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We make sure we are alone and undisturbed inside the workshop, and Alith makes double sure that Gunhild guards outside. First I tell both Iselin and Alith my thoughts about other humans who have come here in the past, and that it is very possible that there is good steel, firearms, steam engines and so on in other parts of this world, especially in the northern hemisphere. That even King Asbjörn doesn't seem to have heard about thunder weapons before, indicates it's not widespread usage nearby, but it might exist in 'Russia' or 'Canada', and information might be written down in some book or books. Which doesn't make Alith happy to know and worry about. Elves somewhere might have figured it out by themselves. But better to suspect and be weary of, than be totally in the dark and surprised.
I pull out my tablet and mobile phone, and show dashcam footage so they can see a video of me almost hitting a moose on a forest road. It's a small country road, a 70 km/h road, so 25 m/s through the forest, but there are houses, fields and other stuff all the time, and road signs. They ask if it's a girlfriend giving me directions, and I explain that it's the GPS navigation system. Recorded sound that plays back much like music, but to give directions. At least they've heard about GPS before, and that it's in our phones and even my watch. Just not with voice directions. I show more selected pictures and dashcam clips, from all seasons of the year and things saved mostly because they are special or funny, like when I drive in Norway across mountains and sheep don't want to move. I hadn't considered that the clips also show fields with white wrapped silage bales scattered around, and a big tractor and a combine harvester need their own explanation. Tunnels and serpentine roads are of course included, and so is arriving at a big ferry, and trains on the ore railway from Kiruna to Narvik. I show pictures from when I visited Millau bridge in the south of France, and how small the cars and houses are, and there are some other bridges too. Just driving in traffic on wide Autobahn over a crest in southern Germany and seeing a huge city fill the valley ahead, and huge road work queues, cranes and machinery. It's a big revelation and we're way off topic, but they like me showing them, and Alith especially appreciates it. This is the world me and Jane are used to.
I can no longer doubt that Alith won't do her best to keep the black powder secret, and both Iselin and Alith know that black powder is undoubtedly sejd that can kill. Alith has not forgotten my story about battleship cannons that can fire large heavy steel cylinders from here to Borgarsandr, but I explain that similar things are used in fireworks and can also be used to blast apart stone. It's hard for them to understand that we no longer use black powder in Midgård, as we have far better stuff. We go through everything about making black powder, what it looks like and why it works, how different compositions and amounts affect power, ignition temperature etc. That black powder on paper open to the air just sizzles or poof into a cloud - no explosion - but the gas expansion is the useful thing, and why firearms look and are loaded as they are.
Alith is glued to every word and sketch, and the intensity with which she listens and learns is almost unpleasant, as I methodically go through all the steps in the production, and safety precautions. Then we repeat it as we together make several batches of black powder, mostly out on the pavilion, where they each make a batch of black powder. It will take at least a day to finish and be thoroughly dry, but eventually we will have many kilograms of black powder, for safety divided up and sealed in clay pots, both corned and tumbled, as well as finer powder for the flintlock, larger for the cannon, and the special blend for rocket motors that are not corned.
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Since the power grid and servant-alarm system is 'solved', and I managed to build copper oxide diodes that we are long term testing, there is nothing that prevents a high voltage power grid from being built. All that is needed is to manufacture and assemble already developed solutions, so I have been contemplating what the next project will be.
I asked Iselin if there is something she wants to do. Of course there will be more work on special clocks, but we can't really work on the larger pendulum clock or the clock tower until I get the parts from Digraldi. In addition to various small projects, however, we can work on finishing the steam engine and building the steamboat.
Unexpectedly, Iselin suggests improvements to the large metal syringes for cleaning the butt hole and also suggest making a couple of leather bladders with metal nozzle. We did make a couple of simple large metal syringes to use for enemas a couple of months ago, but now that they have been used for a while, she wants to improve them, and make another model. I'm pretty sure she or they have spoken to Jane again, and I suspect it was Kari and Caecilia who brought up the subject, as I rarely have anal sex with Iselin or Ciara.
It feels wrong that some of my sambos do enemas followed by a bit of alcohol for a basic 'sterilisation' when they have planned anal sex, but I have to admit that it feels pretty good to know. It won't really help if someone has an intestinal worm or parasite, as they can release hundreds of thousands of eggs each day, but at least it's cleaner. Poop is not nice. As long as we avoid mouth contact afterwards, there is a relatively low risk of infection transmission. So far, none of my sambos have shown any symptoms of having worms or the like, and nowadays we are extra careful about how food is handled and prepared. But the thought and worry is still there in the back of my mind. Modern medicine and condoms, how I miss thee. I'm very happy to be here in the North were such things seem to be less historically common than in warm climate. And in this world, population movement is very low. Especially longer distances. And thus decease migration.
Anyway, as a small side project, together we have designed rune stones and rune writings. There will be several rune stones raised, and there will also be runes on cliff faces. Two will be memorials for first radio contact over a distance. A rune stone will be erected at Borgheim, and one will be carved into the rock face north of the courtyard. Most are the same, and the text says that the first wireless conversation via radio, using electromagnetic waves for speaking and sending messages, took place between the sites and gives the distance in several measures, including kilometers, as well as the direction and the date and who the participants were. It starts with my name followed by Kari, Iselin, Ciara, Jane etc and it is also adorned with bomärke aka housemarks.
A rune carving will be made close to where the first long range cannon shot hit, also saying the date, participants etc. One rune stone will be erected where the moose were felled, in the middle of the forest, because it's not that hard to find that location. We will also erect three welcoming rune stones, one in the harbour on either side of the harbour bridge, and one where the road and ferry reach the island from the Orusinge side. Those will be a more beautiful design, with my and the Academy logo, when it was created etc. We are also thinking about making three large Stonehenge-like stone gates, and these boulders will be designed to lock into each other, and the rock they stand on, and they will be deeply secured in the rock and cemented in place. They're not for walking through, and won't be over the road, but a very visible monument beside the road. We suspect that there will be more commemorative rune stones erected or carved into the rock on the other side of the courtyard road so we will have to make space there and they will probably be slightly tilted back if they are rune stones. It may be bragging, but it feels important for history. If it were for ego, I would pay a bunch of stonemasons to make a small Mount Rushmore on the side of the mountain.
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It would honestly be kind of fun to make that with my sambos faces. Completely unnecessary, but fun. I'm hoping some good stonemason will want to do the works here, and it's probably just a matter of silver changing hands. I need to build a mobile crane capable of lifting very heavy rune stones, and it needs to be moveable to where those Stonehenge gates might be. I kind of want to do a modern-ish crane, but it's likely to be quite medieval and use a lot of manpower. That is the cheaper and quicker solution in this world.
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Olafr shows up, surprisingly freshly showered and dressed up as he was at the feast. He has four finished high pressure tanks with him, but is serious and wants a meeting, so we sit on the sofas in the meeting room, and for once Olafr seems to be uncomfortable in my company.
Olafr asks if he can be the one working here on Ackerek island instead of Ketill or someone else. He's not young so he understands if I say no, but he is willing to take a new apprentice to train until he can't do the job, and there's so much new stuff anyway that he too has to learn. He should have at least 5 active years left. Maybe 10. 15 if he is lucky. Olafr really wants to continue building interesting things in steel, like machines that process iron and brass, and say it will be kind of fun to once again make shovels, picks, etc, which he knows are needed here. He will leave his business in Borgarsandr to his son Ketill who loves making swords, axes, spears and knives, and instead live here full time. He likes not having to make weapons all the time, although once in a while will be fun, especially if they are thunder weapons or other interesting designs. He sees a future life here as the next evolution in his life, instead of stagnating or fading, and he will have to retire at some point to leave the way clear for the next generation. Olafr also like the quiet comfortable life here, how nice the living accommodations are and getting away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of Borgarsandr.
I call for them to get Iselin, because as my wife she should be included in this decision. While we wait, I think about the fact that Olafr never said Ketill was his son. And I've never asked. We've mainly talked work, projects, hunting and such. I can understand why he would be happy to send his son here, but if Ketill loves making swords and so on, it's better that Olafr works here. I want craftsmen who are skilled and passionate about what we do - that's when you get the best results - and Olafr seems to fulfil that. I don't think I'll find anyone better, and I like how quickly he's been fascinated by machines and his ability to absorb information and understand drawings. And I like spending time with Olafr and we get along well, which definitely is important. As I ponder while we wait, Olafr seems to take it as a criticism, and blurts out that I don't even need to pay him for the work. He is undoubtedly rich enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life, but he is not a person who can sit still and twiddle his thumbs.
When Iselin comes in, I explain to her and of course we are happy to have such a skilled blacksmith and craftsman working for us, and of course Olafr will be paid. Labour should be rewarded. I also offer Olafr to move into any apartment in the new apartment block, and if he wants he can have the end towards the valley, and as it is not finished we can make a special solution with more space and a veranda that goes around the short side. Of course, the roofs of the sawmill and the metal workshop and the water wheels will be below, but there will be nice evening sun especially in the summer, and we've already planned to install nice large windows on the gable, with double glass. Olafr's eyes are moist as he happily swears me allegiance, and to protect our secrets until we specifically say what he can tell others.
We talk about the practicalities and Olafr will take a trip to Borgarsandr, hand over his business and house to Ketill, who he knows will be happy to take over the forge and the customers. He will pick up his things, some tools and furniture, and come back. When Olafr talks about how he will leave his old life behind, everything he has built up in Borgarsandr and move here, Olafr's eyes start to tear up again, but they are tears from both sadness and happiness for the future, so he quickly excuses himself with having a lot to do in the next few days. Before he leaves, we offer him to take my ship to Borgarsandr when the ship returns. We'll talk to Asta about when the weather permits, and he'll be contacted. I need to order and fetch things from Borgarsandr anyway.
After Olafr leaves, I talk to Iselin about asking Olafr to find someone he thinks is suitable as an apprentice and helper, first on the island, then outside. The two blacksmith-machine operators Birger and Gaermarr will be employed, but I need skilled people for the future, here or elsewhere. We also decide that Olafr will learn crucible steel making from me, so he can do it himself, and also start producing a limited amount of steel so we can sell it - making crucible steel a new commodity from these islands. Practically speaking, I'll make money selling weapons, but it helps my conscience a bit that I don't make the swords, and those swords will sell for so much that they won't see much use, and mainly become ornaments and status symbols. Other blacksmiths will eventually learn to forge things from the steel, and there will be more weapons, and the price will go down, but Ketill will have a head start as he is already used to it and has gained a reputation. At the end of the day, it's just so economically worthwhile that it's a good idea, because I have a lot of projects that cost, and at the end of the day I want to see steel production increase, and more elves need to know how to do it so the knowledge outlives me and Olafr. And Iselin, who of course wants to learn that too.
I will also need to make proper melting furnaces instead of crucibles, but that may have to wait until the summer. The steel now made by others is chance mixed with skill, where blacksmiths like Olafr know how to hammer, heat, hammer, heat and do things to make it good and make carbon steel, but he doesn't know why that iron is better and believes in mysterious explanations and reasons. But they can forge impressive things by mixing steel and iron, and I like Gunhild's wolf tooth spear. So why not make a deal where Ketill can buy maybe 10 lumps of steel a year at a cheaper price, but we get half the sales of finished swords? Ketill will be enormously rich from that and get a good reputation. We get money without direct labour or cost. The rest of the steel lumps we can sell through my own merchant empire, and also sell some of the swords Ketill makes. So we profit from the lump, and as an intermediary in the sale, and the product reach a wider market and clientele. The steel lumps made with new crucibles will have the Academy logo moulded into them, although the lumps need to be worked enough that the marks left by the crucible disappear. It is possible to make a punch with the Academy logo. Or my logo bomärke. Again, reputation needs to be created. Honestly, I can see myself buying Ketill's first steel sword. Not because I need the sword, but as a sign that I want his craftsmanship, and he can then say he forged a sword for me. It might be quite special and valuable for future generations.
But that's all for tomorrow; tonight the proud adventurers will try to survive another mission, and I need to prepare for that. No Game Master plan survives contact with the players. All seem to be equally enthusiastic role-players.