Altura

“So, your grace, you wish for me to make what?” Aswelth asked.

“A judiciary, Aswelth. And a Tax Association. These are two organizations that the Duchy dearly needs. And to that end we will need to decide a name for the duchy.” I answered.

“Well, I am sure that can be done. But may I ask why, your grace? The current systems in place have been working just fine.” Aswelth asked back. I suppose he wouldn’t know about how easily these things could get out of hand.

“Because, the judiciary, as it is, can be easily overwhelmed, and the Tax is given solely on trust. If a citizen lied and did not submit enough tax, then I wouldn’t even know about it. I do not like that. Besides, I needed to make two more organizations for the Administrative Guild level up.” I said. The temporary one had, thankfully, counted.

“Well to that end, the duchy does require a postal service, an official investigative and law enforcement organization, and… I see your point, your grace. I shall start recruiting immediately.” Aswelth said as he got up to leave. “Also, your grace, congratulations on reaching the Late-Planting stage. I am sure you will reach the Plant stage soon enough.”

“Thank you, Aswelth. Though. I fear it will be awhile before that happens.” I answered as Aswelth left the room. It didn’t take long for the next person to come in. Lady Illiana.

“How can I help you, Lady Illiana?” I asked.

“Yes, your grace, you can get that big buffoon that just left to stop harassing me. I do not have time to come see his fortress, nor do I wish to hear his opinion.” Lady Illiana demanded.

Harassment, huh? I did see a little something between Aswelth and Lady Illiana.

“And how has he been harassing you, Lady Illiana? Aswelth has been in the fortress, preparing it for its commencement tomorrow.” I asked.

“General Aswelth, your grace, has been insisting that I take his opinion on several matters regarding the celebration and visit that fortress of his. As you know, I have time to do neither. If you would be so kind, could you please ask him to stop?” Lady Illiana asked.

“I shall see what I can do, Lady Illiana. But do keep in mind that Aswelth is not only a Treeling, but also the General in charge of the duchy. While I can ask him to not pester you about visiting the fortress, it is his right to give his opinion on the celebration. Especially if it is a matter of security.” I replied. Poor Illiana, she had a suitor. I wonder how long Aswelth had been pining over her.

“Then I will be as short with him as I can, your grace. I cannot and will not allow that buffoon to spoil this party. The future perception of the duchy hangs in the balance.” Lady Illiana stated, practically putting her foot down.

“That is your choice, though I would suggest that you at least be polite. But I will have a few words with Aswelth about respecting your space. Perhaps you could establish a specific time and way for him to contact you?” I proposed.

“Thank you, your grace. I shall do that.” Lady Illiana said and then promptly got up to leave. What a strange woman. A bit too direct for the cultivation world. But then again, she had made it work, hadn’t she? I wonder how.

Altura (a week later)

System, unarchive notifications.

Department of Minors level up requirements met!

Reward: 300 Qi

Ducal guard level up requirements met!

Reward: 15,000 Qi

Total Qi gained: 15300 Qi

Level up requirements not met.

Late-Plantling (20050/38400) → Late-Plantling (35350/38400)

Organization founded!

Medical Association

Qi gained: 900 Qi

Level up requirements not met.

Late-Plantling (35350/38400) → Late-Plantling (36250/38400)

Ah, sweet sweet Qi. There you are. Reaching the Ducal guard level up requirements had been a shock. Apparently the forest had gone through something of a boom in number of monsters. Aswelth had been forced to move the guard in to handle it. It had resulted in half a dozen casualties and dozens of wounded, prompting me to make a medical organization too.

But it had also caused the Ducal guard to reach the level up conditions. In fact, it had done more than that. A refugee had apparently germinated his seed into an extraordinarily rare Healing element. The Healing Air was his element. It had completely destroyed my understanding of medicine. The air had actually boosted the body’s ability to defend against any disease, heal wounds and be healthy by orders of magnitude.

I had wasted no time in naming one Argus as the Head of the Medical Association. On his request, members of the guard were being trained to heal others. Qi could of course heal, it just required special training to use unattuned Qi. Healing type elements were the only ones that wouldn’t harm the body on coming into contact.

The duchy had mostly operated on a more medieval method of medicine, using herbs and things to cure people. Thankfully, the duchy’s sickness rate was unbelievably low. The reason I had never even heard of it was due to there not having been a case of a disease more dangerous than the common cold in the last six months.

The only major problems came from mistreatment and abuse from humans themselves. Faster healing due to cultivators cured that, and in a typical Xianxia fashion, mortal concerns were deemed unimportant.

I was having none of that. The Medical Association, that currently was only Argus, had, in the last few days, cured dozens of cases of severe back pain, remnant scars from abuse and several other issues. I had missed one very important thing, mortals were too scared to complain.

Hopefully, they would open up in a while. There was little I could do if they didn’t. Well, it was back to work now, there were people to administrate and more organizations to found.

Artin

Artin was very happy. A smile stretched across his face as he looked down at the piece of paper before him. Written in fancy handwriting were the words.

On behalf of Archduchess Altura, I do hereby invite the Duchy of Merden to commemorate her turning 11-years-old this February 22nd. The celebration shall be held in her duchy, with accommodations complementary.

—Lady Illiana Ardenstross of the Duchy of Selrin

It was short, even somewhat disrespectful, but that was to be expected with how much that pesky Lady hated his duchy. The upstarts of Selrin had never liked his duchy, maybe because they called them exactly what they were, upstarts that should have been stripped of their nobility long ago.

Letting that stupid General become a Treeling? What foolishness! No matter, he would have one of the Ducal elders kill him and prove once more that Nobles were superior to Commoners.

But that was just a side benefit, the real pleasure came from what he had planned for that Archduchess. This would be the last celebration everyone in that stupid duchy would have, he had ensured it. And then he would finally be the Crown Prince.

Lady Illiana

Illaina looked on as a row of carriages arrived from the tunnel. These were Counts, barons, Marquises and other nobles of note. It was quite abnormal for the nobles themselves to arrive at the celebrations. Usually only vassals arrived, the rest would at most send some representatives with gifts.

But for an Archduchess' first birthday celebration? The brain-dead fools would rush in. None of them would waste such a perfect chance to boot lick their superiors. Of course, she’d had to invite someone from the Duchies too.

But she was sure none of the Dukes would arrive. The only person with any real power that would be coming would be the brat from the Merden duchy. Oh, How she wished that she could kill him. But she couldn’t. The King wouldn’t stand for a foreign dignitary killing one of the Ducal heirs.

Because Illiana was exactly that. While the King had welcomed her presence here, taking it as a sign of a possible alliance between the Kingdom and the Valley, it really was not. While Illiana was one of the Valley’s Trees, the youngest one in fact, she was not here to represent anyone. No, she was here because she was bored. Bored and jealous of the King for breaking through to the Tree stage a decade before her.

But now she was just resigned. The King was a workaholic monster, and it was best to not compete with those. And then there was Aswelth. If Illiana was being completely honest, she was attracted to that buffoon too, but it was just not to be. The age difference wasn’t the problem, Illiana might look in her thirties, but she was actually older than Aswelth, in her late sixties, a whole seven years older than him.

But Aswelth was a Kingdom Treeling that would never break through to the Tree stage, and she was the most talented Tree in the Valley. There was just no way it could work. But who knew, this duchy had already done so much that Illiana would have called impossible. A girl could hope, even in this cruel, ruthless world.