Chapter 176 - 149: New Life
"Miss Mary, it’s an honor to finally meet you." The old stonemason, Mount, took off his cloth cap, held it to his chest, and bowed repeatedly with a smile.
"Please, come in." Mary quickly ushered her guest into the parlor and poured him a cup of tea.
"I’ve wanted to visit you for some time, but I felt it might be too forward. I never expected to receive an invitation today, so I came at once." Mount sat on the sofa, looking a bit nervous.
"It sounds like you’ve been wanting to work with me for a while," Mary said with a small smile, sitting down across from him.
"Yes. You have no idea how insufferable that Old Wick has been lately, always bragging to us about the big contract he landed." Mount cupped the teacup in both hands, gazing at the poised young woman before him. "He’s even called in a lot of help. I hear he’s about to expand his carpentry workshop."
"Oh, him?" Mary nodded. "We do have quite a few business dealings."
"Old Wick let it slip when he was drunk. He said your backers at the Church are preparing to build a grammar school. Now, many of the town’s workshops want to get in touch with you." Mount took a sip of tea, then wiped a stray drop from his graying beard. "You see, the Count recently raised the business tax, and in a place like Yangjiao Town, there’s far more work for carpenters than for stonemasons. So, my workshop..."
"I understand," Mary said, holding up a hand in a placating gesture. She had heard that many workshops were struggling lately, partly due to the season and partly because Count Valentine had raised taxes. Though everyone grumbled, the memory of those giant spider and Giant Burrow Bee carcasses was enough to keep most people from getting too loud. "I do have some orders here, and I was wondering if your workshop would be able to take them on."
"Yes! If it involves a stonemason’s skill, we can do it." Mount replied loudly at once, his beard trembling with the movement of his excited jaw.
"They aren’t particularly difficult jobs," Mary said, picking up several order forms from beside her and placing them in front of him. "Take a look at the requirements."
"Hmm," the old stonemason Mount picked up an order form and studied it. "Stone foundations for simple wooden cabins... this isn’t difficult, we’ve made them often. Er, but this quantity is very large."
"And several types of stone bricks?" He continued to look through the other forms. "The quantities here are also large, and they require cement mortar."
Mount thought for a good ten seconds before replying earnestly, "Miss Mary, if I may be frank, my workshop won’t be able to deliver by the deadlines on these orders. The timeline is too short, and the quantities you need are quite large."
"I see," Mary said, looking at the order forms in his hand. She thought for a moment. "We can be flexible with the deadline, but what would it take to get this done as quickly as possible?"
"To complete your orders as quickly as possible, I’d have to work together with the other stonemason workshops in Yangjiao Town. And since it’s winter, it’s a good time to hire help. I’ve heard the Count has levied taxes on the villages as well, so there are plenty of people looking for work right now."
"Very well," Mary said with a smile, not taking back the order forms. "Let’s do it this way. I know you have an excellent reputation in Yangjiao Town. Your work is high-quality, and you’re an honest man. I can sign all of these procurement contracts directly with you. How you choose to cooperate with the other workshops and distribute the work is up to you. I won’t meddle. All I care about is that the final product is high-quality."
"Are you serious?" Mount asked, astonished. He hadn’t expected Miss Mary to propose such a solution. This meant he could subcontract parts of the order to other workshops, and all he would have to focus on was ensuring quality control.
"I suggest you take a moment to consider it carefully. After all, the volume on these purchase orders is substantial," Mary said, gesturing to the papers to remind him.
"No, there’s no need. I’ll handle it for you," Mount said immediately. "You’re just as Old Wick said—a wise and kind lady."
’He also wanted to add that Old Wick and the others call you a walking goddess of fortune.’
"In that case, I’ll go prepare the contracts." Mary nodded and stood to get the papers and a pen. ’That’s one task from the boss taken care of. I still have to meet with a few other workshop owners later.’
"Oh, by the way, are these wooden cabins difficult to build?" she asked, turning back after taking a few steps.
"Not at all. As long as you have enough manpower, I can even give you a set of illustrated instructions for a simple cabin. Just follow those," Mount replied instantly, as if afraid the order might slip through his fingers.
"In that case, could you please give me several copies? Ten should be enough," Mary requested with a slight tilt of her head and a smile. "After all, we need to build a great many cabins."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. A rap on the main door was followed by a voice from outside. "Excuse me, is anyone in?"
"You’ll have to wait just a moment," Mary said apologetically to the old stonemason, Mount, before hurrying to the door. "Mr. Carpenter, how nice to see you."
"Miss Mary, am I early?" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mary led the carpenter, Old Wick, into the parlor.
"Hey, Mount. You’re here too, you old dog," Old Wick said, the corner of his mouth twitching as a hint of displeasure crossed his face.
"If you two would please wait for a moment, I’m just going to grab something. I’ll be right back," Mary said, pressing her hands together apologetically. She then turned to retrieve the contract forms.
"I can’t believe Miss Mary is procuring supplies from you," Old Wick said, rubbing his cheek where a faint bruise remained.
"What, is she only allowed to hire you?" Mount shot back with a glare. There was something he hadn’t mentioned to Mary. The last time he’d been drinking with Old Wick, the man had gotten drunk and arrogantly suggested Mount should come work for him. Furious at the time, Mount had simply punched him.
"Well then, I wish you the best of luck earning even more," Old Wick said sulkily, turning his head away. He then glanced at the order forms on the coffee table. "Just how big a grammar school are they planning to build?"
"I don’t know. But from the looks of it," Mount also glanced at the forms, "these cabins could house at least two hundred people."
...
"Are they settling in alright?" Shire asked, standing beside Evita and watching the Centaurs felling trees in the distance.
"They’re doing okay," Evita replied calmly. As soon as the migration was complete, she had cut her long brown hair short and put on the golden Beast Tooth Chief Necklace her father had left her. Since that night, Shire hadn’t seen her smile.
"Once this large area is cleared, we need to build several enclosures for the Big-horned Deer," she said, pulling a piece of parchment from her pack. It showed a detailed layout. "A project of this scale will take time to complete."
"There’s no need to rush," Shire said, glancing at the layout. He had designed it based on the map of his Domain, repurposing many areas that were once herb-gathering spots into pens for the Big-horned Deer. "We’ll take it one step at a time. I’ve already arranged to have the building materials for your houses ordered. Once they arrive, you’ll be able to move above ground."
"Thank you. I never thought my people would see the day they could live in wooden houses," Evita said sincerely. They had always lived in grass huts before. When her people arrived at the Fortress, Shire had immediately suggested they build proper wooden houses.
After all, in the forest, grass huts were easy to build but flimsy and not durable. They would leak everywhere after a few heavy rains, and worst of all, they were a serious fire hazard. Wooden houses, in contrast, were much safer. Not only could they be built to be sturdy and waterproof, but with a little care, fire prevention wasn’t a major issue either.
"It’s nothing. Since you’ve moved to a new home, it would be a waste of effort to keep living in grass huts," Shire said with a wave of his hand. He had spared no expense to persuade these Centaurs to stay, hoping they would become a major asset in any future crisis.
"We wouldn’t be making such smooth progress without the tools you provided," Evita said, glancing at a few nearby goblins who were unloading felled logs from the cargo bed of a Worker Ant.
The Centaurs were now using axes, saws, hoes, and shovels provided by Shire to "tame" this section of the forest. Many goblins and Worker Ants were also helping them, trying to erect a small deer enclosure as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the Shape-shifting Monsters had been temporarily housed in the Fortress’s stone chambers. Once the enclosure walls were built, they would be moved and raised individually in small pens.
"They’re just tools," Shire said, not thinking much of it. He knew the Centaur Race lacked such things and that he would need to provide them with more. "And the food? Are they getting used to it?"
"Yes, everyone thinks it’s great," Evita nodded. This was something that had truly amazed her people; they never expected the goblins to eat better than they did. They were especially fond of the smoked fish, a flavor completely different from venison, which they found novel and delicious.
Shire didn’t respond, merely recalling the scene of the "pig butchering" he’d witnessed earlier. They had slaughtered two Shape-shifting Monsters for a meal, and after the hide was peeled away, his mouth had watered at the sight of the glistening white fat. He never would have guessed a creature like that could have so much lard—far more than any fat pig from the village.
The only problem was that with the recent population boom, Bai Mao was getting overwhelmed. Moreover, several of the female goblins were about to give birth and could no longer do heavy labor. Shire had no choice but to assign some of the other goblins to help Bai Mao, his "Head Chef."
"Once the first phase of construction is done, you’ll be able to cook your own meals, just the way you like them," Shire said with a smile.
"Mm," Evita murmured, gazing at her busy people in the distance. She fell silent for a moment, one hand unconsciously stroking the Beast Tooth Necklace at her chest. "I will do my best, Father," she whispered.