Time marched on, and things became quite busy as Kuro and the others began giving birth.
Strictly speaking, they probably would have managed just fine without our help, but it would have left a bitter taste in my mouth if the newborn puppies—rather, wolf cubs—ended up dying. So, I assisted with the births along with the other villagers.
So far, we haven't had a single stillbirth. That was good, but... well, I found myself thinking—or perhaps just hoping—that they might voluntarily limit their breeding again next year. Still, the cubs were so cute that I couldn't help but forgive them. I suppose I'll just have to expand the fields again next year.
As for the construction of the new settlements, things were progressing smoothly. In fact, everything we needed to do on our end was already finished. I figured we could just leave the rest to the residents once they arrived, except for one problem.
The residents weren't here yet.
The cause was obvious. We had planned to recruit villagers through the connections of Beezel, Draim, and Michael. We expected to gather around thirty people, maybe fifty at the absolute most, and had prepared buildings accordingly.
To be honest, I didn't think we’d even get that many. The more I heard about it, the worse the Forest of Death’s reputation seemed to be. While I was confident people would realize it was a decent place once they settled in, moving here required a massive amount of courage and resolve. I didn't think anyone would come just because they were told about it.
And yet, despite the location, three separate groups had applied, totaling over two hundred people. That was far too many. Furthermore, even though we had only intended to feel them out, all three groups had already begun moving as if the migration was a done deal.
"Was my explanation poor?" I asked.
"I told them there was a plan to build a new village and asked if anyone wanted to move," Beezel replied. "I made sure to say the location was the absolute worst and not to expect much. Something like that."
"I said something similar," Draim added.
"As did I," Michael said. "I apologize. I didn't think they would be so eager to migrate before we even discussed taxes."
The fact that talks had proceeded through three different routes simultaneously was part of the problem; we were too late to stop the initial momentum. All three of them were busy men, so they didn't communicate with each other frequently.
I wanted to lecture them on how "Report, Contact, Consult" was the foundation of avoiding trouble, but even using the village's Small Wyvern Communication resulted in a lag of several days. Perhaps this was just the kind of trouble that couldn't be helped.
The root of the issue was likely that I hadn't assigned the task to just one person, assuming we wouldn't find enough volunteers. I’d figured it would be nice if each of them managed to find ten people. I reflected on my poor judgment.
Afterward, Beezel, Draim, and Michael scrambled to make adjustments, but it didn't go well.
"Even when told the location was the Forest of Death, they wouldn't give up," Beezel reported.
"They told me they would offer up their village's treasures if it meant they could move," Draim said.
"I was threatened with a riot if I refused them," Michael admitted.
It seemed that groups looking to start a new life elsewhere usually had their reasons. They weren't going to back down just because they were told to wait or that it wasn't possible. That said, we couldn't exactly welcome everyone with open arms.
Or so I thought, but I suppose I'm a soft touch.
"Let's prepare the sites immediately," I decided.
We would welcome them all. Currently, we’re confirming the arrangements for their arrival. We asked to delay the start of the migration as much as possible, but that doesn't seem to be going well either. In fact, one group has apparently already started moving toward us.
Therefore, I had to do what I could. First, I called a meeting with the Race Representatives.
"I want to expand the existing new village to take in one group, and then build two more villages for the others," I said, explaining the situation and my plan.
"Would it not be possible to just expand the first village and accept everyone there?" someone asked.
"From what I've heard, the three groups each consist of a single race. I thought it might be more efficient to keep them separate rather than mixing them together right away."
"That makes sense. Multiple races live together here in the Village of the Great Tree, and it works well, but perhaps we are a rare case."
"Considering the feelings of the migrants, they'll probably feel more at ease if they can stay with their own kind rather than being suddenly lumped in with other races."
"In that case..."
And so, our direction was set: we would build more villages.
"The question is where."
"There are several candidate sites, but there is one issue," a representative noted.
"What's that?"
"Water. Unless we're reasonably close to the waterfall..."
"The waterway would be too long?"
"Yes. We could probably find water by digging a well, but they're going to be farming, right? Is it possible to sustain all the fields with just well water?"
If it were a field created with the Universal Farming Tool, it would be fine. But if not...
"That would be tough."
Rainfall in this forest is sparse. The only reason the river is so abundant is thanks to the North Mountain. So, while the volume of water isn't an issue, the location of the waterfall is. Specifically, the elevation of the river relative to the land is the problem.
"Is there no device that can scoop up the river water and send it to higher ground?" I asked.
"A magical tool?"
"No, not exactly... you know the waterwheel we use to fill the bath? Is there no tool like that?"
"Well, no, nothing like that... um, Village Head?"
"What?"
"If we're just scooping up water and sending it higher, wouldn't that waterwheel work?"
I felt my face turn a bit red. She was right.
Wait, no.
"That waterwheel is a failure," I corrected.
"A failure? It scoops water just fine."
"Yeah, manually. It’s supposed to be automatic. It should use the flow of the river to turn the wheel and carry the water up."
At my explanation, Ya, the Mountain Elf, raised her hand. "I’ve been interested in that waterwheel for a while. If the goal is to finish it, I'll put my full effort into the task."
I was grateful for her offer.
"Assuming the waterwheel works and we don't have to worry about the waterway... I have several recommended sites."
The autumn harvest was fast approaching, and winter wouldn't be far behind. Time was tight.
Construction of the new villages proceeded in a rush. First, we expanded the nearly-finished first village. It was set up for fifty people, so we doubled it to a hundred. I used the Universal Farming Tool to clear the forest and expand the borders. That task took five days.
Accompanied by three High Elves and several of Kuro's Children, I went to inspect the site for the next village. It was about ten kilometers south of the first new village. That was quite a distance from the Village of the Great Tree.
"Can't we put it a bit closer?" I asked.
"If the villages are too close, they'll collide once they grow. Personally, I think this is already plenty close enough."
"I see..."
Ten kilometers sounds like a lot, but if both villages expand five kilometers in each direction, they really will hit each other. It wasn't an impossible scenario. There was also the river to consider, but perhaps they chose a site to the west because our own fields were expanding southeast?
I decided to trust that they’d put more thought into the site selection than I had.
"All right. Let's build the second village here."
"Yes, sir. Also, Village Head, could you give us names for the first village, this one, and the third one? They can just be temporary."
"I don't have any talent for names."
"Temporary is fine."
"Okay then... how about Kawakami Village for the first, Kawashimo Village for this one, and Kawanaka Village for the last?"
"Kawakami, Kawashimo, and Kawanaka. Understood. I will notify the others."
"Wait!" I stopped her.
Upriver, Downriver, and Midriver... yeah, those were way too easy to mix up, and they'd probably end up sticking.
"Let's go with Village One, Village Two, and Village Three."
"Since they're temporary, names that sound temporary are probably for the best."
Besides, I thought the new residents would feel more attached to their homes if they got to choose the names themselves rather than having some half-baked name from the start.
"Understood. If the new residents ask for names, we'll leave it to you."
"If they ask, sure."
With the temporary names decided—Village One for the expansion, Village Two for the one we were building now, and Village Three for the last—we got to work.
Village One, Village Two, and Village Three. Would Suzumura, Okamura, or Tanimura have been better? No, they were just temporary. It was a waste of energy to fret over it. I needed to finish the site for Village Two... well, the road first.
"It's a straight shot north from here to Village One."
"Understood. We're counting on you."
It took five days to cut the road between Village One and Village Two. It took another fifteen days to prepare the site and gather materials.
The work took longer than expected because I was building outhouses and wells at key intervals, and because we were attacked by monsters and demon beasts with surprising frequency. Maybe it was because we didn't come out this way often?
Come to think of it, does that mean the population of monsters around the Village of the Great Tree has actually decreased? No, the Fanged Rabbits are definitely increasing. I catch them all the time.
Could it be that because we're killing the predators that eat the Fanged Rabbits, the rabbits are flourishing?
I'll just have to trust in nature's resilience. Maintaining the forest's ecosystem or preserving species is a burden too heavy for me to carry. As long as people are alive, they're going to inconvenience their surroundings. I'll just make sure not to let my kills go to waste and to never hunt more than necessary. That's the best I can do.
I left one large tree standing in the center of Village Two, keeping with our established style. I built a shrine near its base. Since we were short on time, I only carved the statues of the Two Deities. The Statue of Kuro and the Statue of Zabuton would have to wait, but I'd definitely make them later.
Now, for Village Three. It was even further south, about fifteen kilometers along the river from Village Two. After reviewing the plan and deciding the site was fine, I spent ten days cutting a road between the two.
The monsters and demon beasts were out in force again. Kuro and the others chased most of them off, but I suppose the creatures had their reasons for attacking. It's the law of the jungle; we just turned the ones we defeated into delicious meals.
Just as I was about to start clearing the site for Village Three, construction on Village One finished, and the High Elves began moving down to Village Two.
Then, the message I'd been waiting for arrived.
"Village Head. It seems the prospective migrants have arrived under Draim-san's guidance. Please return to the Village of the Great Tree."
Village One, Village Two, and Village Three.
Maybe I should have just called them the First, Second, and Third Villages...