Depthless Hunger

Chapter 206: The Ratio of War

"And the average gold to crystal ratio," Krainuun said, "has risen to almost ninety Eagles per crystal."

"Wait, ninety?" Kai had been nodding through their conversation, but that threw him entirely. "Everyone was talking like fifty was unreasonable before."

"Ah, but those were peacetime ratios. Even if Krysal isn't engaged in full war, we are seeing wartime values. We've seen this before during particularly bad incursions, conflict with neighbors, or warfare that severely damaged crystal refinement."

"But getting to those levels during a time like this is unusual, right?"

Krainuun rationed himself a very small smile. "Yes, it is extraordinary. A ratio of ninety means that creating a crystallier requires almost half a million Goralian Eagles, which is prohibitive for lesser merchants. More importantly, it destabilizes various markets. If the ratio increases to one hundred, a great many opponents will be severely discomforted. Consider that a goal for now."

Even if that part was more interesting to Krainuun, and maybe more important for the war, Kai was stuck on the base price. The ratio was just a number, but it had a tangible effect on the war. All his opponents who thought they could simply buy their way to strength now had only a third of the power to show for their money. Every day they kept Krysal spinning in this state was a day their position strengthened relative to their opponents.

"Should I have acted differently in Teraklis, then?" Kai asked. "They produce so many high quality crystals, they have to be pulling the ratio down."

"We have more than one objective, of course." Krainuun sat back into his usual position with his hands over his belly. "It is essential that the revolution appear like a dozen different conflicts: Omilaena conquering for herself in one place, an uprising in a second, mere disruption in a third. Leaving Teraklis as a stable city state is not a bad outcome, and given their treatment of workers, a more palatable compromise than some."

That was the way it always was with Krainuun: everything weighed on golden scales, never tilting entirely in one direction or another. It was certainly preferable to the black and white thinking Kai saw elsewhere, and honestly that he slipped into himself from time to time. He wondered, when it was all over, whether anyone would know about Krainuun's role in everything.

"Well, that sounds like we've covered everything." Kai slapped his knees and pushed himself to his feet. "Oh, but one thing: do you have more of those communications crystals? It would be great to be able to stay in contact with Zae Zin Nim. We could push ourselves harder, knowing we can always call back our strongest if needed."

"I fear they are rather too expensive for that," Krainuun told him. "Beyond expensive, they are rare. With trade disrupted, they will become rarer still."

"Damn. I'll have to think of something else, then."

As the slow revolution continued, Kai had begun thinking of himself as the martial counterpart to Krainuun. The little former servant made sure that their supply lines ran efficiently, while Kai handled their military efficiency. Not simply the increasing strength of their forces, but how effectively he could utilize himself and their other elite fighters.

And yes, that meant giving time for rest and relaxation. Kai had begun sending large portions of their army out on assignment, to deal with one crisis or another, or just to help workers who couldn't handle their new freedom. That meant when they returned to Slaerta they viewed themselves as on leave, which meant the city's celebratory atmosphere had continued.

Most of the time he was back he avoided the estate where the revolutionary leaders stayed and instead lived with Yurwa. That let him monitor Gundle's cultivation innovations and help her continued training. Yes, there was an element of physical gratification, but even when she was too exhausted by her work, he loved just falling sleep alongside someone who cared about him.

That relaxation let him train even more intensely. His Physique remained at the E-9 barrier, but his monstrous skills were strengthening even without using them in combat, most rising a rank. There was time to experiment with his mostly unused skills, like Direurchin's Spikes or Sahagin's Lungs. Behemoth's Heart surprised him by raising another rank even though he didn't think he was pushing his body particularly hard. Even his cultivation, which was slowly progressing through the long Body Refinement stage, seemed easier.

As he worked, he watched the gold to crystal ratio - not because it was the most essential piece of the war, but because it was the only part of a murky conflict that could be given a hard number. He watched it rise above ninety, even peaking at ninety-three... then go back down.

It turned out that one of the cities had discovered that they had killed the Shadow of Death and launched a daring invasion across city state lines to capture it and gain a fresh source of crystals. Kai went out to break up their mining operations before they could do more damage.

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Krainuun had told him to go and disrupt them in his official capacity, but instead Kai sneaked inside and terrorized the soldiers in his monstrous form. He wished that he could fully transform himself, but even though his body reacted to his abilities at E rank, it couldn't make him look completely inhuman. Instead he waged a campaign of terror using the Acidlance Queen, Infernotoad, and Void Gaze abilities.

Once the soldiers retreated, spreading word that the mine was infested with other dangerous monsters, Kai led a group of his own soldiers there. They were separated from the others, but given the number of armies turning toward Slaerta, that might be safer. In the isolated mine they could train and refine more crystals for the rest of the army.

With the new source eliminated, the gold to crystal ratio swung back and reached a stable ninety-two.

When Kai returned from all that work, feeling accomplished but backed up, he was dismayed to find that Yurwa had left for intensive cultivation training with Zae Zin Nim. So he finally took up some of the other women in Slaerta up on their offers.

It was exciting at first, having women practically worshiping him, but the appeal began to fade. They weren't really with him, just a heroic image of him. By contrast, nights with Yurwa had gotten better and better as they became closer and learned one another's bodies. Maybe he was just too romantically inclined, but he started to view it as physical relief and nothing more. Some of the other men seemed to be jealous and yet he usually just felt empty.

Before Yurwa returned, he was sent off to a brutal conflict in another city state that consumed almost an entire month. The city had a unique position: their crystal mines and acid pits were side by side, allowing them to refine qi crystals with little risk or inefficiency. But their system played the two sides against one another, leading to a deep hatred between acid and crystal workers. They seemed to despise one another more than the nobles who kept them imprisoned, so they were constant trouble. Kai couldn't just find enemy crystalliers and fight them, he found himself battling Physique specialists and acid cultivators too.

The only satisfying part of the entire ordeal was watching the gold to crystal ratio creep upward. With the efficient combo disrupted, it passed ninety-five and many in Krysal began to sweat.

When he returned to Slaerta, he found the entire city celebrating. Apparently his work, combined with a recent uprising led by Cragrila, had broken the resolve of some cities. Some merchants had reached out to Slaerta, asking to purchase crystals from them because they were so desperate. Everyone seemed to view this as a victory and for the first time he heard talk of gold to crystal ratios in the streets.

He avoided most of the celebrations, just wanting to head back and sleep. To his surprise, he found both Yurwa and Nirka waiting in his bedroom.

"We could never have gotten this far without you," Nirka told him with a smile. "The revolution seems like it could actually succeed. You deserve a reward, don't you think?"

Instead of looking at her, Kai glanced toward Yurwa, who was shifting nervously. "Do you want this, or did Nirka put you up to it?"

"I didn't, but... I missed you." She gave him a sheepish smile, as if she was a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

"Look, I'm sorry." Nirka got off the bed to stand in front of him, but she soon lowered her gaze. "I didn't realize you'd be so upset. It seemed like you were so pissed, words would never work, so I thought... maybe this would make it up to you."

Kai considered for a moment, then shook his head. "I was in an orgy once. It wasn't as fun as you'd think."

"Then what? You're just never going to forgive me?"

"It's not about forgiveness, just..." Kai glanced between them, then leaned down to whisper in Yurwa's ear. She nodded and he planted a kiss on his cheek before she left the room. Nirka blinked in surprise and looked back to him. "Alright, let's work this out."

Normally Kai didn't think it particularly mattered what words people used for sex, but now he understood the difference. He wasn't ashamed to call what he and Yurwa did together making love, because it was tender and affectate. When he and Nirka came together, it was definitely fucking. Rough and demanding, and it would have been violent if not for their Physique protecting them.

Gratifying, though. He felt like he worked out his sense of betrayal, and if he wouldn't ever feel the same warm bond toward her again, he didn't hate her. Her muscular body looked beautiful, lying sated and unconscious beside him.

Still... once she was asleep he tucked her in, then went to go join Yurwa.

That new equilibrium remained stable as another week passed. Mostly Kai felt satisfied, but sometimes at night he felt like he was missing something. He wanted someone who wanted to be with him forever, and he knew that this wouldn't last.

If he approached Zae Zin Nim, would she agree? She was gone so often, he wasn't sure she even knew, but he suspected she would disapprove of his behavior. Her shame about her torn body was so strong, he wasn't sure she would believe him if he said he didn't care. In any case, pushing on the subject would feel a bit like he was taking advantage of her. She had been so combative while she was still half-dead, then mellowed once she regained some strength. Maybe, once she could feel like she was beautiful...

Despite the fact that Kai was mostly just training, not in the field, the gold to crystal ratio rose further. Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight... it stalled there, so close to the three digit mark. It had to be superstition, since there was nothing special about that point unlike Power ratings, but the merchants seemed obsessed with it. Or maybe they were doing their best to manipulate the number to avoid the shock of three digits.

Eventually Kai decided that they needed to break the deadlock, even if it meant a risky move. He went to visit Krainuun to discuss the possibilities, only to find the former servant sitting morosely.

"Is everything alright?" Kai asked, rushing to take a seat. "What went wrong this time? Another uprising failed?"

"The revolution is fine, but there's been a development I never anticipated." Krainuun spoke faintly, then handed him a thin strip of paper. "We've received a message from the Frontier elites, for you personally. They don't seem happy."