🍁Nine Ancient Obelisks

– You are so modest, Lady Rinetta! If you don't mind, share your opinion on what you think of the painting by our dear artist, which was commissioned and rejected by the king himself? – Here, Camistella was guided by the simplest curiosity.

- From the point of view of execution, this work, in my opinion, is magnificent: in the confident lines and stunning shadows with lighting, one can feel the hand of a true master who has perfected his artistic skills not only through countless sleepless nights but also with the help of innate talent; the erotic, yet not at all vulgar, image captivates the eye; the woman depicted on the canvas looks as if she is ready to leave her two-dimensional prison at any moment and step into the world of the living – or, at least, that is what anyone who is captivated by her charming eyes might wish for. In other words, I have nothing to criticize, however, not knowing the details of the royal commission, my assessment of this painting cannot be complete.

– And what else, besides a scarecrow with a crossbow?

- A test of will! You must stand on the hot stones and stand on them for as long as possible!
- A test of luck! Very simple – you need to throw ten hundred-sided dice and add up the result. This test can be taken no more than once a year.
- A test of speed! You need to run around the field where we have our crossbow as quickly as possible.
- A test of endurance! We will measure how long a person can stand under the blows of a clay golem – dodging is not allowed!
- A test of accuracy! You need to shoot down the arrows fired by the crossbow.

– And you can also read minds, it seems. Let's go.

- We will reveal the cards at the same time...

Tira

(8)

Genza

(7)

Girra

(10)

Thank you...

- Excellent observations, Asmidul. – The professor drew the attention of the other students by raising his index finger. – Listen carefully, this is important. As I mentioned earlier, the different sectors of the economy are very closely intertwined, and some of the concerns expressed by Asmidul are offset by the high activity of the internal market of our kingdom. In simple terms, the Crown sells a significant portion of raw materials and finished products to the private sector. Another important guarantor of the stability of our economy is the "Future Fund" – a reserve fund established by the king in case of unforeseen circumstances; it is formed from funds allocated from the net profit of the royal sector. As for diversification, your assumption is correct – the construction of the Azure port has become one of such projects; in addition to ships, in Ninamiata, where new royal enterprises are now concentrated, weapons, clothing, household items, and much more are produced on a massive scale. A separate mention should be made of the fact that the Church continues to fight against currencies other than rems – according to some theories, if different states had their own currencies, the rules of the game would change significantly, and it is currently impossible to predict how this would affect the world economy. We, the inhabitants of Asuguh, however, must admit that the well-being of our maritime trade, which is currently the most significant in international trade, is largely due to the fleet of Margel, which controls the sea routes of the former empire. Fortunately, King Thiozar maintains good relations with the current queen of this influential country. Nevertheless, this should not worry you, students, more than necessary; Asuguh is a self-sufficient country, so even in the worst case – complete isolation from the international market – you will not face starvation. However, I cannot say the same about the other elements of your quality of life. As for corruption, in our country, abuse of power is a serious crime, and at the moment, it is effectively dealt with by the system of ostracism – expulsion from the country through the southern gates. The protectors of the cities of Asuguh are bright personalities, with their own flaws, but you can be sure that they are all devoted to the king and actively support the implementation of the royal will. What awaits us in the future, I must admit, is still difficult to say.

– Well, I don't know. I've read a lot of different books, maybe some kind of intellectual job would be suitable? I can try to help with the alien thing. Do you have any parts of it, fragments, and so on? I examined it, but it seems that everything that was there had already been collected before me... How did this object appear? Did it appear out of nowhere? Did it fall from the sky? Or in some other way?

- Heh, long before you and I were born, it was summoned into our world with the help of a magical ritual using royal blood, but a quarter of a century ago, these methods lost their power, so there is no point in discussing them anymore, – the protector, who had smoothly switched to "you" in the previous phrase, grinned, – you will not find monetary compensation for the process of researching this artifact, only if you manage to reveal its secrets – after the fact. Can you handle sorting the documents?

– Oh! Beauty of tattoos is not appreciated in our country! As banal as it may be, I will probably choose a butterfly on my lower back.

- You're right. – The 2nd one fulfills the order. – Done! If you want to get something else, come back.