The Systemic Lands

Chapter 581: Day 5,056 (2) – Wounds Of The Soul

I looked at the bins of dirt that had been set up to grow food. Doctor Katz was speaking to a woman who was managing this growing building. I waited for him to be done as he was reviewing the entire set up. It was well thought out and efficient. Neat rows, lots of lighting. It wasn’t hydroponics, but I would call it an indoor greenhouse.

It would take a while, but I couldn’t wait until there was food growing. I might even sponsor a garden of some kind if that was possible. Or an orchard. It would take a lot more investment, but I felt it would be worthwhile to have a calming place of nature.

The landscape outside the city was hell. There were monsters and threats of death. Modern cities had parks for a reason. To help destress from the constant grind of the city. A place of tranquility to relax and mentally detox from the stresses of this place.

While there were no plants growing here right now, they would in the future, and I could imagine it. Doctor Katz walked over to me once he was done talking to the woman who was setting this place up.

“Business or pleasure?” Doctor Katz asked me with a smile.

“Self-awareness actually. This is a good thing, and I wanted to show my face and support. Also after having a mentally taxing day, I was thinking about creating a park of some kind in the city,” I replied.

“It would be a challenge, but I suppose we can get the building plots, move in a lot of dirt, planters. Make it like an elevated park, just remove the roof,” he said and glanced up. I did the same and noticed tiny holes in the floors and walls.

“The holes?” I asked.

“To prevent CO2 buildup,” he said.

“There is CO2?” I asked. While looking around at the air.

“Yes. At least in low level zones. But higher-level zones and the void zones, I can’t say for sure. I mean new arrivals can breathe. And plants do respirate out water if they are contained in a glass jar. There have been numerous tests to confirm that chemicals still exist, and I know people are hoping to purify chemicals,” he replied.

“I have seen requests for glassware,” I added, and he nodded.

“Yes, it isn’t something available, so we have to manufacture glass of our own.” I had kind of known this but it was good to have confirmation and stay in the loop about what was going on in my Empire. While I didn’t want to micromanage everything, I did like to stay informed.

That was why I was out here. This was one of the few good projects that my Empire was engaged in. The closest thing that I would accept to charity, while not actually being charity. “I am glad things are going well,” I replied.

“Yes, but the budget is strained. I was thinking about asking for permission to solicit donations,” Doctor Katz said. I considered this question carefully. I really disliked charity. But I really liked Doctor Katz.

“Alright, but a couple caveats. Donations only, not investment. That is an important distinction. Let the free market compete after the initial set-up if people want to invest on their own. If we don’t get more economic stimulation going, Clarissa might murder both of us,” I said, and he chuckled at that.

He might think I was joking, but Clarissa took the economy incredibly seriously. My understanding that my Empire had grown from a small yacht to the Titanic. While it might appear we were small compared to nations back on Earth who had fiat currency, we had additional constraints like the total supply of crystals.

The GDP was heavily fixed. We couldn’t just print more money or go into debt to fix problems. There were no savings. The closet thing to savings were the taxes and the points I saved up for a rainy day. I knew other people saved up as well as a form of health insurance, but it wasn’t like we could lend against their savings.

Clarissa had a small team of top level economists working on analyzing everything about the economy. That was why we had PSP as a benchmark and it was tracked very closely. We needed to create a greater demands for goods, the biggest one being food. While enchanted gear was worth more, there was only so much of a market for such things.

Enchanted gear was a high-end product. Like a Lamborghini, it was nice, but most people would never purchase something like that or would have to save up for it. Also, not everyone needed a Lamborghini or enchanted gear. Food was a universal product that had a wide appeal. One of the first shops in Purgatory was a spice shop. I forgot the owner’s name, but there was a reason there was a spice shop and not something else.

While we could start a food revolution and kick things into gear, people would have to work to get points, to buy the enchanted planters themselves. This would fuel the enchanting industry, which in turn would fuel the food industry. All of this was needed so we could have an economy, beyond going out and grinding monsters.

People would trade food for other goods. While the store would dictate the base prices in the end, it would allow us to increase the overall currency circulating in the economy, even if it was just food. There were people looking for other angles, but the Store was too good for the vast majority of products.

That was why I didn’t want to interfere with plans like this. Doctor Katz clearly wanted to expand more quickly, to save lives. That was why I had even considered his request in the first place and approved it. I knew he wasn’t trying to get rich or funnel more points to himself, but out of a genuine desire to help people. My secret weakness, a nice person making a reasonable request.

“The second thing, I want you to put someone and manage setting up a park here in the city. Work out a budget and what can be done. We will need a landscaper, who can manage it afterwards. This will be a personal project,” I said.

“So, you will be paying for the upkeep on the enchantments?”

“Once I see a budget, then yes. I doubt it will cost more than a couple million points. Call it the Emperor’s Garden. A place of peace and contemplation,” I said.

“That does sound like a nice idea. I am surprised you are willing to spend points on something like this,” the good doctor pointed out. I just smiled at him.

“There are no more urgent threats as far as I can tell, or unknowns that will shock me. Spending a couple million for a place where I can sit and relax in nature without monsters will be nice. Its not like we can go on vacation around this place,” I said.

“True. I am glad you are thinking of such things,” Doctor Katz said.

“Well consider me impressed. Perhaps we can name the park, the Katz Garden instead,” I said with a smile. He shook his head at that and made an objection, but I liked the idea. This man was going to save a tremendous number of lives and he had endured several hardships on my behalf. Getting a park named after him was a small thing in my mind.

It was the least I could do to thank him and show my appreciation. Giving him a gift or points wasn’t something he would appreciate. But helping others, by creating a park was something he would like. I was too much of a bleeding heart. Still, it would make me feel better after everything the good doctor had done.

Leaving the good doctor, I walked out into the city. My personal guards were wearing plain clothes and trailing behind me. Normally I wouldn’t do something like this, but I wanted to get a feel for the people and the culture that was developing. I made my way to one of the lower end eateries in one of the still developing areas of the city.

I was wearing plain gray along with my guards, which would indicate that I was a new person. The place I stopped in front of was called the Emperor’s Toe. The name amused me for some reason I couldn’t place so I entered.

There were several tables scattered about and a very large bar. I went over to the bar. “Oy, what you having?” the bartender asked with an Irish accent.

“Something alcoholic?” I asked and put a five point crystal on the counter. I had to rob the petty cash from my Imperial Palace.

“That’s a tip. Drinks start at 45 points, and go up to 500,” the bar keep said.

“Expensive,” I replied and put a 50-point crystal on the counter.

“It takes time and effort to make beer. But you get a full pint,” the barkeep said and put an oversized copper mug on the counter, filled with frothy alcohol. I drank it, but it had no impact on me. I would have to drink something much, much stronger to get any kind of a buzz.

“Anyone hiring?” I asked, since the barkeep was standing around. I pushed the 5 point crystal over. He pocketed it.

“Nope. Everyone and their mother wants a job in the city. If you had a nice pair of tits on you, then maybe I could give you room and board. But with your face, as if. You would have better luck in an acting troupe playing the roll of Emperor,” the bar keep said.

“I look like him?”

“Yes, hard to say. Man isn’t exactly a customer.”

“But the name, Emperor’s Toe?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Well, every store wants to be associated with the man who saved us all, that is the closet thing to a God. Just good marketing, but also telling people, not to get their hopes up. We sell shitty drinks, and shitty food as cheap as we can,” the bar keep said.

“Seems fairly quiet,” I said while looking at the mostly deserted bar.

“We get more once it starts getting dark and people finish whatever work they have. What do you even do if you don’t know this?” he asked.

“Ah, just sort of freelancing at the moment,” I replied.

“Well, as long as you have a place to stay. Curfew is strict. No homelessness allowed in the city. I can sell you a place to sleep on the floor for 5 points a night if you also help clean up,” the barkeep said.

“Thanks, but I have my own arrangements and a place to stay,” I replied.

“Suit yourself.” The barkeep walked away at that. I nursed my first drink and then purchased a second one and some food as it became later. The place filled up very quickly once it began to get dark.

“Seat taken?” a man asked me.

“Nope, feel free. I am Mike by the way,” I introduced myself.

“Sam. So new off the rotation?” he asked me.

“Yes. Just looking for work enjoying my time in the city,” I said.

“Good luck with that. Getting anything decent is a nightmare.”

“What do you do?” I asked.

“Porter. Hauling goods from the plaza out to various businesses. We are hiring people, but you don’t look strong,” he said.

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“You need a lot of muscle to be pulling a fully loaded cart. So, I don’t think you would be able to handle it. It isn’t an easy job. You have to be quick all day. But it pays well,” he said.

“I am stronger than I look. Is there a test?” I asked.

“You can run my route while I follow you. You hang in there all day, that will go far with the boss,” the man said.

“I appreciate it, but I have other work lined up for the future,” I replied.

“Oh, what is it?” Sam asked.

“Fighter. I plan to fight.”

“You mean monsters, good luck finding any place that isn’t taken or affording a permit. As for fighting other people, too much risk. That is a good way to get into a lot of trouble.”

“Even if I wanted to?” I asked.

“You clearly weren’t paying attention to the law lecture when you arrived. Restorations aren’t cheap, and blood sports are done by summons anyways. Now that is a gig,” he said.

“Well, I am not worried. I know some people, so I shouldn’t have too much of an issue fighting monsters.”

“Your funeral.”

“You don’t want to fight?” I asked.

“Too much risk. Better to play it safe. Monsters are dangerous,” he said.

“Well Emperor Michael goes out and fights,” I replied.

“He might as well be a god compared to us little people. I still can’t believe half the things I have heard. But if even a tenth of the things are true, he is way beyond any of us.” There was no hunger in this man, no drive.

“Barkeep, thanks,” I said out loud and put down a 3,600 point crystal and got up. Several people looked over as the barkeep swiftly came over and picked it up.

“Wait, you want anything else?” he asked.

“Nope, consider that a tip, thanks,” I replied and left, my guards trailing behind me.