Chapter 291- Building a reputation

Building a reputation

Chu cast an apologetic face at Lucy while handing over a refilled waterskin. A sense of shame lingered in his mind as his eyes fell on her drenched shirt under her red leather armor. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the sweat dripping over his own eyebrows as he joined his companions.

"In times like these, I think you fooled me, Chu. Speed my foot. I should have never taken that stupid Bitzer talisman and instead waited for a demon boar or something. Speed can't help me drag this stupidly heavy bear out of the forest on this makeshift stretcher. I want you to find me a demon beast with a strength ability which surpasses Lucy for my next talisman."

Ming complained while straining on the twisted vines which served as a rope. Holding his breath and looking like a red ballo about to burst, he only exhaled when the rollers made a full circle.

"Stop whining and start pulling, you wimp. If your hands and feet worked as hard as your mouth, we would have been out of the forest by morning. Lucy has already helped to drag the stretcher on the rollers up the hill. Don't tell me you can't pull it down this flat incline?"

Miki interrupted as she dragged another rounded log which acted as a roller. Fitting it at the front of the stretcher, she then joined Chu on his rope. Heaving, the three of them groaned along with the ladder-like frame that supported the weight of the massive Snowbear. Even on the hard forest floor and a downward slope, the load fought against them for every inch of progress.

"Why do you keep belittling me. Chu, do something about this. And can't you be quiet in the forest? We already have the wolves guarding us and pulling that other load. If not for the trail of blood, we wouldn't have to fight those Jagas and wildcats. Thank heavens Fenrir and Amarok established themselves as top dogs in this territory, or else we would have to fend off even more freeloaders."

Ming commented while casting an envious glance behind them.

Chu followed his gaze to see Dyna and Amarok dragging another load of defeated predators. The smaller wolf Fenrir prowled the perimeter further away beyond the nearby trees. Spotting Lucy still sitting on the tree stump not far behind, he raised his hand.

As Ming rightly stated, the Bitzer demons did not impart superhuman strength to them but merely solidified their bodies to withstand their abilities. During the journey, Lucy bore the brunt of the burden with the wolves offering assistance on difficult terrain. Once again, he admired the power of the wolf demon talisman.

"Let's rest here, I just have to wring my clothes dry. The clingy feel is driving me crazy. Miki, how far are we from the lumber camp?"

The dark-haired girl paused for a moment to catch her breath before grabbing her bag on the stretcher.

"Not far when I walked the trail with Dyna this morning. With our current speed, I say we should exit at the clearing made by the woodsmen of the village in the evening."

She replied while pouring over her forest map. Each of them possessed a copy of this original which highlighted the trails and landmarks. Even with this and a compass, one could still become lost under the vast expanse of endless trees and similar-looking terrain. Only by luck did they cross a familiar landmark on the trail to the ruins. If not, they might have eventually kept walking and exited somewhere along the grassland under the guidance of the compass.

By himself, Chu knew he would have had a hard time navigating inside the forest. Lack of sleep from warding off attackers and ignoring the creeping doubts that might have him circling forever in the forest would have killed him. Within the forest, however, this skilled party of his prowled like a barracuda in the water.

"Good, it is imperative we exit before the woodsmen and firewood hustlers leave for the day. I want to time our exit to when the majority of our workers are also returning to the village."

"I still don't know why you didn't want me to seek help from the smithing cave of the goblins. We could have gotten the goblins there to help in transporting our loads. That way we wouldn't have needed to take this shorter trip which yet exited us to the west of the village."

Dyna chimed as she joined them. Although they seized the chance and gutted the carcasses, the sooner they exited from the forest, the lower the risk of spoilage. With the goblins assistance and further communication to the farm, they would have arrived home before midday.

"Ah, ah, wait, wait, Chu, let me answer this one."

Ming said as he wiped his face with a water-soaked palm. Clearing his throat he continued while wagging a finger.

"What would the villagers and workers think when we walk out from the deep, dangerous forest with our prize? How many people in the Empire do you think has seen a Snowbear? And one of this size and frightening appearance? For a wilding such as yourself, who don't care about what people say about you, this is beyond your comprehension. Hehe, I have to hand it to you, Chu, even I would not have thought about this."

"Forget all the circling from that idiot. By now, everyone knows we at the farm hold a reputation. All Chu want to do, is to ensure the villagers and the workers gain another awesome image to stick in their minds. This way, even when we leave, people will think twice about doublecrossing us."

Miki explained as she corked the waterskin. Exhaling a tired breath, she stood up and stretched her arms. Lucy stood silently beside her while reaching for the vines. Her actions initiated a groan as her companions stood up and shook their tired frames. Chu steadied himself and sucked in a chest full of fresh air.

"One push. One push to finish this."

"That's right! Chu, don't' forget to lend me your sword when we exit the forest. I need to assume the pose of the Snowbear slayer."

***

"Did you hear the rumor about what happened yesterday?"

"Hear about it. My wife was out gathering firewood and actually saw it. The Boss from the farm suddenly appeared from inside the forest and spread the word to not be afraid. After that, they dragged out a terrifying beast called a Snowbear while being flanked by two large wolves. Dead or not, she said most of the women screamed at the sight."

"Ha, well you guys missed out. I worked the morning shift and went to help old Chuck re-thatch his roof. You should have seen that beast when the wagon rolled it into the Trading Post. I overheard the guards whispering. Apparently, not even a hundred men from the Military can kill such a beast without suffering huge losses. They said when prepared, the meat is so rare, even the Emperor cannot afford to dine on it often."

"Well, I heard the Bosses instructed the butchers to hand over a few bones and meat to the village chief. My daughter works with the chief's daughter in the general kitchen. She said since last night they have been simmering the bones for soup broth. Tonight is going to be a feast!"

The men chattered while digging the portion of the trench allotted to them. One of them paused with a puzzled look.

"Hey, where is Clance? Isn't he part of our group? I now realized he is missing."

"Crap, man, you now realized? Good thing we don't have you in charge of the roster or else we would face punishment."

"Secretary Marie sent someone to fetch him yesterday. Apparently, he listed he had experience in working with messenger birds before he got sold. Grandmaster Pine placed him in another group to set up messenger aviaries between the village, the industrial complex, and the farm. I heard Manager Jill received a few young eyasses. They are only going to be using falcons."

"Hey, stop wasting time and get to work. The faster we complete our job, the faster we can sign out. I can't wait to visit the kitchen for dinner."

While rumor spread of yesterday's matter, Chu held a meeting in the barn with Project Manager Pine and his Secretary Marie.

"This windmill will power the three forges. Have them located downwind so we don't pollute the air. The one here will power the paper factory and the printing presses. The last one will serve to grind our grain and pump water from our wells. I want a flowing aqueduct to deliver water across the complex. Remember our shops and warehouses must center around the school, taverns, and hospital."

"We began redistributing tasks to skilled personnel to fill our vacancies as you listed. The village chief and garrison commander reported that whispers of escaping have died down. I already informed the Trading Post and the remaining Slave Traders to begin the next influx of workers."

Marie stated. This girl was just short of twenty yet she had settled into the role of secretary perfectly. Her organized yet cluttered desk reminded Chu of his old life. Secretly he wanted to see how this black-haired, ponytailed styling girl would look in suitable office attire and black-rimmed glasses.

"The villagers and the workers have began to trust and interact with each other. I think by the time the new workers arrive, they would have many voices convincing them of a bright future. Of course, your escapades and stiff punishment to repeated lawbreakers will certainly play a part."

Bon chimed in with a pleasing smile. Last week, Marie had doubled his application for apprentices to serve the growing number of Blacksmiths. The workload had increased so much that the blacksmiths constructed an open-air forge at the industrial complex to solely churn out nails.

"Boss, what about the paper? What quality do you want?"

"Good thing you reminded me, Old Hodge. Make it a little better than normal parchment paper. The letter blocks for the press should also be large and not that clean. For an illiterate population, we should focus on large letterings. Besides, we don't want the Tower to feel our technology is so advanced it can stamp out talismans. A basic, watered-down press is ideal for this time."

Chu replied. Like hell, he was going to share his superior products with the world.

"Halter, beside the icehouse you plan to build under the keep, Construct about three larger ones at the Industrial Complex. It's time we wean our selves off smoked meat only. The refrigeration will come in handy in the future."

"Chu, Root said the goblins have sent over five large pouches filled with seeds of the syrup tree."

"Form a farming group dedicated to growing them, Clod. We need to plant them by the acres. Soon Limerock will begin their glass production. In around five to six years, they should begin the production of glass bottles. I want us to have enough of a syrup source to monopolize the market. The goblins already know that filling and sealing one barrel of syrup in the forest will net them a bag of grain. The nearby chiefs have already begun searching for seedlings to cultivate."

Drumming his fingers while in thought, he looked towards Clod again.

"Yin came last night and said some of the children liked the jam from the berries we harvested in the forest. Dedicate another team in harvesting and cultivating those plants. Let Bon manufacture some more ploughs if required. We need acres of lands if we want to become a household name."

Chu summed up the meeting.

"Remember Clod, even though we plan to sell our products for money, we must never forget to grow sufficient grains and food for ourselves. Chat with Farmer Brown and the others and let them know we will grind their grains into flour for them to fetch a better price. Have Chief Drey encourage more villages to recultivate the abandoned farmlands north of the village. Food security is important. Without food, we would have starved in the cellar when we hid from the wolf demon. Now, we have to cater to all these workers and more."

***

"I guess we will be leaving soon?"

Lucy asked while sitting beside him during their meditation at night. Chu nodded while watching the golfball-sized light orb float above his open palm. The white glow barely overcame the light from the flickering fire.

"I think Clod and the others can more than manage here. When it comes to construction and farming, we would only be in their way. It's time we focus on the north. We have a promise to keep to Mr. Thomas, so we should do it right."

He replied when the ball dissipated and vanished.

Listening to the conversation not far from them, he shook his head before chastising.

"Ming you idiot. Don't you have any shame as a grown man? Stop bothering Yin for a cut in her jam idea and start meditating. How can you even pester a nine-year-old child..."

****