Inside the Magic Matrix, Redbird was venting to Landen. As the administrative center of the territory and Landen's wife, she looked down on the selfish motives of the great families, small families, and commoners alike.
"Good grief, your powers of observation just keep getting sharper," Landen said, laughing helplessly at Redbird's assessment.
Ever since her Bloodline had awakened, the girl had been a Retainer of the Fairy Queen. In less than a year, she had reached High-Rank, and even shared the divine offices of the Magic Furnace and the Magic Web with Landen. Naturally, she had little regard for petty gains.
"They're just showing their human nature. That's why I want to give them land and let them develop the Magic Plant and magical beast industries. These capital-intensive industries will tie them to the territory."
"Mm, you have a point. Wanting to secure more Magic Plants for the territory is much better than wanting to sell Magic Furnace bonds," Redbird admitted. "But we can't just let them carry on like this. We still need to assign tax officials or inspectors to keep an eye on them."
"We still have far too few officials. Right now, all we can do is rely on you to keep overall control through the flow of funds and goods." Whenever this came up, Landen felt he had too few people at his disposal. "I'm afraid sending Wufi with a group of children won't be much help, either."
Landen and Redbird didn't get to talk for long. Just after dusk, Jenny Gallop came by again. This time, she wasn't alone: Katarina was with her, along with Tagwa Scorch Wolf of the Scorch Wolf Clan and Senior Priest Rudolf Schultz of the Temple of Wealth.
The unlikely combination left Landen puzzled, but when he actually saw them,