The essential facilities for the New Village—the well, the outhouse, and the shrine—were finally complete.
Next came a large structure to serve as the Meeting Hall. Having a place to take shelter from the rain would likely solve a lot of problems before they even started. I considered helping with the construction, but I had another task to attend to: digging the waterways.
A well was all well and good, but the fields would eventually need irrigation. While the main waterways would run alongside the roads, the drainage channels needed to head in a different direction. Once the others pointed out the route, I set to work carving them out.
I reached the river a few days later. It really hit me then how much faster my work had become compared to the early days.
"Is this a good spot for the reservoir?" I asked.
"Yes, please," they replied.
The order felt a bit backward, but I dug the collection pond to store the water and connected it to the drainage system. Naturally, I also included a Slime Pool to purify the wastewater. All that remained were the intake channels to bring the water in, but it seemed I wasn't needed for that part of the job.
When I wondered why, the reasoning, apparently, was that the incoming villagers should do it themselves. If everything was handed to them on a silver platter, they might grow to expect it as their right—which, according to the others, wasn't a good mindset to encourage. Is that how it works? Hmm. Well, I managed to convince myself that it wouldn't be right to hog the satisfaction of building something with one's own hands.
With my tasks finished, I asked, "Are you sure you don't need anything else?"
"Yes. Thank you very much. We can take it from here."
People had been coming and going throughout the project, but the current crew consisted of eight High Elves and five Lizardmen. For security, we had ten of Kuro's offspring and several dozen of Zabuton's Children, who had moved in when I wasn't looking. It seemed like enough.
"Understood. I'll leave the rest to you, then."
Kudel, who had arrived for the regular status report, carried me back to the Village of the Great Tree. It didn't exactly feel like a homecoming since I'd been returning every evening before sundown anyway. Thanks to the Universal Farming Tool, I could have easily worked through the night, but the others insisted I get proper rest. If they really wanted me to sleep, though, I just wish they’d let me sleep in a little more once the sun goes down.
Back at the village, it was business as usual. I harvested the crops that were ready and tilled fresh fields. I put in extra effort, knowing I'd need to supply seeds and seedlings for the New Village. Eventually, the investigation team returned from the north. At the same time, Rusty and Hakuren shifted into their dragon forms and began making round trips, hauling the carcasses of the Bloody Vipers they'd slain.
"How many are there?"
Seventeen Bloody Vipers were brought into the village. They took up an incredible amount of space.
"Won't the meat spoil?" I asked.
Considering how long they'd been out, it must have been several days since the hunt. Yet, the meat looked perfectly fresh.
"Bloody Viper meat is famous for how long it lasts, you know," someone explained.
"Their vitality is so high they barely rot at all. If you leave the head intact, the body will even start to grow back."
That was news to me, so I could only offer a baffled, "Oh."
"Did you wipe them all out?" I asked.
"We left the small ones behind," they replied. "That way, we can hunt them every few years, even if we can't do it annually."
"Wait... if you left them behind, won't that be a problem for the friendly Giant Race?"
"If we didn't leave them, the Giant Race wouldn't have anything to eat."
"...They eat Bloody Vipers?"
"They eat the juveniles."
"..."
I decided not to think too hard about it. It sounded like the ones that caused trouble were just the leftovers that had grown too large.
"Anyway, is the investigation of the Northern Dungeon officially finished?" I asked one of the High Elves from the team.
"Yes. The Giant Race provided us with detailed maps of the labyrinth, and we've neutralized almost all the hostile threats inside. Since the alpha-class vipers are all sitting in a pile over there..."
I see.
"Anything else to report?"
The High Elf's face cramped. This was the one I'd given a secret mission to before they left.
"Did Rusty or Hakuren cause any trouble?"
"W-Well... parts of the dungeon did collapse or... get pulverized. But the Giant Race were very kind about it! They told us it was fine and not to worry."
"In other words?"
"Technically, there were no problems... though I think it would be nice if we did something for the Giant Race later."
"...Right. I'll send them some crops as a gift."
"Thank you very much."
From now on, I'd have to ask Rusty and Hakuren to stay home. Regardless, I handed out a Reward Medal to everyone who had participated in the investigation. It felt good to have a practical use for them. I'd initially planned to give the Lamias some crops, but they seemed fascinated by the medals. After explaining their purpose, I gave the tribe five medals to share. I made sure to warn them that the medals were worthless outside the village.
We held a banquet that night to celebrate the team's return. The spread featured a massive amount of Bloody Viper meat, which made for a... very long night.
The following day, Rusty flew some of the meat over to Draim’s Nest, while Hakuren delivered a share to Suiren and Sekiren. Seeing dragons flying through the sky clutching giant serpents certainly made for an imposing sight.
Even after the gifts and the feast, we still had plenty of meat left. I wondered what to do with it. Maybe a whole one for Kuro and his pack? They’d eaten some at the banquet, but I wasn't sure if they wanted more. When I asked, they indicated that they did—though apparently, they wanted it grilled.
"Fine, fine. I'll grill it for you."
I offered another to Zabuton and her brood. They were happy to take it raw. Zabuton and the spiderlings swarmed the carcass instantly. There were even more of them than I’d realized, which gave me a bit of a start.
In the blink of an eye, the viper was nothing but bone. Sitting in the hollow of the skull was a large, beautiful stone—a Magic Stone, apparently. I remembered seeing them in the large boars too, though Kuro’s pack usually just crunched them up. I’d always wondered if they were actually edible, but then I watched Zabuton grind the stone between her mandibles and swallow it. Apparently, they were. The sound was enough to make my own teeth ache, so I decided to pass on a taste test.
At any rate, the mountain of vipers was cleared away within a few days. I thought about using the bones for fertilizer, but the others told me to put them in the storehouse for safe-keeping.