It turned out that Mr. Williamson did know where a source of graphene was located. There was a small deposit just east of Philadelphia and right near their path from his family’s estate to the city. Johns's grandfather immediately set out and bought the land from its previous owner as it was not suitable farmland he got a rather good deal for it.
At the same time, he set up correspondence between John and a skilled blacksmith and a carpenter in the city who could manufacture the specialized tools for the production of pencils. While the initial investment was large his grandfather was willing to front it all with little hesitation as he liked to describe his wealth in a way his grandson coined, he always said that he had “Stupid Money.”
The next two months passed rather quickly once the initial work began. The mines south of the estate were built close to the Schuylkill River so that any graphene mined could be easily shipped downstream toward the factory being set up downtown. Speaking of the factory, from all the reports and letters things were progressing well.
A sawmill nearby the city had been purchased and began producing Red Cedar planks to ship to the factory on top of their current production. His grandfather did this after John talked to him about the concept of vertical integration. To a lifelong businessman like William Carpenter the Idea of owning all aspects of production was very appealing to him.
He would be going with him to the factory near Philadelphia in a few days to see if the factory was up to his specifications but until then he was back with Alois and Eli for sword training.
The two boys had become rather proficient with multiple schools of swordsmanship. When Alois was described as a swordmaster it wasn't lying at all. They were taught to use, saber, rapiers, longswords, and foils. But on top of using a long blade, they were taught how to throw axes, use daggers, fight hand to hand, and how to use a bayonet in battle. Many of these skills the boys did not tell either of their mothers they had learned because while they were fine with the two of them learning how to fight with a gentlemanly weapon like a sword, they would be more than unenthused by them learning to stab with a bayonet.
Sitting in the treehouse with Eli, John lay against a wall with his notebook off to the side and a history book on the 100 Years' War in hand while Eli sat in the corner reading a copy of Poor Richards Almanic written by Benjamin Franklin. The two different books showed differences between the two boys. While thick as thieves they had different interests. Eli dreamed of being a Soldier and so he preoccupied his time reading about things that he perceived to have practical application. This contrasted with John who focused on the study of history, science, and philosophy to support whatever career he wanted.
Looking over at Eli he realised there was one question he never asked. “Eli, you want to be a soldier right.”
Looking up from his book he responded enthusiastically with a large grin, “Yes I do, I want to lead my group of men someday.”
“So, you want to join the British army. It may be hard to raise through ranks because you aren't nobility.”
This question was very important to John. He wanted America to become independent as he disliked the idea of having a king on top of the “stupidity” his grandfather occasionally mumbled about. John wanted to make sure he would never have to fight against his dear friend if they found themselves on opposite sides of the war.
Giving a small scoff, “Nah I don't want to join the British army. They are all suck up and don't care about skill, only rank.” He pauses and looks into the distance, “I want to lead a group of my fellow people here in Pennsylvania, a force made up exclusively of Americans.”
A wave of relief washed over John as he heard this. “Yeah, plus I don't think you would look good in red. You would look like a lobster with that uniform on” he says with a small giggle.
This causes Eli to give a hearty chuckle, “They do look like lobsters don't they.”
After this conversation, the days leading up to the trip to Philadelphia would happen passed rather quickly. John had gone to the city only once before but he was young and his brain wasn't developed enough to form extremely comprehensive memories.
Hopping into a carriage early on a Monday morning they had packed to spend a whole week in the city as William had other business to attend to.
Packing up their belongings the two men sat in the back of a carriage and set out to Philadelphia. Eli and Martha stayed behind for various reasons, with Eli continuing his blade lesson and Johns's mother simply disliking the hustle of the city.
The Journey took the whole day with the two men doing their work. William was looking over paperwork while John continued reading the few books he brought along. This trip was not comfortable with the unpaved roads being cumbersome especially for Johns's neck as he was constantly being shaken around. Pulling out his notebook he flipped to his to-do list and added ‘invent spring carriage suspension’
When they finally arrived in the city they reached a large two-story house in a nice-looking part of the city. Stepping out of the carriage a few servants help the coachman bring the luggage into the house.
“This house was the home I lived in during my years in the city before I took over the estate.” His grandfather says looking at the house with a fond smile. “Maybe when you move out of the house you can live here if you want,” he says.
Heading up the two of them both opt to skip dinner and head straight to bed. Looking over the room the room John quickly falls asleep on the small bed.
[This chapter was a small one, I will occasionally write smaller chapters for Wednesdays. These may be fun filler, less important worldbuilding, or travel times]
