A night of sex among trees, I'll say it's a very vegan thing. How to explain it... it's like eating tofu, accompanied by tofu soup and tofu salad, topped off with tofu ice cream... that's it.

The good part is that Xena made it clear that these encounters only happen once every 100 years.

I walk back to the village, just before sunrise.

One thing I've noticed these days is that so far I don't need to sleep, and I haven't been tired at any point... is it something caused by all these changes, or is it something with this new body.

One thing that's been on my mind for a while now is how much this body is changing me psychologically.

Another thing is the wives, each one wants to live close to me, but have their own space. I think that's very fair, but the Big House doesn't have that many bedrooms.

One option would be to use the Floating Island spell to create a space ready to build anything and use the Wish spell to conjure a mansion or castle or something like that.

But Jeannie had warned me that Wish magic is treacherous and has a tendency to distort and deviate from its original intent very easily.

I enter my room and see Meikosil and Hethress lying down, still asleep in the room. Neither of them wanting to give up their territory.

Our room, although modest, reflected the weight of its previous owner's position. The walls, made of rough and damp stone, were adorned with faded tapestries, showing scenes of battles and hunts, reminders of more prosperous times. A single wrought iron candelabra, with candles almost completely consumed; the serpent people have excellent night vision and rarely use them, especially since they attract insects, the moons casting long, dancing shadows on the reasonably polished wide-plank floor and usually providing quite pleasant lighting.

The bed, made of solid wood and covered with a thick, frayed wool blanket, was the most imposing piece in the room. A roughly crafted wooden chest with bronze fittings and a patina of corosion served as a bedside table, housing a few objects: a worn prayer book, belonging to the previous lord and not to Szeddisosh, a bone-handled dagger and a wooden box with pieces from a board game, which I do not recognize, worn by time.

Over the fireplace, which was almost always cold, a faded and cracked coat of arms bore the family crest, fangs dripping drops into a vial; it seems that Casa Verda is known for its healing potions, the colors of the crest: red, green and white.

The air was heavy and humid, as usual in the valley, impregnated with the smell of damp wood and special candles to ward off insects. Despite its simplicity, the room had already become a refuge for me and my wives.

I leave them sleeping and go to take a bath. Here, despite the existence of magic, copper bathtubs are still used by the nobility, while the poor and commoners use damp cloths or bathe in the river. As soap, everyone uses a root that smells bad but foams.

My real body has no smell and does not sweat. In fact, it does not produce any kind of waste, at least not until, I hope it is not a monstrous constipation. When I am in my two humanoid forms, they sweat, but do not produce any other waste.

After bathing in the bathtub, I call the servants and they help me get dressed, wearing the clothes of the lord before Szeddisosh.

"I am going to walk around the village, tell my wives that I must return shortly after breakfast." I say to one of the servants.

"Yes, my lord." He is startled and answers with his head lowered.

I need to ease this tension, sooner or later. Learning the names of the employees of the House and the Village should help to break the mood, I think.

“What’s your name?”

“O-O-Ozon! My lord.” He stutters, I feel sorry for him, I don’t need to read his mind to know what’s going on in his head. It’s never good when the “boss” wants to know your name.

“Thank you.” And with a gesture I release them.

If all goes wrong I can use charm person on everyone, it takes longer and has its flaws too, besides it’s something I don’t want to do, except as a last resort. Thinking about it, better not, that’s not a path I want to follow.

Submitting bad people to my will makes me feel like poetic justice, using people but for the "greater good". Doing this to normal people, better not, it’s a rule I’m going to impose on myself from today on.

I walk towards the exit of the Greater House, watching the comings and goings of the servants starting their day’s work. I go out into the front yard of the big house, made of fine gravel and walk along dirt roads that most of the time have puddles and mud. I see that preparations are underway for the villagers to return to their original villages. Initially the men go first, followed by the wives, children, the wounded and the elderly after a few weeks. There must be many orphans. I'll ask Hethress and Sriltos how the serpent people deal with this problem.

Another problem is that there is no basic sanitation, and talking to Sriltos, the "health system" consists solely of the clerics, even so they can only perform a few spells per day and only a few have the magic to cure diseases. If there is an outbreak of cholera or another contagious disease they won't be able to cope.

The best thing to do is wait, the copy ability resets and copies Patriarch Akaos, a high-level cleric, he must know better ways to deal with these problems. I'll put him as health minister and let him do his thing, then I'll copy Cōpa and make him my seneschal.

I see some children playing mud fights, it seems that the children of the village don't have feathers, but it could also be something like "lice control". There is so much to learn, so much that I don't understand.

Why do they want to kill me? God damn it!

He continues walking through the village until he hears the hammering of metal against metal. Attracted by the sound, I head to where the house is connected to a blacksmith's shop. As I approach, I see a low house with an extension next to it. In it, a male of the serpent people is beating a red iron bar on an anvil.

Reading his mind, I discover his name. He feels that he is being watched and turns to me.

Rukan is a tall, corpulent male, with many years of life. Time and work are shown by his opaque scales, his face marked by deep lines that extend from the sides of his nose to his chin. His head feathers are bristling, a sign that, as I learned, can be; stress, fear, anger, excitement.

Rukan's arms are thick and muscular, due to hard work. His hands show the strength he exerts daily when shaping iron. His eyes, yellow and piercing, reflect the intelligence and experience of a male who spent his entire life working with his hands.

One thing I noticed these days are some patterns of appearance of the serpent people. The skin tone is mostly green, in various shades, a few browns and rare white or black.

“Good morning, Rukan.”

“My lord, it is an honor to have you in my home.” Rukan feels a mixture of fear, surprise and pride at knowing that his name is known and he bows in respect as much as possible, if he could he would kneel, but his knee would probably betray him and he would make a fool of himself. “My lord, my house is yours and I wanted to thank you for healing my son, with your magic.”

“It was nothing, what was wrong with your son?”

“When he was little he fell from a tree and became lame.”

“HHHAAAaa… Good, is he okay then?”

“Yes my lord, he has never been better, even my blacksmith scars and my knee pain have disappeared. Thank you very much, thank you very much, thank you very much.” He suddenly bows several times.

I hold out my hand in a gesture for him to stop this, I feel embarrassed, I have never been a hero or a saint, not that I can remember, but I feel it is true.

“What were you working on?” I ask.

“A bar, for a wheel rim, many carts were damaged during the escape of the villagers here, my Lord. And now that they're coming back, I have several things to fix.”

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"What other types of work do you do?"

“The basics, my lord. I sharpen knives and tools. I fix and repair most of them, but the most complex ones are the wagons. As for weapons, I only make spearheads and arrowheads. Swords and other weapons are only made when the lord requests them. They are too expensive for anyone other than nobles, warriors, and merchants.”

“I used to make a lot of nails. But now I’m melting them down again to make other things.”

“Nails?” I ask, not understanding.

“Hmm... Cōpa, he was the one who requested them. He thought there would be a lot of deaths, so there would be a great demand for coffins, hence the nails.” He says as he puts the iron bar back in the forge. “I’m really happy to melt these nails.”

Despite his rough appearance, Rukan is a kind and generous man, one of the pinnacles of the community. He is known for helping the villagers with their problems, whether it’s repairing tools, making weapons, or simply offering a friendly shoulder. He is a man of few words, but his actions speak volumes.

Rukan is a man of faith, and the small village chapel is his refuge. He is a simple man who finds satisfaction in hard work and community. He believes in justice and honesty, and takes pride in his reputation as a man of his word.

Although not a man of many words, Bertoldo is an excellent listener. He knows how to listen to the problems of others and offer wise advice, based on his long life experience. He is a man of action, and does not hesitate to help those in need, even if it means putting his own safety at risk.

“By the Goddess, my lord, I am sorry, your visit really took me by surprise. Would you like something to drink, some water?” he says sheepishly.

“Husband, my knife is dull, you…” A woman comes out of the house with a knife. She looks at me, surprised, then looks at the knife in her hands, screams and throws herself on the ground. “A thousand pardons, my lord, I, I, never, I, forgive myself.”

“It’s okay, I understand. Very well, I will continue my walk.” I am about to turn around when I feel a tug on the sleeve of my clothes.

“Woman!” Rukan shouts at the woman who, I think, is his wife.

The woman throws herself on her knees again, “Forgive me, forgive me, my lord, forgive my boldness, but can I call my son so he can meet you?”

“Of course, and please, Mrs. Egni, this is your house, you don’t need to kneel. In fact, don’t kneel for me anywhere, after all, I’m not a nobleman.” I say in a calm voice.

The woman raises her head, surprised that I know her name.

It seems like this never stops being fun to do.

“Impossible, my lord, you are the savior of the region, you performed several miracles and were sent directly by the Goddess to save us.” Rukun says.

“Yes, yes, my lord.” The woman stands up.

“Okay, yes, you can call your son.”

“Egni, savior. I’m going to call my son and I’ll be right back.” She turns around and quickly enters the house.

Rukan and I look at each other, both a little embarrassed.

Egni comes back with a boy as tall as his father and with features similar to his mother.

“My lord, this is Strisk, my son!” She bows and the boy stares at me, not knowing what to do. My hand slaps him on the head and he bows.

“Nice to meet you, Strisk. I’m Crixus.” I extend my hand.

Then everyone looks at my outstretched hand.

Hhhaaaaa... I don’t think this is a normal way to greet someone here. Thank goodness it wasn’t a girl, because then it would be the classic “three little kisses on the cheek: one to meet, one for friendship and one for the person to get married.” It’s funny how these random acquaintances come about, but without any context. I focus back on reality and with my other hand I take the boy’s hand and make him shake my outstretched hand.

“Where I come from, this is a gesture of friendship and trust when people meet or say goodbye.”

“Ooohhh.” The three of them say in unison.

I give a light laugh and they are even more surprised. But since laughter is contagious, they start laughing too. But it could be for the same reason, the laughter that employees make when a boss tells a bad joke. Well, there are some things that are better left unknown.

I say goodbye and continue on my way, heading to the pier where the fishermen's canoes are returning with their catch, but I watch from afar, not wanting to cause any more commotion. I stay there for a while and then go back to Greater House.

Upon entering, I greet many of the employees of the Great House. It seems that this is not a habit of this culture either; those with high social status either completely ignore those of lower status or mistreat them. It really is a good place to live, but not really. I go to the Great Hall and there are my two wives. Hethress eating fruit, tea and fish soup, while Meikosil only has fruit and tea. Meikosil is not in a good mood, still having to deal with certain parts of being alive, not so pleasant, such as feeling hungry, sleepy, going to the bathroom and smells.

“Good morning, wives, Hethress, Meikosil.” I greet them before sitting down in the chair that is in the middle of the two.

“Good morning, husband.” They both say.

“What do we have to do today?” I ask as I drink a wine, which still doesn’t taste like anything. But the aroma pleases me and having my hands busy also calms me down. “Receive petitions from some of the village’s most important residents right after breakfast. In the afternoon, a reception for the village chiefs who will be leaving tomorrow. Shortly after lunch, a clothing fitting. We will use the old lord’s clothes and make some for everyday wear. More expensive clothes will only be available in the capital or in that human city we went to.” Hethress says as she eats and drinks.

“Prepare for the mission to recover the missing remains.” Meikosil adds. “And I also need clothes.”

“It’s been a busy day. Do you need any help?” I ask. After all, she came back yesterday, a little upset about not being able to go to the Tower.

“Yes. My husband, I would really like your company and help.” She says with a mix of happiness and embarrassment.

Hethress places her wooden cup, half full of wine, on the table with force. Some wine splashes onto the table.

“Me too. I’m going. A cleric is always useful. And my husband should always be accompanied by his 1st wife!” She glares at Meikosil.

Meikosil turns to say something.

I touch both of them. “Sshhh….Sshhh. Enough, both of you. I think you have a lot of energy, if you’re wasting it on this nonsense, I’ll solve this problem tonight.” I say, and send a mental image of the “heavy aerobics series”.

The two of them blush and the discussion ends.

The coffee continues without any further incidents and the dishes are taken away. Soon after, the oldest of the servants enters, bringing the first beggar. I sense that Hethress is strange and I ask her what happened.

“Sriltos, he was the one who should have brought the beggars, did he lose track of time?”

“Maybe, but let’s move on, nothing serious must have happened, after all, no alarm was set off.” I reassure her. The petitions are trivial things: neighbors fighting over loud noises at night and trash thrown around, fishing rights, and a robbery. I ask what the usual penalties are in this case and Hethress tells me that they range from fines, forced labor for a fixed period, amputation and slavery, depending on what was stolen and who it was stolen from.

I ask what was stolen and am told that it was food.

I apply the penalty of a fine and if he doesn't have money, which I know he doesn't have, forced labor in the latrines of the big house for a week.

"Husband is very kind, but these scum may misunderstand his generosity." Hethress comments in a low voice.

"Stealing to avoid starving is wrong, yes, but it is even more wrong to starve to death." I see immediately that the idea goes beyond the common sense of the people here. Violent death, murder, robbery, hunger and disease are common and everyday things, taken for granted in life. This makes me sad.

That's how the petitions end. I really have to create someone to be a judge in my place. No amount of praying will get me stuck in a fashion show with two women.

So I make a change of plans. I propose that each of them choose my clothes, Hethress will be responsible for my serpent people clothes and Meikosil for my elf clothes.

Then we teleported to the Tower of War, me, my wife and the four D.K.s.