The more Annan thought about it, the more promising it seemed. A Golem costing 150 Gold Narls would only make one bang. Turn that money into Airships, and he could get at least ten bangs, maybe more.
It would leave the public with some doubts about Airship safety.
But it was like the Grand Lord next door dragging his feet on disaster relief: survive this wave, and everything would be fine. Fail, and no amount of planning would matter.
Martin would be the chief... deputy designer of the armed Airship project. Someone had to keep an eye on him, or he would run wild.
You could not count on Martin to get things done, but sometimes he really did surprise you—
Annan also checked in on Young Phoenix. He was trying to turn General Dunbelly's "lamp that shines when there's light and doesn't shine when there isn't" into a solar lamp that stored light by day and released it at night.
"Speaking of which, how are things going with Griffin?"
Dark Clouds of war hung over Middle Earth. Every region felt their effects, and Free City was no exception.
The first thing hit was the influx of Alchemists. With war looming, none came looking for opportunities anymore. Tourism, though, was largely unaffected. It even drew plenty of wealthy people looking to buy homes. Free City was a Floating City: if fighting broke out, it could flee first. If everyone else fled, it could still flee first.
The Blue Dragon that occasionally swept across the sky gave them an unmatched sense of security.
There were drawbacks. For all its bustling commerce, the city had no poor people or slums in plain sight—but it also had no Manors or grand estates to show off one's status. No amount of money could