"Of course, Madame Arabella. I would be honored to show you around, but wouldn't you like to have some lunch first? You've been reading all morning."
"I'll have lunch later. I want to stretch my legs first," I responded. "Besides, that breakfast was enormous."
"As you wish, although you will likely be hungry again soon," my steward responded. "The first few days after a Metamorphosis are marked by increased appetite."
I had nothing really to say to that, so we strolled downstairs and out the front door in silence.
"Can we walk around the borders of the estate?" I asked my steward as we headed down a path made from packed earth.
"That would be quite difficult, Mistress Arabella. It is a good day's journey on foot in any direction to the borders of your land."
"Wow, that is a lot of ground to cover. How do you manage it all?"
"Well, I have several tools that help make my job easier. I can view the remote workcamps and communicate with subordinates through the Estate's management system. I can also visit any corner of the estate in a short amount of time using a mana-powered vehicle. Record-keeping is also automated through the Estate's management system, or as stewards call it, the EMS. When I need to buy something that the Estate cannot produce on its own, or sell excess resources, the EMS allows for limited access to the CMS, or central management system. The CMS handles business between citizens and between citizens and the bureaucracy."
"Okay," I answered, "but what about purely internal affairs? You have managers underneath you?"
"That's correct, Madame Arabella. Each manager has a console that connects them to the EMS but with less access than I have. There are actually several levels of managers, each with access to different sections of the EMS. Underneath the lowest level managers, who are called line managers, are supervisors that lead teams of between three and ten people."
"I see. And who is responsible for determining who gets punished when?"
"Supervisors may issue only non-physical punishments. Managers must approve mild physical punishments, and, as Steward, I can authorize punishments that will cause permanent damage, such as whipping or branding. You, of course, have the right to punish any non-Citizen in your keeping in any way you see fit. That includes capital punishment."
The conversation made me uncomfortable, but there was no shirking my responsibility to make life as easy as possible for the slaves under me.
"Could you please inform me first before authorizing punishment that will leave lasting damage? I would like to better understand the circumstances that make such actions necessary."
"Of course, I can set up the EMS to alert you if such a request comes in."
"Please do," I asked her before switching to non-verbal communication.
"Mia, can you connect to the Estate's management system from here?"
"Affirmative."
"Perfect. Can you pull up the interface?"
After a moment I saw a long list of options appear as floating green text.
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Financial Statements
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Capabilities
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Projects
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Auction House
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Personnel
"Ok, Clemencia," I said, switching back to my voice. "I have the EMS main screen up."
"You should see five major functions. When you select one, you should see sub-options. Can you select the financial statements line item and then take a look at 'profit and loss'."
"Ok, I'm pulling up the first one now."
Focusing on the financial statements brought up additional options. There was "balance sheet", "profit and loss" and "mana flow". Selecting the "profit and loss" statement brought up a long list of items sold and an even longer list of items purchased. I noticed some of the books I had ordered Mia to find were listed with the other expenses. At the bottom, separated by a small space, were four lines.
Total Value of Items Sold: 4,103
Total Value of Items Purchased: 7,011
Profit / Loss: (2908)
"There should be a summary section at the bottom of the page, do you see that?" Clemencia asked.
"Yeah, I see it. It looks like we have bought many more items than we have sold."
"That is correct. It's generally this way with new estates. Not only did we have to furnish the estate, but it also takes some time for a new estate to reach a normal level of efficiency."
"Why is that?"
"Well, the Estate has only been occupied for a few weeks. We were all transported here, either from training centers or from other Estates. It is more efficient this way. The buildings on an estate are produced to meet the estimated yearly increase in Citizens, but only a skeleton crew is needed until it is time for a new Citizen to move in."
I thought about the implications of that for a moment. It made sense that they would have some spare Estates ready, the buildings at least, in case they had a higher than expected crop of new Citizens. I hadn't really considered where they got all the slaves from for new Citizens, but it made sense that they would want a mix of ages and experience levels. But that meant...
"Clemencia, when they move, errr, workers onto Estates, do they typically take couples?"
"No, that would not be efficient at all. However, unweaned children are kept with their mothers until they are ready to be sent to a creche."
I felt my cheeks flush as I thought of all the families that had been broken up for my sake. Most of the adults at Bandar's had a long-term partner, although ruptures were common and the source of much gossip in the kitchen.
"Thank you. I think I understand the profit and loss component. In order to turn a profit, we either need to sell more or buy less."
"That's essentially correct, although you could also diversify your income."
"Let's not get too deep into that right now. Let's go back and look at the 'capabilities' section."
Pulling up the capabilities section brought up a blueprint of the estate with various areas highlighted. Everything was listed as basic Estate equipment, from the wards that supposedly kept out prying eyes to the cargo teleporter to the laboratory equipment. For a moment, I was worried that the mana battery had changed somehow due to my unique recharging method, but it was still the same bottom-of-the-barrel opal that it had been the previous day.
"You can buy or craft better Estate equipment, which increases the item's functionality, efficiency, or both. For instance, the most expensive teleporters can both teleport more mass and are less mana-intensive," Clemencia explained.
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"I'll give the upgrades some thought," I responded, reminding myself to hunt down the books that Mia had ordered, especially the ones about warding. Until I developed sufficiently powerful wards on my own, I didn't feel safe working on a plan to free all the Pegasi. Not that I had an inkling of how I was going to attempt to do that.
"Do you wish to move on to 'projects' now?" Clemencia asked.
"Not really," I answered, realizing why as I said it. "Until the Estate is running smoothly, I think it would be unwise to begin anything new. Unless 'projects' means something else entirely."
Clemencia nodded.
"You are correct. The fourth option is the 'auction house'. I think you'll want to take a look at that one."
Selecting the auction house brought up a huge screen with lots of options. It was so complex that I stopped walking and spent a few minutes absorbing all the detail. I could select the type of item I wanted to buy or sell, from magic items to mundane commodities, even 'rare' slaves were searchable by their skillsets. Some items were set up as a true auction with a timer that recorded how much longer bids were accepted and a minimum bid increment. Others were available for immediate purchase, and still more were a hybrid of the two sale types. More information about each item was available in a description field along with the terms of delivery. The entire system seemed too good to be true.
"What happens if there is a dispute about the quality of the item, or if the buyer or the seller tries to cheat?"
The question seemed to have caught my steward off guard. She blinked a few times and pursed her lips before responding.
"That does occasionally happen, but there are several reasons why it doesn't occur often. The Crown takes fraud seriously, for one. Then there is the loss of reputation and trading partners that a substantiated accusation will inevitably bring. Finally, for large purchases between untrusting parties, it is common for both to swear an oath."
"Okay, that makes sense. So basically unless something is too good to be true, it is likely safe to purchase."
Clemencia pursed her lips again.
"That is exactly my point, Madame Arabella, but do you mind if we move on? We only have one more screen left."
"That's fine," I responded, curious why Clemencia did not approve of my answers but not wanting to question her directly. I pulled up the 'personnel' screen and found another new interface that allowed me to change the job assignments of anyone on the estate. Anyone, that is, except the steward.
"It's designed that way for a reason," Clemencia explained. "Stewards spend years in training to take up their positions and they are not easily replaceable."
"But suppose a Citizen needed to discipline their steward?" I asked as innocently as I could, having already learned the answer from Empress Vashti's primer.
Clemencia did not seem bothered by the implication.
"A Citizen has the right to deal with anyone under their care as they wish. However, if a steward becomes unusable or dies before their retirement age of sixty, it is usually the Citizen's responsibility to pay a hefty fee for replacement. Sometimes a steward will pass away or become disabled unexpectedly and through no action taken by the Citizen, however. In that case, the Crown will assign a new steward without penalty."
That was exactly the answer that I had expected, but I had no idea how Clemencia could be so blasé about the fact that I could kill her in any manner I wished with almost no consequences. A chilling thought ran through my mind, causing me to shiver despite the warm, bright sunlight all around. If Clemencia found out what Ronaldo and I were planning, what would I do?
"I think I am ready for lunch now," I announced. "Let's head back."
"As you wish, Madame Arabella. Where would you prefer to eat?"
"I'll eat in the library, I have a lot of reading to do still. In fact, I believe that Mia ordered me some books that were delivered this morning."
"They are already in the library. Please remember that you have planned to address the entire estate in," here Clemencia stopped and glanced at a small timekeeper on her wrist, "approximately four hours."
"Thank you," I responded, not adding that I had totally forgotten about the speech.
We made our way back to the house, where I found lunch already waiting for me in the library. Like breakfast, it was enormous. There was a meat pie, a small roast bird, thick slices of bread with cheese and butter, a pineapple stuffed with cherries and kiwis, and a few other odds and ends. I wanted to make good use of my time, so I picked up the copy of "Think and Grow Strong", figuring that there was a good reason that the book was part of my starting library.
I wasn't wrong. The book taught me much about how the soul (which is the source of the mind according to the author) acts as the conduit between the spirit and the body. By harnessing positive thoughts and becoming a productive part of society, a Citizen could easily take hold of the power that was their birthright. I wasn't entirely sure I agreed with the premise, but it was hard to argue with results. I gained ten insights while reading that book alone, although it took me the better part of the four hours I had to spare.
I dozed as best I could on the sofa for a bit after finishing the book, feeling drained mentally but unable to really rest. Despite everything that had happened to me, I was still feeling nervous about speaking to so many people at once. The thought of all those eyes on me at once made my skin crawl.
Clemencia showed up again while I was still trying to calm myself down.
"Madame Arabella, it's time."
I dragged myself up off the sofa and started to follow her into the hallway.
"Would you like to wash up quickly and change?"
I looked down at my garments in confusion. Somehow I had ended up back in my sleeping clothes. A quick moment's concentration was all it took for me to change back to my robe. I briefly considered changing my outfit to something a bit gaudier, but then had a better idea.
I focused again, changing the robe into a reasonable facsimile of my favorite outfit from when I had been a slave at Bandar's: a pair of black pants with a teal short-sleeved shirt. Being more or less a part of my skin, everything fit perfectly.
"How do I look, Mia?" I asked my melded assistant.
"The attire chosen is adequate for its intended purpose."
"Nevermind," I sighed as I turned toward the stairwell.
My steward led me out the front door and past the stables to the meadow beyond. There were already hundreds of people standing in orderly rows in the mild afternoon sun. I heard a short nicker from the direction of the stables and turned my head to look. Ronaldo was back from his training and watching me from his stall, so I gave him a tight smile as I turned back to the task at hand. Despite all the magical changes my body had undergone, it was apparently still capable of getting butterflies in the stomach. Clemencia beckoned me onto a small stage that must have been hastily erected for the sole purpose of allowing me to address my slaves from an elevated position.
Clemencia then called everyone to order and gave a long speech. It was mostly a bunch of dreck about how she expected there to be no problems between everyone and that they all work their hardest and feel honored to work with someone as talented and special as I was. I had heard several similar speeches before. I was beginning to wonder when I would get a chance to talk when Clemencia finally got around to yielding the podium.
"Thank you all for being here today," my speech began, even though everyone knew they had no choice in the matter.
"My name is Arabella Unbound because I was once in your position. You see, my powers were not discovered at the Winnowing. I served on another Citizen's estate until I was twelve years old. At that point, my magical abilities were noticed by a Pegasus, the very same Pegasus," here I stopped and pointed back to the stables, "that I purchased as a way of expressing my gratitude."
I paused for a moment and looked out through the crowd. There were at least a thousand men, women, and children watching me. Most seemed bored or possibly resigned to their fate, but a few had perked up as I shared my own humble beginnings.
"And that is how I became a Citizen, through the aid of a fellow servant. It is a lesson that I hope never to forget. For you see, we can all aspire to help each other the best we can within our station. Ronaldo will never be anything but a Pegasus, nor can I go back to my former life. But each of you has the potential for advancement. If you are not a supervisor, you can work your way into that position. If you're a supervisor, you can prove yourself worthy of greater responsibilities and become a line manager. Even a line manager has the opportunity to advance into a greater role.
You may be asking yourself, 'how does helping each other have anything to do with promotions?'. Well, let me explain how things are going to work on my estate. Working well together is a great way for the whole team to be recognized. Individuals that show they can get along well with others and form strong teams will be moved into supervisor roles. Dysfunctional teams will find their supervisors demoted."
At the time, I had no idea if this approach to managing an estate would work. I was more or less using the speech as a cover to be as lenient as possible and give myself some breathing room to enact the second part of my estate transformation plan. But I could literally feel the tension radiating from Clemencia, which gave me some measure of perverse pleasure. If she thought that I was going too far now, she was going to have a cow when I told her about phase two. But I didn't have time to enjoy my steward's discomfort, I had a speech to finish.
"So I expect everyone to treat each other with respect because I want this estate to run smoothly and profitably. For those of you in supervisory or managerial roles, that means listening to those who work for you and including them as part of the team. For those who form our work teams, I want you to listen to your supervisors and do the work they tell you to do. If you only are working when your supervisor is watching, how will you ever be trusted to take on greater responsibilities?
Now, if you do a good job obeying me and your supervisors, then I am sure the estate will be profitable. And the more profitable the estate, the more incentives you will receive to continue the good work. So that is pretty much it, everyone. I appreciate you all listening to me so intently."
I stopped and looked over at Clemencia. She was doing a great job at maintaining an outwardly neutral expression, but she did not have a chance at hiding her true feelings from someone with the senses I did.
"Do you have anything to add?" I asked her. She shook her head and whispered, "No, Madame Arabella. I believe that will do."
That was good. I wanted to let everyone go and then speak with Ronaldo.
"Go ahead and dismiss them," I instructed my steward. "I'm going to have a chat with Ronaldo."