Ben and Har had finished eating.

  “That was good.” Ben complimented, feeling stuffed in his throat. He had ordered a bowl of grilled fish with some boiled vegetables. It wasn't like the fish and chips back in England, but it sure hit the spot.

  Har, who had ordered a meat stew and some bread, gave him a funny look. “I’m not sure how you can eat fish. It’s not my cup of tea.”

  “I don't understand how you don’t like fish when most of the menu is fish and seafood.” Ben shook his head.

  “It’s mostly fish and seafood because the river run along the northern boundary of the town, not to mention regular caravans from Wesport where they have access to the sea.” Har explained before sighing deeply and smiling half, “My mother used to make a proper stew like this when times were good. I still remember running to the hearth to get the first bowl with my siblings as a child. These days, meat like this can put a hole in your pocket larger than the tax man's.”

  They sat and talked about old times while washing down the upmarket ale.

  “That’s enough about old times,” Har muttered. It seemed the nostalgia of his younger life made him a little grumpy. “What I want to know is your next move with the mine?”

  Ben let out a sigh. “We’ve made a good start here in this town. We have enough ore veins to last at least a few years of mining. Our main problem will be transporting the stock for sale and finding new buyers. We must go to the other towns and villages if necessary.”

  Har nodded in agreement. “Understood, but that won’t be an easy task.”

  “I know,” Ben muttered. “That’s why we need to set up a regular delivery schedule. Look, Har, you’re the only person I know who is up to the task. You know the area, routes, and the people. You’ve already proved yourself by bartering on my behalf. It would be stupid of me not to give you the position of Logistics Manager. Well, that’s what we call it where I’m from.”

  Har stroked his chin. “I’ve never heard that job title before. Around these parts, the person in charge of caravans is called a coach steward. For this to work, you’ll need to hire a few more people—another two coachmen and at least a few guards. As you saw on the journey here, traders and merchants travel in larger numbers to avoid their chances of being robbed by low-life criminals.”

  “That’s understandable. I trust your judgment. After all, you’ve got decades of experience under your belt. How much do you think it’ll cost to get things going?” Ben asked.

  “We’ll need to buy some good horses. New carts, too. I think around ten gold should cover everything, including wages for a month. I’ll get a regular caravan traveling on the road, going past all the towns and villages.” Har explained.

  “Consider it done.” Ben nodded, opening his profile screen. He transferred thirteen gold pounds from his business account to his own. Then, he waved his hand across the table to remove them. “I believe I owe you some for your services as well. I’ve added a little bonus for you.”

  [-15 Gold Pounds.]

  Har’s eyes opened wide before he bowed his head. “Ben, you are being too kind here. There’s more here than what I need.”

  “It’s well deserved, Coach Steward Har.” Ben grinned.

  “I will see to my duties first thing in the morning. Once again, you have my thanks.” Har nodded.

  “You’re welcome, mate. It’s been a long day, and we will have a big journey back tomorrow. We should call it a night.” Ben said before waving to Annie to catch her attention.

  They were led to the bar area, where a barkeeper calculated the cost of their food and drinks before giving them a total, including their stay.

  [-6 Silver Shillings.]

  By the time Ben reached his room, he had walked up to Ben and almost face-planted on the soft mattress. Within a few moments, he drifted off to a much-needed sleep.

  It was almost midday when Ben set his sights on the mine.

  Before setting off, Har had walked around Feruswich tirelessly, finding the carts, horses, and coachmen he needed. He had even found some armed men for hire willing to travel the roads.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Har guided the caravan of six carts toward the mine entrance and ordered them to park in a grassy clearing after Ben had come to a stop.

  Ben got out, taking a look at the builder's progress. They had managed to dig up a large chunk of the area in front of the mine and flatten it. He was waved by the builder in charge before he made his way over there.

  “Good work.” Ben complimented.

  “Ah, it’s alright. We had a few issues with a few large rocks in the way, but it’s all done now.” The builder explained.

  “I’m not an expert in this stuff, but you’re going to start creating the foundations next, aren't you?” Ben asked.

  “Indeed. Luckily, we’ve got everything we need here. We can use those rocks near the entrance for the filler as they’re not brittle. Yesterday, I sent some men to search for lime, sand, and clay. From the looks of things, you’ve got enough to build an entire city.” The builder explained before stroking his chin. “I don't know why the Blackrocks didn't exploit those resources. They could have made a fortune selling that stuff. It could be something to look at once the mine is running again.”

  Ben scratched his head. “Thank you, that’s good to know. I bet there’s a lot of other stuff around here that could be exploited for profit, too. Anyway, while you work on the foundations, is there any chance you could get the bloomery area fixed up? With them, we can create ingots and sell them for more.”

  The builder glanced at the broken structure of the three bloomeries. “I’ll put two of my men on it. It shouldn't take more than a few days to finish.” He glanced back at the flattened area and added, “I’ll need to know how many buildings you need and how large you want. Honestly, a layout of the village would be better.”

  “Leave it with me. I’ll need to speak with the others about that before giving you an answer. For now, start work on the bloomeries.” Ben explained.

  “That’s no problem at all. We still have time as the guys gather the lime and sand. I’ll speak to you later.” The builder waved before making his way back to the other builders.

  A few moments later, Ben called Finn and Jerry to join him and Har in the foreman's office. They all sat around the table in what looked like a boardroom meeting. He had finished explaining the results of the Feruswich trip.

  Before the meeting, Ben had grabbed a pen and paper from the van and sketched a rough drawing of the area.

  “Alright,” Ben said in a huff. “The next order of business is the village. The builders have asked me for an outline of what we want it to look like so they can start work. With all the new horsecarts, I need to know what structures and buildings we need for them.”

  Har gave a nod before speaking. “You’ll need a loading area directly outside the entrance to make life easier for the workers. A hitching post with wooden railings would suffice for that. As for the horses, you’ll have stables with enough space for a dozen horses in case you need to expand. Don’t forget the horses need food and water to survive.”

  “This area should have great groundwater,” Jerry interrupted. Until a well is built, short journeys to the river will have to suffice. I recommend you build a barn where supplies can be stored and a food hut. With winter coming up, the last thing you want is for people to starve to death in case supplies get low. You could speak with Hauxwell. I’m certain he’ll be happy to help with that.”

  “Thanks for that.” Ben nodded as he drew some markers on the paper along with some notes. He showed it to the others and continued when they agreed. “Jerry, I’m not an expert in workshops or dwellings. Since you’ve built your cabin, I need to know how large the workshops need to be and how much space we need for accommodation?”

  “You’ll be better off building the workshops with two stories. That way, the artisans can work on the ground floor and use the space above to live and sleep. The workspaces need to be around the same size as my cabin. Remember, they must have space for their forges and crafting tools.” Jerry replied.

  Ben traced a road down the middle of the flattened area. He reserved some space for a well and started making rectangles where the buildings would be placed on either side of the road. “From the looks of things, we can build around a dozen. If we need to expand in the future, we can always clear out the camp area and flatten the land towards the direction of the mountains.” Once the map was done, he placed it in the center of the table before turning to Finn. “Do you need anything for the mine?”

  Finn scratched his head and looked a little shy to ask. He only spoke when Har gave him a nod. “Master Ben, we could do with another ore storage area. We’re nearly full again, and it’s only been a couple of days.”

  Ben glanced at the map. “The builders will use all that stone piled near the entrance. We can build an additional storage area there. That way, it’ll be easier for the smelters to do their job and for the people to load the carts faster.” He then drew another square.

  Finn smiled, “That will help a lot and keep things going.”

  Har gave Finn a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll start loading those carts in the morning. We should be able to clear enough space in the store, so you’ll be all alright for another week.” Turning to Ben, he added, “I’ll go around the other towns and villages to see what we can sell.”

  Ben glanced at some of the nearby ledgers. “I’ll quickly look through those and see if I can dig any old contracts from the other towns and villages. If you speak to them like that forge guy in Feruswich, they might be interested in buying ore from us again.”

  “That sounds like it could work.” Har agreed.

  Ben grabbed the ledgers and began siphoning through Lord Blackrock's squiggly writing. He made a list of settlements and the names of the previous customers, making sure to write down the amounts they bought and for how much. Feeling happy with the information he had gathered, he passed the list to Har and wished him good luck, hoping things would turn out positively.

  Ben grabbed the map he had made and made his way to the builder before giving the man a brief explanation. Once he was done, he went to the van for much-needed maintenance.