98 Standardization (1/2)
”Would the craftsmen line up together, please? A King shall not raise his voice for others.” Even though they were only commoners, Tama waved over Corco's new employees with the same indifference she afforded almost everyone else. Anywhere else in Medala, a meeting with royalty would be considered something special. However, the new king of the south really didn't want to bother too much with regular Medala etiquette, which was why he had organized this casual meeting. He more than disliked the stiff formalities of the courts. No, he considered them deeply harmful to the proper operation of his country.
Of course, a certain common code of conduct would be useful to smooth out interactions between different organs of the state and speed up many regular processes, but Corco was also aware that anything taken to its extreme will become a perversion of itself. It was no wonder then that the formulaic, rule-laden city of Arguna was the most lawless place Corco had ever been to, in either life.
Even more so, worries over efficiency and proper governance were not the only reason he tried to be chummy with the commoners. No, more than anything else, the move was designed to endear him as a true man of the people. According to his plans, he would end up in direct opposition to the old order of Medala, sooner or later. The only way to spearhead any kind of revolution would be if he wasn't perceived as a part of the old establishment. Otherwise, he would be far too easy to attack and overthrow by some upstart populist with more charisma than sense.
Thus, the king presented a friendly smile as he watched the two groups of craftsmen collect into rows along the sandy beach of Saniya. For now, they were still strictly separated. There was a small, invisible barrier between the local Yaku craftsmen and the newly brought in Arcavians, but Corco was sure that this would change with time. After all, in the future, as their projects became more and more ambitious, the different professions would be more and more dependent on one another.
Many modern technologies would require the input from multiple fields. It was the reason Corco had decided to start their new training program here at the beach, though in truth he had been looking forward to this for a while. Since they would need to work together, they would have to speak the same language first. Today, Corco would finally introduce them to the wonderful world of standardization.
”Everyone here? Good.” With a clap of his hands, the king looked over the expectant faces before him and the eager nods which followed his words. Over the past two days, all of them had received a large number of amenities, each side in their own ways. Technologies, lavish living quarters, special treatment and the prestige related from meeting the king. All of them had more than enough reason to look forward to whatever gifts the king would present them with today.
Even Egidius ignored his dislike for the other clock makers and didn't differentiate himself from the rest of the group. Instead, he stood at the very forefront of the colleagues he wold otherwise despise as small-time. Almost unblinking in his obsession, Egidius stared towards the constructions Corco had built up along the beach, his omnipresent sketchbook clutched towards his chest. The king's smile turned a bit wider in response. Unlike everyone else here, the clock maker wasn't focused on the great personage, but instead on the setups along the beach, the real stars of today's show.
*He really is ahead of the others.*
In that case, Corco would have to help the rest catch up.
”Okay, I have a question for the collected craftsmen here, for both groups: If you need to measure the length of something, let's say you make a robe and try to determine how much cloth you'll need without wasting any, or you're making a cog to fit into a larger mechanism like a clock, what do you do? How do you determine that you got the size right?” Right away, Egidius raised his hand, even while the other craftsmen were still staring at their feet. In order to move the conversation along, Corco called upon the talented young clock maker.
”Ah, yes. I have built a personal measure, it helps me keep my work consistent.” With his free hand, Egidius reached into a side pocket and retrieved a long piece of metal with etched markings. His version of a ruler, no doubt.
”Very good. Anyone else? What about you?” Rather than waiting for an elusive answer from the other craftsmen, Corco simply called one of them up. For now they still had an unnatural awe before his office, but the king was sure that they would get used to his presence, in time.
”Uhm... This servant measures by the finger. About six or seven fingers worth of iron for a knife.” The tall Yaku scratched his short stubble as he talked about his own experiences.
”Your name was Asiro, right?” Corco asked.
”Yes, King Corcopaca.” Upon being recognized by the king of the south, the blacksmith replied with a smile of his own.
”Very good. That's another viable method for personal, consistent measurements.”
Just as it was established, a sudden voice of disharmony disrupted the casual atmosphere.
”What nonsense is this? A real artisan works on the feel of the thing. How long? How wide? How heavy? If you have no sense for these things, you're not a real artisan,” another one of the clock makers chimed in. Corco remembered the name of this one as well. The man's name was Xander, a loudmouth and trouble maker.
Unfortunately, back when he chose craftsmen to accompany him to his new empire, the king didn't have the option to be picky. After all, his father's death had hit their group out of nowhere, at a time when they had been nowhere near ready for their return. Still, at least Xander knew what he was talking about. His method was the preferred one for most clock makers in Arcavia, and for most craftsmen in general. Still, it was time to move on, so Corco's second clap shut up Xander's piercing voice.
”Okay, as you can see, there are copious methods to measure things. There is just as many methods of measurements as there are craftsmen here. Everyone does his own stuff. That's fine if you work by yourselves, but if you want to work for me, it won't do. In the future, you will receive complex tasks far beyond anything you've worked on before. You will need support from a number of apprentices, as well as other untrained workers. Even more, on some projects you will need to work with other craftsmen from different fields. For that purpose, you will need consistent scales among yourselves. Anything else would be a colossal waste of everyone's time, and an even greater waste of my money.”
His introduction done, Corco stepped up, over to the place in the sand where two pieces of wood had been put down some distance from one another.