You can’t fight city hall

The first week of the challenge it looked as though the bricklayers would be dramatically faster and make a much better-looking building. They had finished the exterior of the first floor of the first of its kind residential building. The new city hall just looked like a steel skeleton of a building. The second week saw a similar scene as the second floor of the residential building looked very much like the drawing. The skeleton of the new city hall just grew taller. The third week a wood frame surrounded the first floor of the skeleton of the new city hall.

The end of the first month showed almost no change for the new city hall and then from the top of the steel skeleton hung a huge wooden crane with an impressive looking block and tackle that started to bring up huge gray rectangular slabs that were hoisted up and put into place as floors. After two months the steel skeleton now how had ten floors. The wooden frames began to be removed showing a first-floor wall that looked like one solid red brick with no windows. Everyone looked at the building in wonder, would each floor be a solid red brick with no windows?

Across town, the brick residential building was up to its fourth floor, the first and second already having their interiors being built. It was right on progress to meet the six-month deadline she had given them. Emily smiled as she walked through the nearly completed first floor, "Great work Mr. Duke, your men do outstanding work. This is exactly the kind of quality work I had hoped to see. If I give you the green light to start on the other projects, will they be able to meet this standard?"

He puffed out his chest and responded as if this was only a standard job, "Lady Connaissance, I believe at this current pace, we will have phase one completed in one year. There is something you should know however, Mr. Pillson's team, I think what they are about to unveil might have to change our current planning. They have been working with another one of your inventors on a new type of glass. If they are successful, their new building method may well become the face of our City."

"Mr. Duke, I am surprised to hear you endorse it. Wait, just how much will it cut the cost of building materials for us?" Emily looked at him strangely.

"I won't hide anything from you, the new city hall building is at half the expected budget and Mr. Pillson believes they will come in under the construction deadline by a full month. That's including using brass, marble, and gold ornamentation for the interior. If everything works as they have theorized, we will have the greatest city on Hanston at half the price we used to build the previous City of Connaissance. You may not know this or even believe it, but at the time I was considered something of a dreamer when I took this sleepy little mountain village and turned it into a major city. I didn't have your guts, money, or ability to gather talent, but I had the desire and the drive to accomplish it."

"When you originally built up the city, what was your intention for its future?" She wondered.

"A few of us merchants were tired of having our businesses throttled by the Kingdom's regulations and taxes. We knew that we could accomplish so much more if we were just set free. Like yourself, I met some forward-thinking young scientists who envisioned a kind of Utopia free from the constraints of the Church. The wanted to open something called a university, a gathering place of multiple colleges. A place where someone could learn science, art, business, mathematics, philosophy, or language. Unlike a regular college, you'd be able to find all of those very different types of college in one place." Mr. Duke looked sad for a moment and then continued, "Once we had built the city, we wanted to build them this university, but the costs involved with what they were asking for made no sense to our minds filled only with profit and loss. The University would never generate the kind of income needed to sustain itself, let alone recoup the losses we would incur by building it. We gave them a college, but even that failed to sustain itself. Eventually, we used them as a political tool, a heel to take the blame for things going wrong in the city. You see, we just didn't have the ability to imagine a use for their dreams. It just seemed like they were an expensive luxury item to cater to the wealthy young children who were too young to take control of their father's businesses."

Emily nodded and then casually mentioned, "You know my Father before he became King was a renowned blacksmith and merchant. My mother was a Princess outside of the line of succession. Being married to that humble blacksmith was meant to be a shame on my Mother, a way to humiliate her and keep her from ever seeing power. In the end, he became the King and she the Queen. He too wanted to see the merchants set free and reason, not superstition hold the minds of the people. That's why the Church had him put to death and my mother along with him. This city is something that the people who hold power will never tolerate. It is for that very reason that we must never allow what happened to your Utopia to ever happen again, Mr. Duke. We are fighting a battle that must be won or humanity will never be able to transcend these dark ages. I want you and the other merchants to make millions, but never at the expense of that dream."

Mr. Duke nodded and then chuckled, "Lady Connaissance if I were thirty years younger... I would be fighting with those other young men for your hand as well. You have enlightened this old fool and reminded me why I ever came here in the first place. You're right. What I allowed to happen was nothing more than stealing my own dream just to make a quick Sprite."

*****

The Holy Chadtom Emperor paced back and forth, "Iopolo, why must we always have this same discussion? My honor is at stake for your marriage. I am not willing to throw it away, even for you my beloved son. You have never met this woman, how can you be so sure she is not the one for you?"

The Prince said nothing and just stared at his father, they both already knew what the other wanted to say. Igniting his father's anger any further was not something he was willing to do.

"The trade agreement you brought back is better than I would have imagined. I am very proud of you my son. The Church of the zombie man will be angry with us, but so what? We are looking for profit and you brought back the coal we needed and a trade agreement for all the resources we need. A much better market for our tea, silks, and spices as well." The Emperor sat down on a pile of furs with two of his concubines, "Iopolo. I want you to go and meet with Teslaimia. I want you to look her in the eye and break her heart and humiliate her for not being the Windsor woman if you can do that much, I will make my apologies to the Fursian King and allow you to break our word. If it is worth it to you to throw my honor into a dung heap then you must see what your words do to the other person and live with that guilt."

Iopolo bowed deeply to his father and then stood up straight with a deathly serious face explained, "Father, for my woman, I would dare to do anything."

"Then go to Fursia. Meet with her and see what her heart looks like before you shatter it like glass." The Emperor sighed and said, "Iopolo, soon you will be Emperor, many things will change for you. I need you to put your childish dreams behind you. Our people will have to count on you. Our enemies are many. Making those who stand with us into new enemies will only lead to a path where your reign will be paved in blood."

"Your son understands. It is not my intention to make new enemies, but in this, this one thing. I must be unyielding." He took his fist and slammed into his chest, "If I lose her, the entire world would be meaningless to me."

The Emperor waved his hand to dismiss his son. After he was gone one of the concubines giggled, "Once he is Emperor, he will understand my Lord."

The Emperor gave her a squeeze as the other concubine also smiled and spoke softly, "How can the future Emperor ever be content with just one woman? He will meet with Teslaimia and remember that he can have both. She came to visit the harem last year while he was out playing, she is a woman with beauty and intelligence. I have not heard of the man that wouldn't fall for such a woman at first glance."

The first concubine spoke up, "My Lord, why haven't you told him of your illness?"

"Iopolo needs to settle this marriage matter. It is his first true test as a man. I can't burden his choice with the pressure of knowing my death is near." The Emperor began to cough until he spat out blood, "He needs his mind unclouded to come to the right decision for himself and his people."

The second concubine started to get up saying, "I'll go get the doctor!"

The Emperor pulled her back down and shook his head, "He will only bring me the numbing wine. Just stay here with me, it will pass."

*****

"Your Majesty, there is a Cardinal Piambo at the gates requesting to see you." A knight came before him and dropped to one knee.

King Andrew made a face and turned to one of his ministers, "Did we send him an invite?"

The minister smiled and then replied, "It is his fourth visit today, Your Majesty, perhaps you should make an exception to the rule this time."

King Andrew thought for a moment and then said, "Scribe, send our letter of invitation to this Cardinal Piambo for two weeks from today at three."

The minister looked horrified and started to speak but the King instead pulled out his sword and cut the man's head off. "Have that cleaned up. I want everyone here to remember this is my Kingdom, it does not belong to the Church. We will see this Cardinal two weeks from today at three and no earlier. Do not make excuses. Do not listen to threats." He looked at each man in the room straight in the eye and then stated flatly, "Continue your assessment of this possible wedding alliance between Fursia and the Holy Chadtom Empire."

"Your Majesty, as you know neither of these nations is a direct threat to us militarily, however, should they truly combine their forces, fighting them right now thanks to our loss of Dragon and Golden Bear Brigades would cause us to lose more than half of our total forces even in a win. It would be a devastating war." One of the Knight Commanders spoke out.

King Andrew nodded and then thought out loud, "Perhaps it is time that I met with Lady Connaissance and discussed a formal alliance?"

"Sir Conners has interesting news then?" Sir McCoy asked.

The King nodded, "It seems my niece has been busy there."