MY COMMANDOS AND I leave Ifrequeh, on the ship that got us there. The grav sleds that got the job done against the rampaging mobs of the Warlords are lashed down on deck and we'll get them ready for the next job when we get back to Fori Novor. We have done what needed to be done to cure the Warlord problems and now at least the people in the South of Ifrequeh are aware of the King of The Sky. My actions have improved the lot of many people in the South of Ifrequeh and at some point in time, I'll return and add Ifrequeh to my Kingdoms.
I have now acquired a gold mine in Zimboja with some Zayan mine Managers running the mine. The working conditions for the miners are much better than under the previous mining concession operation. Also the living conditions for the miner's families are much better. Finally, the Tjane and Ngoba miners are being treated equally and we may even see an end to the constant state of near warfare between the two tribes.
As I ride the ship back to Fori Novor, I have to spend considerable time managing the affairs of my Kingdoms and I also must continue to keep myself in shape to be the King of the Sky, who can defeat any warrior in hand to hand combat. However, between solving political problems and working out with my sword, I do manage to make some time to study the information in the scroll that I'll deliver to the High Priest of the Temple of Vorell in Fori Novor.
The scroll contains an enormous amount of information. Unfortunately, some of the information apparently leads to one of the three scrolls that I don't yet have. However, there's one very interesting thing that's entirely contained in the third scroll.
What the third scroll contains is the mathematical basis for a force field. By itself, the mathematical basis would be of little practical use to me. However, the basis for a force field uses some of the same kind of thing that I had to learn to put together an anti-gravity device. Since I have practical experience with an anti-gravity device, I'm able to understand at least most of the basis of a force field. If I can do a bit of experimentation, I may be able to put together a portable, high yield, betavoltaic atomic power plant, with the radiation being entirely contained within the force field. Thus, the power plant should be very efficient and the security concerns minimal.
If I can get enough power out of a force field atomic power plant, I may be able to power things like pumps that will allow me to move water to where it can do the most good in my Kingdoms. To a very large extent, water is life.
As I delve into the idea of a force field, I discover that the basis of a force field involves multi-dimensional space. That is space with more than three dimensions, plus time. The concepts are very difficult and I have to work hard to understand them. On the other hand, I learn a great deal from my hard work.
It's not difficult to handle multi-dimensional space mathematically. The problem is trying to visualize the shapes that a multi-dimensional force field might assume and translate that shape into three dimensional space. It's hard work, but I slowly begin to make progress.
I could make even more progress with the ideas in the third scroll, but Tapu, the man from Glyon who's the Aurano of the South Continent Empire is encountering a large number of problems that require quite a bit of my time.
My Kingdoms in Zaya, Golomon and Helgryn are also have some problems, but nothing like the South Continent Empire.
One really bright spot is my Kingdom of The Islands. The people of The Islands are beginning to put it together and they're moving from problems associated with survival to problems associated with, 'The other mogs are making too much money.' Fortunately for me, the mogs who are making too much money are doing so because of hard work and talent. In order to make still more money, they're hiring a lot of Islands people and there's now full employment in The Islands.
In addition to full employment in The Islands, the Bank of Fori Novor is making a ton of money. Since I more or less own the bank, I'm also making a ton of money. I'm using a large part of the money to further improve The Islands, but I'm also using some of the money to improve some of my other Kingdoms.
We get back to Ololo and I'm greeted by the usual huge wave of problems. I get started solving the problems.
I also get in contact with the High Priest of the Temple of Vorell in Fori Novor. I deliver the locked case that contains the scroll that I got from the High Priest in Ifrequeh. I play it a little cagey and just tell the High Priest in Fori Novor, "I was given this by the High Priest in Ifrequeh. I was told to deliver it to you for safekeeping."
The High Priest takes the locked case and tells me, "I'll keep it safe in the Temple."
I don't think that either High Priest would have mentioned the scroll in the locked case, at least not over the telephone. Thus, the High Priest in Fori Novor might have wondered what was in the locked case and do I have the combination to the lock on the case? However, he takes the case without any questions whatsoever, including if I have the combination to the lock, and says that he'll keep it safe in the Temple.
I'm now quite sure that the Priests of the Temples of Vorell have at least some paranormal powers and that they can use them to communicate, even over very long distances. It's something that might come in handy at some future time and I'll have to keep it in mind.
I do talk with Norva Lemni, via the telephone.
Norva is still keeping the supplies flowing to Ifrequeh and Seeba is still directing the local distribution. Norva is apparently in a disadvantageous state with her pregnancy and she's only available part time.
I wish Norva well and then talk to her husband, Colonel Dakon Harkand.
I tell the Colonel, "What I would like to do is to train some of my Zayan people in your advanced civilization agricultural practices. I need to have people who can calculate the probable amount of crops that can be grown in an arid area, without running out of water in a few years. Also, the people need to be trained to be able to calculate the amount of crops that could be grown with so much more water."
"That should get past the Dorond government and the PCP, as long as it's just agriculture."
"Well agriculture and maybe a bit of advanced civilization weather forecasting as well."
"I still don't see a problem. How do you plan to do it?"
"What I would like is packaged courses, in Galactic, that the Zayan schools could use to educate some agriculturists and maybe a few weather forecasters. The graduates of such courses could then be deployed to areas where their talents could be put to profitable use."
"That should work. The Dorond/local partnerships on Dry Island, Spice Island, whatever you want to call it, have worked quite well and they even involved some use of atomic power."
"Yes they did involve atomic power and you'll remember that no one tried to go off and build atomic weapons, based upon the atomic power plant.
"Not likely. The atomic power plant was carefully speced to make that last a practical impossibility."
I then wrap up with the Colonel.
