Chương 101: Chapter 2.38: Wasted

Favius put on an excited smile and raised the pitch of his voice toward childlike enthusiasm.

"Oh, really? Grandma liked my books? That's so exciting." Sirrana gave him an evil glare. Favius only widened his best attempt at an innocent, childlike smile. Did she really think that would throw me off guard? After all, I wrote the books so people like her understand the knowledge I want to put out there. He swallowed, remembering Urania mentioning pestilential essences to his Grandmother. Well, the knowledge in the books is not what I'm worried about.

Sirrana studied the bustling construction site and cleared her throat.

"Indeed, should she come to visit, she is likely to ask many clarifying questions."

"That's great," interjected Urania, stepping forward.

"Grandma is fun, and I'd love to properly show her how good I am with numbers." Her tone, too, had grown into exaggerated excitement. Sirrana shook her head.

"Sometimes…" she murmured, looking at Urania before her eyes lingered on Favius.

"Yes?" Favius prompted, and Sirrana nodded.

"Indeed. While your Grandmother found your books impressive, she would like me to remind you that not all knowledge is beneficial, and that sharing unwisely could have..." She tilted her head to the side.

"... undesirable consequences."

"Ohhh," drawled Favius, and kicked a pine cone down the hill. Sirrana's eyes snapped to it as it bounced into the underbrush, and they listened to the rustling in silence.

"Indeed," Sirrana said.

"There could have been advantages and favors if they had been distributed more thoughtfully around the Academy and city. Should there be any future books, she would be honored to advise you on their writing." Favius hummed, focusing on the workers digging out the foundations for his personal workshop. Well, it's not hard to guess what sort of plot this is. She wants control. And some favors for herself. He considered the differences between the foundations.

The soap workshop, as well as parts of the paper and his personal workshop, received a full stone foundation of gravelly concrete. Most of the other buildings... He studied the shallow pits where the topsoil had been removed and wood frames were being set for the deeper wall foundations. Near the river, a pit had been dug near the new bridge where the slaves were mixing slaked lime, volcanic ash, gravel, and sand with water before it was dragged off towards the foundations on the far side of the creek.

Favius narrowed his eyes. I think that's the administration building.

"Well," he replied.

"Grandmother is certainly welcome to offer her advice. But as far as I understand the laws of the Republic, advising is all she may do." Sirrana sniffed.

"That might be the correct reading of the letter of the law. Yet clan or Tower secrets, as well as ideas of strategic importance for the entire Republic, may require a more careful treatment." Urania sniffed.

"Oh please, Aunt Sirrana. What do you think your little cousin is going to reveal? The secrets of breaking the barrier to reach beyond Transcensor?" Sirrana hummed, staring into the distance, and Favius tried his best to suppress a swallow. Oh, Urania, considering what I could be sharing, that probably doesn't even make the list of the top one hundred most dangerous ideas I have. Favius clicked his tongue and gestured at the construction site.

"Well, Sirrana, you obviously took us here to interrogate us, no?" The Infiltrator shifted from foot to foot.

"That's a rather blunt statement, Young Lord."

"No need for subtlety if everything is already obvious, is there now?" added Urania, and Sirrana let out a long-suffering breath. Favius dispersed the last remnants of anger in his stomach with a controlled breath. Best to take this head-on. After all, she's not technically spying, just as we agreed. Funny that she mentions the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law while pulling this kind of stunt. Sirrana pointed first to the collection of buildings on the other side of the river.

"Those are obviously utility buildings, all connected by the bridge to the workshops. Their elongated footprint is rather unusual." Urania sniffed.

"Oh please. Do we really need to explain why we chose a long footprint? It ought to be obvious, really. Even Marius could probably figure it out." The scarred side of Sirrana's face twitched in irritation, and Favius smirked. Well, that was a vicious one, little sister. Sirrana shook her head and pointed to the three lower workshops, all of which were constructed a decent distance away from the river.

"Now I get the beehives, the soap, and even your strange attempt at making papyrus." She turned her head unnaturally far to the side and studied Favius.

"Of which your Grandmother wholeheartedly approves. The southern merchants have long used the needs of the Republic to line their pockets. Using our lack to take our wealth away from us." Favius sniffed. Well, another reminder that I really need to write that economics book. Though honestly, it might be best to have my Grandmother advise me on that one only after the first drafts have been sent out to a bunch of influential people.

Something tells me she's not going to like my thoughts on equitable distribution of profits and such things. Sirrana continued, pointing at the workshop furthest up the hill and close to the river.

"I've heard that your Father is constructing you a personal workshop for experimentation. Tell me, what do you intend to do there?" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Favius sniffed dismissively.

"Oh, that's merely an extra building for the future." He made a broad gesture. Well, how to redirect this conversation before I babble out something stupid? His eyes fell to the hive of activity furthest down the hill, and he grinned. A concrete-lined channel started on the backside of the workshops and led down to where the slope fell towards a reedy swamp near the creek. The slope was currently being dug up into three broad terraces.

"But you know, Sirrana, you should really be excited about what's happening down there."

"Should I?" she questioned, and Favius stroked his chin.

"Indeed, indeed. Have you considered that both soap and paper construction make extensive use of caustic essence suspended in water? Never mind remnants of fat. And the rag pulp..." Sirrana tilted her head to the side.

"You are speaking about wastewater, aren't you?" Favius snapped his fingers, and Sirrana studied him with a skeptical look while Urania rumpled her nose. Sirrana turned back to the construction site, and suddenly her eyes widened.

"The hillside where the channel leads, that's not just a cesspit like you would build for a latrine." Favius sniffed and involuntarily shuddered. Yeah, I saw that approach. Dig a deep pit, throw all the unmentionables in there, and fill it up. Any lavatory is regularly cleaned by the nightsoil-collecting slaves. Kind of pathetic that even someone like Marcus doesn't have any sort of plumbing in the country estate. Urania rolled her eyes.

"Are we really talking about that again? Your strange idea about an open sewer?" Sirrana froze.

"That's supposed to become an open sewer?" She gave Favius a pitiful look.

"Cousin, I know you have certain opinions on how things are to be done, but I've seen cities where that was the norm, and..." She shuddered, but Favius shrugged. Well, she isn't wrong, precisely. But I know that this kind of system worked. After all, I had relatives living near such a facility from the seventeenth or eighteenth century. He shook his head.

"Oh, this is far more than a simple open sewer, you see." He pointed to where the workers were digging through the stony soil.

"The upper terrace, where the channel..." He gestured.

"... will be closed over soon and regularly flushed with water from the creek, is going to end in a system of three settling basins, each further down the hill and separated by one of those thick dams." Urania took Sirrana's arm and pointed into the reedy swamp by the creekside.

"See the slaves down there? They're digging up reeds and rushes to be transplanted." Sirrana narrowed her eyes.

"Settling ponds, you mean? But..." She murmured.

"Why don't you simply pour all the wastewater into the river? After all, that's how it's done everywhere." Favius looked at her. Well, I haven't seen this in action, but really, is it hard to guess what the result looks like?

"So my workshop and my Father's estate stink like the Eron River downstream of Cindrath's industrial districts?" He shook his head.

"No thanks." He gestured again.

"The first pool will collect and hold the water. It will be regularly cleaned of fat, or whatever settles on the ground. That way we can contain the worst contamination in dedicated waste pits."

"Yes," said Urania, her voice not entirely enthusiastic, but also far from uninterested.

"See how they are stamping down clay in there? That's because Favius says the sand and gravel mixture is too permeable at the moment." Sirrana narrowed her eyes.

"You intend to separate the solid waste from the water? That seems prudent. Yet..." She swallowed.

"Aren't caustic essences and things like urine mixed into the water itself?" Favius nodded.

"That's what the dams, the other basins, and the reeds and rushes are for. The water flows onwards while the dirt and toxins are absorbed into the soil and plants. And after it leaves the marshes at the foot of the hill..." He gestured first at the reedy expanse, then at the flowing creek.

"... the water will be pristine once it reaches our estate's farmland." Sirrana's expression had grown from obvious indulgence to intrigue.

"You claim those ponds can make wastewater drinkable?" Favius shifted his head from side to side.

"If it's done correctly. Possibly," he hedged.

"But it will at least prevent the lands below the workshops from dying." Sirrana clicked her tongue and stared at him again.

"May I tell your Grandmother of this? In fact..." She shifted and turned her upper body to Favius.

"Would you be willing to explain this system in a letter to her?" Favius fought to keep his expression calm. Huh. Seems like she took my diversionary bait.

"Of course, of course," he replied.

"After all, this is something the entire Republic can benefit from." Sirrana chuckled and murmured, "Can't quite decide if you're doing this on purpose, boy. At first I thought you were going to distract me, but this..." She gestured.

"It's been a long-standing point of conflict between the Tower of Life, the Magisterium, and certain Collegia. At times, Magi focused on improving agriculture and studying the dynamics of nature have called into question the virtue of certain industries. They claim some Collegia are prioritizing greed over the health and natural beauty of our Republic." Favius raised his eyebrow.

"Really?" he said while groaning inwardly. Retrospectively this just seems obvious. Heck, I didn't even ask Marcus because I just assumed they had no such thing as environmental concerns here. But, well, I guess mages studying life change the dynamic. Urania cleared her throat.

"Which Collegia are most opposed to the Tower of Life in this?" Sirrana snorted.

"I do not know much about the conflict, as I've only ever heard your Grandmother and some of her colleagues rant—" She swallowed.

"I mean, discuss such issues politely. Yet tanneries, dyers, and the rotting fiber ponds of several familiae who grow jute and flax in large quantities are known to be filthy."

"Well," said Favius, "shall we go back? If you don't have any more questions. After all, if we don't hurry, sunset might..." But Sirrana made a gesture.

"Oh no, Young Master. I took the liberty of having the Majordomo arrange for our horses to wait at the construction site." She gestured down the hill and began walking. Urania followed instantly, yet Favius remained still and considered. So Serran knew about this. Which means Marcus knew. Was she genuinely digging for information or was this just training? After all, she has far more to teach than just shifting. And I don't mean the few lessons she has taught on the side.

He hummed as he scrambled after them down the relatively steep and stony slope covered in pine needles. Soon they walked by piles of timber, cut-off limbs, and needles. The bustling conversations and singing of the work crews formed a strange atmosphere. Bare-chested, sweaty bodies stained with dust and mud formed a maelstrom of productive chaos. Sirrana asked a scrawny gray-haired man who was busy yelling at half a dozen different groups about their horses. They were soon guided towards one of the tents.

Favius smiled and raised his hand to a familiar face. Doroth Cerul. Well, even during the harvest he was the center of a storm of chaos, so it makes sense that Serran is using him here. Their horses waited, already prepared with the hateful horn saddles for him and Sirrana, and the blissful belt and blanket setup, which Favius was not permitted to use, waited for Urania. Favius's expression turned grim. Well, no matter what her intentions are, she saved me half of today's riding lesson. Favius rubbed his ass.

Fucking hell. Without Brutus's lotion… As he jumped onto the back of the pony while Sirrana helped Urania up, he let out a long-suffering breath. Both women chuckled at his expression. He ignored their gossiping as Sirrana rubbernecked all over the construction site. With every fucking riding lesson, I'm getting more and more tempted to invent stirrups. Maybe I could even keep them just for myself. And after all... He sniffed, shifting about with the reins.

How bad could the military consequences really be if they spread? They went over the bridge and by the work crews lining the settling basin with clay. He shook his head. No, that's dumb. They quickly reached the main branch of the road towards the Loran while oxcarts laden with construction materials flowed constantly up the hill. As they reached the Loran River, Sirrana pulled up her horse and moved to Urania's side.

"So, little cousin, tell me, how is your infiltration of Hesnia's circle going?" Favius's heart skipped a beat, but Urania only chuckled.

"Oh, spending time with Marius and Lia is fun. Almost like..." She looked at Favius before her tone saddened. Favius nodded to himself in the moment of silence. Well, of course Sirrana noticed that something is going on with Urania, spending so much time with Hesnia while cursing her in private. Well, just because she knows part of it doesn't mean she has uncovered our entire plot. He pressed his heels into the sides of the horse and closed in to better follow the conversation.

"The older boys are really annoying, but some of the girls... Actually, the girls are annoying as well. Though some of them aren't completely dumb." Sirrana nodded.

"So you're having a good time trying to fit in and trying to do..." She gestured and smiled.

"... what you need to do." Urania let out a chuckle, ignoring the question.

"You know, the worst thing is actually the adults."

"How so?" interjected Favius. Urania and Sirrana turned their heads in the familiar owl-like fashion in eerie unison.

"I tried talking about numbers a few times, you know." Favius hummed in acknowledgement while the side of Sirrana's face twitched in amusement as Urania refused to continue. Favius's brows furrowed in worry as Urania looked straight ahead. Finally, she spoke up again, but her voice was low and angry.

"I was told that it was cute." She sniffed in disgust.

"There's this one woman…" Urania's expression darkened.

"She said I might make a good wife for a successful philosopher. That fat old bit—" She swallowed, but Sirrana patted her on the arm.

"It's all right, little cousin. Calling a cunt a cunt is perfectly acceptable as long as you're among friends." Urania snorted as Favius began chuckling. As they passed by the barge pier, Favius spoke up.

"Well, there's only tonight's dinner before she leaves again. You're almost free of her circle." Urania looked over her shoulder and waited for maybe a heartbeat longer than necessary.

"Yes. I cannot wait." Favius nodded and considered what was coming. The plans they had made with Brutus and Centurii Hefnus. Yes. Hesnia's time is running out.