For Knowledge's Sake (Task)

[Zhuge Jin]

Peacefully Zhuge Jin, servant of Lord Sun Ce walks through the city of Jian An. Only within the past few days had Jin been accepted into the mighty ranks of his lord's army but already he felt as if he was truly a welcome member of a truly great kingdom. This city of Jian An was beautiful and with his gorgeous teal robe flowing behind him in a most graceful fashion.

He had only just received his order to get to work in the city, aiming to do work on the city's markets. Zhuge Jin however had been given alot of leeway in terms of which part of the market he wished to improve and the scholar would certainly take that. Specifically he aimed to improve a section he felt was sorely needed in the city, both in terms of educating the people of the city and in terms of the education of those who would serve as the first line of the city. Zhuge Jin would be working to improve the book keepers of the city with the hope of ensuring the city would be more enlightened and educated for the future. First he had brought along a huge number of his personal books in order to strengthen the supply available to the citizens of Jian An. Soon however he would move to step two.

[Zhuge Jin]

With a smile crossing his face, Zhuge Jin prepares to turn the page in Jian An, both literally and figuratively. He had been waiting for a pair of servants to return with his large book collection, or most of it at least, so that he could bring a bit more of a feel or intellect to the bazaar of the city.

While he awaited their arrival he had said down to read one of the true classics of China, Sun Tzu's art of war. This book had guided many a man to political and military victory and was one of the cornerstones of the Chinese life. One quote called out to Zhuge Jin at the moment and was something he felt confident in embracing as he moved forward in enhancing the current operation he was trying to accomplish:

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.


This statement called out to Zhuge Jin. After all he was here to do what must be done as swiftly as it could be accomplished. With this in mind he set down his copy of the Art of War upon the bench he was seated on and walked up to the nearest book keeper, a man with a small but very well kept shop in a small corner of the bazaar, teal robe flowing in his wake and said:

Good sir today I am here to help you to grow your store and to make it more profitable with not only my support but also the support of lord Sun Ce. We wish to see you aid those around this beautiful city of Jian An aid those who wish to learn and to develop their base of knowledge. Will you do this for us?

If you do we will happily aid you in fixing your shop and I will donate books from my own personal collection.

With that Zhuge Jin casts an approving smile upon the shopkeeper who simply nods his head in response, overwhelmed by the generosity of his lord and his new servant. As he does so the servants return with Zhuge Jin's books. Close behind them follow a dozen men who have come with lumber, tools, and nails to aid in fixing the shop. The time to get to work had come.

[Zhuge Jin]

The sound of crashing hammers could be heard ringing out through the streets of Jian An. Zhuge Jin and his men were hard at work improving the storefront of the little bookstore in the bazaar which they hoped would soon be a thriving shop. Even as most of them worked on the front of the store a couple of Zhuge Jin's servants and the shopkeeper were inside working on three new shelves to accomidate all the new books which the scholar had brought to improve the owner's shop.

The front of the shop had previously been a simple little display, with little beyond the basic wood that featured on such structures. However now it would be a large post and lintel doorway with wooden pillars on both sides and a bright blue and red paint scheme featuring the chinese symbol for books in black. With all of these improvements it would be hard not to draw in more business.

As Zhuge Jin and those aiding him finish up the front, the blue robed general smiles. This would truly be a great shop that would draw folks from miles around. With one last bang of the hammer the repairs were complete and the shop was opened for business. As the citizens of Jian An look in with a renewed interest in this little shop Zhuge Jin smiles, hoping that if nothing else he had made some small difference in the hopes for these people to grow educated and realize what a wealth of knowledge was laid before him. A young boy walks up to the store and as Zhuge Jin leaves he hands the boy his copy of the Art of War and departs.

[Mikey]

A cute little task. =P The writing was fine, but I would prefer some more storytelling. There was no conflict, or any real plot elements! It seems like you wrote this with one thing in mind: building a bookstore. That's all good and fine, but you should first and foremost try to tell a story. Maybe in the process of building a store, Zhuge Jin encounters a rival scholar, and they hold a public debate? That would be more interesting to read. So keep those things in mind when making your next task.

Rewards

A little bookstore is renovated by Zhuge Jin, it becomes a popular location for high-class people in the city who can read.

Jian An: + 5 permanent gold income.

Zhuge Jin: + 10 Reputation points.