SL: Chapter 737 – Day 6,139 – Expand Or Die

AN: Sorry for the delay. A family event went long on Sunday and I wasn't able to get back to my computer. When I finally did, I was exhausted. I don't write SL ahead, something I should probably change. Thank you for understanding.

***

“Welcome, Emperor Michael. I am Father John, be welcome in this city of Purgatory,” Father John said. I had finished turning in my points. While there were people set up to collect a tax, no one tried to stop me. I was glad the name stayed the same.

The fact that I had indicated as much last time showed that this Father John was taking things seriously. While he looked like an older man, I was probably older than him. With enough stats and regeneration age wasn’t a concern.

“Things seem much more organized. You have even upgraded the level of the city,” I replied. They had already upgraded the city to level 4. That was impressive in my mind, since it showed organization. While Father John had stats, the number of stats was less than someone who was sucking up all the points would have.

Then there was the fact that there was no trash, and the plaza was well organized. I noticed a few shops and other services being offered. There were people with carts. All of this brought back memories of my starting days in Purgatory.

“Of course. Your advice and the advice of Doctor Katz was quite useful. I would invite both of you to a meal. Some of our other leaders would like to join, if that is acceptable,” he replied.

“That is fine. Take the airship up above the plaza,” I told Young Michael who nodded and then shot up into the air.

“He seems quite capable,” Father John replied.

“He is. I will say I am impressed. No trash, no obvious signs of violence,” I replied while still looking around for anything out of place and Father John smiled.

“It wasn’t easy. But we have implemented a rotational system with our combat leaders and a set tax at ten percent to pay for upgrades and limited salaries,” he replied.

“Only ten percent, that is quite nice,” I replied. I would have set it to at least twenty percent, but it seemed people were paying with their service.

“It was the compromise everyone agreed on to make things work here and ensure things function smoothly. If we asked for more, there would be issues,” Father John said.

“Taxes are always a nightmare. No one wants to pay, since they put their lives on the line to earn those points and need them to get stronger, but you need points to keep the city stable,” I replied.

“Exactly. You understand the issue perfectly. The issue is that we are running into other cities nearby. Long term controlling zones are the most important thing to get more points. We are rapidly expanding into level 2 zones. Unfortunately, there have been some minor disagreements,” Father John said.

Young Michael landed back down on the ground next to me. “What exactly are you asking?”

“To visit the other cities nearby and invite them to a dialogue,” Father John said.

“A dialogue? Really?” I asked with a bit of surprise, and he nodded.

“That way we can set up boarders and other agreements.” He wasn’t naïve, but that hope would soon be crushed under the unrelenting brutality of this place.

“And you want me to be there to threaten them?”

“It would be useful,” he replied. I couldn’t help but slightly smile at that. He wasn’t lying about his motivations. That was a good sign he wasn’t trying to scheme against me. Or his schemes were obvious. Trying to openly convince me might make me annoyed, doing anything underhanded would see him killed off. It was good that he understood that.

“For a man of god, you are quite ruthless.”

“I find having a stiff spine helps. One cannot bend at the slightest breeze. Your presence would reduce the escalation of hostilities,” Father John said. He gestured towards the edge of the plaza and I nodded. He began walking slowly. I followed next to him with Young Michael listening in from behind.

“I am not cleaning up messes and what benefit is there for me to intervene?” I asked.

“One million points,” he offered. I shook my head at that. While that might seem like a lot for these people, for me that much was a joke.

“We are operating on completely different scales. A million points might seem like a lot to you, but for me, it doesn’t matter in the slightest. Here,” I said and reached into my pocket. I kept a couple point crystals on hand to give out when visiting cities. Perfect for making a point about points. I handed over a level 8 point crystal. He took it from me looking at its size. “A level 8 point crystal. That is worth 3,024,000 points. While I appreciate the gesture, taxes no longer hold that much interest for me. Now if you were offering a trillion points, that would be another matter.”

With a trillion points I could get a portable store. That represented a much greater investment of time and effort, even for me. I could see the respect he was giving me, but he truly hadn’t grasped the mathematical implications of this place to their full extent. That was the problem with a civilian leader. Their mind was filled with social issues instead of killing and math.

“I see, my apologies,” he said and made to hand back the point crystal.

“Keep it and there is no need to apologize. But I am showing up here, more out of curiosity, rather than intent. Spending time getting people togeather and hashing out an agreement is a headache. Still, I can respect the desire for peace. You can ask me to intervene once,” I said.

Since he had shown an ability to manage this place well, I would give him a small bit of assistance. Having a strong backer in one’s corner would give him peace of mind if encountering an unbeatable existence from his perspective. Instead of being a manipulative asshole like the Astrologer, I was going to take a much longer and more pragmatic view of things.

I had been thinking about how to handle the long term situation of the Systemic Lands for a while. The problem was, I was too strong and the people weren’t organized enough. It was like an alien ship showing up in humanities past, like during the feudal age. There was no one I could have a real discussion with about a deal.

Even the British Empire at its heyday would have been a joke for aliens. That was the same situation I faced at the moment. That was why I was taking a hands-off approach. I didn’t want to be drawn into petty drama. Letting him know about my existence, offering limited help, and showing up occasionally would make any future discussions much easier.

It was about investing the least amount of time for the greatest impact. That was where my offer of intervening came from. I would show up occasionally, and if I was asked to intervene, I would quickly settle the issue with an overwhelming display of force.

“Intervene, what do you mean?” he asked.

“That means wiping out a city or a group. Consider it a stick you can use to threaten people with or an ace to keep in your back pocket. But asking me to intervene is like deploying a nuclear missile. A nuclear missile you can use once to solve a problem that cannot be solved otherwise. I am not going to hand hold you, but you are reasonable and seem to run things well enough,” I replied.

“I see. Then I will thank you for the offer. I will try to avoid asking you for help if I can,” he said. Father John understood that my offer was much better as a threat than actually using it. That showed he had intelligence and ability to manage the situation of this city and the other cities nearby.

He also realized that asking for my help would indebt him to me. In the future, when we discussed another agreement, how that would be shaped would depend on if he asked me for my help. If he didn’t then the benefits I would get would be much less. While tax income didn’t interest me, income was income. If I could casually collect points without having to do much work, then I would do so.

“Really, offering to help?” Young Michael asked me.

“There are regional considerations to worry about. We don’t need another Divine Empress from those cities pulling from China. It is better that Purgatory take a leading role in dominating other cities.” Another factor in my decision was to prevent another Divine Empress or some other nonsense like that. By staying in touch and developing a good relationship with this Father John, I could nip problems in the bud before they became actual threats.

“But you killed the Divine Empress previously,” Young Michael pointed out. Ah to be young and ignorant again. Young Michael wasn’t an idiot, but he lacked long term perspective. He had only seen my government previously, not my new strategy that I was implementing right now. He was viewing things through the lens of power, not time.

“But she did a lot of damage before that. My promise of protection is insurance that no one will target Father John lightly. This will allow Purgatory to expand outwards, dominating other cities,” I replied.

“Ah, but a demonstration would be useful,” he said.

“I am not some show pony. If people don’t understand what that point crystal means, then they are idiots. That is how you can separate people with actual wisdom from those who are clearly lacking even the most basic mathematical ability. You can show off that point crystal to make a point. And your own people will see me. I am not about to hold your hand. If you want my absolute protection, then I will have to take a very heavy hand in the tax rate and the government. I don’t think you want that,” I replied.

“That would create more tension. We are here, please, make yourself comfortable. Food will be brought out shortly and guests will soon arrive. Give me a moment to make sure everything is in place,” he said. I nodded at this and Father John left us in a building that was richly decorated. Clearly designed as a large meeting room or a large dining area, perhaps both.

“You think this is a trap?” Young Michael asked me.

“Doubtful. I haven’t had to melt anyone. While I am offering my presence to help them out, I am also not threatening them either,” I replied.

“Well, this will probably be boring then,” Young Michael said.

“You need to think long term. While these people are weak, preventing another Divine Empress, and being known are useful. That is why we are stopping in Purgatory, not another city. A small investment in the future,” I explained.

“Well, we are restocked, both in food, water, and clothing. Good for another 120 days of grinding. Are we staying the night?” Young Michael asked.

“Just the meal. Then we are going to see Clarissa and then back to grinding. Getting too involved here will just drag us down into a quagmire of headaches and drama,” I replied. It was necessary for the combat leaders of this place to meet me and understand things.

“Hopefully Michelle is better,” Young Michael said.

“We will see. I am not holding my breath,” I replied. This place had a way of kicking you when you were down. Every step forward was an immense struggle. Still, I was in a good mood. The tower grinding plan would speed up my grinding rate, putting me further ahead.

A portable store didn’t seem like that distant of a possibility. Still, I was hoping Clarissa would convince someone to waste a meta-point, so I didn’t have to spend my points buying one.