[MLV] 49. The Council's Envoys (Patreon)

A/N

Friday's chapter is finally here! Apologies for the delays and the no announcement. I didn't really want to clog by posting announcement chapters every delay since it happens a lot these days, so I'm just going to put it in the actual chapters. I placed the explanation at the bottom since I also wouldn't want it to be the first thing up here.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this one!

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Claire Allister.

An Allister… like me.

Alicia paced around her throne hall as she tried to figure out what to do about the people outside of her city.

Archduchess Claire Allister, according to Lyra, was a member of the Regency Council, the polity in the east that still held a reasonable claim of being Vael’s legitimate government. It was pretty clear in Alicia’s mind that Claire was most likely her family. 

The House of Allister, after all, was one of the princely houses of old Vael in her backstory. While it certainly wasn’t the most powerful and largest of Vael’s princely families in Worldfall Online’s timeline, the House of Allister had enough clout that they would not doubt surviving to this day but thriving enough that someone like Claire would hold such a high position.

But if she’s from House Allister, who is she descended from? One of my sisters?

Back when Alicia arrived here at Vael, one of the first things she did was to do some research on her family, the House of Allister, just in case there was something useful about them. Of course, because she wasn’t the original Alicia Allister, she had absolutely no memories of her life with them, but, knowing that she might meet someone from her family one day, she thought she’d know them a little.

All she knew, however, was their names. The family tree she received was also probably outdated, since she didn’t remember having seen a ‘Claire’ over there. Her first option of acting normal as if she knew this Claire Allister was therefore out of the question. She’d just look very suspicious.

So, to avoid any friction, it was best to simply put her disguise on.

Slowly, she turned her hair black and her eyes to dark brown. Naturally, she kept her vampiric features and didn’t bother to change her actual face, since it was very unlikely that Claire would have been alive during Worldfall Online’s events to know how Alicia looked. Lyra already informed Alicia that Claire looked like a young lady, so she was probably only around a hundred years old or so.

Once Alicia finished disguising herself, she went to her throne, sat on it,  and waited further. Soon, she sensed Lyra and two persons beside her getting close to the throne hall. 

While the Regency Council was the enemy of the directory, which she was now a part of, Alicia’s goal had always been to achieve peace, not just between her kin but between Vaelrin and mankind. If they sent envoys her way to talk, then Alicia was going to do her best to accept them in good faith.

And so, when they reached the throne hall, using her magic, Alicia opened the massive doors, surprising a white-haired vampiric woman in the middle momentarily.

“Welcome!” Alicia gracefully stood up with a warm, welcoming smile. “I hope that Orevogorsk has been pleasing so far?”

“I… Yes, of course, Your Grace. We appreciate the warm welcome of this town.” The white-haired woman was at first struck by Alicia’s presence, but she answered and bowed a bit. “I am Archduchess Claire Allister, councillor of the Regency Council. After hearing about your exploits at developing the north, the council decided to send me here as an envoy to you.”

“Ahem.” Beside Claire Allister, a red-haired woman cleared her throat.

Now that they were here, Alicia decided to give them a closer look. The envoys sent by the Regency Council were definitely not normal people. Both of them wore fancy, elaborate clothing, signifying that they were both very important people in Vael’s society. Claire, for example, had her hair styled with drills, while the red-haired woman possessed regal bearings with her pose.

Unlike Claire, who was a vampire, the red-haired young lady had two horns and a tail similar to the ones dracos possessed, though they were much more prominent. However, the flames on her tail seemed to burn brighter and hotter, or maybe she was intentionally doing this for some reason. Alicia’s eyes widened a bit as she used [Identify] on the woman, realizing what she truly was.

“As for the woman beside me—”

“You may call me Anastasia,” the red-haired woman interrupted Claire. “I am a councillor of the Regency Council as well. I simply wished to give you a visit.”

Claire tensed up, her eyes snapping at Anastasia, glaring daggers at the woman. While they didn’t have a verbal spat, it seemed clear to Alicia that the Regency Council wasn’t as united as she imagined. But it wasn’t as important as her other discovery.

“Lady Anastasia, are you—?” Alicia was about to ask, but the woman haughtily cut her again.

“I am a true dragon, yes. This avatar may resemble dracos, but I am not Vaelrin like you lot,” the woman smiled. “Count yourself lucky, however, because just like the little vampire beside me, I have the same mission of saving your pitiful races from extinction.”

The woman’s arrogant tone in front of Alicia visibly incensed Claire. Anastasia, however, remained uncaring, as if her actions that might jeopardize this diplomatic mission didn’t concern her at all.

“Your Grace,” Claire turned to Alicia with an apologetic tone. “Please forgive Lady Anastasia for her manners. She’s a new member of the council, so she’s not yet used to Vaelrin customs.”

“No worries. I’m not bothered at all,” Alicia reassured. Then, she turned back to Anastasia.

Unlike Claire, Anastasia is very powerful, Alicia analyzed coldly. As a true dragon, she lives longer than the elder races of both the sinful and virtuous races. Just like legendary great spirits.

I hope she’s one of the younger ones at least. She seems hotheaded and arrogant. The true dragon I fought in Worldfall Online as a boss enemy was more levelheaded and cautious. She probably doesn’t know my true strength and is underestimating me.

Unfortunately, while Anastasia being on the younger side would mean that she wouldn’t have recognized Alicia, this true dragon was still above level six hundred. The good news was that the woman speaking to her was an ‘avatar’ of the dragon, a corporeal body made of magic that dragons used to interact with those beneath them, while their gargantuan bodies slumbered deep underground.

If they ever even woke up and left the lair, it would spell doom to nations caught in their path.

Now, Alicia thought such powerful creatures were now gone in this world, considering how everyone she met barely breached level 300. Someone like Anastasia was so incredibly powerful that she would be at least four times stronger than Kullervo, the strongest enemy Alicia faced so far.

I wonder, in that case, why is the Regency Council being pushed back by Kullervo’s conventional forces?

Kullervo didn’t even tell me that they had an actual dragon in their ranks…

Alicia was now very wary of this woman. Her town’s barrier spells weren’t even rated to withstand attacks from someone above level 600, simply because she had no reason to believe that someone so powerful would suddenly show up. She would definitely have to quietly improve Orevogorsk’s barriers with improved defensive spells and make sure that next time, it would be ready to withstand attacks from someone at level 700 or 800. She’d also need to improve her area detection spells to make sure that Anastasia wouldn’t be able to sneak in.

But for now, she must deal with them diplomatically.

“Anyway,” Alicia smiled as she gently clapped. “Now that we know each other, I think it would be best to discuss things over tea, no?”

“Tea?” Claire’s eyes widened.

Both Anastasia and Claire turned to look at each other. The dragon was utterly disinterested, but Claire immediately nodded at Alicia with a wide smile. “I think that would be wonderful, Your Grace.”

Alicia breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that they truly didn’t find out about her identity yet.

That should buy me some time…

When they finally went to their private room to discuss things over, it was all just the usual stuff. Claire was very diplomatic and professional, telling Alicia the generous terms that the Regency Council offered her so that she would take their side instead of joining the directory. It was nice to see that, Alicia thought. The first member of the Allister family she met was respectable at least.

She also seemed to like the tea Lyra prepared for them. Considering the fact that tea largely came from the Far East and Alicia imported them here, it must be pretty rare in Vael, even for someone wealthy and powerful like Claire. Of course, the noblewoman was far too proud to react too overtly to Alicia treating her with fine eastern tea, but Alicia saw the younger vampire’s eyes lighting up every time she sneaked a snip.

The dragon, however, was utterly silent throughout the meeting.

Alicia deduced that Anastasia wasn’t meant to be here. The two of them weren’t coordinating anything at all, and they were definitely at odds with each other.

The dragon seemed like she was sizing Alicia up as well. That was very concerning, but luckily, no incident happened between the two of them. Unfortunately, by the end of their meeting, Alicia was unable to give them anything concrete, and thus, their presence wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.

“I understand that you cannot accept our terms yet,” Claire said. “But I must say that you should never trust the directory. General Kullervo is a warlord who wants absolute control and is unwilling to compromise. His rule will be bad for anyone unfortunate enough to fall under it… That’s why, we vampiric nobles must band together and take back this country, and we would really appreciate your help at doing that.”

“Again, I must reiterate that I refuse to participate in conflict,” Alicia firmly said. “Vael has seen enough bloodshed. I urge that when you return to the council, you tell them that my only position is that this war must be ended swiftly in a diplomatic manner.”

Claire seemed disappointed by that, but she just nodded.

“I see…” Claire sighed. “Well, maybe one day you’ll change your mind.”

“Thank you. Anyway, I have other business to attend to. Do you two have accommodations ready here?” Alicia asked.

“Yes. You have no need to worry about us. I have everything under control,” the young vampire said with full certainty.

“I’m glad. Just inform Lyra if you seek another meeting with me. Have a good day, you two.”

“Alicia, was that really necessary…?” Lyra asked meekly as Alicia removed her disguises while they walked in Wintervale’s hallways.

“It’s just temporary. Even I know how hard it is for me to keep things under wraps at this point,” Alicia said, smiling bitterly as she turned back to Lyra. “You must have questions yourself again, no…?”

Lyra looked away briefly. Then, she closed her eyes.

“...No. I don’t care if you’re the True King or if you’re someone else I’ve read about in the history books,” Lyra said. “All I know is that you’re Alicia, who saved me and my sister, and so many others.”

The succubus then placed her hand on her heart as she smiled at Alicia.

“It’s enough for me to know that you have a good heart. You will be our leader, no matter what.”

Alicia looked away, chuckling.

“That’s a bit too much praise, Lyra.” Alicia shook her head. “I’m just… doing the bare minimum with the strength I happen to possess. That’s all.”

“Not at all. There are so many powerful entities that inhabit this world. Yet, they either stay in the shadows and simply watch people suffer or contribute to suffering,” Lyra grumbled a bit. “Hmph, for example, I very much don’t like that dragon. Alicia, she sounds like trouble to me.”

“I know. I’m already about to take measures to mitigate any risks that might come from her,” Alicia said. “Normally, I would have ordered Vittorio to begin mobilizing people to keep a closer look on her, but I’m designating her as someone I’m going to manage personally.”

Lyra, who was a bit tense and worried, immediately relaxed.

“I see. If that’s the case, then I suppose I shouldn’t worry too much. I was already planning to talk to Vittorio and order him to stay alert and tighten security,” Lyra admitted.

Alicia nodded. “It’s good that you’re learning how to take initiative, but tell me that next time. Vittorio and his militia might be powerful, but this isn’t something they can handle.”

“I understand,” Lyra meekly said.

Soon, Alicia was once again able to refocus herself into other pressing matters.

First, Orevogorsk. Alicia still had a lot of headaches trying to properly integrate the massive wave of Alsatian Vaelrin refugees that her city took. She therefore had to visit her officials to track their progress and give them some suggestions. The good news was that they were making steady progress every passing day.

Mikhail was getting closer and closer to finishing the booklet that had translations between Alsatian and common Vaelrin, and Maxim was steadily building up basic houses for the refugees. Their refugee camp was fully reinforced too so they would be comfortable living with each other until they had their own homes and jobs, while Vittorio kept public disturbances extremely low.

Helen, surprisingly, was also becoming very active at finishing the school. Because Maxim was extremely busy with the mountain of workload that Alicia gave him, Helen increasingly took the mantle of organizing the construction of the school itself while Mikhail prepared the curriculum and studying materials. Due to Helen’s strength and magic, she was seen every day helping out the common construction workers on the field, greatly speeding up construction.

As for Alicia, she was focused on monitoring and gathering information about Anastasia for a few days while she reinforced Orevogorsk’s defensive spells. This somewhat slowed her down from her usual activities, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Anastasia and Claire left Orevogorsk on the second day of their stay after having another brief talk with Alicia.

This allowed Alicia to constantly move back and forth between Orevogorsk and Volos. One of her main long-term objectives was to finally integrate the markets of the north with the rest of Vael. While there was an increasing amount of traders coming in and out of Orevogorsk, they weren’t moving goods fast enough.

Due to the increasing employment and facilities available in Orevogorsk, Alicia found out that they were now dealing with a different problem they had in their early days. Instead of underproduction, they were now overproducing goods in Orevogorsk. Maxim, who was an expert at this, told Alicia that at this rate, once the people near them bought enough of what they were selling, demand would soon plateau and decline.

That would mean that Orevogorsk’s new industries would start to idle. This was unacceptable for Alicia. To prevent this, the natural solution, therefore, was to expand her reach, and the only way for that to be possible was to build railways. Without trains, Alicia wouldn’t be able to move around the goods she produced between different markets well. She needed to sell enough of them and keep a steady supply of income needed to run her factories, and if she couldn’t, their income would dip in the red.

She therefore began meeting a lot with Kullervo and Max to begin planning things. Once again taking inspiration from examples in her original world, Alicia made a comprehensive plan to tackle this problem from different directions. 

First, they would establish a new state-owned enterprise, named the Northwestern Railway Company. To secure capital for it, the directory must finish negotiations with Concordia and finally gain a formal trade agreement with them. That way, they would have an opening to ask them to invest in the Northwestern Railway Company, since an arrangement where 49% of the company would be owned by private investors was a good compromise to raise capital for it while keeping its operations under the firm control of Vael’s government.

To do this, the directory would pump a lot of money straight into this company to signal to Concordia that they were serious, building a few pilot railway lines. Once the first ambitious investors from Concordia came in, the directory would double down and begin funding a massive public works programme to expand railway construction.

Their main priority would be to connect Orevogorsk with the port city of Volos. Then, the cities of the west would be connected with each other one by one. This would not only employ thousands of Vaelrin during construction and maybe even create new small businesses to support its efforts, but Vael would also finally establish its first building block for an industrialized economy—a full-fledged logistics network.

Alicia had similar plans as well with other strategic sectors of Vael’s economy that were to become the main backbone of rapid industrial expansion, like the creation of Vael Heavy Industries to manage her major factories in Orevogorsk and the new ones she would later build in other cities or the creation of the National Mining Corporation to manage existing mines and open up new ones. As a part of her developmentalist strategy, these strategic corporations would be majority state-owned so that Vael would be able to conduct coordinated industrial policy long-term by controlling the commanding heights of its future economy.

This would ensure stability in the nation’s strategic industries alongside their constant state-directed expansion, allowing them to easily support private light industries with cheap inputs down the line and ensure that Vaelrin businesses would eventually outcompete established players in the global market. They could also create vertically integrated national champions if needed.

Of course, Vael would also have to do a lot of work to enter the world stage and gain trade relations for this, and even if they started today, it would take years to implement this, so for now her goal was to make progress with the Concordians and secure infrastructure investments first.

So, unfortunately, she was going to have to meet their representative here a lot in the coming days. But, before she could do that, her spirit clone in Alsatia informed her that the crown princess sent her a letter inviting Alicia to a private meeting.

A/N

So, my coauthor, Bedivere, has a note he wants to send you guys:

"Sorry for all the delays recently! They are almost entirely my fault. I have been traveling for the past while, and have not had the time I needed to review the chapters pre-posting. We're working hard to get back on track, and to continue delivering high quality chapters at our usual regular, predictable pace."

Anyway yeah, since he's kind of really busy these days, we are a bit slow at discussing and checking things with each other at the moment, so while we're trying, it will really just take more time to get things back on track. I think at this point, for now, the x2 chapter updates per week will just come at an irregular time.

We're still not going to miss x2 chapters a week though, so hopefully it's alright. Anyway, have a good one, and thank you for understanding!