Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Tick-Tock…/

"Hm..."

Under the ticking of a clock, Dale quickly went through all the items in the shop, exchanging his Favor for things as he thought about what would benefit the Village and himself more.

Theory Books, History Books, Skills Books that could be learned merely from reading them, and much more.[1]

Dale had no preference concerning these; technically speaking, he didn't need these books since he already had an entire library back at Resko and professors to pass on what they knew to him…

And considering there was a 'limit' regarding the quality of the items to be found in Babylon's Store, nothing was stopping it from extending to Skill Books as well.

But he believed they would add another perspective and some 'modernity' to what he already had.

The Southern Corps books were good, but they followed the ideals and philosophies of an already dead organization with its own culture and discipline that were akin to that of the Military.

It wouldn't work very well with a Village of simple folks that was growing into a City, even if translated and adapted, broken down into many aspects to be spread around.

Many techniques of the Corps required many for it to be executed and inhuman levels of discipline and self-control, they were meant to be used on the battlefield, one swarming with beasts that would make even an adult man cry.

It was too overbearing for what he wished this city to become... And it only translates well for an Army... Something they'll likely never be able to make due to their low numbers.

Enlisting players for an Army requires extreme preparation and attention to detail as it would require the creation of a formal faction recognized by the System, only then would players join an 'NPC' faction.

As such, even though he wished for the Villagers to grow stronger, he knew that this path may not exactly be what they wished for or may want, as many like Illia possessed simpler desires, be it to be a stonemason or a housewife.

He couldn't go forcing them to learn magic, the sword, or a craft that would benefit the Village in any way, not that he needed to change it in this case.

A housewife already adds a lot to a city by simply taking care of the children.

These were the kinds of things Dale thought about as he completed tasks throughout the event. some more meaningful than others…

By now, Resko's potential had greatly changed with the addition of the Survivors, and their relationship had greatly improved ever since they joined.

But how they would go from there was another issue in its entirety, one he was tasked with solving.

He had thought of many things, even trying to matchmake two individuals to try and bring the two groups closer...

He wouldn't be surprised if a Quest like that popped up after all the hints he managed to dig out.

Because of this, sometimes amidst his busy days, Sarferato, Tina, Testros, and the others would say that Dale concerns himself with too many things at once and that sometimes, with things that aren't even really his business, even if he has good intentions…

But he can't help seeking out problems, it is what a player is supposed to do.

He would fix everything and lead the city somewhere, even if he was a terrible leader at heart, he would try his best and go somewhere with them...

Because he had Quests to complete, and because he grew to care for them... And because he had something to figure out.

In the end, this would be left for time to decide.

In any case, above all, these items would serve greatly for his future plans regarding the Players of Resko. .

One of the biggest problems the city had was the lack of Skills and Classes the players could get by playing, and although that is still a problem, Dale had his own plans to solve all of that at once and give the players ways to aim for those while also helping the City's development twofold.

By now, Players could change Classes to any of the Church-related Classes if they went through the proper Questlines, but that was still left to be done due to how extensive they were.

They could become Mercenaries, but that was a willy-nilly Class...

Dale also found out that some of the players that had reached the higher scores of Reputation had also managed to acquire Classes from the Villagers.

Some people managed to get the Cook Class from Illia, a few others managed to convince Barme to "teach" them the basics of Smithing.

This all had greatly surprised Dale when he first heard about it, but it proved to him that there was more to the people than they let on, regardless, this wasn't even close to solving the problem.

He needed much more than a few Handcraft Classes to solve this issue, he needed the big boys, a stable foundation for the Players...

But how he would do that... Was something he racked his head around every single time he thought about it.

So he bought away the items, using every inch of his mind as he read through the Book's description and first paragraphs.

While all books had their values, some were better than others in explaining things… While other books were better left ignored, either for the extreme over-complication of a subject or merely because their contents were too dangerous to be left inside a library.

Books like those that were so concerning he would be forced to make a private section in the Library or be forced to carry them around all the time.

Not something ideal… Especially with the current condition of their Library.

Even though they moved from the Mercenary Guild's third floor, the home they now use as a Library isn't exactly that, many modifications would have to be made to increase the security of such a place…

But as always, Dale's mind wandered off into useless territory.

Nonetheless, amidst his indecision, he slowly selected the books one by one, spending his Favor one Million at a time…

And when he was done, he saw himself with a little bit left… So he began buying gifts and other useless things he hadn't bothered looking at before, or trying to get books he didn't quite believe were necessary, like a book about the many kinds of Flowers that could be found in the North.

Once he was done, he took off his armor and put in a cloak to hide his body and face before walking out through the door.

/Shine.../

As expected, beyond the door stood a dazzling field of white light just waiting for him to cross it.

He did not know where the door would lead him, but in the situation it was in the middle of a busy plaza… Then his identity was now secured.

/Step.../

His eyes sharpened, it was time to work.

…

From this day on, Dale began working to the bone, talking with the Villagers, the Survivors, the Elders, and even the annoying Winthrope to try and understand the life of a Lord and the obligations one had to look out for.

He did not know if he was fit to be a Lord, and albeit Winthrope said that he and his trustees were good enough to handle all problematic matters in such a small place, Dale still saw himself obliged to understand.

Quests, Items, monsters, Dale went after it all, completing and acquiring all matters of things as time went on.

He explored the outside and the inside of the Village, ordering the repair and construction of new places to adorn both the Citizens' and Players' needs.

The more areas he explored and unlocked, the better it was for the players, and the more excited they were, the better it would be for them all...

He led both Villagers and Players towards a carefully crafted future, one where both had their parts in the reformation and construction of a New Resko, one he wished would rule the South, like it once did in the past.

This wasn't just any project, Dale was building a Capital, and it was something where blunders weren't welcomed…

Although that was something solely for the far… Far future.

He wasn't trying to be perfect, he was just trying to not commit any glaring mistakes like many leaders of the past.

History was there to be referred to, something people were too easy to forget.

Though it was Human nature to ignore the mistakes of the brethren.

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Day 1

/Shine.../

Following the receding of the white light, Dale saw himself in the middle of a busy plaza full of players talking and discussing with each other.

With his cloak, he was mostly unseen, which was exactly what he was after...

Albeit he had gathered some attention due to how late he was compared to everyone else, forcing him to blend in with his surroundings as he ran away from their gazes.

But he wasn't so quick to leave, instead, he stood around for a while, hearing and sometimes even talking with the players about their experiences and trying to learn what they wanted the most.

Dale's source of information regarding player needs was usually done through the forums he read in the real world in between his log-ins, and his friends.

He avoided interacting with players like this due to the dangers, but today, he felt such danger was minimalized by their lingering excitement and the chaotic scenario around him.

He came to understand the concerns of some players and how they felt now that they had experienced a new world through Babylon.

Their fears regarding their place in the world now that players from outside the city would begin to rapidly develop with the help of the items they acquired from the event.

Meanwhile, they were still forced with many menial tasks or with lower quality areas due to the difficulty of everything around them... It was obvious why they were upset, mostly the competitive players who took this game more seriously than the casual ones.

They were mostly things he had always been aware of, things he managed to somehow suppress but that had now resurfaced due to the players being pushed against each other.

By being forced to interact, the players of Resko remembered how it felt to be an actual player and not a slave to the Quest system Dale had slowly implemented…

And albeit a tad bad, this could prove beneficial to him… After all, he was planning to completely abolish said system soon and restructure it into something more dynamic.

It was something he had to do now that Resko's numbers had surpassed three digits.

With that done, Dale confirmed his previous resolution and rushed back to his home, he had plans to write and a schedule to make.

With so many things to keep track of, Dale needed to write some of them down… If he got late with his pretty much daily meeting with Yumi, who knew what sort of bitterness she would add to the next potion she would force him to take?

Never offend your doctor if you only have one...

[DING]

But as he walked back home, Illia's Inn, he was once again assaulted by the notifications of the System… Which he would soon find out what it meant.

The final nail to the Coffin that was Babylon's Event.

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Notes

The time skip is here, finally!

I previously said I would try to make this compact within 2 chapters... And I was wrong, this will take a few more.

It'll be like this for the most part, and I'll shove in important interactions in the middle, this way we'll have a rough understanding of how Dale trained and improved and how every Villager and Player developed as well over time.

There is a lot to cover, many Quests for Dale to complete, so yeah, it'll all be resolved soon.

Peace!

[1] It was stated not all Skill Books can be learned through reading because some Skills Books are simply too nonsensical and need the System's help to function realistically or have such extremely complex concepts that it makes no sense to treat them as beginner's books.

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