In three months, Camelot had been transformed. The roads were paved, and I was greeted by a "merchant governor"—a guardian of trade flows who closely monitored financial transactions. Camelot had acquired untold wealth, and I was here to help them avoid going mad for gold. Remember what happened to Spain, when it drowned in gold, but its goods remained the same? Devaluation. Gold is just a material we've mutually agreed upon as money, no more "backed" than a piece of paper or cryptocurrency. To devalue it, it's enough to dump a huge amount on the market. So I immediately dispatched traders to Camelot. Their task was to extract the excess gold in exchange for goods, and to do so in a way that would keep the inhabitants happy. The local government, to my surprise, turned out to be honest: every citizen was allocated an equal amount of gold. As a result, to reduce its concentration on the planet, a colossal amount of goods had to be sold off. And there were already washing machines, electric kettles, sewing machines, tractors, and dozens of other amenities. It took a tremendous effort to save Camelot from devaluation. Goodwill in trade helped establish strong ties with this planet, so when Brunhilda and I arrived, we were greeted with open arms.
"I have some bad news," I said to the local magistrate. "It concerns the Knights of the Round Table."
The magistrate was stunned, but quickly gathered the residents so I could make the announcement.
"Thousands of years ago, the Knights of the Round Table retreated to the lands known as Wagonbray, Castiana, and Sagal. In Merlin's Book, we discovered Sir Gawain's sword, engraved with symbols. With a special ring, they allow travel to Wagonbray. Brunhilda and I found only desolation. From the records, we learned that fifteen hundred years ago, the Knights of the Round Table arrived. Over time, they began to fall into a slumber from which they never awakened, and then died. A sleep plague spread. The culprits were tiny creatures that entered the bloodstream, reached the brain, and fed on the substance secreted by humans during sleep. Feeding and growing, they brought death. Now this planet is being cleansed of these creatures, as was Castiana, their homeland. I have brought you the bodies of the knights so that you can bury your heroes according to your own customs.
"Was King Arthur there?" came a question from the crowd.
"I don't know. We identified the knights by their swords," I replied. "I'm certain one of them was Sir Gawain. Perhaps Percival, but there were more knights. The people were so preoccupied with fighting the spreading disease that they had no time for funerals."
— We won't get infected?
"No. We've destroyed the creatures that caused the disease. You're in no danger." I, of course, oversaw the processing of the bodies, as did Brunnhilde. She viewed it as a potential threat to the spread of biological weapons, so she was extremely vigilant. For the remaining inhabitants of Asgard, a huge pit was dug via teleportation and the bodies were transferred there. A vast cemetery was formed, buried by teleportation. At my request, a memorial was erected: "Here lie the inhabitants of Wagonbray, who died in the sixth century AD (according to Earth's calendar) as a result of an epidemic of sleeping sickness caused by a microorganism." The death toll was tens of thousands. Apparently, the population hadn't yet had time to swell, while Camelot had several million. So, from a certain point of view, this was another market for high-tech products.
My "trade governor" had a powerful computer with early prototypes of the STC, which allowed him to implement numerous innovations: concrete, seeders, new plows. And that was just the beginning. With imported technology, the planet's development would accelerate, since they already had electricity. Their understanding of technology was still primitive, of course, but you can't expect everything at once. Camelot had a monorail system at its gates and technology that allowed the gates to be moved to synchronize with the monorails. Trains from anywhere in my state could arrive on the planet for trade operations. Yes, the ability to instantly deliver or export hundreds of tons of cargo is not without its costs. The trains, due to the size of the gates, had an unusual shape, but they had to be adapted. As a logistical tool, they were beyond praise. And don't forget about medicines: if you want to gain a reputation in this galaxy, supply them.
My "rating" on Camelot wasn't measured, but I'm sure it was growing. Probably because I didn't interfere in their internal affairs. Unifying laws was a nightmare in itself, especially considering the different languages. Although the space magic of the gate allowed for the integration of the local language into its system, many things had to be adapted. But the governor took it in stride. Careerism was widespread on Urvasha, with clear signs of meritocracy. Remember who founded the states of my planet—scholars. Scribes, left without masters, possessed only their intellect, deprived of political power. Therefore, the more difficult the task, the more responsibility and, accordingly, the higher the position you deserved. Of course, people still promoted their children, but if efficiency suffered, no one was happy. This was the case before my time, and it continued during my reign, since I didn't delve too deeply into domestic politics.
When Brunhilda and I were leaving, I still spoke out:
"It was a fascinating adventure, but we never found Merlin's ship. I think Morgana took it. Where she and Merlin went remains a mystery. If they ascended together, wouldn't that have destroyed all the data, even that device?"
"The investigation remains at a dead end for now," the ship's captain admitted.
"I need to gather more information and think about it. But I admit, I had fun. Not every Goa'uld can boast of holding the ultimate biological weapon, capable, if used correctly, of wiping tens of billions from the face of the Earth." Seeing their looks, I continued, "Well, I didn't care. I gained three more planets suitable for colonization and enhanced my reputation on a medieval planet that, in a couple of decades, will correspond to Earth's 20th century."
"Such accelerated development is fraught with risks," Brunhilde noted.
"I understand that perfectly. But I don't have much choice. The Tetrarchy is the state that Egeria, Isara, and I will create. We will oppose the System Lords. The engineering equipment and specialists of Earth and Pangar alone have increased naquadah production many times over, and the Tollans' production even more. I understand the danger, but frankly... I don't see much difference between people of different eras. Let's take the 20th century on Earth and rewind history to the 30th century BC. Do you think they've changed much? The Tollans—yes, they've become wiser, taller, and paid a high price for progress. They amaze me. But all the other planets—they're the same."
"There's some logic to your words," Brunhilda agreed. "However, do you expect to be able to restrain a predator you've so tenderly nurtured?"
"That's what Egeria is for. It will spawn the legions that will form the foundation of the Tetrarchy. The Tok'ra will become administrators, scientists, and generals. The information encoded within them will be able to curb predatory impulses. Not to mention that 40 years is plenty of time for preparation."
"40 years?" Brunhilda asked again.
"Do you think I'll start military action sooner? I need to accumulate resources."
— I expected at least several centuries.
"Really?" I raised an ironic eyebrow. "Don't you think that's too long a timeframe for several technologically advanced planets with access to naquadah and sufficiently advanced technology? In forty years, we could build an army capable of launching an offensive and crushing our enemies. In any case, forty years is a benchmark for my plans. If I deem the forces and resources insufficient, I'll set a new time."
If we reach 5 Hattaks per year in decades, then in 30 years there will be 150 ships. That's the fleet of an average System Lord. Perhaps I'll be accepted into the club, and I can sit with Yu and troll Baal. Although, with his skills, he might do the same to me. Then again, I can strengthen myself with other technologies, as well as by finding more planets with naquadah.