Chapter 348 - Lifespans

Now as they broke in to October a few days ago, after the Harvest Gaster Kingdom has gone through considerable progress. As mentioned in a previous Chapter, the population has leaped to 830! That came with new problems as well as opportunities.

For example with the recent rise in human power, they can establish more sources of income. But until those sources are well taken care off, they have to pay the new employees with their limited budget.

It is fair to say that it went all smoothly, the Zamerians accepted all of the offered deals by King Michael thankfully. And due to those facts, salaries were raised not once but twice, for the most profitable crafts at least.

As for the rest, their salaries will be raised as well because after all the goal is for everyone to have a salary of over 200 gold coins. In a way, they are half way there to reaching that goal and on another way they aren't.

Sure there are some people who earn a salary of 400 Gold Coins a month, but when put in a pile of over 300 Employees that really doesn't make a difference for the rest of the people.

Currently, there are exactly 379 people under King Michael's employment and when calculated based on how much gold is put in to all the salaries, the average salary breaks out 78 Gold Coins.

Now the reason why it is this low even after all the salary raises, is because the new badge of Guards are now paid, and they are not paid enough. 20 Gold Coins per new Guard, but such low procedures were taken just to be savvy and careful with the Budget. Sure they will earn a salary raise considering that they are the Kingdom's protectors it just might take a bit longer.

Raising the salaries for the Guards will inevitably move the average over a hundred Gold Coins easier, after that they can take on the goal to raise the salaries at least 200 gold coins for each and every individual, after that of course food won't be free. Reasonable since at least one salary will enter each house and 100 gold coins can cover the monthly food expenses for a family of 4.

Apart from all of that, the Kingdom is still earning enough to build up a big budget in a matter of a year. At the moment, after all the expenses the Kingdom is earning a profit of 35k a month. It is fair to say that this population rise helped a lot, even though there are about 202 people left unemployed. The 249 other people that can't be employed are elderly and Children.

...

Now with these slight specifications of the budget cleared out, we can move on to lighter matters. Such as what kind of progress Alama and King Michael have attained in almost a year's worth of time.

Taking a day to fish out old memories, King Michael could have written down a list of what activities have been normalized by passing time of which if seen in the very beginning of when they met, it would feel a lot more awkward.

For example, the fact that King Michael hates for his hair to be touched by anyone. Alama has been granted the opportunity to braid his hair once, and afterwards it became more common. She loves his hair, and he likes how she is a big fan of his hair so it isn't really hard to get along here.

Apart from that cute gesture, talks have become a lot lighter. They can talk basically about anything, and when one topic ends another starts. In another way it was adorable how Alama's mind would go blank in the beginning, considering that she is a very successful merchant and a known honey mouth, that shouldn't have happened.

It is fair to say that she can get nervous towards a guy she fancies, but now that she was given the chance to speak about deeper topics. She asked the now 313 year old King if he has plans of marriage. His Birthday was back on July 16th, he didn't really care about it much though.

"Marriage isn't for me." The King answered boldly, leaving Alama both in confusion and disappointment.

Although they are not a couple even after nearly a year of knowing each other, such an answer got her hurt in so many ways. Before going through many thoughts or accusations which might not be so favourable, she asked? "Why? Not a fan of loving a woman?"

A dumb question in some ways, since it might offend his manhood in some aspects. But a hurt person can go overboard with his or her words, Alama went over board just a little bit.

"That's not the point Miss Alama." King Michael answered with a forced laugh to lift the mood up, since he noticed her mildly rageful expressions. "It is just pointless to marry anyone here considering that I live a lot longer than any of you do."

At the first thought, Alama figures that Commander Alia could meet his lifespan considering that they are almost the same age and in a way with the same lifespan. But she is trying to mix his lifespan with her own.

"You are scared of losing loved people... over and over I can assume." She asked, putting aside that marrying him has become impossible and tried to show sympathy instead.

"I am." He answered truthfully, although he let the silence stretch for over 10 seconds. He didn't mean to be rude in any way, this is just a sensitive topic hopefully it won't hurt their progress as friends. "It is just hard to tackle... why Marry someone if I have to live another possible 300 years without her?"

"You have a good point there Michael." Afterwards a thought came in her mind, but at the same time she wanted to speak so she said her thought out loud. "I wonder if Demon meat can make me live longer."

"Why would you want to live longer?" King Michael asked, assuring Alama that she said that sentence out loud.

"Ummm..." Alama' thoughts rushed, trying to find a proper lie, a believable one. "So we can be friends longer?"

"That's the case?" He asked, not sure if he can believe her at this point and could see many reasons for her to lie considering how shy she tends to het specifically around him.

"Yes. What else could it be?" She asked boldly, getting her nervousness in strong control for once by remembering how hurt she got about the fact that she can't marry him.

Trying to respect the same lady who offered so much help when Gaster Kingdom was 0 with 0 financially speaking, he offered a solution to her thoughts. "Nobody can be imortal, but I think I know how to prolong anyone's life come to think of it."

"How?" She asked in shock, jumping off her seat a little bit as her lips wore a great big smile. "I hope you aren't joking."

"Well it is just a theory." He added, and recalled different points throughout past adventures and information being several months old. "Mogranius told us about his father being over 300 years, due to a certain mix of two possibilities."

"Which are?" She tried to remember Mogranius' exact words but doesn't remember much considering it happened nearly a year ago.

"The exposure to Demonite and the Consumption of Demon Meat." He answered boldly, as if he has plans to make some changes on her diet.

"You want to take me all the way to the Source of Fire?" She asked in shock, hoping that the King is talking fiction for once.

"No, you are not of "The Evolved", the Source would rip you into pieces." He specified, and getting a flashback of a scene he had on the shores of Meridionali Ignis a Century ago in one of his research expeditions, he added. "Some ill.u.s.tratios once fought off some "Demons" and fed its meat to a hound."

"Did they really kill Demons or Ignites?" She asked, fearful due to the fact that ill.u.s.tratios might have fed Ignite meat to hounds.

"No no they were actual Demons, you could tell by their stereotypical description. Big horns, dark skin and big claws, a lot of shouting." He continued to list characteristics, until Alama helped him get to the point by snapping her fingers.

"Oh right... Well my point is, the hounds changed. Some grew bigger, some fell dead, some even got Horns! But one, one of them still lives by this day!" King Michael's words are indeed inspiring, but at the same time they sound unreal.

"Are you sure you're not talking fiction... Wait can we be in a fictional world? Made by a brighter mind?" She felt puzzled, with all the unusual talk going on she has reasons to do so.

"No... This is real life, no one would be smart enough to write Novels in Novels." He replied to her paranoia with trustable logic and moved to the main point. "Also, I saw the dog a few years ago, I recognized him by the Horns."

To complete this rather fictional talk but at the same time inspiring. "If we can filter out any bad side effect of eating Demon meat, and utilize the fact that it can prolong life several fold... I think we can prolong your life span."