[ Reputation System v0.1 ]

  User: Ravenna Sorius / Joy Cha KimReputation Level: 60 (8021/8200)Curreation Points: 2,321Titles: Raven of the Sun Pace, Unruly Princess{ View Reputation Log } { Speation Points }

  “And my points... they're dropping so fast,” she groaned, swiping her hand through the air to scroll through the interface. The holographic text shifted fluidly under her and, and she studied it with a critical eye. "I ’t keep spending hours surfing through the i to solve this one single issue, it’s eating away all the points."

  Leaning ba her chair, she let out a long, exasperated sigh. The reports on her desk crime statistily added to the weight pressing down ohe stant high crime rate on Jo Is like an insurmountable problem, ohat no amount of policies or ideas could magically solve.

  “Maybe I should do public executions,” she mused aloud, her voice low and ptive. The thought lingered in the air. “It would give me more reputation points and send a clear message to the criminals…” She trailed off, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the polished wood of her desk.

  But even as the idea formed, Ravenna dismissed it with a shake of her head. “No, it won’t work. Fear might make them fall in line for a while, but it’ll only st until public executions bee just another routine spectacle. People adapt to fear, and then it stops being effective.”

  Her mind raced for alternative solutions. “A fear of the divine might work,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I’ll have to speak with High Priest James.. About it.”

  Then, Ravenna turned her attention to another pressing issue: seg aernal source of revenue for Jo Isnd. Her dark bck eyes fell on the rge map sprawled across her desk, the intricate lines detailing the coastline and trade routes of the Ana Empire.

  “Everything will be a big deal,” she muttered, trag her finger along the map. Most of the surrounding towns and trade hubs were either loyal to Prince Landon or Prince William. Even if she mao vince merts to trade with her, selling iron or steel being highly valuable resources in this era—would undoubtedly attrawatention.

  If her influence grew too much, the other imperial siblings would focus on her again, vihat she was re-entering the imperial succession race.

  “I don’t want to get involved in the main story of the all!” Ravenna groaned, slumping forward dramatically onto her desk.

  Salt, again being another valuable trade odity, wasn’t an optioher. The market was oversaturated in the empire, with three sides of the Ana Empire bordered by coastlihat produced most of the salt and spices on the ti.

  “Everything I think of leads to a wall,” she muttered, pg her head in her hands. The weight of her responsibilities was suffog, and every potential solutio like it came with its ow of impossible hurdles.

  Just as she was about to bury herself deeper in thought, a sharp knock echoed from the door, pulling her back to the present.

  “Master! I’m here,” came a cheerful voice from the other side of the door.

  Ravenna reized it immediately. It was Marie, her young and eager disciple, here as usual to learn under Ravenna’s guidance.

  “e in,” Ravenna called out, sitting up and straightening her posture. The rge wooden door creaked open, and Marie stepped inside, her chestnut brown hair shining iernoon light. She was carrying a wooden board of some kind, her expressiht aed.

  “What’s that?” Ravenna asked, raising an eyebrow as she gestured toward the board.

  Marie pced it on the desk with a smile. “It’s a game! Everyone in the church’s study csses has been pying it. And from what I heard, everyone on Jo Isnd pys it too!”

  Ravenna leaned forward, intrigued. The board Marie had brought was simple yet elegantly designed, it's dark wood polished to a shine. Intricate carvings lihe cross-shaped pying field, with tiny embellishments that hi divine symbolism. As her fingers brushed across the surface, she noticed the title etched at the top in delicate, flowing script.

  “Asd to Celestia Castle” Ravenna murmured, her deep dark eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Herptian Faith’s traditional bame? Yeah, I’ve heard of this.”

  Marie’s face lit up with excitement. “You know it? That’s perfect! Let’s py a round!” she chirped, setting the bag of game pieces and cowrie shells oable.

  Ravenna chuckled softly, leaning ba her chair. “Sure, why not? It’s a good distra from all the chaos.”

  As she reached for the bag, her mind briefly wao the game’s ins. Asd to Celestia Castle was no ordinary pastime. It was said to have beeed during the era of the gods, a time when the Absolute Being ruled the world in what the scriptures described as an age of chaos. Acc to Herptian Faith, the game symbolized Goddess Herptian’s perilous jouro Celestia Castle, where she asded to discuss the state of the world uhe Absolute Being’s turbulent reign. Each element of the game, from the cross-shaped board to the cowrie shells used as dice, was steeped in religious significe.

  “So, do you have the cowrie shells?” Ravenna asked, iing the game pieces Marie had begun pg on the board.

  Marie nodded eagerly, pulling out a small, weathered pouch. “Here!” she said, handing it over.

  Ravenna took the shells, admiring their smooth texture, and pced her four pieces at the ter of the board’s cross. “From what I remember, I o kill at least one of your pieces before I asd to Celestia Castle, right?”

  Marie nodded, her tone eager as she expined. “Exactly! Pyers move their pieces starting from the ter, heading down the middle track to exit Celestia Castle. Then we move terclockwise around the outer tratil we make a full circuit back to the ter. But you ’t ehe castle unless you’ve killed at least one of your oppo’s pieces.”

  Ravenna smirked, rolling the cowrie shells to determine her first move. “Alright then, I’ll go first. Prepare to be defeated, Marie.”

  Marie grinned mischievously. “You’re uimating me, Master! I’ll have you begging for mercy by the end of this!”

  The game began, and soon the room was filled with the cttering sound of cowrie shells and pyful banter. For the wo and a half hours, the pair engaged in a fierce battle of wits and luck. Marie’s enthusiasm was iious, and Ravenna found herself ughing more than she had in weeks.

  There were moments of edic brilliance, like when a crucial roll sent Marie’s piece straight into Ravenna’s path, resulting in a dramatic “kill” and a round of exaggerated protests from Marie. Other times, they yelled in frustration at poor rolls or debated over strategies with mock-seriousness.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the room in warm hues e and gold, the game reached its climax. Ravenna’s final piece was just a few spaces away from victory, while Marie’s st piece gged slightly behind.

  Ravenna rolled the shells o time and moved her piece triumphantly into the castle. “Finally! My st piece asds to Celestia Castle!” she decred, throwing her hands up in victory.

  Marie groaned dramatically, slumping against the table. “No! If I had just rolled a one, I would’ve won before you!”

  Ravenna smirked, taunting her with a pyful grin. “Well, you didn’t. Better luext time, Marie.”

  As they tidied up the board, Marie pouted. “You know, I should’ve made you bet something. It would’ve been way more fun if there were stakes. Without a prize, I wasn’t pying seriously!”

  Ravenna chuckled, shaking her head. “Sure, Marie. The real issue was your otivation, not your terrible strategies.”

  But as she teased her apprentice, an idea began to form in her mind. Her pyful grin shifted into a thoughtful expression, and her eyes gleamed with sudden inspiration.

  “Wait…” she murmured, sitting up straight. “Gambling.”

  Marie blinked, startled by the ge in Ravenna’s demeanor. “M-Master? Why do you have that… look on your face? What are you thinking?”

  Ravenna rose from her chair, her earlier stress repced by a newfouermination. “Marie, go find Sarah and tell her to gather all the woodworkers and bcksmiths in town. We’re going to start produg bames.”

  Marie tilted her head, fused. “Bames? Why would we—”

  “And,” Ravenna tinued, her grin turning almost devilish, “we’re going to open a gambling house.”

  Marie’s jaw dropped. “A g-gambling house? Master, are you serious?”

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