Arc II - Agrarian Revolution
Chapter 18 - No Time to Rest
2 months and 9 days since the summoning
Alan sat at the table on the now-familiar terrace. He rested his head on the table with his eyes closed.
'Ah... I am so fucking tired, it's unreal. We barely managed to discuss with Tsinker how the census is supposed to go... I had a hell of a time convincing Kamelia that a census is actually necessary and isn't some tribute to Mirey's legacy... And Tsinker keeps dodging questions about how he's going to conduct this secret census.'
He took a deep breath.
'I'm so damn exhausted. I just want to lie down and do absolutely nothing, for everyone to finally get off my back so I can just get a little bit, even a tiny bit, of rest. Zinder's murder, the agricultural revolution, the plows, the
mills, the census... fuck, why is everything so complicated? Why the hell did all this have to fall on me of all people? I'm not some hero. I'm just a history major who planned to live a peaceful, quiet life, teaching, giving lectures, and then just coming home in the evening to write books or research papers... And now, boom, deal with the problems of a dying medieval county, for fuck's sake. On top of that, a local beast almost ate me, and a local mold-monster almost killed me! I still have nightmares about that shit! What did I do to deserve this?!'
Alan lifted his head from the table and shook his head.
'Wait, why am I whining all of a sudden? I'm not the only one having a rough time. Kamelia is on edge, too; her father died, and this fucking county was dumped on her when she's still basically a girl. Lorgi is training soldiers, worrying about Kamelia being married off. Golna has probably been suffering for ten years. Tsinker... is doing what he does best: being Tsinker. So I need to stop crying. I'm not the only poor victim here.'
He sat like that for another five minutes, staring at the sea reflecting the midday sun, when he suddenly heard light footsteps.
'Ah, Golna must be bringing the oyre.'
He turned toward the entrance.
It was Kamelia, dressed in her usual blue uniform, with light dark circles under her eyes. In her hands, she held a tray with a teapot and cups.
Alan tilted his head to the side. "Oh, did you decide to work as a maid?"
Kamelia chuckled. "How could I not?" She placed the tray on the table and sat opposite him. "We have a brief moment of respite, Alan, so I decided to... play the host, so to speak."
She reached for the teapot, but Alan grabbed it first and began pouring for her. "Well, let me play the host too, then."
Kamelia paused for a second, then smiled faintly. "As you wish. So, what is your next design? I am certain you possess an abundance of ideas."
Alan poured her some oyre, then started pouring for himself. "Of course I do. For starters, I want to completely cut off any chance of another epidemic breaking out."
Kamelia's hand reached for her cup, but stopped. "An epi... demic? You mean the sickness?"
Gothwald set the teapot aside and picked up his cup. "Exactly."
"But how... very well. Tell me, where does disease actually come from?"
Alan blinked. "What about miasmas, curses, and all that?"
She finally picked up the cup. "Alan, after everything you have achieved... I am prepared to believe anything. Tell me."
Alan took a sip, wincing slightly because the drink was hot. "I'm afraid you might struggle to understand this... concept."
The Countess frowned. "Perhaps I shall, perhaps I shall not. I am listening."
Alan set his cup down and folded his hands on the table. "Alright, listen. The main culprits behind most diseases are called germs. They are everywhere: in the water, the food, on clothing, on our hands. Everywhere."
Kamelia immediately looked at her hands, spotting a tiny black speck on the back of her palm. "Is this... a germ?"
Alan snorted. "Of course not. They're invisible."
Kamelia blinked. "Invisible? Like spirits?"
Alan waved his hands. "No! I was speaking figuratively. In reality, they aresimply so small that you cannot see them."
The Countess blinked again. "And... how then do you know of their existence?"
Gothwald began to massage the bridge of his nose. "Man, this is tough..." hemuttered. "In my world, we had special... advanced devices. You could lookthrough them to see these germs."
Kamelia nodded slowly. "Honestly... I do not quite comprehend, but continue."
"Ahem... right. And wherever there is dirt, these germs are practically pilingup. Why did I tell the peasants to wash their hands with ash? To kill those verygerms. Remember, cleanliness kills germs."
Kamelia remained silent for nearly a minute, scratching her chin. "So... ifeverything is clean, there shall never be disease?"
Alan gestured. "Well, not never, obviously. But the odds of everyone dying from diarrhea again will plummet."
She raised her cup to her lips. "That is already preferable to... what you described." She took a sip. "So, what specifically do you propose we do? I do not imagine it is... as simple as merely washing one's hands. Given everything that has occurred, it is bound to be complicated once more, correct?"
He rubbed his hand over his face. "You catch on quick. The first thing I want to address... is to stop shitting and dumping trash in the rivers. That's the main thing. Sure, the current carries the waste away, but it goes straight to other villages downriver, which end up getting sick and dying, just like with that jerkos. We still haven't figured out what asshole threw that corpse in there."
"Yes... I have seen the consequences of that. But what are we to do instead?"
Alan took a sip of oyre. "What else? First, we need to make landfills, huge pits far from the villages where the peasants can dump their trash. Second, public toilets."
Kamelia leaned in closer. "Public... what?"
"Toilets. I used that word before. Outhouses, to put it simply. Public ones, built near the village, so they stop shitting in the river."
She shook her head, though she had clearly grown accustomed to his phrasing. "And how are they to be constructed?"
"Simple as can be. There's a small building with seats that have holes in them. You sit down, and you start..."
The Countess raised her hand. "Hold, I understand. But why buckets, specifically? Is it not better to use... simple cesspools? Buckets must be emptied far too often."
Alan shook his head. "Nope, not an option. Cesspools will contaminate the groundwater that feeds the wells. Don't forget, the public outhouses have to be near the village for convenience, whereas buckets can just be emptied every few days."
"To think that waste could contaminate the water beneath the earth as well..." She scratched her forehead. "How complicated everything is."
"Complicated, but not impossible. Anyway... I think we should start with Zoligasha... Hah, that village has basically become our testing ground."
Kamelia simply rolled her eyes and took a sip of oyre, waiting for him to speak in a language she actually understood.
Alan blinked. "Ah... I mean Zoligasha is the place where we introduce everything new. The fields, the plows, and now... By the way, this is called sanitation. Memorize another word."
"Sanitation... that word is somewhat simpler. We could depart for the village tomorrow, could we not?"
Alan nodded. "We could... By the way, I wanted to ask, how is Golna? I haven't seen her in a while."
Kamelia frowned slightly, but quickly shook it off unnoticed. "Golna? Lately, she has... changed, in a way. She is swifter, smiles more often, and constantly inquires about the progress of the agricultural revolution..." She smiled faintly. "It seems she truly appreciates how you are transforming what was once a village of outcasts into something entirely new."
Gothwald chuckled. "That's for sure..." Suddenly, a shouted command in the courtyard caught his attention, and he looked out into the castle yard.
Lorgi stood there, and before him were about twelve young men in light chainmail, holding wooden training spears, with a few carrying swords. Alan watched as they executed basic spear thrusts.
"Do you wish to take a closer look?" Kamelia asked.
Alan immediately stood up. "Yeah, I do." He walked off the terrace.
Kamelia blinked but rose and followed him.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Lorgi immediately raised his hand. "Her Ladyship!"
The soldiers stopped instantly and bowed. "Greetings, Your Ladyship!" they shouted in unison.
The Countess raised an eyebrow. "Impressive discipline for raw recruits."
Lorgi crossed his arms, sized up Alan with a glance, and turned to Kamelia. "Of course, My Lady, as I am training them myself. Still, they have made good progress for only three days." He turned back to the soldiers. "Resume training!"
"Yes, Captain!" they replied in unison, immediately taking up their spears again.
The Captain approached Kamelia and Alan. "How fare your endeavors, Your Ladyship? I did not have the honor of accompanying you, and have missed much."
The Countess drew herself up. "Quite well, in fact. We are cooperating with the youngest Utew. We have already constructed plows that far surpass the old ones, secured seeds for planting, and plan to press further."
The man immediately turned his gaze to Alan, then nodded slowly. "So, you are of greater use than I had anticipated."
"Lorgi," Kamelia said sternly.
He bowed his head. "Forgive me, Your Ladyship."
Alan swallowed. "Ah... right..." He looked around frantically, his eyes landing on the soldiers. "Is this your usual training routine?"
Lorgi looked around. "Yes. The boys are sturdy enough. Chopping wood, running, none of it seems to tire them. I am at a loss for how to push them harder."
Alan watched the recruits move their spears energetically, if not perfectly, and slowly smirked. "Hm... I think I know how to push them. Training in my world was highly developed, so we knew exactly how to make the body beg for mercy."
Lorgi tilted his head slightly. "And does this require something that will take a month to procure?"
Kamelia took a step forward, but Alan cut her off. "No, Lorgi. Just your body. Mind if I demonstrate? Your praised soldiers will start collapsing in five minutes."
Kamelia stopped and listened.
The Captain gave a quiet chuckle. "Oh... indeed? Surprise me, then." He turned to the soldiers. "At ease!" Everyone stopped instantly. "Today, you shall be trained by Her Ladyship's advisor, Lord Gothwald."
The boys exchanged puzzled glances, then looked at Alan, who was thin and pale in his simple shirt, with dark circles under his eyes, before standing at attention. "Yes, Captain!"
Lorgi merely took a step aside with a telling nod toward the recruits.
Alan walked up to the squad.
'Alright, what can I use to absolutely destroy you... A plank? No, that's garbage. These guys are former peasants by the looks of it; static holds are just a regular Tuesday for them. But what about... Muhahaha! Burpees!'
"Alright, boys. This exercise is called a burpee. Actually, why bother explaining? I'll just show you once."
Alan dropped into a push-up position, did a push-up, jumped up dynamically, did a squat, dropped back down, did another push-up, leaped up, squatted, and stood up, slightly out of breath. "You're going to do exactly that, without stopping."
The recruits propped their spears against the wall, spread out across the yard, and stood straight, waiting for the signal.
"Begin!" Alan shouted.
All twelve men immediately dropped to the ground, did a push-up, jumped up, squatted, and began repeating the motion. It was a bit clumsy at first due to the unfamiliar movements, but they quickly adjusted and executed them properly.
Lorgi watched, unable to take his eyes off them. Kamelia stood beside Alan and observed.
For the first minute, the soldiers moved with great vigor. The quiet of the courtyard was filled with the heavy breathing of twelve men, the thud of boots on stone, and the slapping of palms against the ground.
By the second minute, the soldiers' movements grew visibly sluggish, driven purely by sheer willpower. After three minutes, it was no longer the sound of athletic breathing, but the desperate gasping of drowning men trying to swallow air. Their push-ups, jumps, and squats slowed to a third of their initial pace. One of the men began to openly cut corners, not pushing all the way up and barely lifting his boots off the ground during the jumps.
By the fourth minute, it was a thoroughly pathetic sight. The recruits moved like sloths in a swamp, and their breathing... sounded more like a dying seal.
Kamelia stood perfectly still, though her lips seemed on the verge of curving into a smile.
Lorgi shook his head, wincing slightly at the spectacle. "Halt!"
The soldiers stopped suspiciously fast, as if they had been waiting for that very command. They stood hunched over, gasping for air.
The Captain stepped forward, surveyed the aftermath of the slaughter, and then slowly turned to Alan. "What did you say it is called? Bepree?"
"Burpees," Alan corrected.
The Captain nodded and turned to the soldiers. "From this day forth, we shall do burpees every day as our final training routine."
The boys wanted to howl like wolves, but merely nodded obediently. "Yes, Captain," they muttered weakly.
"Resume training with spears!" he commanded, then offered a brief bow to Kamelia and returned to his soldiers.
The Countess sighed. "Alan, is there anything your world does not possess? It feels as though you know everything and are capable of all things, from agriculture to exercise."
Alan shrugged. "They know a lot of things... I could not list it all even in a century."
