“I'm glad you're taking this so seriously,” I said to my smiling assistant.

  “As are you,” he scoffed, and I had to laugh.

  “Fair, but things will change.”

  “For the better.”

  “I agree, but we still need to be prepared,” I informed him, trying to impress that others would now react to both of us differently.

  “I prepared years ago, didn't you?” he answered flippantly.

  “What?”

  “Mind waiting here for a bit?” Chien asked.

  “Sure...”

  He ran off, based on the direction he left the workshop he was headed to his own, but I didn't pry. I had my spaces I liked private, and he had his. That had been an important thing for me, making sure those who worked with me felt respected. After all, I'd been in poor conditions before, and even an awful job or two back on Earth, so I knew the kind of resentment that could breed.

  No, Chien had privacy, even if he was within my compound I always tried to give him his full due. With how long we lived that wasn't just decency either, but self-interested action. Making an enemy of someone who could live for centuries was seldom worth it, and Chien was a friend, a rare thing for elders or ancients to maintain. I wanted him to remain so though, and so if there was something he wanted within reason I gave it to him.

  While he was off I turned to look at my long time project sitting in the corner of my room. My first attempts at a magical computer had been... a mess. Getting the proper amount of power to go through it without overloading the structure had been nigh impossible unless I managed it myself. Those early attempts had still been useful, in some ways. They could do calculations quickly, but with having to almost manually manage things they were very limited in use.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The newer models had other crystals built into them though, tiny bits of physical property magic that would allow them to reach out into the world. I'd not solved all the problems yet, but we were making real progress. My issue was still getting them to interface with people properly, but that would come with time. That was my best guess at how to solve the power management issue.

  Before I could get up and keep playing though Chien returned, a long box in hand.

  “What do you have there?” I asked.

  “Something I made for you,” he chuckled.

  “Should I be worried?”

  “I wouldn't be.”

  He opened the box, something that on its own would've been impressive many years ago, but now was becoming more and more common and pulled forth a robe. The fabric of it was light and fine, colored a deep blue with small, hardly noticeable designs worked along the hems in black and white. With it were several pieces of jewelry, bracelets and beads.

  “Where in the world did you get that?” I asked, looking over the piece.

  Cloth was gaining in popularity as things went on, but most of it wasn't of anywhere near this quality. People were still learning fibers, methods, and tricks of the trade. Soon such a robe might be something that could be bought, but I'd never seen such a piece for sale before.

  “You remember Ida?” he asked, as if I couldn't remember literally everything.

  “The slave girl Atal gave me? Yes, but I haven't seen her in ages.”

  “She's gone and joined a little group to the north, they've taken to cloth like birds to the wing. So a few years back I sent her a request, for when this day came. This was the best they could make then, perhaps they could make something better now, but...”

  “No, that's perfect,” I said with a smile. Ida had been one of the first to take up making cloth, and to wear something she'd made would be an honor, after all, seeing the progress of those my life touched was beautiful to me. “And the jewelry?”

  “Oh those are from me,” he grinned. “Bit of those metals you gave me. I'll admit to skimming off the top...”

  I looked over the pieces, and it was clear how they were meant to be worn. Copper, then iron, alloys, then silver and gold. Chien had told a story here, the story of the metals I'd brought, in small amounts, but enough to show the movement of society. There were even a few gemstones mixed in, not mana gems, but standard ones that glittered and shone in the light of the workshop. We both knew better than to wear a mana gem made from any mana but our own.

  “Thank you Chien, it's magnificent.”

  “Look boss, it's not for nothing. You need to make an impression now. You're an elder, and one who was more powerful than most of those old coots before you got that white hair. They need to know that they'll respect you or you'll make them, because if they don't you're going to have problems and we both know it. It's not just you either, they'll come after me, after Isha, after Adia if they think they can get away with it. Now is the time to make sure they know they can't, and if they try, they'll suffer.”

  “I've built a fortress and manned it with some of the best people in the city, what else can I do?” I asked with a shake of my head.

  “Scare the shit out of them boss.”

  “Hmm, then it might be time to do something I've been thinking of for awhile. I'll need a few days to get it all in order, then we'll make the official announcement. Think you can get me a few people so that when I parade my way to the next meeting I've got a proper entourage?” I asked.

  “Consider it done boss, you mind if I join?”

  “I'd be offended if you didn't Chien, after all you're my right hand.”

  “I'll get to it then, and leave you to... whatever you're planning.”

  “Don't want to help?” I asked.

  “And ruin the surprise? Never.”

  I laughed as he left and turned back to the tools, I'd need some of them, but then again, for this construction I'd have to do most of it by hand.