The Ancient Sun God shook his head helplessly, looking at Alaric. "Please, go easy on me. Leave me at least one capable worker! I can't exactly have Ouroboros handle complex paperwork."
"Why not do it yourself?" Alaric asked, striking at the heart of the matter.
The Ancient Sun God didn't respond, just gazed at him silently, as if saying nothing and everything at once.
Under that stare, Alaric felt a twinge of guilt. After all, he was the ultimate hands-off boss. Clearing his throat lightly, he said, "Fine, Grisha. But twenty thousand assistants... not one less."
Hearing the escalating number, The Ancient Sun God shot Alaric a glance, chuckling. "I seem to recall Medici only asked for twenty assistants initially."
Though he hadn't attended that meeting, Sasrir had relayed the details, so he knew the origin of the twenty-assistant figure.
"No surprise there... prices go up!" Alaric said, unabashed. "What, in your eyes, is a God of Knowledge and Wisdom worth less than twenty thousand assistants?"
The Ancient Sun God gave him a resigned look but didn't argue. "The Church of Knowledge can't muster that many people on short notice."
As one of the Seven Orthodox Gods, the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom naturally had more than twenty thousand members. While the number of Beyonders was limited by the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Conservation, the church included many ordinary members. Given the church's academic culture, even these non-Beyonders were often scholars, easily capable of providing twenty thousand assistants.
But even for ordinary members, twenty thousand was no small number. Factoring in their current roles and the challenge of filling their vacancies, assembling such a workforce wasn't something the church could do overnight.
"No rush. I don't expect them all at once, and I don't need them immediately. Two hundred for now will do," Alaric said with a smile, turning to Herabergen. "Can you manage that?"
Herabergen nodded without hesitation. Twenty thousand might be tough in the short term, but two hundred was trivial.
"I'll prepare the list promptly. The personnel will report to you within three days. Could you provide a specific address?" He asked.
Alaric rattled off a few addresses without missing a beat. "Technically, you're The Ancient Sun God's subordinate, so supporting the revolution should come naturally, and I shouldn't be the one paying you. But considering Grisha's broke and working for me, and your assistants will be working for me too, is there anything you want, Mr. Herabergen?"
Alaric wasn't stingy. For Herabergen, who'd provide twenty thousand workers, he was happy to offer fair compensation.
After all… whether those twenty thousand would ever return was another question.
Alaric had some conscience, and besides, not paying would mean owing a favor... a debt harder to settle than any other.
Why wasn't he this generous with Aucuses, who'd also sent people for the revolution? Simple: in Alaric's eyes, the Eternal Blazing Sun's followers were mostly fanatics and muscle, useful when needed but not worth keeping long-term.
Scholars, however, were something Alaric desperately needed. Beyond assistants, the border cities were crying out for teachers, with hordes of illiterate people waiting to be educated.
In this era, while churches had begun establishing schools resembling early compulsory education, most of the poor couldn't afford them. Literacy alone was an achievement. In bustling metropolises like Backlund, intellectuals might be more common, but in border cities, a university graduate was a rarity, a high school diploma marked you as elite, and even an elementary education earned you respect as cultured.
This wasn't unique but the norm across most of Loen's cities.
In such a context, Alaric wouldn't scoff at twenty thousand intellectuals... two hundred thousand wouldn't be enough. Building a new world required all the talent he could get.
"How could I ask for payment…" Herabergen began to demur, but stopped mid-sentence, reading Alaric's intent... he didn't want to owe favors and preferred to settle the matter cleanly.
After a brief pause, he said, "Since you insist, I'll make a bold request."
"Name it," Alaric replied, pleased with his tact.
"I've heard you're an expert on Great Old Ones and Outer Deities. Might I have the privilege of accessing that knowledge?" Herabergen's eyes gleamed with genuine anticipation. While the Evernight Goddess sought such knowledge to know her enemy, Herabergen's desire was purely for the sake of knowledge itself.
To him, knowledge was like honey... others might shy away, but he longed to dive into its depths. Information on Great Old Ones and Outer Deities, which he'd always wanted to explore but couldn't due to limitations, was a particular obsession.
"Did you coordinate with Amanises?" Alaric asked with a laugh, recognizing Herabergen's thirst for knowledge. He nodded. "No problem. I'll compile a report on what I know and share any new findings on Outer Deities with you."
"My deepest thanks for your generosity," Herabergen said, clearly satisfied.
As for whether his people would return, he didn't care. He trusted The Ancient Sun God's character, so Alaric's camp couldn't be a bad place. Given Alaric's unique nature, working for him might even benefit his followers.
For Herabergen, the church's members, beyond maintaining order and providing faith, had little practical use. Many, not being Beyonders, couldn't engage in mystical matters and spent their days buried in studies or exams, with little outlet for their skills.
Rather than letting them waste away in test halls, Herabergen figured they'd be better off working for Alaric, contributing to society and realizing their potential.
Thus, a deal was struck, satisfying both parties.
***
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