Chapter 66: New Territory Residents - 2
The villagers numbered around seventy in total. I issued them temporary entry permits, and they all filed inside. From Seongsimwon, there was the director and the three high schoolers—the kids made a beeline straight for Si-yeon. Thanks to that, I ended up leading a tour for the mostly elderly residents.
"This is the field where you'll be farming," I said.
"It's smaller than I expected," the Village Head remarked.
I chuckled. "Just so you know, you can clear land in any direction. It might not look that big at first glance, but you can expand infinitely. The internal space grows accordingly—it's a special property of the gate."
They all nodded at the mention of the gate's special property. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss; no need for complicated explanations about spatial whatever.
"For now, let's plant some green onions here. We'll circle around and check back on them later."
Green onions grow fast. They thrive outside, but even better in here. By the end of the tour, they'd probably be fully grown. The fun part? Plants stop growing once they reach maturity. Otherwise, we might've ended up with a monstrous onion forest.
The villagers inspected every nook and cranny meticulously. Those with livestock experience perked up at the barns, their expressions softening. I explained how we'd started with a handful of animals and grown to the current numbers, and soon their hands were twitching with excitement as they pointed here and there. "You gotta do it this way here," or "That spot needs handling like so."
The orcs sprang into action at their suggestions. The aunties and grandmas, meanwhile, headed to the orc handicraft workshop where my mother was. She greeted them warmly, and they showed keen interest in her workspace. The aunties dove right in, while the uncles split into two groups: one keen on farming, the other on livestock.
I let the villagers explore on their own, then made my way over to where Si-yeon was.
Si-yeon had left the kids hanging while she launched into a grand speech. The gist? The future belongs to gates. She was hamming it up big time, and the kids were eating it out of her hand.
"So there I was, facing down a minotaur head-on. The thing's coming at me with its horns, right? Where's it gonna stab this delicate, beautiful body of mine? Huh?"
"Yes!"
"Exactly! But who am I? The beauty swordsman! I go whoosh-whoosh with this blade—not a sound from my mouth, mind you. It's the wind from my swing. Note that."
"Yes!"
"...And that's how I gifted that minotaur eternal rest. Heh."
It was a spectacle. Si-yeon had the skills to brawl a minotaur, sure, and probably had, but did she really have the chops to spin it like that? What amazed me was the kids' eyes—wide like they'd just met a global idol in the flesh.
"They're hooked."
Nyaang.
Hoya gazed at Si-yeon contentedly. It felt like Hoya was the boss, and Si-yeon the flashy sales manager. The trap was, these kids would've come around anyway.
"Alright, let's see. I'll measure your sizes and craft gear for you myself."
"Woooah!"
Handing the kids off to Si-yeon seemed like the best call. I slipped out pretending not to notice, when Seon-woo tapped my shoulder.
"Si-yeon's always been like that?"
"She dreams of being the typhoon transfer student. What'd you expect?"
"Man... Kid's born for hunting."
What was he marveling at now? I shot Seon-woo a look, and he grinned.
"Dude, not just anyone can pull that off. Most hunters wash out without killing a single wolf."
"What? Why?"
"Why what? Figures a psycho like you wouldn't get it. Normal folks have this instinctual aversion to killing living things."
"If I don't kill, I die."
"That doesn't happen often. Senior hunters have your back."
"Oh, right? I always fought thinking it was kill or be killed."
"You had Hoya."
"Hoya was gone back then. Well, ambushing, but looked gone to me."
"Yeah, that's why most quit. But your family killed from the jump."
"Orcs helped."
Specifically, their war cry. The buffs wiped away any hesitation.
"Anyway, this place is blessed. My family's coming over later. You know."
"Yeah, call me when you bring 'em."
"Cool."
Seon-woo's folks—parents and his sister who hadn't married yet. She was just a year older than us, so no big deal these days with late marriages. We'd known her since we were kids; felt like my own sister. Heard she'd been abroad lately, but must've come back.
"See ya later."
"Yeah."
I finished the elders' tour and returned to the green onion patch. The Village Head and the rest gasped in surprise.
"This the ones we just planted?"
"Yes, exactly. As you see, crops grow way faster here than outside. That's why I set the 30% condition. These onions are killer for constipation—starting with half an onion, they boost immunity for a week. Basically, no colds or most viral bugs."
"Isn't that just green onions in general?"
The others nodded along with the Village Head.
"Not vaguely—this is instant. Someone constipated eats a third, and boom, relief. But don't worry, healthy folks won't suddenly need to bolt."
"Oho! For real?"
"Yes."
"Lemme try one."
An elder stepped up. Age hits the gut; lots of villagers dealt with constipation, and this was one of them.
"Safe to eat raw? Sweeter than outside ones."
"Pfft, overthinking it."
Crunch.
His eyes went wide. "Raw it's crisp, sweet as heck!"
He polished off nearly one. Five minutes later...
"Wh-where's the bathroom?"
"That way."
"Be right back."
The others were stunned. A few snuck some onions, munched happily. We paused the tour.
"Besides that, these strawberries..."
I explained the various crops' effects, and they marveled.
"For real?"
"No reason I'd joke. That's what gates produce."
"Whole other world."
"Tell me about it."
"What do you all think?"
The elders nodded at the Village Head's question. One spoke up.
"Air here's better than Gapyeong's, for starters."
"Can't argue that."
"We got no house or home anymore. Why not live here? Those orcs build good houses too."
Surprisingly, no orc prejudice. My worries were for naught. They liked the orcs' strength and work ethic. Rural areas lack young folk; orcs filled that gap perfectly. Many elders had the know-how but lacked stamina—orcs would be their hands and feet.
Orc numbers were booming anyway. They'd grow to a sustainable size. Plenty for each elder to have a helper. Not slaves, though—orcs gained too: elders' wisdom and know-how from decades in farming and livestock. Our orcs would be the world's strongest villagers.
Orcs respect elders. Few old orcs survive, so they value wisdom. No geriatric orcs here—they hadn't made it. Elders were a boon for them too.
"Of course, live inside if you want. I'll handle housing. But modern conveniences? Might take time."
"Big deal. We grew up without 'em."
Fair enough—some houses still lacked flush toilets.
"Looks like consensus. All in favor?"
Nods all around.
"But what if kids visit?"
"Meet outside. Lodgings stay as-is."
"Right? No issue."
"Most kids are in Seoul anyway. They can visit."
"Yeah."
With killer air, fast-growing crops, workers, and high-value produce, the elders beamed. That sealed it—75 new residents registered. Just Seongsimwon left.
"Kids need education."
"Of course. I'll scout a building outside for Seongsimwon."
The director had a gentle face, famous for treating kids like her own.
"Those wanting to be hunters..."
"Can't promise total safety. But no needless risks—that I swear. Won't throw them out defenseless."
"That's enough. Actually, could our kids live inside too? School's quick trips out."
"Go for it. We'll build Seongsimwon on a big plot—room to play."
"Thank you."
And so, all 36 from Seongsimwon joined. Mostly infants and young kids, but villages need children's laughter to feel alive.
Now, time to go public with our gate. Not details—just that I'm the owner and it produces special stuff. Hiding it might invite trouble; publicity protects it.
Oh, mithril stays secret. For now.