autarky or autarchy
[aw-tahr-kee]
1. the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation.
2. a national policy of economic independence.
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“Look around, Victor. Drink it all in. Magnificent, isn’t it?” Miles said.
“Not really. It looks like an empty field.” Miles replied.
“I admit, it is a bit sparse right now. But that will change, I assure you.”
“May I ask why? And what are we doing here, Miles?”
“My friend, this is where we start. Not a new life, no. A new nation. Right here is where a new country will be born.” Miles said. He swept his hand out across the horizon spanning field dramatically.
“You’re joking, right?” Victor said. “There’s nothing here. The mountains might have decent ore veins, but other than that? Nothing.” He knelt down and stuck a finger in the ground. It came up clean. “The soil is barren, and there aren’t any trees or rivers for miles. And those mountains? They might provide ore, but they’ll also make trade difficult.”
“Oh, our country won’t need to trade. Well, at first it will, but in a few years, it’ll be completely self-sufficient in every way.”
“Okay, how?”
“You say this place is barren, yes? But that’s only for you. For me, it’s rich with the greatest resource of all.”
“Which is?”
“Mana, of course. To non-magicals, there’s nothing here. But me, I’ve found the motherload. What might be the biggest mana well in history is buried under this field. And I mean the entire thing. It’s buried deep, so deep that most mages overlooked it. But I found it. Once I tap it, even a hole the size of my eye will give nearly limitless magical power. So much so that I alone will be able to make this entire place fertile in a month or so. As for trees, there’s a reason I brought so many seeds.”
Victor considered his friend’s words. Then his eyes widened. “My god. If you can do that then…”
“Yes, you see it now, don’t you? Infinite magical power ensuring we never run out of fertile ground for agriculture and wood. Summoning livestock and game as needed. Transport to other lands will be trivial. And it’s not just magic, either.”
“It’s not?”
“No, my friend. The mountains will give us as much ore as we can use. Plus, just because there’s a mana well here, doesn’t mean the ground is hollow. Since mana does not need to be contained in a hollow vessel like water, the ground is solid. And rare metals and minerals tend to nest near high concentrations of mana. This can easily be a nation of science just as much as it will be magic.
“Just think about it. You, with all your knowledge of science and technology, leading the way towards new innovations of the natural world. And me, with my knowledge of magic, doing the same for the supernatural. It will be spectacular.”
Victor could hear his heart beating. Miles’ excitement was contagious. With just those words, he was beginning to believe the mage.
“What do we need to do?” Victor asked.
“Well, first, we need to split up.” Miles said.
“Why?”
“We each have our jobs to do. I need to tap the well, and then set to work fertilizing the soil and planting a forest. But you, my friend, you have a far more important job.”
“More important than making sure we can grow food?”
“Oh yes, much more. You know as well as I do that soil can be made fertile without the use of magic. Diligent work by skilled people can turn any land into fine green pastures. But that’s what we need you for. We need those skilled workers. I admit my social skills are lacking in front of anyone other than you. But you have no such problems. You need to go out into the world and get the people we need. Farmers, architects, builders, ever cartographers. Anyone you think we might need to be able to make this country work.”
Victor closed his eyes and thought about it. Miles was right. The mage would never be able to convince anyone other than Victor that this was possible.
“Are you sure you can handle the soil work on your own?” Victor asked.
“Once I tap this mana well, yes.”
“Very well. Get me to the nearest town and I’ll start gathering people.”
“Wonderful!” Miles said. “We’ll meet again soon, my friend.”
Miles’ hands glowed with a pale yellow-blue light. The space around Victor glowed in the same color, and the field faded from view, only to be replaced moments later by the sight of a small border town. Victor looked around and smiled. This was going to be an eventful few months.
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Not sure if this would be a great story, or one of the most boring fantasy stories ever. I mean, on the one hand, you have magic and mages and stuff. But on the other, it would most be developing infrastructure and farmland and lawmaking and stuff. I'm sure there's an audience out there for that kind of story, I just don't know where to find such a thing.
