It rained that night as if nature was testing our happiness of finding a new home. After not the best nights sleep we all crawl out from the dry corners we scurried to the night before. Even if we have to sleep cramped for a bit, I need to get one part of the roof fixed at least. As we wake up we notice yesterdays servant boy standing outside with a big box.

As I head over, the boy explains that within the box are the tools that Lawra's father promised to lend us. With the message delivered, the boy runs back to town. Inside the box we find all the tools we could want for building and repairing a house. This will help us a lot, but we don't have any raw materials to fix the house with. I start by surveying the house.

The opening of the horseshoe points east, roughly towards town. The northern building looks like an old workshop. It even has an old furnace attached at the end. The fence is barely standing, but the main outer wall looks to all be made of solid timber logs like the holdfast I saw in the village. The farmhouse looks like a smaller version of the holdfast with one side missing. It is unclear what the southern building was for, but the main building has multiple rooms that can be made livable.

Starting with the northern most corner of the main house I check all the beams and the overall carrying structure. I don't find any major flaws. The main issue is the roof and the leaks that have rooted away the floor boards. The roof is covered with tiles, but a number of these tiles are missing and broken. I decide to collect unbroken tiles from the northern and southern buildings, but as I start looking at the wooden roof framework, it seems I need to replace some sections of it.

Though collecting tiles was relatively quick with my storage, it is already noon. After eating I head into town with Lawra to buy some supplies for the carpentry work needed on the roof. On the journey I ask Lawra about her fathers motives. "You might not know but most businesses try to cultivate good relationships with the guild. Association with the guild provides a level of protection as it is well known that the guild takes care of their own. Technically the only ones who are their own are their members, but business partners are also shown a level of preference. No criminal elements would dare to mess with them. There is also a matter of prestige, as working with the guild is seen as a sign that your business has a higher standing in society. My father has always coveted better relations with the guild, but his style of business is generally not liked by the guild."

"What do you mean by style of business?" I think I know the answer, but it would be better for Lawra to explain. "He both lends and invests, but never without having a level of collateral or insurance to ensure his own profit, while his business partners or borrowers carry all the risk. He got rich taking advantage of people who did not understand the risks they were taking." "And what do you think of this?" "I hate it, I want to prove to my father that it is possible to get rich without stepping on people." Lawra seems genuinely upset. "Do you know what happens to merchant daughters when their fathers go bankrupt?"

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Lawra's last question leaves me a bit stumped. I don't know, and I am not sure I want to know. "The fathers sell their daughters into slavery as their last asset to save themselves. It happened several times with father's business partners. Some of those girls were my friends!" Sounds like she is against slavery, but I know too little about how it works to comment on it. I put an understanding hand on her shoulder and stay quiet.

We pick up the supplies and head back a different route. This route takes us to the eastern most part of the commercial district. These stalls sell different wares. One in particular, slaves. They all look to be young women, not all are human, roughly half are different races, and by races I mean elves and animal people. I suddenly realize that I am staring. Sure enough a number of guys I know would call this a feast for the eyes as all the slaves are naked, but I just feel guilty. I hope Lawra didn't see me staring. If she asks I will just say that I stared because it is the first time I have seen none humans, even though I know that there is another reason I stared as well.

"If you want to buy a slave girl, we should probably finish the house first." Lawra's comment cuts through my thoughts and catches me by surprise. "Aren't you against slavery?" The response is out before I can think. Lawra looks at me funnily; "You mean because of my friends. I am not against slavery, just fathers who force their daughters into slavery. There are some women who sell themselves into slavery to save their family from ruin, but they choose it. Also, while male criminals are all executed, female ones are just enslaved. However, my favorite reason for maintaining slavery is for the demi-humans not to go extinct."

Her explanation takes me by surprise. "What do you mean by the last one?" Lawra continues to explain. Humans and demi-humans have never been able to live side by side peacefully, but have you seen how cute demi-human kids are? As slaves they are allowed to live, and a good master will treat them better than any life they could have had in the wild. Also, most demi-humans were born into slavery. Though losing your freedom can be hard, if you never had freedom in the first place there is nothing stopping you from being happy as a slave."

So demi-humans are races that need to be protected from extinction by slavery? My cynical thoughts are clearly marked by the values of my past life. Do I let it, or do I go with the flow. "Does that mean that you want me to buy a demi-human slave girl, so you can adore the kids I have with her?" Unashamedly, Lawra smiles and says yes. "I won't allow you to sell them until they are all grown up." The last comment from Lawra shocks me even more. "I might buy a slave one day, but I intend to give her a good life along with my wives, and I will certainly not sell her or her children to anyone ever."