The Alchemist Final Chapter: 40

 

Chapter 40

I stood in front of the field that had ben fertilized with bird poop, a huge grin plastered on my face. Just like I had promised, the yield was three times what the other acres had given.

Barns huffed. “I didn’t want to believe it,” he said, “But that poop worked magic. Now we don’t have to worry about starving through the winter. This is the biggest bumper crop I’ve ever seen.”

“And you’ve been here a long time, right?” I said.

“Sixty years,” said Barns. “I was born here under the harvest moon.”

I chuckled. “Well then. Shall we start harvesting?”

Barns looked around. “Come on, boys!” he said, to the farm hands who were with us. “Let’s start the harvest!”

I stood back and watched them work. I had no experience with working the fields, and my time was better spent inventing things.

I walked back to Freedom Hill, which had grown to a town of about six thousand people. The layout of the city had been a success, at least until now, and the roads were very well maintained. I had made them out of concrete, not asphalt, because concrete held up better to the elements.

I walked up to the factory where we were producing weapons and armor. Claude was sitting on a bench just outside the building.

I sat down next to her. She shaved off a slice of cheese from her lunch, offering it to me.

“Sure,” I said, taking the cheese. It was good cheese.

Claude looked at me. “I never thought I’d see anything like this,” she said. She returned her gaze to where it had been.

A neon sign. I had made it, of course, and now it was hanging over the tavern. It wasn’t lit yet, but I knew that, in the night, it would broadcast its presence just like that famous place in Hong Kong. We had since fixed all the electrical things regarding the generator. The lights no longer flickered, and there were hundreds of them in use, even though the town was this small.

There was running water in every house. Flushing toilets in the houses of the middle and upper class. We had spent a lot of effort building a water tower near the city’s edge, in order to provide water pressure. And, we hadn’t suffered a single outbreak. That was proof enough that my planning was working.

Claude leaned back in her seat, having finished her lunch. “This place relaxes me,” she said. “The people here are so happy. Everyone seems to like it here.”

“I tried hard,” I said. “And people finally started following me.”

Claude exhaled. “And you did it. This is what you’ve been working for ever since you came. A city where you can implement your ideas as much as you want.”

“How is the Guardians’ aluminum mine going?” I asked.

“I’m glad you asked,” said Claude. “We’re still pulling up a lot. Tanna says we haven’t even cracked a tenth of the aluminum you buried that first time.”

“Hah,” I said. “I wasn’t really thinking at that time. There were probably many better ideas out there for making money with my powers.”

Claude shrugged. “It worked. The relations with the forest elves are better than ever before. Boomstack is a bustling town filled with people trying to strike it rich. Nothing like Freedom Hill, though,” said Claude.

“Everyone wants to strike it rich here,” I said.

“Did you see the new dye factory that went up in the bird quarter?” said Claude.

“I saw,” I said. “It’s the first sign of foreign investment. Something we need to protect.”

“You and your big ideas,” said Claude. “Always trying to go higher in the world.”

“Just be glad I’m not malicious,” I said.

“Don’t joke around like that,” said Claude. “You’ll jinx it.”

I shrugged. “I have my morals. That’s all I need.”

“And the workers,” said Claude. “They’re the happiest workers I’ve seen anywhere.”

“That’s the power of a lunch break,” I said, “And a respect for worker safety.”

“About your constitution,” said Claude. “Are you sure it’s a good idea? You’d be giving up your own power to the will of the people.”

“That’s exactly the point,” I said. “Government is for the people, by the people. We exist to serve them, not the other way around.”

“You have a peculiar way of thinking,” said Claude.

“I lived in a peculiar nation,” I said. “A nation where freedom is first. Where people can speak their minds and not be afraid of punishment. There are still bad places in my world, of course, but I lived in a good place. America is a good template, because democracy is the best form of government we know of.”

“Democracy,” said Claude. “That’s what you call it?”

“Yep,” I said. I stood up, brushing off my pants. “Do you want to go see Moray?”

“Sure,” said Claude. We walked through the town until we came to the power plant. Moray, Canary, and Jones were tinkering with the transformer device. They were holding some electrical engineering papers I had provided them with. They were better at it than I was by a hundred yards.

“Heya,” said Moray. “Can you help us out here? We’re wondering where the buzzing sound is coming from.”

I took one look at the device and shook my head. “No idea,” I said. “You’re way beyond my depth.”

“I think it’s this resistor,” said Jones. “It needs to be stepped up a few ohms.”

“Ah, yes, that’s it,” said Moray. He turned to me. “Thanks for trying.”

I paused. “Do you guys want to get something to eat?” I asked.

“Sure, --ah!” said Moray, as the transformer shocked him. He sucked on his finger. “Okay. As soon as we’re done here.”

We watched until they finished repairing the device. When they were done, we went to Freedom Hill’s first fancy restaurant, owned by none other than Tanna. I entered and sat down, followed by Moray, Claude, Jones, and Canary. We all received menus.

“I’ll have the Colonel’s chicken,” I said.

“Same here,” said Moray.

The rest of the people ordered. There was a small moment of silence.

“I think the paper airplane contest is going to become a yearly thing,” said Canary.

“Ah, that,” said Moray. “I’ll have to defend my title.”

“Have you read this morning’s Brownfield Times?” said Jones.

“No,” I said. “I haven’t read my copy yet.”

“Then you have to listen. The hunting of dragons has been outlawed by the crown.”

I smiled. “Great. That’s the reason I started the newspaper, after all.”

“And get this,” said Jones. “The production of electricity has been achieved in two other towns besides Freedom Hill. Brownfield isn’t one of them, but people think it’s going to be next.”

“You did it,” said Moray, to me. “You changed the world.”

I did my best to smile. “Don’t thank me. Thank yourselves. You’re the ones who made it happen.”

The door burst open. “Is Markus here?” said a voice. I turned, and saw it was Yonas.

“Yes?” I said.

“The Elders,” said Yonas. “I heard it from the skies. They’re coming.”

“Oh, this is bad,” said Moray. “The Elders …”

“Why now?” I said. “We stopped the killing of dragons.”

“It might have been too late,” said Yonas. “Come on. You have to see what I saw.”

We got up just as the food came. Moray looked at me. “You go,” he said. “We’ll stay here until you can figure out what’s going on.”

I left the restaurant and went with Yonas to the edge of town. There, on the ground, was a meteorite. I know I couldn’t have identified it positively, but I could tell. I didn’t need to identify it. It was a meteorite.

“So?” I said. “Where are the Elders?”

Yonas bent down to look at the stone. “I swear, I saw symbols that I recognized from the before times. They’re gone. I swear they were there when I last checked.”

I knelt down beside the meteor next to Yonas. A soft powder of dust covered it. I examined it closely, not seeing anything special.

And then a small egg burst open and a tiny spider crawled out. Even though it was nothing more than a house spider, it inspired such dread in me that I jumped up and stumbled backwards.

“Holy cow,” I said. “This is an Elder.”

Yonas was on the ground with me. “Kill it, kill it,” he said.

I took off my shoe and, despite the feeling of overwhelming dread, smashed the spider underneath its sole.

“There,” said Yonas.

The feeling of overwhelming dread went away.

“There are more coming,” said Yonas. “More spiders who are the harbinger of the Elders.”

“And we need to gather the dragons,” I said. “They protected this land once, they’ll do it again.” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “And just when I thought that I had gotten everything put together.”

Yonas dug a hole and buried the rock inside of it.

“We should watch this,” he said, “So that no more spiders come out.”

“I think we should just keep it buried,” I said. I backed away. “I think it’s inert now.”

We looked at each other, and then returned to the village. I went up to Moray and the bunch, as they were still eating.

“We have a problem,” I said. “The Elders may be coming back.”

Moray stopped eating mid-bite. “You can’t be serious,” he said.

“I’m very serious,” I said. “I saw one myself. It was only a baby, but …”

Moray stood up. “This is serious. Did you kill the thing?” He paused. “Wait, of course you did. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“We need to tell more people,” I said. “Claude, can you get on your communicator?”

Claude grabbed her magical comm device. “On it,” she said. She dialed the rest of the Guardians.

We stood there, speechless, for a few moments. Then Yonas spoke.

“A new darkness is about to fall on the world,” he said. “One that hasn’t been seen in a thousand years.”

“And I’d just gotten everything figured out!” I said. I paused. “But, I’m good at one thing. And that’s adapting the technology from my home world into this one. There are things we can use to fight these monsters.”

“Like more guns?” said Canary.

“Exactly,” I said. “Bigger guns. Steel sky ships. Explosives. Everything you would need to wage a war against an interdimensional threat.”

“Then let’s get to it,” said Moray. He walked out of the restaurant.

I followed him.

Moray stopped. “You’ve done for us what no one else ever could have,” he said. “You’ve changed everything. The world is much different than it was a year ago. A year ago, we could not have hoped to be able to defeat the Elders. But now, with you, we are able.” He looked me in the eyes. “You are our savior. You are the one who came here to protect us from the Elders. This I know, in my heart.”

Claude came out of the restaurant next. “Yes,” she said. “Be here in an hour. Bring everything.” She walked up to me, putting her arm on my shoulder. “We’re doing this for you,” she said. “You’re giving us the reason to fight.”

I looked between them. “Thanks, guys,” I said. “I’ll do my best.”

I looked down at the dirt. “But I’m not sure if that will be enough.”

“Enough?” said Claude, a smile on her lips. “I know you. You’ll figure it out like you’ve done a hundred times before.”

Moray slapped me on the back. “I believe in you, Markus Peters.”

End

 

The Alchemist Chapter 39

 

Chapter 39

The first thing we needed to do was zone grids and parcel out land on a basis that would make sense for my economic model. At the moment the houses that were being built were put up pell-mell. I needed to change that before it became cemented as a piece of the city. I didn’t want a winding, narrow street structure like in some cities in Europe. I wanted a clean structure that would be suited for trains and cars.

“We need to order a land survey,” said Reginald. “First things first.”

Reginald called upon several of his civil engineer friends to do the survey work. It took two days, and when it was finished we had an accurate gauge of the lay of the land. I spent half a day working with Reginald on how to lay out the streets.

“There’s something I’ve been working on regarding city planning,” said Reginald. “I call it the Fibonacci layout. Instead of working with grids like you’re planning on doing, we curve the roads relative to the golden ratio.”

I thought for a moment. That was the first brand new idea I had heard in this realm that had nothing to do with magic. Would it work?

“Okay,” I said. “You can have a quarter of the city to draw your Fibonacci streets. We need to work using the scientific method of designing experiments.”

“I was listening when you talked about that a while ago,” said Reginald. He rubbed the dog, Litmus’, ears. “We need both a control, an independent variable, and a dependent variable. The two thirds of the city you design using theories from your world will be the control.”

“And we’re going to have to use various metrics to decide if the experiment creates a significant difference,” I said.

“Exactly,” said Reginald. “It’s great to be around a mind as sharp as yours.”

“Thanks,” I said, “But aren’t you always around people with sharp minds?”

“In a way, yes,” said Reginald. “But people like Moray are afraid to try new things. In a way, they are entrenched in the past. I want to move forward.”

“I respect that,” I said. “That’s the same goal that I have.”

“Then we are together,” said Reginald. “I’ll begin talking to the foremen so that my quarter of the city can be built.”

“I’ll lay out the rest,” I said. I paused. “About walls,” I said. “Should we build one?”

“A year ago I would have said of course,” said Reginald. “But with the invention of cannon …”

“A wall wouldn’t hurt,” I said.

“Perhaps,” said Reginald. “But the funds used to construct the wall will come from somewhere. Could we use those resources for a better defense plan?”

“Barbed wire?” I said.

“Hm,” said Reginald. “Explain.”

“Barbed wire is a fence constructed of wire with sharp barbs placed at regular intervals. It stops people crossing it.”

“A little flimsy, it seems,” said Reginald. He played with a small wooden bauble.

“Regi,” said Moray, entering the office. He saw me. “Oh,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were here. Your vacation is over?”

“It is,” I said. “And I have a new product that I’m going to reveal in a bit.”

Moray sighed. “Of course. You used your vacation to create more inventions.”

“This isn’t an invention. It’s a game. A very fun one.” I paused. “And I’m talking to Reginald about the planning of the city.”

Moray sat down in a chair. “Oh?” he said. “As a simple mathematician, I can leave that stuff to the professional.”

Reginald began tapping his fingers. “We need to expect about twenty thousand new residents in the next six months,” he said. “At the rate people are pouring in. That’s if you don’t do anything to draw more people in. We need housing for all of them. And food, and water.”

“And sewage,” I said. “It would be a lot better to build a sewer now, when the land is open. Let’s build a sewage system capable of handling five hundred thousand people.”

Both scientists looked shocked. “Five hundred …” said Reginald.

Moray whistled. “And how are we going to finance this?” he said.

“I can do the digging,” I said. “My alchemy powers haven’t really factored into designing the city yet, but if you give me a plan, I can do all the digging and covering up. All you have to do is put the sewer together.”

“Why, exactly, do we need a sewer?” said Moray.

Reginald scoffed. “Do you think tossing chamber pots full of waste out onto the street is a sanitary thing?” He looked at me. “Markus has told us that pathogens and disease reside in human waste. A sewer would greatly decrease the number of disease outbreaks in the city.”

“Exactly,” I said. “So let’s build one. Five hundred thousand. I have a feeling even that won’t be enough in a couple of years.”

Moray and Reginald looked at me. “You’re planning big, aren’t you?” said Moray.

“Very big,” I said. “This city will be a metropolis before you know it.”

“But right now it’s a hamlet,” said Moray. “And we have a factory to build.” He stood up. “And the village elders are calling for a more effective government.”

“We’re going to hold an election,” I said.

“An—“said Moray.

“What?” said Reginald.

I looked at them both. “Exactly what I said. An election. As the lord of this land, I need to be at the top since I need to deal with politics outside my land. But I’m going to draft a constitution that includes an elected government, senate, and judicial system.”

“Um,” said Reginald. “Why would you give up your power?”

“I want this city to be a beacon,” I said. “A beacon of not only technology but of democracy. I regret that I have to stay on top, but I’ll mostly be a figurehead. With veto power.” I sat down. “I’ve been thinking on how exactly to draft a constitution.”

“What, exactly, do you mean by constitution?” said Moray.

“I mean a document that outlines how my government will run according principles laid out inside it.”

Moray looked at Reginald. “One thing after another,” he said.

“I’m going to give the elected government the ability to set taxes, set tariffs, and handle citizenship. After all, I can’t be the one who controls everything once this city gets big. It would be too much.”

“So you’re going to write a document,” said Moray.

“I am,” I said. “I’ll draft it now.” I took a pen and some paper.

I wrote down the entire Freedom Hill constitution in four hours. It included a senate, with representatives from each quarter of the planned city. It included a judicial system, with judges appointed by me. It also included a slot for mayor. I would, hopefully, become just a figurehead in the future for this burgeoning town.

Moray read the whole thing over. “You obviously based this off of something,” he said.

“My own country’s constitution,” I said. “And now for the bill of rights.”

I drafted a bill of rights that was identical to the American bill of rights. However, I included a clause that the law of the Royal House, which was above me, must still be abided by. So no second amendment. No free speech when it contradicted the royal decree. I was giving my people as much freedom as possible, but that was only so much. To exact bigger change I would need more influence. I would attain that later.

Once the constitution was drafted, I put in place a clause that the document would come into effect when the town grew to over twenty thousand people. For now, the town was too small to hold a proper election and have a proper government.

We were at around two thousand at the moment. The very next day after drafting the constitution, I began work on the sewers. We had already surveyed the land and knew exactly where the zones for houses would be. Since I wanted to experiment, I decided to use one quarter of the city as a “zone free” space. So that left two quarters as “controls,” where I would do municipal zoning, in addition to the Fibonacci quarter. The fib quarter would also require zoning.

I consulted with Reginald on what should be zoned where. I had played enough Sim City to realize that zoning was important.

We built the sewer over the course of one week. I used my alchemy powers more than I ever had before. Before we knew it, a modern, high capacity sewer had been built that could accommodate, according to Reginald’s calculations, six hundred thousand people.

I also built an aqueduct that brought water from the nearby river to the city, installing a series of pumps. I also fought to put a water treatment plant at the source of our city’s drinking water. Reginald was against it, telling me that it wasn’t necessary.

I managed to convince him one day by building a microscope and showing him the bacteria in untreated water.

The microscope was just good enough to see bacteria. Not very well, but it could be seen. Then Reginald let me install the system. It would take water from the reservoir and use magic to chlorinate it at levels acceptable to humans, just like back on Earth. I made sure to hire a number of staff whose only job was to look after the water purifier plant. I left it to Moray to train them.

The roads were built next. Since my alchemy power was enough to create a concrete-like material, I used it to its full extent. The roads on the three normally gridded quarters were easy to lay out. Each block was about as big as one from New York city. I technically owned the land, though I had to “kick” a few farmers off of their fields. I compensated them handsomely.

Once the city was laid out, I began running advertisements in the Brownfield Times talking about Freedom Hill. I knew people would come to this city on their own, but since I had such a good source of advertisement, it would be a shame not to use it. The town grew steadily.

Then the time came for the paper airplane contest. Moray had managed to convince the paper-parchment guild to host it. We were to throw our airplanes off of the bell tower to the cathedral. A dozen people had entered, and at least a thousand spectators filled the streets.

I had built the exact plane that won the Earth world championships, and held the Earth world record. I copied its formula straight from my smartphone.

I threw my plane and landed in second place. Moray had come up with an ingenious design that looked almost alien, proving again that he was smarter than I was. Which was fine, as he was on my side.

Moray won the prize of a hundred cris, and the paper-parchment guild got its share of advertisement and concessions revenue.

Next up, I decided to institute a baseball league. No one knew how to play yet, so I taught some of the local kids of Freedom Hill.

I commissioned a baseball field in the middle of the city that was about the same as a high school baseball field. We didn’t have the tech to be building baseball fields on the scale from Earth.

Baseball caught on like wildfire. While that was happening, I also taught some people how to play Magic: The Gathering. I had to figure out how to print the cards on a scale large enough to make me money, and I consulted Rachel about it. She eventually came up with a method that would perform to my standards.

We eventually set up an entire factory dedicated to just printing MTG cards. The game was a smash hit.

And so the time flowed, and it was autumn again, a year since I had arrived.

The Alchemist Chapter 37

 

Chapter 37

The first steam engine prototype was up and running in a week. It took another week before the prototype was working correctly, well enough to run a power station on. The boilers needed to be constantly fed throughout the day, though, but I was just happy to be able to charge the Oracle from a natural power source.

Since we weren’t advanced enough to use transformers and various electrical circuitry, the light bulbs in Freedom Hill had a tendency to flicker.

The school house was completed a day after we started up the power generation plant. Moray and the scientists moved in, and all the thirty children under the age of eighteen were made to attend. Moray and the scientists spent their free time working on their research, which I sponsored. Among all this, I continued to give lectures at the Royal Society. We were getting closer to the limit of my high school learning. Soon I would have to prepare the material by doing research—which was much easier than if I didn’t know anything at all.

But I did have a smartphone with connection to the internet, after all. It was my trump card. I could learn about anything that my world had done.

I made a proposal to Moray one day about a week after the construction of the school house.

“A paper airplane contest?” said Moray, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I said. “We’ll have people from all over build paper airplanes and see whose will fly the furthest.”

“I think that would be great,” said Moray. “But you’re going to have to negotiate with the parchment-paper guild.”

The guild previously known as the “parchment guild” had recently been renamed to the “parchment-paper guild.”

“Sure,” I said. “Getting their permission will be easy. I suppose we do have to follow tradition at some point, eventually.”

“Let’s take a tour of the factory,” said Moray, standing up from his desk. The factory was still in the process of being tuned for use. Currently, we were manufacturing guns, cannons, and fiber steel armor. Three wings in the building were designed for the three branches of our manufacturing business. Kerosene and oil cracking were done in a different facility.

We entered the factory, which was bustling with activity. There were at least a dozen workers doing various jobs around the floor. They weren’t actually making product yet, as we had not set up all the assembly lines.

I met with Barns, who was directing a number of workers hoisting a heavy piece of shelf. He turned to greet me.

“Lord Peters,” he said, bowing. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“We’re just making sure everything is going according to schedule,” I said.

“Very well,” said Barns. “I am doing my utmost to make sure everyone works their hardest.”

“Good,” I said, “But make sure to take your breaks. I could get sued if you guys don’t.”

“Sued?” said Barns. “Why?”

“It was a deadpan joke,” I said.

No one laughed. Not even me. I sighed. “Okay, forget it. Just make certain that they have enough time to eat their lunches.”

“Aye aye,” said Barns. He turned. “Get to working, you slobs!”

Oh well. Instilling the values of a postmodern service-based economy onto a medieval work force building an industrial era factory was a moot hope. If only.

Moray and I walked through the rest of the factory, inspecting the progress. At this rate we would be able to open for business within the week. We left the factory and headed to the oil cracking warehouse.

The oil fields outside the warehouse were still producing a large amount of the black sticky stuff. We entered the warehouse; it smelled of chemicals. Of course, it was an oil refinery run by magicians.

“Is everyone wearing masks like I ordered?” I said, as I entered.

Several people quickly donned their cloth masks. I sighed. “Look,” I said. “This is for your own good. If you don’t wear masks you could suffer lung, nerve, and brain damage.”

“Yes, sir,” said one of the foremen.

I tapped the man on the head with a rolled-up piece of paper. “Don’t forget it. The health of these men depends on your adherence to my guidelines.”

“Yes, sir,” said the foreman.

I paused. “And I’ll dock your pay ten cris per person I catch not wearing a mask.”

“Yes, sir,” said the foreman, now much more motivated. “Get yer masks on, ye fallow wizards!”

I put my hands behind my back and turned around.

Moray frowned. “Why are you going to such lengths?” he said. “First you order your workers to not work on your dime. Then you threaten the foreman because some workers were not wearing masks? Why?”

“When you come from a post industrial society like I do, you understand the human suffering that can be caused by poor working conditions,” I said. “I’m protecting them. The breaks are to keep them sane. The masks are to keep them healthy. I don’t care if it costs me more. The well being of my workers is my utmost priority.”

“You’re a strange one when it comes to this,” said Moray. “But I can’t say I don’t like it. You really do care about everyone who works for you.”

I paused. “How is teaching coming along?” I asked.

“The younger children tend to take to reading better than the older students,” said Moray. “In a complete contradiction to how I imagined it being.”

“Ah, yes,” I said. “I haven’t done many talks on psychology. Young children are more impressionable, which means that they absorb information much easier and quicker than older people.”

“I could have understood that,” said Moray. “But why do the seventeen-year-olds get so rebellious when I try to teach them their numbers?”

“Tell them that the numbers are to help them make money,” I said. “Everyone needs to know numbers if they plan on doing business.”

“A good strategy,” said Moray. “But I know you understand the underlying theory.”

“See, an older person’s brain is more developed,” I said.

“Don’t you mean their heart?” said Moray.

“Um, no,” I said. “The brain is the center of executive function.”

“Now that’s a surprise,” said Moray. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Because that is such basic knowledge in my sphere that I didn’t think you’d know any different.”

“Hm,” said Moray. “What else is common knowledge for you that would be revolutionary to me?”

“Um, light moves,” I said.

Moray raised an eyebrow. “And how—wait, my heart hurts.” He paused. “I mean my brain.”

“Also,” I said, “Objects accelerate downward at nine point eight meters per second.”

“Meter?” said Moray.

“About ten toms,” I said.

“Oh,” said Moray. “So, downward objects accelerate?”

“Exactly,” I said. “Also, if you drop a big ball and a soft ball of different weights and sizes from the same height they will hit the ground at the same time.”

“Prove it,” said Moray.

I grinned. “Is there somewhere tall we can drop stuff off of?” I asked.

Moray seemed to be bit with the same fever I was. “Of course,” he said. “I can get us access to the bell tower. We’re going to need some witnesses, of course.”

“I’ll find a cannon ball and a small rock. You go find the scientists. We’ll convene here in ten minutes and I’ll call my carriage.”

Ten minutes later everything was ready for our expedition into Brownfield to drop stuff off the bell tower. Jones, Canary, and Reginald were coming with us, along with Litmus the dog.

We took off along the road until we came to Brownfield. There, we traveled through the streets until we came to the church’s bell tower.

We knocked on the door to the church. Fey Grimes answered.

“It’s not time for worship,” he said. “Please come back—” he paused. “Ah, come in, come in,” he said. “You’re important guests. Why are you here?”

“We’re here to test a hypothesis,” said Moray. “About falling objects.”

Fey Grimes rubbed his hands together. “I, uh, I don’t know how I can help you with that …”

“We need access to the bell tower,” said Moray.

“Yes, of course, of course,” said Fey Grimes. He looked very fidgety. “Right this way.” He led us to a small door that opened into the bell tower’s interior. I looked up at the rows of stairs spiraling up. I was going to have to carry a cannonball up there. I had always been a bit afraid of heights.

But we started up anyways. Reginald and Jones stayed below to see when the objects struck the ground. Moray, Canary, and I brought the materials up to the top.

We made it to the pinnacle and stood at the bell tower’s edge. I held out both objects, one in each hand. The cannonball was heavy but I could barely manage.

“One, two, three,” I said. I dropped both objects at the same time.

They hit the ground at exactly the same instant. The world was silent for a moment.

“Damn!” said Reginald, loud enough for me to hear up at the bell tower’s top.

“Damn,” said Moray, muttering under his breath. “It worked.”

“This is called the scientific method, ladies and gentlemen,” I said. “Proving that objects that are different sizes fall at the same speed and acceleration. Newton be damned.”

Moray sighed. “As always,” he said. “You’re right.”

I pumped my fist. “Okay,” I said. “Will this make you more likely to believe me next time I say something?”

“Hah,” said Moray, snorting. “We’ll see about that.”

We climbed down from the bell tower. When I got to the bottom, I saw Yonas standing at the door to the church.

“Heya!” I said. “How are you?”

“Good,” said Yonas. “I came here because I caught wind of a peculiar science experiment.”

“They fell at the same speed,” said Moray. “Even though they were different sizes.”

“Now that’s something entertaining,” said Yonas. “I’ll be sure to write about that in the paper.”

“You do that,” I said. “It’s what I’m paying you for, anyways.” I shook his hand.

Yonas saluted and then returned to the shop.

Just as Rachel came turning around the corner. “What have you gotten into now?” she said.

I shrugged. “Just a little physics experiment,” I said.

Moray’s eyes still contained excitement. “He proved through demonstration that gravity affects objects of different size and weight the same.”

Rachel tilted her head. “And?” she said.

Moray frowned. “Ah, yes. You’re not an academic like us.”

I put my hand on Moray’s shoulder. “Don’t look down on her. Eventually we’ll change that distinction so that everyone knows at least something.”

Moray sighed. “Okay,” he said. “I suppose that’s what you’re paying me to do.”

We turned around. “I’ll be seeing you later, Rachel,” I said. We returned to the carriage and got inside.

Jones was still chuckling. “I can’t believe it,” he said.

“I’ll teach you the calculus behind that when we get back to Freedom Hill,” I said. “Two thousand years of mathematics condensed into a single lesson.”

“Please do,” said Moray. “I want to learn more about this calculus of yours.”

“Well, scratch that,” I said. “We need to build a strong foundation in the basic maths. Right now you’re at about the level a tenth grader in my world would be at. We still have algebra two and pre calculus.”

Moray sighed. “Okay, I’ll bear with it,” he said. His fingers tapped anxiously against the plush seat. “What more do you know?”

“Oh, I haven’t showed you a compass yet, have I?” I said.

“Compass?” said Moray.

“Ah, exactly,” I said. “It’s a device that aligns itself with the world’ magnetic field, telling you at all times what direction is north.”

Moray’s mood seemed to shift. “Show me,” he said.

 

The Alchemist Chapter 36

Chapter 36

I showed Moray and the scientists a tour of the Kerosene works. We had about forty total employees working, half of them on cracking and half of them on oil collection. Freedom Hill was sitting on a very active deposit of the stuff, and a simple drilled hole was all we needed to start the black gold flowing. Once the flow petered out, we would need better technology, but that was going to be dealt with at a later date. These were prime oil fields. The oil derivatives that would become plastic were stored in barrels for use once we hired more magicians.

“I have a question about the prevalence of magic in the population,” I said, to Moray. “How common is basic elemental manipulation as a power?”

Moray rubbed his chin. “It’s not uncommon, as you can tell. However, I wouldn’t exactly say it’s common, either.”

“So do you think we can find more magicians to do our work?” I asked.

Moray crossed his arms. “Magicians from all over the kingdom have heard of your exploits,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry about the need for skilled magical labor.”

“That’s great,” I said. “We’re going to need plastic to make rubber, as the stuff isn’t native to this region as far as I can tell.”

“Rubber?” said Moray. “I think I’m familiar with it.”

“Do you know where I can get some?” I asked. “I’d like to avoid complicated synthetic processes if possible.”

“I just said I’ve heard of it,” said Moray. “I don’t know where to get it or how it’s made.”

“Great,” I said. “Let’s hire some more magicians and I’ll teach them how to make synthetic rubber from crude oil.’

“Why do you need it, exactly?” asked Moray.

“To use as gaskets and joints for my steam engine,” I said. “It’s one of the most important compounds in its construction. Not by volume or weight. Just because it’s necessary where it is used.”

“This “steam engine” you’re talking about,” said Moray. “What is its purpose?”

“To create energy,” I said. “Either to run vehicles or to produce electricity.”

“And you’re going to build one?”

“Not on my own,” I said. “I’m going to need the help of the entire Royal Society.”

Moray crossed his arms. “Okay. I think I’m on board with this. Whatever your project ends up becoming, I’m going to help.”

“Don’t forget that you’ll be teaching,” I said.

“You said you were planning on setting up a college here,” said Moray. “Were you serious about that?”

“Of course,” I said. “Everyone deserves an education. I’m going to make sure that this college is affordable to anyone who wants to come.”

Moray sighed, rubbing his temples. “You haven’t seen how much money it takes to run an establishment like this,” he said.

“I have money,” I said. “Money is not an object. I say this over and over again, but I’m beginning to get the feeling people don’t believe me when I say it.”

Moray frowned. “That’s it,” he said. “I can’t believe that you would hold money in such low regard. You’re basically throwing it away.”

“Consider it an investment,” I said. “An investment into the future of this world. I’ve made my fortune already, selling armor and weapons and various other things. Now I need to act like a philanthropist and do everything I can for the common good.”

“Not because you really care,” said Moray. “Or did I misinterpret that? You’re doing this for your own good when it all boils down, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” I said. “I won’t deny it. I just want to be able to play video games again. And I think creating a world where they exist would be easier than finding a way home.”

“Video games,” said Moray. “Entertainment. You’re doing this all for entertainment.”

“About right,” I said.

Moray looked away. “You’re strange.”

“You’ve said that before,” I said.

“I’ll say it again. You’re strange.”

“Um, thanks, I guess,” I said.

Moray looked me up and down. “And I like people who are just a bit on the strange side.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Now, I think it’s time I outlined how to build a steam engine.” I took Moray back to the keep, along with Claude and the other scientists. I brought out a large piece of paper and began to outline what it would take to build a steam engine.

This engine, of course, was powered by coal. There seemed to be a large amount of the black substance already being used by the city for heating. I drew the diagram of the engine based on research done on my smartphone. It was a lot more complicated than I had thought it would be, but eventually I had the design laid out.

Moray examined the blueprints. “This is spectacular,” he said. “If it were to work …”

“It would change the world even more than your guns and cannons,” said Reginald. “This is something that will cause ripples throughout our entire society. Just like when sky ships were introduced fifty years ago.”

“And it doesn’t use magic,” I said. “So anyone can use one. All we need to do to make steam ships is attach one of these onto a sky ship and use it to power a propeller. We also need to make trains.”

“Explain trains,” said Moray.

“A train is a steam powered vehicle that runs on tracks and pulls a number of carts behind it,” I said. “It can reach speeds of up to twenty miles per hour in its first incarnation and even faster with improvements. They dominated the landscape of my world back in its industrial revolution.”

“Okay,” said Moray. “I think I know how we’re going to be able to start this.” He paused. “We’re going to need a boiler and a reciprocating piston. We’re also going to need some synthetic rubber to use as gaskets. Let’s get started on a small prototype first.” I made modifications to the drawing to miniaturize the engine for a proof of concept.

We built the engine in about two days, using my alchemy power to create parts that we couldn’t find or cast on our own. When the small engine was created, I fired up the boiler and watched the machine go. After five minutes, the machine made a strange sound and exploded.

Good thing I was wearing safety glasses, and so was everyone else.

We rebuilt the engine with knowledge from our first try, and the second version was able to run for hours as long as we fed it fuel. Now was the time to build a bigger version. This steam engine “mark I” would be used to run a power plant. I spent several days gathering wires that would be used to transport the electricity, helped by several of the construction men who were working on the school building. The keep’s renovation was also finished at around this time.

I sat on a bench watching the school being built, idly creating light bulbs using my alchemy power. Claude sat down next to me.

“What are those?” she asked.

“Light bulbs,” I said. “They produce light when powered by electricity.”

“Can I see one?” asked Claude.

I gave her one of the completed bulbs. I also held a bulb, and fed it the right amount of current to make it light up.

“Interesting,” said Claude. “It works different from a magical werelight.”

“It’s a physical process that causes it to work,” I said. “You know how iron lights up when it’s heated?”

“Sure,” said Claude. “Everyone knows that.” She seemed to think for a minute. “I see. So that little filament in the bulb is doing what hot iron does.”

“Except its tungsten in a vacuum and much hotter,” I said. I put the bulb down, ceasing to feed it energy. “I want to thank you for sticking with me,” I said.

“It’s nothing,” said Claude. “I’m an angel. I have time. I’m not even a third of the way through the lifespan of my species.”

“Sometimes I forget that,” I said. “That I’m also going to live for a very long time. It’s just that something tells me to keep working.”

I caught sight of Yonas walking up the road to Freedom Hill. I waved, and he waved back. He was carrying a walking stick and a large pack.

“Hello!” I said. “Wile just left us a day ago. Did you see him on the road?”

“I passed him,” said Yonas, approaching us. He stopped in front of where I was sitting. “He was carrying his favorite lute.”

“He said he was playing bard,” I said. “And I suppose wandering is what a lot of bards do.”

Yonas sat down next to me. “I came to tell you that dragon hunting has gone down by seventy percent in the last month.”

“Really?” I said.

“And your newspaper is a big hit, at least among the literate. I think you know this, but I’ve been doing the job you gave me. I’m really enjoying being a reporter. It allows me to see things I wouldn’t otherwise.”

“That’s great,” I said. “I appreciate the help. Have you covered any interesting topics?”

“I saw the Littleton fire,” said Yonas. “That was pretty bad. So many dead people, and half the city gone.”

“I heard about that,” I said. After all, I did read my own newspaper. “Are you satisfied?” I asked.

“I am,” said Yonas. “I’m going to stay in this form and continue doing the job of a reporter. I seem to have a knack for it. Also, the pay isn’t bad.”

“I appreciate it,” I said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“So, this steam engine of yours,” said Yonas. “Do you mind if I write an article on it?”

“Now you’re talking,” I said. “I’ll be happy to do an interview.”

Yonas took out a pad of paper—produced by the parchment guild under our license—and a pen.

I would have to create ballpoints at some point. The one Yonas was using was a quill pen.

“Okay,” said Yonas. “Tell me how the steam engine will change the world.”

“For one,” I said, “It can produce electricity.” I showed Yonas a light bulb. “Just feed power into this device and it produces a light brighter than any candle!”

“That’s amazing,” said Yonas. “I’d like to have some of those as treasures … Ahem. Don’t mind me.” He peered at me. “What are you plans for this steam engine?”

“I was planning on installing one in this town to create the world’s first electric village. Then I plan on installing a steam engine turbine to power a sky ship. I predict that it will make traveling by air ten times faster than it already is.”

“Very good, very good,” said Yonas. “What about trains?”

“I’ll do a demonstration soon,” I said. “But I need more engineers to work with me before that will become a reality.”

Yonas put away his paper pad. “Okay,” he said. “That’s all I needed. The article will appear in the next issue of the Brownfield Times.”

“Are you enjoying it?” I asked.

“What?” said Yonas.

“Working as a bipedal being, doing the job of a bipedal,” I said. “You’re a dragon, after all. And dragons are proud.”

“I’m doing something interesting,” said Yonas. “And to me, that counts more than pride. I’ve been bored sitting over my treasure and nourishing my pride for the last century. Now it’s time for me to indulge in the things little mortals like to play with. Since they don’t have much time, they’re much more desperate to get things done.”

“And you like it,” I said.

“Of course,” said Yonas. He paused. “I just wonder what would have happened had I not approached you.”

I put my hand on Yonas’s shoulder. “You don’t have to imagine it,” I said.

“Thanks,” said Yonas. He stood up. “I should get going now.”

“See you later,” I said.

Yonas left.

The Alchemist Chapter 35

 

Chapter 35

The three nobles were surprisingly amicable after they tried the Colonel’s chicken. They loosened up a bit and began telling me stories about the nobility and various power struggles. I went along with them and told a few stories of my own, about Earth, that none of them seemed to believe.

“You’re telling me people fly without float engines?” said Recris.

“Well, yes,” I said. “Skyships are an amazing piece of technology, but they’re nothing compared to jets.”

“Skyships are only fifty years old,” said Endor. “We suspect the man who invented them was also from across the phlogiston.”

I shrugged. “But in any case. I have projects that I want to start working on. For example, I want to build what’s called a “steam engine.” It’s a device that creates rotational energy through steam. Once we get one running, we can have steamships, steam trains, and electricity generation.”

“Yes,” said Endor. “Your inventions have a way of changing the way we do things. Especially your invention of the so-called “playing cards.””

“Yes, they’re very entertaining!” said Recris.

“Indeed,” said Kingboy. “We’ve been playing quite a bit of poker. It’s a lot mor entertaining than knucklebones or dice.”

I shrugged. “There’s plenty more where that came from,” I said. “Especially in the realm of sports. There are several sports that have the potential to become huge.”

The distant bells of Brownfield rang out that it was six in the afternoon. The three nobles got up, bowed, and excused themselves.

“That went better than I would have expected,” said Wile. “They did come here to chastise you, after all.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know. But I know what I’m doing. I’m recreating the economics of my home world.”

Regen brought the village elder, Barns, into the dining room.

“What do you need?” I asked.

Barns rubbed his hands together nervously. “Well, you see,” he said. “There are many peasants from nearby towns who wish to move here. I was turning them away, but they insisted that I bring the issue to you, our lord.”

“Let them in,” I said. “As long as they’re hard working, we’ll be glad to take them as our own.”

Barns bowed. “As you wish,” he said, though he did not look very happy about it.

I walked over and put my hand on Barns’ shoulder. “Trust me,” I said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“That’s the thing, sire,” said Barns. “The people, they—”

“Don’t,” said Regen.

Barns shook his head. “The people. They do not believe you have their best interests in mind. All this talk of factories and bird poop has given them quite a shock.”

I sighed. “Just trust me,” I said. “Are you not receiving great wealth from the sale of Kerosene?”

Barns shrunk back. “We are, sire,” he said, “But we don’t know how long it will last.”

“Trust me,” I said. “That business will only grow.”

“And the people,” said Barns. “The people, they think—they think you’re dealing with—” Barns lowered his voice. “Dragons.”

“I am,” I said. “Dragons are not the monsters you think they are. At least, not all of them.”

Barns looked terrified. “You’re a dragon sympathizer!” he said. His face became red. “You are an imposter!”

Regen restrained Barns. “Sir,” said Regen, “Shall I put out the order to execute this man?”

I held out my hand. “Don’t,” I said. “We will need him and the trust the villagers place in him.”

Barns’ face was pale now, and his eyes were empty. I knelt down and looked him face to face. “I am doing this for the betterment of mankind. All sapient beings, actually. What I will bring to this world will change everything. For the better.” I paused. “Mostly. But in any case. Stick with me for a year. If you’re not better off in a year than you are now, then you will have a right to rebel against me.” I stood up. “Take him home and put him under house arrest,” I said, to Regen. “He’ll be calmer in the morning.”

Barns said nothing as he was dragged out, his only expression one of blank nothingness.

I sighed, turning to Claude. “Do you think I handled him a little too harshly?” I said.

“He was going against the wishes of his lord,” said Claude. “Most other lords would have had him executed on the spot.”

“Ah, I’m not like them, then,” I said. “I just want them to understand that I know what I’m doing.”

“You keep saying that,” said Claude, “But do you really? As I’ve followed you through these past few weeks, I’ve gotten to know you a lot better. You are a strange person, always coming up with new ideas, better ideas. You have no qualms about upturning the very fabric of our society. Why?”

“Why?” I said. “Because I’m stuck here. I want air conditioning. Fast food. Television. Video games. All those things I took for granted back home. I want them here.”

“And that’s what’s motivating you?” said Claude. “I could have sworn it was something different. Like, for example, taking over the world and becoming the next demon king.”

“Why would I want to do that?” I said. “I can get enough of everything through the normal channels, and I have. I’m now a lord in control of an estate. What can’t I do?”

“Just know that pride comes before a fall,” said Claude.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. I turned back to the kitchen. “I’m hungry for some more fried chicken.”

“We’re all out,” said Wile, coming from the door to the dining room. He leaned against a wall. “I heard your conversation with Claude,” he said. “I think you’re doing great things for our society. I’m behind you all the way.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“He’s a dragon,” said Claude. “I don’t think he gets a say.”

Wile shrugged. “Just trying to do what’s best for my friend,” he said. “I’m all for the creation of more wealth than we can possibly imagine through technology.”

Claude frowned. “Okay,” she said. “I’m starting to get a picture of what you’re thinking process is like.”

“Me or him?” said Wile.

“Both of you,” said Claude. “You’re both cut from the same cloth. Always trying to improve things, accumulate things.” She sighed. “But I made a vow and I’ll keep it.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

“Hello!” said a voice from outside, in the garden. I looked outside and saw Moray and three other people I recognized from the Royal Society.

“Hiya!” I said. “I’ll be right out.” Claude and I left the front room and came into the garden.

“This place is bustling,” said Moray, as soon as I came close. “It’s all happening a lot faster than I thought it would.”

“Hey,” I said. “Are these the people who are going to teach and start a college here?”

“College?” said Moray. “Your ambitions have grown, or I didn’t hear right.”

“That’s correct,” I said. “I plan on turning Freedom Hill into a center of the arts and sciences. You four will be the first to break ground here, teaching and doing research.”

Moray pointed to the place where the frame of the school house was going up. “Is that going to be where our labs will be located?”

“Of course,” I said. “I hired only the best architects and builders.”

Moray rubbed his hands together. “I’m starting to get excited about this,” he said.

I looked at the scientists Moray had brought with him. “Jones!” I said. “Canary!”

Both Jones and Canary shook my hand. “Nice to finally see you again,” said Jones. “When Moray came to us with your offer, we were unable to refuse.”

“And who is this?” I said, pointing to the third scientist.

“This is Reginald,” said Moray. “He’s the one who won our bet.”

“Is he going to bring the dog with him?” I asked. “And hey, weren’t you rivals?”

“Rivals who respect each other,” said Reginald. “It’s nice to finally meet you face to face, Markus.” We shook hands. “The dog is out there having a great time.”

I looked where Reginald was pointing and saw a beautiful golden retriever with black spots running amok in the construction site. I smiled. “Great,” I said. “I’m happy to have a dog with us.”

I led the scientists to where the architect for the school house was looking over his diagrams.

“If there’s anything you want to change in the designs,” I said, “Now is the chance.”

Reginald took the chance, walking up to the architect and beginning a discussion about room size and door placement.

“While he’s doing that,” said Moray, “Do you want to get something to eat?”

“Um, I already ate,” I said.

“Something on you smells good,” said Canary. “Like something fried, but better.”

“Oh, you have to try the Colonel’s chicken,” I said, a little smile on my face. “Fine. I’ll cook up another batch of the good stuff just for you.” I led the scientists into the keep and into the kitchen, where the oil that we had used previously was still cooling. I heated it back up, sent Regen to grab some more chicken, and pushed Tanna to give up more of her spices.

“I was about to leave,” said Tanna.

“Can’t you stay just for one more batch?” I said.

Tanna sighed. “Okay,” she said. “One more batch.”

Even though I was full, I ate alongside the scientists. When we were halfway through I got up. “I have someone to show to you,” I said. I went into a small closet and pulled out The Oracle.

“Meet the Oracle,” I said. “He’s an artificial intelligence entity with full understanding of human speech.”

“Hello,” said the Oracle. “Nice to meet you all.”

“What’s your purpose?” said Reginald, right away.

“It’s to stop people asking stupid questions like the one you just asked,” said Oracle. There was a long pause. “No, of course not. Does every sentient being require a purpose? Do you? How would you like it if the first thing I asked you was “what is your purpose?””

Reginald chuckled. “The device is smart,” he said. “Witty, too.”

“Thank you,” said the Oracle. He sighed. “There’s such a shortage of smart people in this world.”

“Agreed,” said Reginald.

Litmus the dog entered the dining room and sniffed around. He had probably been drawn here by the smell of fried chicken. Reginald absently ruffled the dog’s hair and scratched its ears.

Moray did the same. Litmus appeared to be enjoying all the attention. I took a piece of chicken and offered it to the dog.

“Here you go,” I said, waving the chicken in front of the dog’s face.

Just before Litmus took the chicken, I remembered that dogs shouldn’t have chicken bones. So I took the meat off the bone and fed that to Litmus instead. I took the bone and put it somewhere where the dog couldn’t reach.

Moray noticed. “Smart,” he said. “Chicken bones are bad for dogs.”

“At least you know that,” I said. I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “It’s been a long day,” I said. “As soon as the school house has been built, I want you guys to move in. I’ll have lodging arranged for you by the time that happens. At worst you’ll have to stay in one of the guest rooms here in the keep.”

Moray nodded. “In any case,” he said, “I’d like to have a tour of the village.”

“Great,” I said. “Come with me. I’ll show you around.”

We left the keep and headed to the hamlet, which was quickly becoming a village.

The Alchemist Chapter 34

 

Chapter 34

“So you’re telling us to spread this, stuff, on our crops?” said a villager by the name of Crabin. “How are we to know you aren’t trying to poison us?”

“Trust me,” I said. “I want to run an experiment. We will seed a quarter of your fields with this new fertilizer. Then we will allow the other three quarters to grow your way. This way, no matter what happens, we will know the truth.”

Crabin frowned. “We know your type,” he said. “Just wanting to take advantage of us common folk.”

“I’m changing that,” I said. “I want everyone to have a chance.”

The rest of the villagers surrounding me murmured. Yes, they had a reason to distrust me. Considering what kind of a system feudalism was, this was expected.

“The scientific method starts with hypothesis,” I said. “And this is the hypothesis. Bird poop will increase your yields threefold.”

“Pah,” said one of the villagers. “This noble thinks he knows more about the land than we do.”

I slammed my foot down. “I’m in charge here, and that’s how we’re going to do it.” With these people, who were uneducated and superstitious, the best way to show them would be to demonstrate. I didn’t like being firm, but I had to in order to get where I was going.

The people sighed. “Damn noble thinks he knows everything,” said a young girl.

I approached her, putting my hand on her shoulder. I could hear the collective gasp as I did.

“Look,” I said, to the girl. “I just want what’s best for you guys. You have to believe me in order to reap the benefits.” I tapped her on the shoulder. “Listen to what I say and you’ll see what I’m trying to get you to understand.”

The girl shivered. I pulled away. “All of you,” I said. “Your lives are going to change drastically in the next couple of months. I want you to bear with me. You’re going to have much better lives when I’m through with what I want to do.”

At that moment a number of carriages arrived, carrying builders and building material. They immediately got to work. I sent about twenty of the strongest-looking men to go help with the construction. We were building a school house, a factory floor, and repairing the keep. I think that the sudden increase in work and business made the townspeople forget their ill will towards me.

I gathered about forty of the remaining men and had them spread the bird poop over a quarter of the nearby fields. By the time we were done we had used half of it. That was fine. Once they saw what bird poop could do to crop yields, we would be glad to have the extra.

Wile took this moment to appear, walking down the road on foot. He waved as soon as he saw me.

“Were you going somewhere?” I asked him.

“I play the wandering bard part when I’m bored,” said Wile. It was true; he was carrying a lute on his back.

I shook his hand. “And I’m glad you’re here. If you want you can stay for a bit. I’ll have someone prepare a meal.”

Wile looked at the village. “If you don’t mind,” he said.

“I would have expected you to be in your dragon form more often,” I said.

“I’m not unusual,” said Wile. “Dragons got the message about how unwelcome they are in their draconic forms decades ago.”

“I seem to remember saying something that would contradict that,” I said.

Wile shrugged. “Some dragons, yeah,” he said. He looked at the keep. “Are you the new lord of this place?” he said. “The people here are a little on the strange side.”

“That’s a good thing for me,” I said, “Because you could say that about me as well.”

Wile chuckled. “I appreciate what you’ve done for dragonkin,” he said. “But in any case, do you have any chert?”

“Chert?” I said. “Is that some form of rock?”

“No, though there is a rock that goes by that name. No what I’m talking about is Forest Chert. They’re native here and they are delicious when fried.”

“I’ve been wanting some fried chicken for a while,” I said. “I’m hankering for those eleven herbs and spices.”

Wile chuckled. “Cuisine from your world?”

“Yep,” I said. “Very tasty. Eventually I’ll introduce this world to hamburgers and fries. For the moment, though, we’ll have to deal with medieval fare.”

I went back to the keep, Wile behind me. We entered and met with about ten workers cleaning up the grand entrance hall.

Wile sat down in a corner and began to play his lute. I watched him as the workers busied themselves around me. I would have to hire some cooks, eventually. I doubted that ground beef even existed in this world, let alone hamburgers. I seem to have remembered seeing potatoes. Without potatoes, there will be no fries.

But the biggest thing would be the Colonel’s chicken. Eleven herbs and spices for the win. I took out my smartphone and looked up the recipe.

“Can you cook?” I asked Claude.

“Um, sure,” said Claude.

“Well?”

“Better than most,” said Claude. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“Okay,” I said. I wrote down a list of the eleven herbs and spices. “Can you find these for me?”

Claude looked over the list. “That’s some seriously exotic stuff,” she said.

“Can you find it?”

“If I ask Tanna,” said Claude. She paused. “I’ll call her and tell her to come here.”

“On your magical comm device?” I said.

“Of course,” said Claude. She put the small amulet to her ear and walked away, talking.

I looked back at Wile. “Do you like chicken?” I asked.

“Not a big fan,” said Wile. “It’s a bit bland. Not enough juices like duck or chert.”

“You’re going to love fried chicken,” I said. “The colonel’s favorite recipe.”

“You keep mentioning a Colonel,” said Wile.

I chuckled. “Good old Colonel Sanders,” I said. “The mascot of one of the best chicken houses in America. That, and Popeyes.”

“You seem to remember the cuisine of your world fondly,” said Wile.

“It’s good, and it’s fast. Not necessarily healthy, though.”

Wile continued to play his lute. He sang an old ballad about a war that sounded a bit like the Trojan War back home. Captured princesses, hero with a simple weakness.

Claude returned with Tanna in tow. “What’s this I hear about herbs and spices?” said Tanna.

I motioned vaguely. “The best fried chicken you’ll ever taste,” I said. “Wait, do you guys even have frying technology here?”

“If you mean cooking in hot oil,” said Tanna, “Of course we do.”

“Do you bread your meats before you fry them?” I asked.

“Bread them?” said Tanna. “What does that mean?”

“It means you take bread crumbs, cover the thing you’re going to fry in it, and then do the frying. It makes the meat both juicy and crispy. Add the eleven herbs and spices, and you’re golden.”

“Then let’s get cooking!” said Tanna. “You have a kitchen here, right?”

“I do!” I said. I led Tanna, Claude, and Wile into the servants’ kitchen. It was rather cramped considering the size of the keep, but it was a servants’ place in medieval times, so it wasn’t surprising.

Tanna went out to grab some birds and some spices from Freedom Hill’s market. I wasn’t expecting the market of a tiny hamlet to have much in the way of spices, but it wouldn’t hurt to look. And I knew Tanna had a huge chest of spices back at the Guardians’ HQ. We would tap into that if we had to.

Tanna was back in half an hour. In the meantime, I had gotten half a gallon of oil boiling in a large pot. I had also secured a ladle and punched holes in it. When we were ready, we butchered the chickens, made breadcrumbs with stale bread, and fried everything with the four spices Tanna did manage to find at the market.

The chicken took ten minutes to cook and then we had a plate to rival the Colonel’s family bucket. I took the first bite.

“Delicious,” I said.

“Absolutely,” said Wile. He had an expression of bliss on his face. “This is the best chicken I’ve ever tasted.”

“Try it when we have all eleven herbs and spices,” I said.

Tanna sighed. “They’re going to come out of my spice cabinet, aren’t they?” she said.

“It’s worth it,” I said. “Remember how worth it the cola was?”

“I’m still brewing the stuff to this day,” said Tanna. “It’s a big hit. But you can’t steal all my spices. I need to keep some for my own personal use.”

I chuckled. “I told you. It’s worth it. The chicken we’re eating now is half as tasty as I remember it being back at KFC.”

“Kf …” said Wile.

“Kentucky Fried Chicken,” I said. “There’s this concept in my world called “fast food.” You basically walk up to a counter, order off a small menu, and have your food delivered in five minutes.”

Wile leaned back in his chair, playing with a chicken bone. “You may have given me a new obsession,” he said. “I wasn’t wrong in my judgement of you.” He took another piece of chicken. “Delicious.”

We continued to eat the chicken in relative silence. There was a knock at the door. I got up to open it and Regen appeared.

“Yes?” I said.

“Sir, there are a number of nobles here who want an audience with you,” he said.

“Got it,” I said.

Claude got up and sighed. “I’ll come with you,” she said.

We left the kitchen and went to the keep’s grand entrance. Three people dressed in noble clothes were standing in the middle, watching the workmen do their jobs.

“Ah, Knight Baron Peters,” said one of the men. He extended his hand.

I shook it. “To what do I owe this visit?” I said.

The man rubbed his fancily styled hair back. “We’ve come to discuss, ah, your strange decisions regarding taxation in your estate.”

I sighed. “And?” I said. “I own this place, do I not? Can’t I do with it what I want?”

“Sure, you can,” said the noble. “But you must realize this method is unsustainable. You will give the peasantry a reason to become a threat to your rule. Your estate will end in rebellion and death.”

Another noble put his fist into his palm. “You need fear to keep the populace beneath you,” he said. “I’m sure you don’t understand, as you were given your title but recently. However, you must learn quick. The nobility must always come out on top.”

“I understand,” I said. “But this is now a special economic zone. Free trade and low taxes is how I plan on becoming wealthy.”

The three nobles looked a bit pale. “How will you keep the population in control?” said one of them.

“By offering them freedom and rights,” I said. “With human dignity and the chance to earn great wealth.”

The first noble pointed his finger at me. “You will regret this!” he said.

I bowed. “I have not gotten your names yet,” I said, a bit of virulent nastiness on my tongue.

The first noble, a man with striking red hair and a long beard, bowed. “Baron Kingboy,” he said. He pointed to a man with a long coat and close-cropped hair. “Marquis Endor.” He motioned to the third noble, a rather short man with black hair and blue eyes. “Knight Baron Recris.”

“I appreciate your warning. However, I am going to do things my way. If things end up turning sour, then I will have reaped my own destruction.”

The nobles rubbed their hands together. “I smell something cooking,” said Recris.

“Indeed,” said Kingboy. “I would like to taste the foreign cuisine from the home world of yours that I’m always hearing about.”

“Sure,” I said. “Come help yourself to the Colonel’s recipe.”

“Um, colonel?” said Recris.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Claude.

We returned to the kitchen, nobles in tow.

The Alchemist Chapter 33

 

Chapter 33

The verdict was in. My first issue of the Brownfield Times was a hit success, and most people who read it were horrified with the practice of dragon hunting. Plus, we gave them an alternative: kerosene. Within the week we had a cottage factory in my hamlet producing kerosene using the town’s magic adept, who were generally very weak but had enough magic between them to output a good amount of the stuff.

I named my hamlet Freedom Hill. Soon after the naming ceremony, I went to the Royal Society to discuss education.

I entered Moray’s office, Claude behind me as usual.

Moray was leaned back in his chair, playing with a paper airplane. He looked up as the door closed behind us.

“I heard you took the offer,” he said.

“I did,” I said. “I thought that, with a parcel of land and some peasants to work with, I could come out better.”

Moray scoffed. “If it were anyone but you, I would have written you off as a greed monger. However, with you …” Moray moved the paper airplane through the air. “You’re different. I’ve heard that you’ve been flooding the market with that new Kerosene stuff.”

“I have,” I said. “Purely as an alternative to dragon oil.”

Moray nodded. “And just in time, too,” said Moray. “There’s an old prophecy that says that the moment the last dragons die, the Elders will return.”

“Uh,” I said. “Why haven’t I heard of this before?”

“Because I didn’t know it last time we talked,” said Moray. “I’ve been doing my research. The Royal Society has an archive library with information dating back thousands of years.”

“And you found a book with that prophecy?” I asked.

“It was more of a scroll,” said Moray. “But yes. I’ve found a few other interesting tidbits as well. There was another person who came from your sphere. Tibius Martell. He came here suddenly one day two hundred years ago, carrying a huge amount of power. He tore up the local city and set himself up as a rogue warlord. He was killed two years later by a coalition sent by the church. I have reason to believe that he came from the same sphere you do.” Moray paused. “But he was not known as an inventor.”

“Two hundred years ago was the beginning of the industrial revolution on Earth,” I said. “He may not have been nearly as educated as I am.” I paused. “On the topic of education. I want to hire some teachers to teach my peasants how to read, write, and do math.”

Moray raised an eyebrow. “And why would you want that?” he said.

“Because I’m going to need educated workers for the town I’m planning on building,” I said. “I’ve turned it into a special economic zone.”

“I heard about that,” said Moray, playing with his paper plane. “You removed all taxes? That was both incredibly smart and incredibly stupid. Where are you going to get your money to run your estate?”

“I can draw up enough gold from the ambient metals beneath us to finance pretty much anything I can think of,” I said. “I do not need money. What I want is a steam engine, and at the moment there is no amount of money in the world that can buy one. Money is not an object to me. What I want is intelligence, skill, and craftsmanship.”

“And that’s why you want us to teach your peasants?” said Moray.

“Exactly,” I said. “A single skilled worker can produce enough value to rival ten simple farmers.”

“Ah,” said Moray. “When you put it like that …”

“I know what I’m doing,” I said. “I haven’t been teaching you a lot about economics, but I know more about it than anyone else in this world. Period. Not because I’m better, but because the world I live in has been there and seen everything. Free economies produce wealth.” I thought for a moment. “About peasants. Once they are working on the land owned by the lord, can they leave when they want to?”

“Some lords allow it, some don’t,” said Moray. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I have a hunch that a lot of peasants are going to move to my hamlet soon. In fact, it’s probably not going to be a hamlet for long.”

Moray chuckled. “And that’s what you want, right?” he said.

“Yes,” I said. “I want to build a city that will be a light on a hill. Everyone will know the power of enlightenment.”

“Let me get this straight,” said Moray. “You’ve abolished taxes for your peasants,”

“Yes,” I said.

“And you’re going to teach them how to read and write for free,” said Moray.

“Yes,” I said.

“And you’re going to allow industry not regulated by the guilds to work there.”

“That’s right,” I said.

Moray sighed. “Well, good luck. No one has ever done this kind of thing before.”

“That’s because all the nobles are greedy bastards,” I said. “They just want to exploit their populace.”

“How are you going to feed your people?” said Moray. “If they’re all working in your, eh, factories, then how are you going to get food?”

“Many ways,” I said. “I can increase productivity with fertilizer or I can import food on the proceeds of our factories.”

“Fertilizer?” said Moray. “Where are you going to get that?”

“Chemicals,” I said. “Phosphorus and nitrogen. They will increase crop yields ten times.”

Moray whistled. “That’s some projection.”

“It’s science,” I said. “Plants will yield many times what they do without it if it is spread on the soil.”

Moray tapped his fingers on the desk. “So the whole town is your bed for experiments,” he said.

“While I don’t like to phrase it that way, yes,” I said.

Moray sighed. “Great. Because you’re my friend, I’ll trust you on this.” He continued to tap his fingers. “But first. Who, exactly, will you trust with teaching your peasants?”

“You,” I said. “And anyone you trust. The pay will be very competitive.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said Moray. “But I don’t know many scientists who would be willing to take you up on your offer. There’s too much that they plan on doing. Everyone has their own experiments.”

“If the pay is not good enough,” I said, “I will finance any research that they may want to perform.”

“Now that’s a sweet deal,” said Moray. He clicked his tongue. “What’s your budget?”

“Depending on the science, about a thousand cris per year per person. That’s just for research purposes, not including wages for teaching.”

“And where are you getting that money?” said Moray.

“I’m making tens of thousands of cris a week selling Kerosene,” I said. “I have money.”

Moray whistled. “Then I’m on board. I’ll get as many others as I can to come with me.”

“Be there in two days,” I said. “In the meantime I’m going to get working on building a school house.” I turned to Claude. “Let’s go.”

We left the building and went back to the shop location. We weren’t going to close it. We were just expanding into Freedom Hill. All operations at the original location would continue.

I went in and said hi to the guy we had tending the front, and then I went into the back and said hello to Rachel.

“We’ve been working at it for sixteen hours,” said Rachel, showing up a test print of our second newspaper issue. “We’re reporting on the fire that burned down Littleton yesterday.”

“Great,” I said. “But I need to talk to you.”

“Hm?” said Rachel.

“I need to hire some builders.”

“To renovate the keep?” said Rachel.

“That, and to build a school house and a factory,” I said. “We’re going to start producing plastic and plastic derivatives in addition to kerosene. For that we need a big factory building.”

Rachel sighed. “I’ll get to it.”

“I also need to do a bit of traveling so I can locate a source of phosphorus and nitrogen. Are there any coasts along here that have a lot of bird poop?”

“Bird poop?” said Rachel. “I know your ideas are always crazy, but why in the hell would you want bird poop?”

“That stuff is worth its weight in, at least silver I suppose. If you spread it onto crops you can triple your yields.”

“Hah,” said Rachel. “The ocean is a hundred miles from here.” She sighed. “I’ll hire a sky ship.”

“Great,” I said. “Can we go as soon as tomorrow?”

Rachel turned away, waving her hand. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it for you.”

I nodded and went upstairs to sleep in my bedroom. I didn’t need to—I could sleep in the keep—but that place was drafty, dusty, and kind of creepy.

When I woke up there was a letter at the bedstand.

I’ve chartered the Green Heron to take you to the ocean. Find all the bird poop you want there.

I got up, brushed my teeth, and then met Claude at the door. We went to the docks and boarded the Green Heron. The captain was a nice man, kind of elf-like, named Gover. We took off within the hour and, half a day later, we were at the ocean. It was a long stretch of uninhabited beach with several rocky outlying islands. Those islands contained exactly what I was looking for.

Bird poop. This stuff, once people knew what it could do, would be very valuable. I, however, had to prove that it was worth harvesting. And to do that I had planned a bit of an experiment.

I told the captain to take us close to the island. I had prepared a number of barrels and sacks to put the poop in. I climbed a ladder down to the island and, using my alchemy powers, filled five sacks full of bird poop. From what I had researched, this was enough to fertilize ten acres. Not much but it was a start. We hoisted the bags and barrels onto the ship using pulleys and then turned around and headed for home.

When we got to Freedom Hill, I put the poop in storage and told the peasants to not touch it. They, of course, said they would not. It was just bird poop, after all.

In the meantime the personal horse carriage I had ordered had been delivered to the keep. I looked around it, admiring the craftsmanship. I had ordered it a week before from the top carriage maker in Brownfield. We also had two very nice draft horses to pull it, as well as a butler named Regen who drove it.

“Hello, sir,” said Regen.

“Hello,” I said. “It’s been a while. Have you figured out how to clean the keep?”

“I have hired five maids,” said Regen. “They will take care of the keep for you.”

I stepped into the carriage, followed by Claude.

The Green Heron took off, to fulfill its next contract. Claude and I rode back to Brownfield, to my shop. I entered and went to get Rachel.

“How have the sales of the second issue been?” I asked.

Rachel sighed. “Not very good. I told you before that not enough people know how to read.”

“And I’m planning to change that,” I said. “The newspaper will be an incentive for people to learn.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Rachel.

“What other kinds of things are we printing?” I asked.

Rachel showed me around the works. There were pamphlets, fliers, and posters for advertising goods. Even a few flags. Upon inspecting it all, I gave it my approval and returned to the carriage in order to get back to Freedom Hill and start my experiments.