.^^ the Plateau Library ^^

— Josef —

The furs on top of me rolled away as I sat up, rubbing my face. A prickle of stubble around my neatly-kept beard reminded me of my old morning routine, but I brushed the memory aside, standing and walking over to the mirror against one wall.

"You slept for a little longer than usual... everything is alright?" Vanya asked, sitting against one wall with a bowl of stew in her hands, an empty one next to her.

"Just tired myself out yesterday. Glamours are apparently quite draining, even for me." I hummed, and drew my knife, carefully shaving the stubble away and cutting my hair into the right length.

"Glamours? They shouldn't be too difficult, you have so much more Mana than I do... are you sure you did it right?" She asked suspiciously.

"I..." 'Am I?'

'Technically you Shape-Shifted, so no.'

"Ah... it seems I shape-shifted, instead of activating a glamour. Curious, but understandable. Now, how long do you think the Elders will debate before giving me what I want or telling me to fuck off?" I asked bluntly, and accepted the stew she offered, polishing it off in a few moments.

She chuckled, and then grew serious. "Generally, it depends on the amount of support the proposition has from each chief... I've never seen them make a decision in less than a week, but the longest was about a year, so who knows?"

"Well that's entirely unacceptable. I need to buy some land here, so that I can teleport back when they've finally made a decision. You should go ask your cousin about her living on the Plateau, while I handle that." I sighed.

She grinned. "That sounds like a plan. Should I send the ship back, if we don't need it?"

"No... we'll keep it docked here for the week we paid for, and hopefully have a hull full of dragon-bones and hides when it goes back. They must have quite a collection, with nowhere to put them..." I grinned.

"What do you need bones and hide of a dragon for?" She asked slowly.

"Dragon-Steel, hopefully. Bones make excellent Char for Steel, just like Coal and Anthracite. I plan on making them into Dragon-Steel, and selling them here. The Higher-Ranked warriors can wield them properly, after all." I shrugged, and dressed in my armor, tying my hair back.

She nodded. "I suppose that's true... and it would be quite the calling-card of our Raiders, if they had Dragon-Hide armor and Dragon-Bone weapons... I'll go get Miranda, and speak to my mother about land for you."

I shook my head. "I don't need the help, but I appreciate the offer. Now-"

The other half of the mattress I'd been sleeping on groaned softly, and Agatha sat up slowly, covering her eyes from the bright sunlight of dawn, streaming through one of the windows. "Morning already?!? I feel like I only slept for an hour!"

"You did. Be careful walking, my dear." I smirked, and looked at Vanya. "Go speak to your cousin, I'll handle my end of things."

She smiled and nodded, kissing my cheek and then saucily tickling Agatha, who punched her in the gut solidly in retaliation. "Oof! Alright, I'll be back by sundown!" She skipped out swiftly.

I chuckled at Agatha. "You need a hangover cure? Or are you just not a morning person?" I asked calmly.

She glared at me for a moment, then covered her head with the blanket again. I nodded and reached into my hidden pocket, pulling out some of the coffee beans I'd been cultivating. Grinding them in my hand resulted in a near-powder, which I brewed in a small kettle. Just the smell of it was enough to make her sit up, sniffing, and I smiled, pouring two cups when it was done.

She sipped it, screwing up her nose at the bitterness, but the bags under her eyes lessened a little, and she sighed. "That is not pleasant-tasting, but it certainly does help... how did you make it?" She asked shrewdly.

I chuckled. "It's just Coffee, my dear. No grand trick, just a rare bean. It's rather difficult to find, even for me, so I've been growing my own. I'm only a few weeks into production, but it's going rather well."

She hummed, sipping again, and then nodded, reaching into the dresser on one side of the bed, and removing a few small vials of spices. "Let's see what I can do with this..." she muttered, and began pouring a few drops of each into the cup, stirring and testing between each addition. When that cup emptied, I gave her the kettle, having already had my one cup, which was more than enough to revitalize me, after so many months of not having it at all.

"Have fun with that. If you're successful, I'll let you play with some of the beans, to produce different kinds, but just remember, these beans are nearly 1G a piece, and 30 or so beans go into each kettle. It's incredibly expensive, as of now. It'll get a little less expensive once I have a steady production, and any different flavors you make could appeal to different markets." I hummed, and watched as she froze, staring at the tar-colored liquid.

"30 Gold Pieces... a Kettle?!?" She hissed softly, in shock.

I nodded. "It's very nearly Extinct. The King of my adopted country is trying to revive it, but I am much better suited for that. I don't mind the money, just make sure you make it tasty, so I can sell it properly. That'll speed up the cost lowering, you see?"

She sighed slowly, and then nodded. "Yes... alright. And I suppose I'll get a cut of the sales, if I create a tasty pot of it?"

"Sure, or I'll just supply you with the beans for a severely discounted rate in the beginning; say, 1 silver a bean? That's 1/1000th of the correct price, so if you sell the coffee in the mornings, at night you can still be your usual Tavern. You'll get a tidy little return, if you sell a cup for 50 silver pieces, and I'll get new types of beans to grow, so everyone's happy." I grinned.

She laughed softly. "Yes, I like that plan... I suppose we're in business, then, Josef?"

"Indeed, Agatha. How's that pot coming along?"

—

Finding land that wasn't owned on the island was unsurprisingly impossible, with every single piece of land being already owned and built upon. Instead, I looked for a business to buy, as that would remove much of the work for me.

A few options presented themselves to me, from people willing to sell their entire businesses, and I made note of them all, returning to the Inn/Tavern to go over my notes.

'So, I have three brothels, two taverns, and a smithy... hmm...'

'The brothels and Smithy, I'd recommend. The brothels because you can be sure the girls are treated properly, and the Smithy for obvious reasons. Taverns, though, I don't see a use for those, considering you want to sell your coffee at this woman's tavern/cafe.' The messenger hummed.

'I could tear down the taverns and build a Library? Or an orphanage, I suppose. The children here are from a different culture than the others, and the two wouldn't mix, I don't think.'

'True, I agree with your assessment, but you don't have enough-... oh, wait, no, you've got the money from the Title of Red Duke, that's close to 1,000 g a month. You can cover it. Also, may I recommend a Guild Hall? You've already got plans for that, but this would expedite things...'

I nodded and started making plans for the two taverns, rebuilding them as a Guild Hall and an Orphanage, respectively. The Guild Hall would allow the plan I'd been putting into motion, to allow the warriors here who weren't in Raiding Parties to accept requests from the Guild, which, in turn, would accelerate the stream of wealth to and from this kingdom to the others.

As for the orphanage, I was sure it would be best if the children were taught by people from their own culture, so I made a note to ask Agatha about any people who would enjoy raising children, and do a good job of it, both male and female.

As soon as I was finished, I set out to buy the buildings and get to work.

—

The buildings went down and then up again with little to no problems, besides a few people appearing and groaning about their favorite bar being destroyed, so I tested my connection with the tree, and grinned when he slowly awoke.

'Curious... I have never been in this Archipelago before... thank you.'

'You are most welcome. Now let's make sure the buildings are protected, and have all the necessary amenities... this city doesn't have much more than a rudimentary sewer, so I'll need to make my own... also, locate if you can all the dragons on the islands surrounding us, Messenger. I think I'll be taming them, today.' I hummed.

The tree shivered softly, and I felt a new grid of sewers appear, under the old one, too small for an adult to walk through, but big enough for a dwarf, a determined one. A secondary piping system laid on top of the sewers, carrying fresh water that was sourced from the ocean and cleaned through hearty filters at the docks. Both piping systems attached to the old one, carefully and discreetly, then each building, so that I could, at a later date, give the city running water. They had several wells, around the city, but they were unsanitary and not well-kept, so I cleaned them up and attached them to the piping system, adding a magical cleaning element to the water, to prevent the spread of disease.

I sat down suddenly, as the drain of building on land that wasn't my own hit me. My vision nearly went dark, and I sat still for several minutes, as I recovered at a snail's pace.

"You know, letting yourself be vulnerable on an island full of people you have just made enemies of is not entirely wise, Sir Josef." The blonde woman from before leaned against the wall next to me as my vision cleared.

"I haven't made enemies of anyone, and my title is High Duke, not Sir. If you're going to be condescending, at least do it accurately." I snapped back dryly, and stood up, cracking my back.

She frowned at me, and then shook her head. "Declaring war on the Island is a good way to make enemies-"

"I didn't declare war; the exact opposite, in fact: I proposed a Peace Treaty. Wherever you got your faulty information, I suggest killing the source, because they are a liar and a crook." I snorted at her, and then walked into my new Guild Hall, sorting through ideas for the interior. I was a fan of black and silver, but the Guild's colors were Gold and Black... 'ehh, fuck it. My Guild, my rules, my colors. Black and Silver it is.' I emblazoned my house crest upon the far wall, more detailed than the real crest, as a mural.

She followed me in with a huff, and sneered at me. "Now, I don't care for your attitude, Sir Josef! Your Noble Title means little to nothing, here! I'll have you know-"

I turned and covered her mouth with my hand, covering the distance instantly. "Get off of my property, little lady, and never assume that tone with me again, or I will break your neck and send you to your sister in a box. Are we clear?"

"Is my sister causing you stress, Josef?" Vanya appeared, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes." I released her, and shoved her towards her sister, who casually grabbed her collar, handing her off to another woman, a taller and more defined version of the two. I recognized her as their Mother, though her name eluded me.

"She has several lessons to learn about etiquette and following orders, it seems... several." The older woman glared at her daughter, and sent her scurrying away with a stinging back-handed slap to her cheek. She watched the girl go, then turned back to me. "Now, as for you, I assume you know why I'm here?"

"I can't imagine, actually. We've settled any disputes we've had, I think. Either way, come back another time, I'm very busy with a project for my plateau... Vanya, how would you say the Literature Scene of your country was faring? Any worthy additions to a Grand Library with a collection of the History of the World's Literature?" I asked curiously.

The older woman frowned. "I don't appreciate being brushed off, child."

"I don't appreciate a council who doesn't do their job, and leaves session before a Peace Treaty is fully debated, so we're both disappointed! Get over it!" I snapped back, and looked at Vanya. "Well?"

She chuckled. "Yes, we have several hundred Warrior Poets, and we saved their works, and yes, they would belong in a cultural library."

"Wonderful. I'd like to see them all, at some point, so I can write them down on Vellum, and place them into the Library. You have the ability to teleport here and to the plateau and your house at will, so you can stay here as long as you like, but I'm going to go build a library to chronicle Ages Past, Present, and obviously leave room for the Future." I grinned, and snapped, teleporting myself to the Plateau.

The non-hollow side of the arch, facing the water, was carefully hollowed out, and structured in one hollow column, allowing it to breathe properly, and the weight to settle itself outward, into the braces and structural strong points. The weight that tried to settle inward would be dealt with by the lattice of diamonds that laced the entire arch, strengthening the rocks without making them too heavy for the new lattice to support. The older rocks I'd simply compressed were carefully decompressed most of the way, and the excess material converted into anthracite. The mountain seemed to sigh in relief at the release of the tension it had been holding, like it was constantly sucking in its gut.

Inside my new hollow column, I created layers, each about twenty feet tall and twenty feet wide, filled with bookshelves and study nooks, and on the ground floor, a creature under my banner would control whether or not the books left the library, sort of like a check-out desk.

The hollow space in the middle was enchanted with a zero-gravity/ish scenario, so anyone could fly around and visit each level, seeing as there were no stairs, only a single ladder that stretched down the entire 600ft that the column spanned. Thirty stories of bookshelves, in a large semi-circle. In the slice of the room that faced the ocean, however, the entire wall was a massive window, looking out over the ocean. Stained glass that was still see-through depicted the story of Peer Gynt, in the Halls of the Mountain King, a famous story from Norway and Sweden.

Most of the study nooks were in that section of the levels, allowing a pleasant view and a lovely little sea salt smell, though I wasn't stupid enough to allow actual salt or moist air into the library. As such, all entrances, and the windows especially, were enchanted to filter the air; smoke, water, dust, or anything that wasn't dry, cold air, was kept out and eliminated. The books, once placed, were protected by the runes on the bookshelves, immune to fire and water and anything else I could think of, as well as a charm against bugs, termites, moths, and other such things that ate wood or paper.

Once it was properly protected, I began creating the books, much like what I'd done for the ArchLich's, (one of which I set to guarding the Library, realizing their usefulness in that regard,) except these books weren't just an information dump, they were thoughtfully organized to separate subjects by culture, general time period, and then alphabetized within their genres.

More books came from the ArchLich's memories, actual tomes they'd read before and poetry they remembered. Vanya's memories held even more poetry and legends, and those were also transcribed, before I searched for more, from everyone connected to me. Two of the ArchLich's were tasked with finding and reading every book in the world, (without causing a scene, so in disguise,) so that they would be sent here magically.

Each book was individually protected from both destruction and theft, by a series of runes inside the spine and cover, which also included a rune to regenerate the book the following dawn, should it be destroyed despite my wards. The library also had a strict adherence to time-frames. Should the book be removed for a two day period, then exactly 48 hours later, it would be teleported back to the library, and placed back where it belonged.

The bottom floor, surrounding the desk the librarian would attend, was boxed in with cages, securing the books inside carefully. Those were the books of magic, the actual grimoires I'd gathered in my travels so far. Underneath the librarian's desk was a small safe, holding the books on necromancy and other deadly Magic's, available only upon request, with my express permission.

The ArchLich I placed at the desk familiarized herself with the surroundings, memorizing a list of the books available, and sat down, emanating a content aura. The silence in the library was peaceful, broken only by the sounds of waves, crashing against the rocks in front of the window.

I made a note to allow all of the ArchLich's to rotate into this position, ensuring they all had some degree of peace and quiet.

"May I read the books?" She asked quietly, her face still as stone.

"You may, so long as you remain on guard for intrusion. You may also read them when you're off duty, and another of your sisters has the Desk." I nodded.

She nodded firmly, and a book flew off the shelves, placing itself in front of her, then a list appeared, with one name next to the book she'd pulled, a book of maps. 'Iris' was the name she'd given herself. Curious, but good that she'd regained a sense of autonomy. I'd been worried they would remain robotic forever.

"Josef? Come meet Miranda, if you would?" Vanya called from the top, then paused. "Whoa."