ALL NOVEL 26. Grain Deal – Part II
Pydas' brow furrowed in contemplation as he digested Kivamus' words. "One hundred and forty-five sacks," he murmured, the sheer quantity a daunting prospect. "That's indeed a substantial order, my lord. It would require a significant amount of effort to transport such a large amount." A moment of thoughtful silence followed as Pydas calculated the logistics in his head. "I can manage it," he finally declared with a determined glint in his eyes. "But it won't be a simple task."
He launched into a detailed explanation, his voice laced with the pragmatism of a seasoned merchant. "Currently, I only have three wagons at my disposal," he began, "two of my own and an additional one I managed to rent from Cinran for my current visit here. Even if I dedicate all the space to grain sacks, my lord, a single wagon can hold no more than eleven sacks at a time, even if the wagons are filled to the brim. But that would be overloading the wagons and could cause injury to the horses, since they would be pulling the overloaded wagons continuously for weeks to transfer all the grain, particularly on the uneven forest roads. Not to mention, it could lead to a breakdown of the wagon or its axle, which would leave us stranded in the middle of the forest. And being unable to shift a full wagon load of grain to the other wagons, we would have to leave the grain there as well."
Pydas held up a hand, forestalling any interruptions. "That's why," he continued, "I only load ten sacks of grain per wagon, leaving some space for other necessities like tools for mining, some salt for preserving food, and some dried meat and water to sustain the journey. Of course, it also keeps the load on the horses manageable, so that they can pull the wagons even on long journeys without getting injured. That leaves space for thirty sacks of grain that I can manage to transport in one trip on the three wagons I have."
Kivamus nodded and gestured for him to continue.
Pydas leaned forward, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "The travel time is also a significant factor as it takes at least two days to reach here from Cinran. If I need to make another night's stop to rest the horses, when we are traveling with the wagons fully loaded, it can stretch to three days. Then there's the time spent in Cinran itself, where it will take at least a day to acquire and load the grain. And of course, the return trip takes another two to three days."
Pydas sighed, the weight of the timeline pressing down on him. "That translates to a minimum of five days for a round trip, and that's with clear weather without much rain, with an additional day needed to rest the horses before they're fit for another journey. That means it'll take around a week to transport just thirty sacks of grain along with some other necessities you might need, my lord, assuming everything goes smoothly. And that's only until the first snowfall arrives."
A collective grimace spread across the faces gathered in the hall. The harsh reality of the situation was sinking in.
"Winter travel is a different beast altogether," Pydas continued. "Snow will slow the wagons considerably. I estimate a single round trip will take at least ten days after the snowfall." He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Kivamus. "Realistically, my lord, I can manage two, and at most three trips, each taking a week before the snow arrives. After that, I'd be forced to brave the snow, extending the travel time to ten days per round trip."
Duvas chimed in with a worried expression. "That means it would take five trips to transport all the grain from Cinran," he calculated, his voice tight with concern. "Even if you manage three full trips before the snow, we'd only have ninety sacks after three weeks, with an additional thirty sacks delivered every ten days after that, until the snow makes travel impossible."
He ran a hand through his hair, his voice laced with urgency. "That gives us a timeframe of six to seven weeks, at least, my lord, to transport all the grain we need from Cinran. With the unpredictable winter weather, there's a chance that we might only get three to four weeks before the roads become impassable. It might stretch longer if we're lucky, but we can't count on that."
A tense silence descended upon the room. The gravity of the situation was clear, the very survival of Tiranat through the harsh winter hinged on acquiring enough grain. Kivamus' jaw clenched tight, his expression a mask of grim determination.
"That simply won't do!" he declared, his voice resolute. "We need all that grain, every last sack of it! The village wouldn't survive the winter without it."
Kivamus continued, "We have to find another way." He looked at others around him. "Is there anything else we can do? Perhaps we can buy grain from other places too?"
Gorsazo chimed in, his voice grim. "As Duvas informed us earlier, my lord," he pointed out, "purchasing grain from Kirnos is not really an option. They simply wouldn't have enough of a surplus to provide us with that amount of grain. And with Ulriga, the distance is simply too great, and time is of the essence for us. Cinran truly is our only hope for acquiring the grain in time."
Duvas, his brow furrowed in thought, spoke up. "There's a possibility, my lord," he proposed. "If we could manage to increase the number of wagons per trip, we might stand a chance to buy all the grain we need in time." He turned to Pydas. "From what you mentioned," he continued, "we need fifteen fully loaded wagons to transport all one hundred and forty-five sacks. That means we could either have your three wagons make five trips back and forth, or utilize more wagons for fewer trips."
"True," Kivamus acknowledged, his gaze fixed on the merchant. "Based on your experience, Pydas," he began, "with the limited time remaining before the snow blocks the road, how many trips can you guarantee that you can make to and from Cinran? I know that if the snowfall starts late this year, you might be able to make more trips, but we can't count on it. And I need to plan in a way that I can be certain that we'll get all the grain we require, even if the snow falls too early and blocks the roads sooner than usual."
Pydas took a minute to think it through before replying. "Even if the snow falls very early this winter, my Lord," he admitted, "I can guarantee two trips from here to Cinran and back. That would allow me to return to my home near Ulriga before the worst of winter sets in. There's a possibility of squeezing in a third trip and an even smaller possibility of a fourth one if the snow is particularly late in arriving, but I wouldn't suggest relying on those options."
Kivamus, his brow furrowed in thought, tapped a finger against the armrest. "We need a guaranteed solution, Pydas" he added. "We need to be absolutely certain that we get all the grain we need." He looked at others' faces for a moment. "So we must plan to transport all the grain we need in just two trips. That means somehow assembling a caravan of eight wagons."
A concerned frown creased Pydas's face. "But my lord," he interjected, his voice laced with helplessness, "I simply don't have eight wagons at my disposal! I only have two of my own wagons and the one I rented in Cinran."
Kivamus turned to Duvas. He addressed the majordomo, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, "Can we do something about this?"
"My lord," Helga interjected, "why not use the wagon my family traveled in from the inn? We've already unloaded our belongings, and it sits empty in the shed right now. Please use that wagon and the horses we brought wherever you need, my lord."
"That's a good idea, Madam Helga." Kivamus dipped his head in acknowledgment. "That's one more wagon at our disposal." He turned back to Duvas. "That brings us to four wagons. Are there any others within the manor grounds that we could use?"
"We do have two wagons in working condition now, my Lord," Duvas reported after a moment's consideration. "There's also a third one, but it's in dire need of repairs before it would be fit for carrying anything on a long journey. Generally, we use those two wagons to transport coal from the mines to the coal barns here. Until now I didn't want to spend our limited funds to send it to Cinran for repair since we don't have a wainwright in Tiranat." He added with a frown, "Of course, we did have an actual carriage and one more wagon earlier, but we lost those in the attack on the previous baron."