Glen could scarcely contain his expression upon beholding the still - endearingly - naive little maid.
Gotaya, who was beside her, promptly stepped forward, hurled the ram aside, and then assisted Tia to her feet.
Glen approached, cast a comprehensive glance around the scene, and addressed the blushing little maid.
"Why on earth are you joining these two in their frolics?"
Tia climbed over the railing, scratched her head, and replied,"They seemed to be having such a jolly time that I couldn't resist joining in..."
Upon hearing this, Glen turned his gaze towards Ravel and Gotaya. The two averted their eyes, each looking in a different direction, avoiding Glen's direct stare.
"Very well. Considering you've managed things tolerably well, I can't be bothered to chide you about this."
Glen waved his hand, pivoted, and ambled around to inspect the livestock in each area.
Both Ravel and the elven lady heaved a sigh of relief.
Glen noticed a small cottage in the distance, where a large meat - worm lay slumbering.
In just a few days' absence, the meat - worm had grown considerably.
The little maid trailed behind Glen, prattling incessantly about the events of the past few days.
Indeed, several remarkable occurrences had transpired during his absence.
First and foremost, the kingdom conducted a Holy Purge on the battlefield where it had engaged with the demons.
This was an activity reminiscent of the devout veneration of the deities, with ancient origins. It had the power to purify any contamination and traces left by the demons, an obligatory practice for every kingdom following a confrontation with the demons.
On the day of the Holy Purge, the atmosphere was one of great festivity. Tens of thousands of knights of level two and above, adorned in special robes, performed age - old dances passed down through the ages.
The spectacle was truly magnificent, drawing countless travelers and foreigners to witness it.
Naturally, Tia and the others had also attended. The little maid described it to Glen with palpable excitement, yet her limited vocabulary proved inadequate to convey the grandeur of the scene.
Nonetheless, Glen could well envision it.
Another matter was that recently, a multitude of strangers seemed to be seeking Glen out specifically. The vast majority of them were drawn by Glen's fairy tales, while a small number came due to his disseminated wood - working creations.
All in all, Glen had attained a certain degree of fame.
This left Glen in a rather bemused state. And when Tia produced a book she carried with her, titled Glen's Fairy Tale Collection, he felt an urge to cover his face.
Despite the original author not being in this world, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.
The little maid waved the book in front of Glen's eyes, then clutched it tightly to her bosom, as if fearing someone might snatch it away.
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"Who bound this book? Don't they need to obtain my consent?" Glen inquired, looking directly at Tia.
The little maid shook her head."This book is selling briskly in the town's bookstores. People flock to purchase it daily. I had to queue for an extended period to acquire it."
Glen extended his hand."Let me take a look."
After a moment's hesitation, the little maid relinquished the book in her arms to Glen.
I'll see who's taking advantage of me! They didn't even offer me any royalty fees!…Glen thought, gritting his teeth. He located the book's publisher.
"White Bird Publishing House?" Upon seeing the name of the publisher, Glen instinctively rummaged through the memories of the original owner, though to no avail.
With a deep sigh, Glen resolved to approach this White Bird Publishing House to claim his rightful royalty fees.
He returned the book to Tia, who carefully put it away with great reverence.
Glen turned to Gotaya and Ravel, who were feigning work in the background, and said,"I'll be bringing a group of people over shortly. You two are to instruct them on the tasks here. This will considerably lighten your workload."
Upon hearing this, both of them wore expressions of delight.
Subsequently, Glen addressed the elven lady."Miss Elf, I should probably escort you back at some point. After all, you've been away for quite a while, and your family is bound to be worried, no? You're under no obligation to return if you so choose."
Now that he had sufficient manpower, Glen saw no reason to retain the abducted elf. She had her own family and friends, and Glen had no intention of detaining her.
Upon hearing this, Gotaya fell silent. She indeed yearned for her mother and friends in the tribe, yet she was still keenly interested in Glen's other martial skills.
Glen paid no heed to the elven lady's musings. He simply returned and summoned some of the people from Cambourne Ridge, Kyle included, to the farm.
After apprising them of their future tasks, they were all elated.
It transpired that they had long been weary of the arduous existence in Cambourne Ridge, and the work Glen assigned them was precisely what they desired.
There were still seven individuals by the caravan. Glen intended to station them at the shop in Dude Town.
Presently, the task at hand was to arrange for their accommodation and sustenance.
At present, it was not feasible to purchase houses for them in Bayek, as the owners of the vacant houses had vanished without a trace.
Heaven only knew what consequences might ensue if these people were to move into those houses haphazardly.
Thus, Glen led these individuals to construct simple wooden cabins using the forest resources in the outer woods. They could reside there temporarily until they could gradually resolve their housing issues with their own earnings in the future.
None of them objected. In fact, they had initially assumed that Glen would leave them to fend for themselves regarding accommodation, and this arrangement was far better than they had expected.
After spending nearly an afternoon occupied with these tasks, Glen left earlier and made his way to Dude Town.
By this time, the knights had withdrawn, and the town had almost reverted to its normal state, although the flow of people was still slightly less than before.
Upon arriving in front of his shop, he found it teeming with people. Glen had no choice but to enter through the rear entrance.
Once inside, he beheld Luther, Carter, and Cagin so engrossed in their work that they were almost a blur of motion.
Their employee uniforms were drenched in sweat, and they failed to notice when someone opened the back door.
Glen seamlessly joined in their bustling activity. His dexterity in cutting meat, weighing, and packing was more than twice that of the others.
This soon allowed Luther and the other two to catch their breath.
Only then did they become aware of Glen's presence, and they were overjoyed.
"Mr. Glen?! You've returned?!" Luther raised his voice, as it was difficult to be heard amidst the din.
"Just got back! Good heavens! I never anticipated the shop to be this bustling! It's quite a pleasant surprise!"
Glen replied with equal volume.
"It was all well just a few days ago! But it seems someone has spread the word about our butcher shop! Many people from out - of - town are coming here specifically to buy meat! Ravel has already delivered four black pigs!"
This time, it was Cagin who spoke.
No wonder I noticed a significant reduction in the number of black pigs in the sty. Couldn't Ravel have delivered other livestock?…Glen continued his work without pause, engaging in conversation with the others and interacting with customers from time to time.
This was the period when customers were relatively numerous. By six or seven in the evening, the number of people had decreased substantially, and Luther and the others could manage the situation.
Luther had been overseeing the collection of payments these days. Glen had faith in him. So, after they finished, when Glen inquired about the earnings of the past few days, Luther responded fluently, without the slightest hint of unease.