Two days after returning to the village with Ice and Phantom, Jonn woke up in the morning in his small house, where the two wolves were already silently watching him, waiting for him to get up.
Jonn rubbed his face, drank a full glass of water, and washed his face before buttoning his shirt.
He made his way to his plot next to the greenhouse, with the two animals following him along the way.
He greeted the villagers he passed, some of whom still looked warily at his furry companions. However, some people were getting used to the presence of Ice and Phantom.
On the way to the greenhouse, Jonn noticed Elia already talking to the workers who were going to build the new Eternal Village. After the conversations that had begun earlier, she was already sketching out what the construction would look like, and the group was digging up the land to prepare for the new houses.
They planned to build a new house and then, with the migration of a family, dismantle one of the old houses to make the most of the materials. Several of the village houses were made of wood, so there were components that could be reused. Only the foundations would, to some extent, be wasted.
Elia planned to gradually migrate the families from the village to the new units within the walled area. But before that, they had to prepare the foundation to accommodate Tim’s plans and the walls.
A few men were already at work in the chosen area, with the shouting of the workers striking early in the morning.
Jonn smiled as he saw his people, but didn’t stop to chat. He moved on until he reached the side of the greenhouse.
Arber was watering the area protected by fences when she saw Jonn arrive with the two wolves. “Our crops are developing fast,” she said with amusement, her voice marked by an unusual energy.
Jonn didn’t know if the change in Arber was because of hope or because of the wolf meat they’d been getting the chance to eat every day. If it was the latter, he was sure that the woman would soon return to her normal state.
The wolf meat was almost running out!
“Maybe they’ll yield more than I first thought.” Jonn crouched down next to the plants. His wolves sat down to wait for him while he got the Celestial Magnifying Glass in his hands.
They’re growing well. We’ll have tomatoes in a few more weeks.
He studied the ground, able to see the flow of mana from the plants to the mana crystals. These crystals were gradually growing in size, moving toward each other.
That’s good. They’re growing, so I’ll be able to use them in a few more weeks to double the size of this plot. This will give us the chance to get out of the food crisis in just over a year.
He spoke a few words to Arber, who had been solely responsible for the plants in his terrain and the greenhouse more recently. Others involved only during harvest time. Now, they were busy helping with the village’s other projects.
Jonn arrived at the side of the greenhouse, soon continuing his study of the glass and wood structure Hewet created.
He had been analyzing the greenhouse since he returned with the horses. However, he still didn’t have the entire greenhouse project in mind. It had several components working together to design the features that protected the magical fluctuation of the mana crystals inside. He was certain that he wouldn’t have a method for protecting his terrain until he had analyzed the entire greenhouse.
I already know that the glass and most of the materials in the greenhouse are ordinary. But they contain the mana of the Aether Tears in a way that doesn’t make sense, given the nature of these materials.
While pondering what he already knew, Jonn spotted what looked like an electrode. But instead of electricity, mana flowed through the item.
Curious. There is a flow of mana here, but as soon as it reaches the glass, it disappears.
He noticed the difference between the electrode connected to something buried in the ground and the glass. After using a bit more mana, he figured out how to disconnect the electrode and did just that.
“Oh?”
Jonn smiled after sensing the result of his action.
Looks like you’re responsible for the greenhouse effect!
He felt the magical fluctuation of the mana crystals inside the greenhouse through the glass in front of him.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
When he reconnected the electrode to the base of the glass plate, the greenhouse’s normal effect resumed.
Jonn took a step back and observed that several of those electrodes were connected to different sheets of glass, metal bars, and even wood.
I see… These ordinary materials can’t hold mana. They’re like mortals who, even if they live in environments rich in mana, can’t retain mana within their bodies.
Mana was harmful in large quantities for people unable to manipulate it. This was so severe that there were many places in the Barren Hills of Deepshadow the villagers avoided because of the poisonous concentration of mana nearby.
However, in most of the region, the mana was only toxic to small plant organisms that didn’t have the same resistance as the village plants.
But even though glass and other materials cannot hold mana, they can transmit it when connected by these electrodes. The mana doesn’t stay in them, but it travels through their bodies, creating something like a mana barrier. This barrier makes it impossible for anyone outside to sense what’s inside the protected area!
He finished understanding the workings of the greenhouse just before exhausting his current mana.
Given his current [Wisdom] attribute, he would need over 100 minutes to recover.
Jonn moved away from the greenhouse, walking alongside the two wolves, but his thoughts were far from Ice and Phantom. He still needed to check the mana source of the electrodes, but he was already thinking about how to replicate the effects of the greenhouse.
Imitating Grandpa Hewet’s methods wouldn’t be workable. There’s no way we’ll be able to hide everything we’ll have in the future if we cultivate the land in the region. It would be enough to cover one of the nearby hills, and we wouldn’t be able to hide anymore…
However, we can use greenhouses for a short time. But it would be important to develop a method of camouflaging the fields soon.
Jonn already had ideas on how to camouflage the fields thanks to [Analysis]. But he lacked the resources to replicate the possibilities in his mind.
I’ll see about that later. I’ll finish analyzing the greenhouse today and talk to Elia and Petyr tomorrow about what to do to protect the land.
He glanced over to where Arber was still working, trimming the leaves off some plants.
Moving on, Jonn planned to leave Ice on guard in the village and head with Phantom to the mining area. The hole he had dug earlier was now six times larger, and they were producing three wagons of crushed rock a day.
Jonn spoke to Tim, who was in the mining area that morning. The blacksmith was producing 200 kilos (440 pounds) of iron daily from the three wagons of rock. But they needed around 7 tons to build a strong, secure wall around the new village, besides the iron required for weapons and tools.
Tim had already agreed with Jonn to use 40% of the output from the Limonite rock to produce items for the village in the short term.
It would take about two months to gather all the metal needed just for the walls. However, the new village project also involved reservoirs and iron pipes, which would take additional weeks to produce all necessary materials.
But they didn’t need everything to get started, and there were other materials they needed to make or acquire, such as wall blocks, stones for the wall structure, and surveillance structures they would need.
All that was necessary because the village would be confined to a small plot of only 1,000 square meters!
While leaving old Tim with the men working on the mine excavation, Jonn knew he would eventually need to expand on what he had just started to complete his current mission.
They would need a lot more resources for the village!
Time to get back to work.
He made his way back, planning to finish his study of the greenhouse today so he could return to helping with the Limonite rock mining tomorrow.
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A week flew by, and work in the village intensified.
That afternoon, Jonn paused for a moment to rest, looking at his status.
{Name: Jonn Irondoom}
{Age: 16}
{Level: 1 (17%)}
{Reputation: Level 4 “Elder of the Eternal Village!”}
{Stats:
[Health: 129] [Mana: 117 (147)] [Stamina: 116]}
{Attributes:
[Strenght: 11.6] [Agility: 11] [Dexterity: 11.4]
[Constitution: 12.9] [Endurance: 11.6] [Intelligence: 11.7 (14.7)]
[Wisdom: 10.7 (13.7)] [Charisma: 10.1 (13.1)] [Luck: 10 (12)]}
{Resistances: None}
{Skill: [Analysis]; [Essence of Life].}
{Artifacts: [Wildheart Talisman]}
He had improved a little recently, but he was pleased with his progress. Every day he made some improvement, even if it wasn’t his primary goal.
Saving the village and building a stable place for his people was his priority.
When circumstances improved, he planned to seek more efficient methods to speed up his progress.
A traveling group familiar to the village members would pass by it in the next month, and it would be time to trade. If he was lucky, he might acquire something valuable. He already had that upcoming date in mind.
But for today, Jonn was relaxed. As he looked at the plantation outside the greenhouse, expanding with a recently built 40-square-meter building around it, he received good news from his friend.
“Jonn, old Tim has finished the first set of weapons for the village. Petyr will begin training our armed group starting tomorrow!” Eliot said as he stopped next to his friend at the animals’ field fence.
The cows were more active than they had been weeks ago. With the growth of the plants and the increase in leaf litter, the cows had been getting larger portions. It was still far from the point where they would be properly fed, but the situation today was no longer as dire as it had been weeks ago.
Jonn looked at Eliot and felt it was time to address his theory. “I’m going to watch you train. I won’t be part of your group, but I also need to practice my combat skills.” He laughed as he climbed down the fence and walked alongside his friend.
After nearly 10 days after Ice’s and Phantom’s arrival in the village, the two wolves had integrated well with the locals and become more independent in their interactions with the villagers.
Now, neither of them was constantly at Jonn’s side.
Phantom was keeping watch over the village’s mining area, while Ice was out hunting with Wy.
As Jonn walked with Eliot, he was even happier about the news than about his status.
Petyr was almost fully recovered from his injuries, and with Tim’s weapons, they could finally begin the village’s formal warrior training.
Time for me to win my first prize on my mission!
He continued on with Eliot to get something to eat. He planned to return to the mine and talk to Elia later about the progress of the new village’s construction, which was slowly advancing with its foundation.