Chapter 38: As Naturally as Breathing

Chapter 38: As Naturally as Breathing

Every weekend, whether Tori was in the delta or not, there was a village meeting in the largest of the dining tents. It started off with statuses on various large and small projects around the camp and on the islands; reviewed problems and what was being done to try to solve them; then, topped off with announcements and calls to action before time was spent taking questions from the villagers.

It was a standard project meeting and, while Tori knew it was important to keep everyone updated and on track, she still hated doing presentations. She hated doing them in her original world and she hated having to do them now.

Numerous things were covered this week including the arrival of wood piles for the beginning of phase ones foundations, the estimated time of arrival of more stone and roof tiles, the drawings of the modest brick and wooden homes they hoped to build on the islands, and the announcement that the first batch of fishermen were coming.

Through Daybreak Garden, Tori was able to find a handful of fishermen who seasonally fished on the delta. After contacting them and much discussion and negotiation, Tori was able to secure a handful to come to the delta to teach all those who were interested in this particular occupation about what could be harvested from the waters and how to do so. They would stay for about three weeks and would bring their own equipment.

Tori reviewed the current progress of the test island and the start of phase one construction, which were the islands closest to the shore for habitation. She also revealed the rough plans for the largest of the islands. While modest in appearance, it would be set up like a basic rural town with a main plaza to be shared by the community and double as a marketplace. This was where the church, school, and any government buildings would be located.

The smaller islands would be used for homesteads and it was up to the villagers to come to an agreement on who was to live where once the plots were staked out, as family units tended to want to stay in areas close together and Tori didnt want to get involved in assigning everyone homes. That was much more trouble than it was worth.

Brother Cassius also announced that hed gotten approval from the Church of Belcoy to open a temporary shrine at the encampment and that eventually, they could build a church or temple compound to their choice of deities. For now, the shrine would be for Asarri, goddess of diligence and determination, who was often prayed to at the start of new projects or operations.

Lastly, Tori let the villagers know that she was starting to hire suitable teachers for the children and that she was looking for individuals to go to selected marches to learn professional skills such as accounting, medicine, and law, which she felt were very important to the village. She knew a few people had the education to go, but it was really up to them if they were willing to leave. Tori would give them a month to decide, but several people had already expressed interest.

All this news excited the villagers and with the encampment now much more organized and providing some semblance of normality for many of them, it had been more peaceful and far less stressful. Everyone felt they were striving towards an achievable goal, though understood it would take some time. At the very least, the community meetings kept things as transparent as possible and tracked the progress.

This was very important to Tori, as keeping people happy and motivated was essential to their productivity and collaboration.

Ilyana and Henrik spent a lot of time speaking to groups of people while Tori surveyed the islands, checked on supplies, confirmed orders, and adjusted plans along with the professors and village representatives. She was even found by Margo, Johans sister, to be shown an area where they had recently found river otters.

Tori had assigned a small group of villagers to map out the immediate area and take note of its flora, fauna, and the change in environment as the seasons shifted. They were under the guidance of a few Universit students who volunteered their time and were interested in the delta.

Seeing the cute otters gave Tori a happiness boost she needed.

What do they eat here? she had asked as they watched the sleek, brown water-loving creatures twisting along the river.

Ive seen them eat shellfish, fish, and frogs, Margo reported.

Tori nodded. We should be careful not to overfish, then, to make sure they continue to have food. Trying to keep the industries they developed sustainable was very important to her. She narrowed her eyes. I wonder if people would be interested in taking boat cruises up and down the river and around the delta to admire the scenery and look for animals.

There was a good number of waterfowl already present and the delta was relatively scenic. The sunrises and sunsets were gorgeous. As long as the environment was clean and relaxing, she could tout it as a place to go to unwind away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This was the primary reason people of means traveled for leisure in her original worlds past.

It wasnt for something thrilling or to sightsee. It was to relax and recover. She made a mental note in her tourism folder to think about that later.

Ilyana had decided upon a core team of villagers who wanted to sell their embroidery and lacework; a traditional style from the border region that wasnt common. Ilyana thought it was pretty and could be applied to things to be sold on the delta and in Horizon.

Henrik was intrigued by the possibility of what food could be developed in the delta and then sold in Horizon.

People had already begun to fish, but it was very much only for food and not for further development. The dishes with fish so far were rather bland and not every household knew how to gut and clean fish, so there had been some resistance.

Axton held a class on cleaning and gutting fish, as hed done his fair share of fishing and cooking them while training. Tori loved seafood, but it was always a hassle for her to make it, so she usually ordered take out or went to a restaurant if she wanted it. She also only cooked specific types of fish and didnt know how the recipes she knew would work with the fish available.

Then again, frying with a little salt is good with pretty much anything, but wed need to source cooking oil and thats limited here right now. Scarcity is a bitch.

Tori zoned out, staring out at the water as she sat on the edge of a pile of ifana stone in the holding area. She found it was a nice place to go and gather her thoughts when she was there, although she was sure she looked strange sitting on top of a pile of stone nearly a story tall. But she liked the view.

If only they were closer to the sea and didnt have to take a boat out further, then maybe they could find fish she was familiar with without much trouble. And also, fish sauce...I miss fish sauce. Why dont they have it here? It was in the kitchens of Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted. There should be some here. Wait, it was a southern European thing...I should try that market Kasey told me about.

You should see the expressions your face is making, a voice said from the bottom of the pile. Tori looked down and saw Axton looking up at her, as if wondering what she was doing up there. Is everything all right?

Her legs were hanging over the edge and she took a deep breath. Its hard being ripped from everything you know, and were used to, and tossed into a completely new environment. You have to figure everything out...relearn so much.

Axton smiled a bit. He rounded the pile and began to climb up the stacked blocks to reach her. But they have you to organize guidance for them, he said as he took a seat beside her and hung his legs from the edge. To have someone to depend on in a foreign environment is as lucky as one can get in that situation.

Tori closed her eyes and nodded silently. Everyone is trying so hard. Im constantly worried that Ill let them down. For a moment, she wasnt sure if she was talking about the refugees or her family and friends.

Tori, you are already doing so much, Axton told her softly. Its all right to rest.

She took a deep breath and nodded once more.

I think I yelled at half of Lyces staff when I got my project, she said. I kept telling them this is not something for an inexperienced child. They cant play with the lives of hundreds of people. I didnt understand why theyd even agreed to give such a task to a student and no one could give me an answer. She swallowed hard. They said that someone needed to oversee this and of the academic students, I was the only one who stood out to do it. No one else would be able to.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. The headmaster kept repeating the same answer, but even he seemed a bit confused as to how she received such a complicated project. In the end, he could only apologize and offer any contacts he could from within his circle that could be of use.

Axton sighed and leaned back against his arms. You do a good job with something and you get more work in return.

Tori let out a scoff. It seemed that was true everywhere. Even so, I dont want to go about this half-heartedly. There are 1,583 people who were torn from everything they knew and loved and thrown into a strange new world, she said as her voice shook as she phrased it. They need help.

The more time she spent with the refugees, the more they reminded her of herself. There was no one she could tell this to and it was something she silently carried with her. Tori knew she had the biggest advantage anyone in their position could have, which was her wealthy and powerful family that loved her. Shed integrated well because she had help. Massive amounts of it.

Her brothers literally held her hands and walked her to the gates of her school. Her family was willing to go through their treasury and liquidate assets for her. Her friends gave her support and defended her. Piers moved the imperial family for her. There were days where she felt she could do anything and she could deal with the consequences with ease.

As long as the consequences were shouldered by her.

For the game to dangle the lives of fifteen hundred people in front of her was a dirty trick and she willingly stepped into it because she couldnt bear the guilt of abandoning them. Perhaps others in her situation wouldve simply refused, unable to accept the project, and walk away for their own well-being. She would be lying if she said it never crossed her mind.

How many fantasies had she had where she just took as much money as she had and left Lyce without a word? But she had friends. She had to be accountable to her family. She would leave behind an environment where, Alessa and her love interests aside, she was actually enjoying herself with good company and learning interesting things.

She also didn't know how the game would react if she tried to abandon ship completely. At least in Lyce, she had an idea of the level of trouble shed face.

Even being assigned the resettlement as her project was better than being hunted alive for whatever bullshit reason the game gave to use her as an excuse to give Alessa encounters and raise romance points.

Well, Im sure if you ask them, they will agree that youre the best help they could ask for, Axton told her with a knowing look.

The corner of Toris lip curled up and she raised a brow. Even the village elders?

There are always exceptions. Tori laughed and Axton chuckled. In all seriousness, though, do you have any idea what youve given them? The carnelian cooking plates and heating packs have changed their lives for the better.

Tori smiled. Crystals werent affordable to everyone, especially specific use crystals for heating and chilling, but she thought theyd be essential for cooking and preserving food on the delta, as well as keeping the people warm.

Its cold and some people carry around carnelian palm stones to warm their hands. I figure if we can just buy a bunch of really cheap, scrap carnelian, we can charge them and put them in bags to be worn or hung around the tents. Theyre enough to warm spaces, but dont have any sparks or embers that could cause fires.

And the cooking plates, Axton said, looking at her seriously. How did you come up with them?Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Carnelian heating slabs have been around. Instructor Ignatius developed them when he was in Lyce, Tori said. Hes made quite a lot of money because of it, actually. The problem he found was that while you can control the temperature, once its programmed into the crystal, it cant be changed. So, if you charge a piece to keep your hands warm, itll only get that hot until the energy runs out. If you charge a piece to sear your skin like a flame, itll stay at that temperature until its energy runs out, albeit faster since its using more to stay hotter.

We were doing my crystal charging pad experiment and I asked why he didnt just use multiple pieces with different temperatures and then used clear quartz to seal the energy of each piece individually, isolating different temperatures at a time. Instructor Ignatius started working on it that night and we spent a few days carving Old Sulfae on corresponding quartz pieces to control which parts were heated and which werent. It took us four weeks to get a working model and that was with existing technology from his previous experiments, my book on old charms, and many calls to my brothers.

But its worth it, Axton said, looking back towards the village. The villagers dont need to scour the groves for wood and dry them before theyre burned. That saves time and energy that they can put elsewhere.

Tori nodded. Instructor Ignatius says well be able to make money off of the cooking plates, too, so thats some investment money for the delta.

Because they were on an energy vein, Tori could get away with buying the cheapest crystals available. They would still last long and work as well as normal crystals while on the energy vein. In fact, all the crystals shed purchased were the cheapest she could find and shed used the excuse that she needed practice materials so as not to alert anyone unnecessary.

Its beautiful.... It really fits your body well. You look taller and much more put together than with the down jackets, Vivian said, nodding in satisfaction. Will this be sold in the winter?

This coming autumn, yes.

What is this style called?

Piers! Axtons voice called over and he came walking out in a camel coat with black buttons and a short collar. It reached his mid thighs and his sleeves had been rolled up his forearms, revealing silver lining. Were about to let people in; why are you wandering-oh, good afternoon, Your Highnesses.

Good afternoon, Axton, Vivian said with a fond smile.

Axton, you got a coat, too? Emil asked.

Axton nodded. Winter version of the Axton One, Your Highness. He looked at Piers and motioned towards the store. Piers....

Great Aunt, Great Uncle. Ill see you inside, Piers said as he gave them a small nod and followed Axton into the alley.

Emil looked at his wife. We should get closer if the doors are about to open, he said with a smile as he placed his hand over her hip and gently led her towards the door.

There were very few people gathered and Lady Tori herself opened the door with a bright smile and welcomed guests in.

Emil followed his wife and curiously looked around. The narrow shops mannequins were pushed towards the sides of the room, all wearing different kinds of outerwear.

Welcome, everyone! Please start with a pastry for todays snack and take a seat on one of the stools around the standing tables. Servers will come around with coffee once you are seated. Guild master Skuldsens son instructed as he motioned towards a table in the corner with an impressive array of pastries.

Emil immediately floated over with his wife to take a few and claim a seat closest to a mannequin with a tan colored coat. He didnt really pay attention to the clothes that were being presented; mainly an assortment of spring and summer outerwear that his wife was gushing over.

He found it entertaining that a few times, someone came out from the back room wearing the prototypes. He found it even more amazing that his grandnephew, who usually hated gatherings of any sort, walked out in a coat, and stood silently as Lady Tori circled him and explained the details of the coat to the guests.

As each coat was concluded, the guests were asked to write their thoughts on pieces of paper provided for them. Vivians paper was filled with notes while his were mainly simple statements of it looks good and does it come in black.

Lady Toris other business partner, who he was told was her roommate, went around to pick up the pieces after everyone was encouraged to stand and look over the mannequins wearing the coats, cloaks, and an unexpected couples outfit.

Emil couldnt help but look to his grandnephew standing in the corner, eating a ham and cheese croissant. Piers eyes, however, settled often on the young woman moving around the room, chatting up everyone. Emil raised a brow.

Well, this is interesting.... He remained at his seat as he quietly watched Lady Tori. Hed heard a lot of news about her and her Lyce project. It was something that surprised him, as the sheer scale of it would have made it too difficult for someone of her age and experience. There were seasoned adults he knew who were involved in rebuilding towns that would have difficulty with resettling fifteen hundred refugees.

It was ridiculous and he wondered what was going through Headmaster Laurents head to allow such a thing. Lyce projects were known to be difficult and to push the limits of the empires future leaders, but this was too much. What would a first year know about refugees?

The strange thing was that to his knowledge, the refugees were only promised citizenship, land, and a years worth of supplies to help them resettle. It was up to them to develop the land they were given, or resettle elsewhere in the empire, as had been done in the past with, shamefully, very little success. But it was either that or they were killed on the border.

How did the responsibility of resettling them become a Lyce project?

Anyone who heard of the poor girl whod been assigned the task pitied her. Vivian had wanted to get involved, but he held her back. They could not interfere with the project as it could negatively impact it.

It turned out they didnt need to get involved. The imperial family was already involved. Emils eyes drifted back to his grandnephew. Piers submitted several requests asking for imperial knights, land, and medical units, all of which were approved after reviewing the thorough proposals submitted.

Several Universit professors and their students were involved in the research and construction of buildings on the delta. The Church of Belcoy was now involved to support the faithful. Hed recently heard that several marches had agreed to take some refugees to train them in their lands. Emil doubted it was his grandnephew who was able to bring them all together.

Like many people, he began to watch Lady Victoria de Guevera, who had already attracted attention by opening a store at her age, closely. At first, he thought she was just an energetic noble girl who wanted to open stores for fun with her Lyce friends. But the more he watched, the more interesting she became.

Letizia told him about how Lady Tori saved her grandson on the first-year excursion and about the food she cooked, of which Emil had yet to taste and wanted to leverage his grandnephew for, so Letizia would stop bragging.

He then found out that his other grandnephew, Gideon, and Tori had some sort of conflict, and his personal knight, Fabian, was beaten into the ground by Lady Tori after he challenged her to a duel. Gideon didnt think the older members of his family knew, but they did. What kind of royalty would they be if they couldnt find out something as simple as who broke the ribs of the second princes knight?

There were two reasons they didn't bring it up. First, it was Fabians fault for instigating it. Second, if they pressed the issue, the Gueveras would hear about it and they knew how much the Gueveras loved their only daughter. They were a loyal march, but it was pointless to upset them, and the rest of the marches by default, for the sake of a hotheaded teenager who was beaten.

That was the real reason his nephew and niece-in-law, the Emperor and the Empress, almost removed Fabian from his position. Only Gideons pleading stopped them. His nephew privately told him that he was considering transferring Fabian to La Garda when he could, to learn more discipline.

Then there was the progress of the resettlement. He knew full well what money could do. He was a prince and his entire life was bathed in a wealth others could only dream of. However, he also knew that control and organization with a strict set of procedures were needed so money could be used well and not wasted. Money could be wasted so easily.

And yet, the Guevera March hadnt announced bankruptcy yet. Either they were wealthier than Emil thought or Lady Tori was meticulous with her spending. Emil paused. Or both. Knowing that family and the monsters they produced, it was very possible that it was both.

Emil chuckled to himself. This young woman certainly followed in the footsteps of her older brothers, who stunned the capital with their swordsmanship and genius during their eight years in Horizon. And Lady Tori was only in her first year.

Great Uncle. Piers approached him. Did any of the coats catch your eye?

Your Great Aunt questions my taste, so now, I let her pick all my clothes, Emil told him. He almost wanted to add one day, you will understand.

Piers nodded as he sat down across from him. Tori is taking orders that will be ready for the spring and summer release in two weeks.

In two weeks? At the end of the Spring Festival? Emil asked. Piers nodded. Why not the week before? Then people could wear it around and advertise it for her.

She is scheduled at the delta next weekend, Piers said. She tries to go every other weekend.

Have you visited recently? What is it like?

I havent visited for a few weeks. Ive been sending Axton to assist her.

Emil found himself a bit disappointed hearing this. Perhaps his earlier assumptions were incorrect. He knew that the second Guevera son had asked Piers and Axton to watch over his sister, so Piers was likely responding to that responsibility. After all, Piers owed Kasen de Guevera for all his help with the aqueducts and Sebastian de Guevera for teaching him the sword.

Hello, Your Highness! He snapped out of his thoughts as he saw the cheerful face of Lady Tori reaching them. May I borrow Piers for a moment?

Emil gave her a warm smile and nodded. Of course.

Piers, can you come with me to show Madam Guthry your coat? She really wants one for Prime Minister Guthry. If you dont want to come, just give me your coat.

Piers was already standing up. I can come.

Do we need to straighten your coat? Lady Tori stepped back to assess him. Piers merely stood up straight and held his arms loosely at his side.

Emil watched as the young woman shortened the distance between her and his grandnephew to straighten his collars, adjust his sleeves, and fix his hems herself. Emil sat up straight and struggled not to stare. He hadnt seen anyone touch Piers so brazenly since he was a child. Not Axton. Not even the Empress. What was more, Piers did nothing to stop her.

Done? Piers asked. Lady Tori nodded.

Yes. She held out her hand and, as if Emil were watching himself with Vivian, he watched Piers take her hand and place it around the crook of his arm as naturally as breathing before walking with her to Madam Guthry.

Emil? Vivian gave him a slight shake and looked at him, concerned. Whats wrong? What are you staring at?

He shook his head and blinked. Nothing, my heart. I.... He trailed off. What was he going to say? That he saw something he didnt think he shouldve? He gave his wife a loving smile and changed the subject. I was wondering if you found something you like?

Of course, I did! I already put in the orders for the children. And I ordered that one for you. Vivian seemed very proud of this decision as she motioned towards the mannequin appearing to turn his head to the side in a light gray coat with two rows of black buttons and belt. The spring version of Piers One.

Piers One?

His wife nodded. Yes. There was a glint of amusement in her eyes. Lady Tori named it after Piers.