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

The forest whipped by in a rush as Rud rode on Dean. While the cheese cooled and was pressed by Taz back in the Grove, the druid wanted to head into town to get more cultures. Perhaps they didn't have different varieties there, but the new upgrade on his creamery allowed him to sense that there were subtle variations. With the bacteria he had purchased, perhaps he could make different cheeses through this one quirk.

"The mortals are doing better with the island," Dean said as they raced along the southern edge of the once-frozen lake.

"Yeah, that's why Elm left to do the labyrinth some more," Rud said. "Do you remember where that baker was?"

The only response the wolf gave was a surge in speed. They angled through the town, darting around street vendors and pedestrians alike, quickly finding their way to the bakery nestled in a neighborhood of similar shops and homes. The baker inside was excited to see the forest spirit again and more than happy to barter for some cheese cultures. When asked if they knew the difference between various types of cheese starters, the baker revealed what they knew.

"The problem is getting things out here," the baker said. "I can put in an order for something, but it could take weeks, if not months, to arrive. So instead, I have my own bateria that I reproduce. You could try your hand at changing it, but I'm not very knowledgeable about that."

"I have a backup plan if I can't get different cheese cultures." Rud said. He withdrew one sample of the cheese he had created and split it down the middle before sliding it across the counter. "What do you think about this stuff?"

At first, the baker raised an eyebrow and then leaned in to sniff the cheese. He pulled off one small section and placed it in his mouth before nodding with approval. "I'm not surprised," he said with an encouraging smile on his face. "Of course, a forest spirit would have created enchanted cheese."

"The enchantments are all well and good, but what do you think about the flavor?" Rud asked.

"It's not as salty as I like it, but that can change the composition of the cheese," the baker said. "You followed my instructions, I see. But if you let this age for a while longer, you will get a completely different texture and possibly a different kind of cheese altogether."

Rud had quite a few more questions to ask. He realized that the reason he had come here was to acquire more materials to create more cheese. Instead, he received an incredibly valuable lesson on cheese making. The baker only dabbled in cheese making, but he had a wealth of knowledge that the druid would not decline access to. Rud asked questions mainly about aging the cheese, what temperatures he should use, and when the appropriate time to add additional ingredients was.

"Keep that as payment for the information," Rud said with a wink as he gestured to the small wheel of cheese.

Of course, the baker wasn't as appreciative of a piece of cheese as Rud would have liked, but he still smiled and performed the sign of reverence to the forest spirits. Dean and Rud then headed out from the town. They had nothing else to do there, and Taz would get antsy if he didn't return to help with the cheese soon enough.

When they returned to the Creamery, they found the dwarf standing at a table, forming the finished cheese into enormous wheels. These wheels were at least twice as big as the ones they had created before, which was incredibly exciting. The texture of each one looked slightly different, although the druid didn't recall doing anything new during the process. Perhaps those subtle differences in the cheese-making process had large consequences once the product was finished.

"These will make fine wheels of cheese," Taz proclaimed, slapping one wheel to make a squelching wet sound. "I just need you to wrap them up, and we can age them."

Rud was happy to encase each wheel of cheese in a fungus cocoon. He formed each one. Talking about the new techniques he had learned from the baker in town, Taz stood like a studious student, making physical notes of each nugget of information that the baker had shared.

"So this is the phase where we could add nuts and fruits," Taz said, nodding along after Rud had finished speaking. "Maybe we could use those roasted hazelnuts you've been making."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Rud said. "Did we use all the cow's milk we had on hand?"

"Yep. We made it all into cheese, and not a moment too soon. You know, those cows are starting to get used to me. They don't try to bite me every time they see me now."

Following the advice of the baker in town, the cheese would not be stored in the freezer in the caves. Instead, it would be stored in the underground area of the creamery itself. This would ensure that the cheese remained at a cool temperature, but not too warm or cold. It would provide the perfect environment for the cheese to age, turning it into the best cheese possible.

A flash of recognition rushed through the Druid's mind as he sensed mortals approaching from the east. It would take them forever to move through the groves, so he didn't rush himself. Instead, he helped Taz carry all the sealed wheels of cheese into the storage area below. Once they were done with that, they cleaned up the pots and extinguished the wood-burning furnaces. There was enough Fairy Peat in them that they could easily do another batch of cheese. But for now, those stoves would go cold as the cheese aged.

"Do you feel that," Ban asked, speaking directly to Rud. "Figured I'd wait until you were done with your cheese before bringing it up."

"Yeah, feels like a few mortals," Rud mumbled to himself as he left the Creamery.

"A couple more than a few," Ban said.

Rud snapped his fingers. "I forgot about the army! An army of adventurers is going to move through the grove, headed west to fight the orcs."

"Ah. Those mortals and their quibbles. Grab my attention if you need me. Otherwise I'm working on something… Secret stuff!"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Smiling to himself, Rud shifted into his squirrel form. He jumped into the nearest bush and arrived on the eastern side of the grove. It took only a moment for him to hear the movement of the people below. He sat perched on a branch, peering at the mortals moving over the road. They were adventurers. Or people who enjoyed wearing heavy armor and drawing behind them mules loaded with supplies.

Instead of engaging right away, he took a moment to observe them. Their behavior made him think they were fine folks from Sparwyn who had deep respect for the spirits. Those were the best people to work with.

Rud soared from his branch, doing tight circles until he landed on the path before them. He shifted back into his true form, holding his arms wide. With a staff in one hand, and a piece of cheese in the other he announced himself.

"Greetings, mortals!" Rud shouted. His voice didn't quite boom as he had expected, coming out as more of a squeak than anything. After clearing his throat he tried again to better effect. "Hello, mortal peoples!"

It didn't take Rud long to spot the leader of the twenty-some adventurers.

"Took us longer than expected to ready the scouting party," Tuft said, sauntering to the head of the formation with a wide smile on his muzzle. "Is the road ahead clear?"

"Perfectly clear," Rud said with a nod. "How are your supplies?"

"Extensive," Tuft said. "We're prepared for a month-long trip, but we can scavenge along the way if needed."

Rud jerked his head to the side, beckoning the group along. It was a long walk. No need to delay. "Keep the grove in mind. If you get into trouble, lead whatever you find back to the grove. We can handle it."

"I believe you," Tuft said. "How many orcs do you think you can handle?"

Rud had to think about that one for a second. Between the different Sacred Beasts, they could destroy about 100 Rank 0 orcs. "As many as you can bring," he answered.

Tuft slapped him on the back, throwing his head back as he laughed. "I wish I had your confidence!"

Of course, Rud would hope his people would use the magical effects of the grove to their advantage. Rather than engaging attackers directly, it would be better to simply let them get lost in the woods and starve them out. That way no one would get hurt.

"If you yell loudly enough, someone will come to help you," Rud said. "Or they'll find me to help you… The point is, we'll watch as you move through the grove. But once you exit into the west, you're on your own. So enjoy the time you have inside."

"We thank you for the safe passage," Tuft said. "Although we talked about circling the grove to the south, that would've increased the duration of our trip."

Circles were, after all, longer than straight lines.

The lion-dude had some more stuff to chatter about, but Tuft eventually let Rud go. Those people were headed off for the adventure of a lifetime, and the grove was here to support them. They might not have had a lot of power outside of the grove, but while within it they had many advantages. To make the interaction with the gaggle of adventurers even better was the message that appeared as he left. His Custodianship skill went up from Level 5 to 6.

The crawl to get his Grove Custodian subclass up to Rank 1 was a pain. But he'd get there.

Inspired by the idea that Rud could create a building dedicated to his tea empire, he began work right away. The perfect location was right next to the Creamery, along the road, in full view of all passing mortals. It seemed like the best way for some free advertising, not that his packaged tea needed much promotion. It was still better to show off the cool things he was making rather than stowing them away in a far-off place.

As Rud wove the foundation of the new building, he thought about those structures Taz often used with a surplus of dungeon fragments. He wanted to upgrade those as well. Bringing every building in the grove to at least rank one was his goal. As long as the donations from mortals kept flowing, that wouldn't be too hard to achieve. But first, the tea building.

Just like the Creamery, Rud wanted a structure that looked half house and half tree. He wove natural elements into the walls, leaving some entire trees bare on the outside to allow them to create a canopy over the roof. Once again, he allowed branches to sprout from the roof itself, creating a canopy that would feed the trees that made up the structure. Using his new upgrades, he ensured all foundational supports were hardened to withstand as much weight as he could fit into the building. The entire process took several hours, even with his staff and upgrades, but he got it done.

For the first time since he had constructed the first buildings within the Grove, Rud was happy with the aesthetics of these two. They were a perfect blend of a mortal-oriented building and something he would expect a druid to use. The walkways leading up to the entrance were functional yet elegant, with railings made from a mixture of bare wood and branches complete with leaves. The only thing they were missing was those floating plants that would emit light, but that was something that would have to wait. Once he was satisfied with the overall structure, he partitioned it into rooms. The first floor would be his processing room, where he cut and trimmed the leaves. The basement would be the storage room, and the attic would be the drying room.

Moving the wood-burning stoves from his old drying house to the new one would have been a chore if Sarya hadn't appeared from the forest, already dragging her cart. Rud suspected she had been watching him, waiting for her to be useful again. The young wolf was incredibly helpful for moving heavy things, although his first impression of Major was that the bear would be the workhorse of the grove. Instead, it had fallen to the over-eager puppy of the group.

"Thanks for this," Rud said, holding the furnaces steady as Sarya pulled the cart along the wooden path.

"Yes, you are weak," Sarya said, nodding as they walked along. "It is my job to ensure you are safe."

"Is that your only job? With the way you roll in stinky stuff, I thought that was your job."

"No, that is a hobby. I do that during my free time."

It was harder to get the furnaces up the stairs and into the tea building. And even harder to get them up the stairs to the third floor.

"Why did you select the upstairs area to contain the drying place?" Sarya asked, grunting as she shoved her weight against a furnace as Rud pulled.

"It was the only place…" Rud trailed off as he groaned, pulling as hard as he could to get the furnace up another step. They had ascended three steps so far. "The only place I could enclose and vent at the same time."

"Not even through the strength of a thousand wolves could we get this up," Sarya said, sagging and panting on the step. She looked up at him with pleading eyes as though to ask if they could give up and go roll in some poop.

"Actually, I have a better idea," Rud said, wiping his brow and standing with his arms out. "Power of nature! Soul of the forest! Heed my call!"

Branches shot from the wall, wrapping around the furnace and hoisting it into the air with no effort. It carried it up to the second floor, depositing it on the landing. The branches vanished a moment later, sucking back into the wall as though nothing had happened.

"You could've done that earlier," Sarya said, glaring at Rud.

"Indeed. I could have. Instead, I require tribulations to motivate me!" Rud said, striking a pose.

Sarya pounced, putting her butt in the air. "Tribulations!" she shouted back. "Wanna wrastle?"

"I'm good. I can toss a stick for you to fetch."

Sarya narrowed her eyes at the druid. "Let's do it."