"Are you planning more upgrades for the Guild House?" Governor Shin asked as he looked around the yard.
Karl shrugged. "I might. The place is nice, and itâs got almost everything that we could need. But with the workload, I suspect that Ashbringer could use a larger forge and some more apprentices.
So, I might upgrade the outdoor workshop to give them more space.
Now that Iâm at Totem Rank, and so is Miss Opal, we can make rather powerful Illusionary Stones, and those can be used to set an Illusionary Domain in the workshop.
That would give them all the space that they could need.
It would also give us more storage space because I expect that soon we will have a lot more loot coming in. The ladies are all Overlords, and they get a cut of the trash loot, which we sent back home for the crafters to rework."
The sector leaders of Drodh sighed enviously.
"Perhaps we should have been more ambitious and joined one of the Raiding Guilds near Lake Naraleddum. But I never wanted to move too far from home." Governor Shin lamented.
Karl shrugged. "Things are different there. Everything is combat focused, everything is a competition. The tax to live in the area is so high that unless youâre doing Totem and Mythic Ranked Dungeons as part of a Guild, you canât afford to stay.
There are mercenary camps outside the city, but even at Totem Rank, theyâre mostly struggling to find decent groups.
The Warrior Phenomenon is too strong."
The Demons all laughed, and Governor Shin gave Karl a wry smile. "I feel that on a deeply personal level."
Karl frowned. "Oh, Drodh has it good. There are actual classes other than Warrior here, naturally. Itâs so bad there that they have to recruit from the outside to get anything else. Every Totem Ranked group is over half warriors, not counting the advanced classes, just warriors.
And that is after their efforts to get other classes in and recruit Dragon clerics.
From what I understand, out of over six hundred Overlords in our Alliance, there are fewer than twenty healers. Itâs so bad that they literally kicked people out of a group so that ours could join, and they didnât even ask if they were any good at their jobs first."
The Demons chuckled. "Is it really that bad?"
Karl nodded. "The group that they went with had fifteen warriors in a twenty-five-person group. Itâs insane.
Especially for poor Ashbringer, who has to make all the metal armour that theyâre requesting. We need more Master Smiths.
More than just the ones heâs already hired, that is. Because heâs got at least two different forges hired to make armour for us to upgrade with runes already."
Jones chuckled. "So, that is what is going on. Iâve seen every forge on the south side of the city suddenly ramped up to full production, and I couldnât figure out where it was going because nobody had any stock to sell to the trade caravans.
They must all be using the higher grade materials you sent back to make armour for you to sell to Sholaha."
"Only to my Guild Alliance. The Immortal Regent asked us to keep to similar restrictions as what we maintain here." Karl clarified.
Governor Shin winked at Karl. "So, even the Immortals know that your entire existence is created to break the comfortable balance of the world. But heâs also an old friend of
that dragon.
So, he knows better than anyone what disruptive existences look like."
"It was his Seer who said that we were going to be become so wealthy that even our common members would be able to crush Guilds who irritated them. Thatâs the reason he put the restriction on.
He doesnât care if we get too powerful, or build up the power level of the region. He just doesnât want us strutting around swatting Raid Guilds like flies and putting bounties on anyone who bothers us." Karl elaborated.
The Governor frowned. "Kindly donât do that here, either."
"And mess up our reputation at the pastry and ice cream shops? Never."
Rashid fluttered his brightly feathered wings and clicked his beak. "I think that I know just the people that you need for your Guild. There is that ruined temple out by Kebun, formerly run by Nature Clerics and druids of the non-draconic sort.
Theyâre mostly Demons, but theyâre all powerful, and theyâre struggling to find buyers for their crops."
"Why is that?" Karl asked.
"Because their House Matron turned down a marriage offer from the local Orcish Chieftain, and he ordered everyone else not to deal with them, or his people wonât sell to them anymore.
The Orcs in North Drodh are more civilized and live mostly in cities, like the Western Border.
So, selling to the temple, or buying their goods, would make you a virtual pariah." The avian featured Magic Demon explained.
Karl nodded in understanding. "So, they stood on principles, even though it made them outcasts. I suppose that theyâre worth talking to at the very least."
"Wonderful. That will solve one problem for the Lord. The locals want them gone because their presence annoys the city bosses." Jones agreed.
"Ah, the guild of misfits and outcasts. But as long as they have the power, I can find them a suitable home to continue farming and please the Nature Gods. Then, we can make potions and soaps out of the crops.
I would say food, but with nature clerics, the edible crops are the smallest concern. Itâs the more difficult to grow magical resources we need them for." Karl joked.
"Alright. Well, now that we know itâs you, and weâve sorted things out, I will go talk to the Lord about making an announcement that youâve reached Totem Rank, and he can pick some sort of honorary title for you.
It should be finished within the week, and it would be good if you could come back for the announcement.
There will be at least a few days notice of the exact time so that you can plan time off to return." Governor Shin agreed.
"I will make time. I have easy travel from city to city, so it wonât put me out to spend a day closer to home."