It's been quite a while. Real life is keeping me busy. As always, feel free to point out any grammar or spelling mistakes.
Chapter 2 Magical Token
'This is amazing. Who knew that such a place existed within my territory?' Thought Schaf as he looked at the vast bay in front of him. The absence of any strong wind besides small breezes made him hopeful about a certain possibility.
If he was lucky enough, he hit a goldmine of a natural harbor. A naturally occurring sea bay that protected ships from the withering effects of nature such as strong gusts of wind, weather, or waves.
Now he only needed to confirm the depth of the bay as well as whether or not the bay protected ships from the unforgiven weathering of nature.
After the short burial of his father and former Lord Woolsheep, Schaf had set out with his current Master in Arms and eight other men to explore his humble territory.
While House Woolsheep was only a petty lord originating from House Wooldfield, the territories of the north were far larger and vaster compared to the counterparts of the other kingdoms.
So it was no wonder that it took Schaf and his entourage at least three hours on horseback to traverse through the trails stomped by the occasional passing smallfolk.
During the small exploration, Schaf pondered about possible development directions he could take. The first direction would require him to possess a big enough harbor for trading ships to dock on.
There existed a few small self-crafted harbors that were used by fishermen, but for his plans, they wouldn't suffice.
After following the shoreline of his territory this was the only bay big enough for his potential expanding plan. The others were either too small, lay in very rocky terrain, or had a bad combination of depth and rocks that made it very dangerous for ships.
'It's not feasible to migrate my peasants to the shore. For that, the bay offers little to no flat land where they could farm their crops.' Pondered Schaf as he realized that while the bay had the potential to become a large harbor, the immediate land wouldn't be able to feed the population.
While the land in front of the bay looked big enough, Schaf knew that it wouldn't suffice for holding a harbor and farmland.
Immersed in his thoughts, Schaf ignored the nervous fisherman and his family that cowered in front of the entourage.
It wasn't all day that the smallfolk would get to see noble folk. While some of them envied the life of nobles, regarded them as rightful rulers, or despised them, one was sure, meeting one as a smallfolk held many dangers.
Finally, the fisherman couldn't suppress his worrisome thoughts anymore. With slow and humble movement, he crept towards the Master in Arms that filled the stereotype of a tall muscular brute to a T.
"My Lord, how can I help you?"
Lowering his head as much as possible, the fisherman sneaked glances towards the Master in Arms, hoping for a clear answer on why a noble would visit his fishing hut.
Instead of answering, the tall muscular brute turned his head towards Schaf. It didn't take long for the fisherman to realize his mistake. He had thought that Schaf was simply a squire as the clothes he wore certainly didn't look more imposing than the full-plated armor of the Master in Arms.
Almost falling to his knees, the man let out a small whimper. He had heard of tales about how smallfolk were punished for the tiniest mistakes.
His wife and three children were visibly distressed upon realizing that the tall muscular brute equipped with shiny armor wasn't the lord. Instead, it was the slightly chubby, young boy.
"Can you show me your boat? For how long have you lived here?" Spoke Schaf as he skipped over the introduction. While understanding the fear of having nine fully equipped soldiers with horses suddenly appearing on your doorstep, Schaf needed answers.
Perplexed at the normality of the question or simply from not knowing how to respond, the man stared at Schaf in disbelief until a loud shout from Schaf's Master in Arms woke him up.
"What are you diddling around?! Show our lord your boat and answer his questions!"
"Yes! Please. Here." Stuttered the man before stumbling towards the direction of the bay.
All of the men except for Schaf dismounted their horses and began to follow the fisherman at a slow and steady pace. The horses trotted beside them.
While it assured the fisherman that none of the soldiers stayed behind and could endanger his family, the occasional glance towards the soldiers and visible stress towards them did not answer the questions asked by Schaf.
"So, how long did you live here? What can you say about this bay?" Repeated Schaf, hoping that the fisherman would finally reply to his questions.
"My entire life. Sir. A very good place. Sir. Fish, mussels, and crabs are aplenty. While the fish could be bigger, they are enough to feed me and my family. Sir." Said the fisherman while bowing ever so often toward Schaf. His hands nervously gripped his linen clothes.
"What about the wind? Or the weather? How does it compare to the open sea?" Asked Schaf as he looked down at the fisherman from his position atop the horse.
"I don't know my Lord. My grandfather used to go outside the bay. But once he disappeared with the bigger fishing boat, my father and I stayed inside the bay." Spoke the fisherman with a heavy tone.
Before Schaf could ask any more questions, the fisherman continued on his own.
"But my grandpa used to say that the open sea is nothing compared to this small bay. Far more dangerous and more unpredictable. My Lord."
Arriving at the seashore, Schaf grinned inwardly.
'Jackpot.'
Instead of having a slope that gradually descended into the water, it was akin to a vertical border that separated the land from the water.
In other words, a perfect natural harbor that wouldn't require much human intervention to become functional. Secondly, no visible rocks were protruding from the water.
Pointing towards a small wooden Dinghy, the fisherman turned towards Schaf.
"This is my boat. My Lord. I take three oars and a net with me whenever it is time to fish."
There was nothing special about the net, the oars, or the wooden dinghy. It was well built, the passage of time was visible on its surface, and indicated good craftsmanship. But it was as ordinary as they came by.
"Do dangerous places exist within this bay for ships? Are there any places in this bay where rocks protrude from the sea ground?" Asked Schaf as he looked down on the fisherman while sitting atop his horse.
"No, my lord. In the past, my brother and I would often go out on my small wooden boat and go diving for mussels and crabs. I saw no places where stones are protruding from the ground, my lord." Spoke the fisherman as he looked at Schaf.
By now Schaf had seen and heard enough to realize that this bay was a dreamlike natural harbor. The bay was protected from harsh weather on two sides, there was a vertical border between the sea and the land and the water depth would allow for eventual large ships to rest in the bay.
Although the limited amount of flat land could become a problem later on, it was perfect for early development and Schaf couldn't have wished for a better place to start his fleet. The limited amount of flat land wouldn't become a problem if he efficiently planned the harbor.
After all the space was only limited directly near the sea, after walking up a small rocky hill nothing but flat land would await.
"Good. What is your name?" Nodded Schaf with satisfaction before turning towards the fisherman.
While he could manage the port on his own, it was a lot of work, and having vassals besides those that he controlled would lift a lot off his shoulders. Especially when the vassal has lived in the same place all of his life and probably explored every nook and cranny within this bay.
"My name is Davis, sir." Said the fisherman with a respectful bow. Having accompanied a lord and his entourage for a while, Davis seemed to have lost the majority of his fear of being mauled and executed. At least not without reason.
While Schaf looked like, sounded like, and had the abilities of a young child, it was obvious to Davis that the 9 armored men heed his beckon and call. So far none of the men looked disgruntled about following the orders of the young boy.
It wasn't long before Davis lead Schaf and his guards back to his home. Having done the request of the noble Lord.
In front of the door, a nervous woman awaited her husband. It wasn't every day that the lord of the land would appear on the doorsteps of his smallfolk.
Especially not on the doorsteps of a smallfolk family that lived a good distance away from the main settlement.
"Well, then Davis. Await my message after the harvest season is over. I will send someone over once it is time to build our small port."
"Yes, my Lord." Replied Davis with a nervous tone. Schaf had told him of his plans of building a small port. Including the fact that he might play a large part in it.
Before Schaf could command one of his soldiers to lift him onto the horse, Davis suggested something.
"My Lord, how about you eat with me today? My haul from yesterday belongs to one of my best."
Ignoring the hopeful look from Davis, Schaf pondered for a short moment. He hadn't eaten much after killing his father and there was little chance of him getting poisoned or killed.
…
The nod from Schaf resulted in an awkward silence as the guards, the children from Davis, Davis himself, and Schaf silently sat around a wooden table. Waiting for the food to be served.
Everyone was quiet. The guards because there was nothing to talk about. The three children of Davis because they realized the seriousness of the current situation. Davis because he waited for Schaf to speak.
So the only one that could start a conversation would be Schaf.
"Are there any tokens or family heirlooms that you could show me? Perhaps some statue or…"
Visibly Davis and the three children sitting at the table froze for a moment. There was uncertainty about why Schaf would ask the question.
"My Lord… there… there…" Stuttered Davis nervously before remembering something. "There is something my grandfather gave me."
A quick glance at his wife and three children revealed that they were quite unsure and nervous about showing the heirloom.
Standing up from the table, Davis moved towards one of the corners. He quickly returned with a small wooden chest that contained various items such as jewelry made out of beautiful shells, stones, and amulets carved out of wood.
Spreading out the entire content, Davis ignored the more expensive-looking jewelry for an ordinary-looking shell that was accompanied by a small piece of wood.
"My grandfather used to say that this is a talisman from the old god of the sea. A lucky charm as you will. He used to carry a similar amulet with him whenever he would go out to the sea. He even told me that I shouldn't go out to the sea when I don't carry this with me."
Carefully Schaf touched the shell as well as the wood. He had hoped for a screen to pop out, only to be disappointed. There was nothing that happened.
Though Schaf had to admit that the wood felt quite smooth to touch and the shell albeit quite common looking was quite pleasing to look at.
"If you'd like to have it, I could give it to you my Lord." Said Davis, clearly seeing that Schaf liked the talisman.
While there was the small desire to make it his own, after all now he was a noble, Schaf shook his head.
"No. Your grandfather gifted it to you and it wouldn't be fair to him."
He had plans to make Davis into one of his subordinates and he couldn't decipher whether or not Davis offered the talisman out of fear or out of the desire to please him.
"No my Lord, I made it. My grandfather helped me make it." Quickly spoke Davis. Only to realize what he had done. Interrupting and saying no to a noble. "I am sorry my Lord. I shouldn't have… I… I…"
A small wave of his small and chubby arms made the guards refrain from acting toward Davis the fisherman.
Ignoring the behavior that seemed rude to nobles, Schaf instead pointed towards the small wooden chest and spoke with his childish voice.
"For your offense behavior, I will choose something from this wooden chest."
Visible sweat poured out of Davis's pores as he nervously waited as Schaf slowly skimmed through the small wooden chest.
Shells, beautiful stones, and wooden carvings were all crafted into beautiful Accessories.
'None? From the talk about old sea gods, I had expected more. Perhaps only noble houses have an heirloom capable of giving…' Pondered Schaf as he skimmed through the jewelry contained within the small wooden chest.
[Minor sea blessing of the old god]
[Increase speed and safety when traveling with the sea]
Inwardly Schaf couldn't help but grin. This would be good. Outwardly Schaf tried to make it look like that he had chosen the jewelry at random.
"I am going to take this." Spoke Schaf and immediately deposited the jewelry into his pocket.
"My lord, the food is ready." Sounded the soothing voice from the wife as she visibly tried to lessen the impact of the rude behavior.
The meal consisted of fish soup and some bread. Not fancy but filling and tasty enough for Schaf to fill his belly.
The guards didn't seem to have a problem either as they ate with guts.
Before the meal could conclude, Schaf turned towards his Master in Arms.
"Arrel I think he should suffice for the project that administrator Corban has in mind. Right?"
A deep and gruff voice sounded that suited a brute like Arrel replied. "Indeed. Should be enough."
Schaf then looked at Davis and his family before standing up and trying to look as noble as a young boy could before declaring something with a high-pitched voice.
"So I, Schaf Woolsheep hereby declare the intention of building a harbor in this bay. Davis, do you see yourself capable enough to become a supervisor?"
"It would be an honor, my lord!" Spoke Davis as he kneeled.
Schaf could see that Davis occasionally glanced at the armored men as if confirming whether or not this was real. But it didn't matter to Schaf as he had done everything that he planned to do.
The first development project would soon start. He was lucky enough to find a perfect natural harbor.
Now ships could be built and with luck, goods would soon be exported and imported.
'There is one particular good I am very hopeful about.' Laughed Schaf inwardly as he looked at the first screen that let him theorize about the function of heirlooms.
[Heirloom Blessing of Woolsheep]
[Wool that is produced from sheep owned and cared by the Woolsheep family is of excellent quality]