Sean instructed Henry and the children to assist the craftsmen, clarifying design doubts. Then he left the mill with Windsor.
"Windsor, where's Anduin?" Sean asked, focused on summoning new companions—he still had five Tier 1 slots.
"Town square, overseeing officer recruitment," Windsor replied, adding with a smirk: "You're not a pandaren, are you? Pandaren don't wear shoes, and you're too interested in perfume."
Sean laughed. "Caught me. What if I said I'm Elune?" (Elune,one of Azeroth's prime deities.)
"Not a chance," Windsor snorted, having witnessed Sean's bluffing over the past days.
…
In the town square, Anduin interviewed candidates for administrative roles—a system Sean and he had designed: a knowledge-based bureaucracy, unprecedented in Lane Duchy.
Five Political Systems:
Bloodline (Current in Lane):Pros: Stability through noble heredity.Cons: Closed hierarchy, oppressive to commoners, stifling innovation.Religion:Pros: Merit-based promotion (e.g., clergy rising from poverty).Cons: Dogmatic conflicts (Centennial dogmatic war between Light and Earth Churches), internal schisms over doctrinal interpretation.Knowledge (Sean's Choice):Core: Recruitment via recommendation and exams, inspired by ancient Chinese bureaucracy.Pros: Social mobility through merit.Cons: Prone to corruption ("Three years as a clean magistrate, yet a hundred thousand silver taels" —a saying about venality in imperial China).Wealth (Capitalism):Pros: Economic mobility, innovation driven by profit.Cons: Oligarchy, educational monopolies by plutocrats.Class (Omitted for now):Requires advanced social development, deferred for Riverside's agrarian society.
…
Anduin handed Sean the candidate list. "We've selected community leaders as interim officers, but without taxes, the budget will deplete soon."
"Leave finance to me," Sean said. "Your job: allocate funds wisely. We have new'friends'outside town—let's welcome them."
Anduin nodded, understanding Sean meant summoning new Companions. He handed his notes to a deputy and followed Sean.
…
Outside town, Sean accessed the Companion module. The summoning circle glowed, revealing three options:
Kobold Geomancer: A caster specializing in earth magic.Blood Elf Arcane Mage: A high elf arcanist with spell synergy.Draenei Paladin: A healer with holy resistance.
Sean chose the Blood Elf Arcane Mage, named Thalyssra. Her elegance and arcane expertise would complement Anduin's healing.
"Greetings, Lord Sean," Thalyssra said, bowing. "I sense great magical potential in this land."
Windsor raised an eyebrow at the elf's arrival but said nothing—Sean's "divine revelations" had normalized non-human followers in Riverside.
…
That night, Sean outlined the new bureaucracy to Anduin:
"First, build a school. Literacy is the foundation of our knowledge system. Then a courthouse to codify laws, separate from noble whims."
Anduin agreed. "We'll start with tax collectors, magistrates, and engineers—all selected by merit, not birth."
Sean smiled. From bloodline to knowledge—Riverside would be a laboratory of governance. And if the Church or nobles resisted?
He patted the Thailand's bananas in his pocket. With heroes like Anduin and Thalyssra, even divine wrath could be weathered.