Weeks Later.
Takshashila.
It was around the time when the sun had begun its slow descent toward the horizon, though it still remained high enough in the sky that looking directly at it hurt the eyes.
Far below, the city was alive with activity.
Takshashila had perhaps not been this busy since the days before the Great War. Citizens moved through its streets, some making their way toward the markets, others returning home, each carrying on with their own lives. Some were happy, others less so, but the city itself seemed to move with a renewed energy.
Merchants were busier than ever. Trade had become one of the defining features of the city's growing activity, but the Yuvraj's arrival had added another layer to it. The speculation surrounding his plans, combined with the increasingly unambiguous gathering of agents and representatives from many of the largest guilds in the Kingdom—and even several from beyond its borders—had brought a considerable amount of new activity into the city.
The military side of Takshashila was no different.
With the Yuvraj's orders, a large cantonment was being established just outside the city, near the Royal Palace. Its construction had brought even more trade and activity, with troops constantly moving in and out of the city, while merchants, craftsmen, labourers, and suppliers arrived to meet the demands of the project.
And then there was the construction itself.
It had become another source of activity, adding to the growing noise and movement that had come to define Takshashila in recent months.
It was here that Rajkumar Garuda, the younger brother of Yuvraj Hamsa, found himself at the head of the entire operation.
To assist him, Gopal had been assigned to oversee the accounts and provide assistance with matters of finance. Naga was responsible for ensuring that the strict requirements of the military were being adhered to, while Mena was tasked with keeping track of the various people involved in the project and providing intelligence on those present.
Together, they formed the small group overseeing the operation, with Rajkumar Garuda responsible for bringing their different areas of expertise together and making the final decisions.
The construction site itself covered an enormous area, nearly one-sixth the physical extent of the city, which housed more than four lakh people.
It had been divided into numerous sections, but during the initial stages of construction, three broad areas dominated the site.
The first was a large tented section dedicated to storage, logistics, and operational administration. The second was where the foundations were being laid, while the third had already progressed into the early stages of construction, with workers beginning to raise the actual structures.
At the headquarters—
The tent was certainly busy.
Contractors, merchants, craftsmen, officers, and numerous other representatives filled the space, each waiting for their turn to present their concerns or receive instructions.
At the head of the room sat Rajkumar Garuda.
He was currently going over the final matters with several men seated across from him, discussing, negotiating, and making decisions on everything from supplies to construction while the staff moved around them.
At his side, Mena and Naga quietly advised him whenever a matter arose that required knowledge beyond what he had been taught.
Garuda listened carefully, asked questions when necessary, and made his decisions.
I did not think just 'keep things moving' would be this much. The Rajkumar though to himself as the last of the men present left the tent.
With that though through him he turned to Gopal first, Gopal was doing his final calculation and then a few second later he handed over a tablet to the Rajkumar.
"Good, we are only four hundred gold over." He said as he saw the final numbers.
"But still 400…" Mena spoke infront of him to the right.
"Well from what Sarasvathi we have about 1000 kept aside so technically 600 in the positive for the entire project." Garuda replied smugly happy with his accomplishment.
-----
Rough over view of the Coinage on this world: the MC's kingdom in mind.
Gold, Silver and Browns coins.
1G = ~15-16S = ~300-320B
This is a rough over view and I know I said that I will talk on it, just wait till the second female mane comes in, it should be near the middle of this VOL.
-----
Palace.
Things were moving in a similar fashion within the palace as well.
Renovations aside, the palace was still in the midst of a full preparation phase as the changes in procedures and laws brought about by the Yuvraj continued to be implemented. These covered everything from operational procedures for dealing with public and administrative matters to the duties expected of individual staff members while on duty, even going as far as establishing mandated periods of rest.
These were systems that had been introduced and later refined by the Yuvraj while he was still in the capital.
With the palace divided into three main wings, each serving its own purpose, the right wing had become the centre of much of this administrative activity. It housed the bulk of the bureaucracy responsible for managing a population of no less than ten million.
Right Wing — Main Hall
The main hall of the right wing was filled with quiet activity.
On the second floor, the Yuvraj sat at the head of the room with the windows behind him. And as usual, Chotu rested beside him, the white tiger sleeping peacefully.
Six seats were arranged before him, three on either side, with cabinets filling the spaces between the windows along the walls.
Each seat was occupied by a scribe, their hands occupied with tablets and scrolls as they worked through the matters assigned to them.
Among them sat Sarasvathi, who held the title of Chief of Staff to the Yuvraj while also serving as his secretary. In practice, she did this and more even making arrangements for the off hours he spends.
Though at present, she was briefing him on the latest reports submitted by Padmavathi.
"...so it would take over three weeks for everything to be set up," she finished.
"Alright. Go through with it."
The Yuvraj gave his answer only after looking over the tablets and their various entries.
Sarasvathi nodded and began to return to her seat, but she still seemed as though she wanted to ask something.
Hamsa noticed and enquired.
"What is it?"
As he spoke, he rested his right hand on Chotu's head and gently stroked the tiger's fur. A low, pleased growl came from the animal in response.
Sarasvathi usually had little trouble asking questions when something confused her. She hesitated only when the matter concerned something she understood little about. Hamsa's invitation seemed to dispel that hesitation.
As she remained seated, Sarasvathi spoke while the other five scribes continued working, each listening with one ear without allowing their hands to stop.
"We cannot afford to continue at this rate."
"Go on," the Yuvraj said, still working with his gaze fixed on the tablet before him.
"First, the cantonment. Are we even certain the capital will give its assent to mobilizing forces on that scale? Considering the current political climate, I do not think the regional nobles will simply sit still while the Throne takes more men under its command. Especially not when we intend to recruit indiscriminately from among the common population. It would upset the balance of power that His Highness Raja Indra and his forefathers have maintained."
The Yuvraj continued reading, his gaze remaining firmly fixed upon the tablet in his hands.
"Not to mention that we cannot afford to hire and maintain such a large force. The treasury in Vala is already stretched thin, while we are rapidly exhausting the gold we brought here simply through the construction of the cantonment. And that is before accounting for whatever future projects you may have in mind."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"And one source of income we could have relied upon is not ready either. I have concerns about that as well. According to Padmavathi, even once the facilities are completed, we will require more manpower than we currently employ, potentially numbering in the thousands just for those facilities. And if the production figures in her reports are accurate, we could end up collapsing the price of steel as well."
Sarasvathi finally stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath.
The Yuvraj looked up at her.
When it became clear that she had nothing more to add, he spoke.
"Shall I answer?"
Sarasvathi, suddenly embarrassed by how much she had blurted out, could only nod.
"Let us begin with the facilities under Padmavathi," the Yuvraj said. "I understand the concerns regarding the construction materials and the manpower we will need to train and employ. But as for the former, the city already has an answer."
"The merchants and guilds?" Sarasvathi asked.
The other scribes had stopped pretending not to listen.
"Yes. I deliberated actually having the meeting, even when they were ready to for this reason. Such a large gathering is something that would be difficult to achieve in a short amount of time. And as we would have on get together regardless who is in the meetings, why not do it in a place and time sutable for us. I get to have what I want along with securing material and even men if needed at the same time for projects."
As he spoke his attention shifted from the tablet to Chotu beside him. He reached down and pulled the white tiger onto his lap, the animal settling comfortably across him, its head rolling toward the left while its front and rear legs hung loosely over either side of the seat.
"And as for the manpower required, that is something we cannot work around. Even if we employ every metalworker and skilled craftsman in the region, we will still have to retrain them for our needs."
He paused, looking toward Sarasvathi.
"That part simply takes time."
His attention returned to the enormous cat sprawled across his lap.
"Then, on the cantonment. Yes, it is large, and perhaps larger than it needs to be. But regardless of that, for the time being, it will serve primarily as a cadet and officer academy. We will begin recruiting common soldiers much later, once the first batch of officers has graduated and we can secure next year's tax revenue a—"
"We are not sending the collections to Vala?"
Several voices came out in unison.
The Yuvraj ignored the interruption, allowing the question to hang for only a moment before answering.
"Yes. We are holding the taxes that will be collected across the northern provinces of Gandhar and Panchanada, along with the small portions of the valleys near Gandhar that fall outside the state's borders. We will send only whatever remains after spending what we need here."
This led to his staff murmuring among themselves until Sarasvathi spoke up.
"Won't that upset the nobles even more?"
"Well, that is why I want things to be ready before the next harvest season comes," the Yuvraj answered, looking up a little this time.
He let a few more seconds pass, giving everyone time to process what he had said. He then opened his mouth to continue, only to pause for a moment before speaking again.
"I almost forgot. On the matter of prices, things should be fine on that front as well. The reason is simple. Whenever a good increases in utility and becomes more widely available, its demand will grow alongside its production until an equilibrium is reached. Not to mention its will be vital for itself as well, with all the wood and ore required."
----
A/N: Yes, this is an actual thing. Where when the utility of a good increases, demand for that good can increase alongside it.
A recent example is AI.
Even though the cost of a single credit or unit of AI usage has fallen significantly, overall demand has increased to the point where the reduction in the cost per unit is outweighed by the sheer increase in how much AI is being used.
The same principle applies to MC argument here. If his steel is cheaper, more durable, and more useful than what is currently available, people will not simply buy the same amount at a lower price. They will find new uses for it, replace older materials with it, and use it in situations where steel was previously too expensive or impractical. As a result, total demand can grow alongside production.
I know this was long but in my experience, its better I do this then not. Being a NERD is not easy when you live among normal people.
----
Yuvraj Hamsa spoke letting everyone take in what he explained just now. Then he spoke on he though everyone was up to speed.
"And as for the political issue….
----
Around the Same Time
Capital Vala
Royal Palace
Around the Same Time
Capital Vala
Royal Palace
The sun was setting over Vala, and the palace was gradually winding down for the evening.
"He wants to do what now!?" Mahadevi Bhadra asked, staring at the scroll in her hands.
She had been resting on the balcony of their private quarters when her husband himself had brought the scroll to her. Had it been anything less important, it would have been left for the next morning or brought to them by one of the palace attendants when they retired for the night. The fact that Indra had come to her personally told her that he already had an opinion on the matter.
"He wants to raise an army," Raja Indra replied, standing beside her.
Bhadra slowly lowered the scroll and looked up at him.
"He wants to raise an army?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a moment before dropping her face into her hands with a long, weary sigh.
"First that thing in the forest, and now this. Does that boy actually want to kill us?"
Indra gave her a look.
"Well, I don't think it is quite as bad an idea as you are thanking it out to be, considering what he wrote here."
"This is a bit too much regardless of what I imagine. And why are you taking his side?"
"I'm not taking his side. I'm asking you to hear him out."
"You came all the way here yourself to do that."
Indra smiled.
"Yes."
Bhadra gave him a suspicious look before she adjusted a mana crystal bracelet she had on her right hand and looked at the scroll once more.
Indra took the opportunity to continue.
"You know how decentralised our military is. Even with an army under me directly, we still have to rely on the nobles to mobilise most of our forces."
"Yes. And that is precisely why I am opposed to this," Bhadra replied. "Things are already bad enough with us letting him retain the taxes."
"I know."
Indra glanced toward the scroll in her hands.
"But the way he phrased things here, it seems less about creating some enormous standing army and more about training the men first."
Bhadra looked up at him again.
"Go on."
"Well, things should be fine if we keep it that way," Indra said.
Bhadra looked at him with a somewhat confused expression.
"How is that all right? Won't that just create more problems if those bastards in Indraprasth manage to incite a rebellion among them, like they tried last time?"
"It only works if the nobles have men willing to rebel with them," Indra replied.
"I don't understand. Why wouldn't they rise up?"
"Well, it is complicated." Indra leaned against the balcony railing. "When men are trained as soldiers, they tend to follow their Upanayaka first, then their Gananayaka, then their Nayaka, and so on up the chain until it reaches the Mahasenapati, who is Krishna, and then me."
"Yes. I understand."
"Now, the situation is rather simple. At present, the vast majority of our Nayakas and Vahinipatis are nobles. They bring their own Gananayakas beneath them, all the way down to the ordinary foot soldier, while the Throne provides the equipment and pays partly for the army."
Bhadra nodded slowly.
"If that entire officer corps, from the lowest rank to the highest, is loyal to the Throne and their wages come from it as well, then individual nobles will have very little power over the men beneath them. So long as the soldiers respect and revere the officers who trained them more than they do their local noble, I am confident this will work. Again not to mention they will receive a fixed wage from the treasury directly and not local nobles."
He glanced at the scroll in her hands.
"And the fact that Hamsa is only training them before sending them back to their own regions will make the nobles more than willing to cooperate."
"But won't sending them back without any field experience be enough to keep those bonds with the nobles intact?" Bhadra asked.
"I am sure it will."
Indra's expression changed slightly as he looked out over the city. There was something almost distant in his eyes now, as though he were looking at something far beyond the palace walls.
"I say that as a Raja who spent the first decade of his reign on campaign. I know what keeps a soldier loyal, and I know what makes an officer's authority matter on the field. It will work."
He paused, and a faint smile touched his face.
"And knowing Hamsa, I am certain he will manage to build an officer corps loyal to the Thron."
There was a strange mixture of pride and nostalgia in his voice as he said it.
The certainty of a Raja who had once spent his youth among soldiers rather than behind the walls of his palace.
Bhadra read through the scroll once more while Indra patiently waited for his wife's assent to their son's proposal.
"What is this?" she asked, pointing to a section halfway down the scroll.
"He wants to use the soldiers as builders as well. Would that really be all right?"
Indra only shrugged.
"All we can do is trust that he has thought everything through. Besides, I personally think it is a good idea. If he is going to train these men from the ground up, there is no reason they cannot be taught to build as well. I am sure he will even train the camp servants properly if he needs to."
Bhadra let out another deep sigh.
"You sound far too confident."
"Don't worry so much." Indra waved a hand dismissively. "I doubt he will move on any of this until next year's harvest season. He knows perfectly well that the kingdom cannot afford it before then."
Bhadra looked at him.
"And how are you so certain of that?"
"He knows how to play with numbers better than you do."
The corner of his mouth lifted as he said it.
Bhadra stared at him for a moment, recognising the infuriatingly pleased expression he wore whenever he thought he had made a particularly clever point.
And to her, her husband looked equal parts foolish and unbearably endearing.
She looked down at the ever-growing belly beneath her robes and placed a hand over it.
"I hope you are a girl. I cannot deal with another idiot," she muttered.
Indra heard her perfectly well.
His expression brightened.
Bhadra glanced back at him and immediately regretted saying anything.
"Don't you start."
He said nothing, which somehow made his amusement even more obvious.
Bhadra shook her head and looked back down at her belly.
"Three idiots are already more than enough."
-----
A Few Days Later
Great Mana Dead Zone
The Great Mana Dead Zone had never been this quiet.
As far as anyone outside its boundaries could tell, nothing unusual was happening. No wild flora had erupted beyond the region, no creatures had emerged in search of prey, and even the occasional animals that wandered out of the Dead Zone into the surrounding lands had disappeared. Since the operation conducted by the Kingdom of Valangar under its Yuvraj, Hamsa Deva Varma, not a single such incident had been recorded.
It was the absence of activity that concerned the temples most.
The Dead Zone had always been dangerous, but it was a danger they understood. Its creatures wandered out. Its flora spread unpredictably. Mana behaved strangely within its borders. Even when nothing significant occurred, there was always some sign that the region remained alive in its own peculiar way.
Now there was nothing.
No one knew what had happened within the Dead Zone after Valangar's operation. Ashwini's testimony had provided the temples with more information than they had possessed before, but it had answered very few of the questions that now mattered.
Had the danger actually diminished?
Had something merely changed?
Or was the silence itself a sign of something they had yet to understand?
Until they knew, the temples were unwilling to send their regular forces back to their previous positions.
Instead, they assembled a probing party.
Roughly two dozen men and women were selected by the two Gurus overseeing the expedition, Guru Srujan and Guru Abhishek. Every member was chosen for their ability, experience, or particular usefulness in dealing with the unknown conditions of the Dead Zone. Ashwini and Wong were among them.
The purpose of the expedition was simple: enter the region, observe what had changed, and determine whether the area had returned to a state in which the regular temple forces could safely resume their duties.
No one expected them to uncover the reason for the Dead Zone's silence.
They only needed to find out whether that silence was safe.
The group had been travelling for some time now and was finally nearing the main western entrance used to enter and leave the region.
They moved in a single column, with Guru Abhishek at the front leading the group and Guru Srujan bringing up the rear. Ashwini and Wong were near the front of the line, just behind Abhishek.
"Ashwini, how long are you going to stare at that?" a girl asked, walking just behind her.
"Oh. Well, I was just looking at the seal," Ashwini answered.
"You know, ever since you agreed to work for the Yuvraj a few weeks ago, you've been spacing out a lot more lately."
"You think so?" Ashwini asked.
"Yes, you have. Why did you even agree to work under a Royal in the first place? I don't get it."
"They have egos the size of mountains and brains the size of a nu—"
"Be quiet, Varsha. We will be reaching the mouth soon," Guru Abhishek said, cutting her off without even turning around.
As the exchange came to an end, the group began to make out the silhouette of a wooden structure in the distance.
It appeared to be a medium-sized two-storey building, with a long tower near its centre rising another three stories above it.
The group gradually changed formation as they approached, going from a single column into three lines, with both Gurus now at the front.
As they drew closer, they noticed a man standing at the top of the tower.
For a moment, he remained there, watching them.
Then, just as suddenly as they had noticed him, he was gone.
A few moments later, the sound of horse hooves reached them from ahead.
Several members of the group instinctively reached out with their mana.
Three presences could be senced.
All three were relatively strong, though none carried enough mana to concern anyone in the group. Whatever their skill, they were nowhere near the level of the practitioners accompanying the expedition.
As the riders came closer, their forms became clear.
The horses slowed, and there was no mistaking the insignia on the riders.
They were Royal Guards.
If not for their distinctive armour, weapons, and heavily armoured horses, the bright saffron clothing they wore would have been enough to identify them. It had become a distinct hallmark of the Valangar Royal Guard under Yuvraj Hamsa, one the temple group had seen repeatedly during the weeks the Yuvraj had spent in Takshashila.
As they drew closer, the lead rider dismounted, with the other two following shortly after. There was no visible distinction in rank between them, but from the way the others followed his lead, it was clear that he was in charge of the small party.
He walked toward the group as the temple practitioners came to a stop. When he was only a short distance away, he stopped as well, resting one hand casually on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"I am Varun, a Royal Guard of Valangar and the officer currently in charge of this post. I am here under the orders of His Highness, Yuvraj Hamsa Deva Varma. You have entered a restricted area under his authority, and I have been ordered to ascertain who you are. State your names."
His tone was firm but lacked the arrogance that might have been expected from a soldier holding such a position. He did not posture or attempt to intimidate them. If anything, the measured way he addressed the group suggested that he already recognised the Gurus among them and had no intention of treating them as ordinary travellers.
Guru Srujan stepped forward speaking.
"We are from Takishala, and here to scout out the region before we resume our regular operations. As for our identities, my name if Srujan and this here is Guru Abishek, and these are our students." Guru Srujan spoke.
"Guru ji. With all due respect I cannot let you pass through, without the express permission of the Yuvraj. No one is along to move in or out from here." Varun spoke.
"Ashwini." Guru Surjan spoke turning and holding his hand out where he took the scroll from Ashwini.
The Royal Guards seemed to recognise Ashwini, though none of them brought it up.
Guru Srujan then handed the scroll to Varun, who took it and opened it. After a moment of reading, he closed it and handed it to one of his fellow guards. The two exchanged a brief glance before the other guard turned and hurried back toward the wooden structure.
Varun then turned toward the two Gurus.
"Guru Ji, you and your party have permission to pass through. Though I will have to accompany you."
"Very well. Shall we move, then?" Guru Abhishek replied, his voice carrying the exasperation of an old man who had long since grown tired of dealing with young people.
"Please follow me. We have been mapping the area to the best of our abilities, and it would be prudent to review what we have before we depart."
He gestured for them to follow, and the group did so.
They walked for several more minutes before reaching the wooden structure. It was a simple two-storey building, without decoration save for the furniture inside. Around a dozen Royal Guards were stationed there, with their sleeping quarters occupying the upper floor and the remaining space on the ground floor.
Only the two Gurus, Varun, and Ashwini entered. The rest remained outside, along with four Royal Guards who stayed behind to keep watch.
It was nearly midday by the time they were ready to depart, the sun having risen close to its zenith.
-----
Later.
The group had been travelling for some time, led deeper into the forest by Varun and another Royal Guard named Sagar.
At first, there had been little that seemed truly unnatural. The forest was different from what the temple records described, but not enough to immediately raise alarm. The trees were less dense than expected, and several features of the terrain seemed out of place, yet there was still enough familiarity for them to believe they were simply seeing an unfamiliar part of the Dead Zone.
The deeper they went, however, the stranger the landscape became.
The ground grew increasingly uneven, with large masses of stone jutting from the earth in strange formations, some standing like pillars while others lay scattered in great heaps. The trees, though seemingly suited to the region, had also been affected. Some had twisted into unnatural shapes, their trunks bending where no ordinary growth should have taken them, while others appeared to have stopped growing altogether, remaining little more than enormous logs in various shapes and sizes.
More concerning was what they were not seeing.
The group found none of the large streams and small lakes described in the temple records, nor many of the landmarks they had expected to encounter. Hills seemed to be in the wrong places, familiar formations were absent, and even the paths through the forest did not correspond with the maps they had brought with them.
Eventually, they decided to split up.
Groups of four spread out in different directions, each tasked with searching for landmarks, waterways, and other features that could be compared against the temple records.
When they regrouped, each party had found much the same thing.
The forest differed from the records in every direction they had searched, though the extent of the differences varied from location to location.
Once they regrouped, the party settled down to rest. The two Gurus and several temple practitioners moved aside to discuss their findings, while the others prepared food and made arrangements for the night. Varun and Sagar, meanwhile, spread out a parchment map and marked the areas they had explored, noting where both the Royal Guards and the temple party had travelled.
"I did not want to believe it, but it seems things are as bad as you predicted," Guru Abhishek said.
"Well, this is indeed even more than I expected," Guru Srujan replied.
Both Gurus were examining a mana crystal one of the groups had discovered. The problem was that there were no known deposits of mana crystals of this quality anywhere in the temple records.
"What do you think could have caused this? This is definitely recent." Guru Abhishek held the crystal close, examining it with his eyes while also sensing its mana, feeding a small amount of his own into it through his hand.
"Ashwini, do you have anything?" Guru Srujan asked.
Ashwini shook her head. "Nothing."
"I think we should ask them," Wong suggested. "They have seen more of this than we have, and barely reacted when we showed them the crystal."
The others considered it for a moment before agreeing.
Guru Srujan approached Varun and held out the mana crystal.
"Do you know anything about this?"
Varun merely shrugged.
"We have seen more than your people have, but we do not understand why these crystals are here."
"Did the Yuvraj say anything about them?" Guru Srujan asked.
"Nothing in particular. But if you wish to examine them, I suggest we go somewhere farther in. There is..." Varun paused. "More there."
Guru Srujan nodded and instructed the others to move.
This time, they travelled as one group.
By the time the sun had begun to cast an orange glow across the sky, they started seeing something far more disturbing.
The forest had been strange, but much of what they had seen could still be explained by the aftermath of a battle between high-level practitioners. Now, however, it seemed as though the forest itself had been torn apart.
Trees were simply absent from stretches of land, as though they had never existed. Elsewhere, the ground had been reduced to sand, while other sections were blackened and barren, as if consumed by fire.
The farther they went, the more sparse the forest became.
Then, almost without warning, it ended.
Beyond the last scattered trees lay a vast expanse stretching toward the horizon, where the forest simply ceased to exist. Great craters scarred the earth, some shallow and others deep enough to swallow buildings, while enormous mana crystals protruded from the ground at irregular intervals.
No one spoke.
There was simply too much of it.
--------------------------------------
I will release a notice later in the day, by tomorrow. Please do read that.
I will go over the schedule in a manner that I can deliver and also some changes I will be making to past CH.
THNK YOU FOR READING.