I woke up the next morning a little out of sorts. I hadn’t slept well. I was awake half the night, worried about whether I had acted the right way at dinner. Would I be judged poorly for my words? I thought I was to be introduced to the count, but as far as I could tell, he hadn’t even looked in my direction. I also didn’t know when I was supposed to meet with him.
The lack of information was annoying, and my irritation made me want to get out of the castle as soon as possible. I did my morning routine, except for combat practice, of course, and headed to the barracks where my men were staying. In the town, I didn’t have much use for my people, so I gave them leave in shifts until we went back. For most of the militia in training, this was their first time out of the barony. Some of my guards had also never traveled this far south either. It amazed me that people could live their whole lives in a place as small as my barony. I let none of my militia guys go out without a more disciplined guard. I also explained that any of them would be kicked out of the Bicman Defense Force for any disorderly conduct. The Bicman Defense Force, or BDF, was what I started to call them as a whole.
I only need a few of the BDF as an escort, and that is what I found at the barracks. “Captian, I need to get out of here. Let’s go to the docks. I want to see the ships they have here.”
Ships were something of an unreachable dream for me when I was back on Earth. The year before my dad left us was the only year I got to go to Scout Camp. Well, more like forced to go. Scouting was something that my dad decided I needed to be involved in to curb my more troubling behavior. Really, the reason I pushed back against it so hard was because my parents thought it would be good for me. On the first day at camp, I signed up for the small boat sailing merit badge. I really don’t even remember why. After learning some basic safety stuff and knot tying, we went out on the lake with an instructor. I loved it. I spent every free moment I had taking out one of the boats. With one hand on the rudder, one hand holding the main sail, and holding the jib sail rope between my toes, I would race back and forth across the lake.
Coming home to the boring suburban life where there were no boats was depressing. I spent weeks drawing pictures of various sailing ships and boats. Then, six months later, while walking home from school, I found a ship in a bottle on the side of the road set out with the trash. I took it home and got fixated on model ships. I did odd jobs just to earn enough money to buy my next model. By the time I was fifteen, I had a whole flotilla of ships. My most prized one was a replica of the Spanish Galleon, The Santa Ana. It came with everything pre-cut, but I had to build it from the ground up. The eras didn’t match for the various vessels, but I didn’t care. A little while later, just as my fixation was dying down, my mom introduced me to a rich guy at the church she went to who had a racing yacht. He took me to the shipyard while it was in dry dock. He told me if my scout troop would help with some small repairs and help get the hull ready for its paint job, he would take us out on it. I went home and started memorizing everything I could about that model of yacht and then expanded it to other yachts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my scout troop motivated to help, and it was about that time that Dad left.
It took a long time to stop blaming myself for Dad leaving since I was the bad kid who was always goofing off and not listening. During that time, I lost interest in everything. But a couple of years after the accident, it came back with a vengeance. I set a goal to one day own a boat that I could sail across the Atlantic on. Unfortunately, all the money I had managed to save ended up going to medical bills in the last few months of my life. But, now I was a regent of a barony, and I was going to buy a boat, dang it! Oh yeah, and build the first surfboard. I just needed to find a beach.
Things became very crowded as we got closer to the docks. This was the first time I noticed people of distinctly different races. I had never really paid attention to it back home because we had a good mix of everything in my suburb. But everyone I met here so far had black or brown hair with skin ranging from pale white to a light tan. Now, I felt more at home in this melting pot of people. Some people you could only tell were foreigners by their dress, but others were distinct in their skin color and facial features. I didn’t see any segregation here at the docks either. Business was business, and it didn’t matter who was dealing with whom. It made me feel a bit like I was back home.
Vendors lined the streets yelling out their imported wears. One such stall caught my eye. A large rock was sitting squarely on the center of the table. Other rocks were stacked on top of it at odd angles. Some rocks hung from strings at the top of the stall. Then it hit me. These were not rocks; they were loadstones- magnetized iron. I didn’t know the scientific name for the rocks. In fact, the old Amos must have never heard of them before either because he didn’t leave me with the word for it. “Stop the coach!" I yelled to the driver.” After the carriage stopped, I got out on the opposite side of the stall I wanted to visit. I told the driver to meet us at the south end of the wharf. “Captain, do you know what the metal that sticks together is called?”
Drave's head started to turn towards the stall where I had seen the metal.
“Don’t Look!” I hissed at him.
His head snapped back, and he said, “That is loadstone, My Lord.”
“Perfect, now here is my plan,” I said conspiratorially.
After I explained myself, Captain Draves nodded and said, “Are you sure you were not a merchant in your past life?”
We began looking at some fine ceramic and clay sculptures in one stall. They were very nicely painted, which made me remember that I needed to buy paint. As we wandered around, we found a variety of fruits and vegetables that were not common up north. I bought an orange and some plums. They had a date like fruit that was very sweet. Dang, I missed grocery stores. We eventually wandered towards the stall with loadstones and a few other random goods. As we passed, I barely glanced at it. Draves, however, spoke up, “Look, My Lord, would not be an appropriate gift for your nephew.”
I turned on my best haughty noble voice and said, “What would my nephew do with rocks that stick together? Everyone knows that loadstone is a curiosity with no actual value except its rarity. This makes them expensive and worthless.”
The vendor immediately jumped in to defend his wares. “My Lord, these stones are highly prized everywhere. They make excellent gifts.” He said in a thick accent.
"I am not looking for expensive and useless gifts to give my worthless nephew. I wouldn’t pay more than four copper for such a rock."
“Ah, that is because you do not know all it can do. Watch the magic of this stone,” He pulled down one of the hanging pieces of magnetized iron on a thin string. There was a red dot on one side. “See how the red dot always points north.” He gave several demonstrations and then said. “This has prevented many men from being lost in the woods. Is it not worth at least two crowns?”
This guy was trying to fleece me. Did everyone think nobles just threw their money away? No matter how badly I wanted it, I was not going to pay two silver crowns for it. I put on a shocked look. “Two crowns, I could buy a decent cow for that. And do I look like the type of person that goes wandering through the woods? Let us go, Captain.”
“Wait, My Lord; I see now that this has little use for you outside of curiosity, so as long as you do not tell anyone, I will give it to you for two silver pennies. Would this not entertain your nephew.”
“He is quite dull so that thing might give him some pleasure. Very well, I will give you six copper for it.”
“My Lord, I must make a profit. I could go no lower than a penny.”
I sighed, “Very well, the dunce better appreciate the amount I am spending on him. Give the man eight copper, Captain.” I grumbled.
"My Lord, nine pennies, please."
"Fine, whatever," I said with a backward wave.
“My Lord, at that price, I might also be able to afford one. Would you mind if I paid you back for one?” Captain Draves said in his usual stoic tone.
I waved my hand dismissively. “As you please.” At that, I turned away and went to the next stall as Draves paid.
When he caught up, he was actually smiling. “Well done, My Lord. I think he would have gotten three crowns from most nobles around here. And you managed to get two for eight copper a piece.”
I shrugged. “I’m not rich enough to go throwing my money around.”
“What will you use these for?”
“First, when I got my orientation merit badge, my sadistic scout leader made us make our own compasses and then navigate a course he plotted out. So I will make compasses. Like this rock on a string, a compass is a way to find north, but it is a better design. The second is to experiment. I don’t know how it is done, but they used magnets to make electricity. I think you spin a magnet around metal or metal around a magnet. I really wasn’t paying attention in science class that year. Anyways, it has to do with magnets, metal, and spinning. I mean, I also watched a TV show when I was a kid where this science guy used to do all sorts of stuff. He made a potato battery and a capacitor using a jar full of water. That was weird, but I am not quite sure how he did it. Well, the potato battery I am, but I can’t quite remember how he did the capacitor.”
“I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about.” Draves said.
“Don’t worry, I am not sure I do either. I don’t even know what I would use electricity for. It’s not like I can make a light bulb. Oh well, let's go check out those ships over there. They look like Chinese Junks.”
As we approached, I found that the Country of Falmoren did, in fact, use ships with a sail that looked very similar to early Chinese Junks. That was kind of cool. As we got even closer, I noticed some differences in the hulls. They looked a little like what I thought the Greek penta… something or other would look like. I couldn't remember the name. These, however, had a single bank of oars. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very familiar with that era. I also didn’t know much about Chinese Junks. I only remember the name because I thought junk, which literally translates into “ship,” was a funny name. I wonder if they were double hulls? I guess I needed to find a shipwright. This time, I would be more circumspect and not give away my secrets.
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I stood there for a while, watching men scurry around the harbor, unloading and loading ships. After about a quarter bell, I even got to see a ship row out of the harbor and unfurl its sails. I fell into a state of tranquility as I looked out at the ocean. The only other time I got to see the “ocean” was that saltwater cove. It was cool to see, but the vastness of the open ocean was majestic. I wanted to jump on that ship and sail off with them.
Eventually, I sighed and turned around. I had things to do before I went back to the barony, and I didn’t have a lot of time. “Captain, we need to go check out the prices for livestock and grains.” We wandered back towards the carriage, enjoying the breeze that carried the smell of the saltwater.
The carriage driver had filled my request that I made earlier and discovered where different shops and locations were around town. The first place we went was to the livestock pens. Although it was south of the city, it wasn’t too far from the ocean. Nevertheless, the salty scent of the sea was completely overpowered by the stink of manure. As soon as I got down from the carriage, I was approached by an older, wiry man with sinewy muscles. He strode up to me confidently and bowed. “My Lord, it is an honor to see you at my humble establishment. I am Master Herbert, at your service. How may I assist you today?”
“Well, met Master Herbert, I am Lord Amos Bicman,” I said with a nod.
This caused his eyebrows to rise. “The younger son. I wondered why you looked so familiar. You look much like your father.”
“You knew my father?” I said in surprise.
“Yes, I had dealings with him a few years back when he purchased a stallion for your brother. I see he has entrusted you with some of the family affairs.”
“I regret to inform you that most of my family had passed away during the last illness that went through the village. I and my nephew, Lord Aaron the Third, heir to the barony of Bicman, are all that remain.”
Herbert bowed his head, “My condolences, My Lord,” He said in a solemn voice.
“Thank you. It has been a difficult time for us. But I must do my best to look to the future and prepare the barony for my nephew’s reign, which is why I am here. I have come to inquire about your stock.”
“I see; well, in that case, I have a fine assortment of equine beasts. Are you looking for something for your nephew?” He paused for a moment to think. “No, that can’t be right. He must only be a couple of years old now.”
“You are correct. Although it would be quite the birthday gift, I think I will wait. What I am actually looking for are mules for plowing.”
“An excellent choice, My Lord. Mules are hardier than horses, and their diet is much easier to maintain. We have twenty-three head right now trained to plow. The females are a little more docile, but the males have all been gelded, so they're also not very hard to work with. Let me bring you to them so that you may inspect them.”
I really had no idea what I was looking for, and I think Herbert picked up on that. He explained the different features of the mules and what they meant. I should have brought my stable master. Even though I believed Herbert to be honest, I didn’t want to make a mistake.
After the tour, I asked the question I was dreading. “And what is the cost of each mule?”
This caused Herbert to put on his salesman smile. “My Lord, each of these fine beasts has excellent breeding, and none are over four years old, giving them many long years of service in front of them. I could not ask for less than sixteen silver crowns.” Giving a proud smile.
I almost choked at that. I had wanted to get six of these beasts, but there was no way I could afford ninety crowns. That was the annual income of my barony. If I could talk him down, and with the money I brought, I could maybe buy two and have money left to purchase winter wheat. I would not be able to afford tin or other things.
I somehow managed to keep my composure and say, “Excellent. As we have time in the city to spare, and there are other places we have to visit, I may be back to buy a couple of mules.”
“Very good, My Lord. I look forward to seeing you in the future. If I might ask, My Lord, upon your approach, I noticed that your horses were not wearing shoes, which was concerning as the streets of Vaspar can be hard on Horse’s Hooves. But upon closer inspection, I noticed metal plates on the bottom of them. If you will forgive my curiosity, may I have a look at them?”
I sighed inwardly. I knew this would happen. Of course, the cat was out of the bag with Mathew, and I think I was a little naive in thinking I could get writes for these inventions. Even if I did, I was too far away from the center of things, and I doubted anyone was going to monitor who stole my inventions. I needed to protect processes, not easily made items. Things like paper, concrete, and steel would be things I could protect. Even that was subject to industrial espionage. Also, we had brought spare shoes, and if one of my horses threw one on the road, I would have to have another smith put it back on.
I put a smile on my face and said, “Sure, it is an invention of one of my smiths. It prevents wear much better than leather shoes, especially on the hard cobblestones you have on the main thoroughfare here.”
Herbert gently lifted one of my horse's hooves and studied the horseshoe. “Fascinating. How long have you been using these?
“All my animals have been wearing them for the last thirty or so days with no ill effects.”
Herbert thought for a moment. “My Lord, if you will permit me to use these with no reprisal, I will give you a discount of five silvers on each mule you buy from me.”
This was a good deal for me since I am sure these would be on all the Count horses by the end of the week anyway. “That is agreeable,” I said. “Captain, have we any shoes with us at the moment?”
“I believe everything has been unloaded,” He said.
“That’s too bad. I will drop some off at the time of our transaction then. You are welcome to try making them on your own, though. Do you perhaps know a respectable wainwright?”
“I do, My Lord,” Herbert said enthusiastically, “Blaine is the best wainwright in the town. His wagons are more expensive, but I wouldn’t go anywhere else to purchase one. If you tell him I sent you, you could probably get him to sell you one for three silver crowns.”
“Thank you, Master Herbert. Have a pleasant day." I thought about viewing the other livestock, but looking at the mules was enough to depress me about the finances. Hopefully, we could sell the trunk of paper and pens we brought for a good price.
As we made our way back to the main shopping district, we passed Ferdenand’s shop. I noticed there were quite a few people outside, crowded around it.
“Do you think he is having a sale?” I said off handedly.
Draves looked at me, confused. “That is what they do there.”
“No, not like that. I meant like discounting his prices to get more people to come purchase.”
“Hmm, I don’t think they are the type of draper to discount prices. More likely, word has gotten out about the buttonhole. Those people look like commoners, so they are probably there just to see it..”
“Well, let’s make sure to stop by before we leave. I’d like to see how things are going. They were only able to get one outfit for me, and that was off the clearance rack. I cannot imagine him being able to get another one before I leave. Next time we visit, I will have to send someone to pre-order.”
Draves just nodded.
I looked at the town as we traveled. I decided I liked it. I think I will model Bicman after it. Well, I would make a few changes, like sidewalks. Yeah, I definitely wanted sidewalks. This was all for the future when we had more trade coming to Bicman. I looked at the many shops and wondered how we could get some of these items to Bicman. It would be very cool to have all my serfs wearing nice shoes rather than walking around barefoot or with crummy sandals.
“Captian, how can we get more traveling merchants to come to Bicman? I want some of these things there.”
“There are not many merchants that travel outside of their own barony, and the prices are extremely high. Mostly, it is only exotic goods that come from far away, and then only the Nobility can afford them. “
I was trying to figure this out. Why didn’t this work? “But what if a cobbler were to make a whole bunch of shoes, and then a merchant were to buy them at a lower price and then bring them to Bicman and sell them at a slightly higher price?”
“Why would a cobbler spend all his time making shoes just to sell them at a lower price? Also, the merchant would have to be willing to barter for livestock or crops, which he would have to bring back with him?”
“Because… Wait, hold on, I think this is starting to click.” I sat there for a while and thought about what Draves had said. Then, I started to make connections. It all made sense.
“It really isn’t worth it, is it? Oh my gosh, I think I am starting to understand the economics of ancient civilizations. Because we don’t have mass production, costs are high for most goods. Because the economy is so dependent on agriculture, those who control who gets the land are the wealthy. Merchants cannot export goods effectively unless they can increase prices or lower production costs and time to produce an item. There is no real money to be made in exporting simple goods or goods that take a long time to produce."
Did they teach this in history class? If they did, I was totally not paying attention.
OK, so that is another way we can increase the wealth of the barony. We need to produce goods so much cheaper than everyone else and in larger quantities so that we can export at a cost that will give us a high enough return on the investment. That means we are on the right track with the paper, and assuming that the loom we are making is not in use elsewhere, then we can make larger quantities of better quality material at a cheap price. I need to think of other things. I know that Mathew stole a lot of stuff from us, but it doesn’t matter because he doesn’t have our processes. The pens, horseshoes, and other items that are simple to make would not have stayed secret for long.
“Captian, I have been thinking about this ever since Mathew showed up, and I don’t know if I have expressed it yet, but I don’t think we could have gotten a writ, and even if we did, no other noble would enforce it in their area. Why stifle their economy for some backwater barony? The king is definitely not going to care what they do. Intellectual property though, that’s the key. We have to find a way to protect it. That means we need a secure location for anything we want to be kept secret.”
I hadn’t wanted to leave the barony with all my projects, but coming here was a good thing. I think there was some Chinese saying about a frog in a well, or was that Japanese? We’ll just go with the Asian. Yeah, gotta love those Asian sayings. My mind began to wander, trying to think of simple manufacturing processes that we could use for mass production.
By the time we got back to the castle, we had explored most of the town. I liked the residential districts. I wanted wooden houses for my people. That made me think of a sawmill, and suddenly, I realized I needed two more mills, not just one. One for Melnon and one for Alfer. I also needed a larger paper-making factory and a printing press. I bought that mirror for Tanya, but what if I could figure out how to make glass? I had seen some ceramics here, and something I thought was possibly colored glass or glass with impurities but no clear glass. It didn’t let much light through it. Even if I could make that glass a little clearer, I could make windows.
As we got out of the carriage, a man in a sharp outfit with the sash of the Steward approached us and bowed. “Lord Amos Bicman, by order of Count Vaspar, you are hereby ordered to remain in your room until two bells past noon tomorrow. At which point you will be brought to stand trial at a public hearing.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone
“What! Why in the Endless One’s name am I bring brought to stand trial?” I shouted.
The man took a startled step back.
Realizing my mistake, I said, “My apologies. I was just surprised. Could you please explain what this is all about?”
Recovering, he said, “I am not aware of the details, but you have been accused of stealing the property of Lord Decmoore.”
And the other shoe drops, I thought to myself. I turned to Draves and said quietly, “Go find Tanya. You and I both know what this is about.”
Turning back to the man I said, “I have nothing to hide nor reason to run I will gladly defend myself before my accusers.”