novelnext Chapter 102: Automation
Chapter 102: Automation
Chapter 102: Automation
“Where are all the ships?” Cal asked the man he had seen working as Drex’s assistant. Almost all of them were gone from the harbor. The one he was most curious about was Benan’s. The small trading vessel was nowhere to be seen.
That made little sense to Cal. He remembered the deal that Benan was highly insistent on. The man wanted Cal to do him a favor in the next several days, and leaving now seemed highly unusual. He should have been happy about the sudden departure, but it was the exact opposite.
Cal would’ve preferred Benan to be in a location that was known to him.
“I—I don’t know. Maybe they went to Gale’s End?” The poor assistant looked terrified at being unable to give him a concrete answer.
Cal waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Let Drex know I need ten carts with drivers to arrive at my farm tomorrow morning.”
The assistant nodded rapidly. “I’ll let him know as soon as I see him in the morning.”
“Good man,” Cal smiled before walking back to town. He could sense the Apprentice, who had passed him the note, watching from a building at the edge of the port.
He had no intention of initiating contact. That was Overseer Marek’s man. It would be on him to take action.
***
Cal left the lone restaurant in Mariner’s Rest with a frown. The proprietor knew nothing about Benan’s whereabouts, and that was where his ideas to ask around died.
He ignored the looks he received again as he walked through town. There was a strong temptation to return to Seris’s house and stay for the night. It felt wrong to leave his assistant as she was, but even though it looked callous, it was for her own good.
Cal preferred not to be seen in anyone’s presence for an extended period while in negotiations with Maelor. It couldn’t be hidden that he had mortal employees, but it would be best to make it look as if he didn’t care much about them for now.
He left Mariner’s Rest behind.
***
“Is it just me, or has the water level barely changed?” Cal asked his audience of a golem and the wolf pack leader. He obviously didn’t get any replies.
It had been over a day since he last cast [Rainfall] over the pond, and the amount of time the past did not match the water that the crops should have absorbed.
He quickly checked the seeds and confirmed that everything was on track for an on-time harvest before returning to the pond.
The mana in the pond became extremely concentrated without my actions. The same phenomenon may apply to water itself.
Cal couldn’t say he understood the reasons behind it. He doubted that Tavia would know either, though it was more likely that she would compared to him. This was something to ask Overseer Marek since the man would notice something so obvious when he visited. There was no reason to hide.
“Golem, cast Rainfall over the pond,” Cal ordered, intending to allow access this time.
Your Water Golem requests access to your mana core to cast [Rainfall].
“Stay on the stone pavement,” Cal ordered the cart drivers as they approached the house. The stone paths that extended into the field were only large enough for a person, not a cart.
It made loading the carts a bit of a headache, but with his speed, it didn’t take more than thirty minutes. Soon, the carts were filled with freshly harvested and dried Sunfire Grains.
“Head to town. I’ll follow you closely,” Cal instructed the drivers. He turned to the golem and said, “Cease casting Rainfall, and stay in that spot. Do nothing and wait for my return.”
Cal left the farm after a quick farewell to the pack leader.
***
“—and nineteen gold,” Drex counted out the last gold coin he handed to Cal. “I’ll just round it up, so let’s forget about the change. Another great harvest! I think you should think about the next contract right now at the rate you’re going.”
“I thought the same thing, but it can wait for the next harvest. Speaking of which, I’ll need over forty carts ready in six to seven days.”
Drex stared at him in shock. “You expect to have over twenty thousand ready in that time?”
“Around that,” Cal confirmed, thinking of what to do even further in the future. He still had no desire to deal with Nismus and break the sweetheart deal he had with Overseer Marek, but he was also coming to realize that Mariner’s Rest simply couldn’t handle the volumes he would soon be working with.
Plus, Drex had got on his nerves.
Cal remembered a naively out-of-touch contact in Lumina.
Fintan. I need to speak to him soon. I’ll take Tavia to the city and make a day out of it.
“—Cal?”
He snapped out of his thoughts to see Drex looking at him nervously. He quickly understood why when he sensed a large mana signature approaching him.
“The port overseer, Brin, asked to meet with you,” Drex blurted out and continued to add details without letting Cal reply. “If you want to delay the meeting, just let me know, and I’ll take care of it. The port overseer did mention that it didn’t need to be rushed. And I have nothing to do with it. In fact, I barely speak with—”
“Drex, it’s fine,” Cal interrupted him. He recalled how confident Drex was when interacting with him at the start. That bravado had been completely stripped away, leaving a mortal that wasn’t too different from most others.
What a shame. I enjoyed Drex’s no-nonsense way of speaking.
“Apprentice Cal?”
Cal ignored the choked gasp of surprise from Drex when he realized the rank used. “I didn’t expect to see you again this soon. Is there something else you need to pass on?”
“Nothing like that,” Brin shook his head. “But there is someone who would like to show appreciation for your help. If you could follow me?”
Cal straightened in attention and gave Brin a firm nod. “Drex, take care of the carts for me.”