"To harness the power of metal is to harness the power of change itself. Each strike of the hammer shapes not just the blade but also the destiny of the wielder. We, who bend the earth’s bones to our will, are the architects of the future."

The Smith's Creed - Reflections on Metal.

* * *

The field that I was in was now behind, as I set out towards Greenhaven, escorted by Cai Lin and his guards. The sun has already passed its peak, casting longer shadows that stretched across throughout the forest. The walk ahead was foreboding, flanked by potential foes masked as guides.

As we advanced through the forest, we met up with a squad a short jaunt into the journey. The group had packs that looked like they were carrying tents, food and other such necessities. As we approached, the guards in the other group gave me dangerous looks full of caution. Noticing the looks they were giving me, Cai Lin quickly glared at them before pulling me off to the side.

“Now that we have an official agreement? What are your plans for improving the farmland, if you don’t mind me asking, Sage Jié Míns?”

Not seeing a reason to deny his request, especially since he won’t understand most of it, I answer. “I’d need to see how your people farm, but assuming you have no idea how to farm. I would help organize the land, how to till it. Teach you how to enrich the soil, introduce crop rotation to ensure that the land will not die, and how to improve the crops.”

“Tilling? What is that?”

“How do you engage in farming right now?” I ask while looking at him. I assumed that they at least tilled their land? Did I mispronounce the words wrong perhaps

“We just simply scatter the seeds through the soil?”

I almost gasped at that revelation. How do you even consider that farming? No wonder they needed to expand, they did not even know the basics of farming. I was worried how helpful I’ll actually be, but it seems it will be more simple than I thought.

“It is where you loosen the soil with tools to increase the chance that the plant takes root.”

He ooh’d a little at that, as if I was giving away precious secrets. I didn’t know if I should feel proud for being able to help these people or embarrassed for basically taking advantage of their naivety, that is before I remembered why I was here. They slaughtered a village for their land, and I was stopping their advancement by hopefully promising them something better than others land. The warm feeling I had from sharing the knowledge quickly evaporated.

Seeing that I seem to be done talking, he disengages and we walk back to the group. Approaching, I notice one of the guards that had accompanied us was already in the group and the group was a lot more respectful. Some of the guards that were glaring earlier didn’t even make any eye contact, simply preferring to look at anything else in the vicinity.

We continued our journey and the forest area slowly turned to open fields, and the open fields turned to farmland. Or at least that’s what these people call it. It was more like a field with some plants growing out of it, and the sight of so much grass growing alongside whatever plant it was, maybe wheat, was killing me on the inside.

As we approached the city, I saw a town, rather than a city, surrounded by wooden walls, about 2 meters tall that were made out of tree logs and were packed with mud. We approached a simple wooden gate. It was obvious this city wasn’t prepared for war, and I don’t even know if it actually experienced any use. It looked like it was more of a deterrent than any real help in an actual siege. Actually I shouldn’t be surprised based on their lack of any farming skills, it would be more surprising if they had siege weapons or protections against them in the first place.

I was filled with anticipation as we approached the simple wooden gate, its structure bound by ropes and wooden pegs to allow it to swing. What would an early city look like? I didn’t expect much simply based on the wooden wall, but curiosity still brimmed below the surface.

The sound of wood scraping against the ground as it was opened. As we passed through, a relatively populated city enveloped us. The street we ended up on was narrow. I looked around at the buildings and I felt some disappointment. These buildings were barely shacks, built hastily out of wood, and slapped with some mud to add thickness. Even the huts back in the village looked better even though these people do not move seasonally, while the villagers do.

I decided to put that aside as we traveled along the path. A mix of sewage and the aroma of some kind of bread. There were barely any people on the street, and they traveled quickly to and fro. They wore plain plant fabric and fur clothes, and I didn’t see a single person wearing the cloth Cai Lin was wearing.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Cai Lin led the way, his stride confident as if trying to impress me with the vitality and potential of Greenhaven, despite its ramshackled appearance and the smell that wavered in the air. “Here we are, Sage,” he announced, gesturing broadly to the surroundings. “Greenhaven might not look like much, but we do not need to move for the winters, and with your guidance, we might become the most prosperous city in thousand li, where hunger will be in the past”

As we walked, children darted between the buildings, stopping to stare with wide-eyed curiosity at the weird looking stranger in their midst. Their innocence was a stark contrast to the grave reasons that brought me here. We approached the center, and the closer to the center we got the better the houses got. It’s nice to see that humans don’t change no matter where we end up. Classism will always be a thing.

We approached the center of the city and we saw a fairly big building, with much more craftsmanship put into it than any other building I've seen so far. There were carved designs on the outside, some were wild animals, but there was also one that looked like some kind of woman holding what looks like wheat and a newborn in both arms.

Cai Lin took no time to introduce me to the building. “This right here is the town hall, not only do we use this for our meetings, but there is a room we use to worship our great goddess of fertility.” He continues while pointing at a smaller building next to it, “This building to the side is used to store our grains for the winter season. We dig this partially into the ground, since the dirt is colder down there.”

We walk into the town hall or temple, depending on how you would like to look at it. Inside the town hall, the air felt cooler and the scent of incense, probably some kind of flower or herb, wafted through the spacious interior. The building's inner walls were adorned with even more carvings, depicting scenes of harvest, communal feasts, giving a sacred feeling to the whole thing. The structure seemed to be fairly robust, but I was no carpenter. It had a fairly high roof for these people, almost 2 meters. This is the first building I didn’t need to crouch in and it felt good to not break my back or neck bending over all the time.

Cai Lin guided me through the corridor, lined with carvings that told stories of past seasons, challenges and triumphs. “These carvings are made by the council elders as a way to record our history,” he explained. We stopped at a heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor. With a gesture of respect, he pushed it open, revealing a surprisingly nice room.

"This will be your room during your stay,” Cai Lin said, stepping aside to let me enter. The room was simple but comfortable, with a bed made from layers of dried grasses covered with animal hides and a few wooden furniture pieces that were rudimentary but functional. A small window let in light and the view of the town's center.

“I will get the elders together to have a meeting about the expectations for both sides and maybe even get started.” I nodded as he closed the door and let me be.

I took a moment to settle in, placing my belongings on the small but sturdy table near the bed. The reality of the situation started to sink in as I sat on the edge of the bed. If they follow my advice to a T, it will be an easy and probably short trip. Since there are several easy things I can introduce, like tilling. It baffles me that they still didn’t do that, I must have arrived really early in the history of whatever world this is.

I only wanted to help them enough to get them to back off from attacking others, I didn’t actually want to help these murderers, but looking at the state that most of the city lived in, I felt really terrible if I didn’t at least increase the quality of life. The air stank of human feces and anything else, It seems like they simply threw whatever out their back window. And even though they were a “farming” city, the people looked gaunt.

These people in the city did nothing wrong, it was the soldiers and the leaders that caused such pain onto the people and villagers. Alright, that’s the new game plan. Introduce sanitation of any kind, or at least people dont leave it nearby, and farming as well, just enough where everyone can eat without malnutrition.

Cai returned shortly, his expression serious. “The council of elders is ready to meet with you. They are eager to hear your plans, though I must apologize, even with your status as a Sage, they are skeptical of you as an outsider. They will need convincing.”

Nodding, I followed him to a large meeting hall adjacent to my quarters. The hall was already filled with a group of elders, their expressions ranging from curious to cautious. They sat around a low table on mats, with a clearly better looking mat directly on the opposite side, indicating his status.

As I entered the room, conversations hushed. Cai Lin introduced me formally, “Esteemed elders, this is Sage Jié Míns, Who requests our halt in expanding our territory for knowledge about improving our farming techniques and produce.” Some whispers broke out at my title, but no crazy reactions or interruptions, “Please, Sage Jié Míns, if you will.” He asks as he gestures for me to step up.

I feel nervousness creep up, but I make sure not to move my hands awkwardly or give any other body language that may indicate that I am uncomfortable. After all, I was a Sage, and a group of mortals would never scare a Sage. “I’d like to thank you elders for taking the time out of your day to meet with me to talk about ceasing senseless slaughter for land you might not even need. I am willing to introduce better techniques to farm, so you will have no fear of running out of food, and might even gain an abundance. I request that you stop expanding for a period of two months.”

As I finish my request, chatter erupts amongst themselves as they discuss my status, my request, and my offer. An elder at the far end of the table, a man with sharp eyes and a firm posture spoke up. “Excuse our skepticism, Sage, but we are a cautious people, and for good reason. Our survival is based on the stability of our food supply. We cannot allow you to come in and make wide changes, as we cannot trust that those will not bring ruin on our farmland.”

“How can you assure us?”