Chapter 222: The Eve of the Great Snowfall
"Nothing we cannot manage regarding the meat, my lord," replied Mentz, adjusting his fur cloak as they walked. "The underground preservation vaults you taught us to construct are working. Thanks to the buried refrigeration chambers that harness the earth’s natural cold and the smoking methods you shared, we are processing the beast carcasses arriving from all outposts. We have enough meat stored for almost an entire year; our survival on that front is guaranteed."
Mentz paused, letting out a sigh.
"However, the issue lies with fruits and vegetation," continued the old man. "We don’t have what you mentioned—agriculture—yet; we cannot obtain vegetables or berries, and our people gather what they can find along the outskirts, but those resources are depleting. The fruits we used to receive from the Lizard Forest have run out, and our scouts haven’t located new sources. Meat is abundant, yes, but I’ve heard villagers complaining that their diet is monotonous and that there is only meat to eat."
Kellar stopped in his tracks, letting out a cold laugh.
"Complaining that there’s only meat?" said Kellar, his eyes narrowing. "Whomever you hear saying that, send them out on hunting duty along the outer perimeter and assign them extra labor. Back when they had nothing and ate wild berries, they begged for a scrap of meat... and now that they have it in abundance, they get pickier and demand berries? Teach them the cruelty of the real world, Mentz. Gratitude fades on a full stomach."
"Understood, Great Shaman. I will see to it," answered Mentz, nodding before casting a glance up at the overcast sky. "Also... the elders say the sky has grown heavier, and the Great Snowfall should arrive within the next few days. Many villagers are anxious. We had to slow down the installation of indoor fireplaces for the houses to prioritize textile production and reinforce the workforce in the weapons forge. Because of that, several families lack working fireplaces inside their homes."
Kellar’s expression darkened.
"That’s serious... Damn it, we can’t halt textile or weapon production either!" muttered Kellar, rubbing his temple as he weighed his options. "Alright, I know what we’ll do. The soldiers are idle right now since we don’t need additional hunting for the time being. Order a halt on forest clearing patrols; put every squad to work on house construction and fireplace installation. Speak to Brak and have him prepare the raw masonry. Furthermore, I’ll tell Grok to take charge of supervising the work. Everything must be completed before the Great Snowfall hits... We cannot afford to lose a single person to hypothermia."
"It shall be done, my lord," replied Mentz, bowing before hurrying off to execute the commands.
"Is there anything else I need to know or manage?" asked Kellar, resuming his walk at a relaxed pace.
"No, my lord, everything else is moving along," replied Mentz. "In the evenings, the children are teaching their parents how to read inside their homes. Lady Mila has even started offering incentives for the kids and parents who achieve it first. Currently, there is a demand among the adults to transfer over to the weapons workshops; they consider it an honor. The same goes for the local guard—plenty are eager to join. Because of this, Lady Mila offered that the first ten families to master reading and writing will get to choose where they want to be reassigned, along with receiving an extra food ration."
"That is an excellent idea..." muttered Kellar, nodding to himself. "We need them to strive and realize the value of learning."
However, as he walked, a thought took root in his mind. If they remain dependent on rations and whatever I hand out, this will turn into a rewardless cycle with no personal ambition, analyzed Kellar. I need to establish a monetary system within the tribe... But should I mint traditional bronze, silver, and gold coins? Or would it be better to jump straight to paper currency and issue banknotes?
Noticing how absorbed he was in his thoughts, Mentz tilted his head and asked, "Is something wrong, Great Shaman?"
Kellar paused for a moment and explained his vision of introducing a tribal currency, allowing the people to earn wages, purchase their own goods, and trade amongst themselves.
Mentz’s eyes widened in surprise, nodding. "That is a brilliant idea, my lord! It would be similar to the trade we conduct with the merchant caravan. I recall that back then..."
The old man cut himself off and lowered his head, pressing his lips together in anxiety. He had just realized he was on the verge of comparing Kellar’s plans to the ways of the former regime.
"Speak your mind, Mentz," ordered Kellar. "I won’t blame you for recalling the past."
"Very well, Great Shaman..." sighed Mentz, meeting his eyes once more. "The old shaman used to make deals with other tribes solely by bartering raw resources like hides and meat. However, the merchant caravan once mocked them for being barbarians. From what I heard, those merchants used a special currency made of gold coins. The former shaman and the tribe’s previous leader never found practical use for such metals, so nothing ever came of it and they stuck to bartering."
"I will think about what denomination to use," said Kellar, pondering the situation as he took in the view of the settlement. "The merchant caravan should be returning soon. If they don’t display hostiles, we could ask them about the denominations they use and mint our own coins using their values as a baseline. If things go sideways or they prove to be a problem, then we will use our own type of currency."
"That sounds like a wise decision, my lord," agreed Mentz, bowing his head. "I will keep a lookout for the caravan’s arrival and ensure that the installation of the fireplaces begins this very day under Grok’s command."
"Perfect. Go take care of it," concluded Kellar.
With a final nod, Mentz offered his respects and walked off with a stride to mobilize the construction squads. Kellar, for his part, resumed his walk toward home, feeling the biting afternoon air grow heavy.