"Min! What is this I'm hearing about rebellion!?"
The woman's voice caused Minmay jumped up from the table with a complicated look on his face. Cato paused in his explanation of the proposed sewerage system.
"Aesin! You're back earlier than I expected!" Minmay exclaimed as the servants pushed the dining room doors open.
A busty housewife pushed past into the room. With her hair tied up in a bun and wearing a casual loose fitting apron over her simple clothes, she was Cato's very image of a housewife. Slightly thinner than Minmay with a rounded cheeks, her looks were nothing to write home about either. Her pure golden hair was the only thing vaguely aristocratic, and it was clear whose eyes had given Arisacrota's their blue colour.
"Aes, this is Cato, my new advisor. He's an expert in many new exciting technologies that he has been working to bring to Minmay," the Chancellor said, "Cato, this is my wife, Aesin. Aes, you've just returned from a long trip, why not get a bath and a nap to recover before we explain what has been going on at home? I'll have Arthur arrange a meal while you wait. "
Aesin narrowed her eyes at Cato. "Min, I've never known you to be an ambitious person, Minmay is nowhere near the center of the world. Imagine my shock when a messenger from the King himself barges into my meeting with the Iris to report that you've refused a summons! Maybe I should get an explanation before you manage to hide the evidence. "
"Forgive me for not knowing you, madam," Cato bowed, doing his best to appear polite, "may I know what your concerns are?"
"My husband refuses a summons from King Ektal to explain the mess he's caused, saying that he's too busy! During a time when those books are causing unrest everywhere, peasants are learning magic!" Aesin walked over to Minmay and pushed her husband back into his chair, "I go away for three months to visit our neighbours. I didn't expect Minmay to be burning down and the first I hear of it to be from the King and not my husband!"
"Actually, those books are our fault," Cato admitted.
She stared at him for a moment. "I think you ought to explain all this from the beginning. "
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The sun had passed its peak and lunch had come and gone before they were done. Cato sighed in exhaustion. Aesin had not been anything at all like a housewife. Her sharp questions cut straight to the core of any topic, ignoring any attempts to divert her. Indeed, her intuition into when either of them were trying to distract her was impeccable.
"And you really think this is the best path for the Minmay region?" she asked her husband finally, "opposing King Ektal, violating the Rule of Arms, maybe making enemies of everyone else in Ektal? Truly?"
"Yes," Minmay said firmly, "the first harvests using the new technique are already coming in. The peasants are celebrating the first year in living memory where there is enough to eat for everyone. In fact, they have so much food that we have to rush out new granaries in every village or there will be no space to store it by the end of the year. I have respected our agreement too, a new tax levy is already in place to feed orphans and beggars. "
She raised an eyebrow, "but your new riches will only invite new enemies. Duport will be more aggressive than ever, especially since he will also gain the same improvements. "
"Which is why we are doing away with the Rule of Arms," Cato said, "we're not just working on peaceful quality of life developments like soap and umbrellas, there is a very talented alchemist working on new magical weapons. The occasional windfalls of mana crystals from the old First mines are building our stockpile of magic and we are working on ways to refine it into useable form. The education for the future Mana Tax will create a store of magical power and a trained population from which to draft mages and conduct a war. If it comes down to a fight and they try attacking with just knights, it won't even be a battle. "
Not to mention the effect it would have on the economic side. All the major industry players were already chomping at the bit for access to the stockpile, although Minmay was still hesitant about selling it given the rising political tension.
"And that explains why my husband has refused the King's summons?" Aesin asked.
"That was a different matter," Minmay said, "Cato wrote those books and gave it to the guilds, knowing that it would spread beyond control. Obviously, not all the nobles are very happy about giving the peasants knowledge of how to learn magic. And the means to print more books cheaply. I... wasn't very confident I'd ever come back to Minmay if I answered Ektal's summons. "
"I'm not happy about that either, sounds like a recipe for rebellion," Aesin shook her head, "Selna, the guilds. How did you manage to control the guilds here? I've heard the Ironworkers in Ektal are already getting belligerent. "
"They're too busy sucking up to Cato here to fight," Minmay said, "we've agreed, and forced the guilds to agree, that those who misbehave will lose access to the university. But it's just a matter of time before they start bucking too. "
"If you want to improve life here, we cannot rely on advancements in production along," Cato sighed. "There has to be political change as well as economic. I've said it before, the trouble you're going to face isn't the guilds, it's the common peasantry. For a while, the economic bounty will keep people happy. They have new clothing, more and better food, life is good. But they'll want more, a pretty lady will catch the eye of a baron or some other event will spark anger. And then the peasants will realize that they know magic, and they don't have to be afraid of the knights. You need to reform the structure of government and soon. "
This was perhaps the most difficult bit, no one in Inath ever seemed to realize the possibility of a peasant rebellion. No wonder, with magical power in the hands of the nobility and their knights, any such rebellion was doomed to fail and the peasants knew it. But the playing field was leveling fast, with the spreading of education in magic as well as the research into magical weapons. The idea of a dangerous peasantry was still not gaining traction with the nobles however.
Aesin frowned at him for a long moment then nodded cautiously.
"I'm glad we have treated the peasants well," Aesin said, "so it turns out my 'bleeding hearted' ideas are going to save us all. "
"Yes, now they will," Minmay shrugged, "before, they were just a waste of money that we couldn't spare. "
"And you'll only help the peasants because you want to save your hide. "
"That's still a valid reason," Minmay pointed out, "apart from that, I don't see a reason why I should spend my taxes on feeding homeless beggars when there are more important things I can do with it. Like upgrading our roads or this new sewer system. "
"Ahem, pardon me for intruding into this discussion," Cato asked, "perhaps you can think of it as good public relations? After all, the better liked you are among the general peasantry, the more support you can get for the development projects. You may even be able to raise some additional taxes to pay for the charity. "
"That I can agree with. Just don't think I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart and we have an understanding. "
Aesin smiled as her husband bent over the plans for the sewer system again. She nodded appreciatively at Cato behind his back.
"Mama! You're back!" Arisacrota appeared in the doorway then dived into her mother's arms.
"Oh, little Ari, you've really grown big now!" Aesin patted her on the head, "and a little rounder too! What have you been eating?"
"A little too many fried yama fritters," Minmay growled, "she sneaks them out of the kitchen when I'm not looking and the cookboys are all sweet on her. "
"Fried?" Aesin asked her daughter.
"Mhm! They fry the yama slices in esquire oil and salt! It turns out crunchy and a bit sweet and salty. It's really good!" Arisacrota said.
"Esquire oil? My little Ari can eat that now?"
"Don't be surprised, Cato found a way to remove the bitter taste," Minmay said.
"I'm working with a number of food merchants to create new products," Cato said, "deep frying has never been economical until now, and oil frying is a good way to sterilize food for long term storage in tins. The same tins that we've told you about that can keep food unspoilt for years. It's very high calorie so it's best not to eat too much, you'll get fat. "
Aesin raised an eyebrow. "You've really worked on food security, haven't you?" she laughed lightly, "and I think getting fat is the least of our worries. "
Cato nodded, "you'll be regretting saying that once we have an obesity problem. In my world, many people have problems because they eat too much. "
"I'll take that over starving," Aesin quipped, "and so will everyone else. "
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"Come in Chancellor. "
The man outside the room jerked in surprise but covered up his shock quickly. Then he pushed open the door to the office of King Ektal. The office where the King held his meetings was not flashy and grand like the throne room. But this was where business got done. The gaudy official display was used for announcements whose conclusions were forgone.
"King Ektal, I must register a formal complaint against Chancellor Minmay," Duport said.
"Duport, hardly a week goes by without a complaint from you about him," the king remarked, putting down his quill, "what is it this time?"
"He is fomenting unrest in my territory, bribing my citizens and sabotaging my businesses!" Duport stated. The man's hair might be curling from the anger radiating off him but such expressions were not uncommon for this person.
"He has also refused a direct summons from me, citing work and stability issues in his own territory," the king said, "quite bold of him to do so. "
Duport paused for a moment, the lack of the usual dismissiveness took him aback. "Exactly! He must be plotting rebellion!" Duport capitalized on it immediately.
"Your own eagerness gives you away, Chancellor," Ektal sighed, "nevertheless, it is true that I am worried about what Minmay is doing. This is very unlike him. "
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"It is the work of that foreigner, the false hero, who is whispering poison into his ears, your majesty. I have it on good faith that that man, Cato, is responsible for the current plague of seditious works spreading across our lands. "
"It may be," Ektal nodded.
Duport gritted his teeth, "Then why have you not acted? Surely you can see the necessity of punishing Minmay before he causes more damage!"
"Perhaps, he certainly hasn't followed my strict instructions to not create another Nurren Agreement," Ektal sighed, "but I believe I should take care of matters at home in Ektal first before contemplating outside adventures. "
"Isn't that just letting him get away with it?!"
King Ektal suppressed a smile as Duport nearly exploded. "There are greater issues occupying my attention at the moment," he added before Duport could protest, "and no, you're not privy to them. "
"What issues... Never mind. Then I shall take matters into my own hands, for the good of the kingdom," Duport growled.
"Excellent!" Ektal smiled finally. It was a thin bare smile without a hint of mirth. "Then I shall leave this onerous duty in your capable hands. "
Duport blinked. The king had never been this supportive of his well-known ambitions to Minmay's land before. He should be suspecting a trap, but Duport was too blinded by greed.
"Here," Ektal wrote a short but official note then took out the royal seal from his necklace to burn directly into the paper, "I charge you with the duty of reigning in Minmay's excesses. His gamble has failed and the crown will have him pay the price. Chancellor Duport!"
The official tone made the man freeze.
"Do you accept this duty?"
Duport licked his lips. It was what the man wanted for so long that Ektal knew he was tempted to just say yes immediately. "The spoils of the victory will be mine too," Duport said finally.
"Of course, as is natural," Ektal nodded.
Duport's face broke into a triumphal grin then bowed deeply and formally. "Then your loyal subject gratefully accepts this duty. I shall not fail you. "
Ektal nodded and gestured at the door. Duport could hardly avoid skipping on the way out.
The man got out of the room before his suspicious nature caught up with his greed. He stopped to think. If King Ektal was so eager to see Minmay punished, why wouldn't he hire adventurers to do it himself? Surely the unrest in Ektal couldn't be that bad...
"Chancellor," the voice from behind the closed doors made him jump, "I would appreciate it if you didn't loiter in front of my door trying to eavesdrop on me. Don't you have better things to do?"
The man scurried away.
King Ektal leaned back against his chair with a laugh. "He took it," Ektal laughed, "jumped right at it, more like. "
"Sir, I don't understand why you let Duport deal with Minmay, it will only strengthen him and we can spare the coin," said the man standing in the alcove overlooking the corridor outside. He came out and sat down in the chair opposite the king.
"I don't know what Minmay is up to," Ektal said, "his actions have been very unusual and these new inventions cannot be all peaceful. I do not wish to be the first person to find out what Minmay has in store for whoever tries to attack him. "
The man nodded slowly, "but if Duport wins..."
"There will be still time to join in and have a piece if Minmay turns out to be toothless," Ektal smiled, "a king can help his subjects in their duties after all, minister. "
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The woman trotted down the road beside the wagon, humming a cheerful tune.
It was a good day, bright sun and clear skies. The rekis would love it, especially after applying her poultice on the sores under their reins.
"Kupo, Don't you want to come back up?" the caravan leader asked her.
"A walk every day is good for your health, mister Sale," the woman replied, "you should get down and walk instead of sitting up on that cart all the time. "
"My cart is my life, madam," Sale smiled, "and so are these rekis. Thank you again for helping me with them, I had no idea those reins were chafing their skin. "
"Their skin is dark, it can get hard to see bruises. Are you really sure you don't want to walk?" Kupo wheedled him, "it'll do wonders for your back. "
"Haha, as expected of a Pastora, you sure like to nag," Sale laughed, "it's all right. Your medicine helped a lot. "
"I'm an ex-member," Kupo corrected him with a huff, "And the potions won't last forever, the best cure for your gout is to exercise and lose some of that fat. "
"Ouch," Sale winced dramatically and Kupo stuck out her tongue at him.
"It's only painful if it's true," Kupo grinned and without waiting for his reply, ran backwards to the trailing wagons. "I'm off to play with the kids again!"
"That rascal," Sale muttered ruefully, "I guess our Minmay University is getting famous enough that even the Pastora are breaking their embargo. "
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Kupo stared up at the buildings from the university gate. A few short and wide wood and brick buildings arranged in a circle around a central speaking area, the so-called university was not impressive. The collection of buildings sporting crests and signs of various guilds and workshops of independent traders added to the chaos of the surrounding streets. It seemed like every type of building was crammed into a tiny space, with only a clear distinction between the wooden flammable shops divided from the fire-proof brick and stone furnaces and hearths.
Despite the constant patrols by hired guards and even the occasional party of knights, the atmosphere was one of frenetic energy. Masters and apprentices hurried past her on errands unknown and carts of strange and terribly curious objects were constantly moving up and down the street and junction. Shouts, weird smells and the clangs and bangs of industry drifted over the town like a haze.
Someone had painted two white lines in the middle of the street, cleanly dividing the carts into two lanes going in opposite directions. Kupo nodded in approval, it was such a simple innovation but made the carts moving along the street so orderly despite the volume of traffic and chaos of the surroundings. Every thing that reduced the all too common accidents was a good thing.
Then a rider practically flew past her, sitting on top of a strange contraption. Her back was emblazoned with the crest of Minmay and a pair of white wings, marking her as an official messenger of the chancellor. But the two wheeled metal thing below her was what drew Kupo's eyes. The rider disappeared through the gates round the corner of a university building.
"Never seen a bicycle before?" a voice asked her.
Kupo turned around to find a guard at the gate winking at her.
"That was a bicycle? I've never seen anything like it before," Kupo remarked.
"Lots of things here you've never seen before, miss, if you're new," the guard nodded sagely, as if he had seen it all himself. Which he probably had. "This place here at University Street? It's like a different world altogether. "
Kupo grinned, "sounds interesting. "
"You get used to it," the guard nodded again.
Kupo left him at the gate and went into the university. Her letter ought to have arrived ahead of her and she tried to look around to find where someone new should go.
"Hey there, new here?" a man sitting behind a desk under a shaded booth at the side waved to her.
She went over to him. "I'm Kupo. Has the university received my letter?"
"Letter?" he blinked, "we receive a hundred letters a week. Which letter are you talking about?"
She paused. This was the first time her pulling rank as a prior Pastora member hadn't worked. Didn't these people know who the Pastora were?! Then her mind caught up with what he said.
"A hundred a week?!" she squeaked. Then realized from the scene outside that that number wasn't unusual. She decided to just ask him directly. "I heard this university accepts all sort of students and working partners. Do you have any idea how I can be one?"
"Well, this is why you come to reception first," the man explained, "if you're looking to be a student, we have contacts with various guilds who are offering teaching and apprenticeships. We also offer a magical training program which will teach the basics of how to use magic and create a simple item, this course is free courtesy of Minmay's endowment. "
"I'm looking to be a partner," Kupo said.
The receptionist nodded, "then do you have some sort of special skill you can teach others or are you looking for an apprentice?"
"I was a member of the Order of Pastora," she took out the signet ring with the teardrop symbol.
The man blinked for a moment then nodded slowly, "I'll pass this upwards. Our leader Cato is looking for a Pastora member, perhaps you'll do. "
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Dear Cato,
The experiment is a success. The sealed bottles show no sign of contamination after three weeks, I am certain now that the sterilization procedure works. I am experimenting with reducing the power of the disruption field but the concept of using magical disruption to sterilize containers is feasible.
A supply of magical power for this purpose would be required however, mages are far too expensive to hire for this sort of product. I shall be sincerely hoping for your success with the mana tax. If events haven't surpassed me, this is the first peaceful use of stockpiled magical power, which will go a long way to creating a market for mana like you intended.
In other areas, I still have problems trying to break down wind eye starch like you suggested. One of the chromatographic fractions from common yeast does create a sugary mixture but the amount is far too low to be useful. I am conducting a survey of my plant and animal product sources for a cheaper method to create sugar from starch.
Kalny