"Aside from that, I've seen many more of them myself," Jenn answered, hoping this would end the discussion on this issue. "Plus, I know of six tribes, not counting the one that we've dealt with. Long ago, they had contact with humans, but for various reasons, the humans tried killing all of them. If we attack them, they will push us out of those mountains by force if they have to. We will lose that kind of battle. The only way to avoid that is to find a way to be friendly towards the ogres."
Jenn paused as she let her words sink in. She doubted that her advisors would mistake what she had been explaining, even if they might not actually believe it themselves. Jenn only knew that she at least had to try. That if she didn't she'd be just as guilty of her advisors at whatever action they may try to take against the ogres themselves.
"So, do any of you have any other complaints about the ogres?" Jenn asked after a few minutes of silence. She wanted to stop this way of thinking as fast as possible. She doubted that it would be helpful if allowed to linger. Or at least among her advisors.
After another minute of silence, Jenn thought the matter was laid to rest and was about to move on when Zirisia spoke. "How can you be sure that they're not dangerous?"
Jenn nearly laughed out loud. How could she be sure that they're not dangerous? Jenn couldn't think of a more ludicrous statement.
"The same way that I can be sure that none of my people are dangerous," Jenn answered calmly, her gaze centered on Zirisia. "If something does happen, I know how I can find out the truth in any matter. If an ogre is guilty of breaking the peace between us, then I will react swiftly and ensure that it won't happen again. Plus, I will do it in a way that will keep the other ogres from seeing us as a threat that they need to eliminate."
While she had thought that Zirisia might have the same reaction she could see from some of her other advisors, like Maelia, Zirisia merely nodded in acceptance. Jenn wasn't sure what to make of that, but it wasn't like she was that bothered by it. Especially since she wasn't that interested in dealing with that topic anymore anyway.
Jenn was about to move on to another topic, when thinking about the mountainous world gave her a thought about an issue she'd already addressed. Though she wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, just one that she hadn't thought of before.
"Going back to our building materials supply, what if we used stone to help build some of the structures?" Jenn asked aloud. "Not only would it reduce the amount of wood we'd need, but we'd be able to supply ourselves with stone." Jenn couldn't help but let a grin spread across her face at this thought. "I mean, we are surrounded by stone in those mountains, right?"
While Jenn had hoped for a more energetic response, she felt her heart sink a little as she saw her advisors share skeptical looks with each other. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but it certainly didn't help her spirits any.
"My lady," Zirisia began, sounding rather hesitant. Jenn felt a sense of dread build up in her as the woman spoke. "Do you not understand the importance of buildings made of stone?"
When the woman's words sunk in, Jenn couldn't help but feel her dread get replaced with confusion. What would the problem be with having buildings built with stone? Maybe it would be a little more difficult, she guessed, but other than that she wasn't sure what the overall problem would be.
"Uh, not really?" Jenn asked, feeling like it might be something that everyone in this room might have already thought about but dismissed it already for whatever reason they hadn't shared with her just yet.
Or at least a number of them, Jenn thought to herself as she looked at her stand-ins. They didn't seem like they might have thought about that themselves, but she couldn't be sure herself without violating the rules she'd put in place with herself about using her magic to look into another's mind.
"The problem with using stone for buildings is that's for the nobility," Tchisa explained, making Jenn feel even more confused.
What did stone being used for a building have to do with whether or not the person was part of the nobility? Jenn asked herself. She'd have also wondered what a 'noble' was, but she was able to see in some of the memories that weren't hers what they were. Which she supposed that her people likely saw her as one as well.
"Okay, and until I reveal myself, I need to stay in a wooden house, right?" Jenn asked, feeling a little unsure about the whole situation. She had a feeling saying this would generate a response that would allow her to push forward with this issue, but she couldn't be completely sure.
"Why would that matter?" Maelia asked, sounding rather confused herself.
Jenn merely shrugged. "Maybe because if I'm not the Blue Rose, then what am I to those who don't know who I am?" Jenn asked, hoping this would get her point across. She wasn't sure if it'd be that simple, but she did know that it was already starting to get on her nerves.
With the silence that fell across her advisors, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. She was at least confident that it was in reaction to her question. She just couldn't say if she made a good point or if she really stepped in it this time.
Especially since she felt like this might be her only shot at the matter.
"In truth, we were planning on getting that built once you declared yourself to be the Blue Rose," Zirisia admitted, though she also looked uncomfortable adressing this topic. "In the meantime we were planning on just letting the buildings go up as we had been building them with just wood."
Jenn sighed, she felt like this was definitely a cultural thing, but couldn't say if it was one that would be important or not. Especially since she was just learning about this aspect. Which was one of the few times the memories from those who'd died in the Forest of the Lost she'd gained from helping out the Lost weren't any help. None of them contained anything about stone buildings being just for nobles.
"And what were you going to say if anyone asked why my stand-ins weren't living in a house made with stone?" Jenn asked, the thought coming to her as she glanced at her stand-ins while also wondering if she might be getting a better handle on this issue than she first thought.
"It doesn't matter what we were going to say," Laer answered bluntly. "No one questions what a noble would do. Even Tchisa would have waited until you declared yourself before building herself a house of stone."
Jenn glanced at Tchisa, but from the sheepish expression she noticed for a brief moment, she couldn't help but wonder just how accurate that statement was. Not that she'd have complained about it. As she could understand her wanting something that showed off her status or whatever. Even though she really didn't understand that way of thinking.
Although, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe living as the Blue Rose would change that somehow, after she'd declared herself as the Blue Rose and removed the mask while she was wearing it.
Maybe I should ask Beth about that? Jenn mused to herself for a moment before snapping herself back to the present in front of her.
"Well, let's put it this way," Jenn said gently, ready to press against any opposition to this idea. "We'll use stone to construct all buildings. Any buildings we have built already will remain until we have a building to replace them. Although, the priority will be buildings to house my people."
Jenn forced herself to use a gentle tone so it'd come across as kind as possible. She was pretty sure she'd receive objections to this idea in general, so she thought that she'd at least soften the blow as much as possible. She wasn't sure how well it'd go over, but she was confident about this. That it would be the best option in general.
Although, the topic did seem to highlight to her that using hardwoods in construction was in fact a cultural thing. Even if she really didn't understand how or why that was.
"But my lady-" Zirisia started to say in protest, but was silenced with a glance from Jenn.
"I made myself clear," Jenn said firmly. Then, with a softer tone, she continued, "I'm sure others will have objections to this, or lead to inflated egos or whatever, but this is more out of necessity than what is proper or isn't. Now, you can make my final residence as fancy as you would like, but right now I'd like for us to use stone as the primary material to build all the buildings in that settlement from now on."
Jenn was about to move on when she suddenly remembered the construction on top of the trees above them. She wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of this before, but she knew that they'd had to have used wood to not only build the elevator, platforms, and the bridges, but also the structures that were above the platforms. Which were all made out of wood. Wood that they needed to have acquired somehow in a large supply to have constructed so much already.
"Before we move on, I was just wondering, where did the wood for the construction above the trees come from?" Jenn asked. "I'm pretty sure that I was told that we didn't have a supplier of hardwoods, right?"
"We've been using the wood from the trees around us," Zirisia explained. "We don't dare gather too much at once, however, since this is the Duchess Versith's lands."
Jenn nodded, not sure if that would be useful to know or not. Though, she supposed that it might be good down that road at some point. Even if it wasn't clear to her at the moment right then.
"So, would that make it a hardwood?" Jenn felt her hope rising. If it was a hardwood, then that could solve a lot of the problems. Especially if they harvested the wood from higher up where no one would really notice it.
Zirisia merely shook her head. "No, it's a softwood. We use it because we haven't secured a source for hardwood and it's not like we have any other options. We've just done the best we could with what directions you've given us."
Jenn sighed. She'd thought that it might have been too much to hope for. Though, wasn't sure what else she could have expected. Especially with how she knew that they likely would have mentioned that before if it had been a hardwood. Even if it wasn't a reliable source for collecting it.
"Well, in that case, we still move forward with the buildings being made out of stone," Jenn told those in front of her definitively. "We have plenty of stone in those mountains, so it's not like there's a limited supply. In fact, it's likely more abundant than softwood there. So, if we don't have someone who can work with stone and show others what to do, find one. That'll help our construction efforts more than anything else."
Jenn felt good about that part. She wasn't sure how well it'd be received, or what effects it might have on the cultural parts of the issue, but she was at least confident that it'd allow them to build more structures without needing so much hardwood that they hadn't yet acquired. Nor would building everything be as expensive as it otherwise would be and they'd be able to get back on track of acquiring more of the slaves that she'd been trying to get so they could be freed.
_
Embris was pacing back and forth around the room, conscious of Nymis and Rephis watching her as she did so. While they often were out playing at this time, rumors were flying around that they'd all be leaving soon. That they'd all be going back to the 'settlement' before the day was out.
Which meant most people had kept their children close to them, leaving not enough for Embris' siblings to have others to play with. Partly because the ones who were available weren't ones that Nymis or Rephis got along very well with.
While she wouldn't mind seeing what the 'settlement' looked like, she hoped that she'd be able to get the letter written for Feon done before they left. As she wasn't sure how to explain what was going on for her or where that 'settlement' would be. As the rumors only referred to 'through the gate' rather than actual directions to it.
Although, if a 'gate' was like anything Embris had gone through when she was with Jenn following the centaurs, she wasn't sure how she'd be able to explain that in the first place. Even though that would at least be a place to start. Especially with all that she wasn't sure about with what was going on in the first place.
However, Embris wasn't sure how long she'd be able to wait. The meeting that Jenn had gone to apparently had started before Embris woke up and it was almost time for the midday meal now and from what she could tell, the meeting was still going on. Which only seemed to make Embris' nerves itch even more than they had been at the start of her wait.
Embris was about to make another slow circuit of the room when Jenn came through the door.
"When're we leaving!?" Rephis cried out excitedly before anyone could say anything.
"Rephi' we don' know if tha's happening," Nymis scolded her older brother.
"What're you talking about?" Jenn asked, looking a little confused.
"Oh, there's a rumor going around that everyone will be moving to a place called 'the settlement' or something like that by the end of the day," Embris explained. "I'm not sure what the whole thing is about, but I was waiting to see if you'd be available to write the letter for me? The one we talked about already?"
Embris wasn't sure what she'd say or do if Jenn had forgotten. Not when she desperately wanted to extend the line of communication to Feon and let her know that her letter had been received and that everything was going well.
"Letter?" Jenn asked, causing Embris' heart to stop beating for a moment before Jenn continued. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I didn't expect the meeting to last that long. But, yeah. I'm available now to write it for you. When I'm done, I'll even ask Tchisa to have someone send it wherever you need it to go."
"You'd do that?" Embris asked, startled. She'd expected that she'd have needed to find someone to take it as well. Which was something she wasn't confident about doing. Not when she hardly knew anyone here and it wasn't like she had any rank to speak of in the band, either.
Jenn smiled, giving Embris a look that she hadn't seen before. "Of course. I'd be happy to. I mean, it is part of what the Blue Rose wants the mercenary band to be like anyway."
Embris felt a little stunned. She hadn't expected that the blue Rose would have had anything to do with this or even in the periphery of it. Especially for someone who had been considering leaving the band. Not that Jenn was aware of that fact.
"So, shall we begin?" Jenn asked, walking over to a bag by her mattress and pulled out some paper, a jar of ink, and a quill before walking over to the table in the room and looking at Embris expectantly.
Which then begged the question for Embris: Where to begin?
_
"What're you getting ready for?" Feon asked Beth. "I thought you were going to stay here for a while still."
"I was," Beth admitted. "Though, the others will be staying themselves. Partly so they can learn the etiquette of this world. I mean, while they were having fun on that mountain, I was stuck here with those lessons and I'd like to get a break from it."
"Yeah, but they're not you. You're the one who was helping me learn to fight first," Feon protested. "I mean other than Embris, of course."
Beth wasn't sure how to respond to that. She wasn't sure how good Embris was at fighting, but she had a feeling she probably wouldn't have been able to teach Feon much. As Beth doubted that Embris had known much about how to fight at that time.
Things might be different now, but it wasn't like she'd known what. Just that Embris had become a mercenary to get enough money to survive. Which naturally meant that she could have improved her skills without Beth knowing it at this point. Even though Beth doubted that her skills would have improved by much.
"Where're you going anyway?" Feon asked, the concern on her face easily discernable.
"Well, my friends found someone who made a flying ship, which I'm sure you saw the other day," Beth said with a grin.
Feon nodded, her battle with keeping a serious face easily noticeable to Beth.
"Well, they need more of a certain stone that we found before we came to this world," Beth explained. "I was going to see if we could find a source of it closer to where we were rather than where my friends and I found it initially. Because that stone is what fuels the ship to continue flying."
"Wait, how does a rock help that ship fly?" Feon asked, looking like Beth's explanation was taking her logic a bridge too far.
"Well, I'm not sure exactly, but the stone does help my friends and me recharge our magic. So, I'm assuming that the stone is a magic kind of stone or something," Beth answered, trying to come up with something that even made sense to her. Which she couldn't say she'd be able to do.
"Uh, if it's a magic stone, why haven't I heard of it before?"
"We found these on another world. We're not sure how long a piece might last, but we're sure that we'll need more. Especially if the marquis builds more like I think he's intent on doing."
"What'd the point of building those ships be?"
Beth merely shrugged. "I'm not sure myself, but I think that he's thinking that merchants might like them as well. That it'd allow them to move their merchandise faster from city to city, which would in turn increase how much they'd be able to make."
"Is that why you're leaving in the morning?" Feon asked, as if they hadn't already just gone over that.
However, Beth merely smiled at the girl. It wasn't her fault that she was so curious. "Yeah, that's why I'll be leaving then. Though I'm sure I won't be gone very long."
"Will you take me with you the next time you leave?" she asked, a pleading look entering her eyes. "I'm sure I could be a strong warrior for you."
Beth suddenly realized something that she hadn't even considered before. It seemed like Feon might have a crush on her or something. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but that's at least how it sounded.
Although, she was certain if that was the case, the best way to handle it would be to act like she didn't notice it. After all, Feon was seven years old. Much too young for Beth to actually consider taking to bed and seeing where the crush would lead them. Maybe after she was older Beth would actually entertain the idea, but that would be years down the road and it wasn't like she knew if that crush would last that long or not.