce.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.