The next morning, when Thaddeus left his house, he saw several villagers were already up and about hanging signs or putting a goat, hog, and chickens on spits. Others were caring large pine logs outside of town to construct a bonfire. Never before had Thaddeus seen villagers up this early. After walking around the village to watch them work, he left them to their preparations and made his way to his carpentry workshop.

Now that his house was finished, he had to fill it with furniture. His goal was to start with the master bedroom and work his way through the first floor. Thankfully, Sabrina helped him choose a suitable furniture style. After back-and-forth conversations, he settled on country furniture. The style featured warm natural tones, with a simple wood grain finish.

When he researched the style, he was surprised to find there were different design styles often with very minute differences. The sub-styles included: causal country, formal country, country cottage, farmhouse country, English country, and French country. What they all had in common was a handcrafted, oak wood, and green, beige, brown, or apricot light tarnish to give the furniture a homey feel.

Thaddeus sat on his workbench and started constructing the headboard, footboard, rails, and nightstand, from some oak wood he had laying around. As he worked, he reminded himself he’d need to get a box spring and mattress from Travis and large wool rugs from Molly.

He worked until someone knocked on his workshop door. When he opened the door, Thera was outside where a priestly flock he’d never seen before.

“Come on its time,” she said roughly. “And take a bath first,” she said pointing to the sawdust on his clothes.

“Have they finished the preparations already?” Thaddeus asked.

“The villagers worked in shifts throughout the night,” she explained.

“That’s amazing, I had no idea,” Thaddeus said walking to his yurt to change clothes.

“No should you have. The villagers are doing this for themselves. This is a celebration of their perseverance as well. They took a chance coming here and worked hard since they arrived. They’ve earned a break,” Thera said bluntly.

A few minutes later Thaddeus and Thera walked across the street to the church. He was amazed to see his humans and dwarves villagers sitting or standing inside and outside the church. He’d never seen a church packed so full. When they walked in the villagers’ faces smiled with anticipation.

Thaddeus followed Thera to the front of the church. On the altar where the players resurrected, was a cornucopia of fresh crops picked yesterday. Next to the crops was a dead goat and crates of gold and mana crystals.

“Silence,” Thera said.

Everyone ceased speaking at once. Not even the crickets dared to chirp as she began to pray.

“Demeter, gracious goddess who grants to mankind the gift of grain, whose might it is that brings the buds to blossoms.

Friend of the farmer, friend of all who relies on your goodness and kindness, your gift of fertility, your gift of sustenance, your gift of all our lives.

Demeter of the furrowed field, bearer of sheaves, dear to you is the deep earth, the seed within the soil, the heavy-headed grain.

In this as in all things, O goddess, do we honor your necessity; we know well, Demeter, what we owe to you might and goodwill.

Gracious Demeter, we pray for your favor. We pledge the first crops harvested and the first goat born to you, O Demeter, we return to you what you gave to us,” she finished.

When the items on the altar disappeared the villagers audibly gasped in astonishment and began praying themselves. Humans and Dwarves alike prayed to ask for individual blessings.

System Message:

Demeter is pleased by your sacrifice. Reward: + 5 authority with the Church of Earth.

“Mayor Brand and Village Council please come forward,” Thera said encouraging the council members to come up front.

When everyone was present, Brand announced, “Let the Harvest Festival begin!”

Everyone cheered and walked outside. Thaddeus followed along behind them. People congregated under a large tent. Outside the tent, tapped crates of beer hung off the back of his wagon. People filled tankards of ale and cheered loudly. Nearby a pig was roasting over a fire pit, and skewered chicken meat was barbequed over a small grill. An assortment of delicious foods was cooked and placed on picnic tables alongside baked pastries of all sorts. Freshly baked bread was also piled nearby. It was a communal potluck and there was ample food for humans and dwarves to eat enough for weeks.

Brightly colored signs unhung throughout the village. Announcing to would-be travelers Woodhaerst festivities.

Thaddeus was forced to sit alone at a table facing the happy villagers. Rosalind and Molly’s daughters took turns serving him. From his seat, he could the villager mingling and having fun. He felt a sense of pride watching his villagers celebrate without the worry of war or fear of reprisal.

But he knew this was only a momentary peace. The village was growing fast, and he needed to increase the safety and defense. Soon he’d build a wall and recruit more experienced soldiers to safeguard his land. From now safety would come first, the rest was secondary.

While he enjoyed the festival, he still needed to work. He opened his Civics Window and paid 150 gold to upgrade the farm and fortress. Upgrading the farm only cost 20 gold, to expand and relocate the farm. He relocated the farm outside the perimeter of the soon-to-be village walls to make room for more housing. Likewise, he expanded the farm in anticipation of the new villagers arriving in seven days.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Seven days from today, 20 new villagers and a community of out-of-work miners would arrive, in addition to any settlers answering his recruitment notice. While the village had some open houses, there certainly weren’t 20. Thankfully, the bunkhouse was now empty, and the builders had started construction on the new houses.

The fortress cost 130 gold to upgrade because he never finished the keep and great hall. With the upgrade, the fortress was restored to full durability. Interestingly enough, when he upgraded the fortress, it also upgraded the barracks inside. Now the guards had better sleeping conditions and a new great hall to eat. The small keep also had offices and bedrooms for a guard captain, judge, bailiff, and jailor. He was also pleasantly surprised to find a prison in the basement.

While he was deep in thought, he heard a familiar voice that jolted him from his Civics Window.

“I can’t believe the village is having a festival without me?” Cassian said in disappointment.

“Cassian, I wasn’t expecting to see you for another week?” Thaddeus said in surprise.

“I rushed things a bit to get home sooner. I didn’t want to make Rosalind wait too long for me. Oh, and I saw the general store it looks great!” he said to Thaddeus, but his eyes never left Rosalind.

“Grab a seat and sit down next to me for a few minutes,” Thaddeus said.

“No, I can’t do that. I want to spend time with Rosalind. I came here to tell you, I got everything you asked for. I brought 18 goats, 12 chickens, 2 pigs, 6 sheep, a bag of coffee, a bag of pipeweed, and two combat skill books,” he said transferring the coffee and pipeweed to Thaddeus.

Thaddeus’ eyes grew wide with excitement after listening to Cassian.

“I bought 20 goats but sold two on the highway. You should know, there are hundreds of Demeter refugees on their way here from the Rhine Theocracy. I passed by them on the trail. They should be here in two months.

They are led by a young male priest. He is a Traveler like you. He was quite excited to know I was on my way here. He asked me to pass along a message. Something about he hopes to see you at the auction on July 1st.

I don’t know it sounded like gibberish. How can you meet someone when you’re two months apart from each other?” Cassian said shaking his head in disbelief and walking towards Rosalind.

“I appreciate the notice,” Thaddeus said summoning Brand and the Village Council. He told them, what Cassian said.

“My lord, I’ll have someone take the animals to the pens,” Arthur said.

“I’ll ask the Church of Earth the identity of the young priest,” Thera commented.

“My lord, can the village handle this much growth? Ten villagers a month is one thing, hundreds of villagers are quite another,” Brand cautioned.

“He’s right. With more residents we need more jobs,” Jameson agreed.

“I’ve already expanded the farm, what else do you recommend?” Thaddeus asked.

“You expanded the farm?” Arthur asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I also moved the farm away from the highway,” Thaddeus confirmed.

“You moved the farm too?” Arthur asked. His head was starting to feel dizzy.

“Why are you repeating me?” Thaddeus wondered.

“Expanding and moving a farm is not possible for us. Sometimes it’s hard to accept what you Travelers are capable of,” Thera explained.

“Fine. Now, what recommendations do you have?” Thaddeus asked.

“The river! We should hire more people to work on the river. If we build boats, we can send people to fish with nets. We can also use boats to transport the ores. Jameson said emphatically.

“That’s a good suggestion. Are than others?”

“We could replace the children taking care of the livestock with adults?” Arthur suggested.

“Gentlemen let’s not talk business. We’re supposed to be celebrating today. We can have this conversation another time. Besides we’re scaring the villagers,” Thera said.

“Yes, you’re right. Let’s discuss this later. But, to Jameson’s point. I’ll build a pier and a small row boat,” Thaddeus said in agreement.

Leaving Thaddeus’s table, the Council members returned to the festivities. Thaddeus had no doubt the entire village would know about the hundreds of refugees heading their way.

He took out his pipe and smoked he knew pipeweed. The pipeweed smelled of molasses and whiskey and provided a pleasant aroma. As he smoked, he watched the children playing tag and adults gambling on horseshoes.

The second day of the festival was more of d the same. People ate roasted goats and drank beer. Children and adults played different games for entertainment. By the end of the second day, everyone was ready to get back to work.

By the third day, things were back to normal. Sean milled the grain. His wife Lidia baked bread. Molly weaved clothing and rugs. Brand butchered. Hunter, hunted. Cassian opened his General Store temporarily. Nathan and the loggers felled trees. Marcus cut logs. Oscar soaked the hides. Jameson fished. Phillip and Phoebe cooked and served meals and beer. Arthur and Matthew began sowing new crops. Travis traded and the guards watched everyone with boredom.

Although Woodhaerst was a small Level 1 Village, everything ran smoothly like a well-oiled machine. The families worked together to make the four-month-old village a home and safe haven.

Thaddeus and the builders went into overdrive building houses up the highway until they reached the fort. After houses and shops occupied both sides of the highly, Thaddeus built roads to form a grid pattern. From a Birdseye view, it looked like two columns of squares ran down the hill to the river. In the future, only businesses would occupy both sides of the highway.

When Thaddeus finished building the square roads, he walked to Cassian’s General Store. His store was placed next to Trading Post. When Thaddeus walked into Cassian’s shop, he saw the shelves were stocked with perishable and nonperishable food and beverages. The shelves were stocked with different types of cheese, milk, butter, four, cornmeal, sugar, yeast, fruit, vegetables, and can food. He also sold laundry detergent, soap, irons and ironing boards, toilet paper, fashionable clothing, and hardware.

When Thaddeus walked in, a bell above the door chimed, letting Cassian know another customer arrived. The store was overrun with women racing around competing for food, clothing, and cleaning supplies.

Behind the counter, Cassian and Rosalind were busy calculating sales.

Thaddeus walked up to an unoccupied area of the counter and waited patiently. One of the best perks about being a lord was his ability to cut in line. It also helped that none of the women saw him as a threat.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” Cassian without looking up.

Thaddeus saw beads of sweat falling from his brow to the counter below.

“Take your time,” Thaddeus said.

“My lord, forgive me,” Cassian said nervously.

“It’s okay, take your time,” Thaddeus reassured.

When he finished, he motioned for Thaddeus to follow upstairs to his house.

“Congratulations, business is booming,” Thaddeus said happily.

“Unfortunately, I can only stay open for a few days. Who knew mothers could be so cutthroat? The good news is Rosalind’s agreed to marry me, and Jameson’s approved. She’s going with us to Pine Grove and then we’ll return here for good. I can’t wait to be a married man and settle down for good!” Cassian said excitedly.

“Well good, I’m happy for you!” Thaddeus congratulated.

“But don’t think I forgot our agreement partner. I’ll send your ownership shares monthly. Now, how do you plan to sell your harvest? How much can I buy, how much will you sell to Lidia, and trade to Travis?” Cassian asked returning to business.

“I’ve been focused on the new arrivals and haven’t thought of much else. What do you recommend?”

“Usually after a Harvest Festival, the two most popular methods are either to set quotas for merchants or have a farmers market where merchants bid on units. How about I pay you the difference between the goods I brought you yesterday?” Cassian recommended.

“How much do I owe you for the livestock, coffee, and pipeweed?” Thaddeus asked.

“64 gold,” Cassian replied.

“Fine,” Thaddeus said. He’d make triple of one skill book alone.

“And the method you’ll choose?” Cassian asked.

“Tomorrow evening we’ll have a farmer’s market,” Thaddeus said before walking downstairs and out of the shop.