Chapter 14: The Experimental Find and the Salty Disappointment
Chapter 14: The Experimental Find and the Salty Disappointment
I woke up with my whole body aching because of the fencing training from the previous day. I needed to be more careful; this new child shell of mine still couldn't take the toll of simulated fights. Besides, I frequently lost track of time around here. The long twenty-six-hour clock gave the distinct impression that the day yielded much more, that we produced more and lived in a vaster way at each cycle. But, as much as I tried to get used to it, the culture shock remained huge.
Well, there was no point in complaining. Being able to use my technical knowledge, which was so rusty, was already a wonderful gift. I felt genuinely happy. Having so many new raw materials and elements to experiment with and create in this territory transformed the place into my private laboratory. For a geek like me, that was a true dream.
At least the morning started with a small victory for my conscience. Thys was sleeping on something that looked like a rustic bed of braided straw—a legitimate bed, given the lodging conditions—and shared the space with the monk Katriny. This change in the accommodations was the result of an insistent negotiation I had with my mother the day before. Upon seeing the two of them sleeping on the cold stone floor, I felt sad and complained, arguing that it was bad for their health and rest. Lady Sylvia, however, looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes and cracked a little joke that caught me totally by surprise:
— Well, my dear... if the room arrangement makes you so sad, would you prefer that your nurse and your vigilante sleep together with you in the same double bed?
What hatred! I turned redder than a chili pepper. I was absolutely sure she had done that on purpose, because she let out a huge laugh in my face. I know that in this body I am only six years and a few months old—there were about four moons left until my seventh birthday—which made any physical complication strictly impossible, but my adult mind almost exploded with shame.
Fortunately, the embarrassment wasn't just mine. Katriny also froze near the wardrobe, and her ursine features gained a purple hue beneath her black and white fur. Who said pandas don't change color under the effect of shame? For that alone, I already considered it a win for my ego.
I jumped out of bed slowly, but my caregiver was already... sitting up? Her alert sensory system was fully activated in vigil mode. When would I ever be able to wake up before her? It was incredible.
— Good morning, young master! — Thys greeted with a cheerful smile. — The sun is beautiful on the coast today. I will change you and go check on your breakfast.
I fixed my eyes on her with silent determination. I am still going to discover the secret of your awakening, Thys, I planned. She noticed my gaze, let out a gentle laugh, picked me up in her arms and—vup!—changed me in the blink of an eye. Sometimes I thought this woman had more than one pair of arms, she was so fast. "My pride ended up back on the stone floor. Well, at least Katriny was still snoring blissfully on the rug — she must have rolled off the straw bed in the middle of the night without even realizing it."
— Thys, will I have the day off today? — I asked, adjusting my speech.
— Yes, young master — she explained, tying my leather belt. — Lord Arl and Lady Sylvia left very early to resolve the fiscal bureaucracies and the logistics of sugar refining with the port artisans. They already left everything organized: you have permission to stroll through the city markets with the armed escort of our elite guard, but with the obligation to return before nightfall for the court dinner. And don't forget: Countess Valeria sent word that she wants to visit you in the late afternoon.
— Well remembered — I nodded. — We have to be back before sunset. But... Thys, bring the breakfast platters with the portions here to the room, please? Let's all eat together at the corner table.
The nurse let out a sigh, but her expression softened into a condescending smile.
— All right, little master. Since the lords have left, I already consulted the Mistress and she agreed. But don't get used to it, because this is not part of the proper protocol of the castle.
— Yes, yes... you are the one who rules the moods of this room — I joked with a nod.
Shortly after she returned bringing the meal: slices of a somewhat hard bread, pieces of salted dried meat, and some citrus fruits harvested on the coast. I took advantage of the moment to poke Katriny's furry shoulder with the wooden dagger, waking the monk from her heavy sleep while I organized my notes on the corner table.
The Market of Teguma and the Gold Coins
With the preparations concluded, we organized ourselves to head out for the adventure. I climbed the steps of the carriage and we went straight to the sector where the local trade was located. I was super hopeful about the surprises that awaited me. My pockets were considerably heavy; thanks to my sugar idea, my father had left ten gleaming gold coins under my custody the previous day. It was a small fortune! The lorde had been categorical: if I had any other manufacturing idea, I shouldn't hesitate; I was to spend or buy the inputs. However, he also gave me a serious warning, alerting that the kingdom unfortunately had not yet abolished slavery completely, and that I might see very sad situations of degrading servitude at the docks.
Seriously? Did I happen to end up in a prototype of a harem or in those fantastic manga of magical slavery? This kind of material should be banned for minors! My small child heart wouldn't handle such stress with a nosebleed, I let out a silent laugh to myself, chasing away the bad thoughts.
The Vance coachman called through the slit:
— Young master, we have arrived at the central plaza.
I got out of the carriage along with Katriny and the bodyguard who carried a heavy iron shield. Stepping onto the stones, I flashed a wide smile. Now yes, this looked like a legitimate isekai! The plaza was full of stalls and tarps, the air saturated with the smell of sea breeze, fresh fish, and ship pitch. Several exotic races walked around there, buying fabrics and negotiating with happy countenances.
But my geek radar operated with strict priorities. My search list determined finding books first, and then salt and spices—like turmeric, wild oregano, and cumin. Spices always cheer up cooking, but I noticed that around here sadness reigned, for everything was absurdly expensive due to the difficulties of the era. I turned to the panda-monk:
— Katriny, let's look for different things, but first we need to find books.
Katriny looked at me and let out a gentle laugh, her ears up.
— Yes, little master. Yesterday I already imagined you would ask about that, so I got ahead in the searches. It's just over there to the left, turning the block and walking another block and a half.
I looked at her with total approval. What wonderful efficiency!
The Diary in the Arcane Shop
We walked to the location and found a relatively bright shop. Upon entering, the atmosphere was totally different from the dark rooms of the castle; it didn't smell like mold, everything was clean and illuminated. But the strangest thing was that the place only sold magical objects, arcane tomes, and rolls of parchment. I stood perplexed looking at so many interesting things that I simply couldn't use or even open because of my rejection of mana. A sting of frustration hit me, but I moved forward.
I approached the counter where an old man with an enormous white beard and a monocle-type eyepiece stood. I thought to myself that only a tobacco pipe was missing to complete the look of an ancient sage. The man looked at my small stature with disdain.
— What does the little one want? — he asked, grumpy.
Katriny was quick and intervened:
— The young master is looking for mundane books, records that are not magical. Could you help us?
He looked at me with a strange face, adjusting his glasses.
— It's on that shelf at the back. I don't have many copies of that type, but I received some very interesting manuscripts that belonged to the fleets of a captain baron in these last tides. Take a look and see if it pleases you.
At that moment my smile grew so big it almost tore my face. I went running! And finally I saw it: a whole shelf of secular books! After so much time confined, how I missed a real library. As much as I had to pay dearly for them, that represented a gold mine of information.
I began to rummage through the cuneiform volumes. There were many there talking about the geography of the province, maritime routes, and marine creatures, but one book in particular froze my attention. The title read: Diary of Experimental Geometry and Sideral Movements, by Master H. S. Galupono. When I opened it and began to read the graphics, I almost gave a jump. How genial! This guy must be a legitimate Galileo Galilei or a Leonardo da Vinci of this world. So many incredible details about the functioning of the sky!
I grabbed the book firmly, walked back to the counter and asked the bearded man:
— How much does this copy cost?
He looked at my child stature, looked at the technical book and let out a distinctly sarcastic laugh:
— It's five heavy gold coins, sir.
The irony in his tone deeply wounded my geek pride. The elder thought I was just a foolish little boy picking up an expensive object without having a way to pay, and had no idea of the astrophysical importance that was kept there. I reached into my pocket, pulled out five gleaming gold coins from my father's inheritance and discharged them firmly onto the wood. The sound of the metal was heavy and sharp.
The man turned pale at the exact same moment, his wrinkles locking in pure shock.
— By the eyes of the sea... — he stammered, gathering the gold with trembling fingers. — The young master is quite different from ordinary children for his age, isn't he? Are you sure you want this treaty of complex geometry? I have a book with pictures of monsters and fadas that would be much better for the entertainment of a little boy...
I shook my head negatively in a firm manner, maintaining the serious posture of a professor.
— Thank you for the suggestion, master. But this one perfectly meets my reading criteria. Let's go, Katriny.
We left the shop and, as soon as we hit the sidewalk, I jumped for pure joy in the middle of the street, surprising my vigilante. Katriny stopped, curious.
— Is that book you bought so wonderful, young master Kaelen?
— Yes, it's spectacular, Katriny! You have no idea how clear and precise the data here is. It explains exactly how this planet works, the continents and the races. But most importantly: it deciphers the physics of us having twenty-six hours a day and the reason we see that gas giant fixed high up in the firmament. As soon as we return, I want you to read it too so we can discuss the details together, agreed?
Katriny opened a huge and moved smile, her furry ears wagging with happiness. In rigid feudal societies, knowledge was a secret locked under seven keys by dynasties; sharing a scientific treaty with a heteromorphic servant was a total breach of conduct. She had only experienced this exchange when she was in training with her old master and, since she entered the castle, she didn't have time to study. This sharing of data meant a lot for her well-being.
However, our hunt in search of the second item on the list—sodium chloride—collided with a very bitter disappointment.
The White Sand Cove and Sea Salt
We returned to the fair, which remained super busy. We strolled through several stalls, shops, and warehouses at the docks, but the feudal reality crushed my plans. Only two workshops sold sea salt in the entire port city, and the conditions were absurd: the business was done mostly by barter of rare skins from the north or for exorbitant prices in silver coins for each kilo of the product.
I placed my hand on my forehead, discouraged. How completely naive I was, I recriminated myself. Since salt was an essential element for life and for the preservation of meats, the lack of refining prevented cities from progressing. People suffered and food spoiled simply because medieval villages didn't have basic sea salting techniques. It was a sad and common difficulty in simpler societies, and I had underestimated the size of this problem.
We began our march back to Baron Claus's residence with a visibly dejected countenance and a somewhat heavy heart. I was far from home, in a strange city, without my defenses or my usual laboratory. I felt small and somewhat impotent before the deficiencies of that fiefdom.
As the carriage skirted the coastal road, I turned my eyes to the blue immensity of the ocean that beat against the rocks of the port. The water was salty and it was right there, available on a planetary scale for whoever wanted it. That was when, in the distance, my eyes spotted a small natural cove. It was a beach isolated from the noisy traffic of ships, and its sand displayed an extraordinary whiteness. That so clear and bright hue, visible even from a great distance, indicated a very high concentration of salt naturally accumulated by the evaporation of tides on the stones.
A pleasant warmth rose through my chest and all the discouragement vanished instantly. An involuntary and happy smile budded on my child face. The solution was right before us, offered by the very geography of the coast.
I turned to Katriny with eyes shining with joy, my voice much lighter, softer, and more animated than in all the rest of the journey:
— Katriny! Look at that white sand beach! When we return to our quarters and the court dinner ends, we will have a very fun job ahead of us. Please help me get some clean parchments, dark ink, and a goose quill from the servants. Tonight, the two of us are going to start drawing the project to solve this salt problem once and for all!
Katriny looked at the gleaming cove and then at my smile, caught by my happiness. The weight of frustration had vanished completely. We might be far from home, full of aches all over our bodies and being treated like children, but that white sand beach had returned hope to my small geek heart. The day that had begun with a salty disappointment ended with the promise of a much tastier future for all of us.
— Let's go Katriny, let's solve this Salty problem!!
