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Myrun and Jolfr are looking closely at the swords hung between the windows on the mezzanine and Kari is standing very pleased to the side, so I give Kari a kiss and join her. Myrun speak:
"We've seen your sword stabbed into the pavilion ceiling, and noticed the text faintly shimming on the blade if the light is right. Olafr proudly told me how impressive that sword and steel truly is, which really surprised me, because Olafr is a modest man. I can just imagine what a normal swordsmith would say. He casually pointed out these two swords are practically the same if we wanted to have a better look. Olafr also told us about the knives, and Hillevi and Kari have shown theirs. And then King Asbjörn amused himself by telling us how he himself discovered the swords and what you said to him." A smile have appeared on Myrun's face and she half laugh before continuing. "If such unique and precious items are carried around without anyone drawing attention to it or bragging about it - or just hanging on a wall without anyone paying it any attention - how much more special or valuable items are out in the open, but that no outsider understands and no-one how knows talks about?
Like me, Kari just smiles as an answer, so I give Myrun a quick playful wink, kiss Kari's cheek and leave.
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Considering the Viking ways, I never would have imagined that 'insult competition' is a thing, but it was a friendly competition. Quite hard to be witty and creative. Anyone participation must accept that anything goes, so that wasn't an issue, but references and such can be. Mostly it felt strange. Since it was elvish vikings in a medieval feast, it just felt like a parody of 'rap battles', so I'm pleased with it is finished, and Maurr and Asbjörn involve me in a discussion about Laxlanda. The topic quickly divert as Maurr talks about fly fishing and wants to thank me for the excellent idea of a fishing vest and the pliers to remove the flies. Maurr dreams of the coming spring salmon and how he must be ready until then. He like his new rods made from ash wood, and have tied many flies. I never really cared much about fishing, but Maurr thinks it's a shame that I don't have any suitable fishing water here on the islands, and say I'm welcome to fish in his river whenever I want too, but I explain spin casting and promise to show my spinning rod and the lures I made. Frankly, I've hardly used it because fishing isn't that fun.
In Laxlanda, the water power project is progressing, and Maurr says he has assigned a few more men so that it will be finished as quickly as possible. The days and nights are colder there, and since the ground is frozen it has become easier to drag the logs out from the forest. Plenty of men are already felling trees in his forests, but there are quite a lot of log stacks put up for drying from previous years. The channels to lead water to and from the waterwheel is done, and they have constructed the mounts for the waterwheel, as well as built the waterwheel. It is tested and works. Saw blades, parts, hooks and tools have been forged, and lots of logs are being transported there. There is some upstream logging as many have seen an opportunity. It is the sawmill itself that takes time to build, not helped by cold days with few daylight hours, but that doesn't stop the Norse Elves from doing work. Bresir has been here, but I will send one of the sawmill men to really help with the mechanism and get everything right. They have already made many small improvements in the sawmill here. Maurr and his workers have promised to not reveal details to others, so it's time to show them my sawmill here. The workers have finished the mill and stamp mill, and the carpentry shop is starting to take shape, so I might show some of that too.
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Rivendal inn in Laxlanda seems to be doing very well considering the time of year, and Åsa seems to be doing well enough, even though she seems a bit overstressed. Maurr has made sure that Åsa gets help from a village woman when there are a lot of guests. The ferry has become incredibly popular, and has begun to change the route that people travel. Especially if they have cumbersome or precious cargo, because people trust the ferry more than other options. There are also people who travelled to Laxlanda and spent a night at Rivendal inn, just to see it for themselves. Asbjörn happily informs me that he and Haera is amongst those, and that Åsa's reaction was amusing. I get why people visit as it is something new and curious, but after the sawmill have been completed this coming spring, Rivendal inn will be expanded. Maurr likes Jane's sketches that we left at Rivendal inn, and really want to see it done. I'll pay Maurr so he can hire some men to make the stone wall and such for a more even and luxurious front garden and entrance. Since that will have to wait for milder and warmer weather, they can prepare and move stone and such. That is easier with sledges on frozen ground.
Asbjörn is really impressed by the ferry and wants one further south at Tingshamn, and one down in Borgarsandr. He just has no idea what to do with the rope across the river. Ship traffic can not be hindered. Unfortunately there is hardly any current at Borgarsandr, but at Tingshamn it should work, and that is about halfway between Borgarsandr and Laxlanda. It is also the closest route to Lysesund from Borgarsandr, and thus here. Asbjörn does not own the land at Tingshamn, since that is Ting's land, owned by the Northmen Ting, but as King he is the Ting's land caretaker and can decide to build that. Anything built there is the Ting's, so the ferry there will be the Ting's ferry, so I won't earn silver, but I have no problem with that. The goal has not been to get rich on ferries. The problem is that Ting's ferry can't block the river like Laxlanda Ferry's rope system does, but the river rapids in Laxlanda block the river anyway, so that is not an issue. At Tingshamn it is, so how to do it?
The ferry we have to Orusingen shows that the rope sinks below the surface and can be sailed over, but the current ferry will keep the rope taut. So either they have to try to attach it to the bottom which makes rope maintenance impossible, and in the long run it might be an issue for river boats if there is a support structure poking up. The river is quite deep in the middle, so they might just use a big heavy rock with a hole drilled through as the anchor. There is a tall hill-cliff on the west side that is probably 50 meters high. So there are three possible variations I can think of that they can try. The easiest is to attach the rope to one side and the ferry is allowed to swing over and back. However, when the ferry is across the river, river traffic is blocked, and this must be informed about. I suggested really huge signs. However, the ferry will keep the rope taut, so they can try attaching the rope high up on the hill-cliff, so it is possible to sail or row under the rope, and they can mark the rope with hanging red pennants. An alternative is to make a really high tower or post on the east side where the Ting is, and try the same solution as the Laxlanda ferry. However, that rope will be even longer as the river is wider there than in Laxlanda. It may simply be too wide there and the rope in the middle solution is the only solution. Unfortunately, there is no suitable island there that you can sail both sides of, the nearest is 1/4 of the distance to Laxlanda. The rope at one side is easy to try, and Asbjörn will definitely try that first, just to see.
Asbjörn asks how things are going with my new law book, and the honest truth is probably 'bad and too slow', but I answer slowly forward. Iselin, Kari and Gunhild have helped me go through the law book, and we have taken a lot of notes. It is important that the new law book is good, covers everything important and isn't ambiguous. The law book in the kingdom has evolved over time, so it is not well organised. I have intended to divide my law into several sections, starting with a constitution with rights and responsibilities. Then a section about crimes and punishments, followed by regulations and laws. And so on. Hopefully, the new law will be ready before summer, and hopefully I can print that book, and do so in a lot of copies. I want every household on the islands to have their own law book. As people learn to read, they can read the laws.
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