Gladesbale Grove [druid, litrpg, town building, slice of life, cozy]

Plant Growth wasn't the only spell Rud had that was affected by his newest ability. Shape Plant was also subject to the same bonuses. The druid found his way to the incomplete road that connected the groves of the center with the labyrinth. He stood at the latest unfinished part and tapped his staff against the road, a smile on his face. He could feel the nearby trees, which seemed to beg for his shaping magic, as he took a deep breath and released an equally dramatic exhale. Rud grabbed onto the nearest tree and pulled with his spell.

Before, it had felt as though he was fighting against a raging river when he moved the trees around. Shaping them wasn't impossible, but it was incredibly difficult thanks to his newest ability. Pulling and shaping the trees now felt like molding clay with his hands. They responded to his every whim, moving this way and that with little more than a thought.

The druid could now walk at a slow pace and shape the road in front of him. Not only could he shape it, but he could also lacquer it simultaneously, as the reagent cost was incredibly low. Since the spell took less reagents, he spent less mana imbuing the objects. It was almost completely replenished by the effect of his staff and his latent regeneration. The sound of something moving in the bushes below a bridge section of the road echoed through the forest, and Rud held a broad smile on his face. Dean jumped, padding the road and watching in amazement as he worked his magic.

"Did you grow in power overnight?" Dean asked, tilting his head to the side and whimpering curiously.

"I ranked up and gained access to a pretty sweet ability," Rud said, turning to smile at the wolf. "What do you think about it?"

"I like it," Dean said, walking to the edge of the bridge and looking down. "We're almost at the labyrinth. How long have you been working on this thing?"

"Not very long, but there is a caveat with the ability. I can only use it within the confines of the grove."

"Ah, that old restriction." Dean said, snorting is disapproval. "Not like you spend much time out of the grove anyway."

Rud had to take a rest before he continued, but he was more than twice as efficient. It would be impossible to gauge the exact percentage effect of this new ability, but he loved every single second of it. Plant magic was by far the most common type of magic for him to use, and he was eager to try something out with his milk. Once he was rested, he finished the rest of the road and turned his attention to the defenses he had created for the labyrinth.

"These look pathetic now, don't they?" Rud asked, tapping his chin as he looked up at his unimpressive walls. He might have used his upgrade to harden them, but he knew he could make them more imposing than ever.

"Let's see what you've got," Dean said in a challenging tone.

Rud took a deep breath and held his staff out as he wove his magic. He reinforced the defenses around the labyrinth, making them thicker, taller, and denser. He even upgraded the gate and thickened the brambles that rested on the exterior. The result was a wall covered in those deadly thorns. He couldn't imagine anything getting through.

"Very impressive," Dean said, nodding with approval. "I'm sure you'll turn your attention to pressing matters within the grove next."

"I think instead I'll make vacuum-sealed containers of milk" Rud said, a devious smile on his face. "And then I'm going to town to learn how to make cheese. Did you want to come along?"

"I always enjoy trips to town," Dean said. "Let me know when you're ready to leave."

Rud shifted into his flying squirrel form and found the nearest bush. He returned to the grove's center and located the spot where he had collected most of his mushrooms. He grew one and used his new ability to shape it into jugs with ease. He attempted to create something similar to the double-walled containers back on Earth that would keep the cold in, but he couldn't tell if he had succeeded in vacuum sealing them. Then he distributed the milk he had collected from the cows and did his best to seal those as well.

"Thank my ancestors you didn't call it 'Squirrel Milk'," Taz said, passing by and letting out a relieved breath.

Instead, Rud had simply called it "Gladesbale Milk." It might have been unoriginal, but it would allow people to know where it came from. He stowed those items in his bag and whistled for Dean, who was happy to burst from the nearest bush.

"Onward, my steed," Rud said, mounting the wolf and bracing himself as the beast kicked off from the ground. They sailed through the grove, with both branches and the wind whipping by in a blur. A moment later, they burst from the forest on the far side of the grove, and the druid got his first look at the frozen island since they had left it.

The pillars of ice in the center still looked like some frost wizard's castle. They caught the light of the midday sun and shone, although none of them displayed signs of melting yet. Rud wasn't sure how long the magic that lingered there would perpetuate the columns of ice, but he figured it was no longer his problem. The storm was completely gone, and the ice that had collected on the lake had melted.

Dean made a point of trotting along the southern side of the lake, giving them both a view of the island. Although Rud hadn't seen it while he was on the island, there were structures there. Ancient ruins, like those they found underground, dotted the landscape, all in various states of decay. They had little time to gawk at the island, though. The town of Barlgore soon came into view. Although the guards there might have raised an alarm for a moment, they soon lowered their weapons and allowed the pair to enter without incident.

As long as Rud played the part of a friendly forest spirit, the locals were very happy to work with him. He could ask anyone on the street where the best place to learn how to make cheese was, and they would point him in the right direction. Dean had already been there to deliver their morning report, and Feather was overjoyed about the storm on frosty island. They soon found their way to a bakery that also specialized in making the favored cheese of the land.

Rud was unsurprised to see the bakery buy up as much milk as he would part with. As this was a colony of a larger nation, they had little access to livestock, although he didn't know how they fed themselves here. He knew they didn't have any cows or goats. None he had noticed, anyway.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

In exchange for the milk, Rud was given a crash course on how to make cheese, materials to make it, and a few fragments to cover the difference in cost. He wasn't certain if he fully understood the process, but the baker promised he could come in whenever he wanted for a refresher. Besides, he wrote each step down, and Dean was there to witness it. Between them, the druid was sure they could do the same stuff back home.

Rud left the bakery with a warm loaf of bread. He bit into the side of it before tearing it in half, tossing the second half to Dean.

"I don't care for bread," Dean said. Yet he still chewed and swallowed his half.

The bread had a crispy crust that crunched when Rud took a bite. The inside was warm and gooey. While the druid wasn't ready to set off to create his own wheat farm for baking bread, he would think about going to town more often.

"The bread might not interest you, but you gotta be excited about the cheese," Rud said.

"Yes, the cheese is inviting," Dean said. The duo set off to the west, taking their time as they headed through the town. "Cheese production within town seems scarce. I didn't smell any livestock, so I wonder where they're getting the milk from."

"Squirrels, probably," Rud said.

Dean shuddered. "I pray you're wrong."

###

If Rud had paid attention correctly, he had the recipe for making some cheese. This first batch would be small compared to what he planned on making later. But it was a learning process. Once they arrived back in the grove, the druid got to work in his mushroom house. He lit the fire in his wood-burning stove and found a clean pot.

Making cheese was all about heating the milk, adding some junk, removing the curds from whey, and pressing it down or something. Perhaps there were other methods where he could use things to season the cheese, or otherwise make it more interesting than it was. But for now, he'd go for the baseline cheese taught to him by the baker. Although he had given up a lot of his milk, there was still a lot left. More than he could hope to use. So he got to work.

After the milk was heated and he added the culture to get it started, Taz poked his head into the mushroom house. The dwarf sniffed the air, looking around until he spotted the pot on the stove. He narrowed his eyes.

"You cooking cheese?" Taz asked.

"I'm making cheese. Dunno if I'd say I'm cooking it," Rud said with a shrug. He stirred the contents of the pot, scrunching his face up. The druid had no idea if he was following the directions correctly, even though he had written them down.

"You can add a bunch of stuff once it gets solid," Taz said. "That's really the only part of the process I remember."

"Good to know. We're waiting to add the chunky stuff," Rud said. "Lots of waiting after that."

Rud didn't think the process was interesting. It might've been meditative, but it wasn't exciting. Yet Taz stood there the whole time, not only watching as the druid worked on the cheese, but helping when the instructions became unclear. Dean stuck his head through the open door, sniffing at the air and adding his opinion on how things were going.

"The mixture is too hot. Let it cool a little," Dean said. "That's what the baker said."

From what he remembered, Rud thought the mixture was looking great. Eventually, they had to cut it and wait some more. It took a while, but milky white cheese rested in a transparent liquid within the pot. Dean agreed it was time to remove the cheese, salt it, press it, and shape it.

"Wash your hands," Rud said, preparing the cheese cloth and a bowl to place the cheese in.

Taz grumbled, but headed off to wash his hands as he was told. When he returned, they drained the cheese, salted it, and got to work on the shape. Rud had a plan to preserve the cheese while it aged, but the solution would've been obvious enough for anyone to guess.

"What are we going for? Wheels of cheese the size of wagon wheels, or something smaller?" Taz asked.

"We don't have enough cheese for a big one. So we'll do a few smaller ones," Rud said, getting to work shaping the first wheel. It was very easy to work with. Once he had his piece in the right shape, he turned and flashed a goofy smile at the dwarf. "Watch this."

A mushroom formed around the small wheel of cheese, encasing it in an instant. Rud cast the Lacquer spell to harden it before etching some information onto the top. With his new ability, he easily produced the image of a cow standing on the side of a tree. Text underneath read "Gladesbale Cheese."

"That's some mighty fine work," Taz said, clapping a hand on the druid's back. "Too bad we have to wait to test it out."

"I'll put the finished cheese in my storehouse. I think the temperature is close enough for it to age."

"Nice and dry," Taz said, rubbing his hands together. He ran his fingers over the surface of the cheese's mushroomy housing and let out a contented sigh. "I can't wait to crack into this bad boy."

"Yes, I also wish to crack that boy," Dean said.

"Phrasing," Rud warned.

Before breaking up the cheese club, Rud discussed their process and how they would proceed after today. Creating the cheese in his house wasn't efficient. Taz took the job of requesting a bunch of wood stoves from Mint while the druid would make a new building for them. Really, he just wanted an excuse to use his new powers some more. Although it was brought up, he didn't want to bother Ban for a new building. She seemed so busy lately that taking her off her current task would've been disastrous.

"Great work, cheese club!" Rud said, clapping excitedly. "We all have our tasks. Let's get them done!"

"Huzzah!" Dean said, scampering off.

"Yay," Taz said with much less enthusiasm.

Before making his evening reports, Rud made his way through Thicket Travel to the pasture and Barn. The cows and goats had removed all the food from their pen, meaning they would have to be moved. Instead, he dumped a bag filled with hazelnuts on the ground and expanded the existing paddock. He brought it far to the south, giving the animals quite the range to forage for food.

Rud didn't have most of the worries that plagued ranchers. He didn't need to guess if they were getting enough food. Instead, he asked and they told him. That made the decision to expand their range easy. The druid ensured there were several nut trees within the pen.

"Just don't try to climb them," Rud said.

"We are cows, not squirrels," the cow said.

Perhaps that was the effect of his new upgrade… The animals understood more of what he tried to say.

"You know what would be great?" Rud asked, patting one cow on the head.

"What's that?"

Rud opened his mouth to talk, but snapped it shut. "A water source, maybe."

"We have one," another cow said. "Thanks, though."

The real thing he wanted to mention were fruit trees. But telling the excitable squirrel-cows about those would be bad. They'd get too excited, likely freaking out and doing weird squirrel-cow stuff. Some things were better left in the dark until he was ready to fully explore them.

Rud held his new staff up to the light as he left the paddock. The metal running down the length glinted in the late-afternoon sun. Whatever the artifact had done to his staff, he couldn't wait to see the result.