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The 12 animals in the Montgomery Ranch have consumed 6 rations, and the Montgomery Estate has purchased 16 rations from Objectivus, with 100 OUs remaining. Objectivus's ranch contains 2 animals at present, who shall graze in the vicinity of Randcastle under Objectivus's supervision.
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Week 3, Month 3, 1 YLF:
Mr. Daleford has spent another 126 hours in the construction of his silo, which has 273 hours until its completion. Mr. Daleford has 4 rations and 212 OUs remaining.
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The Montgomery Estate is steadily running out of funds to sustain its animals, thus Objectivus seeks another manner of payment for his supply of sustenance. He will employ the animals as beasts of burden for the construction of a coal mine wherefrom a valuable source of fuel could be extracted. The animals will be used to carry wooden supports to the site of the mine, as well as to transport the debris caused by the mine's excavation away from the site. Objectivus therefore will only be occupied with the task of carving out the mine's entrance with his pickax. With the saved labor, a small mine that can provide some 10 units of coal per week to the inexperienced miner, can be completed in a time span of 3 weeks. In between spurts of labor, the Montgomery animals can graze and thus attain sustenance without expending more of the Estate's money.
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Week 4, Month 3, 1 YLF:
Mr. Daleford has spent another 126 hours in the construction of his silo, which has 147 hours until its completion.
Mr. Daleford has 3 rations and 212 OUs remaining.
Two weeks remain until the completion of Objectivus's coal mine. Objectivus's ranch has a total of 3 animals.
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Week 1, Month 4, 1 YLF:
Mr. Daleford has spent another 126 hours in the construction of his silo, which has 21 hours until its completion.
Mr. Daleford has replenished his store of rations and paid his monthly electricity bill. He has 6 rations and 122 OUs remaining.
One week remains until the completion of Objectivus's coal mine, while his ranch has a total of 4 animals.
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Week 2, Month 4, 1 YLF
This week marks the inauguration of the Daleford Storage Silo, outfitted with a capacity to store fifty rations of food (raising Mr. Daleford's storage capacity to 56). This has indeed been a colossal undertaking for a single man, whose Woodworking skill has surged to Level 5.
To all dwellers of Randia, Mr. Daleford offers to store any of their surplus food for a fee of 10 Objective Units per ration per month.
In the meantime, Mr. Daleford has begun to ponder on the matter of improving efficiency in the gathering and planting of crops. Instead of ruffling through the soil with his bare hands, Daleford the Inventor seeks to design an ox-drawn metal plow which will efficiently attend to the land in half the time normally needed for an unequipped farmer. Having spent 9 hours constructing the wooden component of the plow, Mr. Daleford has contacted Objectivus concerning the metal portion, since the latter possesses a smelter and forge at Randcastle. For 30 OUs, Mr. Daleford has purchased the metal he needed and employed Objectivus's equipment to craft an iron plow. His skill in Metalworking is quite extensive (Level 3) owing to his inventor's background, and thus the endeavor has only occupied 24 hours of his time.
The following times of manufacture for metal implements such as plows correspond with Metalworking skill levels:
Level 1: 63 hours
Level 2: 48 hours
Level 3: 24 hours
Level 4: 15 hours
Level 5: 9 hours
Level 6: 6 hours
Now that the plow has been created, all that it needs to function is an ox to power it. Mr. Daleford spends 9 hours creating a wooden trapping cage (which halves trapping time) and another 21 hours obtaining an ox for his estate.
Mr. Daleford has reached Level 2 in Trapping. Trapping times per animal correspond to levels in the following manner:
Level 1: 42 hours
Level 2: 36 hours
Level 3: 30 hours
Level 4: 24 hours
Level 5: 18 hours
In order to house the ox, Mr. Daleford requires a grazing pen. Construction of a single-animal grazing pen occupies 15 hours of his time.
While harvest season has not yet begun, the ox can be useful for other tasks, including hauling large quantities of berries and raw materials. Mr. Daleford has spent 15 hours constructing a wooden cart which can be drawn by the ox and can carry up to six rations at a time and cut foraging time by a factor of six. It can also shorten any task of Woodworking by five hours which would otherwise have been expended hauling the wood manually. Mr. Daleford spends the remaining 11 hours at his disposal gathering another ration of berries and 1 hour beginning to plant the seeds. He has 6 rations and 122 OUs remaining.
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A second structure of key import has arisen this week in Randia, the Coal Mine of Objectivus. Therefrom, coal can be obtained and employed for powering intricate mechanisms, including power plants, vehicles, and factory equipment. The mine is small and accesses only the topmost layer of coal within the earth. Further improvements to the mine may improve efficiency and amounts of coal extracted.
The Montgomery animals may be used as beasts of transport for the coal mine. Objectivus has spent the remainder of his time constructing units carts which can be loaded with coal and attached to the animals. He has also guided the animals along the path to Randcastle so that they would be able to automatically perform the deliveries in the future. Each cart can carry 2 units of coal per week. Next week, the mining shall begin.
Objectivus's ranch population has grown to a total of 5 animals.
Week 3, Month 4, 1 YLF
Mr. Daleford has finished planting his second batch of seeds in 18 hours. The ox and the iron plow have in fact saved colossal amounts of time. Yet, Mr. Daleford realizes that an even more viable farming implement can be devised that, due to its sturdiness, can perform work on the soil far more efficiently. He seeks to construct a plow of steel.
At this point in the technological evolution of Randia, the means to realize Daleford's design are beginning to be accessible to him. He therefore invites Objectivus over for berries, biscuits, and hot water (since tea is not yet accessible) in order to discuss the prospects of a cooperative venture in regard to the new coal mine. The coal consists of carbon, which, given the proper smelting facilities, can be incorporated into the structure of iron to result in steel.
In order to render this steel available, several events must take place:
1. Sufficient coal must be gathered.
2. Sufficient metal must be gathered; Objectivus's mine in Randcastle contains only the bare minima necessary for the creation of rudimentary tools; this plow will require another source of iron.
3. A smelting facility must be created uniquely outfitted to the creation of steel. This requires a more durable furnace that can heat metals to far higher temperatures than are sufficient for the refinement of mere iron.
The first step of the design will return Mr. Daleford onto Objectivus's payroll, this time as a coal miner. If Mr. Daleford works in the mine for most of the week, he shall be paid 2 Objective Units per hour for 101 hours. Since the mine is powered by Objectivus's Wind/Solar Plant, Mr. Daleford will enjoy adequate lighting conductive to his productivity. Objectivus shall also allow him the use of his own pickax. Mr. Daleford will also be permitted to claim 1 unit of coal out of the 8 that he will extract. His ox shall be present at his side to deliver the coal to Daleford's Silo when the task is complete.
Mr. Daleford is pleased at this new opportunity and eagerly accepts the offer. He thereby gains 202 Objective Units and 1 unit of coal. The Randcastle storerooms have in the meantime gained 7.
The skill of Mining is a unique one in that it relates to quantitative productivity more than to the amount of time required per task. As a miner's experience increases, so will his weekly yield, by 1 unit per week for the number of weeks he has been on the job. Technologies can improve this output even further.
Mr. Daleford has 5 rations and 324 OUs remaining.
Objectivus's ranch population has grown to a total of 6 animals. He realizes that the now completed coal mine does not utilize the entirety of the animals at his disposal. In the meantime, he requires a means of grazing the animals while devoting them to constructive tasks. Therefore, he returns to the hills where he had identified coal deposits and prospects the area for nearby sources of iron. He finds a probable location and initiates the construction of a small iron mine. With assistance from his animals, the task shall once again occupy 3 weeks.
Week 4, Month 4, 1 YLF
Brief communications with Objectivus have indicated that, while the prerequisites for mining iron in abundant quantities are being established, large quantities of coal can render the production of steel far more efficient in the future.
Mr. Daleford thus continues to harvest coal, given his share of 1/8 of the output as well as 2 OUs per hour. He spends the entire week at the task, raising his total numbers of OUs to 576. He has 4 rations remaining and 2 units of coal. The Randcastle storerooms have 17 units of coal at present.
Objectivus's ranch population has grown to 7 animals. The iron mine shall be completed in two weeks.
