Reincarnate as Prince: Change Magical World with Industry

38 Developments

The next two weeks went by like a blur for Janus and for everyone in their colony.

There were daily meetings for the heads of each task together with Yvaine, Master Ringo, Arthan, and Janus. Collectively, they advised and revised like a council of leaders. It was good to have more of them because there was always something going on.

They found fish both upstream and downstream and had filled the area with wooden traps and nest, with no fishermen around these parts save for them, they had free reign over the stream.

Hunting was also going well, they caught bison and deer almost every day, with the spare rabbit and wild turkey now and again. Adduk had to coordinate a new band of goblins to make weapons and traps as they were wearing out quickly every day. They had also made use of bone instead of wood for spearheads and cutting tools, something that Janus didn't think was possible.

By the advice of Mr. Rufus and Issha, they had planted plots of beans, vegetables, and herbs just like they did in Gracewood Manor. Janus didn't think it would work as well as it would due to the amount of ash in the soil, but he was proved to be wrong. The plants were flourishing after just the first week. So they had to cut back on gathering to move people for farming. Something that was safer but yielded the same amount of result.

Half of their rations were allocated to preserved food. Seventeen barrels and thirteen crates of dried fish and jerky were filled in one week. By Janus' calculations, they would need around twice as much for them to get through the winter. They were currently on track. And with the beans and vegetable plots that they were tending, they wouldn't have to suffer through bland food. The everything-in-it stew would just be as good and nutritious, if not better.

By the end of the first week, a great hall and dormitory were erected. A huge swath of the forest was cut down in the process, leaving stumps of wood as far as the eye can see. The vegetation had cleared significantly from the day-in-day-out work, and they had piles of logs and thatchings collected for more structures at the end of the day.

That first meeting hall looked like an upturned Viking ship. It was as big as a warehouse and could house around a quarter of their current population tightly. It was taken from the blueprints of an old book that was designed by seafarers. Some of the workers commented on how these resembled homes from their ancestors who immigrated to the central continent of Galedon a hundred years before. All of the barrels and foodstuffs they collected were gathered in here. There was a huge fireplace in the middle with gears and pulleys to manage the chimney heat, pipes of metal were routed outside in a manner that only Adduk could manage.

It was a mishmash of goblin engineering and human ingenuity alike.

Janus was so happy that he ordered more to be built. Soon enough they wouldn't be sleeping outdoors in camps and bedrolls anymore, and they would be ready for the winter ahead.

This also meant that their territory was expanding. Every five days, they had to stretch out their stakes and the guards would be further from the encampment. Janus wished they had more dogs, but that would have to wait until Errol comes back.

The reports from the hunters and scouts got even more interesting by the day.

Fleetfoot's band discovered a huge clearing with plenty of fruit-bearing trees surrounding it. They also reported the place being a safe area where deer would usually rest and drink water from the connecting stream. They paved a trail towards this location for the gatherers which yielded them whole barrels full of wild apples and pears. Hunters built traps along the perimeter that would catch the occasional boar or pheasant on a stroll.

Hakkar's band mostly strolled along the volcano's base, as they were more interested in prospecting for ores. The proud goblin had boasted seeing a mammoth and tracking it only for it to escape. Arthan seriously doubted the goblin warrior. He was infamous for his illusions of grandeur.

 Hakkar came back days later with what looked like a hairy tapir. Janus couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"We did well Princey, yes? Caught mammoth in its tracks." The goblin said.

"Yes of course Hakkar! For now, on you will be called mammoth slayer, you are free to use the animal as you please. I will write tales of your exploits in the annals of this colony's history!" Janus said, which garnered a derisive look from Yvaine and Sir Arthan.

"Huzzah!" the band of goblins yelled out, as they marveled at their price.

Astrid's band had discovered a lake just a few hours trek south with little to no elevation in the land. It was farther than the base of the volcano and the forest of Mist than their current location. It was the best discovery yet. If everything they said were true, it would be a suitable location to build roads back to Galedon or to any of the settlements that old Errol had mentioned.

Janus liked their current location, but it was too close to the volcano for his liking. If they were to provide land for each of his workers, he would have to find a better central location for everything to flow through, and this was the perfect place.

Hakkar's band came back to him again one morning bearing some news.

"Princey! We have found another thing. Mammoth-slayer's are the best warriors of this land yes?!" said Hakkar.

"Huzzah!" said his band of five.

Janus could see Sir Arthan roll his eyes.

"What is it Hakkar? Have you felled another beast again?"

"No Princey, no beast this time, something even better. Makkie can tell you."

A little goblin stepped forward cautiously. Janus had seen her before but had never spoken to her. She was small and stout and had a topknot with spiky ashen hair. Like Preeni, she was also adorned with face paint and had better-looking earrings and necklaces than the other goblins.

"Go ahead, tell Princey what you found." Hakkar said.

"Are you just like Preeni? Can you hear the wind?"

Makkie shook her head.

"No Princey, Makkie has a different sense than Preeni. Makkie senses the earth, looking for ore. One day during hunting on the mountainside Makkie found---"

"A vein of ore to mine!" Hakkar yelled, startling the small goblin while hyping up the rest of his band.

"Huzzah, Makkie has found ore!"

Janus marked it up on his map. Slowly but surely, this vast landscape was starting to get more visible and more visible, and it opened up new opportunities for them.

They cannot start on mining on it just yet, but after preparations for the winter are over and they have all their basics in check, they can start on the second phase of development which Janus was slowly writing every night.

Errol came back the next day with a reply from the Stings of Venom barracks in the North.

The hermit was invited into the meeting with the leaders and council members in attendance. The old man looked gruffer than before, his hair was still messy and it made him look taller than he already was, but he had a new pair of boots and cleaner clothing. A new set of knives hung around his leather belt. It looks like his trading trip was a success.

"Aye don't mind me. I'm only here to bring ye a letter. Here is your reply young Prince. I'd advise ye to be open-minded. The Stingers are a stoic lot, and their leader Lord Ramsey is as hard as stone." He passed on a piece of parchment to Janus.

The letter simply wrote:

We are aware of your presence, as rumors have circulated around town.

Janus flipped the letter around. There was no other text beside this, not even an acknowledgment or any niceties.

"Wait, that's it?" he passed it to Master Ringo for inspection.

"Ahh yes, looks like that's all they wrote. Seems like our neighbors don't have the slightest amount of tact in them." Master Ringo said, shaking his head.

"Savages." Arthan muttered. "The Stingers are the worst of all Knight mercenaries out there, they gained their money through scheming and deceit and would easily change sides if bribed by any opposing party."

"Aye you know yer history right son, but these men trade fairly enough. You'd be crazy not to make use of that." Errol said.

"I agree with Mr. Maigera. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, we need to keep everyone around us as a friend." Janus said.

Errol left them seven new pups that day which they happily accepted to start their own kennel. As the old man left everyone asked Janus how the hermit was breeding this many dogs, but he knew just as much as they did.

A woman in her late thirties named Helga volunteered to be Kennel Master. She had already two dogs of her own which she used for hunting, and they knew their care with all of his heart. It was a perfect match.