Chapter 32 32: economic burden

------------------------- If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. ------------------------------- Nachexen-Marktag, 25th,2488 IC I had no idea what the hell was going on. So focused on the details, making sure everything was under control, and now I found myself completely exposed to this situation. Why had I assumed the settlers would at least be people with some resources and not just simple refugees? If it weren't for the soap sales, thanks to the Temple of Shallya, my treasury would be completely empty. The priestess, with her odd sense of charity, had started buying the soap to distribute in nearby villages. Without that, my coffers would have already run dry—because to this day, I still have less gold than when I first began to govern. Although I was still worried about the lack of financial stability, at least the income flow wasn't entirely negative—just low. In addition, the shipment of tools my father had ordered for mining operations had finally arrived. It was a significant blow to the finances, with the total cost of the shipment nearing 800 crowns. Most of the tools were made of steel—pickaxes, wheelbarrows, and specialized equipment—all necessary to move forward with iron mining. Without these tools, I couldn't continue production or keep the settlers busy. Fortunately, the new blacksmiths who arrived numbered around forty, which allowed me to assign them to the vacant servant quarters I had emptied to cut costs. The problem was that many of them had been unemployed for years, having long abandoned their dreams of becoming smiths. However, I didn't care much, as long as they had the basic experience. The work they had to do now was simple enough: forging nails for construction or processing limestone. I wish I could say I had everything under control, but the reality was quite different. After reflecting, I realized that having more people living here meant more labor force and, in theory, more tax income in the future. The problem was that those taxes wouldn't come right away. With almost two thousand new inhabitants, I would have to invest more in security and in the cults, but I wouldn't receive anything tangible in return—at least not in the short term. The more people arrived, the more expenses I'd have to take on. While this could be seen as a long-term investment, it still worried me deeply. There would be no quick solution. Ever since we started settling, a steady trickle of migrants had been arriving from different parts of the Empire. On the 14th, three hundred from Middenland; on the 16th, fifteen hundred from Nordland; on the 17th, nearly a thousand from the outskirts of Altdorf; and on the 20th, a thousand from Wissenland. So far, no one else had arrived, but it was only a matter of time. Apparently, several counts were spreading the word about the settlement on my lands. The population of Reinsfeld had nearly doubled in the blink of an eye, which led me to make a decision. In talking with Rutger Breeke, the merchant from Marienburg who had been helping me with supplies and payments, I had the idea of asking him to pay for the services of an imperial architect. The cost was five hundred crowns just for the evaluation of the project—not cheap, but I needed the advice of someone experienced. I needed someone who truly knew what they were doing, especially since my goal was to build an efficient sewer system—ideally one that could even withstand the threat of Skaven. The architect arrived two days ago. His name was Otto von Nuln, an imperial architect of great renown. Over those two days, he had been analyzing the land, while I, on the other hand, had to deal with the incoming migrants to prevent them from building with packed earth and to secure the approval of the priest of Sigmar for the construction, with his religious blessing. I managed to convince most of them to be patient—that we would begin construction soon and they shouldn't rush into improvised building. In the meantime, the settlers began raising tents to settle temporarily, while I provided them with basic support and kept them busy working their assigned land. The priest of Sigmar, thankfully, wasn't too difficult to convince; apparently, he had a fondness for me since I was a child and once recited verses from Magnus the Pious by heart. A problem that began to emerge, however, was the clear cultural differences between the peoples of the Empire. In Reikland, Sigmar was the supreme god—but that wasn't the case in every province. Middenland and Nordland worshiped Ulric, so it wasn't unusual to see them argue with someone who merely greeted them with "Sigmar's blessings." The people from Talabecland mostly revered Taal, and his wife Rhya. The main issue was that they preferred to remain isolated from others, and they were now requesting a chapel for their own gods to be built near their future homes—even though Reinsfeld already had one. I was already considering forcing them to integrate, whether they liked it or not. Under no circumstance would I allow them to form ghettos—that only leads to problems. And more often than not, those ghettos end up demanding special rights or laws just for them. So the best course of action would be to break up the clusters and make them learn to tolerate each other. Or I would give them a reason to. Otto proved to be very professional and dedicated. With his team of experts, he had been working on maps and planning how the sewer system for the settlement should function. "So... will it be possible?" I asked, a bit exhausted from his slow response. I had expected more progress from him—especially considering the price I paid for his services. Otto looked up from the plans he'd been studying, his expression clearly showing fatigue. "It's possible, milord. Not easy—especially since part of the system will have to be built under already urbanized areas—but it is possible. The terrain has certain irregularities, and the solutions we'll need to implement are more expensive than I initially anticipated... but I believe, with time, it will be functional." "And how long will it take?" I asked, frowning. I wasn't willing to wait too long. The settlers' needs were not something I could ignore for much longer. "Depending on the materials and the labor force, I'd say at least ten months before we have a fully functional sewer system," Otto replied, as if he'd already done the math. "Ten months?" I repeated, incredulous. "That's unacceptable. The settlers need something faster. We can't afford to wait ten months—they'll be in the middle of winter by the time they can start building." Otto sighed. "I understand your frustration, my lord. But quick solutions aren't always the most effective. If we rush this, we risk creating a system that's inefficient and prone to failure down the line. I believe it's best to do it right from the start." "I know," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "But we can't keep waiting. I need this working as soon as possible. If we don't make progress, tensions in town will rise. And if I've learned anything, it's that when people have too much time on their hands, things tend to spiral out of control." Otto nodded slowly, seeming to understand the gravity of the situation. "I'll do everything I can to speed up the process, my lord. I don't want this task to become an obstacle to your plans." "Is it possible to build after the sewer system is finished?" I asked, looking for a way to move forward without sacrificing other projects. "Yes, it's possible," Otto answered, nodding slowly. "But diverting labor toward building homes will delay any other type of work. Resources are limited, and we'll need to prioritize." I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the decision. "Alright, how much will it all cost?" I asked, knowing the price tag was one of my greatest concerns. "Between the cost of materials—which I'll source in Altdorf—the wages for my crew, and my own fee over the coming months, it would total around thirty thousand gold crowns," Otto replied. I felt my stomach twist at the number. "Thirty thousand crowns? What are we doing, building it out of silver?" I said, clearly stunned and trying to process the size of the sum. "What I'm planning isn't cheap, my lord. We need a massive amount of bricks, mortar, labor—and most of all, to purchase a dwarven pumping system. I'll have to build sedimentation chambers, places for filters, and eventually a zone to handle solid waste, so that the water reaching the Reik River is as clean as possible. And none of that is cheap. Dwarves don't sell anything cheaply, and what I'm asking for will be a work of art," Otto explained, his tone serious. "I can provide the bricks and mortar, if necessary," I replied, trying to find a way to cut the cost. "Three thousand bricks a day. I've got some decent kilns that have already been running for two days." "Three thousand a day?" Otto looked at me with clear skepticism. "And the mortar works? Because if it doesn't, all the work will go to waste. It's better to play it safe and buy from professionals." "The mortar is under control," I answered confidently. "I made it myself." "You made it?" Otto frowned, clearly doubtful. "My crew is five hundred workers, my lord. It wouldn't make sense to have them laying six bricks a day. I need at least ten thousand per day to keep up the pace. Plus, I have to stagger the work with digging the tunnels." He paused, sighing. "I doubt a noble knows how to make proper mortar." My patience was running thin. "It's not that difficult," I muttered to myself, rummaging for the sack of mortar I had prepared. "What you need is calcium oxide mixed with sand in the right proportion," I continued murmuring, unable to hide my irritation. "That's all it takes. Add a bit of water and you've got perfect mortar." I returned quickly with the sack and set it down in front of Otto. He opened it with a small blade and took a sample. He poured it into a bucket and began mixing it with water, watching in silence. After a few minutes, Otto looked up, visibly impressed. "Interesting," he murmured, touching the mixture with his gloved fingers and observing how it hardened. "The result is impressive... I must admit, I didn't expect this. This mortar will work just fine." "Start digging the tunnels you need. I'll make sure to have fifteen thousand bricks per day ready for you in ten days. Sound good?" I said, looking at the architect. "Alright. But I think we'll have to add another month to the initial estimate. Also, I still need that dwarven pumping system, so I can reduce the cost to thirteen thousand crowns," Otto said. "Fine... that's more tolerable. I'll give you an advance of two thousand crowns. The next payment will come in four months after reviewing the progress, and then a final payment when everything is complete," I said, pointing toward ink and parchment. The architect shook his head. "I don't work like that. I charge for each month worked. Too many nobles have tried to cheat me—cutting me off halfway or near the end of a project just to avoid paying—so I prefer to charge monthly. If the payments stop, the work stops. Simple as that." "Alright... I suppose that's more convenient for me anyway. I'll send the first payment of thirteen hundred crowns so you can get started. If you need help with anything, let me know. This has to go well," I said, thoughtful. "It will, my lord, don't worry. Once this is finished, any future expansion will be far cheaper—just a matter of connecting it to the system, and in some cases, adding another pump, which won't be as costly," the architect said. I nodded and rode back to the castle, deep in thought, wondering how the hell I was going to pay off the massive debt I had just taken on. ------------------------- If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. -------------------------------