The Systemic Lands

Chapter 89: Day 215 (2) – Long Term Planning

“At the micro level you have the strong oppressing the weak to perform menial tasks. No better than slaves or serfs. At the macro level, there is an intense battle for resources. The death of a single high-ranking cultivator in every story I have read is the beginning of the end for that group.”

“How are you so sure this will like what you have read?” Ken asked. I could tell he was thinking it was some kind of power play on my part. It really wasn’t and we needed to get ahead of this issue and quickly.

“The power scaling, with the stats, monsters, and everything else. It is an incredibly steep curve and as I mentioned earlier the timeframe for this place until people stop teleporting in is equally massive. If a stat changes lifespan, then that is the true essence of cultivation. Old people hording power to live longer and oppressing others to keep getting more powerful.”

There was silence at this. No one said anything as the minutes ticked by. “I am guessing cultivator fights are like one of those movies where the civilians are just blasted away,” Ken said.

“Yes. Nuclear deterrent is correct unfortunately. The main issue is that strength is improved in a select few due to limited resources, which will be the case here eventually, and then whomever is strongest wins and gets stronger. The cycle continues. The main difference is that cultivators form small elite groups at the top.”

“How do the stories end?” Tyrese asked.

“They don’t. It is all about the struggle upwards. Forever. If we beat the humans, then there would demons, then aliens, then humans that used to be our ancestors, and so on up a never-ending ladder of power. I bring this up, since the Union will eventually have people reach superhuman status. Those people will look around and demand more.”

“Unless you keep them in line, and we help empower you?” Tyrese asked. That was tempting but would invite trouble that I wanted to offset. I was one person and couldn’t be everywhere all the time.

“No. Well the first part is true for now. But I don’t expect or want the city to help me. No, what we need to do is plan. First, we need to establish a governing system to deal with the immediate and day to day issues long term. We have the initial structure in place, but the details need to be ironed out and we need to look out much further.”

“Nothing is an immediate issue until day 250? Right?” I asked.

“There is an election on day 225, and another one on day 250,” Ken said.

“I plan to take a long trip to grind out crystals and will return around day 240. At that point a draft of the laws and distribution of wealth from taxes can be drawn up. Something with clear percentages and where our income is coming from and going to. Also caps on each area of government based on population with excess going to upgrades. Clear roles and responsibilities.”

“That can work, but it is quite a while from now,” Ken replied.

“I know. I want you to get people and think through the entire thing carefully and get feedback from other businesses and organizations. We need buy-in from as many people as possible and whatever is drawn up needs to last until year 10, or day 3,600 at a minimum. Preferably much longer, but I can deal with a time limit of 10 years.”

“You clearly plan to ask something, what is it?” Tyrese asked. He was right.

“I am thinking we divide the government up into three parts. The first being the office of President, to replace the title of Elected Representative, for 3-year terms or 1,000 days. The second branch would be a police force, not a military, to control and protect the civilian and business population of Purgatory and other cities, maybe. Red Dawn would have to form into a full-fledged police force charged to keep order from base humans. The last branch of government would be an Immortal Council.”

“That you would control of course,” Tyrese said. That was obvious enough, but that wasn’t why I wanted it.

“For now, like both of you handle the other branches of government. It would be the combat arm and have veto authority on laws passed and would be governed by a separate section of laws. This would create two tiers of citizens, with the initial criteria being 1,000 upgrades which is an investment of approximately 2.6 million points.”

“I don’t like it. Two tiers of citizens. That is ripe for abuse,” Ken said.

“It is. But when there is that much investment into a single person and they are our only tactical and strategic deterrence against threats, they need to be given special privileges. Like federal agents, only more.”

“What kind of privileges?” Tyrese asked.

“I don’t know. But that is one reason I am bringing this up now. If this isn’t addressed ahead of time, eventually people with high stats will make demands or we will need them to defend the city. If they aren’t on board with our government, then it will be a disaster. Even worse if they are lured to other cities.” That was what I was afraid of. A super powered army. I wanted Purgatory to steal high stat people to our side not the other way around.

“We give you slaves, wine, and honey, and you become a Lord and can do whatever you want,” Ken muttered.

“Exactly. If someone looks around and the benefits aren’t high enough, then they will leave or betray us. The Red Dawn is no longer the military force of Purgatory. We need to pull those people to our side, or at the very least make it very difficult or unpleasant to leave.”

“We aren’t weak,” Tyrese said, but I could hear the defeat in his voice. The difference in stats was becoming clearer every day. I knew he was running tests and realizing the difference stats had on a person.

“How many upgrades for your best, 100?”

“Less than that, since they are spread around. More like 50 and 75 for the Captains. It is getting too expensive to go higher and I have to keep increasing our numbers and there are other expenses.” I nodded at that.

“That is why we need a long-term plan. I trust you can make a draft for our convention for day 245?” I asked Ken.

“I can get to work on something. So, the administration would get a percentage?”

“Yes, and we would start taxing tier 2 crystals as well at 10% compared to the 25% for tier 1. I am thinking 20% to the guards. Another 10% to the city administration. Then 10% for charitable works, including a school, orphanage, and helping new people settle in, but nothing beyond those three things. Then 10% would go to establishing benefits for the Immortal Council. Housing and an expense account.” I quickly held up a hand.

“I wouldn’t be taking any of it, and we can set up a clause there needs to be at least 2 other people besides me before it becomes active. But it needs to be set up now and people need to be made aware, so it isn’t a shock. For now, the crystals can be lumped in with the 50% that would go towards city upgrades.”

“You would cut my budget in half,” Tyrese said.

“With the increased taxes from the tier 2 crystals it should balance out. Also, your men won’t be expected to fight against super humans. Also, more people fighting, or crime isn’t a bad thing. We can fine them to increase revenue or execute them and it will act as a form of population control.”

“Really?” Tyrese asked me.

“Yes. It is harsh to say, but we can’t coddle everyone. If people break the law, we fine them or kill them. If they go past a certain point, well, we don’t need trouble long term.”

“More crime threatens businesses,” Ken said.

“Then patrol those areas more. One thing I learned from civ games, is that you can’t have everything be a perfect area. Better to plan it out, where your businesses will be. Then secure those areas. The rest of the city, well, if it has problems, it has problems.” It was cruel, but there weren’t enough crystals for everything and to support the number of guards needed.

“What about births, if people have children? With the population crunch coming?” Ken asked. Another tough issue.

“I have an idea and people will need to be consulted. I think that anyone who has a child will be forced into a contract to pay back the debt to the city, if they do not want to take care of the child. Also, all brothels will have to provide restorations going forward.” With restorations preventing conception, it was a way to hold people accountable. There would still be children, but hopefully the number could be kept to a manageable amount.

“We already do. But what if a woman gets pregnant accidentally outside a brothel?” Tyrese asked. That was good to know.

“That is why such a law should go into effect a year or two from now. Let’s not blame the women who first showed up and did anything they could to survive. Also, it will allow the new policy to sink in. But a child will be a privilege, not a right here unfortunately. People have to pay up or else.”

“No one will like that, and it will piss people off,” Ken said. Thank you, mister obvious. But I wasn’t about to beat pregnant women to miscarriage or throw children out into the wilderness like the Romans of old. Me and my bleeding heart spending crystals on something like this.

“No doubt. But when people are living on top of each other like sardines in a can, and the elites live in luxury and are untouchable, a child will suffer. The pillars provide a form of birth control, so the responsibility falls to the women and brothels.”

“Also, with the initial restoration we are giving people, women should be able to keep up the restorations if they desire to. Maybe push it as a health requirement of some sort. But again, we should have people affected by all of this have a say. One thing I know, is that if people don’t get a say at the table, then there will be trouble.”

Ken and Tyrese thought that over. “It could work. Still, people will realize if we make restorations mandatory,” Tyrese said.

“But we won’t be direct about it and can claim it is for health,” Ken said.

“If we were back on Earth, people would be rioting right now at all of this,” Tyrese said with a defeated tone.

“They are on the verge of rioting every day, it feels like. Still, I like the idea of setting up something longer term. Now what about the other two cities?” Ken asked. How to deal with them long term. Running Purgatory was troublesome enough.

“We need the dungeons. More skills equal more crystals from level 2 monsters,” Tyrese said.

“I agree. It will push Purgatory ahead and cripple our nearby competitors. For Truth, you can use the debt Ruth has to me as leverage and I am sure you have something as well. We can claim both dungeons for 100 days from them as victors in the war.”

“The people will love that for sure,” Ken said. Our people of course, not the people in the other cities.

“We will do the same to Neo Brasila. We can auction off the spots for an infusion of crystals as well. I say a five-way split would do. Each of you would get a fifth. I would get two fifths. And the city would get another fifth for upgrades.” Now was the time to rake in the benefits for my hard work.

There was a look of shock on Tyrese and Ken’s face. “You really want to profit like that? People will talk about it,” Ken finally said.

“Not if we say that we are donating a chunk of it for city upgrades, which is true. The final split will be between us three and we don’t have to talk about it. If we don’t do it like this, you will just steal money from elsewhere.” They both looked sheepish at that. “I am not an idiot. I can tell the greed in your eyes at the possibility of immortality.”

Honestly it was time to profit off all my efforts. To the victor go the spoils. The challenge had always been converting that to long term crystal gains without crippling how the city functioned and purchasing upgrades. Also, to make the income large enough to offset any problems, while having other people deal with all the headaches.

Now was the moment to strike. If this world was turning into a cultivator hell hole, then I needed to adapt that mentality and seize benefits where I could. These two men would be the glue to keep Purgatory functioning while I kept getting stronger. With this deal, there would be benefits to working with me, not just headaches. Mutual self-interest was what I was counting on.

“Four dungeons, ten times each, at an average of 125,000 points per dungeon, that is 4 million points. Call it 5 million after an auction,” Ken quickly worked out the math. He smiled at that and nodded at Tyrese.

“So, thoughts?” I asked.

“You really think immortality is possible?” Ken asked.

“You have seen people with various conditions use the store. Even genetic diseases, cancer, anything, and everything can be cured by a restoration. A person doesn’t need to eat or use the bathroom either right after from when they get a restoration.”

“But does it replenish cells? People still grow hair,” Ken pointed out.

“Cancer has been cured through restoration if what I have heard is true. With the timeframe and how the stats already impact me, less sleep, less need to eat, faster, stronger, it stands to reason that age is one the factors that is handled in some way,” I said.

“There will be a scramble once this is announced,” Tyrese said.

“Good, that is what we need. Good conditions here, good benefits, and a push for people to get stronger and work harder. Quality over quantity, the stronger the individual the more true this idea becomes.” The uncounted deaths of people left behind would not be mentioned.

“So, the plan then. I will draft up a constitution and budget for a convention on day 245 to day 249. I will round up people to give input on the draft version for when you get back. A public vote on the final version on day 250. Tyrese will begin restructuring the guards into a full-time police organization. We will work with Laura to auction off the dungeon spots and move in teams to enforce our control for the next 100 days. I think that covers our end, you?” Ken asked.

I nodded at everything he said. “Going to go on a very long grinding trip and exploration. My hope is to find a level 3 monster I can kill in large quantities, quickly. There is a lot of area I haven’t explored around Neo Brasilia, to the West, South, and East. There is a lot of swamplands around Truth, and the East is pretty explored out.”

“Good luck out there,” Ken said.

“Thank you. I guess we saved the best part for last. Purchasing, city upgrades,” I said.

“Indeed. We have had the half a million points for the Rod of Control for a while. In fact, we have just hit a reserve of 750 thousand points,” Tyrese said. Now that was good news. We had enough for my purchase as well, Monster Processing.