“Chief! What’s wrong? Did something happen to the village core?” Elder Jeb asked.
“No, it’s not that,” Elijah replied after he released a sigh. After taking a deep breath, Elijah began to explain how he was basically robbed of all his wealth.
Elder Jeb chuckled after he finished listening to Elijah. “I can see why that would make you frustrated. But it sounds like we gained a lot from the astral energy that was taken, so you shouldn’t take it to heart.”
Reaching out, Elder Jeb gave Elijah a pat on the back. Elijah could only nod his head in acceptance. It took him a minute, but he managed to get over the abrupt loss of wealth.
“Chief, Elder Jeb are you in there?!”
Unsurprisingly, someone came to look for Elijah and Elder Jeb. From the earth beneath their feet to the air that they breathed, the entire village went through major changes. It was only natural that people would try to figure out what was going on.
“Yes, we’ll be out in a minute,” Elder Jeb replied.
Not ready to leave, Elijah told Elder Jeb to go outside without him. Elijah wanted to finish looking through the rest of his notifications before he left. Elder Jeb agreed and went outside to explain the changes in the village to everyone.
When Elijah left the Chief’s Hut he did so with a smile on his face. While Elijah was still upset about the taxes, he realized he was focusing too much on the negative. He fully unlocked his territory, and he could now focus on its development.
As Elijah read through his remaining notifications, Elijah’s mind began to fill up with ideas on the future development of land. He was eager to get started right away and he left the Chief’s Hut. Sadly, the villagers and the elders did not share his eagerness.
Physically everyone still had some energy, but mentally they were completely drained from the battle with the goblins. Although everyone was excited about the changes to the village, they were even more excited about getting to their beds. Elijah realized some rest would be good for him as well, since he had been cutting back on his sleep in the real world to prepare for the goblins.
Before he left the game, Elijah made sure that everything was properly squared away. Newcomers were guided to their proper resting area, while Justin would lead a team of villagers and some goblins to keep the peace and safety. Once Elijah was satisfied with his preparations, he left the game and got some well-deserved shut eye.
…
“Good morning, everyone,” Elijah said. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, our village has been established as an official territory.”
Some time passed and it was now mid-morning of the next day. Elijah had reentered the game and was now seated with the elders and a few other leaders in the communal building. Everyone had eaten breakfast and Elijah gathered them to discuss the future of the village.
“I have a few ideas on how we can develop and grow the village. But before I say anything, I would like to hear what ideas you guys have.”
“Eli, I would like to say something.” A woman with light brown skin, brown eyes, and long curly dark hair stood up to speak. Her name was Anna, and she was the mother of the two boys that led Elijah to the village.
“Those of us that helped prepare last night’s meal noticed that our consumption of food has increased since we’ve taken in the goblins and the other people. We are concerned that we will quickly run out of food and will not have enough for ourselves.”
“We can always hunt for more meat,” another woman added. “But there is a limit to what we can grow from the ground.”
“I agree,” An elder stated. “Nobody here wants to ignore our fellow humans in their time of need. However, we can’t use our own blood to quench their thirst.” Many people agreed with what the elder said and they didn’t hesitate to voice that agreement.
“This is a valid concern,” Elijah said after everyone started to calm down. “After the battle with the goblins, the population of our village has increased by at least three times. Normally, such an increase would be a huge burden for us. Thankfully, I obtained a way to resolve or at least lessen this burden after I established the village.”
“Did you obtain a rare item?”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Is it a secret technique?”
Elijah quickly held up his hands to stop the wave of questions before they overwhelmed him. “Although I’m not sure of how effective it is, I’ve gained the ability to sacrifice astral energy to maintain special areas for growing things from the ground. The rate at which plants and special herbs grow in these areas will be several times faster than normal. Has anyone noticed any changes at the fields?”
“I did!” A man shouted. “I thought my crops grew a bit more than they normally would, but I convinced myself that I was seeing things.”
“My husband said he thought the crops looked healthier than normal.”
“For now, I’m not able to determine the rate at which crops are growing in the special areas. Also, I don’t know the exact size of these areas, only their general location. We need someone to determine the size of the areas and determine the rate at which crops, and other plants are growing. Who would be the best person to complete this task?”
After a short discussion, it was decided that a man named Kaval would take up the task. On the spot, Elijah assigned the man a quest which brought Elijah one step closer to finishing the quest to assign one hundred quests to his people. Since Elijah wanted to obtain the best possible reward for the quest, he made sure he gave out the most suitable and the most rewarding quest for his people.
With a smile on his face Elijah continued to address his people. “I’m confident that the special areas will provide us with more than enough food to feed ourselves and the new residents of our village.”
Pausing for a moment, Elijah put on a stern expression and addressed his people in a serious tone. “But just because we can take care of our new residents doesn’t mean we should.”
Many of the people in the communal area were a bit surprised by what Elijah said. However, none of the people in the communal area were upset or looked like they disapproved of what he said. When Elijah brought the goblins and humans into the village, everyone respected and trusted the decision he made. However, the villagers still had their own concerns and didn’t rush to accept these two new groups of people with open arms.
“Let me be clear. I want the humans AND the goblins to become members of our village. Once they are true members of our village, we can work together to help each other, and the village grow and develop. However, before they become one of us, they must prove that they are willing to work together and have no hidden intentions to do harm.”
“We definitely have to be careful,” Elder Jeb agreed. “The goblins won’t be a problem for now since they are our slaves. However, the humans still pose a significant threat. Although they may seem weak right now, once their bellies are full and they had a few days of rest they will have the strength and probably the desire to bite the hands that fed them.”
“I suggest we only serve them one meal per day and limit the amount of food we give them each meal. We’ve given them a place to rest and some food to sustain themselves. We have no obligation to go all out in helping them recover. Of course, we can still give the children the same amount of food that we enjoy.”
“Ch-Chief,” Jenny timidly raised her hand with a worried expression on her face. “Should I stop healing them since they might harm us once they recovered?”
“I think we should just let them heal on their own,” someone answered.
“I always thought it was a waste to have Jenny spend her time and energy on those people.”
Elijah thought about it for a few seconds before he answered. “No, you can continue healing them.” Elijah’s cut through scattered complaints about Jenny healing the newcomers. Everyone stopped talking and refocused their attention on Elijah.
“Although the path might not be smooth, I’m sure that in the end, they will become companions that we can trust with our lives. You should give them enough healing to prevent any hidden dangers or injuries from accumulating within their body. Once you’ve done that you can give them a recommendation on how they can speed up their healing. We don’t want to harm our future companion’s ability to grow and develop. Plus, this is an opportunity for you to practice your healing skills and I don’t want to take this opportunity away from you unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Limiting the quantity of food they receive, will definitely upset them,” Anna said. “What do we do when they start to complain?”
“Tell them the truth,” Elijah calmly replied. “We weren’t prepared to have such a large number of people enter our village. We’re doing our best to plan for the future, but we can promise them the same meal they received on the first day. In fact, we aren’t able to guarantee them any meals at all. If they want more food or guaranteed meals, then they can join our hunters in the forest.”
Elijah’s eyes became a bit brighter after he said his last sentence. “On that note I would like to change gears a bit. I want to suggest that we separate our hunters into two official groups. One group of official hunters and one group of official warriors. The hunters could be led and trained by Elder Jamal and the warriors could be led and trained by Elder Jeb.”
“Let my grandson lead the warriors,” Elder Jeb rejected. “I’m too old to be fighting,”
Elijah didn’t believe him one bit. “Although you don’t have the warrior job, you are the strongest fighter in the village. Plus, you taught many of the young hunters in the village.”
“All I did was bully them with my cultivation and experience. My grandson should be able to teach and lead them as well as I would. Of course, if my grandson fails to handle the responsibility, then I will naturally step in.”
“Fine,” Elijah said with a sigh. He realized it was pointless to argue with a stubborn old man. “What about Elder Jamal? Don’t tell me he’s going to refuse me as well?”
Currently Elder Jamal, Justin and a few other were policing the village. They were working with the goblins to covertly and overtly watch the outsiders. Their main goal wasn’t to watch there every move, but to let them know they were ready of they tried to start trouble.
“Him?” Elder Jeb scoffed. “After the battle with the goblins, that old fellow has reignited his flame of youth. I’m sure he’ll agree before you even finish speaking.” Elijah smiled and there were plenty of grins and chuckles throughout the room.
“Good! With that settled, let’s move on to the exciting stuff.”