Production and construction

What was money? Money was runes.

What were runes? Runes were fragments of the Elden Ring.

What were those fragments? Those fragments were power.

What was power? Power was the right to become a king!

So here in the Lands Between, as long as you had enough money, you were king.

Forget capitalism invading a fantasy Middle Ages. This place was as brutally realistic as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

But the Lands Between had one advantage over those cities: its leaders were dead, mad, missing, or exiled. Nobody came up with endless excuses to tax you, and there was none of that bullshit where a single official document could forcibly confiscate billions in assets.

Everyone earned their living by their own abilities. The incapable starved, while the capable made money. It was a little cruel, but a savage sort of fairness ran through it. It was like the Middle Ages during the Black Death: commoners died, and the powerful died too, but there were far more commoners than powerful people. Once most of those unproductive, extravagant, debauched, child-loving troublemakers at the top had disappeared, the commoners were freed from their mental shackles. Then came the Renaissance.

As Kenneth Haight had said, some things were more useful dead than alive.

Tarnished did not know why Goddess Marika had shattered the Elden Ring. But without that shattering, beasts of burden would remain beasts of burden, and their children would be beasts of burden too. Shattering the Ring might put those beasts of burden out of work, but it also gave them the same opportunities to start a business as the big shots in Leyndell.

So had Marika's shattering of the Ring been good or bad?

Tarnished was no scholar. He could not judge, and could not be bothered to. The world had already turned into this shitshow, and good or bad, he still had to find a way to survive. At least from their current position, the shattering had done the New Stormveil Regime more good than harm.

Take Tarnished's plan to establish farming and livestock production bases in Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. Forget whether it counted as rebellion. Had he paid his taxes? Had Leyndell approved it? Had the gods granted permission? Had the relevant Erdtree authorities inspected it? Had it received the Golden Order's stamp of compliance? Any one of those questions could cause trouble. Fail even one requirement, and every lord in the realm would unite to crush him.

Tyranny was fiercer than a tiger. That held true across every age and country.

You could not plant golden sunflowers here or graze livestock there, because doing so would damage the soil and water and affect the growth of the Minor Erdtrees. But as long as you paid enough in "environmental restoration fees" and promised to pay your taxes on time every month, the big shots in Leyndell would issue you a stamped permit. Then your planting and grazing would be allowed.

What, so without a permit you damaged the environment, but with one you didn't?

Was that shitty scrap of paper some kind of miracle fertilizer?

The specifics might have been different, but that was the gist of it. Tarnished did not know whether the rules and regulations were any good, but the people who made and enforced them were definitely...

By shattering the Ring, Marika had effectively crippled that tiger. People could no longer enjoy the protection of the golden dynasty, but they had also escaped its restraints.

Now Tarnished did not have to contend with all those restrictions to establish his farming and livestock production bases. He only needed to solve one problem: clearing out the monsters roaming those two regions.

After finally securing such a vast territory, he could hardly leave it sitting idle. So Tarnished held a small meeting with Edgar, Kenneth Haight, and Rogier to draw up a development plan for the next five years.

The plan's guiding principle was "solid foundations and comprehensive development." It called for consolidating their existing achievements in every area while pursuing further breakthroughs, with particular emphasis on building a more civilized society and improving living standards. While rapidly developing the economy, they would also strengthen their existing national defenses and military forces, achieving simultaneous economic and military progress in both Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. They would tackle both fronts, and neither could be allowed to falter.

The meeting concluded successfully amid enthusiastic discussion. Its grand vision inspired everyone to strive ahead and showed the bewildered populace the way forward.

The Demi-Human Queen said, "Huh? Huh? Huh? What was any of that supposed to mean?"

Tarnished coughed. "Simply put, we're going to raise more cattle and sheep, along with other livestock. Get ready."

"Oh." The Demi-Human Queen scratched her head. "I'd have understood if you'd just said that in the first place. You're so stupid, Tarnished. You can't even talk properly."

Tarnished: "..."

And so the plan was rolled out. To make money... to become Elden Lord, Tarnished began establishing the first farming and livestock production base in the Lands Between, spanning Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. He drew a circle on the map, setting aside larger, more extensive areas for crops and livestock. To speed up travel and freight transport, he would also rebuild the roads on a massive scale.

Skilled workers were precious assets. This could stop, that could stop, but production could never stop! Under these circumstances, a minor task like roadbuilding was handed over to Edgar and the army under his command.

And so the people of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula witnessed an astonishing sight. Those armored soldiers were no longer committing atrocities. Instead, they were dutifully hauling stones and laying roads!

The sight was simply unbelievable. Had Goddess Marika performed another miracle? How else could there possibly be an army that built roads and bridges for the people?

While people were still discussing this, Stormveil issued a recruitment notice.

Yes, a notice recruiting workers, not soldiers. In fact, Stormveil had never used anything as civilized as a notice to recruit soldiers. Godrick had always simply rounded people up.

Curious, people asked what the recruitment notice said. What they learned gave them quite a shock.

Stormveil's new ruler was actually going to rebuild the Church of Marika. There was no limit on numbers, race, gender, or age. Even if you had no skills at all, a little strength was enough, as long as you could help carry stones or pull carts. Most importantly, food and lodging were included!

"Gasp!"

Everyone sucked in a breath. They were all devout believers in Goddess Marika. Now that her church was being rebuilt, they simply had to go and lend a hand!

Just like that, Stormveil quickly acquired a large workforce, and Tarnished honored his promise by providing them with food and shelter.

People struggling to survive had never asked for much. Simple rice porridge and crude shacks soon won them over, turning them into loyal supporters of Stormveil Castle. As the reconstruction of the Church of Marika neared completion, they began to worry, afraid that the stable lives they had finally found would slip away again. But Stormveil issued another recruitment notice, announcing that people could enter long-term employment agreements with Stormveil on an equal and voluntary basis. The agreements required workers to follow Stormveil's work assignments. In return, Stormveil would not only continue providing food and shelter, but also offer basic medical care.

Medical care? Were their worthless lives really worthy of that?

After repeatedly confirming that medical services truly were included, the crowd erupted. Everyone chose to stay. Not a single person left, and they even brought in plenty of relatives and friends.

This unprecedented mobilization spread as swiftly as if it had grown wings, sweeping across all of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. By the end, not only humans and the more common races had joined the Stormveil regime. Even the rare Stonedigger Trolls had come aboard.

These enormous fellows possessed enormous strength. The body grafted onto Godrick had belonged to a Stonedigger Troll. Despite their size, they were relatively gentle by nature. Though they were mostly used as weapons of war, many of them longed for peaceful, stable lives.

Tarnished's position was simple: those who wanted to be soldiers could become soldiers, and those who wanted to be workers could become workers. It was entirely voluntary.

And so everyone witnessed another remarkable sight. Edgar and Kenneth, the two great figures in charge of military and civil affairs, personally approached the Stonedigger Trolls to recruit them, each hoping to bring them into his own department.

The Stonedigger Trolls were stunned as well. They had always been cannon fodder and test subjects, and even their mutilated bodies had drawn contempt. Since when had they been worth fighting over?

After the surprise came satisfaction.

Everyone yearned for recognition, and even the dull-witted Trolls were no exception. Most importantly, here they experienced respect they had not felt in a long time.

It was not just the Trolls. The other humans and nonhuman races felt the same. Here, they were treated equally and kindly. At work, they were fellow workers who needed to support one another. Outside work, they were neighbors who needed to help one another too.

Discriminating against others brought no benefits. Cooperation, on the other hand, made everyone's lives more comfortable.

Under these circumstances, differences in faith ceased to matter. Whatever god you worshipped, once you were done praying, everyone went to the worksite together and ate together in the canteen.

Stormveil's inclusiveness was the best binding agent, allowing different races to quickly come together and flourish with fresh vitality.

Mr. Kenneth ultimately won the contest for the Trolls. General Edgar persuaded only twelve Trolls to join the army, and he was so furious that he chased Mr. Kenneth around, trying to hit him. Everyone watched and laughed before finally separating them.

Mr. Kenneth left in triumph, while General Edgar departed in a rage. Everyone exchanged knowing smiles and returned to work. Though none of them said it aloud, they had already made up their minds: if anyone attacked Stormveil, even those who had not joined the army would take up their sickles and hammers as weapons to defend their home together!

Tarnished knew nothing of this. To ensure production proceeded smoothly, he was scouring Limgrave with two Crucible Knights, eliminating every kind of threat.

The Night's Cavalry? Leyndell's spies. Beat them up and drive them out!

Flying Dragon Agheel, dwelling in Agheel Lake? Since the dragon breathed fire, they captured it as a biological energy source. It was excellent for heating water!

The Deathbird wandering around at night? Ha! Tarnished golden sunflowers were Stormveil Castle's flagship product. This was a perfect match for their expertise. A barrage of holy water pots blasted the bird to smithereens!

With two Crucible Knights powerful enough to take on anything under heaven, Tarnished could do whatever he pleased throughout Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. The three of them laughed and slaughtered their way through everything. It hardly mattered who did the laughing and who did the slaughtering; all the roaming "monsters" were swept clean. Even the wolf packs fell victim, with more than three hundred wolves captured and brought back. Tarnished's plan was to tame those that could be tamed and serve the rest as extra meals. There were simply too many of the creatures. They had become a plague.

Once the surface had been cleared, Tarnished turned his attention to the caves and underground chambers, sweeping through Groveside Cave, Highroad Cave, Coastal Cave, and Murkwater Cave.

Groveside Cave was occupied by a Beastman from Crumbling Farum Azula. Tarnished wanted to try communicating, but unfortunately, they did not share a language, and the other fellow was in a state of panic. The Beastman charged at them with a huge cleaver, baring his teeth, only for the two Crucible Knights to finely mince him. Communication failed.

Highroad Cave had become a beasts' nest, with at least ten thousand wolves and bats inside. In its deepest reaches stood a golem that had gone out of control. Tarnished would have liked to claim it for himself, but he had absolutely no idea how to haul something weighing hundreds of tons up from underground. In the end, he could only steel himself and dismantle the big fellow for spare parts.

Coastal Cave was simple. A group of Demi-Humans occupied the place, and the moment Tarnished mentioned Mako's name, they submitted. Here he saw Boc, his Demi-Human tailor, but did not approach him to renew their acquaintance. The current Boc did not know him, and a Demi-Human ought to stay with his own people. Although Boc had been bullied and driven out the last time, Tarnished believed that under Stormveil's progressive system, such a thing would never happen again. Boc would have a fulfilling life as well.

Here, Tarnished also encountered another familiar face: "Old Knight" Istvan. He was a veteran Tarnished of the previous Roundtable Hold, with extensive experience but only middling strength. Knowing his own limits, he had not pursued the Great Runes, choosing instead to travel Limgrave, righting wrongs and helping the weak. In the past, Tarnished had only defeated the Demi-Human band occupying this place thanks to this good man's help. Now that they had met again, he warmly invited Istvan to join Stormveil, but Istvan declined, saying he had grown accustomed to a life of freedom.

It was a pity, but Tarnished did not force the issue. He simply told Istvan that he could turn to Stormveil if he ran into trouble. The two parted amicably and returned to their respective paths.

"You gave up that easily?" Laurendi asked. "Aren't you always saying we need to bring everyone's strength together?"

"It's all right. Istvan and I share the same goal. Even if we take different paths, we'll reach the same destination in the end," Tarnished said with a smile. "Come on. Next stop, Moo-water Cave."

"It's Murkwater Cave!"

Just as he arrived at Moo-water... Murkwater Cave, Tarnished was targeted by an assassin.

Fog suddenly sealed off their surroundings, and a figure glowing red slowly materialized out of thin air. This was a Red Phantom, a form of magic unique to the Lands Between. With an item called a "Festering Bloody Finger," one Tarnished could instantly appear at another Tarnished's location. The fog would not lift until one of them died.

[Festering Bloody Finger]: A dark, festering finger bearing the marks of a careless severing. Allows the user to cross space and invade another Tarnished's time.

Many scholars had tried to unravel the principles behind it, but every one of them had failed. Something so unfathomable and irresistible, with mastery over both space and time, was widely believed to be the work of a god. The battles to the death were simply that god's twisted amusement.

Some people loathed it, but others willingly became slaves to this bloody practice in order to please the gods.

The Red Phantom before them was one of the latter.

Tarnished was preparing to fight when a golden figure appeared a short distance away. This was a Gold Phantom, another form of magic unique to the Lands Between. Rather than being summoned by a "Festering Bloody Finger," it was summoned through another item called the "Tarnished's Furled Finger." Unlike a Red Phantom, a Gold Phantom came not to assassinate, but to protect.

[Tarnished's Furled Finger]: A well-preserved, curled finger of corpse wax, shining with golden light. Allows the user to cross space and protect another Tarnished's time.

Space and time again. This was probably the work of a god as well.

One side killed, while the other protected. Apparently, the gods did not all agree, and each had desires of their own. But were gods with desires truly the sort of gods people imagined? Or... were they merely strange beings whose power exceeded human imagination?

While Tarnished pondered this question, the Red Phantom and Gold Phantom had already launched merciless attacks at each other!