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Eventually, Eliot came out, his meeting with his newly-former clients going about as well as Tartu's meeting with Okuana had, yesterday. More people were pulling away from Tartu and Eliot, and Blackleaf. That night, Mark got a call overseen by Walaria. In a private room, Mark had on a nice shirt and jacket, so he appeared proper on the screen. Walaria was voice-only, and to the side. The other people on the screen were ones Mark had helped yesterday, who had somehow started this whole phone call conference.

He forgot their names, and though he learned their names now he would probably forget their names after this, too, but Quark wouldn't, and Mark remembered their issue, anyway, and that's what this was about. The two men were just as nervous now as they were the other day, when they approached Mark after he had written them a blank check for 1. 5 billion, for a new water treatment plant and whatever other infrastructure they needed. Mark happily said, "Hello, Ambassadors from D'Bolivia.

Is the grant for the water treatment plant going well?"" We're sorry, but we cannot accept your money," said the first guy, and then both of them bowed. One of them reached forward to turn off the camera—" Not so fast, Ambassadors," Walaria said, "Keep that camera on and explain yourselves." The ambassadors froze, both of them practically flop sweating." Now," Walaria clarified. The first one closed his eyes hard and rapidly stammered out, "Okuana is threatening to invade us first if we take your money.""

Then that's a good thing, and now we know where to reinforce," Walaria said, easy as cheesecake.

"Thank you for your honesty, gentlemen. You will take the money, and you will build yourself up properly. Aluatha will be sending more funds and soldiers your way soon. Do you understand?" The ambassadors bowed all the way to the floor, the camera panning to catch them on a carpet, like they were praying. They said their thanks, and that they understood, but it was almost too quiet to hear.

Walaria ended the call with the ambassadors and then she must have flicked a switch or pressed a button because her image appeared. Her red hair was in a towel, a green clay mask adorned her face, and she held one cucumber slice in one hand while the other remained on her face. Her eye was bright red and her countenance was serious, while her breasts floated in the steaming water in front of her. She kept her face still because of the mask, even as she said, "We're at 40% chance of war, Mark.

I need you to stay at the Winter Ball for at least this weekend, for the major festivities, but chances are you will have to leave. Are you willing to accept ITLKR transport, if necessary?" The International Teleport List for Kaiju Response? Mark asked, "Can you even still call it the 'international' list?"" We'll rename it to 'Intercontinental' if this war truly does happen. Filing paperwork and changing names is too politically bleak right now, so the name holds."

"… Yeah, I'll be ready— But." Mark frowned.

"But if shit happens in the transport, then I'll get mad."" I'll be throwing you directly into a warzone, if I need to," Walaria said. And then she moved on, "What is the next language you wish to learn? The next one on the list should be Greenspeaking, but it doesn't have to be. The only real Greenspeaking I suspect you will engage in anytime soon is burning the green down.

Basic Enchanting is a few languages ahead, but all of the experts in the world are here in Crytalis at present, and a Basic Enchanting Understanding Party might be useful." Mark let his feelings be known, "I feel like I didn't get to learn Water People properly, but they invited me to Unknown for that… So Basic Enchanting seems useful." Walaria simply said, "Then we'll do Basic Enchanting on Thursday. It's not as good as Goobersmithing, but that's advanced studies. Basic Enchanting comes first."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Walaria killed the connection. Mark took a breath, and then he asked, "Was Walaria at the spa with the girls, Quark?"" The architecture in the back of her conference call is similar to that to other pictures taken at Sofri'Ether, and the girls' last check-in was an hour ago, saying how they would remain till midnight as there were guests of honor there. It is possible.

The news or royal movements are censored by oversight AIs in Crytalis, when those censors are turned on." Mark hummed, wondered about Walaria talking with the girls… But Mark decided that if something bad happened and if it was Walaria's fault, then Freyala would tell Mark. Lola was there, after all, which meant Freyala was there. Mark put away his fears, and said, "Pull up the Basic Enchanting books, please."

Mark read about Sigaldry in items, how mana flowed from one location to another, where it bunched up and spiraled out, how mithril ameliorated and transformed most written magical language into magical action, and a whole bunch of stuff that helped him understand much of what Rylan, Tulo, and even Tartu were talking about. Eventually, around 4 AM, the girls got back, talking about a fantastic time.

They practically bubbled as they came in, glowing and smiling joyfully, all their faces seemingly softer, all their vectors tired but happy. Walaria had showed up, as Mark had guessed, and then there had been a party. It had been great. Mark smiled as he told them, "I'm glad." And then Andria smirked, Sally laughed, and Isoko said, "You didn't even react to seeing her in water up to her tits, man! And just water!"" Great tits, for sure," Sally said."

They seemed okay," Mark easily said, but he did smile a bit wider. Sally laughed. Andria exclaimed, "And what about those goblin-shits from D'Bolivia!"" Scared as fuck!" Sally proclaimed." Walaria is going to have them replaced as ambassadors," Isoko said, "And she'd be right to do so. The fuck kinda shit is that? Getting scared about Okuana?"" It was terribly unbecoming of them," Lola agreed, and then she said, "And now, I must sleep, girls. It was a lovely night." They all wished Lola a good night.

But the younger crowd stayed up, the butlers made a very late night meal for everyone, and the girls talked about their day at one of the Two Worlds' fanciest spas. Mark was glad to share in that story, and he was even happier to stay up with Andria far into the morning, talking about enchanting and weaponsmithing. Andria's entire apprenticeship with Rylan and her goals in life had been in that direction, after all, before Mark and the settlement project came along.

Andria waved her mimosa under the mid-morning sun, eyes half-lidded, saying, "Pretty much all of enchanting is just writing down magic and using if/then statements with some mithril as a bridge— Oh! And figuring out how to handle dissipation and accumulation. You gotta… gotta do the thingy. Make it balanced or whatever." She was a little loopy. Mark smiled, and said, "I think you should go to bed now, Andria."" Noooo!" Andria whined.

"We're having so much fun!"" We are, but I'm going to bed, and you should probably crash, too." Andria sighed and whined at the same time, playfully saying, "Liar! You're gonna stay up and work on stuff without me! You're gonna do an Understanding with Master Rylan and Tulo!" Mark grinned.

"I promise I won't do that without you. Now… Bedtime. Would it help if I carried you to bed?" Andria blushed hard, then proclaimed, "I will allow it!" Mark laughed, and then he picked Andria up with his arms, Andria's heart beat hard, and Mark eventually put Andria to bed, tucking her in with a quick Union of Purity and then a Good/Bad. Andria mumbled only slightly, and then she was out, exhaustion finally claiming her. Mark smiled. …

And then Mark went and started crafting in his soul house, and also in reality, bouncing back and forth, transposing diagrams from the enchanting book into dream. Quark helped with all of that, because helping his summoner create and alter Bindings, seeing them in whole and in part and assisting with creation, destruction, and alteration, was one of the primary functions of a familiar.