Celeste’s Landing

Village

Weeks passed, progress was slow but steady. Amelie had successfully organized the workers and constructed the first part of our new sewer system. It ran under the houses around the main square, before dipping down and ejecting the waste into the ocean. In the future, I wanted to introduce proper waste treatment processes to clean up the water before spitting it back out, but for a small population it wouldn’t have much of an impact on the ocean.

Speaking of homes, a collection of two-story family units had been built. Some of the people had already moved out of the old barracks and their carts into them. It felt good to have a large number of people under a real roof, a space to call their own.

Emmerich had asked me what we were going to do with the barracks once we were done with them. Eventually I settled on an answer, for the time being we were going to turn it into the main government building. It had my office in it after all. We could convert the former bedroom space into some new rooms should the need arise.

Centralized authority not attached to a count or duke was exceedingly rare according to my little magic book. Lunarmar was a kingdom built on the backs of individuals. If we wanted to build a forward-thinking town, I’d need some people to work with me.

The plan was for us to keep expanding the domestic area of the town as more of the sewers and paved streets were completed. I recruited the stoneworkers to fashion our mined rock into semi-smooth blocks to lay down. It was very exciting to see the start of our new town. In total there were seven families homed, each house taking a spot around the central plaza that still remained mostly empty. Emmerich had come to me with an idea to make it our market square, an area where our workers could sell their goods once the economy got going for real.

Today’s job was a simple one, scoping out the viability of building a small dock down by the waterside. It wasn’t exactly a beach, so I wasn’t too torn up about using it for something more practical. Amelie had already drawn up some basic plans and material requirements for the project.

“Your average fishing boat is several feet long,” she explained, “However a trader’s ship will be significantly larger. They have crews of dozens of sailors and large hulls to contain their cargo. As long as they’re capable of mooring here, it won’t need to match exactly. An easier way to handle it would be to leave it facing outwards, I don’t think we’ll experience much traffic early on.”

“Why is this dock so important again?” Jerimiah queried, “We can use a horse and cart and head north to trade easy enough.”

Amelie sighed, “You should never underestimate the power of a sea-based trade route. Even for a farmer like yourself, moving larger quantities of grain to a city or town where it can be sold for a higher price is worth the time and effort. If you leave a merchant to it, you can make the same, or even more money with less work.”

“After they take their cut?”

“Yes. They know best how to increase the margins. No more personally driving your horse for three hours to make a routine trip.”

Jerimiah stroked his beard, “That does sound nice…”

“The reason why the Kingdom is so interested in this location is because it’s a perfect place for a trading post. The Black Cove is a short distance away, and this stretch of ocean is shared between several major trading connections. Local production and external trade links, it’s a wonder nobody settled here before us.”

I smiled, “You sure know your stuff.”

She fluffed her blonde hair and pouted, “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? I may be a ‘spoiled noble girl,’ but my pride dictates I should help in any way I can regardless.”

“Am I okay to leave this job in your hands then? You did an excellent job with the sewers.”

“Of course. I’ll see to it that it is done as fast as possible.”

Jerimiah had wanted to speak with me, I pulled him away from the site of the docks and walked back towards the buildings in the distance. It was a solid ten minute walk from there to the docks but the town would expand rapidly towards the edges of those boundaries. “What did you want to talk with me about?”

“Some of the other farmers have been getting worried. Firstly, a few guys are making a fuss about not getting paid in cash.”

I knew that this was coming. In order to keep everyone fed, the farmers were being offered free goods like clothes and tools from the other families in exchange for their food. I knew that this was an unsustainable situation. People would naturally gravitate towards currency over barter if it was available. The last thing I wanted was for them to export everything and leave everybody else to starve.

“Okay. I get that. Don’t they have any excess left over to sell?”

“They do, but they can’t predict how good the yield is going to be this season.”

I could. But that’d be showing my hand too early. I knew exactly how much tonnage we were making and how much people were eating. We had some headroom. “Alright. Jerimiah, I want you to have a word with them about sending a caravan out. Tell them to make a guess. The farmers that want to export what they have can. But try to make things efficient. No need for everyone to go if one or two people will suffice.”

He nodded, “The other thing was – we’re worried about poachers and thieves. Back in the old city, you could scream bloody murder and not get a hand from the guards. Now I ‘ain’t accusing nobody of stealing anything just yet. I trust all of these folks like they’re family, but even family can get desperate.”

“Without money or taxation, that’s going to be tough. Guardsmen won’t work for free.”

“…You’re right. We need some cash flowing through here.”

I decided to offer him some advice, “Deterrence is the best form of crime prevention. If you make it clear to any potential criminal that you’re watching your stuff like a hawk, they aren’t going to try and make a move on you.”

Jerimiah nodded, “Right.”

“For now, get together with the others and organize a watch of your own. Hell, a guy with a pitchfork will probably make do for now. But it is something we’re going to have to worry about in the future if more people move here.”

Happy with my suggestions, Jeremiah moved on, “What’s next for the town? You have a lot of crazy ideas, I’m waiting for the next one.”

I laughed, “You have no idea. But those crazy ideas can wait for now until we get the basics done.”

“Sewage is basic?”

“If you don’t want everyone to drop dead from disease, yes. For now, I want to ensure that goods are being exported, money is coming in, and we have everything we need to sustain ourselves before we think about expanding.”

“What about taxes?”

“I’m not mentioning the T-word until everything is in place.”

“Well, I know you’ll do right by us,” he smiled, “Can’t get much worse than what we were paying in Lunarmar. Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered working.”

I’d heard some horror stories from the other farmers about the horrible tax-rate in and around the capital. I’d made an iron-clad promise not to emulate those practices. I needed them to be happy, they were the people who elected me to be mayor in the first place. I was turning into a slimy politician already, what else would I try to excuse in the future?

High taxes would have to be saved for the big earners.

Amelie had to wonder where everything had gone so wrong.

She was the child of one of the greatest nobles houses in the Kingdom, abandoned to rot in a town of a few hundred people! No matter what type of ambition her family held – this was a step too far. She saw the potential, much like the ‘mayor’ did, but that was years away. Surely by that time someone else could do the same thing she was doing.

Revealing the truth of the matter to Shane was a calculated gamble. She was cognizant enough to realize that nobody in the town would trust her, a girl from one of the self-same noble families that persecuted them away from their homes and businesses. Her mother had always told her that manners were the most important thing in a noble’s repertoire. Yet they were not beyond underhanded, dirty tricks like this.

Her brother may have complained and stamped his foot about her getting ‘Celeste’s Landing,’ but he was better off back home. He was going to be dropped into a nice, safe, quiet, wealthy hamlet somewhere – where he didn’t have to do any real work. She still loved him. He was family. But he was also a profound moron, ever-present proof that hard work and talent didn’t matter in the end. No matter how much knowledge or experience she gathered, Luc would always be the favourite son.

She knew what being a woman meant for her prospects of success. Father wanted her gone, married off to a complete stranger to strengthen the house. Shane was a talented man, but romance? Not on the cards. How much did father really think of her to use her as a pawn in a game involving such a small town?

She turned back to her workforce with a weary sigh. She’d assembled several of the same men who assisted her in constructing the first leg of the sewage system. It was long, arduous work, with a lot of complications and headaches along the way.

“The mayor has decided what our next project is. We’re constructing a dock right here so that passing ships can moor and trade with us. I already have a list of resources that we need to acquire. Logs, planks, and some stone. Andrew, can you get us a cart?”

“I can,” he replied.

“I’ll leave that to you then, the rest of you, I’m going to give you a quick lesson on building in water.”

If Shane wanted a dock, he was going to get a dock, come hell or high water.