Unexpected visitors

  With more than half of winter over, Chu stubbornly continued his intensive training program. His companions followed his example as they strived to unlock the powers of a Sersen. Even demon beasts knew the value of fighting in a pack.

  Chu considered himself an idiot if he did not make use of their example. One-on-one and group skirmishes became the norm.

  One night, he cast on his cloak and ventured into the cold night to clear his mind. Sitting on the western rampart overlooking the grasslands and the distant forest, he exhaled a long breath. Navigating around a young, medieval civilization proved more difficult than he imagined.

  "Something on your mind, Chu?"

  "Just tired. I've been drawing up the plans for our new home. Halter said we should expand the size to build it like those large manors in the city. He wants the building to cover the well so we can have a secure water supply. Since yesterday, I have been sketching floor plans to include hot water baths. Bon seems excited to begin forging piping and fittings for heating and draining."

  Chu replied to the green-eyed girl who strolled up to meet him. To the south of the grassland, the silhouette of a large wolf stood on a knoll under the crescent moon. Apparently, tonight Dyna decided not to roam inside the forest and released them on patrol.

  With their natural endurance and added acceleration boost, he had no doubt they could outrun a pack of Bitzers.

  "I have been thinking, Chu. You said lightning did not come from a Heavenly tribulation but formed naturally. When I followed your advice, I easily created fire."

  "True, I admit you did use my explanations very well to think up your own ideas. The spell chants seem similar to scientific knowledge in that they inspired the user to summon a natural element through understanding."

  He replied. Since he encouraged his companions to think and draw their own inferences, he ensured he provided them with scientific explanations. Dyna did not generate lightning or fire because she believed it to be a punishment or a gift from heaven. Instead, she formed her fire spell by utilizing the explanations he provided.

  Chu might not be able to explain a certain phenomenon like mana, but could dispel the myths and legends surrounding natural occurrences. He may not be a modern-day savant, but he could remember some of the basic principles. Dyna's cheeks blushed with praise before she composed herself.

  "I was sitting by the window last week while watching the snowstorm approaching on the horizon. Lightning bolts rained down in a daunting display of power. What I want to know is what causes the thunderous sound that follows. Some villagers say it's a heavenly deity clapping, while others talk about large boulders rolling around in the clouds."

  She inquired.

  Chu raised an eyebrow on hearing her question.

  Thunder.

  Well, it did have a relation with lightning. Maybe he should talk to her about a sonic boom instead? Speed and sound did possess some sort of correlation. He himself found it difficult to explain the phenomenon. The local explanations reminded him of his position on a timeline.

  "Haha, well, everyone finds some sort of explanation for the unknown. Wait a minute, I have to think about how to explain it. Oh, Miki, what are you doing down there? Why don't you join us?"

  Chu wanted to clear his mind when he spotted Miki walking across from the workshop to the barn. He waved to her, only to see the girl cast a bashful glance and then dash into the barn. Raising an eyebrow, he turned towards the redhead.

  "For a couple of days now, Miki has been acting strangely. Do you know anything about it?"

  "No, I don't know what's wrong with her. She is moving shy ever since the night we went into the forest for the wolves to blow off steam..."

  Chu blinked in reply,

  "You do know I have no idea what you mean by blowing off steam, right?"

  ***

  Early morning.

  "Ayaa! Ming, you stupid idiot!"

  Chu cursed while rubbing his ear.

  Ming bolted out of the room while leaving the cursing boy behind. Chu had nicknamed him 'a half-dead, nine-volt battery'. Ming didn't know what the term meant, but he knew from the upturned grin what sarcasm looked like. One night while practicing his newfound ability, he accidentally discovered another use.

  The oil in the lamp needed refilling, and the constant practice left him fatigued. He had gone over to wake Clod, mostly out of spite, while forgetting he remained 'charged'. His finger touched the ear of the sleeping young man, jolting him off the bed.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Since then, Ming developed a habit of sneaking up and touching people's ears.

  Wrapping a scarf and hugging his thick cloak, he ambled down towards the workshop.

  "Clod, why haven't you been using the jar of pellets I concocted? It's been sitting in the stockroom for over a year. We should scatter some outside the walls. I should have brought them out to deal with the Bitzers."

  "Don't come near me. Do you think I don't know what you're planning to do with that finger? As for your pellets, Jim agrees that we shouldn't use them near the barn with our animals. He said the poison might remain and stick to the grass."

  Ming pouted his lips on hearing the reply. He couldn't disagree with Clod when the lives of the horses were at stake. The brawny young man would never yield in these circumstances. Clod regarded farm work as much as Ming loved adventuring. He tried another tactic.

  "Then why not use it inside the forest? Surely Jim can track and find the quarry."

  "Are you daft? You expect someone to roam around the forest tracking sick wild beasts? Besides, Dyna reported to Chu that we should not kill any wolves in the forest. Unless they attack us or slink around near the farm, they are now off-limits."

  "What?! She is trying to take the food out of this Uncle's mouth?"

  Ming stuttered while slapping the table. He had reached an agreement with Clod and Jim last year. Any beast killed using his poison pellets would ensure he pocketed a few silvers. He learned of this business agreement when Chu introduced it to the visiting merchants from the Capital.

  Handing over a percentage cut while not having to work hard in return really enticed him.

  Who knew the two people supposed to implement this plan would shelve his product into a dusty corner of the shed? In the midst of his silent fuming, Toll and Rugol entered the workshop with heavy footsteps with faces sprouting throbbing veins.

  "There you are, you swindler. I want my ten silvers back. That necklace you sold me isn't worth a copper coin. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to earn those coins? Shine kicked me and this bogus item out of our room. My, normally kind wife forced me to spend the night on watch in the east tower..."

  Toll slammed a necklace of iron and polished stones on the table in a rage. His bloodshot eyes confirmed a sleepless night.

  "Haha, you escaped easily, Toll. Stavia slapped me with this thing on my face until it broke. My woman said I worked for so long in a tavern and yet couldn't recognize a quack. I spent the entire night searching for the scatter beads. My lady said if she found any in the room where her baby is living, she will truss me like a pheasant."

  Rugol grimaced.

  Ming cleared his throat before standing and assuming the countenance of a wronged person.

  "It's been so long since I returned, and you guys now find complaints? First of all, what's sold is sold. And last, these items are quality goods, made in Limerock City itself. Limerock City! The home of the Tower Mage Academy!"

  He huffed while continuing in an aggrieved manner.

  "I'm sorry, but I don't know who provided you with false information. I thought you guys had become much more educated and not as gullible as simple country villagers."

  Toll narrowed his eyes, causing Ming to glance away from that uncomfortable, accusing stare. The lean man didn't look much of an aggressor.

  Rugol, towering behind him, however, with his ruffled long blond hair and hulking frame, seemed primed for a rampage. Ming happened to look up at the same time when Toll shot him a sneer.

  "Shine only had a chance yesterday to show the necklace to Miki when she came over for me to adjust her crossbow. It was she who told us this thing sells for fifty coppers by street peddlers. Naturally, my wife informed Stavia."

  "Eh? I mean what?! Are you going to believe her instead of me? I purchased this from a reputable jeweler, that troublemaker must have made a mistake. You know as well as I do that Miki has an eye for balancing daggers instead of appraising trinkets."

  "Mistake my ass! I had Mr. Pick give us an estimation. These are just polished stones from the nearby rivers, and those beads can be carved from any piece of wood. You had better start forking out my money before I make things hard on you. Don't think I don't know you also sold items to the young girls and the other couples."

  Toll leaned in close and uttered the final sentence syllable by syllable with a snarl.

  Even though he whispered the last sentence, the damage had already been done. The perked-up ears hovering around in the kitchen soon initiated a wave that swept the farm. The young trader found himself forced to initiate a medieval product recall.

  Ming exited the workshop and stepped out onto the trodden snow. He lifted his face, which sported a red handprint, and sighed. Raising his wounded money bag, he then shook out the leftover dust. He had just undergone one of the quickest boom and bust cycles in merchant history.

  "It's a harsh life I live. Any merchant would bring items from the city to sell in the villages for a high price. Yet, nobody wants to buy from me. If this isn't discrimination, then what is? Even my family doesn't want me to succeed."

  Spotting Lucy standing on the nearby ramparts, he ambled across while 'charging' as Chu termed it.

  Not long after, Chu walked over to Lucy.

  "Lucy, have you seen Ming? Seems like he tried to sell some fake jewelry to everyone. I don't know what he packed in his bags when I told him we only needed the necessary stuff. We didn't bring the chest with the jewelry because of the situation. I heard he even received a slap from Marie."

  Chu said.

  Marie was one of the girls who lived on the farm and handled teaching in the absence of Sakura and Amanda. Similar in age to Lucy, she normally conducted herself in a quiet and amicable way.

  Like most of the women on the farm, however, she possessed a defiant and no-nonsense streak.

  As the eldest of the single, young girls residing on the farm, she also acted as a protector.

  A low moan entered his ears, causing Chu to lean over the wall to investigate.

  In the pile of snow at the foot of the posts, a figure lay squirming like an overturned turtle. Chu recognized the figure partially submerged in the snow. Luckily, the traps and stakes had been cleared by the villagers before departing.

  "Huh? Ming! What's he doing down there?"

  Lucy continued looking out towards the forest as if hard of hearing.

  "Maybe he stumbled..."

  She vaguely answered as Chu shot her a look of disbelief. She continued before he could inquire again.

  "Instead of wondering about him, you might want to ask what they want?"

  She pointed towards the forest where a group of fur-clad individuals parted from the trees. To an onlooker, they appeared like lanky children stumbling in the deep snow, but Chu knew better.

  The tint of green skin exposed them as belonging to a different race. Given the message he sent with Dyna, he never expected them until after winter. His eyebrows and mouth scrunched up into a frown.

  Goblins...