"That's why everyone stopped doing whatever they were doing and are going right now to the fields to start the harvest," Cenric explained, his face showing the strain of the situation.
"But what's the problem with that? Will they punish you somehow?" Rafael asked, looking puzzled.
"They'll put the expenses of their waiting here in my name. It is what they say: Time is money." Cenric's voice carried a note of frustration.
Rafael glanced at Cenric, noting the fatigue in his eyes. 'I don't think there's anything in the book that could help them. I'll check the chapter on food and farms later. Maybe there's something useful there.'
An awkward silence fell between them as the last few villagers hurried past the house, clearly in a rush. "Oh right, where is Richar? Is he grabbing the things for you to use?"
"I told him to make a large wooden bowl to fill with water. He said it wouldn't take long. Actually, I think he'll be done in just a few minutes."
"Minutes? What's that?" Cenric asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Rafael blinked, surprised. 'They don't know what a minute is?'
"You know what an hour is, and that the day is divided into 24 hours, right?"
"Yes, I know that—12 hours of day and 12 hours of night."
'What?'. Rafael struggled to understand their division of time. He knew the 24-hour day was an ancient concept, but it seemed it hadn't fully caught on here.
"Pick an hour. Wouldn't it be useful to divide that hour into smaller parts? Specifically, divide it by 60, and you have a minute. With 60 minutes, you have one hour."
Cenric's eyes widened in interest. "Interesting... But how does that help?"
"With minutes, you get more precise timings. For instance, that greedy old man will finish what I asked him for in just a few minutes. This helps you understand that it will be quick."
"It makes sense. Where did you learn this?"
"I thought of it myself. After using minutes, I realized how useful it is for measuring time more accurately. I even had the idea to divide minutes further into seconds!"
Cenric chuckled, "You really enjoy inventing things, don't you? First paper, now a new way to measure time. It might take a while for people to get used to this, but it could be useful."
Rafael shrugged, a hint of pride in his eyes. "It's a good way to standardize how people understand time. Maybe it will help avoid wasting it."
Just then, they heard Richar's workshop noises—wood being hammered. "I just thought of another example. Cooks will definitely use minutes to prepare food. Knowing to leave bread in the oven for, say, 5 or 10 minutes, is a simple application of this."
"You're almost convincing me, sir Rafael, hahaha... But how will people measure these minutes?"
Rafael hesitated, feeling a pang of uncertainty. "I'm still working on a way to measure minutes and seconds. Once I figure it out, I'll let you know."
Cenric smiled slightly. "You know where to find me."
A brief silence followed. "Do you have anything written that I could see?" Rafael asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
"You know how to read? That's rare but not strange for someone like you. Unfortunately, I don't have anything that you could read. All my messages are confidential," Cenric replied, his tone a mix of curiosity and caution.
Rafael's curiosity was piqued, but he didn't press further. Instead, he focused on the parchment Cenric handed him.
"Ah, you mean about the grain tax they will collect tomorrow?" Rafael asked, opening the parchment. The text was unfamiliar, with strange letters and words that didn't resemble English.
He sighed, handing it back to Cenric. "As I thought. I forgot how to read."
Cenric's expression shifted to one of concern. "That's unfortunate."
They heard the back door creak open, and Richar emerged with the large wooden bowl, setting it down with a grunt.
"Finally! Mr. Cenric, let's make some paper," Rafael announced, his face lighting up with enthusiasm.