After forty-two laps, I was beyond exhausted, my large body drenched in sweat, my left arm on fire. Every time a citizen came through they stopped in complete astonishment, sometimes gathering in groups to stare, until a frown sent them scurrying about their work. I lived for the nod of approval from Carradock each time I arrived back at the gate against which he leaned, often in conversation with other soldiers. Also, for the thought of a long, long warm bath.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5lG93c1Wt
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A castle servant, the one from breakfast, was ahead of me, twisting her apron in her hands and looking everywhere but into my face.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMBnVeQiyQ
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7SIXitTCk
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'Chef–' she flung her hand out in a gesture towards the keep, where a short man in what looked like a grey baker's outfit '–wants to know what to prepare for dinner.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1IfuIYbKT
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'Dear lord.' I came to a stop, worried my aching legs would not want to resume. 'It's not important. But keep it simple.' My predecessor had obviously enjoyed eating extensive meals with several courses. 'Just a couple of slices of roast meat and …' What would an athlete eat? Food with plenty of protein and vitamins. 'Wait. Grilled fish. Nuts. Fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and carrot, that don't need much, if any, cooking.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROkza9szjR
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YkgoaKZBa
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'Ahh…'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29PCZQha9v
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'What?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPQ9q8PqXl
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'Chef won't be pleased.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlSoqFnlCx
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I stared at her. 'Hands up if you are king.' I put my own hand up. 'That puts me in charge.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBvummBiOz
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Once she had turned away, alarmed, I returned my focus back into my final few laps. Although it was distracting I when I turned a corner and was facing the keep: there I could see the chef remonstrating with the servant. He kept looking over at me, as though in appeal, but I wasn't having any of it and focused on moving one leg, then the next, and on keeping hold of that enormously heavy sword.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJ3qBopDlS
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I wasn't allowed to settle into my rhythm again though, for with a clatter of metal-hooves on cobblestone, a small group of riders came into the barracks yard. Some were soldiers of mine but one was carrying a green pennant (deep green, with a golden wolf's head) and dressed in expensive-looking clothes.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUEwBU9C9g
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'King Carlos?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKOBpFYo3F
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhvQZ8hglt
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLWTKKz3Ml
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'Yes?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QZXFdp8DO
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My impression that this was a man who was attentive to his looks was reinforced as he dismounted and made his bow. No one had a beard as neat his without some effort.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0iDlD7j3I
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'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRSOVuzoNQ
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'Pleased to meet you.' My politeness was automatic. I felt no warmth towards this man. Quite apart from the fact his rich, fur-lined cloak and black, oiled hair alienated me, this was the enemy.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtraw4LOquQ
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenTeY6kZnw
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbbcBpEp4R
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I shook my head. 'There's nothing you can say that I would hide from my people. Why are you here?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKuUhsOhq4
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR9FXu3VYT
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn97RVYzsVk
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Supressing a smile, the ambassador from Southland shrugged, as if to pass off any blame. 'King Wace, in his generosity, offers to make Greyland a dependency of Southway. You,' he gestured to everyone, 'are spared conquest. And you personally, sire, will be given a comfortable retirement, dining on the finest food of our realm in the company of delightful personal companionship, in return for implementing the decisions of his highness on your interface.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweo4CRvjR1
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A silence fell over the square and even the crows stilled their caws, as if to listen to my answer. I let my heart and breath settle.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33VZa0WQrK
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'Firstly, we are not conquered yet. Secondly, we all know what it would mean for our kingdom to be run by an invader…' I raised my voice for all to hear. 'People dragged off to work wherever your ruler wanted; our soldiers used up in his battles to spare his own troops; our wealth drained into your coffers; starvation and ruin here.' I knew what I was talking about, it's what I intended to do to them.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b3Eq6sKLW
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrYodLIr8I
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'Good. If we see you again, you'll be executed as a spy. Greyland will never surrender and you can tell King Wace that unless he withdraws from our territory, it is he who will suffer conquest.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0O49T5tLt
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'I'll tell him of your empty threat and he will laugh. And he will remind you of it when you are in chains at his feet.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQqEHawnqb
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'That is disrespectful.' I was furious and at least a part my anger was drawn from the uncomfortable feeling, fear even, that he was going to be proven right. I walked over to him, using my height and bulk to lean down and snarl. 'Vincit qui patitur, he who endures conquers. And Greyland will endure.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufCjOVAFib
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Perhaps he saw the determination in my eyes. Perhaps he understood how close I was to striking him with the sword in my left hand, which no longer felt heavy. In any case, the ambassador's head dropped and he stepped back, then turned away to find his horse and remount.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIUtk9zNNV
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0AEXs7mL6
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'Yes sir.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzL6Op7LQM
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'Right, then everyone, back to work. We're going to have to work extremely hard, myself included, to endure and escape conquest.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFj0ooDULCY
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Muttering broke out among the people and it was hard to judge the tone. Certainly, it was not the cheering enthusiasm of a people rallying to their king. But among the soldiers especially there were several faces that looked brighter and more supportive than they had.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71mcHoM8Pc
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlHvUEWa2n
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'Forty-three sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalIHAfxSJu
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'Damn pedant.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7XGoOqqeK
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The last few laps were painful. It did help, however, that I could study the town menus and take my mind from the constant complaints of my body. That gave me one measure of the effect of my responses to the ambassador from Southway, which was that the score for Happiness under the people menu had risen from 14 to 16. At least it hadn't gone down, so on the whole, they seemed to approve of resistance rather than surrender.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS6y62QLjG
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4mm3q35Qy
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Military382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBsJeaRF6F
Light infantry: 32382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeaXx1pQKN
Heavy infantry: 12382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt48BK0pWg
Archers: 18382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGML8oPwAw
Light cavalry: 24382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI53T3Tyd7j
Heavy cavalry: 4382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1JyTpcQ9x
Ballista: 1382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWCr9DH23C
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Hospital: 17382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIBMnIofZR
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4PvGgeU8Q
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLni0wQNRKb
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QAeqaj4gm
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Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
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Why was I training heavy cavalry? They were costly in terms of iron and tactically useless. We would be holding defensive positions for the foreseeable future and while I hoped the day would come when I rode at the head of a line of formidable heavy cavalry, that was a long way off. Although it meant losing whatever raw materials my predecessor had invested in the project, I cancelled the heavy cavalry from the training queue and instead added fifteen archers to it, at a cost of 10 iron ingots and 15 gold and 15 of the unassigned townspeople.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPKVnxjMVO
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That left me 12 unassigned townspeople to think about. Before setting them to various tasks, I needed to know about building a trading vessel. When I tried to call up information about ships, I got a frustrating message.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aGbaEZsrD
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Shipbuilding382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzPY1lUzpI
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Unknown.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMdY2jkbz1
Create a Shipwright to unlock this option.
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'Hey, you!' I called out to a skinny youth, who was hanging around near the steps of the keep watching me with earnest eyes as though I was last man in for a cricket team that was over a hundred runs behind. And I couldn't tell if he wanted me to fail or succeed.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsU6w8kJ0yH
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'Sire?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKo5abeKHp
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyH7q9KWHx
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTinR4Fd4ek
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I was on lap forty-six when the carpenter arrived, he was a bald, confident looking man, with intelligent brown eyes.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl89x2m0njn
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eDB95RJ1j
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'Sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjANtTLNG9E
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm148aCkwst
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzhwYgT3eb
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVOpvQ84sD
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The man looked at me, surprised, then down at the ground. 'As you know, sire, I only have access to a limited menu in order that I can view my tasks... I couldn't be sure about research, but Shipbuilding does sound like it will make the role of Shipbuilder available to you.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEHkijFYk7
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPkdg3gtAu
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'If it becomes an option sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWF68z8CAt
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'Would you like to do it?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W2J6yJ77m
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuQjg2ACc5
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'Yes,' I said, a little impatiently. 'I know that. But I'd rather people enjoyed their work than hated it.' This wasn't just coming from my innate sense of politeness, it was practical too. I wanted that town happiness score to rise and surely by assigning the right people to the right jobs, at least when it came to specialist roles, that was going to help?382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqlmWsRPJa
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We walked the entire length of the barracks square and turned back towards Carradock before the carpenter answered. 'I think I would like that sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQP5dec6vx
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'Right so, find someone in your workshop who wants to be the Chief Carpenter and I'll make you Shipbuilder in…' I checked the research menu, dropped Navigation (there was no penalty, but I risked having to restart it again from the beginning), as it still had five days to go, and swapped to Shipbuilding 1, 'four days.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKEHsXlmBB
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'Thank you sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9oGTVmy4U
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'Now tell me this. I see a lot of people in the town. But not very many on the menus. Why is that?'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMUF6Sts4x
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Again, the carpenter looked astonished. Then a little wary, as if I'd set a trap. 'People want to join the menu, sire, to serve the goddess... and you. But it's limited, isn't it? They can't get on unless you've been able to make room.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vYPa67rDS
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That wasn't an answer that clarified very much, but I gave him a grunt to signal he could go back to work. It was as much as I could manage. As for the twelve unassigned people in the town, I decided to leave them for now. Soon I'd want shipbuilders and sailors.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVCkxBvotu
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Forty-seven.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXCWujNuTc
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Forty-eight.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwveBFgfix
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Forty-nine.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFUm7aNje4
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Fifty.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIgXgr3oQA
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'That's me done for the day.' I spoke to Carradock with as much nonchalance as I could muster. As if I could do another fifty, although every muscle was groaning.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjfW6HC8vc
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'Well done Sire.'382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzQToI6dB6
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
然後按「加至主畫面」