Sera spent the rest of the day organising and filing away paper, and also writing individual files for every citizen so that she could keep payment, rent and tax records. This took three hours before she recruited Mimi to go with her to the Treasury and start counting out the appropriate amount of bronze and silver coins for the following day’s wages. She was very thankful that her reward had been handed to her with a division of gold, silver and bronze coins, else she would have had to be paying her people in gold. By the time they finished counting out the pay for everyone and placing it in a prepared leather bag which they tied off and left in the treasury overnight, it had already turned dark. Sera, exhausted from the work she’d done that day, ate a light meal before retiring to bed. It was strange waking back up in the body of her birth. Through the day she had learned that she could earn experience doing any activity or job that pertained to her listed skills. She’d also earned a hand-to-hand combat skill as well. By the end of the day, she’d sustained her Level 5 earned in her earlier training, though she was fairly sure that the higher levelled she became, the longer it would take for her to achieve a higher level. Still, just five levels and she could feel the difference in her two bodies even if she hadn’t felt any different through the day. It was 2pm, and with the 8 hours she was spending in the world of her birth, she decided she needed to be as active as possible during that time so that her physical body here did not deteriorate over time. There was no note on the gate, so Sera was relieved that she had been overlooked like she’d wanted to be. She spent several hours working out and playing with her dogs before tending to her garden, she then went back inside and as it started to grow dark and cleaned the house before eating a large meal. When she woke once more in her Territory, she dressed in another of the layered dresses for what she hoped was the last time in a while. She then had a quick breakfast before she had one of the Guards bring the bag of coins she and Mimi had counted out the day before to the meeting hall. She and Mimi sat behind a table as Will and Leon opened the main doors, and Sera explained the system she had devised for Mimi. “When they collect their pay, put a tick next to their name, rent will be collected in the third week and once every four weeks after that so be sure to inform them of this as they leave,” said Sera. “It’s very organised,” Mimi commented. “It will need to be, especially as we gain more citizens,” said Sera, “We’ll likely need to start adding addresses too in case individuals have the same name”. “Addresses my Lady?” Sera realised that it was not a common concept, and that she would have to name streets as well, “The location of where they live. I noticed people have no surname here?” “The Territory Lord usually takes the name of their territory, or a name related to their territory, but other than that, surnames are granted by the Territory Lord and are usually a sign of nobility,” explained Mimi. For the next two hours, the citizens came and collected their wages. The tailor even dropped off the first two pieces from Sera’s order which Sera was very grateful for. Finally, by mid-morning, the wages were done and Sera instructed that all the files be taken back to her office, then made her way to the training grounds with one of her new outfits. Sera excitedly wore the shirt and fitted pants beneath a rough, almost overall-like dress that hugged her torso like a vest. From her hips downwards appeared like a skirt when she was standing still, but two slits on either side in the skirt that came to just below her hips allowed for far easier movement. She was quite impressed by the Tailor’s work, and was happier when Mimi approved of the style, though proposed several variations for days that were less physically demanding. Without further ado, Sera proceeded with a spearmanship battle with her guard following the same format as her hand-to-hand battles the day before. She was paired against Captain Joseph in the first round, and while she showed impeccable skill, their fight being the longest of the first round, eventually the Captain’s strength won against her. After several more fights, the Captain was crowned the winner of the Spearmanship battle. Finally, swordsmanship came into play. This time she was paired against Rick in the first round, and despite the sword not being her preferred weapon, she managed to win. When she was paired against Ethan in the finals though, she lost. Ethan came out on top of the swordsmanship finals after a hard fight with the Captain. In all, the competition had motivated both the Guard and Sera to improve. She sat down with the Captain to discuss a training regimen that she admitted was difficult, but she had no doubt it would show results to those that persevered. The Guard, though initially unwilling, seemed all too ready for the challenge when they heard that Sera would be joining them every morning. After lunch, seeing as she had already been to the meeting hall in the morning, Sera went to Henry her Stable Master and asked him to teach her how to ride. Henry was only too willing to help, though admitted that the two horses they kept in the stables were no prized stallions. One was a dapple-grey female, the other horse a dark bay male. Despite her colouring, Sera instantly loved the female and insisted that she ride her. Henry seemed hesitant at first because apparently her nature wasn’t all that welcoming, but to his surprise, the female took a liking to Sera. “I call her Overcast, and the male Oak, but if you have names you would prefer…” Sera shook her head, “No, I like them”. Henry proceeded to teach Sera everything, from fixing a saddle to how to mount and dismount, before they proceeded to walk with the horses through the rear gardens. Afterwards, Henry taught Sera how to brush the horses down at her insistence as well. She found she quite enjoyed riding, though was certain she would never ride Overcast into a battle. She was not made for such things. At dinner, Mimi informed Sera of some suggestions for the Territory name, but none stood out to Sera as of yet. She was fairly sure she would need a name for both the Territory and the Town, especially if she planned on expanding. After dinner, Sera took a book from her study on blessings of the Nine Heavens and fell asleep reading it. After another quiet but active eight hours spent in her prison home, Sera woke once more in her new territory and dressed for training. To her surprise, Mimi also insisted on joining the training. It was clear that she struggled, but she seemed determined to be able to keep up with Sera. Running laps around the Manor’s property, push-ups, sit-ups, a round of stretching and yoga to promote flexibility and a calm mind before basic movements of combat were trained. Hand-to-Hand, Swordsmanship and Spearmanship twice a week and Archery once a week. At mid-morning, Sera went and washed and dressed for the day before she went to review the town so that she could draw a better plan, she also caught Silas the Hunter and asked him to keep an eye out for a type of stone that, when placed in vinegar, produced bubbles. She also gave him a jar of vinegar to help. He happily agreed to do so. From what Sera had managed to ascertain from maps of the area, the territory that surrounded her was largely forest except to the east which eventually opened out from the forest to extensive grasslands. A river flowed about two kilometres to the south, slowly meandering its way towards the open fields in the east. If one climbed the highest tree on a clear day, one might make out mountains further to the north-west. The closest city was a week-long journey to the north, though according to the Territory Rules, it was likely that no one would venture towards her territory unless she went there herself to establish relations. Of course, the new individuals from her world could, but if it was a week away, surely she wouldn’t see anyone for some time due to the cities being safe zones. With all this in mind, Sera made plans for an agricultural sector to the immediate East and south-east, and animal farms further to the east out on the plains. She wanted to push residential and urban areas to the west, and perhaps production areas to the north, though she would need to determine the size of the river and if it would be sufficient to supply a larger population. She would likely need to build a Dam. As lunch time approached, a farmer approached Sera with a large group of unfamiliar individuals that Sera instantly knew were the migrants she had been expecting. Some of them appeared unsure, but others happy to see her. Sera welcomed them all and showed them towards the Meeting Hall where she explained how the town was running as she asked them their occupations and skill sets. Out of the fifteen, 3 were farmers and two were millers. There was also a hunter. Finally, two weavers rounded out those who already had established jobs. For the final seven, Sera read out the job list that she’d previously assigned. 3 of the remaining put their hands up to join her guard. There were two that asked to join her manor as maid/servant staff as well. Finally, of the remaining two, as if the Nine Heavens had listened to her silent pleas, she was granted a man who had experience in architecture and building, and the other had been a book-keeper in the past. She hired both immediately, and while the builder, Mason, agreed to meet with her the following day to discuss plans, she took the book-keeper, Peter, through to show him how she had filed things and was keeping track of wages. She sat with him as they made new files for all those that had arrived that day, most of whom were staying in the inn temporarily, but others had been welcomed into the homes of the already existing villagers. The newcomers had luckily arrived with some coin so she would not have to pay them until the following week. Peter was impressed by her filing system and records, and immediately showed his whopping potential of 91 as he eagerly took on the job handed to him and familiarised himself with the current economic state of the town and the processes that Sera had already put in place regarding the circulation of coin. He also made suggestions regarding how to calculate tax and how the system would be changed after a year. Sera decided to work with Peter for the first week, as he was still a new face. She gave him an office in the Meeting Hall and Quarters in the Guest House. Sera began the following day with training. The three new recruits were also present and eager to learn, a woman and two males. Though they struggled with the training thanks to minimal previous experience, not one of them looked less determined to do well by the end. When she was done and dressed for the day, Sera reported to the meeting hall where she met with Mason to discuss her plans for the village. Mason was enamoured by her large-scale plans, but was immediately concerned about man-power. Sera reassured him that more individuals would arrive soon, and if they were still struggling for numbers, they could always incentivise the farmers to help with the projects. She encouraged him to start clearing out the south-eastern forest as room needed to be made for fields, and for construction of the tributary rivers. All wood and other material could be stored in an area Sera marked to the south for future use. The farmers were in the middle of planting, so would not be able to help for a few more days. It was as she was discussing the possibilities with Mason that Silas appeared with good news; he’d found limestone. When Mason asked, he also reported the presence of a quarry to the north-west, though it was at least a day’s walk away. Sera insisted that Mason start work on carts with the help of the blacksmith so that they’d be able to transport what they needed to where they needed it. This made obvious another problem in their lack of livestock, and she asked Silas about wild herds of animals. He was unaware at that stage, but promised to keep an eye out. The Tailor arrived to drop off more of Sera’s order, at which point Sera became aware that while the weavers were working to weave and dye what was left of the cotton and wool supplies, it would not last long, especially with an influx of migrants. Sera was suffering from a severe lack of people to address her current problems, but she held a strong front as she practiced patience and thought of how to solve this problem. Two days later, on her 7th day in this new world, 15 more migrants arrived. 2 farmers. A man willing to be an apprentice healer. 3 more willing to join her guard. A woman with skills in animal husbandry was one of the big takeaways, along with her apprentice, and the remaining 7 were all willing to join the building team under Mason, some with stonemason skills, others with carpentry, but the majority just willing to take on the hard labour to build up the village. It was also the day that Sera announced the name of the Territory and the Town. After everyone had gathered together, Sera began her speech with a careful but confident tone, “I hope nobody minds, but I decided to name the town in memory of my mother. She was a strong woman, a smart woman. She protected me and taught me and never left me wanting. Her ending was not a pleasant one, but my hope in naming this Town after her is that we will build a place that truly matters. Where we are united as a people and seek to build each other up, not tear each other down. To protect what we together will build. For that reason, this town will now be known as Julia”. There was a general consensus that it was a good name before Sera continued, “Now, I had many suggestions come to me for the name of our territory, but in the end, I chose a name that I believe will stay with us all our lives. A name meaning ‘Unyielding’ in the old tongue. Epannon”. “Yes!” the Healer Julianna celebrated with a grin which was somewhat unexpected on the older woman’s face and her response earned a round of laughter before Sera congratulated her on picking the winning name and handed her the five silver prize along with her thanks. This, the woman more humbly accepted. The day after, eight days following her first arrival, Silas reported on a herd of bison that were passing through to the west. Unable to pass up such an opportunity, Sera consulted Helga, the animal-husbandry expert, in how to bring them in safely while the builders worked to build a strong enough fence around a decent sized paddock. “The fence will need to be tall and strong, and they’ll need very good access to water,” Helga said, “You’ll also find that there are two herds, a male and a female, they only come together for the mating season, so we’ll need to be prepared to rotate them, it’d also be best to attempt to capture the younger ones who will be easier to tame”. At Helga’s advice, it was clear that while such a large herd would be welcomed, they were lacking the ability to house the bison safely at this time and to sustain a large herd. While Silas was instructed to keep a regular eye on the herd, Helga and Mason worked together to plan out and begin building the perfect dual paddock for them. Large enough that they could move around without bothering one another, it would need to be quite a large paddock, they also decided to place two small lakes that one of the Tributary Rivers could feed. As they were discussing, Sera encountered Greg, the other Hunter, who had brought back a small barrel full of limestone that Sera thanked him for, and then waited until Mason was free to teach him how to use the limestone to make concrete. “A substance harder than stone?” asked Mason incredulously. Sera nodded, “Some say harder than metal as well. I don’t have access to another oven hot enough for now, probably something that you can build using what we make the first time, but we’ll have to use the Blacksmith’s fire for this first batch. “First, I need you to crush the limestone into pieces as small as possible, then you need to place it in the fire at the hottest temperature possible for several hours, at least half a day. When it comes out, crush it into a fine powder, as fine as possible. If there are any chunks left, put them aside for next time. Make sure the powder is sealed away, and try not to breath it in or let it get in your eyes through the process as it could be harmful to you. “When you have the powder ready, mix it at 1 part powder, 2 parts sand and 3 parts small stones like pebbles. When you have the dry powder, bring it to where you want to use it and stir it with water until it is the consistency of a thick stew or gruel. If you can take it and mould it in your hand and it will stays together, it will be ready. Make sure there is no dry powder in the mixture left though, or it will crack later. “I want you to build a large furnace like a blacksmith’s furnace, on a flat ground near the limestone deposit. We’ll make a dry concrete production area there. Start by using it to stick shaped stones together, and use it as a base as well. Once built, you need to leave it for at least two weeks for it to dry properly, but when it has set, it will be incredibly strong”. After Sera’s explanation, Mason seemed determined to try, and promised to not only clear a road to the limestone deposit, but build a satisfactory storage facility and factory for the dry concrete. It may put the building of the town and fields behind a little, but the end result would be well worth it. On day 9, Sera had the good news that the crops were all planted, and that half the farmers had joined the construction crew. When the crops of wheat, cotton, and various vegetables matured, they’d have enough to feed a two thousand individuals for six months. Sera hoped it would be enough to cope with any unexpected events. She’d perhaps even be able to trade the excess if she was able to establish safe enough relations with nearby settlements or cities as she found them. On day ten, after receiving another influx of 15 migrants and spending the day assigning them work, Sera awoke to a note on her gate which was an invitation to a Hollan Celebration in the main square in four days. From what she ascertained from the invitation, it was to celebrate those who had earned territories for the Hollan Family. Apparently, there were 15 individuals who had earned territories, 8 who were copper territory holders, 4 who were bronze, 2 silver and 1 gold. The gold territory was headed by her cousin, Nathaniel Hollan, who had earned a 90% completion rate. Sera was not in the least bit inclined to go, but she had no choice in the matter. The best she could manage was keeping the lowest profile she possibly could, as well as having a plan for what to tell anyone about her development if they asked.