Herald of Steel

As Alexander approached one of the two large open workshops, he found the place to be filled with workers, the loud clangs of chisels and hammers chipping away at the huge slabs of stones ringing defiantly in his ears.

Numbering a total that must have been in the hundreds, there were men of all different ages, and every single one was busy as bees.

A group of young, teenage boys was using chisels to cut the huge blocks of stones they got from the quarries into more manageable pieces, while another group sanded down the stone surfaces to get that smooth, glossy finish.

Next to them were the adult middle aged men, dressed in simple tunics, working as supervisors and sculptors, the main 'force' of the place.

They were busy directing the younger workers, discussing how best to proceed with various projects with their fellow members and of course creating the actual sculptures themselves.

Armed with merely a small hammer and chisel, these men created great works of art that left everyone amazed.

Even just seeing them work was a sight for sore eyes- the precision with which they wielded their tools, that distinct, repeated clinking sound, the focused look they had as they worked, the stone slowly taking shape with each distinct tap, and even the layer of white, stone powder masking their face and clothes… for someone like Alexander, seeing something made actually by humans hand was still very mesmerizing.

It made each and every one distinct and unique, giving them a 'soul', unlike the cold, 'dead' factory produced 'objects' of the future.

The only gripe Alexander might have had with the sight was how none of them wore masks.

He did not dare imagine what all that dust did to their nose and lungs.

And it was not like it was just them that were affected.

There were many small boys working in these shops too, aged as little as six or seven, doing various chores- like carrying food and water, delivering messages, or just moving things like tools, ladders, etc. around.

Most of them were children or brothers of the working men, and given the generally dusty grounds, these stone particles surely wreaked havoc on their soft lungs.

But Alexander did not bother even contemplating mandating such safety standards because he knew he could have better results howling at the moon.

Forget the many far more dangerous threats lurking around their every corner- fever, cholera, plague, smallpox, each capable of leaping their lives far earlier than some lung damage from breathing in dust, but even without them, the fact was that the very concept of health risks did not exist at the time.

Most people did not even believe in diseases as we do in modern times,

More specifically, they did not believe diseases were caused by environmental factors.

Instead, the common folk had their beliefs in the supernatural- believing it was caused by ghosts, curses from the gods, karma, and even astrology- so if the sun was in the western hemisphere, and a black cat passed by you while the moon was in a certain phase of the month, then you got sick.

Even those 'more learned' were not far off the looney train, for they too had similar outlandish theories, believing ailments were a result of immortal virtues, smelly air, or due to various 'elemental' imbalances in the body.

So how was Alexander supposed to force these men to wear masks?

He was able to make construction workers wear helmets with the threat of falling debris.

But here….

Remember once upon a time, there were many 'so called intellectuals' who refused to don masks even when there was a worldwide pandemic going on.

So after thinking for a bit, Alexander decided to just shelf the thought for the time and went to greet the man in charge of one of the workshops.

"My lord, welcome! We heard you were visiting the markets today," A gray haired, elder gentleman greeted Alexander enthusiastically as he approached, quickly rubbing his hands and face on a towel hanging by his hips to remove all the powder and dust.

"Mmmm, I see business is going well, Lattie!" Alexander lightly smiled back, causing the opposite to let out a large grin, revealing many old, broken teeth,

"Hehe, all graces belong to you, my lord. The Gaia temples are always in need of the Mother. And the nobles are always asking for a new sculpture for their garden or that bust of their favorite concubine. Business is indeed well… indeed well. Cannot complain, cannot complain, hehehe."

The interaction between the two was far more normal and less flattering than Morus, clearly showing a difference in personality.

Alexander had also commissioned the man for the aforementioned statues of his temples before, thus creating a history of engagement.

"That is good. I see you also changed your faith." Alexander made some small talk.

"Yes, yes. It is all thanks to the Great Mother and you Divine Son that my business is so thriving. Half the statues we make are for the Mother's house and the other half are for people wishing to house her in their homes. Old Latt might be a lot of things, but he is not ungrateful, not ungrateful, hehe."

Alexander thus continued to make some small pleasantries after this, and at one point during the talks when he asked how many customers the business was getting, the expert stone mason from the capital suddenly sighed with an air of regret,

"My lord, the numbers are good.. but I do not know how long this boon will last. That cement you created, is it so easy to make statues with... just pour the liquid into a clay mold and you are done. No need to slowly chip away at these rock hard stones for months like a madman, hehehe."

"Half my men are thinking of quitting and starting making statues using it. Many already have!"

It was clear the old man was trying to air some of his grievances by stating these facts.

As for whether he was asking Alexander to do something about it, or just venting, well perhaps even he did not know.

Alexander just smiled at these words and then lightly tapped the elder man on the shoulders in a reassuring gesture,

"Mister Lattie, you are overthinking this. Cement is just a special kind of lime mortar. Did lime mortar drive you sculptors out of business? Of course not! So what do you have to fear?" The rhetorical question instantly made the old man glow with hope, as Alexander continued,

"Cement and marble both have their own uses. One is used for construction, and the other for sculptures and decorations. Tell me, can a concert statue ever look the same as a marble one?"

"Of course not!" Lattie was unable to hold back his enthusiasm as he blurted out the answer, clenching his fist excitedly, "Those statues all look…weaker, like a stiff breeze can knock them over!"

Indeed, because the technique to create statues using cement was literally just a few years old, the sculptors had yet to work out all the chinks, making the product look… for lack of a word 'light and flimsy'.

It could not give off the same aura of strength and density that a marble statue could.

In fact, even modern concrete could not exactly emulate marble if looked close enough.

Hence Alexander solemnly nodded reassuringly with his head,

"That is right! So really the only people who are buying these statuses are poor people who are unable to afford actual marble. True nobles will never be cheap. You will always have us!"

And he truly meant what he said, based on what he had seen in his previous life. There was just something luxurious and opulent about real marble you just could not copy.

Thus the logical deduction and the confirmation that his business was going nowhere instantly rejuvenated the elder man's spirits, as he excited jumped in pleasure,

"Right! Right! You are correct, my lord. Hahaha, both copper and iron are used for the same things. But they still exist together. Hahaha, looks like I was overthinking it, overthinking it!"

It could be seen that one of Lattie's little quirks was repeating the last words he spoke when he was happy.

And Alexander also stoked these emotions,

"Mmm, we have fool's gold, but it did not drive goldsmiths out. True quality will always attract people with noble hearts. Be diligent and continue to work hard."

The subtle wordplay did not miss Lattie, and Alexander left the old man in an ecstatic mood.

…..

Alexander left the stone mason workshops with a pleased heart, believing that the number of sculptors in the city was sure to increase in the future.

The reason why it had not already was due to the high skill needed to enter the market, one needed at least a decade of experience before even starting the first chip and the fact that cement was a heavily regulated resource.

Given its scarcity, naturally it was never sold to the public, and so whatever small amounts the people could get their hands on was actually either smuggled out by some of the construction workers or taken from the few concrete statues he had commissioned for the temples.

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

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