The next day, in the afternoon, Thaddeus walked into the church. He saw Marcus, Oscar, and Nathan were all flirting with Rosalind. The poor woman couldn’t move a foot without some man approaching her. He felt sorry for her, but she seemed to enjoy the attention. She eyed him, as he walked by to see the priestess.
“Are you here for a spell or to flirt with my helper?” Thera teased.
“I’m here to ask for your advice…and buy a spell,” he replied.
“You want to come to my office?” Thera asked.
“Sure, privacy is better,” he agreed.
Thera’s office was small with a single window, desk, and lamp. He appreciated the minimalist design.
“Now tell me what’s on your mind?” the old wood elf priestess asked.
“I have to go back to my world for two days. I was hoping you could watch over the villagers while I’m gone,” he requested.
“I’m too old and want to spend my twilight years in peace. Appoint one of your villagers mayor. They’ve been waiting for you to choose someone for mayor since the hamlet became a village,” Thera commented.
“Why didn’t anyone talk to me about it?” Thaddeus said in disbelief.
“Because that’s the mayor’s job!” Thera shot back.
“Oh. Is there a consensus pick?” he wondered.
“Brand, Arthur, and Sean are the favorites. But don’t pick Sean he’s too braggart. Appointing him mayor would give Lidia and Sean too much power. Brand is sensible, calm, and even-tempered. Arthur is work working and friendly,” Thera described.
“Thanks that’s helpful. I haven’t gotten to know anyone. I feel my presence makes them feel awkward, so I try to keep my distance,” Thaddeus explained.
“As you should, you’re not their friend, you’re a lord. You have to govern. Which means making tough unbiased choices. Your villagers feel uncomfortable because of your position. Your slightest decision can affect their lives. But know this, they respect and admire you. And that should be enough for you,” Thera advised.
“Thank you, that was helpful,” he sighed.
“Good. Now who are you going to appoint Village Mayor?” she asked curiously.
“Who do you think?” he replied.
“I’m not lord. You have to make decisions by yourself,” she chided.
“Brand. And I’ll appoint Arthur and Jameson Village Elders,” he answered.
“Smart move,” she said nudging him congratulatory. “What time’s the Village Meeting?”
“Tonight at 8 PM. I’d like to hold the meeting in the church. I planned to announce the meeting after I confirm with you,” he said.
“That’s fine with me,” she shrugged.
“Thank you,” Thaddeus graciously. “Now, I’d like to buy the [Rock Dome] spell from you.”
“Now that you’re a rich lord with a gem mine, I’m willing to give you the spell scroll for free if you’re willing to offer a sizable donation to the church. You may not know this, but you can add facilities to churches. These facilities are a real boon to lords and villages. Since you have the money, I want to add a divinity pool to the sanctuary?” she discussed.
“How big of a donation?” he asked.
“Not much, just 250 gold,” she said shrugging.
“Not much!” he shouted.
“Stop the acting, I know you have it,” she said annoyed.
“That seems like an unbalanced deal for a spell scroll,” he said.
“Unbalanced? You’re getting access to a divinity pool. Are you willing to pass up the opportunity for divine guidance?” she asked.
“Fine. But what are the other upgrades?” he asked handing her the money.
“Churches are limited in the facilities they can add. The add-ons are a divinity pool, graveyard, and garden,” she explained.
“Sir, you can also upgrade buildings,” Alfred explained.
“What happens if I upgrade the church?” he asked curiously.
“The windows change to stained glass and the pews change to carpeted benches,” Alfred explained.
“Huh, I want to experiment. Upgrade the forge,” Thaddeus ordered.
System Message: Do you want to upgrade Crude Forge to Basic Blacksmith Shop for 10 gold? Y/N
Thaddeus pressed confirm and was curious to see if it looked similar to the carpentry shop.
“Thera, are all the expansions the same cost?” he asked.
“No, the graveyard only cost 50 gold, but the garden cost 500 gold,” she replied.
“Well, at the graveyard. It’s better to have added it now than to wait until someone’s passed away,” Thaddeus said thinking out loud, handing her the additional coinage.
“Very considerate,” Thera said handing him the [Rock Dome] scroll from her desk.
“Okay, I’ll see you again tonight,” Thaddeus said waving goodbye.
When he walked out of the church, he looked across the street at this upgraded Black Smith shop. It looked more professional than the open-air forge he built. He walked in the front door. The shop looked exactly like Roy’s minus all the weapons displayed on the walls and in the windows. He walked behind the counter into the storage room. All the tools we built were neatly placed on the shelves. Behind the storage room, was a separate forge. The forge was he built, but the building was new. His blacksmithing tools were neatly hung down on the walls and the anvil he brought from White Pines sat neatly on the floor.
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“Alfred, can I upgrade every building,” Thaddeus wondered.
“Yes, except for the silo. Only completed buildings may be upgraded,” Alfred explained.
‘Owning a settlement is a money pit,’ Thaddeus said disappointedly. “I understand now why guilds own most settlements.”
Thaddeus walked through the village announcing the village meeting tonight to every villager he met.
“Alfred, is there an easier way to announcements the village meeting?” Thaddeus wondered.
“Yes, sir. You can send a village announcement for 50 silvers,” he explained.
“What does everything cost money in this game?” he cursed. After settling down he told Alfred to send the announcement to villagers and guests.
As he was walking to the granary he built this morning, he got a notification
System Message:
Lord Thaddeus Brown requests you attend the Woodhaerst Village meeting tonight at 8 PM at the church
Thaddeus cringed after reading the notification, and ask Alfred, “why is the message so formal?”
“Sir, that is the informal optional,” he replied.
“If that’s informal, I hate to see the formal option,” Thaddeus laughed to himself.
He stopped at the granary, which looked like a tall stone paper towel roll. The floor inside was stone, the walls were stone, and all that was left was to add the rock dome ceiling. As he was inspecting the granary, Arthur, Sean, and Matthew walked up to him.
“Good Afternoon, Lord Brown,” Arthur called out.
“Good Afternoon,” Thaddeus said casting [Rock Dome] and placing a rock dome squarely on top of the granary.
“Mighty impressive granary,” Matthew said looking at the 14-foot granary.
“Just one problem, where’s the door?” Sean asked.
“I plan to build a wooden staircase about 4 feet from the ground and build the door there. I got plenty of time to build that before the first harvest,” Thaddeus explained.
“Well, see that’s why we came. None of us have ever seen a farm this perfect. There’s not been one pest, weed, or problem; and the crops are growing faster and larger than we’ve seen. We expect the first harvest to be ready two weeks early,” Arthur said.
“Since we don’t have much to do farm-wise, we think you should consider adding another farm,” Matthew suggested.
“Farming’s only half your job, what about the animals?” Thaddeus asked.
“Our oldest sons shepherd goats and our youngest sons take care of the chickens. Farming is typically a family affair. And you should know several of the goats are already pregnant, and based on the size of their bellies, we expect a lot of baby goats. You might want to consider selling goat and chicken meat in November,” Sean suggested.
“I appreciate the advice. Hopefully, some of the new settlers can help with the harvest and or work the gristmill.
“Lord Brown, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. With your approval sir, can I manage the gristmill?” Sean asked.
“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with your wife as the baker and you as the miller,” Thaddeus said.
“Sir, I come from a long line of bakers and millers. It’s how I met Lidia, both our families owned bakeries in Redwood. But I told my pa, I didn’t want to follow in the family business. That’s why we came out here, so I could farm. But I have experience operating a mill. My grandfather and father showed me how to separate the shaft from the wheat and grind different types of flour,” Sean described.
“Lord Brown, if I can say something on his behalf. Mathew and I believe he’s the best choice for the miller as well,” Arthur said.
“Then I appoint you our village miller. But your wages remain the same,” Thaddeus said.
“Thank you, milord,” Sean said bowing.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at the meeting tonight,” said before leaving.
‘Milord? What am I a tyrant?’ Thaddeus thought scrunching up his eyebrows.
“I could be wrong sir, but I think he’s using it as a term of endearment,” Alfred suggested.
‘Really?’ Thaddeus thought.
In the evening, Thaddeus and Thera stood in front of the statues of the gods. They looked at the villagers sitting in the pews. Most of the villagers got there early and gossiped with each other curious as to the purpose of the meeting.
At 8 PM, Thera quieted the church and led everyone in prayer, reminding them the gods were listening. Therefore, villagers were expected to be respectful and law-abiding.
Hearing Thera’s warning made Thaddeus wonder what types of villagers and town meetings she was used to seeing. But he wanted to make sure things ran smoothly.
“Good evening,” Thaddeus said.
“Good evening,” the villagers and adventurers repeated.
“I called this meeting because I have to go back to my word for two days. While I’m away, I decided to appoint people to manage the village. But, first I’d like to announce my appointees for Village Council. When I say your name, please come forward. To oversee the village’s spirituality, I’m appointing Priestess Thera to the town Council. To supervise the farm and animals, I’m appointing Arthur. To ensure we have wise counsel, I’m appointing Jameson. Through my conversations with each, I have come to reply to their advice. Please give these people a round of applause,” Thaddeus said.
Hearing everyone clap and no one yelling he felt he made the right decisions. Still, he’d offer them an opportunity to voice their questions, comments, or concerns later. When the clapping stopped, he let new Village Councilmember take their seats before he spoke again.
“Next, I’ve decided to appoint a Village Mayor. This person will be responsible for communicating to me the Village Council and villagers’ suggestions and discussing any problems. The person I’m appointing is sensible, calm, and even-tempered. He is a man of character and is trustworthy. I’m appointing Brand, Village Mayor. Come up here Brand and say a few words,” Thaddeus said as the villagers applauded.
“Lord Brown, thank you for appointing me, mayor. Please, sir, know I will take this job seriously even if it means having frank and difficult conversations. I want to see our villagers happy, and our village continues to grow into a town,” Brand said returning to his seat.
“Thank you, Brand. I have a few more announcements before I open it for questions. First, Sean is the new miller. He comes from a long line of bakers and millers, and I know he will do a wonderful job. Second, the Bright Guards have agreed to protect the village from danger while I’m away. Third, Arthur tells me the harvest will be ready two weeks early. Okay, now I’ll take your questions,” Thaddeus announced.
“What’s the Traveler World like?” Lidia asked.
“Much like yours, but with no magic. We have giant buildings that rise to the sky and machines to get work done faster. There are no beasts, dragons, or monsters,” Thaddeus explains.
“It sounds peaceful,” Rosalind said.
“It’s not peaceful. It still has its challenges. But I enjoy this world better,” Thaddeus explained.
“Can we go there someday?” asked Oscar.
“The gods only blessed Travelers to move between realms,” Thera explained. The people nodded disappointedly, but understandably.
“Why are you going back to your world?” a child asked outside the windowsill.
Lidia and Sean looked mortified that one of her children dared to pry into the lord’s business. “My lord, please forgive my son. Please let me suffer his punishment,” Lidia begged.
Before Thaddeus could ask, why he would be upset at a child asking a question, Alfred informed him. “Sir, commoners are forbidden in the Akkadian Empire to question a noble’s motive. By right, you are free to punish that child. Suitable punishments include dismemberment, lashing, or fine.”
He didn’t mind explaining, but he could also see his villagers questioning every decision as annoying. At the same time, the punishments seemed very open to interpretation.
“Lidia, you are fined one loaf of bread for every day in June,” Thaddeus said unsure if the punishment was too harsh.
“That is a fair punishment lord,” Brand nodded affirmatively.
“In the future, it will be the Mayor and Village Council’s responsibility to recommend to me fair punishment for crimes,” Thaddeus announced. By sharing the enforcement responsibility with the Village Council, it alleviated the pressure to decide the appropriate level of punishment. At least until his village could hire a judge.
When no one else spoke, Thaddeus adjourned the meeting and wished everyone a good night.
Everyone left, except the new mayor and council member. They met late into the evening, discussing everything from their meeting schedule to new laws, and ways to improve the village. Thaddeus was surprised to hear all the conversations the villagers had behind his back. The biggest complaint is that they felt he worked too hard and should rely on the villagers more.
By the time the meeting ended, it was late at night. Thaddeus yawned as he walked to his tent and logged out.