Chapter 42: Meet the Masters
31 May 1260
Dear Diary,
Floris Industries is making me a profit with their tools, but I needed to expand for even more. The only problem was that the global iron production wasn't sufficient to support more towns with such heavy production. So I decided to expand into other businesses. I took quite some money from the national treasury, and set out to the Sarranid desert, to the city of Bariyye. I wanted to buy land from the guild master, but he told me that no-one was daring enough to sell me some. Apparently emir Atis, ruler of the city, was somewhat upset with me. He was patrolling nearby, so I set out, and asked him if I could help. Luckily I could: he just wanted me to train some mamlukes. He gave me five recruits, and I gave him five of my personal mamlukes. That more than satisfied him.
When I returned to Bariyye, the merchants had heard of my generous donation to their emir, and were more than willing to sell me a piece of their land. I build there both a weavery and a dyeworks, which would produce velvet. The master dyeworker would sell it in this city too: a fully automated business which I wouldn't have to look out for. The build cost unfortunately would take a time to be earned back, but so be it. In the long run I would have a profitable business.
The newly opened dyeworks in Bariyye and the master dyer. He looks very familiar to the master smith back home. Are they related?
From Bariyye I rode to Durquba, where I set up a similar venture. But when I came in Ahmerrad, I noticed that velvet wasn't the most profitable good available: in this city, it was wine. So I decided to buy some cheaper land and build several wine presses. Everyone knows the wine from Yalen, and before the collapse of its industry Suno's too. Now people would have to learn real Floris-made Ahmerrad-wine.
The wine presses of Ahmerrad. Is the master vinter a brother of the previous two masters?
When I arrived in Shariz, the people were wary of me. No wonder that they didn't trust strangers that easily: the city had been the Rhodoks main target for many years. Before they were willing to sell me anything, they asked me to deliver money to the kidnappers of the daughter of one of his friends. I hadn't heard that in a long time, so I took the money, and set out to Curaw: the bandits had made camp pretty close to that city.
I hadn't spoken in a long time to them, so when I finally arrived at the scene, it was a joyfull joining of our bands. They gave us some beer, while we shared our bread. After this feast, we came down to business: I gave them their money, and they handed over the girl. But when I told them that they'd better continue their business outside my territories, since it wouldn't be good for both our businesses if my subjects saw us feasting together, they became angry. 'We can decide where we want to kidnap innocent girls,' the headman shouted, at which I demanded the money back, as a compensation for the use of my property. They refused, and swords were drawn. The fight was quick, since they were no match for my mamlukes, but unfortunately one of them fled with most of the money. Too bad, but the girl was safe. I returned her to her home in Shariz, after which the guild master gratefully allowed me to buy some land. Once again velvet wasn't the best investment, so instead I build a linen weavery.
The linen weavery of Shariz. The master... I wonder if it's the same person, or some kind of sick Twin Experiment?
I rode back through my eastern country, and brought iron to all cities. While I was underway, one of my prisoners, Rochabart noyan, managed to escape from my prison tower. But where would he go? He remained loyal to the khan, which was still in my prison. There was no time to wonder, since I had to continue my journey to the original Nord cities. My first stop was Wercheg, where I build both a weavery and a dyeworks to produce more velvet. Then I rode to Sargoth, where I also bought more velvet industry. While I was on my way, I heard that both the Sarranids and Rhodoks concluded a nonaggression treaty. I bet it was sultan Hakim's idea.
After I had bought that velvet industry for 10,000 denars in Sargoth, I needed to get more money, so after I did a refill in all my cities, I took another 10,000 from my capital's treasury and started the famous trade run. On the way I'd visit all the cities with foundries to replenish the iron supply, and keep it at it's maximum. Also I'd pay for industries on the way. I started velvet industries in Suno, Tihr, Uxkhal and Yalen. But when I arrived in Jelkala, that wasn't feasible. That city is the heart of the velvet Empire, so starting a velvet industry over there would be useless. Instead I build a tannery.
The tannery of Jelkala. These masters are starting to freak me out. If I see their faces one more time, I'll start a war or something.
After this I continued to Praven, but the merchants over there didn't want to discuss any transaction of land. Hadn't I caused the downfall of their Swadian kingdom by declaring independence? To ease their minds, I asked if I could do anything to make up for it. after some thinking, the guild master handed over 9 barrels of ale: I needed to deliver them to Veluca. Once I got there, I found out that olives were more rare than velvet, so I started to build love presses over there. In the meantime I heard that the Rhodoks and Nords concluded a nonaggression pact.
The olive press of Veluca. That's it: I'm done with them. Someone has to pay! There must be a war soon.
Still the citizens of Praven weren't satisfied, so I asked the guild master once again what I could do to help. He thought deep, and then came up with protecting a caravan on its way to Durquba. Of course that wouldn't be a problem, although I first visited Sargoth to buy some Flax to sell in that Sarranid city, then rode to Tulga where I bought some spices, then continued to Ahmerrad to sell those and finally ended up in Durquba, both to deliver the caravan and sell my flax. After I returned to Praven, the people were finally prepared to sell me a piece of land to start some velvet industry.
In every town you can find both the lion of Floris Industries and a Floris King nearby.
In every town you now come, you can see the lion of
Floris Industries. To supply my faraway workers with good food, I started an inn next to every workplace, called
Floris King. Every worker in my industry and every citizen of Holland could get a discount on the wines from Ahmerrad and of course the famous pork and chicken sandwiches. Now I'm back in Khudan, and it's time for other important matters. My industry is flourishing: now I can concentrate on the one thing that brought me to this height: war.
*****
Gameplay notes
Both Floris' stats and the worldmap haven't changed. The first because I haven't fought much, the second because the Rhodoks made an nonaggression pact with both the Sarranids and Nords, and those two factions seem to be too wary to fight each other. Therefor I show you my latest budget, showing how all those faraway industries I'm not looking after have a big influence on the profit I get each week, ensuring it's 5474 denars to be added to my treasury:
. I do wonder sometimes about some factions, like the Khergit tactic for defending a castle: running down the walls until you meet the point of an hostile arrow or spear...
