Jack awoke many hours later after a long and very satisfying sleep.
'The mansion truly improves sleep! I feel so fresh and full of energy'
Jack yawned and went to relieve himself in a pot before donning his old leather armor.
Nisha had already left a bowl of food in the kitchen for him. It was cold, but it didn't matter to Jack.
[Lords Common resources: Wood x108.500. Stone x420.000. Iron x200.000. Gold Coins x372.000]
'The wood is beginning to flow more steady. But it still need many more lumber axes... The last stones for a while has also been deposited.'
Jack checked the resources from the mornings resource dump. But he had to widen his eyes in surprise as he checked the gold coins. This was even more than double of what he expected.
Of course he himself had ordered the clear focus on the goldmine and allocated all the pickaxes there. But he didn't expect the 150.000 daily gold coins to be increased this much before the next morning.
'This furthers my plans...' Jack smiled and hurriedly checked his chat messages.
[Ramises the Goat: If you are who I think you are, then what kind of business do you propose? I might be interested.]
Jack didn't know that Ramises and his hero 'Arrow' had been talking long into the night before making such a simple reply. Clearly they had high expectations and wild imaginations about this chance encounter.
[Jack: I want to rent your boat]
Jack sent a clear response. He wanted to see what such a suggestion would cost, and if it was even possible. It was after all, only his second time making private business outside the tradehub.
[Ramises the Goat: If you want to rent my boat, then you must live close to the coast?]
'I guess I do have to make some explanations before a deal can be made. It's not that simple after all.'
Jack realised that of course Ramises would have questions. If Jack wanted to 'rent his boat', that would mean that Jack had somewhat followed the global chats and understood where Ramises lived. And like so, Jack had to be living within a reasonable distance to be able to suggest such a deal.
[Jack: I will explain the details after you tell me if you are willing to rent out your boat, and at what cost]
"I don't know Ramises... If he truly wants to rent our boat, then something strange is about to happen. And besides, we can't spare it yet. The second, larger boat is not completed yet. It might take a few more days, and we need the fish supply from the ocean."
Arrow had his doubts, but Ramises had a gut feeling about this. Of what he remembers of his previous life on earth, he was a very succesfull business man in Egypt, and something told him to trust his gut.
[Ramises the Goat: Depending on the manner of this 'rental' adventure, the price will be adjusted. Suffice to say that I will possibly rent it to you. But first, tell me what you need it for?]
'It's all or nothing. I have to show my cards, the entire plan stands or falls with this boat..'
[Jack: Alright. In good faith, I will tell you why I need your boat. Firstly, my village is located in the mountain peninsula. It is very dangerous here. But that's another talk! Xena's territory is about to be overrun, and I have promised her sanctuary in my territory as a hero. I need your boat to ferry her from the mainland to the only beach on the north side of the peninsula. I will meet you there.]
Ramises and Arrow was surprised by this news. They knew that some lords had begun to coorporate together, form alliances and such. They had even done it themselves.
But in those rare instances, the lords and lords-turned-heroes had all lived in very close proximity.
What this Lord Jack was suggesting, was a transportation stretching many kilometres by land and seas.
Was it even possible? Was he that strong and confident in this?
"Even if it is possible, it will require at least 3 or 4 days to reach the beaches near the mountains."
"You are right Arrow. We will be without the boat for weeks. It will have to sail there, pick up Xena, ferry her to the peninsula and they sail all the way back here again.]
Ramises was speculating, but in the end, Arrow just saw a very large and twisted grin appear on his lords otherwise handsome face.
[Ramises the Goat: I know Xena from the chat. She always seemed like a kind person to me. But let me go directly to the business. 1. You want to rent my boat. 2. Such a distance is not without further cost to me. I need to send my best troops and stockpile resources for their returned travel. 3. I want to be paid in gold coins! 50.000 gold coins! None negotiable! And if you don't have gold coins, there is no deal. I currently don't need anything else.]
[Jack: 1000kg of pure gold nuggets if you set sail right now.]
'What is this? He must think I'm a fool.. No one has that much gold and not turning it into 100.000 gold coins in the resource panel instantly!'
Ramises was bewildered and had his doubts. What would stop this Jack from simply just taking his boat once he sailed there?
[Ramises the Goat: That deal seems too good to be true, Jack. What insurances can you give me?]
[Jack: None. But if you ask Xena, she can tell you that I am good for the gold. I have never broken a deal. Also, if you have any other resources to trade, we could continue long after this is over.]
[Ramises the Goat: Speaking to Xena would not help. She could be lying in your favour, as she is to become your Hero. But... If you can truly pay 1000kg of gold, then I do have another resource. Enough to trade. Are you interested in enhanced barley ale?]
'Ale! No way! If Ramises can actually produce ale... Gondo said that the dwarfs would thrive much better, and work much harder with ale.. If this is true, then I have to win over Ramises!"
Jack hurriedly made a reply, now twice as interested in making this happen.
[Jack: Ramises. If you indeed has such a resource, then I believe we can make trades for a long time that will make both of us very wealthy. Take this gamle Ramises. Sail your boat south and ferry Xena for me. Establish a water trade route with me, and see your pockets filling to the brim! I am not the 1st ranked, globally, without reason.]
Jack chose to add the last part to add some heavy weight. He needed Ramises to make the deal now.
[Ramises the Goat: You have a deal. I will send my own Hero, Arrow. If he suspects any foul play, then he wont beach the boat.]
[Jack: Accepted. Coordinate with Xena as well. We need to coordinate this project. I will be busy for a while, but please set sail as soon as possible]
With the deal finally in order, Jack sat down in his chair and gasped. He had truly been very tense during the negotiations.
'That's first part of the plan done...'
He went outside the mansion, and ordered the completed 5000 trash troops to move to the garrison below the plateau.
Jack would now be very busy. He went outside and checked on the progress of the blackroot and found it firmly underway. The entire 2 square kilometres had been strewn with good mountain soil and mixed with dimwag feces. Half the area had been planted with blackroot seeds and the civilians were still hard at work.
He created 50 more trash houses in the 1st level's building zone. Now there were enough beds for all the civilians, and then some.
He continued to the palisades below, where the sawmills and the garrison were. Here he ordered a remodelling.
In the next few hours the palisades were completely removed and the wooden poles stacked neatly in piles. The civilians were curious about the lord as the watched him inspect 200 meters on both sides of the road up to the plateau.
They saw their lord wield his godly powers. The 200 meter of mountain cliffs on both sides of the plateau-road, became vertically impossible to climb over. The only passable road to the plateau, and thus to the black mountain entrance, was now that old road.
It was not possible to reach the plateau otherwise. Unless you were a really good mountain climber..
Then they watched their lord have a short meal and a large stone-cup of water, as he sat and faced the entire area, clearly in deep though.
Suddenly he stood up and a 4 meter high, solid wooden wall, suddenly appeared in a half circle.
The wall began 200 meters down the right side of the mountain road. The stretch he had just manipulated with his godly power. It the bowed outward and touched the forest edge, were a large wooden gate appeared directly on the road into the forest. It then continued to bend and ended on 200 meters down the left side of the plateau road.
The large half-circle of 4 meters high wooden wall was completed.
The villagers were in awe! This was truly a large and long wall, they felt very honored that they now had this kind of protection!
But then they gasped...
The wall began to change again.
The entire wall had grown 2 meters taller. The 10 meter wide and 10 meter tall gate now had a complete set of iron bars and heavy wooden gate-doors.
The wall itself was completely changed from wood into solid stone. But that was not all. It was 6 meters tall and 4 meters wide. The troops could very easily fight and patrol on top of such a wall! It was complete with the protective design of medieval design, with square-formed boulders at the edge of the wall.
This was another level entirely. The civilians felt they had entered another age...
But Jack didn't linger and moved back into the mountain.