Saying so was one thing. Actually managing to do it was something else. Since Shadowflash limited them in terms of industry, George was doubtful that increasing the earnings of the poorest in Kara-Goth was something that could be deliberately done. If they were allowed to wantonly mine everywhere and quarry every hill for stone, and turn the whole horizon into farmland and pasture, then it was a reasonable possibility, but since they had to tiptoe around Shadowflash’s environmentalist policies, rampant exploitation of the land was not an option. If even the basic industries like mining, farming, ranching and manufacturing were impossible, turning impoverished refugees into productive, wage-earning workers was going to be a long, uphill struggle. Already George could see himself inventing fake jobs just to have an excuse to pay them enough to keep them fed... But Remian said, “Kara-Goth needs to change. You already have outlying villages and towns for farms and mines. Heavy i

But this...! “No way.” Remian couldn’t believe it. They dragged it out of the wreck and into broad daylight and he still couldn’t believe what he was looking at. “A fourth generation Acrobat?!” He glanced over at the survivors again. Their clothing and equipment were mostly Southern Quarin, except for a trio over there who looked grungy enough to fit the Tau. The Quarin wouldn’t use a technological mech like this; they’d use golems or shikigami or summoned beasts or elementals or something magical. The Tau didn’t have the technology for something this advanced; Remian had paid special attention to Sorrel II’s neighbors, so he was quite sure of it. The Tau Confederacy couldn’t build this. Who, then, did this Acrobat belong to? Was there someone from the Uber States or Kanonasia who left it on the ship? But no, that was most unlikely. Ubermen or Kanonai would treasure these advanced mechs more than their lives. Someone from an even more advanced civilization, t

They added a medical emergency signal to the Beacon, hoping someone would come and pick up Art in time. Meanwhile, they salvaged a few cryo-pods from the Asred and froze him, along with sixteen of the Quarin who would die without more advanced medical facilities. Of the surviving Quarin crew, nine woke up not long after Captain Lance, and the other forty or so were likely to wake up soon. Among the survivors were Grand Master Ay’eni and Rune Master Le’tte. The rest of the Quarin Masters did not make it, especially Golem Master Je’vakai, who had fought bravely in the very front... A lot of their equipment could be repaired and reactivated with sufficient mana. Some nice, juicy red crystals would do the trick. Actually affording those red crystals, of course, was going to cost them an arm and a leg. Zor’khan-dras and Grand Master Ay’eni almost came to blows as they haggled over lunch. Ay’eni merely wanted to borrow crystals, promising a high interest pay-back scheme. Z

The reason why Darian suddenly had to return to the Wildlands was because yesterday, Remian called him on crystal. “There are three reasons why we need you back here.” Remian began. Darian half-sighed. He could already think of three right off the top of his head. First was probably dad and mom getting worried about him after not hearing from him for so long. Second was likely to hunt down Eriane and find out what the jeepers she had been up to all this time, maybe force her to study and do homework. Third, maybe to ask another favor from the Church of Light, or Doom specifically... “First, a magitech technician turned a switch on.” Remian began. Darian blinked. “Huh?” “Well... there’s nothing particularly wrong, dangerous, or even inherently significant about such an action, but the results...” Remian scratched his head and then explained. Basically, the Quarin woke up to find themselves shipwrecked on a primitive world, but then were

“I have three rules!” Darian addressed the crowd just before launching the raid. “First, no fighting among ourselves! Anyone who breaks that, dies! This includes Draconians and our offworld guests!” “I accept those conditions.” Ay’eni said slowly. “Second, whoever disobeys my direct command, dies!” Darian went on. A few frowns appeared, especially on the faces of a few good-looking females. Or at least, they looked like frowns. It was a little tricky to tell sometimes, with Draconians who had scales on their faces. “Third, no looting! This is an archaelogical site, we’re here to clear it for study, not to plunder everything that isn’t nailed down! Anyone who loots, dies!” A few dubious looks emerged. “If you think I wouldn’t know, try it and see. But you better prepare your grave first.” Darian warned. By now, there were a lot of uncomfortable faces, except for one group who took it all in stride. This group were the Tier 5’s f