BXBX NOVEL 162 Chapter 162
"Well, there are a couple of places I want to show you. Let's start up here first and get you up to speed with the improvements in the main area." - Noah
Noah directs me towards Lucina's garden. The original garden was just a budding field with various different crops planted into the soil and a small building housing the different crops harvested from the forest. However, during the time I was away, it seemed to have grown and expanded.
The old small building had been replaced with a sturdy brick building with 3 circular windows carved out. There was one big window in the back and two smaller windows at the front, as well as various pots filled to the brim with seeds or vegetables inside the building. The farm had also expanded to 4 plots of land, each with its own unique crop. I see Lucina and Melody exit the building, each with a small basket containing herbs.
"Oh, welcome back, Ian! I didn't get to see you at the front since I was sorting out some harvested herbs." - Melody
"Melody! Have you been okay? No more visions?" - Ian
"Ah… I have had some." - Melody
"She saw that we were going to be attacked by a horde of jackalopes a week ago. Due to her vision, we were able to prepare in time and defend against the attack. In return, we were able to obtain enough fur that everyone had a set of warm clothes." - Noah
"Oh, I see. Good job, Melody. You also helped a lot in the first few visions. Two of them did come true, but the other 2 were able to be prevented one way or another." - Ian
"Hehe, I'm glad to be of use." Melody
Melody's beaming simile would melt even the coldest of hearts.
"So what are the herbs you both are carrying and what is with the farm?" - Ian
"The ones we are holding onto right now are herbs that have a cooling effect when placed on someone's body. It helps a lot with the people who are carrying things from the mine back here, since they are constantly pushing their bodies to the limit. The herb heals their muscle pains and relieves any pain when I crush it and mix it into a paste.
As for the farm, I'm currently making two plots of land for the healing herb, one for the cooling herb, and a poison relieving herb." - Lucina
"Poison relieving? An antidote? What is near us that is poisonous?" - Ian
"A new monster was sighted in the direction that Lucina, old man Hus, Howard and you have come from originally. A snake with brown scales and bright yellow eyes with a green poison that drips from its fangs." - Noah
"Yep, and after searching around that area, we were able to procure some herbs that were growing in between cracks in the rocks and walls. We were able to determine that it countered the poison after a goblin, unfortunately, got bitten by the monster as they were scouting the area.
The healing herb was only able to relieve the pain for a short amount of time before the poison came back into effect. It was only after I gave a crushed liquid version with the poison relieving herb that he was able to be cured. " - Lucina
I pick up the herb that Lucina was holding onto as well as went to the garden to hold onto the herb that worked as an antidote.
[ Cooling Purslane
A herb with small green heart-shaped leaves and a light brown stem. It reduces swelling and absorbs excess heat when crushed into a paste and applied to the wounded area. It also increases cold resistance when consumed, which can be increased when making a potion.
Cold Resistance +5% ]
[ Paveso
A herb with jagged light green leaves with yellow spots and a dark brown stem. A common plant used to treat poison. It grows between rocks and is found almost everywhere. While it can cure poison, it will only slow down the process if the poison is too powerful. ]
"I see. These will be vital for us in the future. Keep producing and making potions from them." - Ian
"Of course." - Lucina
"I see that there is less farming to do with food and this had been turned into a medical farm. Are you going to stop farming crops?" - Ian
"At the moment I have stopped, but it was also because of the number of vegetables produced in the last harvest. Even though it was only one seed that came from the original vegetable, it was able to produce 10 times the amount of food. The building right now is overflowing with vegetables, so I turned to make it into a medical farm while we go through the excess food." - Lucina
"Hmm, do a rotation. After this harvest of medicinal herbs, plant the vegetables again, and then once those are harvested, plant the medicinal herbs. Keep rotating them. " - Ian
"Got it. Ian... Where is Luke? I didn't see him when you got back." - Lucina
I feel my heart tighten, I knew this question was coming but even so I wasn't prepared for it.
"Luke was taken somewhere by some bad people. However, he is alive, and they aren't going to harm Luke. I'm sorry for not going to save him, but trust me when I say we will save him. Just not now." - Ian
"So, what I saw a week ago was right…" - Melody
"Melody? You saw it happen?" - Ian
"The night after Luke left, I saw him being taken away by a black dragon. I told Lucina and Howard, and they told me it was going to be okay. No matter what happened, Luke was going to be okay Since you were there with him. I'm sorry for saying anything…" - Melody
"No, Melody, it isn't your fault. Ian, what happened and are you sure he is okay?" Lucina
"Casper and Rautt came and attacked us. While they are ruthless monsters, they have their own morals and Casper said that he wanted to make Luke stronger. While I don't know what is going to happen, I'm sure Casper won't just kill Luke, not with how interested he was in the potential power that is sleeping inside of Luke." - Ian
"I see…" - Lucina
"I will tell Howard later. I'm sorry, Lucina for being too weak to stop it from happening." - Ian
"It's okay. I'm sure goddess Ariel is looking over him. He will be fine." - Lucina
Lucina walks away in a slight daze, with Melody following after her. A worried expression spreads across Melody's face, but she smiles at me and tells me it will be okay.
"Alright, let's head toward old man Hus." - Noah
Finishing the talk with Lucina and Melody and learning about the new plants, Noah directed me to old man Hus's workshop. It had been upgraded to a workshop twice the size, and it even had a kiln in the middle. There were pieces of wood all over the ground, with different tools scattered about.
I could hear a hammer hitting something and as I moved closer, I see Lime, Martelo, and Rycka sweating profusely as they stand around old man Hus as he wields his hammer against something on the bench. They were constantly wiping his forehead and adding wood into the kiln, making the fire burn brighter and brighter, but all of a sudden the hammer breaks, causing old man Hus to angrily yell.
"What seems to be the matter?" - Ian
I walk closer and peek over old man Hus's shoulder to see a bronze mold warped into a shape of a shield. It had small dents everywhere and was obviously not complete.
"Lad, you are back already?" - Hus
"IAN!" - Lime
"Hello, leader Ian." - Martelo, Rycka
"Yeah, I'm back. I see that you have mined out copper. Was this what you wanted to show me, Noah?" - Ian
"One of the things, yes, but Howard and I weren't thinking about this." - Noah
"I have been unsuccessful, lad. I'm not sure of the method and thought maybe if I hit the metal enough times I would be able to shape it. It was working until it didn't." - Hus
"Were you mixing copper and tin?" - Ian
"No. I was trying them separately, but I have only used copper." - Hus
"Then try this, make a mold of whatever you want to make in clay first. Then melt both copper and tin together. Pour them into a clay pot and mix them, heat them up again and then pour it into the mold. Wait for it to cool and should be done. You can sharpen it afterward. " - Ian
"That's it? THAT'S IT?" - Hus
"Well, that is what I would assume it would be." - Ian
"MARTELO, GET A CLAY MOLD OF A STRAIGHT LINE NOW. RYCKA, FIND ME MORE METAL AND LIME, GET ME A CLAY POT THAT IS THICK ENOUGH AND BIG ENOUGH THAT IT CAN CONTAIN ALL THE METAL. FIND ME A STUDY POLE TO HOLD THE CLAY POT AS WELL. " - Hus
"YES, BOSS!" - Lime, Martelo, Rycka
"Lad, thank you for the advice. I'll be working now. Is there anything you want to know since you haven't been here for a while?" - Hus
"I'm fine, you seem to be busy right now. Noah can tell me the changes." - Ian
"Okay, talk to you later then, lad." - Hus
I walk out with Noah and start to ask him about the changes that happened with old man Hus's workshop, as well as the new equipment he had made in the meantime.
"Knowing that his old workshop was going to be too small, we constructed a new one that was bigger as well as included a kiln. This way anything they make that was relating to clay can be made in their workshop without taking up room in the kilns near the river.
As for things that old man Hus had made in the time you were away. He was mainly experimenting with your armor and weapon, which you might have seen Luke carry. A trident and chain mail are the key components. I do believe he will make it out of bronze once he has the chance, but the stone variations are in the Barracks and Armory. There are also inventions made by his apprentices, with Lime's spiked stone club being the most practical." - Noah
"Cool, I'll look at them later. Where to next?" - Ian
"Down to the river. Follow me." - Noah