I leave the town, and decide to go where there will surely be chaos. A land of people who call themselves Communists or Anarchists. They're people of the community who do as they please too hard. It's a pocket of China that shouldn't exist. And it only can due to the town's militia. It's a strong militia of the Emperor's former soldiers who had grown sick of following the traditions.
That's all I knew when I arrived here. The town seems peaceful on the surface, and surprisingly large. Mainly because the biggest source of corruption is a lack of building codes. There's signs that they illegally made houses, or just used magic to support the home being built. Magical materials aren't the best materials. They literally fade away with time.
This town is known as the Broken Cage. Cause they broke the Cage, and now they live freely on the land. We'll see if it's true.
There's a mine in town. It looks like a good source of money for a start. I arrive there, and find there's a social structure for mining. I'm honestly shocked, I thought it would be pure anarchy.
Upon further discussions with the Mining Clerk, it is almost entirely anarchy. There's just a list of names with their Symbol for how they claim an area to mine in. And we don't even pay to do it. I just make mine my name. And move on.
I head a few hundred feet into a mine. I need to test something before I commit too hard to mining. I can grow metal out of my hands. Can I manipulate other metals? I place my right hand on the wall, and try to sense the metal inside the wall. And I feel something like the idea of heavy, dead worms living in the walls. I draw them towards my hand, and the air becomes filled with the sound of metal grinding through stone.
Within a minute, a thick stone of iron, gold, and copper is in my hand. I smirk happily. This will do just fine. I collect a few more stones, then head back to the town. I find a blacksmith who will take the metals.
Or so I thought. Until my Future Self speaks up.
"Welcome to your first workplace. Prepare for a hostile takeover. This blacksmith wants a whore." she says with cocky bloodlust.
After she says this, the room gets gassed with some white smoke. It makes me a bit drowsy but I'm so used to poison I walk outside casually with a yawn. Only to find the Owner and his Employees standing outside. The Owner is disappointed and sad. The Employees are scared. And I just decide to embrace Anarchy.
I shoot all of them with poison darts out the eyes. And they all start having seizures and dying from poison. Leaving behind corpses with purple veins.
Then I just take over the store. I air out the place, and throw the bodies in a nearby field for vultures to eat. I look around for the Deed, and surprisingly find it. I scribble out the previous Owner's name, and put my name on it. It's done now, the property is mine in Anarchy land. Then I stuff the paper into my pocket.
With that done, it's time to figure out how to be a blacksmith and make my first machines. Which for medieval society, will be a long series of automatic machines that end with me making weapons and armor automatically.
I take stock of the supplies this shop has. It's perfectly stocked for a series of experiments. All the metals and wood a woman could need. With a large iron forge for stuff like shields and platemail. Good thing it's changing to something slightly more peaceful.
I began with studying my future self to understand what she knows to make things automatic. And the first thing she says is to figure out air pressure and batteries. She shows a few images of air pressure from my own mouth making a wheel spin.
Intriguing. And we live in a world of magic. So it's obvious what to do when it comes to this. I need to invest in my old nemesis, Yang magic. And learn a bit of air magic.
This begins with cultivating my Yang side. Which is a wonderful thing to do really. It's enveloping yourself in sunlight and happiness. While being a bit silly with it for me. So I just go on a walk around the town, and enjoy the Broken Cage.
I walk through a meadow, enjoying the sun. I dance a bit, practice a few punches and kicks. Poison a squirrel to death with a poison dart. Usual sun woman stuff.
It's going so well when I finally decide to try doing what I desire. Cause that's what being a Sun Woman is about. Obeying your happiness. And my happiness wants me to defy the fate of being a Man's Wife, and being a businesswoman.
So now I try blowing out intense bursts of wind while channeling my chi. And it works to an extent. Except it's my poison chi. Which I don't need for this, or else only I can work my machines. And I can't have that.
After a few tries, I figure out that if I'm thinking purely nice thoughts, it comes out as regular wind. Which means now I can make wind. Now to put air inside a metal container… that I have to make… ugh, I have to make a lot of metal containers and stuff to hold air.
I go to my shop again. I use my metal chi skills to try molding metal into the containers I imagine I need. I'm not even sure all I need yet, but I do know I should at least try it.
It's a failure immediately, I don't have enough control over it. I made the bottle, but the inside is filled with the steel. I needed it to be hollow. And I can't wiggle out the metal, it just turns itself inside out into a weird porcupine cylinder.
As I look sadly at this failure, the first real problem happens. The local militia's leader and his favorite squad of soldiers shows up to confront me. As he gets close, our energies link. Our simulations of life link up, and we both see the chaos that can ensue.
I can take over the town with my poison. It's inevitable. If they even stab me too hard, my poisonous blood seeps through the dirt into the water supply. And unless they have poison resistance, they die. Let alone the fact I spit a few times on my walk today.
He can arrest me, but it's against their nature. They don't like jail, they want me to work. I've already started working, it's just not what they want. They need their weapons now. And that Blacksmith was a favorite of the Soldiers. They're mad about their guy being dead. They want revenge.
They need something to settle this for now. Or else they're going to siege my shop. Or take it over.
My simulation says I could abandon the place. But it's my best opportunity to be a businesswoman. I must confront them. Especially as they're a potential Buyer of my products. I decide to step out, and offer these Psychos what they fear the most.
I show off my purple metal gloves with a cocky grin, my hands held near my pretty face, fingers curled a bit so I'm slightly making a heart if my face wasn't in the way.
"Gentleman, hear me out. Have you ever wanted poisoned steel?" I ask with charm.
Our Simulations change. Suddenly this town has become a Superpower on this continent due to their weapons being enhanced by my Chi. If they can survive it. And it shows me potentially being a leader of an army against Edward and his armies. Intriguing.
I look at the man whose fate is tied to mine the most. As a Leader of the Soldiers, a business partner, and a friend. He's a tall, chubby man who wears steel plate armor. And wields a sword and shield. With a spear on his back. Along with a ivory pistol on his hip, with a bag of bullets.
"Hello Gang Bo. Will you allow me to open up shop here?" I ask with charm.
He is still in the future. I see what he's thinking. He's thinking about how to justify this. It'll work well when it does. Cause he's not the only Oracle here who's linked to the thought process. It's spreading as we speak to a few more Oracles. Who are trying to hide. Because we're all linked, and they hate it. They all need my poisoned steel to fight the government. But some of them hate my motives for fighting society.
There's already one other Oracle who's revealed themselves. Who reaches out across the Visions, and demands-
"Stay at that shop, and wait for your General to meet with you both." General Artemis says firmly.
I snort amusedly as my future self wanders away into deep conspiracy theory territory of the past and future with that name. Artemis is a God of Greek mythology. I have the Mask of Immortality. She could be a real God. Or worse, she's the perfect human build for being a Hunter. My future self has once theorized each Greek God of the main Greek Pantheon is a perfect build of humanity. At least for Greece, whatever that is.
Artemis is the perfect Hunter build, which is theoretical for every society. They'll be perfectly evolved for hunting beasts of all kinds. She should be as dangerous as me, if not more so.
"We will wait for the General to get here to discuss your fate." Gang Bo says calmly. "Go sit inside, we will be outside."
He doesn't want to talk, makes sense. All this Oracle stuff makes me know everyone already. Gang Bo actually likes my ideas. For stupid reasons. To lazy women. He wants to spend less money supporting his family, and he has to support his daughters until they're married. In my society, they'll get a job at my company as soon as it's set up. He's just hoping it'll work out cause honestly, when we're friends, our relationship is always shallow.
It's only deep when me and this town have to get along during bad times. Gang Bo and his men are the beaters of this town. They beat people into working with them, or kick them out. If it goes well, Gang Bo is gonna avoid me. Because he hates being an Oracle. Being an Oracle means you already know everyone decently well.because you know every decision they could make related to you. To an extent. Just based on when you think about it, and if it's so bad or good it changes your life.
Like for example, Gang Bo and I are gonna see each other a lot eventually. He has to come get used to my Chi. All his men do. Or my steel will poison you. And the best way to do that is to be friends with me. My chi is selective. Get on my good side, my Chi spares you. It's that simple.
It's also why they have to learn to resist poison. There will only be a select few getting my poison weapons at first. For safety, and due to restrictions the General plans on putting in place. For her own personal reasons, paranoia, and again, safety. Because some of her favorite soldiers doesn't have the poison resistance to handle my sword, and she doesn't want some of them being my friend.
In fact, she wants as few as possible being my friend. And while that's a liability, I'm not a social butterfly. I will gladly let them figure out how to bypass being my friend to use my poison weapons.
When Artemis shows up, she shows up with a new blacksmith and a few women to work the shop. Artemis is a tanned woman who speaks like what my future self calls an American. She has brown hair, and green eyes. She wears green and brown leather armor with a steel chestplate. She has a bow and arrows on her back in a deerskin quiver. And a steel gladius on her left hip in a black leather scabbard.
She offers us all the deal. Verbally, no paperwork.
"Kobra Withers is meant for this town. With her, we will become equal to China. And be able to be independent indefinitely. Work the forges, train Kobra on how to use them as she desires, and make our weapons. Kobra, you must learn to sustain yourself when it comes to this store. If you're gonna be a businesswoman, figure it out. But for the first year of you being in this town, we will support you. We all estimate that within 4 months, you'll have your supply chains settled. But I'm being fair, and giving you a year. Just to account for anything going badly."
I gladly shake her hand, cementing the deal.