Village One was a mixed community of Nyunyu-daphne and humans. Farming there was proceeding smoothly; while their fields were small, they focused primarily on growing various potatoes and beans. Regarding livestock, they centered their efforts on chickens and pigs while still learning the ropes for other animals. Additionally, they had established a bamboo grove near the village, allowing for a steady production of bamboo goods. They were also cultivating plants suitable for papermaking.
As for potential issues, the village still had several vacant houses. I hoped to increase the population again whenever the opportunity arose. The villagers also expressed a desire to try their hand at mushroom cultivation—specifically, they wanted to grow black truffles. Wait, weren't black truffles a favorite food for pigs? Ah, right—our pigs were the type capable of exercising self-control. Understood. I would find some spare time to go over and till the soil for them.
Village Two was comprised entirely of Minotaurs. Since they had originally migrated from a farming community, their agriculture was going very well. They mainly grew wheat, barley, corn, cabbage, napa cabbage, and potatoes. While they used to grow foxtail millet, barnyard millet, and proso millet, they had since switched those fields over to barley and corn. Their orchards were doing well too, producing mandarins, peaches, apples, pears, lemons, and limes. They had expanded their fields this year and were working quite hard.
Their current goal was total self-sufficiency. It wasn't that they were seeking independence; they simply wanted to ensure that Village Two’s internal production was enough to keep everyone from starving. They felt they could only truly take pride in being a full-fledged village once they could trade their surplus with the Village of the Great Tree. In truth, they had already reached that level of output, but apparently, it still wasn't enough to satisfy them.
"We want to be able to give half of everything to the Village Head," they told me. I appreciated the sentiment, but I made sure to tell them not to overexert themselves.
In terms of livestock, they focused on goats, with a small number of chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows. They were raising a moderate amount of each. It felt a bit surreal to watch Minotaurs raising cows, but they didn't seem to mind at all. Well, I suppose it was a bit late for me to worry about that, considering I ate beef right in front of them. There were no problems to speak of; they planned to continue growing the population and expanding the village. I wished them the best. As for requests... they wanted new farming tools. Apparently, their current equipment was starting to wear out. If that was the case, it definitely counted as a problem. I promised to have replacements prepared immediately.
Village Three was a community of Centaurs. Initially, Gluewald and her group had moved in, followed later by Baron Fuka and her followers. I had been slightly concerned about the potential for friction or factions, but so far, there had been no issues. It helped that Baron Fuka was young and naturally deferred to Gluewald's leadership. I wondered if they might end up together in the future... wait, my apologies. They were both girls, weren't they?
Their farming centered on carrots, daikon, eggplants, pumpkins, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. They were also putting a lot of effort into strawberries, watermelons, and melons. Their fruit production leaned heavily toward peaches, along with persimmons and mandarins. This year, they had also started growing pomegranates. For livestock, they kept mostly chickens, with only a few pigs, goats, sheep, and cows.
I had initially worried that the Centaurs' physique would make agricultural work difficult, as it required bending at the waist, but they handled it quite skillfully.
"Rather than our waists, the real challenge is walking in a way that ensures our hind legs don't trample the crops," they explained.
That made sense. Perhaps I should consider widening the space between the ridges for them. As for problems, they were fine for now, but with the arrival of several males alongside Baron Fuka’s group, they expected a baby boom—or at least a string of pregnancies—starting around next year. I told them I looked forward to the celebrations. Their only request was for house expansions. Understood. Oh, and they also wanted a Village Circuit Course? I told them I’d build one if I had the spare time.
Village Four, the Sun Castle, was home to the Devil Race, Dream Demons, and the Mercury Race like Bell and Gou. According to Bell, the rest of her kin would be waking up and joining them soon. Regarding agriculture, they spent the year getting used to farming in the fields I had tilled. They grew the basics: daikon, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplants. For fruit, I had arbitrarily decided on a tropical theme, including papayas, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, mangosteen, and lychee.
Additionally, I had them growing various seasoning crops. This was essentially to support Curry Shop Maruura in Shashato City. I had already discussed this with Kuzuden, the Acting Village Head, as well as Gou and Bell. I was counting on them.
The primary issue was the residents' lack of domestic skills. Because they had spent generations under siege by monsters, there was a significant gap in their basic ability to manage a household. The Dream Demons knew how to clean and do laundry, but the Devil Race didn't have a clue. Consequently, the Dream Demons were currently teaching the Devils how to handle chores.
Regarding food, since their staple diet had been dungeon potatoes for so long, their culinary knowledge was limited to boiling them into soup or roasting them whole. Gou and Bell never needed to cook because the Sun Castle supplied them with energy directly. In other words, even if they harvested food from the fields, they didn't know how to prepare it. That was why so many of the crops I chose for them could be eaten raw. Currently, the High Ogre maids and High Elves were rotating through the village, bringing ingredients and teaching them how to cook.
Furthermore, while the lack of monsters meant they could finally go outside, a few residents refused to leave the castle. Some were even pathologically afraid of the sun. I told the leaders to take their time with the recovery; there was no need to rush.
The Sake Slime was looking particularly squishy tonight. It seemed to prefer wine over beer. White was fine, but red was the best? I see. I took that as a request and went to fetch some.
The Cat was as therapeutic as ever. I just wanted him to stay exactly as he was. While I sat there stroking him on my lap, Kuro came over and rested his chin on my knee. I made sure to pet him too. Ah... and now a line was forming. Don't crowd me, everyone. There, there, good boys.
I checked in with the Gnosis Bees next. I thanked them for the honey they always provided and asked if they needed anything. They wanted to try some unusual fruit? I promised to bring some over once the tropical fruits were harvested at the Sun Castle. I also suggested watermelon. It was mostly water, but still tasty. I was surprised to see bees eating fruit, but then I remembered they had been like that from the start—I’d seen one of Zabuton's Children giving them a strawberry before. They complained that the watermelon wasn't sweet enough. I thought it was plenty sweet, but I offered to sprinkle some salt on it. Salt was a no-go, they wanted sugar instead. Understood. I shall obey the Queen's commands.
The Soil Doll was nearby, so I asked how Urza had been lately. The doll gave a weary gesture. Yeah, she was a handful. Alfred was the same way at our house. We both had our work cut out for us. I offered the doll some watermelon, but it reminded me it didn't need to eat. I decided to cut some up anyway so the doll could take it to Urza and the other kids. They were probably still awake. Wait, was drinking water right before bed a bad idea? Hahaha, true.
Just then, I saw Urza and the others heading our way. They descended upon the watermelons like a plague of locusts, devouring everything in sight before moving on to their next target.
I spotted the Death Knight next. I noted that whenever he tried to drink sake, it just poured straight through his armor and onto the ground. The Dwarves were starting to glare at the waste, so I asked him to make do with water. I also mentioned that the lions might give birth again this year and asked him to keep an eye on them. Come to think of it, I recalled that lions usually had one male to several females... well, they were flying lions. I suppose common sense was a lost cause with them.
I asked if the lions wanted some watermelon too, since I had a few uncut ones left. They made short work of them, eating them whole. I asked the Death Knight if the lions were handling the heat okay; the hot spring area was nice in the winter, but summer was another story. I told him I’d be expanding the facilities for Progenitor-san soon, so he should let me know if they needed anything. He mentioned needing a place to retreat when it rained. I asked if the huts weren't enough, but apparently, the Death Knights used those, and besides, the lions were just too big. I promised to carve out a proper sleeping area in the rocks for them.
Giral was completely passed out drunk. If a dragon got that wasted, nothing good ever came of it. I looked over at Dos, who was in the same state beside him. Draim was stuck looking after the both of them. I asked where Raimeiren had gone.
Apparently, she had gone back with Hakuren to put Hiichiro to bed. She was certainly doting. However, I realized Rusty was her grandchild too. I asked Draim if she had been like that when Rusty was born. He explained that she hadn't been as involved back then out of consideration for Draim's wife.
What about Suiren’s daughter, Helze? In that case, she had stayed back to avoid stepping on the toes of the husband, Marksbergark. He was from a prominent dragon clan and held significant status, and they already had a dragon serving as a wet nurse. I see. With Hiichiro, I didn't make a fuss about her being around, and since it was her own daughter who gave birth, she felt she didn't need to be so reserved.
Draim asked if I was worried about whether Hakuren could actually handle motherhood. From what I’d seen, she was doing a solid job, but Draim told me to remember what she was like when she first arrived at the village. Ah, true. She was quite the free spirit back then. Still, I told him that as long as Hakuren didn't mind, Raimeiren was welcome to visit whenever she liked. I asked him to pass that sentiment along gently.
I found Zabuton next. Was she on watch? No, her back was covered with several of her children, all of whom had passed out drunk. "Good work," I told her, and offered to help carry them.
As for anyone else I hadn't talked to yet...
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm. I looked to my side and saw Lu, who had used her magic to return to her full height.
"I think it's about time you kept me company, don't you?" she asked.
She pointed toward a table where Tia, Ria, Ann, and Sena were already waiting.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to bolt," I assured her. "Let's talk the night away."
I suggested we move to a different table, though—one further from the house. Alfred and the others were already asleep, and even if it was the night of the festival, I didn't want to wake them. Besides, their table was already overflowing with alcohol. I told them they shouldn't overdo it.
Hahaha. It was going to be a long night.