Chapter 2.32: Tradition


    The air seemed to hang heavy in Aaroks cramped office. The sun shone outside, not showing the regr storms that gued the town during the Season of Blooms. Theo rested his head on his hand, leaning over a wide desk as watched those assembled before him. Aarok, Luras, Tresk, and Theo all sat in that stuffy room, discussing the events.


    Youre certain it wasnt Uharis? Luras asked.


    Not really, Theo said with a shrug. That doesnt matter. A [nar Mage] was delivered into myp Isnt that curious?


    Isnt everything curious about you? Aarok asked with a shake of his massive head. If you question the random crap that happens around you, youll be walking in circles all day.


    Theo is grateful for the help, Tresk said, cing a hand on the alchemists shoulder. Were just concerned.


    Theo appreciated the use of the term we. He was feeling less like a single entity and more like part of a wholetely. With every level of the Tarahek, he felt closer with hispanion. Their moods were tangled together, a constant fight for bnce.


    Do we know how long the wave was dyed for? Luras asked, moving to look out the window.


    No clue. That leads us to another problem, Theo said. If the dys are too long, it could be a bad thing.


    Because those waves are awesome, Tresk said with a nod. The experience bonus is crazy. And the loot!


    Always a mind for money, Aarok said. At least we can breathe for a moment.


    Speaking of, Theo said, summoning his mayors screen. Aaroks tally of gear from the monster wave wasntplete. The number kept rising at a steady pace. What ns do you have for the wave cash?


    Wave cash? Luras asked, snorting augh.


    Unless you need it, I n on cing it in reserve for the guild, Aarok said.


    Thats fine, Theo said. Cash reserves are a good idea.


    A gentle knock came from the door. Tresks daggers were out in a heartbeat, then she vanished as quickly as they whispered from their sheaths. A momentter, Fenian came through the door with a smile on his face.


    Hopefully, Im not interrupting, he said.


    Of course you are, Aarok said, puffing up. What do you need, trader?


    My vacation is over, Fenian said. Im taking <emst calls</em> from everyone.


    I could use a few things, Luras said, casting a weary expression at Theo.


    Theo pointed a finger at Aarok, nodding. Pay for whatever he needs. Out of the Adventurers Guild fund.


    Aarok shrugged. Alright, but Im setting a limit. The guild cant blow 20 gold on one purchase.


    Theo pulled Fenian aside before leaving the guild. As expected, the trader knew someone who dealt in Karatans. ording to the Elf, the creatures were of the strongest pedigree in thend, but didnt have a price on hand. The alchemist departed with Tresk, leaving the three men to their dealings while he considered all his unfinished business. When he spotted Miana on the street outside, he was surprised she didnt rush him. The ex-mayor was being patient with him, waiting for him to be ready to nt the ranchs seed core.


    Tresk apanied him further south than he expected, watching as she kept close to him. With a smile, he patted her on the head.


    You dont need to shadow me, Theo said.


    Yet, you keep getting into trouble, Tresk said, pressing her finger into her chin. Curious.


    I wont leave the walls today, Theo said.


    Well, Im leaving my travel powers off cooldown. In case I have toe dashing back to town at a moments notice, Tresk said, beckoning him down to her level. She pressed her forehead against his and vanished on the spot.


    Theo worked his way south, picking up Gridgen Dev along the way. With Dead Dog Cave cleared out, the alchemist should be able to ce the seed core for the mine. The soon-to-be-miner took some initiative,missioning pickaxes and shovels from Throk.


    Right. Hopefully nothing has respawned, Theo said, approaching the cave.


    The alchemist ced the seed core near the mouth of the cave, smiling as it took root. He fed it the appropriate amount of [Monster Cores], causing the roots to snake out and grab onto the entrance. In a sh, beams of timber inserted themselves into the entrance, creating a threshold for the mine. Theo inspected it.


    <strong>[Mine]</strong>


    <strong>[Dead Dog Mine]</strong>


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 7 days


    Ore Type:


    Copper


    ????


    ????


    ????


    Ore Quality: Perfect


    Expansions:


    None


    Wow. Dont know if Ive ever seen one go up, Gridgen said,ughing. This is great.


    Right. Now we need to discuss the terms of your contract, Theo said.


    Oh, uh Anything would be nice, Gridgen said. Just enough for the family, you know?


    Theo wished the man was more assertive, but summoned his contract interface and wrote something up with mentalmands.


    <strong>[Dead Dog Mine]</strong>


    <strong>Contract</strong>


    Gridgen Dev shall be the leader of the Dead Dog mining team. He will be responsible for the operation of the mine and recruitment of its miners. Theo Spencer will supply materials and upgrades for the operation of the mine. Gridgen Dev may recruit as many people as he likes to work the mine, but his split of the profits remain the same.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) promises to pay 20% of all potential profits based on market rate. The 20% sum is to be distributed by Gridgen Dev however he sees fit.


    <strong>Terms:</strong>


    Gridgen Dev will work the Dead Dog mine no less than 3 days per week.


    Gridgen Dev will be responsible for all workers within Dead Dog Mine.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will supply materials as needed to work Dead Dog Mine.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will provide for the safety of the workers within Dead Dog Mine.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will provide upgrades at a reasonable rate for Dead Dog Mine.


    <strong>Timeline:</strong>


    Renewed every year


    Wow, thatsprehensive, Gridgen said with a nervous chuckle. He read for a moment before speaking again. What does potential profits mean?


    I may use the metal for other purposes, Theo said. So I want to make sure youre paid for what you mine.


    Oh, alright. So, were getting paid per nugget?


    Basically, Theo said, shrugging.


    If you could adjust one thing for me, Gridgen said, managing a weak smile. The contract says that Ill be working the mine. Could you amend that to say the mine will be worked?


    Theo amended the contract, changing it to state that <em>someone</em> under Gridgensmand would work the mine 3 days per week. The Human epted the terms of the contract after that, shing a bright smile at the alchemist and shaking his hand.


    This is great, Gridgen said. Now I just need workers.


    Theo withdrew all 10 [Miners Cores] from his inventory and handed them over to the man. Ill provide everyone with these cores, but you can hold on to them for now. I also need someone working at the smelter, but you need to be at the mine.


    Works for me, Gridgen said with a shrug. I imagine the smelter will be a lot less work.


    Ill be honest with you, Gridgen, Theo said, letting out a breath. He looked over the mine, a grin spreading across his face. Im feeling my way through this.


    Well, I have a suggestion for you, Gridgen said. He swelled with pride. Smelting operations rely on high input. Ive worked the mines near Falling Pass. We were a 100 worker operation working with 2 other mines, feeding into a single smelter.


    Theo nodded. Once again, he found himself to be the one without vital information. He took a moment to appreciate how important Gridgen was to his operation. From what he said before, he wasnt a miner by trade but aborer. This meant he was simply hauling things from one ce to the other, or doing odd-jobs. But he was still on the inside of a massive mining operation that the alchemist could only hope to match.


    Theo withdrew the [Smelters Core] from his inventory and handed it over. Find me someone to run the smelter. If thats you, or someone else, I dont care. Once youve found them, Ill draw up a contract for them. If I find someone for the job, Ill bring them to you.


    Sounds good to me, Gridgen said, taking the core. When should we mine?


    As soon as possible, Theo said. First, help me ce the [Smelter Seed Core].


    Gridgen took to the task with excitement. Theos instinct was to ce the smelter as close to the mine as possible, but the man corrected him.


    Youre assuming everyone has an inventory power, Gridgen said. Theres going to be times when yourborers have to move this stuff by hand. You want to ce it half-way between the mine and town.


    Theo nodded, deferring to the mans wisdom. He found a spot next to the newly-ced road and nted the seed core. It took less [Monster Cores] to root than expected, forming a massive stone structure with an attached workshop. The workshop housed a pitch-ck crucible, but no automatic fire generation methods. His intuition said that whatever heat his current [me Artifice] could generate wasnt enough. Throk had proven himself a capable person for inventing new things, so he wasnt worried. Aside from the immediate ipleteness of the smelter, he had no ore to smelt, anyway.


    Right. Start mining, if you can, Theo said. Im an errand boy today, so I need to take care of some other things.


    Alright. Well, thanks for setting me up, Gridgen said, smiling.


    Theo left the man to his work, finding his way behind the Newt and Demon. The crater in the center of the gravel yard was an eyesore, but he didnt have the time to work on that today. Before working on Mianas problem, he set about clearing a small section ofnd for a garden. He transnted 10 [Spiny Swamp Thistle] nts, burning them in alchemically enriched dirt and taking a few mental notes. Most of the nts looked healthy enough, and he even received some experience in his [Drogramath Herbalism Core]. Something about the cultivation process seemed off, though.


    The alchemist knew very little about growing nts. On Earth, everything was dead. His mind drifted back to the book <em>nts of the Swamnds</em>, a tome resting somewhere in hisb. He made his way back to theb, stopping to chat with Azrug before ascending the steps and snatching the book. It was a simple thing written in the low Qavelli script, something designed for everyone to read. It was light on theory, but had a small section about nt cultivation near the back.


    There were, ording to the book, methods to breed specific traits on nts that carried reagents. The only method it suggested was selective breeding, which was easy enough to understand. Most nts could be regrown from their parts, carrying over those desired traits. Theo understood that concept easily enough and had to extrapte that information to mean he could use alchemy to speed up the process. So, he was looking to take a sample of nts and extract their best qualities by forcing their growth over a short period. Keep the strong ones and cull the weak.


    Easy enough, Theo said, breathing a sigh of relief.


    Theo would let those 10 nts settle outside, making sure they took proper root. Then, hed apply his modified [Lesser potion of Growth] and inspect the results. That only left finding out how to make the nt grow another version of itself. This was a problem for the farmers to solve, and a good excuse to check in on his investment there.


    Theo made his way to the farm for a quick stop. Banu seemed excited to see him. It was easy to see why. Every field was packed with Zee, the kernels weighing heavily on the endless stalks. As instructed, Banu kept a field near the north end of the farm fallow, ready to receive the [Windmill Seed Core].


    Im nearly out of your magical potion, Banu said, letting out a low chuckle. I have concerns with the stuff, but its going well so far.


    What are your concerns? Theo asked, leading the Half-Ogre down the road toward the empty field.


    Mostly about how this changes thend over time, Banu said.


    Theo rarely took the time to think about those things, often to his detriment. He had to assume that, in a ce where magic ran rampant, soaking the earth in potions wasnt a bad thing. But, his mind went back to the explosion in his gravel yard and he let out a breath.


    I wont presume to tell you how to run your farm, Theo said.


    Thest time he was at Banus farm, he was giving orders, not taking suggestions. It was something he regretted, as the advice of experts had guided him in recent times.


    Ah, well, I appreciate that, Banu said, sounding nervous. I was thinking about rotating the fields with your potion, keeping a few natural.


    Good idea, Theo said, noting the look of surprise in Banus eyes. If youre making flour for export, I dont really care. I just want <em>more </em>exports<em>.</em>


    I understand, Banu said, stopping at the edge of the empty field. Theo stopped with him. We just have a way of doing things heremethods weve used for hundreds of years. Seems like youre stomping on tradition.


    Theo felt that one in his heart. He never intended to crush an ancient way of living. He could rationalize it all he wanted, but thats what hed done. There seemed to be two sides to the alchemists life. That of his own interests and that of others, constantly pulling against each other. On his side was alchemy, something that could kick-start these peoples lives. On the other was tradition, and a solid way of doing things. Broken Tusk existed for hundreds of years before he arrived, doing things that <em>worked</em>. Even with a town stuck at level 1, they did it.


    Im reserved to the fact that Im not the smartest person here, Theo said, nodding to himself. We need more Zee, but if youre worried about the soil, you can handle it however you want.


    Ill decide on something, Banu said, smiling. I want to see the mill first.


    Well, Theo said, approaching the empty field. He ced the [Windmill Seed Core] on the ground and watched the roots sprout forth. The good thing is that youre on a pretty high hill. If this thing doesnt run off of magic, youll get a stiff breeze.


    He almost didnt have enough [Monster Cores] to get the thing up and running. Most of the cores that dropped during the monster wave went to the adventurers, but hed pilfered a few. When the windmill finally took shape, it was smaller than he expected. It was made of the same sturdy stone that made up all the seed core buildings within Broken Tusk. Therge de started turning immediately and the pair ducked inside to watch a shaft spin, turning arge millstone. Arge lever on the side controlled the height, and as Theo presumed, the coarseness of the grind.


    Well, thats a fancy machine, Banu said,ughing. Even without your alchemy, this thing is a boon. Do you know how much myborersined about using the qern?


    I bet that was fun, Theo said with a chuckle. Hand milling that huge corn.


    So, how do we do this? Banu asked. Its mynd, but your mill.


    Use it freely, Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. As far as the farm goes, I just want more food for export and use within the town.


    Theo didnt want to describe a scenario he imagined where Broken Tusk was under perpetual siege. An eternal attack wouldnt be bad if the things that attacked were edible, but theyd received waves filled with Goblins and Trolls. An internal source of food was the way to go. This would push them one step closer to being reliant on the things that were within these safe walls.


    I appreciate it, Banu said with a nod.


    We can work out somethingter if need be. I have some experiments to run on my herbalism. More ways to improve the growing process, Theo said.


    I cant wait, Banu said. As long as I have the freedom to keep doing it how my parents did, I dont mind.


    One thing before I go, Theo said.


    He produced the cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] from his inventory, presenting it for the veteran farmer to see.


    I need to Uh Make more of these grow, Theo said.


    Banu let out augh, taking the root from Theo for a moment. Youre talking about propagation. Yeah, I understand its not that obvious. With roots like this, you just need to cut off a section, leave it in a cool dark ce for a while and wait for it to chit.


    Chit?


    Yeah, itll grow little sprouts. Then you can nt it, Banu said, grinning. Well, Im d I know more than you about <em>something.</em>


    Thanks, Banu, Theo said, retrieving his root.


    He said his farewells and departed. He took the southern ramp from the farmers rise, aiming to head into the newly purchased area between the farm and the river to the east. The tract ofnd was massive, but mostly empty. It was a rocky prairie filled with many grasses that a Karatan might love to eat. The alchemist knew little about those strange creatures and hoped he could get information about them as he went.


    While Theos senses might not be as sharp as the adventurers in Broken Tusk, they were sharp enough to know when someone was following him across an open field. He found his way to the edge of the river and waited for the person to arrive. They trudged across the terrain, bearing a sheepish smile on their face. When Miana Kell finally sauntered up to him, he returned the smile.


    Right. Lets nt this ranch, Theo said.