Apinsig
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Chapter 161 Homesteading in a fantasy world
🕑 Added 2023-02-08 16:53:10 +0000 UTCI woke up slowly and had to stretch myself which caused my legs to radiate pain. It was a lot better than before I went to sleep but still hurt. I looked outside and saw that it was early morning and when I figured that out I could feel how hungry I was. When I opened my room door, I could smell the cooking food and it smelled heavenly. Arthur and Emma were here cooking, and I was glad to see them both.
“Good morning and whatever you’re cooking is smelling delicious.” My voice was still groggy from sleep but they both looked at me with smiles on their faces. “Good morning,” they said both in unison, but Emma continued after that. “You were out for two days, and some people have started to worry. Everyone wants to know what has happened.”
“That is completely understandable but that is going to be a longer explanation than I originally planned for when I returned. I have a lot of work to do here so when we are done with our breakfast could one of you, please go to the village and bring everyone in charge here? I can explain everything to them while I’m working.” I said while I sat down and drank some water.
They both looked at me a bit weirdly, but I think they can also feel that the land needs tending to and I now have a lot more things I needed to plant and a few projects that will need to be completed. “Also, whoever of you will go the village please place an order with the Glass Smith. I will need 230 one-by-one meters glass panels that would be thick enough to survive some rough weather.”
They looked at me with questioning looks so I explained. “I was able to get some seeds, but they really aren't made for this weather even in the summer. I will need to build a specific building for them, which will require a lot of glass. Speaking of building have you found where you would like to build your homes?”
My question made them go still for a moment and when they turned towards me all serious like I could barely keep my laugh in. They might try to hide it, but they were practically giddy with excitement. “We have all found our place and George has already started digging the foundation as you taught us.” Said, Emma.
“Oh, as he now. And why does he seem to be in so much hurry.” I asked. “Well, we are all quite excited, but he needs it done as soon as he can. He wants to marry his girlfriend.” Answer Arthur looking a bit thoughtful at the end.
Well, he moved fast but that’s normal for these times and regular people. “Well, I can understand the need then especially if he needs to build a big house if he wants that huge family of his. Have you thought about what kind of a house you would want and what kind of features it should have?” I asked while trying to resist drooling over the smell of the food.
“We have some ideas but we would like to talk them through with you.” Said Arthur but he was speaking for all of them. I nodded to that, and he continued. “I want a smaller house but for other buildings that I want I need a dedicated building for butchery.” Arthur wanted to continue but I held up my hand.
“You are my apprentices, and I will help and guide you on building your home and help claim your land, but my help will end there. I will still give advice and I could be persuaded to help if needed but.” Before I could continue, he interrupted me.
“Yes, I know a homesteader must know how to build and fix whatever is on his land,” Arthur said in a monotone voice, but I know that it was just his way of learning. I was glad that he had remembered that.
We talked some more, and I learned what kind of house they wanted and where. Emma’s land will start just beyond the dungeon bordering my own land and will be on the side of the road that is facing the grassland. She wanted the mix of arable land and access to the rabbit population for her craft.
Her house will be like my own perhaps a bit smaller and she will build some extra buildings for her craft. George’s land will be on the other side of the road next to her land. He has already picked where he wanted to start building and how big of a house he wants, but we will still have to talk about his ideas. He's currently in the village so that will have to wait.
He wanted access to the river because he wanted to have lots of animals. Supplying animals with drinking water from wells is a bad idea as they can drink quite a lot. Still, this brought up one of the biggest problems I have found and that’s procuring animals. Even before the collapse getting farm animals was difficult but now I have absolutely no idea what to do.
Arthur also found where he wants his house and his will be a lot smaller more like a cabin and built inside the forest. Before we can build his house, we will need to build a decent road and a bridge. His house would be to the west past the grassland in the forest behind it. It will be close to the river, but he wants it to be on the other side.
It turns out that he has been doing a lot of scouting and while the land will still border mine, he will actually be claiming some new land for our country. He will be nestled between the mountains to the west and the grassland to the east of him claiming a large part of the river there as well. It seems that he has lots of plans and at least partly wants to be some sort of a ranger keeping order in the forest. Almost all of his land will be inside the forest.
The breakfast of fried eggs, meat, and onions might seem simple, but it was so delicious. Arthur was the one who decided to go to the village and Emma was tagging along with me as we just talked. She was a bit surprised when she found out that I planned on already firing up the sauna, but I needed to clean myself from all the travelling and fighting I have done. Now the item that I bought technically made me clean, but I still felt that I needed a proper cleaning and besides that politics are best discussed in the sauna.
Emma of course didn’t agree with that, but she also wasn't willing to argue against it. By the time I finished preparing the sauna the wolves and Goose had returned from their morning hunt. What followed was a few minutes of play fighting with them.
I was glad to see how big they have gotten and how well-organized their attacks were. Next, I checked how the chickens were. They seem to be doing well. The three new calves looked to be doing excellent and I greeted them all.
Francis was the most excited to see me. We haven’t had a lot of time to hang out as we both had different jobs to do so I was glad to know we will have a lot of time to work together. “Hey, there big fellow. We will have a lot of work to do in the following days. Are you ready for some pulling?” As an answer he almost pushed me to the ground he was so excited.
I will need to talk to some of the villagers who handled him while they were making new fields. Hopefully, they can help guide him on repairing and making new roads that we will need. They will be simple compacted dirt roads and will need to be upgraded but that will take some time.
I was so glad to be back home and ready for some farming. Emma finally left me after I visited the animals as she had her own things to do so I decided to walk the land and inspect all my current fields.
They needed some work but that’s what I was going to do starting tomorrow but I would also need to make a few new fields. I have a lot of different seeds, but the amounts aren’t where I would like them to be. That means that I mostly want to plant all of them so I could get more seeds so I could distribute them next year so more people can grow them.
For the vegetables that can be grown outside I will not be making more raised beds just using a plough to make higher furrow’s to get them a bit more of the ground. It will be good enough, especially for carrots and other similar plants.
Finally, I ended up where I planted the apple and the iron oak saplings. They were behind the cow pasture and a large portion of semi grass land that was quickly being captured by trees stretched towards the lake before it where it almost became a proper forest.
This place will need some good planning, but it would be filled with different kinds of trees. They will all have their special needs and I can’t just plant them anywhere. Some of the trees will be more able to handle the sandier soil towards the lake and will need to be planted there so I would have more room in good soil. I believe this will require some meditation with my trait, but I can already see a forest full of different kinds of trees.
The trees will also need some protection from the rabbits although there's almost none here some to get past the hill land between here and the grassland and they might bring a lot of trouble. Perhaps this would be a good job for the wolves and hopefully, I can notice any rabbit that starts to come here through my land’s authority ability. I would also need to explore this ability and many more new things I have gotten in my achievement page but before all that, I will tend to my land.
I started to head back as the people from the village were soon going to make it to my home. I so hope that I can just give them the trait clan administrator as it would make everything so much simpler. Hopefully, we can get everything discussed today while I prepare all my farming equipment and of course the visit to the sauna but after that, I really want some time to do what I love to do.
Comments
Apinsig
for the goblins I guess you will need to wait and see. And the greenhouse will not be that much work.
Ryan forrest
Good chapter thank you, I like the idea of the greenhouses but isn't that going to be alot of work for just him I know he has his apprentices but is he going to settle more people from the town closer to him? Also the Goblins are they gonna join as a clan?
Talen Drake
So the first half of the chapter is some good slice of life return to normal, but after the talk of the greenhouse it loses my interest and focus. I think what happens is you make an implied promise that the important people are going to be talking to him while he works, and then that doesn't happen this chapter, and then I become disinterested in the extended slice of life content.
Apinsig
you tell me
Talen Drake
Thank you for the chapter. One question I have is what should I have learned from this chapter or how did it advance the story?
