The Dungeon Inn - English

B02C11 - Field creation

Aron brought me the tools for the field.

"Here, you should be able to start with this. Have you already thought about what you want to plant?"

"I have a lot to do at the moment. I haven't really had time for it yet. But if you ask me, it will probably be potatoes. When you were here in large numbers, they were an important part of your food."

"Potatoes? Too bad, I was hoping for something more exotic. Well, what hasn't happened yet can still happen. So I'll bring them to you next time?"

"If that's possible, gladly."

When I met Albert later, I asked him to meet me in the evening. Before that, there was too much going on at the construction site, so the craftsmen wouldn't allow a meeting, and I had my own tasks to do as well.

"As soon as the opportunity arises, you can start the field."

"Where is the best place to create one?"

"I would like it to be in the west for now, towards Watch City. Then the inn will be right between the field and the Doom Forest. So if monsters come to visit again, we don't have to worry about them trampling the field. That reminds me, the wagon is coming from quite a distance from the west. Hmm, then please push it a little to the north. Unfortunately, not everyone is considerate around fields and before someone rides through there, we'd rather get out of their way."

"Understood. To the west and, if possible, a little further north of here. We'll try to build it as quickly as possible."

"Don't stress it. We can't plant anything until spring anyway. As long as it's finished in autumn, that's enough."

Albert asked me a few more details about the process and then headed off to his camp.

The next day at dinner, when all the craftsmen were gathered, Paul stood on a table again and called for everyone's attention. He then listed a few construction errors and who had made them. He was visibly angry that the craftsmen were not delivering the usual quality.

"I know you're still nervous about the attack recently. But if you start not doing your work properly because of that, in order to finish faster, it will have the opposite effect, because you'll have to build it twice. So if you want to finish quickly, you better make sure you do everything correctly. I've also heard that some people doubt whether we'll be able to finish before winter. Rest assured, we're still well on schedule. Thanks to Bruno, the physically difficult things went well and we were even able to build a small buffer. Progress seems slow, especially at the beginning, but I assure you, you'll be surprised at how quickly it goes in the end. So if you do a good job, you might be able to return home in time to complete the winter preparations in peace."

A few of the craftsmen grumbled. Not everyone seemed to share his opinion. But he had done it quite cleverly. By stigmatizing the people, they would now make an extra effort. Those who wanted to get home quickly, either for safety reasons or to prepare for winter, would keep an eye on the other usual suspects so that they did not disrupt their plans.

A few days later I checked on Albert's group. They had started the field in the direction we had discussed. It was just a little further away than I had expected.

"Why did you start it so far away from the house?"

Albert smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"We wanted to create it closer at first. But then the craftsmen came and asked what we were up to. They suspected that we wanted to use their working time to help ourselves to their belongings. So we were forced to work a little further away so that Paul wouldn't reprimand us for distracting the craftsmen from their work."

"I understand, you enjoy very much distrust. But it's fine with me. The few extra meters that we then have to walk shouldn't be so significant."

"I'm relieved that you see it that way."

"Why were you so excited about working in the fields?"

"It's much less dangerous than the life of an adventurer. However, due to our ancestry, we can't work with farmers. They would arm themselves if they saw us coming in the distance. According to them, we bring nothing but bad luck. It's a miracle that they let us come close for the occasional assignment. But that's certainly because they don't have much choice and so they tacitly accept it."

"Where does this strong rejection come from?"

"It's hard to say, it's always been like that. We've come to terms with it. So we're happy if you don't share that view and leave such simple work to us."

"Then you're lucky that the guild doesn't see it that way."

"That's... not necessarily true. The guild often sends us on very dangerous missions. Many young, inexperienced demis die as a result. So far, as a group, we've somehow managed to escape death every time. If I may be so bold, I think they sent us here to finally get rid of us."

"Aron said that the adventurers would see the value of the demis. Was he wrong about that?"

"No, I think he's right. Some adventurers accept a Demi in their group because of his skills. However, that is rarely the case and not the rule. Also, my previous statement referred more to the organizing members of the guild, not the adventures themselves. I had no intention of contradicting Aron."

"Don't worry, I just wanted to understand. Then I'm not surprised that traders also give you worse prices for their goods."

"Unfortunately, that's the case. But we're happy to do any errands for you anyway."

"No need, I have a deal with Aron. If I need something, I'll let his group know and they'll take care of everything. It always worked reliably so far."

The field continued to grow from then on and I soon received the potatoes from Aron, which led to an unexpected discovery.