I let out a deep breath as we rode our horses past the chalk mine. There was no road to the cliff, so we left the carriage in Karr. The previous five days had been a furious whirlwind of activity, but it was now time for a break. I left Edward and Benjamin in charge while I took off with my men. We had developed a plan for moving forward with integrating the Karr into Bicman.

First, I no longer used the name Karr to refer to them. They were my people or the people of the village of Karr. Next, they were paid for the chalk they mined. They were experienced miners, and their chalk was more valuable than the taxes they were paying. I was not going to pay reparations for their past treatment. I believe reparations lead to dependency. I am glad the people had never heard of such a concept. If we could make it so the people no longer paid taxes in foodstuff, and if we got a coin based economy where the farms were producing double the produce, they could become very wealthy selling their chalk.

Now, I just needed to convince them I wasn't some sort of saint.

The other problem we had was the chalk smugglers. I didn't know their temperament, so I needed to figure out what to do. We came up with various solutions, from continuing to let things go as they were to just not even showing up.

The problem was that the dropoff location was south of the Nore. This put it in the new baron's territory. I had found out from Benjamin that the new baron's name was Curtis Plimgus. I sighed when I heard this. It was another name I would try not to laugh at. Pollman had now been renamed Plimgus. And I felt bad for the guy. He was going to have to have his manor thoroughly scrubbed. Unfortunately, Benjamin didn't have much detail about the family because Curtis was the son of a nonhereditary knight. The only other thing that he knew was that his three daughters and son were all in their teens. I recommended Benjamin write to his father, but he waved off the suggestion. He had no doubt that we would be receiving a detailed report shortly from his father.

Anyway, I did not feel comfortable making transactions in another baron's lands, so I would need to reach some sort of agreement with Plimgus or stop the shipments altogether. I was worried about retaliation from the smugglers. But I couldn't imagine a baron not wanting to get something for nothing. I mean, all he had to do was have one of his men show up at the site of the transaction and take his cut. I would need to figure out the disposition of the baron first.

The crazy thing was the amount of money that should have been brought into the barony over the last twenty-some-odd years. If the prisoners were to be believed, then the amount should be over 2000 gold. After interrogating everyone further, I found out where it all went. Jeffery had various coinage totaling about 83 gold crowns. That doesn't include the money paid to the peacekeepers and the Cofi guard.

Why were all the corrupt people around me more wealthy than me?

I would be upset, but in the long run, everyone involved ended up worse off than me. Jeffery and some of his men would be executed. The rest would be sentenced to hard labor. Ronald, the steward, was also dead. What surprised me the most was that most of the money actually went to Lord Decmoore. I had figured that it would be kept secret from him, but he had found out about a year after the headman and steward had been operating their little scheme. Then, he used it as blackmail to extort the majority of the money. Plimgus wouldn't know about this, so I could probably convince him to honor the agreement that my barony had with Lord Decmoore and the traders. I would have to check with Benjamin if there was a tax I would have to pay when I sold goods to chalk traders.

So, the story that came to light was that roughly twenty years ago, Jeffery realized that there was chalk on the west side of Lake Cofi. He let his good friend Ronald know. They came up with a plan to tell the baron that there was chalk, but it was hard to mine, and they could have the Karr mine it for a few extra gold a year. They didn't tell the baron that the Karr would be turned into slaves, and the steward helped to twist the story to make it sound like all the complaints were just the people rebelling against their required tasks. Since Aaron already had his own prejudices against the people of Karr, it wasn't hard for Ronald to get the old baron to turn everything over to Jeffery and the steward and completely ignore the issue.

My thoughts were interrupted as I once again spotted some cotton plants. I decided to grab some cotton on my way back and see how well it spun on the spinning wheel. I still wanted to make that cotton gin, but I really wasn't in any hurry right now. Until we started producing more food, I couldn't move people away from their current tasks.

We reached the shore by late afternoon, and the sun was at a forty-five-degree angle in the sky this time of year. This made me really excited. I was sure the picture I drew of the setting sun would be spectacular. Then, another problem suddenly dawned on me. The salty sea breeze was so strong it would probably knock over all my stuff. It was so strong that I was wondering if we should put a windmill here. Of course, I have no idea what we would grind.

"Be careful not to get too close to the cliff, My Lord, this place is covered knee deep in bird crap." The captain said. "I have actually never ventured here from Cofi, but if it is like the cliffside farther north, then seabirds have been nesting here for centuries.

I froze as something tickled my brain. Like bats, seabirds produce guano suitable for making gunpowder. But that was not what I was excited about. When I was exploring the making of gunpowder, I ran across a story about Peru and how it had an island that was basically a big poop factory for seabirds. Once it was discovered that it was a superfood for plants, a war was fought over it.

Nate and I almost peed our pants, coming up with names for it. My favorite was Crap Wars, Episode 1- The Pooping Menace.

I mean, can you imagine being a pirate at the time? You capture a ship, and it's just bird poo. The captain probably shouted, “This is a load of crap!” Yep, I'm guessing that is where the phrase comes from.

Maybe we could build a windmill to help with the processing of guano. We would have to see if it needed to be ground down. I can't remember if in my reading if it talked about it being ground down. All I remember is the guano tea bit because the name made me laugh.

“Alright, boys, we have a problem with all this wind. I won't be able to paint the ocean. I know what you’re thinking. ‘These are nobility world problems.’ Well, now they are your problems.”

They didn't get the joke, but we did come up with a solution. Using our tents as windbreakers, we angled them so that I could hide my easel from the wind. My guys rocked!

I was really glad it didn't rain. Talking about first world problems, no weather apps. I mean, some of the people around here were pretty good at determining what weather was coming, but nothing to the point of being able to plan vacations or invasions. Seriously, what if I got in the mood to go and invade and plunder Plimgus’s land? A freak storm could ruin all the fun. Fortunately, none of the people who lived here had ever seen a hurricane. When I described one, Draves was the only one who knew what I was talking about. Our coast must be more like the West Coast of the United States.

I finished the painting by lantern light. It needed to be done that way so that I could capture the sun on the horizon. As I finished, I looked up at the stars that were just now becoming visible now that dusk was turning to night. It always made me feel odd not seeing the normal constellations. I once took an online astrology class as part of my exploration of different belief systems. I ended up not really getting into the whole predicting fates by the stars, but I loved memorizing the stars and constellations. There were different ones here but each had their own story. Storys that I wanted to learn.

In the morning, we packed up and got ready to move out. I stood looking out at the sea as the sun rose behind me in the east. It cast its light upon the ocean, and the surface of the water sparkled like sapphires. I closed my eyes, breathing in the salty air. I visualized myself on a ship out in those waters. It will be amazing when I am finally able to step onto a ship and actually sail down this coast. I wish I had my old sextant. Well, technically, it wasn't old. I had bought it online and mounted it on my wall along with all the other sailing paraphernalia, like my Rolly Roger's pirate flag.

Before we left I had the men grab a bag of guano. They were not happy about gathering poop.

On the way back, Draves decided to bring up a topic that I think we had both been avoiding. "So what are we going to do about the Marcus situation."

"You mean the fact that Jeffery helped him escape. I can send out a general announcement with pictures to all the baronies in the county. Count Vaspar might be able to help spread the word, but he really could be anywhere by now. If Duke Kimton gets word of it, though, he may use it as an excuse to punish me. Not that that will stop me from doing it. Justice has to be served."

Draves nodded, "And Jeffery?"

I sighed, "Captain, we already went over this. He and the men who atacked us will be executed according to the law. There will be a trial. Even if everyone knows he is guilty, I refuse to forgo that. The men who surrendered will get ten years of hard labor, after which they will be eligible for parole."

"You know that even those people caused the deaths of people in the village of Karr."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"So are a lot of other people who weren't peacekeepers. I am trying to create a balance here. Being too heavy-handed will cause excessive animosity. There will be hostility and bitterness no matter what, but if I can show a bit of leniency, we may be able to keep the pot from boiling over. If we have an uprising, it is just going to cause the deaths of more people."

Draves said nothing, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"What did you do with the four individuals from Cofi in the BDF that didn't pass the screening?"

"Do not worry, My Lord. I did not kill them. I just kicked them out. I did as you said and told them they could come back after two years of probation."

"Do you think they will cause problems?"

"No, they know what their relatives did was wrong. They just need to calm down before we give them a spear."

"Good. By the way, thank you for indulging me and agreeing to come on the trip." I said.

"My Lord, it isn't like I could refuse."

"You know what I mean. You didn't tell me this was a bad idea or a waste of my time.

Draves just shook his head in disbelief, "My Lord, you work harder than most nobles I have seen. If your father spent half the time you do running his barony, then I am sure you wouldn't have most of these issues to deal with. He spent most of his time hunting and trapping."

We made it back to Karr by late afternoon. This was only because we stopped to pick some more cotton. Picking cotton sucked. Our hands were bloody after a couple of hours of work, and I swear that between all of us, we were only able to pick about twenty kilograms. There was a lot more swearing than picking going on. Hats off to all those people who picked cotton by hand before the harvester.

When we finally arrived, I looked over the progress we had made, and it brought a smile to my face. I decided we would need to have a celebration in Kerisi for everyone's hard work. The village of Karr had already started calling the day I rode into their village Liberation by the Decened Day, or Liberation Day for short. It made me cringe thinking of the fact that they had basically turned me into a saint. The most disturbing thing was that I think it was having an influence on the others who came to help.

As soon as we were spotted, a man I didn't recognize came rushing up to me. "My Lord, I was told to inform you that your cousin had arrived."

"Wait, what cousin?" I said in shock. I expected something bad, but unannounced relatives could be disastrous.

"I believe his name is John."

"Where is he from?"

"I'm not sure." The man said, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

He is probably Johnathan and Susan's kid since his name is John. Why would they send him, though? Unless this is a spy in disguise sent by those who have seen some of my inventions. I don't have the proper protocols set up to prevent industrial espionage, and it isn't like I can verify his identity. The trip must have taken him at least a month.

"Where is he now?"

"I believe he left Kerisi this morning with Edward and headed towards Bicman. The guards who traveled with him left to return to Vaspar. "

"Well, I guess I can trust Edward to keep him out of trouble. Draves, let's head to Kerisi, spend the night, and then get to Bicman in the morning."

I tossed and turned that night, nervous about meeting my cousin. Draves assured me we had never met, so he shouldn't have anything to base my behavior on, but that isn't really what I was worried about. My worry was about what he would think of me and the barony. What would he report back to his family? Was he sent as a spy?

Needless to say, I woke up groggy in the morning. However, this did not stop Draves from punishing me with sword training. I didn't get beat up like I did with Chris and the spear, but it was a weapon that took more skill to wield. A spear could do a lot of damage and was easier to wield. It also gave a longer reach. It was also a lot cheaper to produce. The sword, however, was great at chopping and slashing. If someone could afford the cost of the metal and the blacksmith's time, a strong man in armor could be devastating. So, because I already had both the armor and sword, Draves felt it was a good use of my time.

I couldn't wait to develop gunpowder so that we could make plate armor obsolete. Of course, then I would have to worry about someone getting a hold of my weapons and shooting me.

We arrived at Bicman around midmorning. Upon entering the manor, Benjamin greeted me.

"My Lord," he said with a bow, "I ask for your forgiveness, but the Man claiming to be your cousin has disappeared.

Great, now I have a spy on the loose. I ground my teeth.

Marshandra, standing behind him, rolled her eyes. "I have already told you, Benjamin, he is definitely Lord Amos's cousin. He is the spitting image of his father, Johnathan."

"Are you sure?" I said.

"Yes, His father was a dashing young man when he married your aunt. I have to admit I was quite infatuated with his looks at the time. He had a face that was hard to forget. John looks just like him."

"Great! Not only do I have a spy on the loose, but he is also a Casanova. Or wait, because he is a spy, does that make him James Bond?"

Draves interrupted my rambling, "When did he disappear?"

"Edward gave up his room last night for your cousin, and when breakfast was announced this morning, we found his room empty. The guards at the gate said he left just before dawn to get some exercise. No one has seen him since. I have just dispatched messages to the villages. Edward is out with a contingent of men looking for him."

I sighed. "Well, what's done is done. Did you send a message to the various people to tell them to hide any sensitive projects?"

"Yes, I sent out a code red, as you call it."

"Good, well, there isn't much we can do until he turns up. Why don't we retire to the study, and we can go over reports?" I said as I turned down my hall.

I was also behind in writing out training material. Also, I had just come up with a few good comic strips for the Farmer and his dog.

It was lunchtime when a man in his early twenties strolled into the great hall with two guards positioned on either side of him. Walking up to the table, he gave a deep bow, and with one of those million-dollar smiles, he said, "Lord Amos, forgive me for the tardiness of my introduction. I was not sure when I would have the chance to meet you, so I took a walk around some of your barony. Had I known you would be back this morning, I would not have left."

Somehow, I doubted that.

"My Lord, We found him walking rapidly away from the weavers building. After questioning both the weavers and him, we found that he had been peeking through the window."

His smile faltered at my frown. He sighed apologetically, "Forgive me, My Lord. I assure you I meant no harm. Upon arriving at your barony, I discovered that a few of the women had very fine undied skirts and shirts. A few of your men had shirts made with just as fine a weave. Unfortunately, neither your man Edward nor your citizens would tell me where they were obtained."

"So you decided to sneak around and see if you could find anything out."

"My mother said I was curious to a fault, and you have to admit serfs wearing fine clothing is not normal. I am also a bit of a fanatic when it comes to clothing. So I found myself in your fabulous village of Barim," he admitted. "My Lord, your weaving machine is ingenious! I did not get a good enough look to understand it. But it is unlike anything I have ever seen."

"Did you ever stop to consider there may be a reason that people might be keeping a secret? Now that you have seen the machine, do you think that it would make someone rich? Would it be something a noble might kill another noble who had no backing just to get it?" I said, stone-faced.

I could see the moment the truth dawned on him, and his fearless facade started to crack. I hated playing the part of the villain, but I had no choice.

"Did you think, Cousin, that I would not kill any who found out about it to protect my own life?"

When I raised my voice at this declaration, all the people in the room looked shocked. I am sure if I could see Draves's face, it would still be an impassive mask.

"My Lord, I swear I will reveal nothing. Please, I have a wife and children. I came to repair the relationship between our families."

What was I going to do? I couldn't kill him, but maybe I could make a deal. First, though, I was going to have a little fun at his expense.

"You leave me with no choice, Cousin. I will have to write to your wife and tell her that you were peeping through a window at other women."

The look of shock on John's face was priceless. By that time, I had the full attention of the hall. There was a pregnant pause for about ten seconds before the guard, Mac, let out a snort. That caused chuckles to roll throughout the room, which quickly turned into full on laughter.

John still looked confused even after my hard face turned into a smile. I got up from my table and came towards him. "Welcome to Bicman, Cousin John," I said with a grin.

"So, My Lord-"

"Just, Amos, we are family, after all."

I knew Draves was not going to be happy about this, but I had a plan.

"Uh, yes, well, Amos, does this mean I am not in trouble?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, "I am still disappointed in your behavior. But I am not going to do something as drastic as killing you or locking you up."

John let out a deep breath. "It appears that you people do not exaggerate when speaking of your kind nature."

"Come, John, Let's eat, and you can tell me about yourself."

John of the Mit Trading House

I was sitting on a chair, watching my cousin's nephew sit on the floor, stacking wooden blocks of different shapes and colors. Amos was helping him build while, at the same time, claiming that when he was Aaron's age, he had already built an accurate model of the Taj Mahal. Whatever that was?

I was positive when I had been caught looking at that incredible loom that I would be killed or crippled. I had seen the tyrannical nature of the nobility. When I was a teenager, I had even had the opportunity to feel a young noble's wrath. He had tripped while walking with his friends in a market. They all began to laugh at him, and because I was the one who was closest to them, he accused me of tripping him. I still have scars along my back from where I was whipped.

The look on Amos's face when I was brought before him brought back the painful memory and caused my back to itch. That memory, coupled with the rumors I had heard about him, made me sure that I had sealed my fate.

Then he makes a big joke about it and asks me to call him Amos. Sure, I called Catherine by her name, but she would never have allowed me to do it in public. Then Amos declares in front of all his subjects that I can address him casually. I don't know how many rules of etiquette that breaks, but by the look on his steward's face, I imagine quite a few.