by Jeremy Dwyer
“Know that all orderly design requires effort on your part, which is a measure of your willingness to cooperate with the perfect Plan of God. Each seed, planted with the properly calculated spacing, will yield an abundant harvest of food, because you diligently followed the plan of the Creator. Effort measures love and obedience to Him,” Romana said, more than once.
However, many of the townspeople had already been waterbound to other ocean waters, and could not accept Gradaken Ocean waters so as to become better farmers. Often, they were waterbound to the waters of the Kazofen Ocean, which meant that they would have the ability to work with diamonds, rubies, gems and other stones as if they were clay. This was put to use in the diamond mining industry, which was a fundamental market in the world economy. Others had been waterbound to the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean, which made them fast and strong, and hence good at heavy labor or war fighting. Still, an individual’s performance was determined by their own innate potential, and this would limit the effect of the waters they drank. Also, the purity of the water had to be high enough – often times, there were impurities, such as other minerals, or a high percentage of Dead Water mixed in, that added nothing and gave no powers. Anyone could drink the Dead Water, even if they were waterbound, but it conferred no magical ability.
Even the people who could make good use of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean often preferred not to, in favor of drinking the waters of the Kazofen Ocean, so as to work in the more profitable diamond mining industry. Romana wanted them to reconsider before making the irreversible decision to take on their waterbinding. She said, more than once: “The man rich in diamonds cannot feed himself or his family. The man rich in wheat and produce can feed himself and can feed the man rich in diamonds, and can feed both their families. Which is needed for life?”
It was important for those who could work and feed others to do so, especially since some of those who were blinded were less able to cope and really did need more assistance.
“Generosity brings you closer to each other, and closer to the God who loves others, and you, enough to have created you both. Work is proof of love. Work to feed others is proof of your love for them,” Romana sometimes said.
Romana was a scholar and a citizen of the Jenaldej Empire, on the continent of Revod to the west. She did not choose the Gradaken waters of her own volition, but by the standard practices of the Jenaldej waterbinding trials. She was observed to have certain aptitudes and placed in situations that tested for her greatest aptitude. When she passed some tests and failed others, it was logically deduced which water she should drink. Upon drinking of it once, she became waterbound, and could drink no other, lest she develop the incurable fatal disease known as crixalethicis.
As a citizen growing up in the Jenaldej Empire, she was required to study mathematics thoroughly, and to respect their dedication to order and efficiency. She was strong in her approach to mathematics, but could not do all the advanced calculations in her head as some could. Rather, she needed to carefully work the problems through with a writing implement and notebook or scroll on which to write. Romana now strove to teach this type of orderly thinking to those around her presently, and not just the farming practices.
Romana was not alone in her travels in the port town, and was accompanied by the Chronicler Judith, who was also now her good friend. Judith was now one thousand two hundred forty-two (1242) years old, her longevity being from drinking the waters of the Ursegan Ocean. She had taken the Chronicler’s Oath to record all that she saw, without interfering, and to bring her accounts to the ancient city of Emeth. She watched all that Romana did and listened to all that she said. Judith also noted who was sick and dying, whether from the burn caused by the extreme heat and light of the many aligned suns or from some other cause, and who was recovering.
~~~
Few people died anymore from the heat, as the crystal archways were readily available for shielding. One could not live one’s life in the darkness or shade, but spending adequate time in it was essential to avoid the burn. The crystals of these archways were particularly effective, as they utilized a remarkable design that did not depend on being dark in the way that rubies or sapphires were dark. Rather, the crystals were molded to allow light to go through at some particular angles, and the crystals themselves were hollow and filled with the waters of the Trerada Ocean. Those waters gave robust health to those who drank of them, making them entirely resistant to the burn. However, for those who were already waterbound to one of the other great oceans, that was not an option. Instead, the light of the many suns, passing through the specially molded crystals, then through the Trerada waters encased within them, was effectively filtered so as to be safe for the skin. This composite crystal wasn’t the same as shade – and shade also worked to protect from the heat and light of the suns, if only for a while – because the composite crystal did more than protect: it actually healed people of the burn.
More than eight hundred thousand (800000) people in this port town alone had been brought to recovery in the past year. Judith wrote down all their names and their stories into her book, as she had the ability – because of her waterbinding to the Ursegan Ocean waters – to work in a different flow of time that allowed her to gather information very rapidly, and to observe details no matter how quickly they were presented. Judith collected all the information she could, and she knew the design of the crystal composite and the archways in detail, having had it explained to her. The appropriately skilled and waterbound architects of the world also knew how to build the archways and the crystal composites of which they were made, so many more lives had been saved across the world.
~~~
Judith saw many painful events over the course of her long life, including war and disease and economic abuses and personal heartbreak. She also witnessed many wonderful events, including births, weddings, new songs and joyous celebrations and recovery from diseases. For centuries, the somber events weighed heavily on her, and she became fearful and depressed. However, thanks to Romana, she now knew and believed in the Love of God, and her fear and despair had greatly abated. She had moments of difficulty, but they did not last long. She still kept the Chronicler’s Oath, and dutifully recorded without working to change events, even if she had foreknowledge that could prevent suffering. This was the way of things, and the knowledge that could be gained from a careful reading of her accounts was valuable: it was not Judith’s purpose in this life to take action, but to record it, so that others could be informed, albeit in the future, and act appropriately. The historical writings she produced would, hopefully, inform others of unfortunate outcomes due to poor decisions, so that they would not be repeated.
However, some people repeat the mistakes of others, or even their own mistakes, all too often. Word had spread about a nearby farming town providing free land to those who could farm it. Homeless persons – poor nomads with no farming skills – were arriving there, and the new mayor of the town had no real way of helping them. Romana and Judith both learned of this. Romana felt that the situation called for her assistance – if she could teach a few of them to farm, and get them to drink of the Gradaken waters, then they could work the land and produce a thriving farming community. They, in turn, could teach others. Judith found this to be noteworthy and chose to follow Romana to chronicle the events. They traveled on foot, as it was just ten (10) miles to the east along a paved road and would be good exercise.
~~~
Judith and Romana arrived to see a large swath of quality land and many buildings of various sizes and states of upkeep. They also saw a large gathering of travelers who appeared to be a mix of the poor and unskilled homeless as well as nomadic wanderers who travel from town to town looking for work. And then they both saw a man with a familiar face standing among them – a face that appeared to be around fifty (50) years old, but was actually seventeen hundred eighty-six (1786) years old, and belonged to a man known for mischief and foolishness. It was clearly Alistair, and h
e drank the same Ursegan waters that Judith did for longevity. However, he spent his years doing nothing responsible. They both wondered what sort of scheming he had been involved in now.
Judith approached and said: “I would like to meet with the mayor of this small farming town. I understand that he needs assistance, and I would like a full account of his difficulties and circumstance for the historical records. Please, take me to him.” Judith, being a Chronicler of the Oath, had every right to ask questions and demand answers. And others, even kings and generals, were obligated to answer. In this case, she was looking for the hapless mayor, and suspected that she knew who it was.
Alistair was dressed in the robes of a wealthy merchant, but couldn’t hide his incompetence and foolishness from someone who knew him so well. Still, he tried. Alistair approached Judith, who was standing close to Romana, and said: “I, the mayor of this town, would like to welcome you, weary travelers, to enjoy all that we have, as our esteemed guests.”
“Enjoy all that you have? Which would be what?” Judith asked. She struggled to conceal her smirk.
“This rich farmland, all one hundred thousand (100000) acres, which is but a short time from producing the most bountiful harvest. Please, join us, and celebrate in our harvest festival,” Alistair said.
“There is no harvest…yet. I see only empty fields. Why would you have a festival now?” Judith asked. She really struggled to not laugh in his face.
“This land is not being cultivated. There won’t be a harvest…ever. Why would you have a festival at all?” Romana asked, knowing that no farm work was getting done, or going to be done, under this comically incompetent old fool. Alistair’s reputation was not unknown to her.
“Where you see empty fields, I see opportunity,” Alistair said.
“Fine. Opportunity may very well exist here. But real farm work has to be done. Who can plant seeds? Do you even have the seeds?” Romana asked him.
“Where is your storehouse for seeds? Please take me to it so that I may estimate your resources. I wish to have as complete and accurate an account as possible for the historical records,” Judith said.
“Let’s take a walk, shall we? I’m sure that many questions will be answered if we can discuss them together,” Alistair said.
“Very well. Let’s walk over to that building,” Judith said, pointing toward what looked like a storehouse.
“Excellent suggestion,” Alistair said. He, Judith and Romana all walked across a field over to the indicated building.
~~~
Romana entered first, knowing what to look for, and Judith and Alistair followed. This building was filled with trays and bags, and she began to inspect them. Fortunately, they were filled with seeds for wheat and rice, and appeared to be stored properly. “There are lots of seeds – wheat and rice. Your troubles may not be so bad,” Romana said.
“I knew this was a good purchase,” Alistair said.
Judith could not offer any assistance due to the non-interference tenet of the Chronicler’s Oath. Romana, however, had every intention of getting things going. She then picked up four (4) twenty (20) pound bags – she was young and fairly strong despite her small and thin frame, having worked in farming for years – and carried them back across the field. Judith quickly inspected and counted the bags in the storehouse that were visible, and noted that there were two hundred seventy-one (271) bags of wheat seed and four hundred twenty-nine (429) bags of rice seed. She recorded this information into her book. Though she was not a farmer, Judith did learn, many centuries ago, to carefully recognize many particular details of farming and other professions, and the Ursegan waters allowed her to gather information quickly, controlling the flow of time around her. She was able to catch up to Romana and Alistair quite easily, having lost little time in counting. They made their way to another, smaller building, and sat down to discuss the matter.
~~~
"This isn't your first time as mayor is it?" Judith asked him, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear any additional details he might choose to share.
"From time to time, I've helped to administer a town, here and there," Alistair said.
“And what did your prior experiences teach you?" Judith asked, already knowing how badly some of those arrangements ended.
"A few adjustments, here and there, could have improved the local economy," Alistair answered.
"What sort of adjustments? How much improvement?" Judith asked.
"There were some difficulties, I will admit," Alistair said.
"Such as?" Judith asked him.
"A few setbacks, a small fire, some buildings were lost," Alistair admitted.
Judith stared at him, with a look in her eyes that suggested that so much more actually happened.
Romana read her eyes and then asked her own question: "What was the name of that town?"
"It had a few different names," Alistair said.
"It had a few different names? Does that mean it no longer has a name? Did the fire burn it down completely?" Romana asked.
"Now, I never said 'completely'," Alistair said.
"Well, if it used to have different names, why doesn't it have those names anymore? Unless, of course, it no longer exists!" Romana asked and concluded.
"They resettled to a more suitable location, with greater opportunities. The fire was unpleasant, but it was really just a chance to try something new," Alistair said.
"Yes, try something new. And now, here we are, in a new town. There are even a few new people – more than a few – with no homes of their own. These are poor nomads, looking to settle and build a community. And they need you to be their leader, of course," Romana said.
"I wanted to give them a place for some festivities, amid all the difficulties in life. I'm more of an entertainer, a festival planner, than a leader. I don't know that I'd go so far as to call myself their leader,” Alistair said.
“You did introduce yourself as the mayor. That comes with responsibilities,” Romana said.
Judith was watching, listening and writing all of this into her book, and enjoying every bit of it. Judith was hoping to see Alistair own up to responsibility, but she was forbidden from interfering in historical events to step in and make him do so, or even try to convince him. Romana, however, was free to act and speak as she pleased.
Romana then said: "You invited them here, you realize. Good etiquette requires you to make them comfortable."
"I can certainly host a few celebrations, here and there. There's no reason they couldn't help out a bit. After all, I provided the venue," Alistair said.
"Indeed, you did. This farm town, no less. Perhaps, if they learned to work the land, a good harvest would come and be followed by quite a party – the festival that you seem to want. I'm sure you can see the potential in that," Romana said.
Judith saw the social trap that Romana was setting for the old swindler, and loved every minute of it, thinking of how Alistair might finally have to stay and pay for one of his schemes. She wrote this all down into her book, thinking it among her favorite moments.
"I've never been much of a farmer, although I'd be glad to help divvy up the land," Alistair said.
"Oh, the land has to be partitioned correctly, according to heat exposure, irrigation, soil quality and seeding. It isn't just about equal area, you know. There are multiple variables, and interactions of those variables, that influence the crop yield," Romana said.
Alistair was no statistician, and he knew that he was not prepared to fool Romana by pretending, so he asked: "Well, perhaps you could be my agricultural advisor."
"You do need an advisor, agreed, mister mayor. However, what will you do to assist these people?" Romana asked.
Alistair never did an honest day's work in his seventeen hundred eighty-six (1786) years of life, and he wasn't about to volunteer for any now. Judith knew this, and looked forward to his attempted evasion of actual labor.
“I would be glad to make sure each of these visitors recei
ves his or her fair share of the seeds and begins to plant them,” Alistair said.
“They will need specific directions. And the right water to drink, if they’re not already waterbound,” Romana said.
“Of course. You do know best,” Alistair said.
“How did you become mayor of this town?” Judith then asked.
“I purchased it,” Alistair said.