Chapter 131 Scholars Part II

After settling the matters related to medicine, Riz moves his attention to the cartographer within the group of scholars. Honestly, he had little idea of how to fully utilize them.

To his knowledge, cartography is all about making a map or graphical representation of a place. In this regard, the ancient Greeks triumph over others in cartography on Earth. However, he had no idea if the maps of such caliber exist in this world.

Although he had multiple maps available for him to use, it doesn't mean they are the best maps he has. Maps in Paign Era are too backward compared to the age of this continent itself based on the recorded history. Taking account of the existence of multiple vast empires in the past, cartography technique shouldn't be too crude.

If so, how in the hell do empires manage to expand so much? Did civilization somehow get reset by a catastrophic event in the past?

Putting that aside, these maps indeed have multiple problems on their own. That is the distance depicted in the map is not standardized. Each one centimetres of the length on the map represents varied values. To make things worse, some have no scale reference whatsoever. In addition, the maps have too little information available.

As simple as the map problems may be, maps have a tremendous amount of effect in human day to day life.

During his war campaign against Gyalcakes, the military needed to change from one map to another every time they reached a new place. He, who joined the war for the first time was quite shocked. It was a hassle to make a plan and he often stressed out because of this. One wrong move and the outcome of war would be different. Luckily, it didn't happen.

Thus, an accurate map is more than welcome in his kingdom. However, there are many types of maps out there. He contemplated which he should prioritize first. The map can be divided into two main categories, general reference maps and thematic maps.

After doing some quick thinking, Riz made some prioritization. "For starters, cartographers, I want you to make a general reference map of this kingdom."

One of them raised his hand, "I'm sorry, your majesty, may I know what a general reference map is?"

"General reference map is a map consisting of general information such as locations of cities, borders, roads, mountains, rivers, lakes and coastlines. Nothing too detailed because this map will be used by civilians for travelling purposes. Any questions?"

Cartographers look at each other. No one finds it too difficult of a task. Every one of them has years of experience in map making.

"No questions I guess, then, let's proceed. I want not only for this kingdom, but the neighbouring country as well. The only condition I have is to standardize the scale on these maps. I don't want any discrepancies between maps or you won't get a dime for your hard work." Riz added.

Just when the cartographers thought they had an easy job, the king casually increased his request by several fold. Alas, they keep nodding their heads.

Seeing how obedient they are, Riz decided to push them a bit further, "I'm not finished yet. Now comes the hard part. I want a topographic map of Ryntum, Naharog, Vofors, Cerdeauxia and Tetherswest."

Knowing the terrain is important for the military. Route planning, fortification location, suitable sneak attack location are some of the reasons. His military needs to know about their own home ground like the back of their hand before the war can even occur. Advanced weaponry is not going to help him win the war every single time.

This time, the cartographers' faces are not looking so good. They themselves are aware of the gravity of this task. Riz had no choice but to give them some assurance, "I know what's going on in your head. Worry not, you don't have to start from scratch since we are in the process of making them. But, I believe the progress will accelerate in the hands of professionals. Go and get the detailed plan from the Ministry of War and Defence. The kingdom will pay for your expenses during your journey. As for your family, don't worry about them, the government will take care of them when you're away. But, be aware! The map you made would be used for military purposes. Any achievement and discovery you made, you'll get the rewards. Rest assured, I won't be stingy about it. But...Any leakage, your head and the heads of your family members will fly away. Am I clear?"

"Y-Yes, we've heard it clearly, Your Majesty." All cartographers reply in fear. It is too late to pull out now.

"Good, I plan to add a thematic map but I'm afraid you guys might overwork yourself to death. That won't be good for me either so I'll refrain myself from giving you guys more work." Riz chuckle, his words are similar to teachers giving tons of homework to their students.

He had to say, this feels so pleasant in its own way.

"Uhm...Excuse me, your majesty." A young cartography around his age raised his hand.

Riz looks at him, "Yes, do you have something to say?"

"May your majesty explain what it means by thematic maps? This is the first time I've heard that term." The question from the young cartographer causes dissatisfied stares directed at him.

Ignoring the sound of clicking tongue from the old cartographers, Riz looks at him with a smile before immediately retracting it back. This is the type of person he is hoping for, a young person with a curious nature gets the best of them.

After all, curiosity is a main driven factor to new discoveries.

"Yeah, sure. I don't think it'll be a problem. To simply put, it's a map focused on one specific theme. For example, the theme can be population distribution, crop production, biomes, average income or animal species population. It's harder to make because it involves a lot of information. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your majesty. Thank you for your explanation." The young man humbly expressed his gratitude.

"Good, I guess I've said everything I need to. Maps take a long time to make. So, start your work immediately."