Chương 7: Tending to the Morons

The days went by and turned into weeks, and the steady income of money and building materials allowed me to repair the house on my property. In time I'd probably make a home more like the ones from back west, but the one here was serviceable. I patched the hole in the roof, tore out the rotting wood and replaced it with new wood, and generally set about cleaning the exterior and interior. It eventually looked good at a glance, and I was soon bringing in furniture from the village's carpenter.

And then, once the house was in order, I started dedicating time to working on the fence. Years had passed from my mortal life, but the skills had never left me. My uncle had done a lot of carpentry in my home village and I had practised under him in my teenage years. I knew how to work wood, with or without magic. Bit by bit I walked the perimeter of my acres, hammering posts into the dense earth with only the heft of my hands. After planting one pole, Smoke trailing along behind me, I paused to survey my land.

Already it looked more vibrant than it had when I first got here, the grass green while the first of my crops continued to sprout. I'd used up much of my alchemical solution, but it had done its job. So long as I kept a good watch on things and kept crop rotation in mind, the farm itself could grow stronger and stronger.

"What do you think, Smoke?" I asked the cat. He made a small murring sound, looking up at me.

"Wheat is always in demand, I'm sure even the locals here would like fresh bread. Maybe we can grow corn too? Potatoes? Or get some fruit trees to grow?" Apples would be my first choice, if they had them on Tsukio. But, if not, the smugglers could help. The climate was good enough, and I missed having scrumpy to drink. Smoke murred at me, rubbing my legs with his broad head.

"Apple trees it is." Having company wasn't so bad. Petting Smoke made me feel a little better, and the little guy was already killing rats and similar vermin in the area I wish he refrained from leaving them on the doorstep as an offering, but the thought was appreciated. Kenji was the owner of the tannery and was always happy to get hides or pelts. Well, nowadays he was.

He had been wary of me when we first met, which seemed the norm out east, but a few quality pelts had been enough to get him more receptive to me.

"Ah," the portly man said, examining the assortment of fox and wolf pelts and stroking is coarse black beard with one hand.

"We might actually run out of wolves at this rate with you around, Westerner."

"Somehow I doubt that," I said, glancing to a torn section of my tunic. Frankly the amount of wolves in the Tsukian wilderness was concerning. Small wonder people scarcely left the village unless it was in a large group. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"There's supposed to be bears in the groves beyond the sawmill," Kenji mused, lifting one mass of glossy black fur.

"I could do with... one of those, if you were to find yourself that way. I could give you the cost of three wolf pelts, if it's big enough."

"I'll think about it," I said, shrugging. That would probably be more of a challenge, but only just.

"I'd appreciate it. The Iudex is wanting a cloak, what with the Chilling Season looming on the horizon and all. Bear fur could do him some good." I left him with a few extra coins in my satchel. Perhaps it would be best to give the wolves a chance to recover and repopulate, just a little. In time Smoke would have grown large enough to act as a guard cat on my property, warding off such beasts. Brazio was visiting the village that day, selling goods to those who had the gin to pay him.

He looked up as I approached, sunlight illuminating his dark tan and curly beard. He was a Dhagran from the far south, an even rarer sight in Tsukio than a westerner.

"I see you have not given up your farming dreams," he said by way of greeting.

"It's going well so far. My thanks for all you've done for me."

"Do not thank me, my friend, it was not for free." His lips parted in a coy grin, exposing some golden teeth.

"I take it you need something else from me?"

"Fruit trees. Apples, specifically. You happen to have one?" Brazio raised a brow.

"Trees? No, not on hand. But... If you were to pay me a finder's fee, I could retrieve some saplings and preserve them in my hold. It would be some time before I return here though, you should know. The war westward is only growing stronger, finding safe coasts becomes harder by the day. The Shadow Caravan needs to be cautious on the waters, more than ever before."

"No doubt." I set my jaw tight. I suppose I wasn't surprised by this. Even without me, Novos had no shortage of resources at his disposal. And that idiot boy in Rhonde with the magic sword could not singlehandedly break through such defences, no matter how much the Holy Kingdom talked him up. Well, leave them to it. That was their business now. I handed over some gin, and Brazio tossed the coins in his hand.

"Right. I shall have my clerk make a note. Do you have a preference for the kind of apples? The juice of the Iun golden apple is said to be exceptionally sweet, and the climate should be similar enough to here."

"I'll trust your judgement. Ah, and I'd appreciate some potato seeds while you're at it. Yvigrosian, if you can acquire them." I left him there, venturing back into town. I was making for the bounty board, over the boardwalk and through an alley between two fishing shacks when Haita made his move.

"Foreigner!" he shouted, rounding the corner behind me. He rushed my back, the boards creaking in protest from the force of his sprinting. But I, conversely, was almost lazy in how I turned to him. My fist met his face with a dull thud, whipping his head back and sweeping his feet clean out from under him. He landed harshly on the boards, a dazed look on his face with his eyes turning in different directions. A little bit of blood trailed down from his nostrils, staining his upper lip. I sighed.

"First of all, a surprise attack will not work if you shout at your quarry in advance. Secondly, do not do that again or you will have more than a bloody nose."

"Gh.." Haita forced himself shakily to one knee, a hand clasped to the bloody mess under his nose. I'd stopped just shy of crunching the bone.

"Don't think... this is the end of it, round-eyed bastard." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Don't think I'm above breaking your legs, Boy." I emphasized that last word like a slur, and inwardly cursed myself for needling his already bruised ego.

"And if I did, you'd find it a damn mercy considering what else I could do to you." I continued on my way, and Haita's two idiotic flunkies shied away as I emerged from the alley, both staring wide eyed at me. No doubt the plan had been for Haita to knock me flat from behind, and then the other two would have rushed in to help clobber me. Idiots.

"Don't just blindly follow whatever stupid plan that idiot comes up with!" I barked, and the two yelped and cringed into the walls of the shacks. Nobody understood how stupid teenage lads could be than someone who once had the misfortune of being a teenage lad. I hoped that would be the end of it, but I had my doubts... Some people don't learn lessons, no matter how hard you beat it into their skulls.