AK - The Alchemy Kingdom

Chapter 120: Constitution I

Year 3, Fall, First Month, First Week.

To make the procedure official and avoid misunderstandings with the other Councilors, Karl decided the Alchemy oath should be a governmental matter, so he brought the situation to the Council. Unfortunately, this ended up raising another problem, their lack of goals, rules and even national values. How could the disciples swear allegiance to a community that didnt have any common objectives besides striving for freedom?

To complicate matters further, they were on verge of their biggest mission, so everyone had their own urgent tasks to carry. Even so, Karl insisted on solving this now. Ignoring his mothers silent protests, he proclaimed his uncontested participation on the upcoming mission, which raised another serious problem. If Karl didnt survive the mission, what would happen to the Alchemy Department? Would they be forever limited to Arrays?

Aside from Karls parents, who couldnt even agree with the boys decision, the Councilors felt moved by his foresight and sense of duty to the newly formed AK. So, to prevent Alchemy from dying with him, Karl wanted to at least teach his three direct disciples a Rune each. To respect the boys position, the Council decided to take one day to discuss all matters related to their constitution. They even held an event before Samia left for the mission to allow everyone to speak their mind about their future. Later, this day would be remembered and celebrated as Constitution Day.

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So, even though you trusted us to make the best decisions to protect your lives and future, we think its important everyone is given a chance to talk about what kind of nation they would like to live in. However, were short on time, so we need to brief We ask that a few of you come forth and speak your ideas and the ideas of those close to you. If you agree with the idea, you cheer for it, but mind yourself to cheer only after the person speaks. And try coming forth only if you have a new idea, the important part isnt to speak but to have your ideas represented.

Everyone was very excited and a few mishappens occurred, but overall, the event ran smoothly and the Councils goal was achieved, they all felt a sense of contribution and participation in the creation of their Constitution. The Councilors refrained from giving ideas, but discretely gave hints to their supporters to put forth some of their own opinions, which wasnt that bad since the general population sometimes lacked objectivity.

In the end, all basic and obvious points appeared, like slavery was forbidden, as also was the creation of nobility or any type of social castes. Of course, guaranteed fairness, protection of the elders, sick and children, and fight starvation also appeared and were supported by everyone.

Some matters touched grey areas and divided opinions, like their position concerning the Kingdom, which would also translate their stance to other nations. Some more vengeful groups proposed a lifetime war declaration and even attack the Kingdom as soon as they were strong enough. Other more pacifists groups, contested that moving against the Kingdom could bring their demised and jeopardize their hard-earned freedom.

After almost an hour of debate, the Council had to intervene and find a point of conversion on their views. The AK would uphold justice and fairness on their territory and would advocate for these values in their relation to other countries, protecting these uncontestable values and especially freedom as they could. However, extreme measures, like declaring war or initiating conflicts with other nations, would need to be discussed with the public. The decision favored the pacifists more but war wasnt off the table, so the others bitterly accepted.

Another conflicting idea was the job distribution and obligation to the community. Someone came forth and proposed more freedom in choosing their positions since the Council pretty much controlled their tasks. Until now, nobody complained about this because of the fleeing situation and the Council hasnt been too forceful about it, allowing people to try for the hunting and alchemy departments according to their will.

The discussion raised opinions about the right to decide their jobs but also obligations to the community, like joining hands to defend against enemies. Again, opinions diverged about their rights and obligations, demanding the Council's involvement to find a middle ground. Back and forth with the groups resulted in a few decisions to cover all sides, preserving their freedom internally but protecting it from external threats.

The AK would have two national situations with two different sets of rights and rules. The general idea was that they couldnt neglect national security if they were being attacked by another country, but they could limit their freedom in the name of protection against a potential threat, in other others, balance.

In the normal state, nobody would be forced to work or fight, after all, for a group that has been explored since birth, freedom was gold. However, justice and fairness were also needed, so every person would be compensated according to their contribution to the community. The Council also reserved the right to overcompensate some jobs to balance and solve shortages in specif areas.

This last part was, of course, contested because it opened a path for preferential treatment, but additional rules put the objections to rest. A golden number would be previously decided and fixated for every job, so they could only overcompensate in case of proved shortage. Of course, the demands could change over time, so a special commission, randomly formed, would reevaluate the golden numbers for each job every season. Fortunately, both Marlen and Omero had experience with this kind of political structure since the Democracy operated not much differently.

In a state of war, the Council would have the power to conscript everyone from the age of 15 to 50 years to fight or work in certain positions during wartime. Of course, the Council would avoid forcing people and use benefits to encourage joining their forces. However, in the case of forced conscription, the citizens would still have a choice to refuse but by doing so, they would be punished with permanent banishment.

The next point of disagreement was about their individual power inside of the community, in other words, how would they exercise their freedom and what would they control individually? Until now, nobody had actually owned anything, but again, owning their lives was also something new for them. Thankfully, the Council had already discussed something on those lines, so Omero stepped up and made their suggestions, which was surprisingly welcomed by everyone.

First, after they settled in their new land, every family would be given the basic things, a home, clothes and tools. All the land aside from their homes would initially be owned by the community represented by the Council. However, pre-arranged areas would be separated for housing, farming and commerce, which could be bought or rented at reasonable prices.

When this organization was proposed, many had an initial contrary reaction to it, why do they have to pay for land that doesnt have an owner? Did they suffer so much to get here just to be charged for it? However, Omero patiently explained, the crucial point was that land protected against beasts, dense energy, and even against the Kingdom, would have a cost to be maintained. The Council wasnt a Merchant who earned money, they only represented the community, so why everyone would have to bear the costs of protecting that land for someone to pursue their private endeavors?

For example, if someone wanted an extra home, or to start a business, why everyone had to bear the costs of maintaining it? At this point, they all understood that everything aside from the basic would have to be earned, which wasnt a problem, on the contrary, many saw this as an opportunity to proudly show their efforts. But with this system of renting and buying also came other problems.