The Red Lands

How old are you?

Ming hitched up the saddle, and after securing it, he adjusted the bucklers for the stirrups. Unlike the common saddles in the Empire, the farm housed modified ones. Chu shared his vague recollections, and through trial and error over the years, the riders also contributed their experience.

After acquiring his first batch of horses from the bandit raids, the numerous inputs and suggestions created a saddle much easier to use.

"Don't forget the true purpose of your trip, ok? Use the token only if you have to. Keep your eyes out for skilled tradesmen, Rose has the gold to buy their freedom."

"I know, but I can't say how much I might find. By the way, why didn't you hand me the money pouch? I'm the leader of this party, you know."

Chu shot him a gaze as if lost in the wonder of this idiot. Did the early morning addle this sucker's brain? Sighing while shaking his head, he ignored the question.

"Finn and Knut are out for experience, so it's up to you and Rose. The four of you need to take care of Shauna since her specialty lies in medicine. I'll give you a month at the most, since the roads might become bogged down when the ice melts. Take care!"

"I will, but don't you need Shauna with you? She and Fanny are the only two midwives and dedicated nurses we have."

"Yin is here, so she can help Fanny with the toddlers. Shauna shows promise with the crossbow, but she requires some worldly experience. Soon she will have to deal with all sorts of characters. So before it happens, let's show her around."

"True, it makes sense because she really is shy. Shauna is as old as me but she is not as mean as Dyna. Wait, do we want her to become so evil? I'll not let her fall so far."

With an experienced leap, Ming mounted his steed with ease. Guiding his horse so as to maintain the pace with the boy walking beside him, they exited the barn. On the snow-covered lane, Knut sat holding the reins on the wagon with Finn beside him. With the hide-covered cage and adequate supplies, their survival increased beyond that of ordinary travelers.

Sherry stood beside her husband, holding a child wrapped in thick, warm fur. Since the day they accepted the offer from Rugol and joined the farm, they had only once traveled to Karst. This was the first time Finn and she would be separated for so long.

Nearby, Clod and Rose whispered before locking in a fleeting embrace as she then mounted her horse.

The gesture didn't escape the eyes of the quest leader.

"What the heck? So only Rose can get a send-off like that? Hey, who wants to give me a hug?"

Glancing around, his eyes fell on the three girls standing smiling beside the fence. Shaking off the shiver, Ming turned to Chu.

"Don't worry, Boss, I am up to the task. So wait for our return!"

Chu watched the party trundle off towards the north-south road. A few of the girls from the farm rode off so as to accompany them for a short distance. Each one of them bore a crossbow and quiver hanging from their saddle. Whoever found some free time this morning decided to undertake a riding adventure.

Ambling next to Lucy, Chu glanced at the little girl standing in front. Lucy's hands rested on both sides of Yin's shoulders.

"Wait a minute, how come that idiot didn't nag me last night for Redflower? He's been badgering me for ages for Yin's supercharged horse."

The three girls continued to smile in the distance as Miki murmured an answer.

"I have not the faintest idea..."

***

With Ming out handling his task, Chu continued his management training on the farm. Clod had split his crew so as to assist both Halter and Jim in their work.

Lucy and Miki wandered into the forest with Ishara to guard the goblin workers while Dyna drifted off to sleep. After seeing Ming and his party depart, she returned to the barn.

Under the chill morning sun, Chu stood next to the outer well by the windmill. He scanned the faces of the participants summoned for this demonstration.

"How come it looks like we have some people missing? Where is Tapper?"

Chu asked while filling a wooden bucket with small stones. A small clay pipe connected a hole augured to the side near the bottom to a similar empty bucket of the same modification. Tapper worked with both Dareck and Bon and also led the team that designed the clay pipes.

Tall and muscular, his figure even dwarfed Rugol in stature. With a scar on his face, a fiery beard, and a growling voice, he looked the part of a brawling mercenary, rather than a toiling blacksmith.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Tapper is out with Worths since before Ming departed. The two of them are searching for a suitable location for the Industrial Complex."

"No wonder I don't see that little suck up around."

Chu replied to Bon with a smirk. Ever since Shine rescued them from the slums in a village south of Karst, the children have become steadfast supporters. Worth was one of the starving teens she saved during that farm expansion.

Like the other children rescued that day, he refused to leave the farm because of the goblin threat. With long, chestnut-colored hair and a perpetual grin, he possessed a sharp tongue, an efficient mind, and a no-nonsense approach during work.

His weakness, however, lay in how docile he turned whenever Toll or Shine praised him. As a carpenter, he regularly picked Chu's mind to build simple things like combs and massaging, wooden rollers for weary feet. These usually found themselves in the hands of Toll and Shine before being distributed among others.

"Don't forget the site must not only cater to the windmills and warehouses, but also at least three wells. The planned blacksmith workshops should have a dedicated well nearby."

"The benefits of a private well as compared to hauling water from a village well can be seen from our current workshop. When Worths return from scouting, I'll inform Jim of the news. Depending on where he locates the water in the general area, we will focus from there."

Bon replied. Chu opened his mouth, but the words refused to exit. He personally witnessed the method Jim used to find water. Shaking his head, he inspected his work. Satisfied, he clapped his hands.

"Alright, this is a visual demonstration relating to the importance of constructing wells and drains. So far, we have physically removed waste by hauling buckets. When the walls are built, not only will our living area expand, but we have to anticipate new members."

The discussion with Root opened his eyes to an area of neglect. Sooner or later, the young men and women will be bringing home potential candidates for spouses. The village would be growing along with his business, but so too would the farm.

Pouring in half a bucket of water over the stones, he continued.

"When rain falls, ice melts, or even if a river runs nearby, water seeps along the ground to find a level. By digging a well, we meet the water below. Consider the empty bucket as a well."

Chu explained and pointed to the empty bucket. Sure enough, the water poured over the stones began to slowly seep and fill to approach equilibrium. Stepping away, he allowed the group to inspect and nod in agreement.

"So are you saying that we can dig a well anywhere and find water?"

Halter questioned. His eyes remained skeptical of this revelation.

"No, not anywhere, but once deep enough, we will meet water. Take, for instance, this spot here. I am sure if we dig, we will find water. Similarly, if we decide to dig on the hill nearby, we might only find water if we go deeper. Look at the buckets. If you move the stones, I guarantee the level of water in that bucket will match the level in the empty bucket. Go on, try it."

It didn't take long for the group of skilled tradesmen to prove his words correct. After another discussion, Chu picked up a small cup. Jim had gathered a type of berry that fruited on a forest vine during winter. The black liquid squeezed out was undrinkable but suited for his experiment. He instructed Old Hodge to replace the stones.

"Think of this as our waste from the outhouse. Watch carefully as I pour it down on the stones. I want you to see what happened to the water in the bucket, which represents our well."

The liquid left a dark stain on the stones as it filtered down. It did not take long for the results to show.

"Look at that! The black water is coming inside this bucket."

"It's mixing with the clean water."

"It is not as dark as when the Boss emptied it, but the water is cloudy and not as clear anymore."

Chu clapped his hands to focus their attention.

"For centuries, humans have neglected what we call sanitary conditions. In expanding our home, I can't begin to stress the importance of proper hygienic conditions. Before we begin, proper drainage from our proposed building sites, septic tanks that can be easily cleaned if necessary, and distant overflows, far from our drinking water, must be constructed. I do not want us to be in the midst of the plague while facing enemies."

The group pulled their cloaks tightly together while in contemplation. After a few minutes, Pine spoke.

"Boss, I don't think anyone in the Empire has ever compared drinking water and an outhouse in this way. I'll sit down with Dad and make the necessary adjustments. From the first round of measurements, the north wall falls along with the pickets descending the slope. I think using the incline to our advantage works best to dispose of our waste."

Bon nodded in agreement.

"The farther the better. The last thing I want is to be drinking someone's piss. By the way, Boss, you really need to work on your words. We simple folk are not used to the jargon from Heaven..."

***

Lucy returned home in the afternoon from patrolling the forest. The goblins concentrated on the marked trees by the lumberjacks near the forest edge. Under the never-ending hacking and sawing, the thinning of the trees allowed the clearing to become partly visible from the ramparts. With Miki and Ishara in tow, she made a beeline for the bath.

Normally, Lucy spent her afternoons like most of the residents in the classroom. With Sakura absent, however, the basic reading, writing, and counting held little interest. These days, she spends her time in the library of the barn in the company of her guest.

Ishara proved to be an avid reader, and this vast library of ancient books procured from the ruins intrigued her. The language had changed little since the Hakkim departed northwards, opening a vast world of knowledge from ancient times.

"This book chronicles the time during the Great War. Surrounding lands, all the battlefield, and ruins. Demon Beasts overrun pitiful human wanderers. Humans saved by Hakkim and the Alliance."

"That one there contains information on magic. Touch on the goblin fireball and its chants. The writer leaves out most information. Spell crude and weak."

"This one a waste book. Talk about the taboo relationship between Hakkim and Human. Severe punishment to fools who break the rules. Hakkim comes from an honorable tribe, should never lower standards to bond with lowly human."

Ishara commented while pointing at the books on the table. Currently, she was nestled on a chair with her delicate fingers drifting along the edge of a page. Ever so often, she searched the previous chapters until, with a satisfied nod, she continued. Lucy scribbled notes nearby and placed them inside the cover as a reference.

Shedding a smile at her progress, the girl stepped back from the shelf to admire her handiwork. Little slips of paper poked out from the top of the books to summarise their contents. Returning to the table, Lucy stared at the scarlet-toned beauty.

Surveying the alluring siren cuddled before her, Lucy pressed with a question she had held since the first day she greeted the Hakkim.

"Ishara, how old are you?"