Chương 85: Chapter 82 – Rumor Language

"Moreen said he thinks he'll have the copper here in two weeks," Alric explained.

"Well, it's still going to take the dwarf how long to make the boilers?" Vale asked with a sigh.

"Er, Stromni. He's going to be overseeing a few human workshops to do the work," Alric explained.

"I'm surprised. I would have thought he'd insist on doing it himself," Vale said.

"Herm... Well, I think he and I are the same like that. It's the most fun when you do it the first time. That's when the problem is interesting. I understand the artisan guild isn't too pleased with him doing so much copper work when there is a copper works in the city." Alric grinned when he said it. Stromni had complained about it, although less happily than normal. Besides, Stromni really wanted to work on the stills.

"I'll take paperwork running clean any day," Vale said, making a gesture with his hand that Alric took as non-committal. Vale trusted paperwork. It stayed where you put it and rarely caught fire.

"Mister Alric? I have a letter from Denner I think we need to discuss," Seren interrupted. They both turned to look at Seren, who was holding the letter in her hand. She passed it over to Alric, who read it out loud. The first part was the usual greetings, then it got to the annoying part.

"There are a few rumors going around you should know about. Apparently, the beer doesn't rot properly, it's too clean for summer, and the temple checks it now?" Which sounded less like a complaint and more like a theological disagreement. Which was, as far as problems went, worse. Theology had a tendency to outlast facts. The rest of the letter was asking for reassurance, but the main parts stuck.

"So, the temple checks our beer now?" Alric repeated with a frown.

"I think it's about the inspection the other day," Seren explained, closing her eyes for a moment.

"But…" Alric paused, remembering the inspection.

"What was the issue with it? We didn't have a problem?"

"No issue, but that doesn't matter if there was or wasn't," countered Vale.

"They came in here, someone saw it, and started a rumor. The guilds are probably involved." He said this while looking down at the letter and letting out a sigh.

"Are sales down or are we still at capacity?" Alric asked Seren, who shook her head.

"We are turning taverns away. Now more than ever," she explained with a wince.

"Some are waiting for us to have beer to strike their guild colors."

"So we're being inspected, rumours are spreading, and demand is increasing?" Alric paused, counting them on his fingers.

"Well, you did tell them that we nearly have berry wine, right?"

"They know. We're still only selling the berry wine to those we can't reach with beer, right?" she asked. Alric nodded. It would be a novelty product, but it would be something while they bought time for the extra copper boilers to come in. That reminded him, they needed to blend the wines still.

"We're going to need to blend the wines pretty soon, then get them casked," Alric said, more to himself than anyone.

"We can't. We just don't have the casks," countered Vale, shaking his head.

"It's that bad? Are we going to sell this by the barrel?" Alric asked. Vale shrugged and avoided eye contact.

"We just don't have enough casks. Wine by the barrel makes a spectacle, after all." Which addressed the storage problem, not the handling one.

"It might... Barrels are expensive and unwieldy," Alric said with a sigh. The barrels, by his estimates, held three hundred liters.

"But still, why are people using the temple to describe beer?" Vale asked, to which neither of them had an answer. The question lingered longer than it should have. Which, in Alric's experience, meant it was about to matter. Alric was checking on Mara to see how she was coping with being middle management. Currently, she was overseeing the hired help as they crushed the last of the berries out in the backyard. This would bring the total up to forty barrels of the berry wine.

Moreen had wrapped up about eighteen wagon loads from every town, village, and hamlet within two days' travel from Avengard. Mara noticed him watching and moved over to him. When everyone else noticed him, their heads went down and they were suddenly deeply interested in their tasks.

"What do you think?" Mara asked brightly.

"Much better than a few days ago. You're getting the hang of it," Alric said, smiling at her while she beamed.

"Just don't turn all formal on me, at least not you and Hal." She pushed her chest out slightly and smirked.

"We were told. You still gotta be the boss though," she said, turning back to the workers. Mara said this with the confidence of someone who had recently discovered she enjoyed telling people what to do.

"This has been a good trial though. We're going to do the same thing for the grapes when they come," Alric explained, which got a nod from Mara.

"You managing?" She nodded again.

"We may not have enough work for the boys here till the grapes get here… but..." she said, tilting her head to and fro.

"You want to hang on to them?" Alric asked with a grin.

"I'm worried we'll lose them to dock work. Otherwise, we have to train someone else," she explained.

"Look at you, you get it now. Make this your team. They could work grain too, you know, but alright, if they want the work, it's theirs." Alric glanced over at the men. There were six of them. Two were currently working with the fruit press, two were on a break, and the last two were moving barrels around. Alric frowned at the barrel. Vale had managed to secure barrels easily. They were more expensive than casks, but the barrels also seemed to be significantly better looked after.

The barrels they were keeping in reserve looked almost boring. Some of the casks he'd seen looked like they could be retired adventurers in comparison. Sensing eyes, the man handling the barrel glanced at Alric before developing a new sense of urgency. Alric pretended not to notice. He noticed that he was doing a great deal of 'not noticing' lately.

"Mister Alric? There is another priest here for you," came the voice of Henry from behind. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Again?" he asked, turning around. As he glanced at the entrance, there were, in fact, two. The clerk from before and, if robes were anything to go by, a much more senior member. Alric studied the more senior of the two. The priest clerk he recognized from before and ignored for now. The senior priest might not be wearing ceremonial robes, but it was close enough to remind him of them. Less heavy layers, replaced with something more practical, yet the detailing remained.

Gold lining ran along the hems and inner folds, catching the light only when he moved. It was a compromise that had not given up very much, mostly on the expectation that others would.

"Good day. I am Brother Donovan, high priest of the Avengard temple, here to meet with the brewer," the senior priest said to Alric as he approached.

"Good afternoon. I am Alric, sometimes referred to as 'the brewer'. In fairness, however, it is done by many people," Alric responded. The priest blinked at him. He seemed surprised, but Alric couldn't quite tell why.

"I'd like to take a look around," he explained, taking the space in.

"I don't mind, but I'd prefer it if you were escorted. Not everything here is safe if you're standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," Alric said. As if on cue, a barrel full of water was being lowered through the roof. This was routine for the staff now, as it was quickly controlled and positioned during its descent.

"I'll handle this, if I may," came the voice of Seren. She stepped closer before offering a curtsy.

"Father Donovan, we are honored by your arrival. I am Seren, Mister Alric's assistant. It would be my honor to escort you through our humble establishment." She said this while keeping her eyes low. She approached the priest and dipped her head. The high priest extended a hand, placing it on Seren's head.

"May the peace of the twelve be with you, daughter. We would be honored." Eh? What? Was I supposed to bow or do the dip? There was, Alric suspected, a correct sequence of movements here. He had just performed none of them. As was his habit, it had not become less of an issue. Alric blinked at the exchange. When it was done, Seren gave him a meaningful look.

"I'll just wait in the office then," Alric said with what he considered his sales smile. As he moved away, he saw many of his staff approaching and bowing for a blessing. Some of them twice, in case it stacked. Seeing as no one was watching him, Alric quickly tidied the office before anyone could give him a lecture about labor. Although, from what he'd seen of Mara recently, she was probably more sympathetic. The tour didn't take long before the two priests came over to the office to join him.

Seren saw them seated.

"Can we offer you tea, Father Donovan and Brother Cladus?" Seren began, but the high priest shook his head. Alric was sure she said the names purely for his benefit.

"Might we try the beers you produce here?" he asked instead. Seren glanced over at Alric, who gave a small nod.

"Certainly. I shall bring some tankards then. They are our pride, after all," Seren said with a small curtsy before leaving.

"How may I assist you, er… gentlemen?" Alric asked.

"A few questions, if we may," came from the clerk priest, Brother Cladus.

"You have made changes to the stones?"

"Yes, the stones were leaking mana from their sides when they got too hot. We wrapped them in adamantite to see what difference it would make. We found they now last significantly longer," Alric explained, leaning forward slightly. The clerk nodded, beginning to write something down.

"Adamanteeth?" came from Father Donovan, who glanced at Brother Cladus's writing.

"A metal that prevents the flow of magic," Cladus replied, to which Alric nodded.

"Uh... Brother Cladus is correct. It stops mana, or magic," Alric said, hoping not to make things worse.

"And why does that make a difference?" Father Donovan asked.

"If it's not leaking out, Father, then it is being used. The distinction is fairly important. Much like a bucket without holes in the side," Cladus explained, which got a slow nod from Donovan. Things in the clergy are… complicated.

"Are you planning any other significant magical changes?" Cladus asked. Alric shook his head.

"Trying to stabilize more will be too costly, but you never know what is discovered next." Cladus nodded, writing more.

"Ahh, beer!" Alric said as Seren came in with a tray. The tasting was the most boring one Alric had attended so far, and that was saying something. Both priests tried, gave vague comments, and moved on.

"Well, with that done, uh, may I ask if we are doing anything… wrong? That is upsetting the temple?" Alric asked. Both shook their heads.

"Nothing like that. We have been hearing disturbing rumors, but there is nothing here," Father Donovan said, as though that was the problem.

"It would seem Father Donovan wanted to see for himself," Cladus said with a smile.

"Well, uh, as you can see. We just… clean." Both the clergymen nodded as if that answered nothing. Donovan cleared his throat and shifted his weight around as he asked something uncomfortable. He and Cladus exchanged a look before he asked, "So then, any idea why the gods won't accept your beer as an offering?"

"Eh?" Interlude I – Henry's Hires The six men were called collectively "Henry's hires". When the brewery needed extra labor, Henry had approached the first group he encountered and asked them if they wanted steady work for the next three weeks. The men had followed him like dutiful puppies ever since.

"Well, you heard him, boys. There is work here if you want it," Mara said, approaching the six men. Three of them nodded. One glanced at the others first before saying, "We do be grateful, miss. I'll be taking you on that."

"Work's work," another muttered, "long as it don't bite."

"Aye," one added, "and if it does, we've had worse."

"Better'n the docks," someone said.

"At least dem casks don't shout back." Dock work, it should be noted, teaches a man many things. Chief among them is that objects have personalities, and most of them are hostile. Mara nodded.

"The rest of you?" The rest followed with a chorus of yesses and ayes.

"Did the boss say anyfink about houses?" one asked, to which the others nodded.

"He's taking the two buildings nearby. We're waiting for them to move out. You'll need to bunk up where you can till then," Mara explained. They nodded, seeming to consider this reasonable. One glanced over at the entryway.

"Pardon, miss… but that boy? Why's everyone so nice ta him?" he asked, pointing.

"He looks important," another said.

"Or dangerous. Hard to tell from the back." Mara glanced over. Battery must have finished a bit earlier. He walked through the door with his usual shuffle, moving for the staff quarters. Mara grinned.

"That's a good question, Ruke, but I'd rather show you," she said with a smirk. She gestured for them to follow her and walked the men over to the steaming table. Currently, it was sitting inert.

"Alright, so you see the heating stones? They have a small hole on the bottom. Put your finger in there, Ruke," she said with a smile. There is a particular tone people use when suggesting something that is either completely safe or absolutely not. Experience suggests it is rarely the former. Ruke looked skeptical, but did as he was told.

"It's always a finger," another said.

"Never 'put your boot in.'""Alright, you feel a pull? Like a tug?" Mara asked. He nodded.

"Let it go. Go with the pull."

"Faaah…" he said as his body wavered. He pulled his finger out and stared at it, looking for an injury. He started drifting on his feet. The other hires caught him quickly and sat him down.

"Wha?" was all he said, breathing deeply. Mara had to suppress a chuckle.

"Lessa!" she called out, gesturing. Lessa perked up and came over.

"Lessa, these men are asking why we are so nice to Battery. They're getting the same lesson you did. Boss did it to me and Henry long ago too." Lessa blinked at Mara before glancing at the heating stone, looking slightly paler. She said that before remembering it had been less than a year since she and Hal had begun working for Alric.

"I started making his bed every morning after that. Battery has to do that every day," Lessa said, pointing to the stones. The men all nodded, although Mara suspected that Lessa could have said fish can fly and they would have nodded. It was Lessa, after all.

"Thanks, Lessa." One of them nodded again, just in case. Lessa gave a quick smile before returning to weighing more grain.

"Any more questions about Battery?" Mara asked sweetly. They all shook their heads, other than the one who was sitting on the floor.

"He does that every day?" he asked, blinking at the stone.

"Well, you didn't get this stone started, even. When Battery or the boss do it, we get enough for three dozen stones," Mara said offhand. The man began standing, still blinking at the stone with a complicated expression.

"Uh, Missus Mara, which o' the work pays best?" he asked, looking around the space sheepishly.

"The kind that don't… that," he added, nodding at the stone.

"Boilers," Mara answered immediately.

"How's we move ta boilin'?" another followed up.

"You know your letters, Tiv?" Mara asked. Tiv opened his mouth and closed it again before shaking his head.

"If I told the boss, he might arrange something. Boiler work ain't easy. Don't you have a kid, Tiv?" Mara asked.

"That's right. He's smarter than me already," Tiv said.

"Got his mother's brain then," someone muttered.

"Good," another said.

"One of you needs one."

"Then we always need muscle. You can work grain, fermentation. Boilers are dangerous, but you be nice to Battery, like everyone else. Also, he's a mage, like the boss," Mara added. There was a brief, respectful silence at that. Magic has a way of rearranging a man's priorities. All six of them nodded, looking down at the heating stone. At least she and Hal had managed to get one going. Her face turned a bit smug remembering that.

The expression slipped when she remembered Lessa had only needed a nap after charging six.