Sweet MYTH-tery of Life by Robert Asprin

“It can’t do much worse than the system that’s already in place,” Bunny nodded.

“Tell you what,” I said loftily. “Kick it around between the two of you and maybe rough out a plan for implementing it. Aahz and I will go discuss it with the Queen.”

Actually, I had no intention of visiting Hemlock just now, but I figured it was as good a time as any to escape from this meeting . . . while I had at least a small victory to my credit.

Chapter Four:

“I’m getting paid how much?”

-M. JORDAN

THE NEXT SEVERAL days were relatively uneventful. In fact, they seemed so much alike that I tended to lose track of which day was which.

If this sounds like I was more than a little bored, I was. After years of adventuring and narrow escapes, I found the day to day routine of regular work to be pretty bland. Of course, the fact that I didn’t know what I was doing contributed greatly to my mood.

I mean, within my own areas of specialization . . . such as running from angry mobs or trying to finagle a better deal from a client … I was ready to admit that I was as good or better than anyone. At things like budgets, operating plans, and cash flows, however, I was totally out of my depth.

It was more than a little spooky when I realized that, even though I didn’t know what I was doing, the recommendations I was making or approving, like converting part of the army into tax collectors, were becoming law nearly as fast as I spoke. Still, it had been impressed on me that we had to do something to save the kingdom’s finances, so I repeatedly crossed my fingers under the table and went with whatever seemed to be the best idea at the time.