day 11 20038

I nodded. “So I have gathered from the bits I have seen. We have started a few talks with some indirectly that we are hoping might lead to a bit of trade. It is hard to break the walls we built around us.”  Good he is smiling, that helps, I gave him a win. Why is it so hard to deal with him? I know why Keven upsets so much. That is John, for I just can’t get past it. No matter I still don’t see it as an accident and that is coloring my reaction to him. There is nothing like that with Dale, I didn’t even encounter him before I was in Glacier so why have I wanted to strangle him from that first meeting? It makes no since, no one else picks up anything like I do, but something in me reacts negatively to him and somehow he knows it.

Dale smiled a bit. “It is odd to see you all out. You will find you are a bit behind. I do hope that you are not to alarmed. It has to be hard to find items that generate interest, as cut off as you were it is hard to think that you have kept up. Yet you are getting some patterners.”

I hoped I wasn’t smiling, but I could tell he was worried, for all he was trying to look dismissive. “Yes there is a good deal we have missed, for all we did have traders there is a lot that went unseen. It is mostly produce that we have been offering, but we do have some things to add. Still we are indeed playing catch up and do not know fully just what we can offer that isn’t going to be too old. We do realize just how badly our move hurt us.” Yet a lot benefitted from not having to compete with us and we truly are not finding ourselves behind, our spies and the trades kept us up fine and a bit ahead in a few areas, but now it is best to be underestimated. We want to be found to be nonthreatening, to not be a concern. We do so overpower the area just by size. Besides the more I give to him the better he will be. He needs to be flattered, and for now it is best for everyone that he is. there will be enough yelling later once the underway. Now then what can I express interest in that makes us look worse? Not his belt, it is hand done. Wait those beads are mass made, machine turned I bet. We are not supposed to be able to do that. “Those beads on your shirt must have taken a year. Just how did they ever get them matching? You have skilled crafters indeed.” A bit thick, but the way he is puffing, I think it worked.

Dale said. “They are not handmade, it only takes a few minutes to make hundreds of glass beads in our factories. That is only going to increase. It is amazing what you can do with a bit of technology.”

Steven said. “Indeed your factories are impressive in the amount of goods they are able to make. I do think that you could over take us, given how you are growing. We have had to slow down as we do not have the water ways to utilize as you do. It is taking time to find other ways that do not harm the air as the coal we tried did. Your rivers give you a good advantage there. Guess that makes up for the flooding.” I hope they don’t really think that Jordan is being safe. It is a race to keep up with their pollution. We have been making new air cleaners in the last few years. Now though is not the time.

I shook my head. “I would never have guessed those were mass produced. They look like they were hand done. I thought the fabric was, but never thought of the decorations. That is impressive, and with water power? I bet that is why the Alagor has had less issues with flooding. We were wondering if you would share how you managed to control it, for there has been no impact on the life our attempts had, yet there has been far less issues even with the large runoff last spring.”

Dale said. “It is a wonder of our scientists still a work in progress but it is looking promising and it might be ready to share soon. I am glad that it helped you as well. It is hard to know how it affects the water ways past our boards, that is one of the items we are still testing. One of the ongoing items, the affect it is have down the stream. I do think you will be amazed by the stalls, given how little you have invested in manufacturing, outside of books. You do have that all sewn up.”

I shrugged. “I am sure that if you saw the need you would soon pass us there as well. There have been some lose of quality but we hope to fix that as we learn more about mass production. We have put little into atomization out side of a few small areas, which holds us back a good deal. It is change but is going to be slow as we catch up on the advancement that have been made.”

Stewart shook his head. “Yet your books and maps look far better than any we make. I can’t believe you find them flawed.”

I shrugged. “We try to see that only the best get sent out of the empire. Most images come out a bit fuzzy and some will have half the print light. In others a few pages appear faded. Some of it is the paper, some is the process. It is far better than it was when I first moved there, but still there is room to improve. However the access they give does make up for the short coming. Just not as good as it could be. It is nowhere near as impressive as the strides others have made. The goods that we have seen were impressive, but the fact that so many are mass produced and so available to many is amazing. I can bet that it will not belong until even a farm hand can have a beaded belt.”

Dale smiled. “Belts are already common and most house have glass dishes, not wood.” I must have looked impressed for his smile got wider. “Our factors make a lot more than beads. We have the right sand for glass so that is still our main product, we have just found a way to do so faster and cheaper. We are working on other items as well, but clothes and glass are the easiest for us to mass produce, but here where they have forests they are working more with furniture, then paper from the waste. There is very little that goes unused from the plants.”

Steven said. “You are selling yourself short there Dale, we would not be able to do half of what we are if you hadn’t of being so willing to share. It was knowing what you had done that let us adapted it for ourselves. Before then we were stuck fast.”

He shook his head. “Now there are a few new types of mirrors in my things, I do think they might just work better. They are just fragments, but if one works we can get any size made quickly. Did you hear the success they had in Julp, proving that attack fake. Just why would they think any would believe they had a Swart wing. Of all the silly claims, it is worse than the stories of Gliders in Glacier.”

I shook my head. “I do not know how you heard those, but I am sorry if they caused a stir. It was not demons of any kind that they were about, but a new item to let people float on the mountain currants. Someone at Fulton once again found the old story about flying machines and so is trying to make some. So far they have not had much success, just some broken bones. That caused the healer and the parent to get them to stop until there was safety gear. The safety gear will at least be useful if they manage to make it. The gliders I don’t know if would be, should it ever prove viable.”

Steven laughed. “I should dig up the reports for those that tried it here forty years ago. They might just find them interesting. I still don’t see why so many decide that those stories are real. Those who came here had wonders, but not all they had worked here. Yet each time a record turns up someone has to try and recreate something. So Dale how bad did the blight get your corn? We lost half the yield in the low lands, but made it up in the high.”

Dale said. “We got a fourth of normal, but have an over abundance of oats. Bighton lost all its oats, so we are set. However the grapes are not looking good and that is going to have lasting impacts if we can’t find some.”

 I was glad to be able to slip away. Likely they changed back to the mirrors once I gone. Wonder if Steven knows I wanted a way out. That was a bit to timely, but I am not going to turn it down. I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted. I will have to see if I can get some lenses, I bet he is working on a telescope. He is not going to get anything of quality from Jordan. No matter what they say their factories are not up to it.

I paused outside the study, I knew it was closed, but I need a break, and surly he won’t mind to much. After all some always ducks in to it for a rest. I didn’t understand why before, but sure do know. I do think that is why he has it closed during these functions. Even as I thought it I was slipping in, and felt my shoulders ease as I did so. It hadn’t changed a bit. Smiling I went over to the large image of Clampton Battle, the last big fight of the second war. There were images of more recent wars, but this one has always aliped to me. Smiling I reached out to touch the flying dragon flag, as was my habit. It was odd now that I knew what it was. I wonder if it was a bit of foretelling. Just why did I like this painting so?

Oliver said. “If they have that then how do they not know? It should tell them, you can see the flags.”

I said. “This was done by Ransaitn and is over four hundred years old, well the oragail is , this is a print of course. This is the start of Clamton, the battle that ended the second war. The dates are no longer sure. It is the first time Glacer was in the field. This is the war that made the alliance.” I heard the door open and knew who it was, but didn’t think it would hurt to continue. “The names of some of the Nations shown here on both sides are no longer found in any records here. In fact there are very few records of that war to be found anywhere I have been able to check. Odd I wanted nothing to do with war, but I had a print of this hung in my room as soon as I could get one. It is strange now. I do wonder why I liked. Even odder I always touched this flag before going to bed, for all it was one we did not know who flew. I miss having it in my room.” I turned to look at my father. “I do hope you don’t mind but I just had to see if it was still here. I am sorry for invading your study.”