None of the Royals or the Merchant Guild members had any objections to that. If Dominic was willing to employ the labour to keep the whole process running, he took on the risk that men would need to be paid during slow times, and the responsibility for ensuring that there were enough necessities for them.

Wistover wasn’t in a food shortage, but after the war, most of Cygnia was. Axbridge was as well, but that was a more or less permanent state, as the nation was founded in a desert.

"How is Wistover for medical supplies? Dock work often leads to injuries." Rill, the Merchant Guild representative, asked.

"Pretty good. We’re a bit short on wool for bandages, but we’ve got a few locals weaving linen cloth and that is a start. We’ve also got a Witch Coven making medicine. It’s more than enough for now.

I know that we’ve got orders for a number of additional weaving looms, as there is a lot of flax growing here. Linen clothes from the local tailors just might become a local specialty." Dominic replied, his tone joking.

Linen cloth was among the cheapest to purchase, especially in Cygnia. It was far from a premium product, but having an abundance of it meant that it would be more affordable for the local farmers and workers to make new clothes, and they wouldn’t look quite as ragged and patched as usual.

Not a huge deal, but important for their dignity.

"That’s a good start. You’ve got plenty of everything, it seems. Or, you will once we finally get all those glass canning jars you requested. Seriously, were none of them recoverable from the old houses?" Rill asked.

Dominic laughed. "Oh, they recovered the ones from the old houses. But times have changed, you see. They’re more interested in never having less than a year’s supply of food than in fresh produce.

The gardens will give them some fresh food constantly, but with so many coming from hard times, the local store said that nearly every farm house requested four hundred more jars and lids, enough for a whole year of soup."

Rill smiled. "Soup people, I get it. His Highness Fahad must be loving it here."

The Axbridge Prince laughed. "Indeed, the kitchens here at Wistover Manor make the most wonderful soup. I would say just like mother used to make, but I don’t recall my mother ever cooking."

The Royals chuckled at his admission. He was not lying. The Queen of Axbridge was the eldest daughter of a King before she became a Queen by marriage, so she had never set foot in a kitchen other than to give orders to the staff.

"In that case, you can say that it’s just like my mother used to make, as many of the farm houses have copies of the cookbooks that she wrote. They were left here, and the new residents started using them, as they were all based around ingredients that are available in this region." Dominic joked.

Prince George shook his head in dismay. "How did we get on the topic of soup? I think it’s a bit more important to consider whether our esteemed negotiators are going to accept this deal without caveats, and whether it is actually practical to make Wistover such an important trading post before the conflict in Dagos ends.

We have an entire army here now, but we can’t remain here indefinitely."

Fahad nodded. "You have a point, old man. We need to come to an agreement on the Dagos Rebels soon. They’ve become a real threat, and we now have evidence that they were moving monsters between all three of our nations to use in their war.

That should be enough to convince the Kings to act. Once the negotiators finish drafting their final analysis of the battle, that is."

Dominic tapped the table to get his attention. "They still aren’t done? I was gone for two days, so I assumed that they had at least finished their messages to the Kings already."

Fahad laughed, then rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the situation. "Oh, they sent messages. Then more messages. Now, they’re working on the final official version of the announcement that will be presented to the public.

Nothing happens quickly when they are forced to work together because they never agree on the wording. That doesn’t need our input, though. Just leave them to it, and we can move on to the next plan.

And that is getting cheap and abundant magitech goods into the houses of the capitals.

You have no idea how much I am going to celebrate the day that charcoal burning in the city is limited only to dishes that actually need to be cooked over charcoal."

"My guess is about eighty percent as intensely as I will celebrate the day that they stop using coal boilers in steam carriages and trucks. The city air is absolutely horrible." Dominic agreed.

The Prince laughed and shook his head. "Keep dreaming. Replacing all those boilers is never going to happen. We’ve still got far too many people who couldn’t charge a magitech boiler on their own. It’s not just about skill, either. The boilers on the trucks take a lot of mana, so just activating them isn’t enough."

Dominic nodded. "One day, I might find a way around that. Just wait, we will find a way."

They did have a magitech orb that collected and distributed mana already. But the amount that a magitech boiler, or even a magitech fireplace, used was beyond what the orb could constantly provide, unless it was made with a high-level mana crystal, which was prohibitively expensive for most people.

But a man could dream. One day, they would manage to convert everything to magitech.

Crown Prince Claudius tapped his chin as he considered something, then smiled. "You know, I think that we could pitch this as a quality of life improvement project. Cheaper trade of magitech goods makes them more affordable, reduces reliance on coal for heat and propulsion, and helps clear the air in the city.

If we can reduce the coal smog, the lower districts might not be so insufferable to travel through.

Just standing around in them for a few hours makes it hard to breathe right now."

Fahad frowned. "Cygnia City isn’t the only one with the issue. Illness of the lungs is becoming increasingly common in every city these days. It’s got to be from the coal, but you know how it is. The doctors and witches will blame anything if it absolves them from guilt for an early death."