*Afternoon of Day 3*

“How much?” she asked Joram, staring at the chest and handcart that he’d pulled into the bank.

“Thirty-thousand bronze coins,” Joram said, still sounding beyond ridiculous.

“That will take some time to count,” she said faintly, wondering if Kirkwall’s [Hero] had a sadistic side to him that no one had uncovered yet.

“That’s OK, I’m not in a rush…?” he trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

After a moment of staring at each other, she finally realized why he’d paused.

“I’m sorry. My name is Franny,” she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Then, Franny, I’ll leave that with you guys, if you don’t mind,” he said, giving her a smile that nearly knocked her off her chair. “And thanks again for updating my information on my identification card.”

“It was my pleasure,” she replied faintly before he waved and left the bank, as well as the handcart and chest.

“That’ll take a few days,” Gretna said from behind her, nearly causing her to fall out of her chair again.

Franny turned to her co-worker and grabbed her arms.

“And you’re helping,” she said, smiling for all she was worth.

“… and I’m helping…” Gretna said then let out a long sigh. “At least he’s cute,” she said before walking towards the cart.

Franny couldn’t argue with that.

* * *

“How many more plots?” the clerk asked him, looking as though he was having a hard time processing what he’d said.

“Forty-two,” Joram said, showing the clerk the plots surrounding his land. “Though, I see that going any further west isn’t possible. Does that mean that Kirkwall doesn’t own that land?”

“That’s right,” the guy said, seeming happy to talk about something a bit more reasonable. “After that last plot you want to purchase, it’s ‘free’ space. Though, I must warn you that Kirkwall won’t be able to send out patrols that far out should you decide to build on or do something with that land.”

“I see,” Joram said, nodding before slapping the gold he needed for his purchase onto the desk. “Then, I’ll buy the plots I’ve outlined, as well as lay claim to what’s west of there,” he said with a grin.

“I’m not sure that’s how that works,” the clerk said, pointing at the map. “If you’d like to claim land, you’ll need to get permission from the kingdom first. I’m sure that they’ll want to make sure that taxes are properly paid and all that,” he said, shaking his head.

“Uh, where would I head to do that?” he asked, his curiosity now piqued.

“You would need to travel to the capitol for that. Beyond that, I’m not sure if you would need an audience with the Queen, or if you could have that handled at a lower level. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, waving off the man’s apology. “I’m sure that that was the first time you’ve had that question asked of you.”

“That isn’t an inaccurate statement,” the clerk said, nodding.

After that, they quickly finished up the paperwork before he took off again. He quickly slipped into the bank again to inform them of his new land, registering it with them so that his property taxes would be properly paid when the time came.

“Oh, and I realize that it’ll take a while to count, so here’s something for the bother. Mostly because I’ll have to bring the silver over tomorrow,” he said, then slipped a few silver coins onto her desk before taking off again, guiltily enjoying the gasps of surprise before he was once more outside.

With that errand taken care of, he quickly made his way back home so that he could get a bit more food grown. The women of Kirkwall had come by again today, making him wonder if they really had that much free time on their hands. But also wondering if they were looking for part-time work or something. Not that he’d complain about having the extra help and all. But did he really have enough work for them all?

Especially once the Rings of Sustenance kicked in and the need for food dropped off to a fraction of what it had been. Well, maybe he could see about selling to Kirkwall. Especially if they took a liking to his produce. Thinking about it a bit more, he realized that he’d had a few more skills or, rather, knowledge stuffed into his head with that Crystal Mind Altaea had left for him. One of the things being brewing/distilling/vinting/general-booze-making.

“Hmm, maybe Ella would have fun with the extra grains…” he mused as he walked to the back side of the house to the greenhouse.

Inside, he could see Shae’ra and a few of the young women that she’d found who wanted to help with farming. Nodding, he went inside to have a word with Shae’ra.

After explaining things to her, and waiting for her to process his words for several minutes, she was eventually on board.

“I still can’t believe such a thing exists,” she murmured as she looked at her ring again, tilting her hand this way and that as though a different angle might reveal something new about it.

“Well, I don’t want anyone going hungry in an emergency, so yeah,” he said, very aware of the young girls who’d surrounded them to listen in on the conversation. “Well, if you think that what’s grown here will sell, then feel free to set up a stall or something in Kirkwall after the caravan leaves,” he said, thinking about their safety more than a few extra coins.

“Mmm, that would be nice. It would give the younglings something to look forward to,” Shae’ra said, nodding.

“Oh, and I was thinking of making another greenhouse, this one for crops that would go into brewing and such,” he said, motioning to the west. “What do you think?”

“I’m sure that Ella would be happy to apply what she’s learned,” she said, nodding.

“Then I’ll have to get to work,” Joram said, then waved to everyone on his way out, but stopped when Shae’ra caught him outside.

“Another matter comes to mind,” she said, looking a bit uncomfortable. “How much do you know about cowkin and sheepkin physiology?”

“Umm, nothing?” he replied, hoping that nothing was wrong with those girls.

“Here’s the thing,” she said, looking slightly uncomfortable as she spoke, but resolutely kept eye contact with him. “When they’re reached… adulthood- physically speaking-, they begin to lactate, without the need for having been pregnant before,” she said, finally breaking eye contact for a moment before she continued.

“To help relieve the pressure, most… remove the excess milk and use it in their daily lives. From just drinking it to making various cheeses and such from it…” she said, now fidgeting a bit.

“Are you saying that those young women need… milking?” he asked, at a complete loss for words, as was evident by his choice of words.

“Yes, but no,” Shae’ra said, gathering her composure again. “I- we- were wondering if it would be all right to set up a… dairy, here,” she finally blurted out, making him wonder why it had been so hard for her to say.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“If they want to, go right ahead,” he said, shrugging. “Just let me know what they need for it, and I’ll see what I can do,” he said, nodding, then a thought occurred to him. “How pressing is this? Should I get working on the dairy right now? Or can it wait a few days?”

“They’d probably be very grateful to have the pressure relieved sooner, rather than later,” Shae’ra said, once more looking uncomfortable.

“Well, I can arrange for some bottles for them to store the milk in right away. They’ll just need to put the milk in the cold boxes until I can make the dairy,” he said, nodding.

“Thank you,” Shae’ra said, dropping into a curtsy, which looked odd since she was wearing pants.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said, lifting her up by her shoulders. “We’re all friends here,” he said in an attempt to ease her worry, or perhaps it was anxiety?

“Friends?” she asked quietly, now fidgeting with her ring… then it hit him.

I really shouldn’t have added that extra name!! He silently reprimanded himself for not thinking that through.

“Well, yeah. I’m not that kind of person, after all,” he said, now looking for a convenient excuse to use so that he could escape the awkward conversation.

“Chirp~”

Joram looked down and saw Harumi had- at some point- arrived and was sitting to his right.

“Ah, Harumi,” he said, smiling. “Do you need something?” he asked, hoping that this might be the excuse he needed to run.

Instead of pulling a Lassie, Harumi just butted her head into Shae’ra’s hand for some pet’ns, looking at him all the while. As Shae’ra obliged, Avi spoke up.

‘I think she was aiming for something more concrete than “friends”, silly boy.’

‘What?’

‘You’re too dense sometimes,’ she said with a sigh as Harumi’s eyes landed on her, half-closed as they were, as she enjoyed the attention from Shae’ra.

‘Wha-…. Ah, shit,’ he sent back, remembering her words from the night before.

“I should go,” he said eloquently, subconsciously quoting Shepard.

He was glad that Shae’ra was so engrossed with Harumi that she barely acknowledged his words before he took off. Once he was on the west side of the greenhouse, he slowed down and looked around a bit more. This far west, the initial clearing that he’d built on was no longer. As in, there were many more trees to be found, and once more packed as tightly as ten-metre-wide trees could be packed in together.

Which meant that a few more had to go down so that he could build, which didn’t take too long. Especially with Mind 2 helping out. In fact, it went so fast that he was done well before supper time. So, he processed the rest of the trees that he’d felled, then had his two-score constructs start carrying the extras down into the basement of his house for future use.

He went inside and looked around again. With the greenhouse being fifty by one hundred metres, and another twenty tall, he was sure that it would be enough room for anything that Ella might want to grow for ingredients.

Then, thinking of what was most popularly used back on Earth, he started making bags of seeds. From wheat, barley, rye, and rice to green, red, and purple grapes to hops- which came form his memory of trying malted hops one time…- all the way to several more fruit trees; namely apple, cherry, peach, and pomegranate trees.

Sure, those last trees were the same ones he’d often seen in one of his favourite farming/friendship sims, but they were also in that game because they did make good wines and spirits. He also made a few different herbs and spices, like licorice and cinnamon, along with some vanilla trees.

The rest of the most common herbs used in making alcohol were actually in the herb garden portion of the first greenhouse, so he didn’t bother making more of those. Once he thought he had enough, he quickly planted the seeds with the help of Mind 2, then used a quick [Grow] on the various plots to get the seeds sprouted. Though, he used it longer on the trees to get them to grow to maturity before finishing.

With that done, his mind turned to the implements necessary for making alcohol. Once more, he was astonished at just how much information Altaea had packed into that Crystal Mind, and consequently, his brain. He didn’t even need to bother referencing his ridiculous stash of digital knowledge, as it was already in his head.

He then got to work on the brewery/winery/booze-making-joint, happy to just make stuff. He found that the more he made things, the more he found that he just plain loved doing it. Sure, it could be tiring, but what good thing wasn’t when you’ve done it for hours on end?

He briefly pulled himself away from the project long enough to first get the fee from the caravan, then to head to the mess hall to let everyone know that the new residence had been completed, and that they could go and claim whatever rooms they wanted to.

Heck, he’d even left a pair of room keys for each room hanging from the doorhandle of each suite. He still needed to deal with the elevator issue, but he’d get there. He was sure that they’d be fine using the stairs for another day or two since none of them had any issues walking.

“Are we no longer welcome in the main house?” Ilyenna quietly asked as she tugged gently on his shirt from behind.

He turned to see such a look on her face that Puss-in-boots would have given her a gold star.

“No, not at all,” he hastened to say, worried that he’d made her, or them all, feel unwelcome. “I just thought that everyone would want their own room, that’s all,” he said, speaking faster than he had in a very long time.

Ilyenna’s huge eyes continued to stare at him, piercing his heart quite thoroughly. He idly noted that she couldn’t have been more than ten or so years old, barely coming up to his navel. She was so tiny, that he began wondering if he’d overestimated how old she was.

“OK,” was all she said before stepping away again, and surprisingly making her way over to the dark elf, Arise, who wasn’t that much taller than Ilyenna.

‘Landmine avoided,’ Avi said, nodding to herself.

‘What was that?!’

‘They’re still very insecure,’ Avi said, giving him a look that quite plainly told him that he was an idiot. ‘Of course, they’d be nervous if they were all suddenly kicked out of the main house.’

Joram nodded at that, then saw more than a few worried looks from the girls, and not a few disapproving looks from the women of Kirkwall. Which confused him even more. He’d have thought that they’d have been happy that the girls would have their own bedrooms!

He made a few excuses before passing off the caravan’s payment to Celys before heading back outside to work on the booze building. Once he was done with that, he’d get to working on a small dairy for the other girls….

* * *

Arise wasn’t sure if she should glare at Joram or feel guilty. Guilty because she wasn’t sure if his decision to send them out of the main house was her fault or not. Given that he’d been putting them into a very comfortable bed each time they fell asleep, she wasn’t sure how angry he was with them.

Surely he was still angry at them, for what other reason was there to not… do that. Or order them to do that with him. But he hadn’t, and she could only surmise that he was angry. Though…

‘Do you think that he plays for the other team?’ she quickly signed to Fyrellia, objectively the one authority on things like that in their party.

‘No. He looks at us too much for that,’ Fyrellia replied, looking amused.

‘Then, is he angry at us?’

Fyrellia looked at her in such a way that she blushed.

‘Then why send us away?’ she quickly signed, not enjoying being in the dark about all that.

‘I just think that he’s a nice guy,’ Fyrellia replied with an expressive shrug.

Arise let the subject drop as she patted Ilyenna on the head once more, then shooed off the little human girl with as much of a scowl as she could manage.

After a bit more “socializing”, she left with her… friends. Well, at this point, she could probably just call them her “sisters” given that Joram had given them his name and all.

Once they were in their room, she closed the door behind the other two and got right to it.

“So. What do you think of Joram?” she asked the other two, fixing them with her business stare.

“He’s a good boy,” Fyrellia said with a wicked grin that had her shaking her head.

“I also think that he’s a good guy,” Qyress said, changing the wording, likely because of how weird it sounded. “I’m impressed with his… restraint, though. It’s been a few days now, and I still haven’t seen what we’ve been expecting.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that? Does his… race… not do that?” she asked, putting emphasis on the last word, hoping they’d know what she was talking about.

“I don’t know,” Fyrellia said with a shrug. “I’d have to examine him much more closely than I’ve been able to so far,” she said with another wicked smile.

“I get it. You want to jump him. But please, can we be serious about this?” she asked, rubbing her temples.

“Oh, I am very serious about this,” Fyrellia said, still smiling. “Though, as far as I know, he isn’t married to either Myra or Asami Miki. So, that could explain the lack of sex if he’s from one of those cultures.”

”But is he playing some sort of long game to lull us into a sense of complacency before he strikes?” she asked, finally too exasperated to dance around the issue any further.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Qyress said, surprising Arise and Fyrellia with her words.

“Why not?” they both asked practically at the same time.

“Hmm…. Probably because of him doing what he said he would. He released those who could legally be released. He even had Myra take the others to get new identification cards, let alone setting up bank accounts for them all.

“He also doesn’t even look at the younger girls with anything but curiosity or concern. Even us mature ones. He could have easily kept the rest of them slaves, but he didn’t. He has also not so much as tried anything inappropriate with us, even though we’ve sneaked into his room three nights in a row now.

“So, no. I don’t think that he’d doing anything of the sort. Besides, how many Spirit Foxes do you know that would hang around someone with evil in their hearts?” Qyress asked, pinning her with an amazingly sharp look at the end.

“Good point,” she muttered, not enjoying how it felt to be proven wrong. Though, she wouldn’t regret or repent her way of thinking. She was the one- self appointed- who looked out for her party’s best interests, which included making sure that they wouldn’t get taken advantage of, or screwed over in a business deal.

“So,” Fyrellia said, changing the subject. “Are we sneaking into his room again tonight? Because, that bed is much nicer than these ones,” she said with a huge smile, motioning to the beds they’d received the first day.

“… Yes…” she said reluctantly. Reluctantly, because she didn’t want them to see that she, too, was also looking forward to sleeping on that bed.