“While you were away, there has been a message from Arguna.”

When the king entered his study again, Fadelio was already greeting him with new work before he had sat down.

Just like Corco had expected, when he returned to Rapra Castle his responsibilities were piling up. Although his outing to the theater was barely over, he had to throw himself back into work already. For the moment, he didn't even have time to care about his allies on the Verdant Isles, since there were so many important issues to get through all at once.

“Arguna? From whom?” All sides had many moving pieces in Arguna, so it was important to be exact.

“Inti sent a message via radio.” Fadelio pointed to the old-timey, steam-punkey looking machine in the corner of the room.

“Oh good, so the radio is working fine still,” Corco said as he rounded his desk. “If there were any issues with its performance, do tell me though, I really want to get all the kinks ironed out before we start production on the second generation.”

With great satisfaction, Corco plopped down into his seat. They had worked on that radio for over a year, on and off between other, more pressing projects. While progress had been slow, Corco had replaced his obvious lack of practical electrical knowledge with stubbornness. Thus, they had finally managed to get the contraption working not too long ago. It was a project the king was especially proud of, even though the results had only been a humble three machines so far.

“Master, do you want to listen to the message now or should I come back later?” Fadelio asked in an impassive voice. In his enthusiasm, Corco had gotten a bit carried away. While the radio was a massive step for humanity, the message from the former capital was important as well of course.

“Yeah, shoot.”

“Right.” Fadelio stared at Corco for a second as he waited for another rant. When none was forthcoming, the advisor continued. “So, the doctor and the ghost have gone ahead with the mission in the ziggurat. They've been successful in their infiltration and, as far as we know, have begun to administer the correct medicine.”

Again, Corco's eyes brightened. The slow poisoning of Viribus with mercury was another project he had focused a lot of his recent attention on, and another one that was about to pay off.

“Perfect. Tell me when the first visible results show up. Maybe I'll make an early trip up north to see the old bastard's decaying body for myself.”

Fadelio frowned.

“Although we've talked about this before, I really need to disagree with this mission again. With its entire point, really. You know that destabilizing Arguna won't benefit us at all. Not at the moment. If the capital becomes chaotic because of the death of Viribus, Amautu or Pacha are in a much better position to take advantage. Whoever between them manages to occupy the palace first will smash the Triumvirate and force the Ancestral Hall to declare them emperor straight away. While it won't decide the war, it'll only gives them an extra layer of legitimacy we can do without.”

While Corco understood his friend's reasoning, he sneered at the thought of his scrambling brothers in the north.

“I don't care. Justice needs to be served. No one's gonna prevent that, and if I have to fucking force-feed it to people. We're taking down the old bastard one way or another, the slower and more painful, the better.”

“In that case, can't we at least do it another way? Any other way?” A distressed looking Fadelio asked. “I understand that you want revenge, but the current method pointlessly puts our best doctor in danger. At least Itzali could administer a fast-acting poison instead. That way, he can leave the Silver Palace before the poison takes hold and we can smuggle him out of the city before the guards catch up. Once the symptoms of the slow poisoning start to show, the chance of him being caught is too high.”

“You want to kill Viribus quickly and save that monster all that pain? I want him to feel what my father felt when he died. You know as well as me that this entire mess we're in right now was planned and orchestrated by Viribus. You think I'll just let him get away with a quick death? It won't be that easy for him, not with me in charge.”

For a moment, the two stared each other down, Fadelio with a frown and Corco with a scowl. Of course, the advisor had known about the king's stance long ago, as well as the fact that he wouldn't budge from his position. And of course, Corco knew that he wasn't being rational in this instance.

“I know you don't care about the justice part, not when the lives of our people are at stake,” Corco started in a much milder tone. “But it's not like I haven't thought about the consequences of my decision. The method I picked is the best that's available to us, in all respects. For one, the slow poisoning gives us more time. Yes, there will be upheaval in Arguna once Viribus dies, but the Hall will try to keep his illness a secret for as long as possible, which works in our favor. After all, who's gonna be in charge of the Hall after Viribus? That would be Acquilinus, the elder of House Ichilia. With Spuria and Divitius stuck in Huaylas, the Ichilias are in no better position to exploit a weak Arguna than us, so the old Ichilia will hide any problems with Viribus to stabilize the capital. The only one with power in Arguna who could expose the lies is Caelestis, and he's a coward. With the slow death and the Hall helping us to keep the grand ancestor's problems a secret, we'll have more than enough time to get our pieces in position for the moment when everything blows up. By the time the ancestor's death is revealed, I want everyone in place to take over the capital.”

“So our efforts should be moved to Arguna then?” Fadelio asked and began to take notes. “Should we station more ghosts there?”

“Not right away. For now, we probably still have years until Viribus dies. The dosage of the poison is low, and if nothing else, that old monster has proven that he's hardy. The best thing we can do for now is promote the products in our shops more, and try to develop commoner culture in the north in a favorable direction to us. That may take a long time though, so we'll need the extra buffer until Viribus kicks the bucket.”

Once he had everything written down, Fadelio looked up from his notes again.

“However, if he is meant to stay at the grand ancestor's side for years, Itzali's position would be even more dangerous,” he said. “Once the first symptoms start showing, he'll be the main suspect right away.”

“I'm not so sure about that. A slow poisoning will always be less conspicuous than a fast one. That's how Caelestis got away with the same thing after all. And with all the pandemics charging through the country right now, it'll be even less of a problem. Who'll be able to prove foul play when anyone can just claim that Viribus died of a strange new illness, even more since he's already ill?”

After he thought for a bit, Fadelio simply nodded and moved on to the next topic.

“On the matter of illness, we got back some numbers from our investigation into the so-called epidemic spread that Itzali has reported on before.”

While he spoke, Fadelio turned behind his seat to take out a piece of paper from his fancy new filing cabinet.

“So? How bad is it?” Corco sat up and waited on the answer, but Fadelio first took some more time to look at the numbers. Only then did he slowly start talking.

“First off, this is still preliminary, so we shouldn't draw any hasty conclusions,” he opened.

“Just spit it out. I'm a big boy, I can handle bad news.” Corco braced himself.

“Right. According to our investigation, It's worse than Itzali thought. Right now, all of eastern Medala has been ravaged by numerous diseases, as has Port Ulta in the south. Basically any place that has come in direct contact with merchants from Arcavia has been hit. For now, the mountains and the limited trade between Port Ulta and the rest of the south are mostly containing the spread. Only few people dare to make those dangerous trips, and even then only those who are healthy do. You can assume that for anyone on those long trips through the mountain passes, symptoms for most diseases would appear long before they reach the point of no return even if they are in the early incubation period when they start off, which has helped. Still, the first major outbreaks have already started to appear on the other side of the mountains. It's spotty so far, and mostly limited to the sites of pilgrimage, but from there it'll only get worse. While there aren't any confirmed cases in the southern kingdom yet, our borders are wide open to anyone who's not a soldier. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before the diseases hit everyone in the empire.”

“Well... shit.” By now, Corco was slumped back in his seat, and he seriously began to doubt his ability to handle bad news.

“So what do we do?” Fadelio asked for direction. “Do we close down the borders?”

“That's exactly what we don't want, and what we can't do.” Presented with a massive problem out of nowhere, Corco's brain began to reach top speed as he tried to consider all angles. “I mean, all this time, our main goal has been to increase interaction with the rest of the empire through trade and cultural exchange. Not only is isolation counterproductive to our end goals, it's also impossible to achieve. Even if we want to close down the borders, there's too much money in the trade with Saniya goods. For their precious coins, the merchants will always find a gap to slip through. At this point, the diseases are gonna spread to us sooner or later no matter what we do. The best we can do now is ramp up our efforts in medicine, teach sanitary behavior and prepare for the worst.”

“So we'll increase the budget on training new doctors?” Fadelio guessed.

“Yeah, though that might be far too late at this point. More importantly, we need to somehow ramp up penicillin production to a usable amount. We need to brace ourselves for impact.”

“I'll make sure the doctors put special focus on this. We can also offer a financial reward to the one who finds a method to mass-produce it.”

Corco nodded in agreement. Still in thought, he tapped his upper lip as he continued to mumble.

“Until then, we also need to slow down the spread in the south. I can't have Saniya paralyzed completely because of an epidemic, not with so many enemies around us. I guess it's time to draw up some planned policies ahead of time.”

“The hospital plan, then?” Fadelio began to work through the drawers behind his desk again, where he had organized every future plan Corco had drawn up over the past ten years.

“No, we don't have the infrastructure for that.” Corco shook his head. “Most importantly, we don't have the doctors for it, at least not yet. What we need to do instead is two things. First, we need to increase the awareness of people for bacteria and cleanliness. We need to get them to use soap and other forms of sanitizer more properly. More disinfection means less infection, imagine that. The only question is how we would get the people to play along.”

“In that case, I'd like to suggest we organize an event for the nobility in the castle's private bath house.” Against all odds, Fadelio's suggestion managed to sour Corco's mood even further.

“Urgh. Do we have to?”

The king wasn't a big fan of the banquets and duels the nobility liked so much, but he was even less of a fan of the communal bathing culture in Medala. As more of a reticent man, and someone who had been the target of multiple assassinations over the years, he was unwilling to show himself vulnerable in a bath house full of political opponents.

“We don't have to of course.” Fadelio suppressed a laugh. “It just seems like the best way to show off the soap's use, and officially endorse it as the choice of the royal family. You know that everything you do in public spreads through the nobility and to the commoners like wildfire.”

“Yeah. I know. But, really?” Distressed, he realized that his least favorite option was the best choice this time.

“If you're uncomfortable with it, should we try something else instead?”

“No, no. I'll fucking do it.” Corco called out bitterly and waved his left around like he was shooing away a fly. “You happy now?”

“Ecstatic, master.” A wide grin spread on Fadelio's face, which only annoyed Corco more. Rather than be subjected to more nonsense, he decided to move on to the next topic.

“Right. Second measure against the plagues: I want to get all the animals out off Saniya's streets. They're dirty, and they spread diseases. Especially the pack animals like the donkeys, oxen and alpacas are a problem.”

“How would we even begin to limit that?” Fadelio asked in distress. This time, it was Corco's turn to feel a bit of schadenfreude. Still, he wouldn't leave his advisor without any direction.

“Simple. Just outlaw the keeping of any animal above a certain size within the city limits.”

“That... would affect a lot of people. Almost everyone in fact.” Fadelio stared in disbelief. “Wouldn't that be an incredibly unpopular move?”

“Then phase it out over time. We can also give some compensation to people who suddenly have to sell their animals. Use your imagination,” he said dismissively. “We need to get this done sooner or later anyways, so we may as well get it underway now when the city is still small and in flux. We've done so much for everyone over the past few years. Are you telling me that we can't even push a single unpopular policy through?”

“I will get right on it.”

“Perfect.”

While Fadelio began to write notes to send out to the castle's offices, a satisfied Corco leaned back and thought about his future plans.

The removal of animals from Saniya's streets was something he had planned for a while now. While it wasn't a huge issue for now, their ban inside the city would still contribute not only to public health, but also produce what he hoped would be a more orderly atmosphere. Even more, he hoped the move would turn into a huge boon to the city in the future.

Now was the time to create an infrastructure that would survive without any pack animals. Thus, they would create an environment that would make the introduction of powered mass transit easier some ways down the line.

Even more, they might be able to create a city without a single private car in sight once the time of the combustion engine came. He had always hated the inefficiency of modern cities, with up to 40% of their area delegated to parking spaces alone. With the early ban and some smart city design, he hoped to make a healthier, smarter, more efficient city a reality. It could even become a template for other cities all around the country, though those were issues for a later date.

Once Fadelio was done writing, Corco tried to finish up the meeting.

“Is there anything else on the agenda?” he asked in hopes that there wasn't. However, his hopes were dashed, and he had to move the Verdant Isles issues even further back.

“Yes, there is one more thing,” Fadelio said. “I had the finance, trade and agriculture departments look through your proposal to sell fertilizer to the north. Some officials aren't sure why we would sell our greatest advantage to our enemies, so some clarification would be nice.”

“I've already told you this before, didn't I? I don't mind if food gets cheaper in the north. I'm actually happy if it does. Cheap food only benefits the people, and it harms the lords who make most of their money by selling their harvests. Plus, once they start to buy our fertilizer, the other two kingdoms will become dependent on. As for the expected growth in population that comes with an abundance of cheap food, sooner or later all of them will be my subjects anyways, so we might as well do something nice for them early and prepare them for future challenges.”

Although he had heard the explanation before, Fadelio remained patient and let Corco finish before he replied.

“I understand, and I told them as much too. But it seems like they won't be convinced by me. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.”

“I'll go down there later myself and clear it up with them,” Corco suggested, but Fadelio shook his head.

“It might be a waste of time. No matter how good an idea it is, implementation might be impossible. Right now we're not producing enough fertilizer for mass exports, and increasing production isn't a real option.”

“It's the niter again, huh?” Distressed, Corco looked out the window. They had searched for niter ever since they had arrived in the south. However, there were no known niter mines on their lands, waste management only produced small amounts, and nitrogen generation through electrolysis of the air was still far off. Yet niter was a core component in both their fertilizer and their gunpowder. Thus, they were always short on supply.

“That's what it boils down to,” Fadelio said. “We're not really producing niter, apart from trace amounts from the public toilets. The rest we need to buy from other places, especially Chutwa, but that's not sustainable. The amount they produce from their mines is limited, and they won't ramp up production for us to buy. The only reason they would invest in more miners would be if they modernized their weapons. And when they do they surely won't sell to us anymore. We're basically on borrowed time when it comes to the niter.”

“What about my magical geologists?” Corco asked, a tinge of hope in his voice. Several years back, a medalan minority group had come to Corco to offer their special resource-finding talents. Although he didn't believe that could keep their promises, they didn't have many other leads for niter at the moment. However, Fadelio's answer astounded Corco.

“Surprisingly, they've actually found a thing or three over the past few years.”

“Have they?” a baffled king asked. Back when he had met their patriarch, he had been convinced that they were a group of scammers.

“Yes, they found some zinc, and nickel. There's also some soapstone a bit further inland. They even found a few traces of ruby, though the area is a bit outside of your estate. Everyone in the departments was surprised by it. We don't know whether they have a special method for detection or just know the land very well. But either way, they've still failed to locate any strategic resources so far. No niter, no coal and no oil. Useful in general, not useful today.”

“Well, shit.” Corco sighed again. “Sometimes, I really wish this whole kingdom building thing was a bit easier easier. Why couldn't we just start on a niter mine?”

Be careful what you wish for.

On the beach of the lonely island, Corco stood up. His right hand clenched shut in the process, and took a dark-gray piece of nitrate with it. Annoyed, he stared down at it for a few seconds, before he flung it into the jungle, where it joined its many, many brethren. After another sigh, he made his way back to the prearranged meeting place, where he would catch back up with the other survivor of the attack.