"I'll go check if everything is ready for tomorrow's departure. Ah, right, I need to prepare myself as well. See you tonight." The High Priest left after finishing his meal.
I think I made the right choice staying here. With Julius away, I can focus on more things... mainly introducing new technologies.
Today's agenda: check on the cement factory construction, see how the printing press is progressing, and finally, talk with that priest about distillation. Man, I don't even remember his name... Did I even ask it back then?
After all that, I'll visit one of those old men and discuss more about numbers. After eating, he handed the plates to a passing servant and headed outside to tackle his self-made schedule.
Inside a luxurious room, adorned with silver and gold details, a man sat at one end of a long wooden table. Three others were present: two men seated beside the important figure, and a little girl playing nearby.
Baron Floutt finished reading the parchments sent to him. "They accepted my terms. Good." A weight lifted from his shoulders. The past week had been extremely stressful and exhausting as he awaited that specific letter.
"That's great news, my lord," his trusted aide said, and the other man nodded in agreement.
"A small group will arrive tomorrow morning to discuss some details and will then proceed to the village to verify if it's true. Until then, we just have to wait." He had made a difficult decision, but one that had to be made.
Rafael leisurely strolled through the busy streets of Calistoga, once again observing the lives of the townsfolk. The day was hot as usual, the air thick with unpleasant smells, and hygiene was nonexistent wherever he looked, though no one seemed to care.
I hope I can convince Julius to get Frederic to use concrete and pave these roads. Actually, he should rebuild this entire city with wider streets, a sewage system, a large public square with trees, and of course, better houses.
Unbeknownst to him, whenever he ventured outside the inner circle, someone was always watching him from afar.
After walking for a few minutes toward the left side of the city, he reached a construction site bustling with workers and clerics. Good, they chose a spot near the river. This will make things easier.
The workers were constructing two large warehouses out of wood, which surprised Rafael since wooden structures were uncommon and expensive to build.
Well, it's the church, so they must have plenty of money to spend. He recalled learning that many religions had vast amounts of wealth and luxury. "Good evening, Cleric Robert." An old man approached him.
"Oh, good evening, priest."
"Did Julius send you here to help with our project? We would appreciate more hands." The only thing distinguishing this man from other clerics were the green stripes around both arms and his white hair.
"No, sir. I came to inspect how everything is progressing."
"Oh, that's a shame. No matter. Robert, do you have some spare time?"
"...Actually, I have other matters to attend to, sorry. Maybe another day, if that's alright?" He wasn't in the mood to talk with this old man, who spoke as if he were in slow motion. "It's fine, boy. God bless you."
Rafael quickly left and headed back into the city, making his way to the blacksmith where he knew the High Priest had ordered the tiny letters for the printing press. There, the blacksmith showed him that half of the letters were complete. Okay, now there's only the conversation with the priest left.
He began walking down the street but suddenly stopped.
Damn... I don't know who he is, so how am I supposed to find him?... Should I go searching every church? Heck no! In the end, he decided to set that task aside and went to meet the group of scholars. He arrived at one of the few wooden houses in the area. After knocking on the door, he was greeted by an old man.
"OH, Robert! It's good to see you. Please, come in! We've been waiting for you." Inside, he found the others seated at a large table cluttered with small objects, parchments, clay tablets, and even some books.
Heeheehee, let's begin my little plan of introducing advanced mathematics.
------------------
Hours passed, and night fell. Suddenly, the front door burst open, and a young cleric dashed out into the streets. Three old men followed him, shouting.
"Wait, wait! I need to know!"
"Wait! You didn't explain what happens when you divide by zero!"
"Please, come back!"
The few people on the street watched the scene in confusion, unaware of what had transpired.
Damn, I didn't expect them to be this fanatic about math. After running a good distance from them, Rafael returned to the inner circle, stopping first at the kitchen to grab something for himself and Julius, then heading to his room.
Half an hour later, the High Priest entered, ate his soup, and began teaching Rafael about preaching and spreading the light of God to the masses until Rafael interrupted him, reminding him of his departure the next day.
"You need to sleep early to be fully energized for tomorrow, High Priest. We can continue this lesson when you're back." Julius argued but eventually gave in after a coughing fit and went to bed.
So boring... was the real reason.