Mark of the Witch

6

^^ Paladin: Gregarious Octavius ^^

Surge City was around five times the size of the Starter City in sheer land mass, with the hill being covered in an unbroken sea of houses and bustling streets and bridges and businesses rising up above each other, competing like a rainforest for the best canopy position for sunlight and water. The harbor was equally busy, with ships going to and fro like water striders, but ignoring one of the three docks, the biggest one, right in the middle. 'There we go, easy enough to find.' I smiled and directed my horse to that pier, avoiding the pedestrians in the road with a careful bit of maneuvering, finally finding myself at a nicely constructed building that covered the end of the Pier, not allowing any traffic in or out without processing. There was a full hitching post and several troughs of clean water on the outside, thankfully, so I tied the horse to the post, removing his bridle and saddle and giving him a proper rub-down and brushing as a thanks for his dutiful trotting, the past five days. "You're the sweetest, most docile horse I've ever had, and I think I'll keep you! I haven't named you yet, but I think you'll like 'Rex'; King of Horses, the most gallant of steeds!"

The horse responded by blowing air in my face and lipping my pockets for apple bits and sugar cubes, which I promptly supplied. "Yes, indeed... I'll see you in a bit, Rex, you just relax and enjoy some cold water!" Being a horse, he didn't care about me leaving, immediately going to the water trough once he realized I wouldn't be giving him treats anymore, though one of his ears did flick towards me when I filled one of the empty troughs with some oats and grain from my inventory before stepping through the wide-open giant warehouse doors.

'Faction Leader: Tabitha Bambini has Claimed a Level Three Faction Port in Surge City; Faction Name: Wanderer's Guild, Speciality: Cartography.

'Upgradable structure recognized: Would you like to upgrade to Level Six?'

"I would, yes."

'Level Four, Five, and Six Options are being recognized...
Choose One: Dock Crane, Extended Dock, Experienced Dock Crew, Expanded Warehouse.
Choose One: Expert Dock Crew, Careful Crane, Reinforced Dock, Climate-Controlled Warehouse.
Choose One: Anti-Gravity Crane, Masterful Dock Crew Trainer, Anti-Flame Dock Enchantments, Preservation-Enchanted Warehouse.'

"I'll take it all, thanks, and I'll restructure as well." I smiled and immediately reworked the schematics to be more structurally sound, including a small hidden dock underneath the main dock, which would be accessible only at low tide and open into the sewers. Large wooden links were to be placed in loose bundles and tied carefully together, then placed all along the edge of the pier like boat tenders to prevent the ships from bumping the dock accidentally and damaging themselves. At several points along the pier, there would be powerful pumps powered by the water mills hidden beneath the pier, which would act as fire prevention for as far away as a thousand feet, if angled properly. I was sure the city had fire prevention methods, but the ships in the harbor perhaps didn't, so this was a good method to handle that before it began. Considering the plans also included a second warehouse just behind the pier and to the left, I included that in the upgrades as well, extending the enchantments from the pier to my second warehouse, as well as better fortifying it and adding a small living area and garden on the roof, for use by whomever was the Dock-Master that I appointed. To that end, the office on the actual dock, above the main warehouse, was also upgraded, with several cubicles and offices added to the sides to handle paperwork and calculations and double-check each other's work for discrepancies before delivering it to the Dock-Master, and a very efficient filing system was implemented, disallowing even a single shred of paper to fall through the cracks.

'New Blueprint Registered...
Higher-Level Structure Registered: Water Mill x 10, Hidden Dock, Fence's Outpost, Fire Prevention Pump x 10, Contract Review Board, Import Review Board, Export Review Board, Profit/Expenses Review Board, Human Resources Review Board, Review Boards' Oversight Committee, Analytical Data Management Center, Analytical Data Management Center Review Board, Analytical Data Management Center Review Board Oversight Committee, Customs Review Board, Forensic Data Analysis Board, Forensic Data Analysis Review Board, Forensic Data Analysis Review Board Oversight Committee, Forensic Accounting, Forensic Accounting Review Board, Forensic Accounting Review Board Oversight Committee, Faction Finances Review Board, Faction Finances Review Board Oversight Committee.
Structure Bonuses Halved due to Level Deficiency.
Required Level: Level Seven (County).
Current Level: Level Six (Barony).
Multiple Iteration Upgrades Registered: Dock Upgrade, Crew Upgrade, Crane Upgrade, Warehouse Upgrade.
Merging...
Upgrades Merged!
Anti-Gravity Crane+, Masterful Dock Crew Trainer+, Anti-Flame Dock Enchantments+, Preservation-Enchanted Warehouse+!
Effects of these Upgrades will be Doubled until next Upgrade!
Multiple Iteration Upgrades  Registered: Forensic Accounting, Oversight, and Review of Faction Finances and Contracts.
Merging...
Upgrades Merged!
Faction Finance Board+++, Forensic Accounting Board+++, Oversight Board+++, Corruption Investigation and Prosecution Board+++!
Effects of these Upgrades will be Quintupled until made obsolete by the Development of a superiorly Bureaucratic Society!!!
Required Materials: 8,000 Gold, 2 Weeks. No Income can be Gathered during Reconstruction.'