The ally laid just fish lane, narrow enough that the light of the sun struggled its floor. The houses here were pressed closed to each other, their brickwork darkened by damp and neglect to the extent that each one seemed to competing for space they weren't given properly given in the first place.
After walking for a bit, Polarity stopped before one of the smallest one of them. She couldn't help but shake her head at the sight of the house, he had to sat she was almost embarrassed having to come here.
Although she herself didn't have it any better, she still lived in a better environment that this. This house appeared wedged tightly between its neighbors, its door is a little more than a slab of withered wood reinforced with iron straps.
Just as she was about to push the door open she stopped, taking hold of the crude figuring hanging by the door. The figurine was fashioned from bundled paper, creating a shape that vaguely human. The surface of the figurine was wrapped in talisman marked with uneven symbols.
The dummy swayed faintly, apparently tugged by the movement of air in the ally, its fraying where it met the nail.
Polarity regarded it for a moment, then shook her head, 'every time it get more and more ridiculous'
With that, she knocked on the door once, before letting herself in.
Inside the house sat a slightly bulky figure with spiky brown hair and dull grey eyes. His sleeves was rolled over to his elbow, and a glass of rod was held between his thick fingers. The room was crowded with shelves that bowed beneath rows of vials, jars and stoppered bottles, each containing substances in various clarity. Some where labeled and others where not.
The air carried the sharp scent of mineral salt and layered over something faintly acrid. Thomas Calder busied himself greatly and only looked up when Polarity entered, his dull grey brightened with a mix of relief and defensiveness, when he noticed the disappointment in her eyes.
"You noticed it," He said at once.
"If by that you mean the paper doll" Polarity asked amidst a hollow laugh, "Yes I noticed "
"I told you there is a ghost in this house" he replied, setting the rood aside. "I asked around and according to the rumor, the people living here died of the white plague, and their ghosts haunts this house still"
Polarity crossed the room slowly.
She released a small chuckle as he heard the man, "You know you shouldn't be listening to rumors right" polarity muttered as she caught sight of the project the man had been working on"
"I have been having a recurring dream" He insisted.
"A dream?" Polarity asked.
"Three night in a row, one where I'm running, and a cat is being me"
She glanced at him "You are afraid of cats" The remarked at the discovery.
"Exactly" He gestured sharply, "That's how I knew it meant something"
"And the talisman"
He hesitated, then said, "I met a man near the lower streets, he said he dealt with warding measures, proper ones."
"And you believed him."
"I didn't have much of any choice"
"How much did it cost?"
"A few silver royals."
She waited
"…Fifty."
Polarity sighed "And how's that working out for you"
Thomas bristled. "I'm still waiting on nightfall, ghosts are particularly active during the day" Then, brightening suddenly, he turned back towards the table. "In any case, that's not why I asked you here. Come look at this"
He guided her to a row of shallow glass basins arranged beneath the window. Within them lay coarse white crystals.
"Thomas, you succeeded"
Polarity beamed in joy at the sight, from the looks of thing, this particular product was close to royal state in terms of purity. This king of produce where usually consumes reserved for the royal family and greater houses.
"This should be enough to score us a license for sure" she added.
"Absolutely. What we have here is seventy present pure" Thomas added, apparently proud of his work.
Polarity affirmed. Although the man was meek to the border of cowardice, he could be considered the most talented lump-man Bolivia. The product that could commonly be found in the streets of Bolivia was around sixty-five to seventy pure. Of course the slightly well off and lower houses and families have the best while the rest is left for the commoners to compete for.
However a product with seventy four percent purity would surly change everything. Although it was only four percent difference. However there was a big difference between seventy four percent and seventy percent. This difference is like heaven and eight.
We should take this to the guild at once. They would have no reason to deny you license, this is revolutionary as far as Bolivia is concerned.
The lump-men became popular over half a century ago.
…
Fifty years earlier, a sickness now known as the white sickness swept across the continent with terrifying efficiency, killing people by the thousands before its source was later identified. Poorly purified salt, widely distributed and impossible to replace had carried the contamination.
When the truth emerged the crown and the greater houses had reacted swiftly, regulations followed, strict ones, governing food produce and salt most of all.
Since then, purity of salt had become an illustrious trade. The cleaner the salt the higher the value. The wealthy moved in quickly to secure the trade, raising barrier few could cross. The process of purification was difficult, equipment were costly, and failure however was common.
Those capable of doing it well were rare.
Lump-men, as they were called, were highly sought after.
"I've removed seventy-four percent of the impurities," Thomas said, "That's the first batch,"
Polarity studied the crystals carefully. "Safe consumption required at least sixty-five percent."
"Yes." He smiled, unable to contain himself.
"With proper equipment, better filters and higher grade heat I'm certain I can reach eighty. Possibly more.
"Royal grade" She said.
"Exactly."
They worked through the reminder of the afternoon, when the second batch cooled, polarity judged it sufficient.
"This will do," she said. "We'll take it to the administrative guild." Thomas's enthusiasm dimmed. As much as he wanted everything to go very smoothly, the man wasn't very hopeful. The guild may look calm on the outside, however on the inside it was deeply rooted with rival faction and varying for power, all in hope of winning the favor of the crown.
Polarity may not know this but he was different. The guild run a strict apprentice journey man and master system. A young man is assigned to work with a master as an apprentice for at least seven to ten years.
Thomas Calder had done this while he was just ten and served under a master till his was seventeen.
During this time, an apprentice is expected to learn the basics of the trade or craft. After acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills as a certain level of mastery, he is promoted to journeyman.
At this time, he usually traveled about in search of a master in his field. He would work for this master to learn the requisite skills to become a master himself. When he completed his journeyman time with appropriate skill and knowledge.
He is expected to produce a 'master piece,' which he would be promoted to the status of master. This was an important step for a young man because he could then set up his own establishment and work for himself.
So unlike polarity, Thomas had a firm grasp of the inner workings of the guild. His master piece was solution that cuts of the refinement time by half, while increasing the purity of the product. Ordinarily this would have been enough to core him a place in the Lump-man guild, but alas sigh!
Thomas wasn't very hopeful.