The others thought it better that local residents or people nearby got a chance to earn some silver instead of just the ships crew, and Hrappr was quick to offer to ride around the islands and ask around if there were any who wanted the job of marking the shallows and shoals. As an islander that grew up and lived here before we arrived, he knows everyone, and of course there's some labour available if money can be earned, not least from some who can bring or send one or two of their slaves for a few days of paid work. So six people turn up, but only half of them slaves, and three in their own small faering rowboat, one of whom I understand is a son of 11 years, who in just a year or two will be seen as a man in this culture and world. I let the boy join in the work, as it's a matter of respecting the future generation, and a few days of light and safe work is okay after I've made sure that it will be the son's silver.

Hrappr have let them know what it's about, but I tell them what I want in more detail, and they will build and erect three wooden poles like a sturdy wide tripod with a vertical pole in the centre, and each leg having extensions to the pole in the centre, so the finished creation is about 2 man heights above the water surface, and after trying to hammer the poles into the bottom, they will paddle back and forth and dump rocks in piles around the poles and against the extensions, to secure the structure. Preferably high enough that the stones break the surface at shallow depths, but the tripod has to be stable and stay there even in strong wind and after a storm. Some low laying cliffs will get markers on them too and holes will have to be drilled in the rock so those markers can me securely mortared in. I don't want to see navigational markers leaning to one side after the first storm, and expect the finished markers to last at least five years, so they have to treat the wood too.

I show how I want it to look with sketches and on a slate board, and that at least two meters above the water I want two large wooden triangles on top of each other, and how the corner reflector should be made at the top and everything painted and impregnated with thick tar to start with. I still have thicker covering white paint so that can be done, but there is no orange, green or black paint here, but black is easy with tar, pitch or charcoal, and the wood need protection. I will have to get other paints from Borgarsandr. They can paint them to protect the wood for now and give the marker the right colour in the future, probably with a white base coat, and the top reflector will be white. I have decided to create a standard for how navigational markers looks and how ground are marked and which side of the marker it is safe to pass. Triangle peaks upwards means the north side is safe. Peaks downwards, the south side is safe. Peaks towards each other means the west side is safe, and finally peaks away from each other means the east side. That is how the first navigational markers should be made.

We discuss price and they instantly accept my offer of half an ounce of silver for each marker and to split it evenly, which surprises me a little but it is quite a lot of silver for many normal people, and the work won't take many days for them. When I say there are more grounds and shallows I will want marked, if they do a good job, they get more excited, and we agree on 3 ounces of silver for all eight markers if they do the job well, and they accept right away. I show them up on the cliffs and point out which shallows and shoal I mean and exactly how I want it done, what the goal is and that they should mark the two ends of 'Svartskär' i.e. 'Black skerry' in the middle of the strait, the outer end of 'Gråskär' i.e. 'Grey skerry', followed by 'Lovarna' etc half a kilometre down, but of course with different triangle combinations so they show which side of the marker deeper water is, and with different colour combinations too, at least on some, to show the route in an out of the harbour.

Their talk have made me realise that it's 3 ounces of silver in total for something that is maybe two weeks work and they'll probably work like hell during daylight hours, because it's half an ounce per person, 25 coins. I don't think that is much, but when I think about it, Gunhild and Alith earns 2 coins per day, so 25 coins for two weeks work is here a well-paid job. So it is positive and a good PR thing towards the islanders. I hope the rumour will spread and they will be willing to take on more jobs in the future, because it feels like all the silver that is spent on the islands and paid to people here, is still good for me in the long run as all the land is mine and they just lease. And it is very good with satisfied happy neighbours and tenants.

Haera's land will be the only land I temporarily give up on the islands, and that's only because of the land I got on the mainland and the special circumstances, since it is not forever. Our agreement is that the land and whatever is built there will revert to Ackerek when she dies. Sure, she might outlive me, but that doesn't matter.

I will eventually die, but I will write down my vision and hopes for the future of the islands, especially far in the future. I am writing proper statutes and laws, which are quite comprehensive and adapted to future technology and problems known from history and modern Midgård, regarding everything from 'human' rights, a constitutions, to patents, intellectual rights, companies and courts. I want to avoid the mess that most laws are, even though I'm guaranteed to make other big mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and certainly not me. I just have the benefit of knowing a lot of history.

I have to put other projects aside as we're starting to assemble more oil lanterns. It's just so damn boring and uninteresting work, but they will bring a lot of silver at the Spring Auction, although they will probably be less desirable now that summer is coming. I have been putting off making things for the next auction for nearly 4 months. Well done Robert; wait until there are two months left in a world where everything moves slowly and takes time. But there have been copious technological advances in Thrymheim and the village so I can live with that, and I don't have much choice really. What's done is done. Accept. Learn. Move on.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

It has sort of been pretty hectic for a long time.

Anyway, done is done and Ciara helps me with the work and smile while doing so, and Bodil also turns up to talk a bit about her kinetic sculpture. Bodil has taken a little break while building her kinetic sculpture, and as a thank you for letting her do such things, made a beautiful new cranking handle for my lightning machine in the shape of Thor's hammer, with carvings on the hammer. So I immediately replace the cranking wheel. Hers is so much nicer. Bodil has been given permission to carve the sides of the lightning machine as well, and we remove the battery and copper rods so she can take it with he and lay it down, so it is easier to work on.

The Millennium Eagle returns and Asta is a surprised but pleased to discover the beginnings of navigational markers out on the shallows, and I quickly explain what they will mark and how, but we've already talked about it, so she knows. She looks forward to seeing everything finished. We have talked several times before about navigation, navigational markers and lighthouses and other things.

They've brought the new coach, but there is a bit of second guessing that decision because the new one is nicer so maybe it should stay in Borgarsandr, but at the same time we're far more likely to use the new coach more here or on trips to places on Orusingen or the mainland, so it's not bad that the new coach is here.

The copper guild seem to have done a good job with the multi strand cables that are to be submerged or buried, and but they are quite heavy and unwieldy, especially the twelve strand one that is to be buried. This is not thin copper wire. And they have just got one 700 metre cable finished. 'Just'. This have been a lot of work, especially weaving the coverings. They also fulfilled my request to have each cable delivered coiled on a simpler larger wooden bobbin. Of course I could lay a submarine cable here across the strait between the islands for long-term testing, but that honestly feels rather unnecessary. Long-term underwater testing can be done on something that see actual use, so time to start laying a telegraph line to Lysesund. Or well, there will be two in the future if the first one works. Then maybe more. There are four conductors in the underwater cables just for the possibility of telephone testing and redundancy if any wire should have issues or break.

When fetching the cable, Kari talked with the Copper Guild about a copper roof for the Academy school building, and for Haera's mansion, and copper for heating and water, and the Copper Guild were more than willing to take those orders. They understand that the weather makes the schedule for roof installation difficult to determine, but they will deliver the copper tiles, copper nails, pipes and radiators before the spring equinox, and if it can't be installed by then, they will come back on another day. They will also manufacture more copper wire, and an order for a few kilometers in three different sizes made them happy. Nor are they complaining about producing large copper-lined barrels and two large copper vessels to boil water in. The water storage tests that Asta has been responsible for have very positive results, and so too from our experiences with water storage in Thrymheim, so we might as well order 60 water barrels for future trips. It will be about 60ish litre barrels due to limitation in the copper sheet etc. But amount is easy to calculate if we estimate that one barrel is enough for 10 people per day. So 60 barrels should then last for 2 months. If the water is clean enough and does not come from rainforest etc, they can fill barrels directly if there is a shortage of time and firewood, but proper boiling before filling will be the primary plan.

Iselin and Kari have picked up some things from the jeweller, and I give Jane her own embroidered lace necklace in deep red fabric with gold and what I think is a fine ruby due to its hardness, or at least close enough and look good, and say the colour of love suits my Älskarinna. I just love Jane's smile as she looks at herself in the mirror after trying it on, and she takes several pictures of herself with her mobile phone. Her ring has rubies on it, and she chose it herself. Kari has had her necklace altered, and it's a little tighter and has become more of a choker, and it looks great on her. As they show off and compare their necklaces and pose for photos, I'm damn proud that they all love me, and gets along.

The jeweller was happy for new special orders, and although the orders were not so big or complicated this time, except one, there were many. They are mostly rewards for when, for example, the radio trainings are finished, but also necklaces with a small Academy logo and several other models. All are intended as a gift to staff or others, worth their weight in metal, and at the same time recognising the wearer as important or working for the Academy. They will be able to be worn separately or nested together, although that might involve mixing gold and silver. A special one is for Caecilia, who I haven't given a special necklace yet, and Iselin got to choose the gemstone for that. Iselin is so very pleased with how her new necklace for the flashing light has turned out, and she likes the gemstone she chose but doesn't give any details, so it will be fun to see it later today.

I signal Alith to follow me to the office, and behind closed door I present her with the glass copy of the cannon shot. Slightly reduced in size but extended, and this one has rim extension in two directions and a small finger hole in the middle. I hand it over with a comment;

"Alith, you can now enjoy yourself without having to borrow the cannon shot. But be careful to not drop this on the floor because it is glass that will probably crack or get sharp splinters."

Alith is so very red and embarrassed and buries her face in her left hand, but I see a growing smile, and when it reaches its most sinful expression, Alith looks out from between her fingers. She lock my door and asks that I really 'give it to her', so after a bit of oral sex and playing with her breasts, we are both pleased that 'it fits'. Alith still doesn't remember to control her leg muscles when she comes, if that is even possible, and that she now exercises and runs quite a lot hardly helps. At least she can be very quiet.

Alith leaves the room, tenderly carrying her new toy discreetly wrapped in cloth, to store it in her personal chest under her bed along with her other possessions. I dare not ask if she has carved a wooden model of her hand or finished sewing the condom. And I really should stop giving Alith lots of expensive gifts, especially sex toys, although this has been among the cheapest. Technically, she got by far the most valuable things of everyone, including Iselin - as long as I ignore Iselin's green flashing light which is actually priceless due to irreplaceable components - because even though the hunting rifle Alith got is completely built here, its value is so ridiculously high that few things can compete. I can just imagine what some would pay for that.

Although, I gave Iselin that morning gift and made her a Furstess...

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