Chapter 12 Disconnects with past statements
“Hold on,…Mom,…When I came home with Marie, you said my future wife wouldn’t like it, assuming I meant to be intimate with her, so WHY?,…is it all of a sudden fine that I’m going to have currently five wives, if one wouldn’t like me having taken Marie that way?” All of the Women looked at me like a Moron, and Maries answered instead. “Because Dummy, she assumed you’d stop once you got married, leaving me alone cause you had a wife. In that scenario your Wife would have been upset I was being left out, just because of her.” I placed my hands on my face. “This world is SO DIFFERENT from my old world. Jessica having caught my wording had to ask. “Old world, what does that mean?” Rose, Blanch, and Theresa were all looking intensely at me. “Ah, (chuckle) Guess I let that slip, oops. Well, as it turns out, reincarnation is a thing, and for whatever reason, I got my past life memories back. SO,…all my old skills, and knowledge are boosting my stats, and skill levels in this life. Probably the best mathematician you’re likely to meet in your lifetime, and I wasn’t even that good.”
Dad spoke out. “It’s true, when his system unlocked, he suffered intense headaches due to the past life memories fusing into his current ones, and his attitude became much more adult. You can’t fake that.” Marie piped up. “That’s where the Bunk Beds, and knowing Tomatoes are food came from, among other things. I’m a Ranger, first one in almost a Millennium, and that’s because he thought it could happen with a little training in something I didn’t know. He was right, and the cloak I wear is patterned by his specifications. I had him wear the cloak so I could see what it did. I couldn’t see him before too long, it’s almost magic, and coupled with my stealth skills, nobody can see me if I don’t want them to.”
“OKAY, I guess I’ll buy the whole reincarnation thing, but what’s this about Tomatoes?” Theresa had focused on what was important, namely food. I simply snagged one off a nearby bush, and bit into it, then handed it to her. She smirked at the indirect kiss I had offered, but didn’t hesitate to bite into the juicy fruit “People think they’re poisonous because the plant looks similar to Nightshade. Yet they aren’t actually poisonous, and are in fact both very good for you to eat, and versatile. Jessica, you remember the red sauce for the potatoes? That was made from Tomatoes. It’s called Ketchup, and is just puree of Tomato with vinegar, and typically salt, but I need to make salt sometime.” Everyone snapped attention to me. “What do you mean, Make Salt?!” (oh boy) “Couple ways, either dig up rock salt, and refine it, get some sea water, and evaporate it, or else I can do it with blood, but it will have a taste.”
I was then bodily dragged to the butchers in town to acquire the blood to make a batch of salt. It wasn’t a difficult project, but it would take some time. First using a centrifuge to separate the blood from the plasma, then scooping off the plasma to dehydrate. It took some time to get everything done, but it didn’t cost much, and after the time had finished, we had nearly a pound of salt crystals, even if they were an off yellow in color, and a taste similar to the meat it came from. “How does it work with Sea Water?” Theresa was very happy with the blood salt, but as I had mentioned, it did have the taste, so its uses were limited. “Pretty much the same actually. You can use a filter instead of spinning the buckets around though. You only want the salt water, not anything that’s in it. It’s a slow process in big batches. Rather lucrative business in some places.” She gave me a well duh look. “Well I assume the salt we made, even at its low quality would sell for a fortune, but salt back in that world, I could buy a ten pound bag of salt, and only spend about a half hours pay to get it.” Shock and incredulity were apparent on Theresa’s face. “Ok, too many surprises for today, I have a Kitchen to finish setting up, and a small army of angels to feed. Get out of here already, I’ll see you soon enough.” I almost went out right then, but stopped. “Is that a genuine leave, or the test to see if I’m insensitive?!” I smirked at her.
Blushing, she came up to me, and planted a kiss on my lips. “Test passed, now really get out. As much as I’d like to keep you here, you really will be in the way till I get things put where I want them, and I don’t have time to learn any new recipes from you, so I’ll need all the time I have to cook enough for those babies of ours.” She then shoved me out the door. This was going to take some getting used to. I had barely gotten out of the Kitchen, when I heard some commotion outside the front of the new house. Upon investigating I saw Mr. Daniels daughter walking in with a Sack of grain slung across her shoulders. “Hello there, Grace right?” She beamed at me knowing her name. “Dad said you were setting up a new mill, AND had taken more than one wife, well betrothed I guess. I thought, MAYBE, since we’d maybe be growing grains here, that you might add me too. I know all about growing wheat, and I brought a bag of buckwheat with me too, cause there wasn’t any on that wagon. Dad said it was fine, considering what I wanted.” Theresa leaned out the Kitchen having overheard. “It’s a yes from me, you said it was our choice, so ask the others, I’m guessing it’s a yes from them too, but I suppose asking is polite.” She was grinning fit to burst at my flustered face. (Weird, this world is weird, not complaining, but wow) “Well, like she said, gonna have to ask the others. Seems like they want a BIG family though, so I won’t be surprised if it’s a yes all around.” I chuckled a little as we maneuvered our way through the kids to the mill.
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“Oh hey Mark, oh, and Grace too, is that more grain to mill?!” Penelope was positively giddy at the new mill. “You know I’m already done with the ten bags, and it would have taken almost all day, with everyone back at my folks place. *sniff sniff* Buckwheat, haven’t gotten to try it on buckwheat yet. Gimme!” Snatching the bag from Grace’s shoulder and immediately feeding it through the hopper, and marveling as the free spinning stone grinder effortlessly ground the Buckwheat into flour, then after winnowing out the chaff, she bagged it again in its original sack. “Oh the corn meal is over there, you said that was for you personally right?” I nodded, and rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, it is, but um, This is awkward for me to even bring up, but Grace here, well she didn’t just come because of the Buckwheat.” “Figured as much, it’s a yes from me, I love Grace, always have.” Grace hugged Penelope giggling. “Wow, this is what I expected, but still wow! So having trouble processing this whole Women dreaming of sharing a Man thing.” Grace looked weirdly at me. “It’ll make sense later, when he can tell you his secret. It’s not bad, just,…weird, amazing even. If I didn’t know it was true based upon certain things he’s said, and done, I wouldn’t believe it myself. What’s the plan for the Buckwheat by the way?” I chuckled, Penelope had her priorities straight I guess. “Take it, and the corn meal, at maybe three normal wheat to the Kitchen, we can take the other seven wheat to show your folks, and let you brag about how fast your mill is.” She beamed, then with a sad look, pulled the levers to release the tension from the Grind stone, stopping the mill. We then heard a mighty splash from the Mill Pond, and in a Panic I ran out to see who had fallen in, only to stop dead in place, at the sight of a shimmering blue translucent, and very nude form in the pond. “Greetings human! Are you responsible for this lovely pond?! The water flowing down the stream drew me here, it’s so fresh, and strong. I’m used to nearly dying this time of year. I hope you won’t mind me living in this pond, I’ve always been stuck in that little trickle till now.”
Slapping my face fiercely to get my brain functioning again, I attempted to ignore her figure. “That depends, I know little of your kind, all from fake stories, told by people who never met any of your kind. So forgive me if this is rude, I don’t intend it so, just making sure the fake stories are exactly that, fake. In some stories, your kind like to lure people to their deaths, and trap their bodies in the stream, stealing their power as it were. I assume that’s just old superstition to explain accidental drowning though. I still have to ask, I have a lot of kids to protect.” She gasped. “That’s so horrid, I’m glad you know it’s not true, even if you’re asking. I suppose we do lure men, looking as we do, but we always make sure they survive the encounter. I’d never let anyone drown if I was around to stop it, especially little ones! If you hadn’t made it clear you didn’t actually believe it, I’d have been angry. I’m Wripple by the way, or at least that’s as close as you humans can get to saying my name.” Grace smacked me upside the head. “I can’t believe you’d even ask that, sure their kind is rare around here, but still, they are people, not monsters!” Wripple giggled at the byplay. “Hey, you aren’t officially a betrothed yet, at least wait for the rest to say yes before you start exorcising wifely discipline rights.” I chuckled, and Grace blushed. “Hey, anyone can discipline you for that one, and besides, you already know it’s just a formality.” Marie giggled behind me. “She’s right you know, I welcome another wife. Harmony likely will too, and Veronica was only ever mad, thinking she’d be left out, as soon as she knew you were accepting of multiple wives, she’s been the absolute happiest….well, aside from me that is. As to you Wripple, I’m very pleased to have an Undine living in our Mill Pond, also you should be able to navigate all the way to the other river, using the irrigation channels, just make sure to close the gates behind you, so we don’t flood the crops.”
“Next thing you know, I’m gonna have a Fox girl, and Cat girl joining in.” Grace and Marie looked at me. “Are you willing, like seriously you’d let us include non humans?!” I looked stunned like a deer in headlights. “Seriously, I could have them?” Grace and Marie smiled overflowing with joy. “You know how rare Undine are, it’s cause they don’t produce males, they have to lure men just for a chance at a child, they basically milk any man they can trip into their stream, just for a chance to have a daughter, but she’d be much happier with a man who came willingly to play with her. You should include Wripple, and anyone from the other stream too. We need more Undine, they’re vital for the land to thrive long term.” “”Yes”” was shouted from both the Mill, and Kitchen door. Grace was just nodding her head, and wripple looked shocked, and overjoyed at the prospect of having me as a husband to share.
“Truly girls, you’ll welcome me as a Wife?” Harmony and Veronica came walking over just then. “You bet we will, and I’m guessing you want in too, um?” Asked Harmony, only for Veronica to continue. “Grace you’re joining, YAY! Plus miss Undine, as an actual wife, perfect.” I busted out laughing. “Seven betrothed, and I haven’t even tried, plus plans on snagging the first example of Non human girls that come our way, this is crazy for me to even contemplate.” “Can I have a Kiss then future husband?” Wripple smiled impishly. “Only a Kiss, I’m not quite ready to do more adult things just now. Too much work ahead. I still haven’t properly met all my new daughters, and sisters. Adopting half an Orphanage at once is kinda crazy when I think on it.” Wripple gasped. “You mean all these angels will be mine too?!” Just then, one of the littlest girls, having tried getting too close to see wripple, fell into the Pond, and Wripple seemed to teleport lifting the little sweetheart up out of the water, and into Grace’s waiting arms. “I’ll take this one to get dry, so glad to have you here Wripple, knowing the kiddos are safe, and who better to teach them to swim?” She leaned over, and gave Wripple a peck on the cheek, before walking off with the squiggling child. “Guess I’ll have to wait a little to meet Katy there.”