The Red Lands

Project Manager

The familiar ring of the bell sounded earlier than normal. Breakfast consisted of warm bread with generous spreads of butter. Wooden platters passed along the table, aided by helping hands that devoured their mounds of sliced meats. Smoked boar, roasted deer, or sliced pickled vegetables, the variety of choices placed no limit on the hungry mouths.

Chu yawned while walking into the workshop. Ending his chat with one of the older boys hustling in from the forge, they both searched for their familiar seats. During meals, the cooking staff ruled the workshop. They prepared the menu, laid the tables, and served the food. Once the platters and bowls of different aromas filled the table, they then joined in the feast.

"Ah! Chu, I forgot to ask Stavia for a cup of cold water. I can't drink the hot water from the jug because of the blisters on my tongue."

"You should have thought about that sooner when they were serving. You know the rules, go get it yourself."

Chu replied while securing a slice of diminishing pickles. The sourness of the vegetables had a way of perking up a person during the cold winter. The teen at his side, however, refused to relent.

"Lucy, can you fetch it for me? The blisters are killing me."

"Hey, why should Lucy have to serve you a cup? Is your tongue below your foot?"

"It has to be since his mouth is running like normal."

"Your mouths are as sharp as ever. I'm going to enjoy listening to your excuses when Chu grills both of you later. Hehe...oww!"

Ignoring the chatter and hurling accusations, Chu browsed through his notes. The few pages consisted of little points he jotted down last night. When the meal was over, he planned to hold a meeting with the more experienced members. For now, however, he had pressing matters as he listened to the table conversation.

"Touch my piece of bread again and they'll call you Three Finger Ming."

"Who says that bread is yours? Any food on the platters is free for all."

"Ming stop bothering everyone and fetch your own water. Miki, you're kicking me instead of him. Dyna, what did Mrs. Thomas teach you about threatening him over dinner?"

Chu corrected. Ming was about to shuffle out of his chair when Lucy raised a stopping hand.

"Chu, we're missing the bigger picture here."

Lucy said as she exhaled deeply. Pausing as if unsure if she should progress, she continued while facing the enigma.

"I know I'll regret it but I just have to ask. How did you get blisters on your tongue...?"

***

Chu stood with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the table. Looking at his group of skilled Artisans and tradesmen, he confirmed again.

"So what you're saying is that one person is in control of the construction?"

"That's right. The Master Carpenter I inherited my trade from, worked on extending the wall for Karst. We have one Master Builder in charge who delivers the orders to three or four of his promising apprentices. They, in turn, have fifty or a hundred laborers working under them."

Chu stroked his chin while listening to the explanation by Halter.

"Do they all work simultaneously?"

"I don't really understand but let me give you an example. Take this wall for instance. The Master in charge will have four of his Senior apprentices handle each side. Since they have all learned his unique style, the final structure will result in conformity. The Master will usually walk around while inspecting and sharing his advice during the process."

"Wait, but doesn't that cause trouble? I mean, if I was one of those apprentices, I definitely would want to outdo the others."

Miki questioned.

"Most of the time, it's limited to little feuds like stealing away the stronger workers or hoarding away food. I remember a story once where an apprentice messed with the building foundation of another. After a decade of hard work, the structure collapsed before it could be completed. The Guild issued a harsh punishment to the Master in charge. As for the apprentice, the story says his shriveled corpse still hangs over the site of the ruins."

The carpenter continued

"Remember, an undertaking like this takes decades to complete. Measurements need to be done and rechecked during the construction. Sometimes, an error may extend the time for completion because a section might have to be torn down and rebuilt. It has only been recently that the Guilds provided knowledge and tools to make large-scale construction possible. Most of what we learned came from studying the ancient city."

Halter took his time in explaining the process involved in constructing large-scale buildings. The more massive the undertaking, the greater the labor force. To increase speed while whittling away the cost, most Master Carpenters turned their sights to free labor.

Slaves.

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Chu tapped his fingers on the table while listening.

Progress was built on the blood and bones of the unfortunate. Slaves had countless origins; conquered kingdoms, defaulting taxpayers, convicted felons...to name a few. Instead of speaking out and landing himself a brand and a shackle himself, Chu offered a simple choice. He provided the Trading Post with two questions to choose his helpers.

'How did that person become a slave?'

'Find out if they are willing to work for five years for their freedom.'

He offered food, shelter, and clothing during their tenure. When finished, they would have their own home in the village along with long-term employment. Previous merchants could begin plying their trade across the Empire with his products, and Skilled craftsmen could work in his factories. The possibilities to earn or regain wealth were endless.

And it all allowed him a piece of the pie. His large family could manage and slowly grow his business empire while he explored the world. As for a merchant copying his manufactured products and setting up a rival business somewhere at the far ends of the Empire like by the sea, Chu smirked.

This Empire was a developing civilization with some places akin to the Wild, Wild West. Who would dare to cross a handful of spiteful Sersens?

Chu cleared his throat. Reaching his hand on the table, he picked up a few of the prepared chess pieces.

"Our labor force will begin trickling in by the end of the first month of Spring. Before it happens, I want to begin a series of training. I believe that with proper management practices, we can become much more efficient."

He placed the King piece on the table.

"This person is called the Project Manager. He is the one in complete control of the project. Like the Master Builder overseeing a large scale construction, so too does he do the same but with added responsibilities."

Chu gazed at the faces of interest around him before continuing.

"Since this is a lengthy project, I want to build the wall first. This way we yet have the protection of the palisade fence which falls inside the walls. Let's consider the wall as our first project. What are the steps required to build it?"

"First we have to prepare the site. Then we..."

Chu interrupted Pine by raising his hand.

"I want to keep it as simple as possible, so can I say the first step is Site Preparation?"

"Yes, Site Preparation is the first."

Pine agreed while sitting in his chair. Like the others, he knew the boy wanted to teach them something revolutionary. Chu placed another chest piece on the table.

"This person is the one in charge of Site Preparation. The Project Manager will provide all the documentation, measurements, and designs needed for him to complete this task. He should have direct subordinates who know exactly what their teams need to complete for the day."

Chu placed down another tile and asked another question.

"What comes after the Site Preparation?"

"We lay the foundation stones for the wall, so maybe Foundation Construction?"

Pine answered before the others.

"Nice, let's call it Foundation Construction. This tile represents the person handling the Foundation Construction. Now I have a question. Can the Foundation Construction begin while the Site Preparation is ongoing?"

The silence continued as all eyes turned towards Halter. In terms of building, he possessed the most experience. The thin man furrowed his brows while thinking. After a few minutes, he used his finger to draw an imaginary rectangle on the table.

"The normal practice is to complete the site preparation before beginning the foundation construction. Thinking about it, I don't see why we can't do both at the same time. Once the Site Preparation team remains ahead of the stone laying, It can be done. Locking in the first and last block usually has to be done at the end."

Chu smiled.

"Do you see the benefits of what I am trying to say?"

Bon stroked his bald head.

"From what I am seeing, we can separate the workers into small groups who are not only easier to manage but are focused on completing one task. It's like how we worked on building the barrels for the Barrelworm slime but on a much larger scale. Thinking about it, the worksite won't have men lazing around nor be cluttered as usual."

"Wait..."

Pine hopped from his chair and tapped the table. Ignorant of the stares of those around him, he continued in haste.

"Don't you see how efficient this plan is? Think about this, we can have Elder Pick who has mining experience handling the Site Preparation, Old Hodge managing a group to create the cement, a large group cutting and transporting stones, and small groups supporting and handling the little tasks..."

"We can also switch manpower to where we want it the most like when the Site Preparation team is finished they can assist in the next step of the wall construction. We send men to handle tasks before they get delayed."

Chu clapped his hands in praise. In a world where delays in even transport meant a day or more loss in production, Pine grasped the concept. Looking at Halter who sent him a slight nod, he placed the King chess piece in front of the young man.

"I believe you have the skills and requirements to hold the title of Project Manager. With your father and everyone here supporting you to the fullest, I expect you to create something so amazing, it will shock the Empire. Build me my wall and Keep..."

***

The meeting continued until late evening as Chu discussed the basis of planning and management. They integrated Clod and his field expansion, the building of the Industrial Complex, and touched on neglected structures like temporary kitchens and outhouses.

Ms. May requested the kitchen in the barn to share lunch and dinner. Nobody minded eating in the dorms or infirmary because of the meeting in the workshop. Chu had to tear himself away when the talk progressed on the importance and use of a timeline.

Sloshing his boot in the snow, he headed to the western gate and sat down on a log. Dusting away the flurry, he narrowed his eyes at the imprinted scorch marks. The wary approaching crunches alerted him of the arrival of the perpetrators. Looking up, Chu found they brought along the company.

"Let me hear what you've been doing. I warned you all about the dangers of magic."

He asked. Surprisingly the reply came from the one he least expected.

"Not magic. Not Sersen."

Ishara said while raising a hand for each sentence. She then combined her palms together as if holding an imaginary ball inside.

"Not magic. Not Sersen."

She replied.

Chu raised an eyebrow.

"Both?"

He scooped a handful of snow in each hand and then under the watchful eyes of the Hakkim, joined them together.

"Both?"

"Yes."

Chu sucked in a sharp intake of the cold air. What Ishara suggested transcended the knowledge of the Tower Mages. In fact, he believed that even Ishara didn't fully comprehend this development.

The Scroll containing the information about Sersen's creation was dated around the time when the ancient war drew to a close. The contents hinted that given the perilous situation at the time, it may not have been implemented.

His eyes fell on the two girls who had journeyed into unknown territory.

"Explain."

Dyna exchanged glances with Miki. Treading carefully with her words, she talked.

"The three of us were sitting on the wall one night on guard duty. While showing Ishara my Sersen ability, I remembered our discussion about lightning. Since both magic and our Sersen abilities activated from thought, then why couldn't we control them together."

Miki continued the tale.

"Ishara shared a meditation chant with us to make it easier to visualize our starfield. I can't describe it well but I can compare it as if reading a book under candlelight and then moving outside to under the sun. Since our mind controls our Sersen abilities and our Starfield, then why can't we use both?"

Chu passed a hand through his short black hair. Shaking his head he pointed to the barn.

"Let's go inside. As if I don't have enough on my plate already..."