Brightwater ValleyDay 4 of Grainworks Initiative
Mark and Sarah got up and ate breakfast that someone in the outpost had volunteered to make in trade for some of their wheat. They both thought it was a good deal. The food was delicious and different from what Dale could make with the items that he had. When breakfast was over, Owen gave them directions one last time on how to get to Riverbend Trading Post. Then they set out downriver.
As they traveled down the river, they noticed the population density increasing along with the number of farms, fences, and irrigation systems. Two hours later they passed the Goldbulb Farm, where they grew onions, garlic, and herbs. They did not stop, only waving at the people working in the fields, who waved back. The smell in the air was different, but the people were the same. They were hard workers, busy making a life here in Brightwater Valley.
Mark opened his map as more locations and trails became available for him to read. They continued heading south. Just a couple of hours after they left Goldbulb, they passed the Meadowrun Dairy, another outpost. They did not stop but continued south following the road they were on. The only big change was the smell of cows rather than fields full of vegetables. There were people, stalls, fences, and homes all around them, showing that this was an active and prosperous area.
Just after leaving the range of the Meadowrun Dairy, they stopped for lunch and ate one of the meals that Dale had packed for them. They also fed and watered the animals, who were doing really well during this trip. Mark was happy they had not traveled on foot, as he would still be almost back at the beginning. After lunch they got back on the road and continued.
They were getting close; there was a lot more river activity here. Mark saw multiple barges and people moving up and down the river. He even spotted four horses on one of the towpaths pulling a barge north behind them. When they finally reached River Bend, Mark understood the name immediately. The settlement sat on an island in the river, with a two-lane bridge connecting it to the southern bank. Barges crowded the shoreline, and people moved between warehouses, shops, and docks. After days of traveling through farms and smaller outposts, this was the first place that felt built around trade.
The first thing Sarah and Mark did when they got to town was find a stable for the animals and an inn where they could get rooms for the night. The inn was one of two in the village, and it had three floors, making it bigger than Dale's two-story inn. After their rooms were found, Sarah and Mark parted ways. She went to find the teacher they had been referred to, while Mark asked the innkeeper where he could find one of the village leaders.
Michael was the man Mark found, and the two went into a meeting room to sit and talk. Michael welcomed Mark to Riverbend Trading Post and asked how he could help Mark. Mark told him he came from Beaver Crossing and had traveled down to learn what was in the zone below theirs. He explained the Grainworks project they were working on and the task to create towpaths and get twelve oxen to help haul barges up the river.
Michael said, “That sounds sort of like the projects we've done. About a year ago, we completed an Orchard Initiative on the east side of the river, just upstream from here near Sunvine Farms, where you said you stayed last night.”
Mark said, “Yes, a tomato grower from the farms told us about the fruit. So it's true, then.”
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Michael said, "Yes, we have apples, pears, plums, and cherries. You guys don't happen to have any fruit trees up north, do you?”
Mark said, “Sadly, no, though we have a lot of wheat and are building a mill to grind it into flour. We were hoping that we could eventually get trade contracts for that. For now, though, I am just checking out the area. Someone handling the Grainworks trades will eventually come down here to make those contracts if you're interested.”
Michael then told Mark about the Dairy Cooperative they had completed about six months ago. Between that and the Orchard Initiative, they had access to large amounts of milk and fruit they could trade for things like flour and wheat. He then asked what else Mark's region had available for trade. Mark told him about Forgeworks and the metal and ore it produced, which delighted Michael because they had access to only tiny quantities of metal.
Michael eventually gathered the whole village council, and they spent the rest of the evening with Mark discussing what each side had to trade and what interested them. Mark set up a few small trades with them for fruits, vegetables, milk, honey, and potatoes, which he also learned they grew in the area. The council asked Mark to bring over the trade goods he had with him so they could see what was available.
Mark then brought the mule over and delivered the three fifty-pound bags of wheat he still had to the council. He also unloaded all the sample metal products from his inventory. The council was excited to see the dozens of items he had brought and purchased everything Mark was willing to sell. In return, they gave him samples of the goods available in the area to take back.
He received honey, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and beans, along with a bag full of the various fruits and other vegetables available in the area. With the number of items he had received, Mark realized Sarah was sure to make a lot of progress on her quest and probably level up a couple of times. They had found far more items than Dale expected her to find. The only limiting factor was the amount of weight the mule could haul.
Mark also talked to them about his labor shortage. They understood exactly what he was dealing with, as both of their projects had taken a lot of labor. They were not sure how many people they could find, but they agreed to send word throughout the surrounding area for anyone interested in moving to a new, growing region. Mark had a list from the council showing their labor shortages, including which positions were permanent and which, like construction work, would be temporary.
At the end of the meeting, they told him about a team of river runners looking to grow their business and where he could find them. Mark decided to talk with them the next day. If they could haul goods upriver and teach others how the trade worked, they might be able to jump-start the barge traffic needed to support the Grainworks.
When Mark finally left, the group was excited about the potential for trade with the north. They were already talking about sending an expedition north and starting construction on a road up the left side of the river past Sunvine Farms to help with trade in the future.
When Mark returned to the inn, he found Sarah eating a late dinner, and he joined her. She told him about meeting with the teacher and learning how they taught here. More importantly, she had learned that the System could sanction a school. She now had a requirements list showing what they needed to establish one, and once sanctioned, the school would offer tasks for both teachers and students to support the learning process. She was so excited that Mark thought she might try to get them to leave that night rather than wait until morning.
When the two finally finished their conversation, they each headed to their rooms for the night and planned to meet up in the common room in the morning. Sarah was going to visit a school and watch the lessons. Mark planned to find the river group, see if he could hire them, and then make arrangements to head home.
Mark's biggest regret from the trip was that he had not had enough time to survey the entire zone. That meant he would need to come back later to finish that part of his Steward class upgrade.