Standing amidst the gloom of an old, dimly lit warehouse situated in a small town called Zor, located near the capital – Razun – Bruno fixated his gaze on the darkness. Feeble rays of light penetrated through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting scattered beams across the space. In this solemn silence, his mind whirled with calculations and contemplation.

He wasn't alone; the aged man and his younger military companion stood beside him, their presence a reminder of the task at hand.

"Will this work?" Bahir broke the silence, his impatience seeping through.

"No. I will need more light. I will need furniture," the boy pointed out, his voice calm, yet holding the hint of determination subtly woven in the tone carrying the words.

"We will provide those, as well as the books," the old man assured.

"Furthermore, I will require you to establish a pottery workshop here. Recruit those unfortunate, poor souls who struggle to earn a living and instruct them to work there. Craftsmanship may be foreign to them, but time will be their ally for practice. Additionally, assemble a team to embark on charcoal production. Designate a specific location nearby for the accumulation of waste—bones, decaying food, weeds, excrement, anything prone to decomposition," he articulated, outlining his requirements. „I will also need at least one skilled blacksmith with a proper workstation.”

"I am certain these arrangements can be made," Bahir confirmed, though the smile he wore appeared forced, lacking the sincerity present on Brish's countenance—a smile that emanated superiority.

"Very well. Now please help me with two things. First I need to collect samples of the plants farmed locally. Send some people to collect them. Also, tell your men to bring the furniture and equipment we brought on the ship in here. I need a proper setup to start working, and I’m afraid my word means nothing to the people of Zoulan. I’ll excuse myself. I  need to delve into my notes to craft a comprehensive plan to deal with your farming issues," Bruno stated, his departure swift without waiting for a formal dismissal. To him, the words about panning were merely a figure of speech, as he already had everything accumulated in his mind, at least for the agricultural part of the bigger problem called ‘the Kingdom of Zoulan’.

He strode out, greeted by the gusts of wind that swept through the middle of the town. The lack of people had two clear reasons. First was the weather. Overhead, the dark clouds loomed, foretelling an imminent rainfall. The second was him and his friends, the outsiders accompanied by influential figures who could mean danger if in any way offended, thus the obvious solution – to stay the hell away.

As he stood outside, he observed the sparse structures that surrounded him. A couple of additional warehouses, a sizable stable, and an open shed where two rows of wagons patiently awaited their use. Yet, the rows were incomplete, with occasional absent wagons suggesting their current employment elsewhere.

Beyond this, the dwellings of the locals sprawled, and the discrepancy in wealth became immediately apparent. While the kingdom-owned structures maintained a decent appearance, the buildings crafted by the inhabitants seemed haphazard, reflecting their limited means. This view stirred memories of his early years spent in the slums, amidst ramshackle wooden shacks.

He didn't linger long, for he had already absorbed the scene in its entirety. It was but a fleeting glance, compelled by a bittersweet nostalgia.

‘I started there, and look at me now,’ echoed through his mind as he pressed forward. ‘A renowned alchemist concocting a plan bigger than anybody but I can see.’

Without hesitation, Bruno marched straight toward the inn. It stood tall as a grand wooden structure, its entrance adorned with a small drinking hall. The remaining space was allocated for the bustling kitchen and the guest rooms. Typically, these rooms accommodated important individuals from various corners of the kingdom—government officials, and on occasion, weary wagoners seeking respite for a single night.

Disregarding the tired, ale-soaked men populating the drinking hall, he made a beeline for the staircase leading to the second floor. He quickly passed each room assigned to his companions, knocking on their doors. Without waiting for a response, he proceeded to his own humble abode, a relatively compact lodging.

Inside the room, a modest window allowed the cool breeze and soft daylight to permeate the space, as the shutters remained ajar. A neatly made bed with fresh sheets occupied one corner, while a small desk adjacent to it held his scattered notes, with a humble stool positioned nearby.

‘Enough to go by,’ he concluded, surveying the room for a second time, reassured by its simplicity.

With this thought, he seated himself, opening a few notebooks and flipping through their pages. His concentration, however, was abruptly disrupted by Viki, who barged in without a moment's notice, boldly perching herself on the edge of his bed. Javohir and Raul followed suit, but paused at the threshold, closing the door behind them.

"What do you want? Can't we have a day off?" Viki grumbled, her furrowed brow revealing her annoyance.

"I'm afraid not," Bruno responded, slowly swiveling on his stool to face his companions. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, and it all begins... Fine, I'll grant you today to rest, but tomorrow we work. However, I must tell you what I require from each of you."

Viki let out a sigh of exasperation but refrained from uttering further protest as Bruno's piercing gaze remained fixed on her. Under the weight of his intense stare, she wilted, unable to argue. He could see through her teenage facade. She tried to produce the look of a tired individual due to their long journey, but behind the mask she was scared. ‘She will need my help,” he concluded.

„First, let me provide you with the necessary intel on our current position, so you will be able to understand the roles I have assigned to you. As you already know, the current king of Zoulan, Katyan Zoul, after receiving the crown from his deceased father, Zevan, ruined this kingdom. Originally four noble houses held the majority of power on this land. The house Valyria, the house Teryn, the house Zalazar, and the house Navernaya. They lost the majority of their forces repealing attacks from Ankhelis and Tabernak, which almost took down the whole kingdom. Fortunately for Katyan, he received help from pirates, which allowed him to not only put a stop to the attack from the neighboring kingdoms but also to seize all the power from the already heavily wounded noble houses. He stripped them of their titles, took their lands, and seized the remaining forces they had creating a militia, that now protects the southern and the eastern forts, as well as keeps the mines under control, as those are the only reasons pirates are interested in this place,” he explained, keeping his voice two tones lower, to avoid being overheard by a possible eavesdropper from outside of the room.

„And since the pirates are now on our side, we have a big chance of taking over this place,” Javohir chipped in, clearly trying to showcase his understanding of the situation.

„Yes and no,” Bruno replied to his statement. „They give us an opportunity, but we are a marginal force in this kingdom. We have permission to take down Katyan, but it will be a very, very hard task with our resources. The deal I struck with pirates was to flip the farmers and the miners on our side, and then launch an attack with our friends from the vast seas, but that would make us dependable on the pirates, and also crumble the Kingdom’s already sparse army. That’s why we are not going to do that,” he explained.

„Am I hearing right? You want to cross the pirates?” Raul asked, his eyebrows already high up on his forehead.

Viki glanced at him briefly, before her eyes returned to Bruno, who with a smirk on his face began answering the question.

„Yes. We don’t want to be dependent on any outside forces. We want to have a nation of our own, but this will require some extra effort,” he stated.

„But you have a plan?” Viki asked, the worry painted all over her face.

„I have parts of the plan,” he nodded. „Currently we need more resources, as with only the four of us this plan will never work. Don’t worry, we have the time to acquire those. As long as my work doesn’t bear any fruit, we don’t have to worry about Katyan making his move, so here is what we are going to do...” A mischievous smirk appeared on Bruno’s face.

Viki moved on the bed, getting a bit closer to the young alchemist. Raul and Javohir did something similar, by stepping forward.

„Katyan is a horrible ruler, so there is definitely an opposing force among the population. Rebels, who probably keep quiet, and make minor moves. You V, will locate them. You have keen eyes trained by years of finding targets in need of being relieved of the burden imposed on them by fat coin pouches. You will use those eyes to find odd people. Those who put their ear a bit too close to the affairs that shouldn’t concern them. Zor is the hub that connects all major cities within the kingdom, so they have to have at least a few people in here. Take your time, and make sure you are approaching the correct person, then establish a link between us and those rebels,” he instructed before shifting his gaze to Javohir and Raul. „You two will work together. First of all, I need you to train. Improve your fighting skills. I’m sure you both can teach something to each other. As Javohir is more skilled in fighting, you Raul will have a lot of catching up to do. The surplus of time Javohir will spend visiting mines under the pretense of collecting information for me. Simply roam around, pretending to assess the conditions people are working at. I know you have no knowledge of mining, but you're familiar with people who suffer. I want to gauge the miners' sentiments, as well as the militia. Get closer to this man Brish, and get closer to the military. In the future, we will have to deal with both Ankhelis and Tabernak, and I need you to be ready.”

Javohir sighed in response. „Seems like a lot of work.”

"You will manage,” Bruno assured. „Alright. If everyone knows their tasks, then you can go. Let's rest before tomorrow," the young alchemist summarized, before swiveling on his stool to focus on the notes spread across the desk.

"And what about you?" Viki inquired, standing up to peer over Bruno's shoulder at the pages.

"My work began a while ago, and it will continue until we finish here, only to resume once we move on to the next stage of my grand plan," he explained, already flipping through the pages, absorbed in his own writing.

"The grand plan?" Javohir asked surprised, but a smile betrayed his excitement, eager for the revelation.

„Yes. The first stage is to fix the local agriculture. This is a measurement of you, as you all have to deal with your tasks before I’m done with mine. The moment I finish, and my solutions work, Katyian will start making his moves, and we will no longer be safe, so use the time wisely. I can stale a bit, but not for too long. I need to make good use of the farming season which is about to start. Now please, leave, I’m occupied." Bruno concluded the conversation, delving deeper into his notes.

Viki let out a sigh and made her way out, squeezing past the two boys who followed closely behind her. It was evident that the young alchemist wouldn't disclose any further details.