Finding knowledge (3/3)

Rafael was taken aback. "…Right, you," he said, trying to regain his composure. Frederic nodded in response.

"Tell me then about these ideas you had."

"Regarding paper—once it's mass-produced, you could use it to make copies of books on a large scale. Not just for the wealthy, but perhaps create accessible versions for the lower classes."

"Why would I do that? Books are expensive; no peasant can afford them, even in an accessible version. And even if they could, none of them know how to read."

Fair point...

"Well, you could have that trio of old men teach a group of children how to read, write, and do math..."

"Stop. I think you should either see the clerics to purge these strange thoughts or have your head examined. Better yet, they'll probably just execute you." Frederic raised his hand dismissively.

Fucking medieval period! Damn it!

"Okay, let's move on to the next topic: cement." Rafael continued.

"You mean liquid stone?"

"Yes," Rafael's eye twitched, "this could transform your entire domain. Stronger and taller walls, houses, towers—everything. Plus, it could be used to pave roads and streets. How many wagons break down daily traveling these roads? Imagine a smooth surface with wagons coming and going without a single bump."

"And the best part, travel time would be reduced by half." Rafael spoke enthusiastically, like a salesman pitching an idea to his boss.

"Hmm... These are interesting ideas. But—"

There's always a 'but.' Rafael rolled his eyes. "—to implement all that, we'll need a huge amount of materials, and it will take several years to complete."

"I understand, but you must think about the future. Invest a little now for decades of profit later. The same goes for the walls, roads within the city, houses, and a sewer system."

Frederic fell silent, contemplating Rafael's words. After some time, he told Rafael to continue if he had more to say.

Wow, he's not even saying if any of these ideas will be implemented?

"The last topic is distillation. Is the distiller ready for use?"

"It will be finished next week. Anything else? No? Then le—"

"Actually, there's one last thing..." Rafael raised one finger.

Should I say it? What if he thinks I'm practicing dark magic or witchcraft?

"Speak," Frederic urged, losing patience. "Last night, I received an idea. It involves mixing three components."

Frederic squinted and spoke slowly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I had a vision in my dreams. I vaguely heard the word 'war' and then the idea of combining three components." Frederic's expression shifted to one of disgust.

"... And what are these components? What type of things?"

"I know the first component is charcoal. The other two, unfortunately, I have yet to discover. Could it be that the Lord above has sent something to end this war?"

After what felt like half a minute, Frederic finally spoke. "Speak with my counselors and ask for their help. When you produce this... result of your idea... report back to me immediately, understood?"

Holy shit, yes! Rafael managed to maintain a poker face as he nodded.

Frederic watched the strange man, still in his simple cleric robe, leave his room. He had so many things on his mind lately—the war, his lands, his city, the politics of his title, his family...

And now this. A man who claims to have divine knowledge. Why? Is it real? What if it is? Ah, I'm back to this line of thought. Frederic stood up and gazed out of the window.

What if it's real and... he is actually connected not to Heaven, but to the opposite? Why are these things so tempting?

It was almost nightfall on the same day, just an hour after Rafael's meeting with Frederic. Rafael found himself in a small room—one of Frederic's counselors' bedrooms. "So, he sent you to me?"

"Yes, to get your help. I'm looking for three things: charcoal, sulfur, and phosphorus. Do you know where I can find them?"

The man, his hair streaked with white, looked at Rafael as if he were insane. "What in the heavens are you talking about? Are you cursing me?"

"What? No! These are the components I need."

"Are you practicing dark magic? Witchcraft? Are you trying to drag me into this?!"

"No, no, no! I already spoke with Frederic about this! It's divine knowledge! Divine! From Heaven! The baron himself instructed me to seek your help."

"Get away from me! You won't corrupt me with your schemes!"

Rafael felt a deep spiritual fatigue rather than anger. Fuck this shit.

After some time, following a servant to another counselor's quarters, Rafael managed to explain his idea to the second man, but only after shouting and repeating himself, just as he had with the previous counselor.

"So... you need charcoal and what else?"

"Sulfur and phosphorus."

This is my best guess right now. If it doesn't work, I'll just have to adjust one of these components and try again. Eventually, I'll produce gunpowder.

"Sulfur and phospo-what? I've never heard of such things. And before you say anything, I handle all metals and goods for this city, so I would definitely know if they were real."

... Rafael's mind short-circuited.