Autumn.
The season of the harvest.
Those of us with free hands set to work gathering the crops.
"It’s another bumper crop this year," one of the Civil Official Girls remarked, happily recording the yields.
I was pleased as well. A bountiful harvest always feels good. The only real problem was that I’d likely have to build even more storehouses. I decided to view it as a positive sign of growth.
For the crops that required threshing, we got straight to work. The waterwheels, which the Mountain Elves had customized in various ways, were a huge success. The only downside was that they were a bit noisy.
Next came the task of crushing grapes for wine. The volume was massive—enough to be considered a major industry. I wondered if I should build some truly enormous barrels, but then I realized we wouldn't be able to move them once they were full.
This year, the hired members of the Lamia Race were once again tasked with removing the skins and seeds for our white wine production. Their numbers had grown to twenty. Their payment remained the same as last year: room and board during their stay, plus a share of the crops.
"Hm? You want some of the white wine from last year?"
Well, it made sense. Everyone wants to see the fruits of their labor. I gave them my okay.
While they weren't exactly new faces this year, we also had the giants from the Northern Dungeon. I had hired five of them to help with the pressing work for the oil. Their compensation matched that of the Lamia Race.
I’d been a bit concerned about their living arrangements, but they told me a cave would be perfectly fine, so I dug one out for them. It was essentially the same as a cellar, but I worried about them lighting fires inside.
"Ah, magic? No, Spirit Magic?"
Apparently, they asked the wind spirits to handle the ventilation, so it wasn't an issue. That was a relief.
When they arrived, they brought a rare gift with them: Bloody Viper eggs. Each one was about the size of a basketball, and they had brought a hundred of them as a greeting gift for staying in the village. I told them they didn't need to be so formal, but they insisted.
The Lamia Race saw them and looked ready to head out and fetch more, but I told them it really wasn't necessary.
I wondered how to eat them. The giants suggested swallowing them whole, which might work for them, but it was impossible for us. In the end, I decided we’d just boil them.
We started with one. Once boiled and peeled, a translucent, wobbly mass emerged. I wondered if the egg white stayed clear instead of turning white when cooked. There didn't seem to be a yolk, either.
I took a bite. Poking it with a spoon felt like touching a firm jelly. When I finally tasted it... the flavor was incredibly rich.
"Whoa!" I couldn't help but shout. It was delicious. Truly delicious. I hadn't even seasoned it, yet the flavor was astounding.
At my reaction, everyone else grabbed a spoon and joined in. They were just as surprised and delighted as I was.
Though, looking at the giants, I realized they were looking surprised too. "Wait, have you guys never boiled these before?"
Apparently not. They said that swallowing them raw was a bit fishy, so this was much better. I told them they should learn how to cook while they were here and promised to share some seasonings with them. I made sure to offer some to the Lamia Race as well.
I decided to serve the rest of the Bloody Viper eggs for dinner and got back to the harvest.
I sent several High Elves to gather mushrooms. We had picked matsutake earlier, but we were growing many other varieties too: shiitake, oyster mushrooms, enoki, shimeji, and maitake. I’d grow more later with the Universal Farming Tool, but for now, I asked them to leave a few behind to keep the patches going.
I also pointed out the marked spots for truffles. I suggested they take one of Kuro's offspring along to ensure they didn’t miss a single one.
At the same time, I asked for bamboo to be cut. This wasn't for food, but for crafting projects over the winter. They already knew where the bamboo grove was located.
Zabuton's children worked hard on the fruit harvest. Watching them perform a bucket relay with fruit nearly the same size as their own bodies was actually quite cute.
All in all, the main harvest took about twenty days. The wine-making, threshing, and oil-pressing would take even longer. On top of that, we had fermented foods to prepare and other types of alcohol to brew. It was going to be a busy season, and I hoped everyone would keep up the hard work. Once that was done, we’d move straight into winter preparations.
Rusty was especially busy this year. Since Hakuren was pregnant, she couldn't take her dragon form, so Rusty handled the long-distance transport of crops to Dos and Raimeiren. For the shorter trips to Draim’s place, the Lamia Delivery service handled the load.
The remaining issue was the trade with Howlin Village. While I was weighing our options, Draim arrived to help.
"My sister asked me to come. Please, use me however you need."
I thanked him and asked him to handle the transport for the Howlin Village trade. Tia acted as our representative for the negotiations.
Amidst all this work, I had to check on the progress of Village Two and Village Three. They had been handling their own agriculture this year, and I wanted to see how they'd fared. I sat down with Nuph, the Lizardman caretaker for the Minotaurs in Village Two, and Rasshashi, the Civil Official Girl overseeing the Centaurs in Village Three.
"The harvest in Village Two was slightly lower than projected," Nuph reported. "However, the report suggests this was simply due to a lack of experience."
"Village Three’s harvest was decent," Rasshashi added. "But several crops fell below expectations. We are currently consulting with Village Two to brainstorm countermeasures."
"I see. And will those yields be enough for the villages to get by?"
"It will be tight for Village Two as they are," Nuph admitted. "They have enough labor, so they are requesting to expand their fields."
"It’s the same for Village Three," Rasshashi said. "They would also like to expand their fields next year."
"Understood. We’ll expand them next year."
Currently, everything produced in the satellite villages belonged to the Village of the Great Tree—or more accurately, to me. To put it simply, the residents were effectively my tenant farmers. I’d accepted this arrangement for now to ensure their stability, but my long-term goal was for each village to become independent. For that to happen, they needed to reach a level of self-sufficiency.
"The harvests for both villages are complete and ready for transport," Nuph said.
"Alright. Bring half of it here, and let the rest stay there as food for the villages. Regarding the portion I receive... did they submit a wish list of what they want from the Village of the Great Tree in exchange?"
"Yes, they did."
Since those villages were only growing a few types of crops, they relied on us for variety.
"One more thing. I’ll provide extra food beyond what's on the wish list. Tell them they have my permission to hold their own Harvest Festivals."
"Are you sure?"
"Everyone needs something to look forward to."
Even if the main event would be during our martial arts tournament, we were planning a small Harvest Festival here in the main village as well.
I turned to Mam, the Beastman caretaker for Village One. They hadn't started full-scale farming yet, so she hadn't been part of the discussion. "Village One is welcome to celebrate as well, of course."
"Is it really alright?" she asked.
"I don't want anyone feeling left out. Besides, everyone has been working hard, right?"
"Yes! Very much so."
Mam spoke enthusiastically about the efforts of the migrants in Village One. Even if the tangible results were still small, the fact that they were all working hard without a single dropout was something to be proud of.
Once Rusty returned from the dragon realm and Tia and Draim returned from Howlin Village, we held our small Harvest Festival. It was more lavish than a simple home party, yet smaller in scale than our typical festivals. The highlight was my formal offering of a portion of the harvest to the Shrine of the Great Tree.
For some reason, Progenitor-san was there and took charge of organizing everything. I asked if he was tired, but he told me not to worry about it and kept working.
After the ceremony, we transitioned into an extravagant drinking party. Food and sake were laid out at the outdoor venue, accompanied by various performances.
We opened with "fireworks"—which was actually a Horn Blast demonstration by Kuro and the wolves. They were using it as practice for the upcoming tournament.
Seven members of the Angel Race lined up in the sky: Corone, Granmaria, Kudel, Tia, Kierbit, Suarliu, and Suarkou. Kierbit had arrived during the harvest, and Suarliu and Suarkou were twins who had accompanied her.
All three had come with the intention of moving in. It was more of a notification than a request, but I accepted. When I had hesitated even slightly, they looked like they were about to burst into tears. Suarliu and Suarkou were the ones Granmaria had invited before; apparently, after tasting the fruit Kierbit had brought back, they had scrambled to pack their bags.
The seven angels performed a coordinated, high-altitude dive. Their targets were seven holes we’d dug in the ground. They dropped their explosive spears simultaneously, and seven pillars of fire shot into the sky.
They must have reached a hundred meters high. The angels had been practicing relentlessly ever since they discovered that dropping the explosives into holes created a more spectacular vertical blast than dropping them on flat ground. I suggested making the holes larger to make it easier, but that seemed to hurt their pride. They now boasted that they could hit an eighty-centimeter target every single time. I didn't have the heart to tell them that according to my experiments, a two-meter wide, five-meter deep hole was actually the optimal size for the best blast.
After the fiery opening, the other performances began.
There was a line dance by the Harpy Race, a collective short skit by the Beastman Race, and group gymnastics by the Dwarves. Kuro's offspring performed a ball-balancing act, and the High Elves did a interpretive nature dance using their whole bodies. The Lizardmen performed a sword dance, followed by a shadow play by Zabuton's children. There was a "healing time" segment with the Sake Slime and the cat, a chorus by the Mountain Elves, and a creative dance by the Civil Official Girls.
Finally, we reached the main attraction: a play starring Urza, Nart, and the beastman boys. Urza’s delivery of her powerful lines was becoming quite impressive, and Nart was clearly giving it her all. The boys, however, seemed a bit overwhelmed by Urza’s sheer intensity.
Lu and Flora made appearances as well. Lu played the villain, while Flora played the shadow boss pulling her strings. Flora looked strangely natural while plotting conspiracies. Even Zabuton and the Soil Doll joined in. Zabuton played a mysterious god who arrived to save Urza in her moment of peril, and the Soil Doll acted as a fairy perched on Urza's shoulder. It was a grand, successful production.
By the end of the festival, our population had officially grown. Kierbit, Suarliu, and Suarkou had joined us, as had Galf and his family from Howlin Village—his wife, son, and daughter.
That made seven new residents in total. I’d been surprised when Galf asked to move in, but as long as it didn't cause trouble for Howlin Village, I was happy to have him. His daughter, who had moved here earlier, was the most delighted of all.
Daga was also thrilled. His tail was thumping against the ground so hard I had to remind him not to drag Galf away for "special training" immediately, especially since his wife was right there.
I was personally quite happy about Galf’s son. He was around fifteen and a healthy male of the Beastman Race. I’d almost given up on having more men in the village. I was genuinely grateful he’d come.
"...Eh? You already have someone you've chosen in Howlin Village?"
Apparently, they’d already promised to marry. He hadn't brought her because he couldn't convince her parents yet, but he was determined to make the long-distance relationship work.
"Ah, I see. Well, I'll support you."
When I tentatively brought up the idea of a second wife... he politely declined. Fair enough.
In any case, I just wanted the new residents to settle in. Of the seven, everyone except Kierbit and Galf has already fainted and needed a change of clothes several times.
I keep telling them that Kuro's pack and Zabuton's children aren't actually scary. They'll get used to it soon. It’ll be fine. Really.