Chapter 72: Act 2: Chapter 18

Twenty-first day, Sixth Moon, 253 AC (+21 days)

"Morning, Papa."

I mumbled a greeting toward Violet, as I was not in the mood to say anything aloud.

"Not feeling good?" She asked.

"Headache," I replied, softly.

"Ah, it was a bit of a late night, last night, but it was a good homecoming party regardless."

I gave a hum of agreement. It had been a nice party, and it was wonderful to be back, but I found as I was getting older my body liked to be taken out of its schedule less and less. As had happened last night, I went to bed much later than I would normally, and my body was making me pay for it.

"Do you want me to go everything now? Or did you want me to make you a pot of tea first?"

I motioned for her to continue.

"Well, as you saw briefly yesterday, when you rode in, nothing burned down. So, that's good." I snorted, and she continued. "I think I ought to start us off on a good note. I, er, finished one your projects for you."

I raised an eyebrow but kept my eyes closed as I listened to her speak.

"I mean, you were close – almost there, really – but I, uh, finished." She said, lamely. "I managed to make a good paper product."

My eyes opened in surprise. "Truly?" I breathed out.

She gave me a satisfied smile. "Yep. I'll show you later, but I reworked the process a bit and added some steps, but I can reliably make paper." She held out a small stack of it for me to inspect. They were unlined, obviously, but otherwise looked like paper. A bit rougher than what I remembered it ought to be, but it was paper, nonetheless.

"That is wonderful," I said, quietly but with pride. My daughter the inventor.

"It is. I have been taking lots of notes – it makes it easier to keep track of everything."

"I'm proud of you."

She gave me a glowing smile. "Thanks, papa. But it really was your work, for the most part, I just got the last bit to work."

I closed my eyes again as my head started to hurt once more. "It will be a good business to get up and running, even if there won't be that many potential buyers to begin."

"True; it will have to be something for a later date. But I still want to make enough for our own needs; I don't want to go back to making a minimal number of notes."

"I agree. We'll make enough to suit our needs, and when Ryden and I go to White Harbor to meet his betrothed, I will bring some samples with me to try and scope out demand."

"That should be fine; I know someone that would be willing to learn to make paper as a job. More than that though, I think we will need more settlers."

I hummed in thought. "One man will be plenty for now. Would he be capable of eventually becoming the manager and teaching others?"

"Yes, I think he could rise to the challenge."

"Alright then, can you deal with that?" Once she gave her assent, I continued, "This reminds me though – I need to get caught up on the status of the villagers."

"Well, at the time Uncle Koryn had left, we had received about 320 people, I believe? That was over the course of the first two months you were gone. Then this last three-and-a-half months we received an additional 691 people."

"Holy shit."

"We now have a total of 1,789 people in Redbridge and the immediate area."

"That is a lot of people. What do you mean by 'immediate area'?"

"Well, with the influx of people and the increasing mining needs I set up a new mine with an accompanying farming community. It's pretty small, only about thirty farmers alongside twenty miners but it serves us well."

"Mhm, smart. Where is it?"

"The mine? It's southeast of us. I've added making a road to it a priority as it takes just over a day to get to, but the path right now is horrendous."

"Good, that's good. I want to start to expand inland a bit."

"Oh? Are you changing your plan? I thought you wanted to expand northwards along the coast?"

"Yes, I want to change the plan a bit as I've learned a lot on the trip. But we can go over that in a little while. First, how's the castle coming?"

She chuckled. "Alright then. The castle is coming along nicely – if I do say so myself. The walls are up, and the towers are being raised. Preliminary work on the keep and other buildings has started, but they are not the priority yet."

"Excellent," I exclaimed. "I had feared it would have fallen behind when Koryn had mentioned some production issues."

"The new mine solved that, as did the influx of people."

"And what of the alcohol and other trade goods?"

I heard her shuffling some papers. "Alcohol sales have been good. We've sold more vodka to various lords, and those orders have been easy to fill – I've got records if you want to see them."

I waved her off as I didn't feel like getting up just yet. "Maybe tomorrow. What about the brandy?"

"We've received another round of orders, but we are waiting on more wine being delivered. We had ordered enough wine originally to cover what we were unable to fill on the first round of orders as well as this latest batch. Another order for more wine has been placed again, and hopefully, the first order of wine arrives in the next week or two."

I heard some papers shuffled again. "Soap sales have been good as well," she said, "We have gotten a large order from the Manderlys, and smaller orders from the Lockes, Flints, and Cerwyns. I have also sent out a letter to get a few quotes on what it would take to build a glass greenhouse."

"For the winter roses?"

"Yes, as well as for general use – depending on the price."

"There's been more interest in the winter rose oil?"

"A lot. Every order requested some, but they have thankfully settled for others. The soap purchases seem to be driven by the Ladies of the houses, and scent being the primary purpose."

"Hmm, the greenhouse will be important than in order to produce that many winter roses – they are incredibly difficult to cultivate otherwise."

"Agreed, but I think we will be able to afford it. The next harvest came in a month ago, and taxes are due in a month. I've already set aside the portions that will have to go back to the Glovers and Mormonts as per your agreements with them about the settlers. I've made sure we retained a portion for our own use, and the rest I think we can sell."

"Hmm, I would also like to set some aside in case of any sort of famine."

"Famine prevention? That's doable," she said. I heard her write it down, before she replied, "It won't be too hard to implement it for Redbridge and the surrounding area, but farther out will be a challenge."

I sat up on the couch and took a sip of water, while I thought over the issue. "True, I think any type of famine relief will have to rely on castles for protection and distribution, as I don't want anyone to steal the large stores of food. We can incorporate that into the Stonefisk plans, and when we start on Osend as well."

"Alright, in other news I've managed to sell some garum to your friend, the tavern owner in Deepwood, Arlan. Not too much, but I got him to send on samples to his contacts to try and push out the word of our products."

I gave her a bright smile. "Smart!"

"Sales of the farming equipment have been excellent, but since all of them are bought with loans, we haven't made much money. All of the new farmers have adopted these machines and our farming practices, and most, but not all, or the people who have lived here previously have done so as well. Most of those who have declined typically are smaller farms, so it's not a big concern. Production is still slow, and we have a huge backlog of orders, but we are steadily churning out machines." She ran her hand through her hair in thought. "I've been keeping track of all the loans and cooperatives that have formed, but the details have been fairly barebone. With paper though, I really think we need to start expanding how much information we keep."

I nodded. "Aye, that would be good, but we need people that can do that for us." I patted her hand. "I know you've worked hard while we were away, and now that we are back your workload will reduce, but not enough to start this up."

"We will have to find literate people willing to work for us then."

"Yes, and I will keep an eye out when I head to White Harbor. Hopefully, I can find some scribes."

"What about a Maester?" she asked.

"Lord Stark said that we won't get one until well after the castle is built," I replied. "They won't send a Maester to live in an unestablished area, especially a backwater like this."

Violet frowned. "That would solve a lot of problems though."

"Perhaps, but it would also open up new challenges. For instance, I am still trying to keep our farming equipment secret – well, not secret, but rather low-key. If everyone starts producing lots of food, not only will it create political instability as power shifts but it will also lower food prices. I want us to benefit from that for as long as possible."

She looked skeptical. "Will we really be able to keep it a secret?"

I shrugged. "Not for long, but it will be slow to start. Maybe someone will realize the potential and take a risk. They'll likely start small, maybe our closest neighbors like the Glovers will be the first, and they will notice the difference it makes. They'll expand and expand, and others will take note. Then as more people do it, the more people will be exposed, and the knowledge will spread rapidly. After all, who wants to make less than your neighbor?"

She nodded. "That makes sense." She put her papers down and picked up her cup but frowned when she realized it was empty.

I stood up and grabbed her cup. "I'll get us another round of tea if you want to set up the table? I'd like to hash out the new development plan. Make sure to grab my map out of my pack as well."

I wandered over to the kitchen and began to boil some water. Reaching into the familiar cupboards, I pulled out our tin of teas and began fixing up the cups. It was nice being back in the house again – in any sort of familiar territory, really. The rest of the kids were doing farm chores once again and falling back into that familiar pattern. Nyra went to see Donovar's wife as Violet had told us last night, she was pregnant once again.

I poured the water once it had boiled and I made my way over to the table, where Violet had set everything else up. I sat down and passed Violet her cup and looked over the map.

"First," I said, "we need to make priorities. Do you mind taking some notes, Violet?"

"Sure thing, papa."

"Let's start off with Priority 1. This will be the important things that need to be done as soon as possible. After that, we can have Priority 2, which will be things that are important, but not critical. Priority 3 will be good, but not necessary or time-sensitive. Priority 4 is long-term goals, and Priority 5 is a 'would be nice' category."

Violet let out a snort. "Would be nice category?"

I laughed. "Yes. For instance, we came across a pass that looked to be a good overland route that could stretch from Redbridge all the way to Twin Lakes River, which we called Bear Pass. It would be nice to have communities all along that road, but I think it is important, but not critical, that we set up a lumber site near the opening of the pass along the river to make lumber for Osend. Understand?"

Understanding lit up her eyes. "I see. That would make the lumber camp a Priority 2 since Osend itself would be a Priority 1."

I nodded. "Aye, that's the shape of it." I cleared my throat. "So, the original plan was to expand along the coast northwards and concentrate on Iowa. It was a barebones plan, more economic in nature, but with the new perspective we all gained from the trip, it's time for a new one."

"To start," I continued, "Redbridge, Osend, and Stonefisk are going to be considered Priority 1, with a focus on Redbridge and Stonefisk. Both villages will aim to increase population, through immigration, increases in birth, and decreases in death, alongside production growth. We already know what products and industries we want to target, and that hasn't really changed much. The only thing that is new to you, Violet, is a tree nursery program and rice."

"Rice?"

"Rice. I found to the south of Stonefisk, some wild rice growing in the lakes in the area. The locals eat it, but they only gather it in the wild and don't cultivate it. I put up a ten gold dragon reward to the person who could farm it, so we will have to see if anything comes of that."

"I remember from your stories that rice was an important food, right?" At my nod, she continued. "That will be really good then. And what's this about a tree nursery?"

"Most of the coast and even Rillplainshire is almost completely lacking in trees. It's astonishing, and not in a good way. So, I set up a lad in Stonefisk to start growing trees that we can plant all along the coast. It won't be a direct money-making industry since I am paying for the whole thing myself, but it should bring in money indirectly – through increased productivity and farming yields. We can add both of those to the development plan for Stonefisk. Osend will have a few interesting changes as well. We found soybeans on our travels, which will be a very important crop to grow. There was a nearby salt mine as well as tin and copper mines in the area. As we originally assumed, the area will be perfect for raising plenty of horses, and the river will be a huge transportation hub."

I scratched my chin. "Priority 2 will consist of Rillplainshire, a wine valley and tentatively, Twin Lakes."

"A wine valley?" asked Violet.

I pointed it out on the map. "This is an ideal location for wine production and considering our issues with getting wine for making brandy; I think this is an important area to get started."

She nodded. "Alright. Rillplainshire for the soybeans I assume?" At my nod, she continued. "And Twin Lakes?"

"The other side of the lake, the Tallhart's domain, is fairly heavily populated and the area has plenty of resources. I say tentatively because Evelyn found a mystery metal there. I want to send a team of miners, when we have enough to spare, to go and see what it is. Depending on the result it may get bumped up to a Priority 1."

"Alright, so the only region without a priority is Woodshire. What do you want to assign that?"

"Priority 3," I answered. "I want to send Koryn there still with his teaching program and set up some basic fortifications at these locations I have listed out. Otherwise, I will likely leave the area alone for now and long-term I want to improve the roads there."

"Simple enough. What other projects do you want to list?"

"Roads. Roads and bridges," I said. I leaned forward and put my finger on Redbridge. "I want a good road leading from the castle to Redbridge proper. I know we've cleared the trees and straightened out the path, but I want to lay down stone and create a good road. Possibly concrete, especially for the main road."

Violet nodded. "That should be fine. You didn't see it when you came in yesterday, but the road is coming along nicely. The Fresno scraper has mostly leveled the road; there is just some work on releveling a gully, to be less prominent. Work on the sewer system is still slow as all of our concrete is going towards the castle right now."

"Excellent! I will go for a tour around the village tomorrow to check on the progress of everything."

I took a sip of tea while I organized my thoughts. "So," I said, "the next road should be to the new mining community you set up. For now, just crushed stone. After that, I want to start expanding the road northwards to Deepwood Motte. To start I want to straighten and level the road, but eventually, I want to surface it with crushed stone. At the same time, I want a road going towards Twin Lakes and the wine valley. Another road from Redbridge to Stonefisk is also needed, with similar construction to the Deepwood road. And finally, a road from Redbridge to Bear Pass to Osend. I also will talk to Lord Stark about building a real road to Winterfell through the Wolfswood."

Violet nodded, making a note of the roads. "What priority do you want to assign them?"

"Priority 1 for the Sunset's Rest to Redbridge, and the Redbridge to the mine. Priority 2 for the Redbridge-Deepwood road and the Redbridge to Twin Lakes. Priority 3 for Redbridge-Stonefisk, and Priority 4 for the Redbridge-Bear-Osend road."

"What about the Wolfswood highway?" she asked.

"Let's not assign anything to that just yet. Let's see what Lord Stark has to say first."

Violet bit her lip as she looked over her notes in thought. "This will be difficult to manage. The amount of man and horse-power we need to complete all these roads will be insane. Are you sure you don't want to focus on money-making things first?"

I leaned back in my chair and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think I am prioritizing roads?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

I gave her a mock pout. "Fine, ruin my fun." At her exasperated look, I laughed. "Alright, alright. Roads are crucial in transporting goods and people. The better the roads are, the more goods can be moved. The more goods that can be moved means more people will be involved and more coin as well. This will drive growth, in both population and trade as people come here to do business. For example, that mining village you started? It will likely remain small unless we fix that road. It's too far out, with not enough around it to drive growth. But if we shorten the time it takes to get there, it opens up possibilities. It's not magic – I mean if we made a road from that mine further inland to nowhere, in particular, it wouldn't do much. After all, why would anyone go nowhere?"

Violet nodded in understanding. "I think I see. But we will still have large stretches of 'nowhere' along these roads that you said you wanted to build."

"True, but they will start to slowly fill in since they are there for a purpose. First, growth from existing places will expand along the road. Then, it will keep crawling along as the population expands. Even then, I have a way to stimulate growth further. We need to encourage some sort of inn along the roads. Say, one for the distance someone could travel on foot per day. These inns will attract people to settle nearby in order to service them and create future growth."

"Ah, I see what you are aiming for. So, the population won't necessarily follow the coast, so much as the road."

"Exactly! Now, the road will hug the coast, somewhat, but it will also cut across inland a bit." I pointed out what I meant with my finger. "I want to connect these major settlements via road, and that road should head towards either Redbridge or Deepwood as a final destination."

"Ah, so this plays into what you wanted with the village spacing you had talked about before, right?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "I was a bit premature with asking Koryn about that, but yes. Eventually, there will be villages spread out all along this road, but I will leave it up the people moving there to deal with the exact locations, for the most part."

"That will be a lot of inns. It's what? Three hundred miles, maybe more as the crow flies to Deepwood Motte? A person can walk about 20 miles a day, so that's at least 15 inns. Some of those would be the responsibility of the Glovers, but still, that is a lot of inns."

I nodded. "I don't disagree; it would be a Priority 3 if anything. The inns wouldn't be fortified or anything, but they could have a separate section for anyone on my business to stay in."

"Like reserved rooms?"

"Something like that. A separate stable for horses and wagons. It could even be available for anyone who is travelling to stay for free during the winter. The innkeeper would own the inn and food, but I would be responsible for the separate section of the building."

Violet nodded. "It's interesting, but I agree with the Priority 3 – it's too much work for now."

"That's about it for roads. Did you manage to finish the different brands for the products, like I had asked before we left?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I don't have them here with me. I created a design for the barrels that will contain the cement as Ragnarock."

I grinned. "I love that name."

She laughed. "I know you do. It's too punny for you not to love." She took another sip of her tea and continued. "The branding for the soap products has been made, so that the bags that the entire order comes in reflects the name Sunset's Soap. I've also been toying with an idea you gave me a few years back, regarding wax paper. Now that we have paper, I have been fiddling with making some wax paper in my spare time. Individually wrapped soap would be good for the more expensive soaps, I think."

"I agree! It would certainly make the products even more unique."

She smiled happily. "I didn't bother with making a brand for garum since we won't be controlling its production, but I did for the alcohols. Vodka, also known as Northern Water, has been made for the barrels it will be sold in, and brandy as well - though, I didn't come up with any name for brandy. The design I came up with for the brandy does, however, clearly state where it's from."

I waved her off. "Don't worry, if it needs a name, we can come up with one later. Or let our customers name it for us."

"Alright. Oils have been branded as well, just like brandy – no names, just location. I will show you the designs for everything another day."

"That's fine; you've done wonderfully!"

"Thanks, Papa."

"How's Tylan been doing with his apprenticeship?"

She gave me a bright smile. "He's really been enjoying it! And he's been learning a lot. He definitely enjoys the more theoretical aspect of it though, such as doing land surveys or designing something rather than managing the workers."

I smiled ruefully. "I can believe that. I'll talk to him and see if we can't promote anyone to take some of that workload off him."

"He'd be grateful if you could."

I drained the last of my tea and stood up. "I think that's enough planning for now. Why don't you pack everything up, and see if you can't spend some time with your mother? I know she's missed you fiercely while we've been gone."

"Sure thing, papa. What will you be doing for the rest of the day?"

I yawned once again. "I think I'll take another nap. Maybe putter around the farm after that."

She gathered all of her papers up and kissed me on the cheek. "I will see you tomorrow then? We'll do a walkaround of the castle and village?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you tomorrow, Violet."

Once she had left the house, I wandered back to my bedroom and laid down on the bed and let myself drift off to sleep.