OOM: Returning Eunuch

[bigarmy_strangepants]

It is late in the day, and Ragnar is lounging in his room, talking to Athelstan.

He could spend eternity just talking to Athelstan, and then an eternity again with all the other Athelstan-related things.

But they never run out of things to talk about, it seems.

"... will turn seawater into potable water, like making salt, just the other way around," he is saying.

Comments

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Ragnar tries some of the olive bread, which is as nice as he hoped it would be.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan butters a piece for himself, and eats with evident approval.

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric, having somewhat regained his appetite since he arrived at new years, tries a bit of everything.

"I miss good bread. The Sinese eat almost none of it at all."

He attacks the fruit next, licking juice off his fingers. "And the vegetables the Khan's eat are all dull and stringy as grass."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"What do they eat instead of bread?" Ragnar asks.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan glances at Sinric, chewing on olive bread and waiting for the answer.

[thewidewideworld]

"A grain they call mĭ but in the Greek is called oruza. Here, I have heard it called rice. It is grown in fields of shallow wetland and marshes."

"There are mountains just beyond the imperial city where great flat plateaus are cut, like stepped pools as big as lakes to grow it. Other places, all the lowlands are damed and used as fields."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"A grain they eat as gruel, not as bread?" Ragnar says. "That is interesting. Then their food must be very different, to go with that."

[athelstanthescribe]

"Their land must have been given to marsh before that", Athelstan supposes, "for a plant to arise that thrives in wet conditions."

[thewidewideworld]

"Much of it was, and still is. But they have found a way to make use such land to feed an empire."

"Their food is quite different but oruza is cooked less as a gruel and more as softened grains. It can be made to stick to itself to form balls or eaten from a bowl. Or ground fine as as we would with wheat and made in noodles. It grows fast, is very nutritious and dried properly; can be stored for great lengths of time and transported easily. I suspect it is one of the keys to why the Sino Empire is so large and powerful."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Do they trade it to Miklagard, for the Greeks to have a name for it?"

Ragnar leans back, munching on his olive bread and obviously getting ideas.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan eyes him.

"You're planning to get some, aren't you."

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric laughs softly. "Yes, they do. Constantine kept stores of it against bad harvests, giving how well it keeps. Shall I cook you some one day, so you know what it's like?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Of course I am," Ragnar says. "And yes, please. Can it grow outside of the Sino empire?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"If the conditions are right, I don't see why not."

[thewidewideworld]

"I believe it grows in quite a number of places. But I don't know if it will grow anywhere too hot or too cold. And it needs a lot of water." He munches thoughtfully. "I'm sure the library could teach us."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"We could conquer or settle in a place where it can grow, and then grow it there," Ragnar muses.

[athelstanthescribe]

"I'd prefer it to be settling", Athelstan says mildly.

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric gets up and kisses them both on the temple. "I speak of food and see the map open in your minds." He laughs softly.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Yes," Ragnar says, "and yes. You tell me about something interesting, Athelstan will find a way to make my plan a lot better and more peaceful, and then we can start thinking. I'd be no good without you."

[athelstanthescribe]

"I don't like the thought of conquest any more", Athelstan says simply, wrapping his arms around his knees.

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric moves to embrace Athelstan, pressing cheek to cheek. "Let us be explorers and trainers together. And find new ways to care for the people."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Ragnar reaches over to touch Athelstan's arm. "I know," he says. "Why kill people and damage things when one can work with them much better alive and unbroken? And no, I don't want you to see more people suffering, either."

Ragnar is quite glad to be in Milliways where nobody will just serve him a haunch of meat as a matter of course. After carving open Jarl Borg's back, he is currently put off the stuff a bit. He is sure he'll get over it before he goes home, though.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Then why did you even say conquer?" He doesn't pull away, but he's inordinately focused on his bread.

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric moves back, giving them both room and reverting to his servant's habits of topping up their tea and letting them talk.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"We are Vikings," Ragnar says. "We're considered dangerous, so it would be wise for people to let us settle somewhere rather than having us conquer the place."