Chapter 134: Laying the Groundwork (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Laying the Groundwork (1)
[New System: The Church feature has been unlocked.]
[Church Name]: Church of the Grim Reaper
[Bishop]: Karami
[Followers]: 2,781 (+2,781/week)
“…Huh?”
“What’s gotten into ya?”
I was in the middle of moving to Lake Fortress.
The sudden appearance of the status window brought my thoughts and actions to a screeching halt. Perka and Azyeth, who were walking ahead, turned around and looked at me quizzically, as if asking what was wrong.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“You say it’s nothing, but you look plenty flustered.”
Of course I was flustered. How could I not be when a screen just popped up out of nowhere? And it wasn't something I could explain or show to anyone else.
What’s this new Church system?
And what in the world was the Church of the Grim Reaper?
Judging by the context, it must have been derived from the ‘Reaper’ in ‘Slave Reaper,’ right? Seeing my name brazenly listed as the Bishop, it seemed to be an order that followed me.
‘But who?’
Who on earth would honor me enough to establish a whole church?
A whopping 2,781 people.
[New followers have joined.]
[Followers]: 3,121.
…The number just jumped by 400 to over 3,100. The followers were increasing in real-time, and it even had the system's official seal of approval. This system didn't exist in the game.
‘Is there anyone who would do something like this?’
There was a main slave related to a church, but she was the very last one, so she hadn't even appeared yet. Other than her, no one else came to mind.
It seemed there were hidden functions beyond what was immediately visible now that the Church system was unlocked, but unfortunately, I wasn't at a stage where I could check the details.
“Welcome, dwarves from Doomheim. I am Linvar of the scouting party. I welcome you to Lake Fortress.”
A tough-looking northern warrior woman with a bow on her back greeted us.
Today was the day we were scheduled to join them at Lake Fortress. I had to stay for a month, earn the trust of the chief, Darka, and obtain the Lazurite.
Even if she wasn't a key character in the story, there was no harm in getting friendly with the tribe members. I extended my hand to Linvar for a handshake.
“A pleasure to meet you. I don't believe we met yesterday. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Karami, the slave trader.”
The wyverns that appeared because of the Dice that Twists Fate. It was a disaster for the northerners, and if we hadn't defeated them, the story would have ended right there, but we took care of them without much damage.
Thanks to that, the northerners' attitude toward us had warmed up compared to yesterday.
Smack!
But it seemed that "us" didn't include me.
Linvar slapped my hand away.
“Sorry, but I can't stand merchants. Especially slave traders. The only one I'm interested in is the young lady next to you.”
She breezily ignored me and approached Azyeth.
“Hey, young lady. I heard about yesterday. You took down a whole flock of wyverns, huh?”
“…?”
“Whoa~ It's a shame I didn't get to see it myself. I was out on a scouting mission and only got back at dawn. If you get a chance, you'll have to show me your skills.”
I'm her master.
She doesn't have a thought in her head.
She only did it because I told her to.
“Haha, I did raise one fine slave, didn't I?”
Praise me, too.
“Why is your master so clueless? Can't he tell when to butt in and when not to? Hah, you've ruined my mood.”
I had just found one more person I wanted to make my slave. I suddenly felt the urge to train her until she was screaming, "Master, you're amazing~!"
*
Lake Fortress, which we returned to today, had been fully repaired overnight. It was likely thanks to them pouring their efforts into the restoration, sacrificing their sleep.
We set up the tents we had brought with us on an empty plot of land.
Right now, in all of Lake Fortress—no, in all of Eisengar—I could guarantee that no one felt the cold as much as I did.
Even if I did live in a country where it could be autumn one day and a blizzard the next, there was no way I could be fine living in the Arctic where blizzards raged daily.
‘I want to burn some coal. I want to turn on the heater.’
I wanted to cause a shit-ton of global warming and melt away all the snow in Eisengar. Or I wished some ladies somewhere would start grinding so hard the polar bears lost their habitat.
Of course, neither of those was likely to happen anytime soon, so the only thing I could do right now was raise the temperature as much as possible. Thus, the tent I was staying in had been thoroughly prepared for the cold.
It was all thanks to the technology of the best dwarves in this world. This was why I just had to keep dwarf slaves.
Thump, thump.
I took out the corn I'd brought and tossed it into the campfire. Roasted corn eaten in the cold is a real delicacy.
The corn spread a delicious aroma as it roasted to a golden brown. I sensed people outside the tent.
Drawn by a sight they'd never seen before—a warmth that couldn't be felt from just a fire and fur clothes—the village children gathered around. The sight of their runny noses was both cute and rather pitiful.
Right, they may have been born and raised in Eisengar and have a high resistance to the cold, but cold was still cold. In this situation, the right thing to do as an adult was to show some mercy.
“Come now, everyone. You're cold, aren't you? Come on in and have some delicious corn. If you wish, I'll even give you the chance to become my slaves. It's free, of course.”
“Why is becoming a slave free…?”
“Because you get the chance to become the slave of a kind master like me. If all the masters in the world were like me, the people of this world would be divided into three groups: masters and slaves.”
“What's the last one?”
“Those who want to become slaves. Of course, even if you become a slave, you can be freed whenever you want. And if you don't want to be a slave, I'll just give you the corn.”
“You'll really give us corn…?”
Tsk, it seemed they didn't trust me yet.
“There are two things I hate most in this world. One of them is lying.”
“What's the other one?”
“Did I say two? I don't quite remember.”
It seemed they were properly taught not to follow strangers. If it were me, I would have snatched up the corn in a heartbeat, but the children here just hesitated.
“What do you think you're doing?”
Just as I was showing the children my goodwill, Jorn strode over with a fearsome look on his face.
“I was just about to share some corn with the children.”
“I thought I heard something about slaves.”
“I said I'd give them the opportunity, if they wanted to become slaves.”
“You'd make the future of our tribe into slaves?”
“I know what you're worried about, but I'm different. I treat my slaves with the utmost devotion. I don't force them. It would only be a loss for me if I did.”
Think of how much money it costs to feed, house, and clothe them. Besides, I wasn't running a business, so I wouldn't even make them work.
Even if I liberated kids like these, the points I'd get would be smaller than an ant's eyeball. It would be pure volunteer work.
But Jorn, as if his heart had frozen over from living in this cold place, twisted his face into a scowl. He spoke in a frigid voice that could rival the chill of Eisengar itself.
“Slave trader. I won't deny that we received help from your slave. But if I see you pulling any more funny business, you'd better be prepared.”
“Suit yourself.”
Jorn's gaze dropped to the children.
“You lot, go on home. And don't you dare approach this tent again.”
“Y-yes, sir…”
The kids scurried away in fear.
“Damn. I roasted a lot of corn for the kids. Now there's going to be leftovers.”
I took a bite of the golden-brown roasted corn.
It's roasted perfectly, too.
Tsk, for a tribal chief, he's so damn stubborn.
He was so frustrating in the game, too. I just wanted to kick his ass.
“Don't tell me you chased the kids away so you could have it all to yourself? I've never seen someone more wicked than a slave trader. If you wanted some, you should have just asked me to roast more.”
Jorn's eyebrow twitched minutely.
That's usually what happens when people get angry.
“Or not.”
I surveyed the scene outside the tent while eating my corn. The Northguards, reminiscent of Eskimos, were checking their gear and confirming their maps.
A single glance revealed a sense of urgency.
“Looks like you're going out for a hunt.”
“How did you know that?”
“Don't underestimate a slave trader's intuition.”
[The North is a harsh environment for people to live in. Food is always scarce. Help the Northguard procure food!]
Wasn't it something like that?
It was a quest and an event that would pop up constantly while staying at Lake Fortress. Completing the quest would raise my affinity with the tribe members.
“What a perfect opportunity. I'll send Miss Azyeth with you.”
“We Northguards do not accept help from outsiders.”
“Have you already forgotten that you received Miss Azyeth's help just yesterday?”
Jorn shut his mouth.
Breaking through the first time is always the hardest; the second time is nothing.
“If Miss Azyeth accompanies you, the job will be much easier. The risk of accidents will also be greatly reduced.”
“The Northguards are all skilled warriors. We are never careless. There will be no accidents.”
“What you're doing right now is being careless. Don't you know that the battlefield is a place where anything can happen?”
“……”
“As the chief of a tribe, you should care more about the safety of your people than your petty pride. You may not trust me, but you can trust Miss Azyeth, can't you?”
Jorn, who had been silently looking down at me as I picked kernels off my corn, turned his back.
“…Do as you please. If she gets in the way, we'll leave her behind. Don't come blaming us then.”
With that, Jorn tossed out the words and disappeared.
‘Hah. Utterly crushed by logic~’
Couldn't argue back, so you just scurried away, huh?
And the way he had to get one last word in because of his pride was the cherry on top.
*
They called the warriors who protected the North "Northguards," but in some respects, you could also call them all-purpose laborers who did everything.
Exterminating demonic beasts, procuring food, and so on.
Procuring food was especially important in the barren North, where agriculture was difficult. They had to hunt demonic beasts and animals for meat and obtain hides to withstand the cold.
It was directly linked to their survival.
Sending Azyeth on such a task would yield significant gains in the affinity department.
“Don't cause any trouble out there. Just follow them closely and hunt what they tell you to hunt. If you get lost, find high ground and look for a canyon. Got it?”
“Rami… not coming with…?”
“Everyone has their own role to play.”
I wasn't sure if she fully understood, but Azyeth nodded anyway. She couldn't do anything on her own, but she was good at following orders, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
“Be careful out there!”
“Bring back lots of tasty meat!”
The hunting party departed, sent off by the cheers of the villagers.
The people dispersed, returning to their own tasks.
Once the hunting party was gone, the village grew quiet.
‘Alright, shall I get started, too?’
Now that the village security was lax.
It was time to start laying the groundwork.