Quantum Leap Vol. 7 Fausto japan KabushikiGaisha

C009 Absorbing The Necessary Manpower

The men discussed and they agreed on my idea on making the skull with crossbones. I explained to them this was the international flag for sea pirates. While they were discussing I drew some political logos that looked like a bolt of lightning, a Blacksmith hammer, two hands shaking, a pyramid with an eye in the centre, a no smoking sign, handicap toilet sign.

They saw what I drew a d I told them some are dangerous signs, some political signs and another one is for an outhouse for people with big butt's. They saw the last one and can't help laughing and I asked Hiko-sama to tell about what I saw last night at the cosmetics shop.

After Hiko-sama had told the story to them, they all burst out laughing because I had such an imaginative mind... And I asked Hiko-sama to tell about the hairy flat-chested woman and the demon that ran away.

After Hiko-sama had told the story, everyone was laughing hysterically and the cooks were thinking they can laugh like this before drinking sake and when they drink they become serious. These men are so unpredictable.

I saw a messenger and asked to pass two notes. One is for the tailor to come here and the other is to inform the brewery to send 3 jars of sake. I paid and he immediately ran to his destination when I have a silver to him.

15 minutes later the tailor arrives. I showed her the skull and crossed bones and to make a silkscreen print on black cloth and white printing. She asked if this is the company logo and I said its is not but is a sign we are carrying hazardous products.

She was sceptical at first and then we laughed saying we are going to be bandits to fool the bandits. She doesn't understand it and I told her to make three of these flags measuring 2m x 1m landscape design.

I asked her to make several bandanas for us and design it with the smiling face of a skeleton, just the smiling teeth and nose. I held up a cloth to my face and covers the nose and mouth and told her to make a skeleton nose here and a skeletal mouth over my lips in white and black cloth. Make a sample first and let me see to approve.

The flags are the priority so make one first and let me see. We going to fool the fools, who wanted to make us like their fools, but in the end, make them look like fools instead, we decided to eat until we are full. The tailor looked at me and was utterly confused and Kami repeated the words and then he laughed out loud again. The tailor excused herself after hearing me making the orders and told me that she will work on a sample and pass be to see first.

"You have a way with words, kid. I like your style. But I like it when you hang on to the horse's neck and somersault." Kami praised me for the act.

"Seniors. I did that to protect the horse from being arrowed and parry it away before hitting the horse's heart. Do you see the 'baluku' on the guy's head? I just use a rock and hurled at him. I only used the Odachi blunt part to parry two arrows twice."

"Oh, we didn't know that. You can sense the arrow before it comes into range?"

"Yes, Seniors. I did a lot of meditation and can see danger before it hits me. Come, let me show you an example. I will wrap my eyes with this cloth and you can come at me anytime when you are ready."

Kami accepted the challenge thinking that I am pulling his leg and said I can sense danger. I went to take a long and thick stick from the firewood and passed to Kami." Use this as a katana. It has been a long time since I spar with anyone."

"I'm warning you, kid. I won't hold back with this stick." Kami told me as I wrapped my eyes with the thick cloth. To make it more realistic I turned around a few times and stop and I knew I am in the wrong direction.

Then I saw a white flash on my right coming down towards me and I evaded. Another came from my left in an upwards swing and I evade again. A horizontal swing came close and I jumped over it and rolled to the ground. A downward strike coming down on my head and I took a few steps back.

"Alright, kid. That's enough. The show's over." I heard Hiko-sama said when I had proved my point. I opened up the blindfold and the bright light blinded my eyes and I sat down. The sake has arrived and I paid for it.

"Interesting, kid. How can you see if you are blindfolded?"

"I also don't know how to answer it. What I can see is a white flash of light that liked like an after image but in slow motion that's why I can evade so easily."

"I meditated a lot and maybe that heightens my senses."

"Oh yeah, just now you were calling the time at 3 o'clock. We don't understand you because the time was only 9 plus in the morning."

I explain to them the meaning when I shouted "Enemy! 3 o'clock." and told them to take out the pocket watch and held it horizontal to the ground. In any position that you are, straight means 12 o'clock. Behind is 6 o'clock, left is 3 and right is 9. This is used to expose where the enemy is. We don't tell our Comrades. Enemy high in the hill in this or that direction, watch out he is using arrows bla bla bla bla... The enemy when they heard us shouting like that, can doze off and also call out to us. "Hoy, are you done blabbering. When will you attack us? You've been talking like that for 3 hours nonstop and I want to go back and eat first, ok?"

I was acting out the scene in a comical way while culling my hands and shouting in a downward manner acting as the enemy and cupping my hands as I expose the position if the enemy too.

When they heard that we are blabbering for 3 hours and the enemy feels hungry and want to go back and eat first, we all laughed again.

"Hey, kid... Just a question from me. You are still a kid but you know about military tactics so much. Things that we don't even know, even we are in the shogunate for some years... Where did you learn from?"

"Aahhh... Senior. This is for me to know and for you to find out."

I answer with a ridiculed answer and Kami repeated, "For me to know and for you to find out..... Hmmm... I know! It is a secret..!! Hahahahaha..... You have a way with words!"

We all laughed and pushed the thoughts of being in danger away and looked forward to our future, wellbeing and safety instead.

"I wonder what happened to the lone ranger," Miroku asked within the group.

"I know, he would be walking home to find his mummy and cried and complained a group of men bullied him and a kid sticks a stick up his sticky little butt, walking like this."

I said and walked as if I had been in constipation for some hours with my thighs closed tight and shuffling my feet and said... Oowwhhh ouch... Sssssss... Ooooh

The men looked at me and laughed hysterically again. Today a life-threatening situation was turned into a joke for us and lighten the mood.

I said, "we can have the wealth on this whole world but what can we do without trust and friendship, am I right?"

The men all nodded and Hiko-sama said: "that's the name of Harune's Odachi."

I excused myself and walked to the construction ground and found that they had completed the structure of the 3 warehouses and were putting up the boom overhead for the pulley system and erecting the elevated staging area with wooden staircases. The ground had been dug 1 foot deep for the laying of cement and I called Kayu-San about the agreement that he signed before as I had destroyed it.

I told him we were just pulling his leg so that he would not belittle the people who worked for him even if its a short project. I asked him if the prices of the warehouses remained the same as before.

Hearing that we were just teasing him, he signed inwardly and said the price for the warehouses remains at 60 gold pieces each. I asked him favour about the cementing of the whole area and he said it could be done.

I noticed he didn't place any price so I asked how much for the materials and he said whatever price I paid him, he would gladly accept. I also asked him about the junk in his warehouse and told him he can shift everything here so he could also start on his project as soon as possible.

I guessed he learnt a lesson the hard way from us and I would pull the last joke on him. I asked him if he were to cement the whole area and make it smooth, would he do it in phases or do it one time shot? He said he could do it 3 part ways. Also, he would use a hardener agent to make the cement dry up faster.

I think he knew a lot of bottles were missing from his inventory and he does not dare to point a finger on anyone. I said OK, take his time since the project is going to end soon.

He thanked me, bowed and continued with the supervision work. Before he left, I told him I'm going to absorb all the 30 men that are working with him and asked them whether they were plebs and he replied to me that they are.

Later I checked with my guards and confirmed that the 30 men working for him were plebs and were his neighbours and also suffered the same fate as they get laid if they work and if not they would be hunting small animals and fish in the rivers.

So I have decided on absorbing the men after they finish the projects, the same manner which I did with the 1st batch. I went back to the group and looked at my sketchpad and one of the ambassadors asked me, "Am I too young to drink?" I replied that this a prop and whatever was poured for me was Sprite.

Hiko-sama said, "Sprite eh....? Its sake with plums and this kid called it yumeshu." the men nodded as they continued chatting as I drew up a plan on my sketchpad on the next deployment and new manpower requirements.

More manpower means more equipment. I don't have to worry because we have a lot of float cash that could run for 3 to 6 months.

I went to the warehouse and looked at the stock for Refined Iron and saw it had depleted quite some time. We still have 20,000 pieces and would be making another 2,000 trays and when the iron ores and coal comes, it will be time to make the Ordinary Steel or Refined Steel as I speculated that the prices maybe 15 and 25 gold pieces respectively.

"Sensei, let's meditate tonight. We got about 2,000 trays to achieve."

"Sure, kid. We will meditate together after supper."

I speak in tongues and Hiko-sama understood. Now the process to make 20,000 was 3 hours instead of 8, compared to the previous times and the steps are much easier since Hiko-sama would help to stack 100 trays per pallet.