POV Connor
I think we spent at least 3 seconds without saying anything, just looking at Max who was still smiling with his hands on the paintings in a pose that I think gave him confidence.
Another 3 seconds of doing nothing and I could see his smile start to falter.
—Pffd, hahaha Hahahh.
It was none other than Mac, THE Mac, who started laughing first.
—kkkkk haha hahahahah
—Hahahahha
—HahahahahH
Obviously, soon after, we all laughed too.
—Hey come on, I was serious, you should tell him about this, so he also has the chance to get back at the goblin, you know!!! — Mav said both angry and embarrassed.
We only managed to laugh even more, the more he tried to argue, the more the laughter became, until he himself started laughing without even realizing it. I think that after 1 minute of just laughing without even breathing, we managed to calm down.
—haha aaaahha aahhh, no Max you're right, I should really tell you about what happened, and also about how the tomes really work and the next time I visit you we can read it together. — I said after I caught my breath a little.
—hhhuhhhhmn, yes it's a good idea, maybe if he reads this, hhuuhmm, it will also strengthen him and help more with his recovery, and if that doesn't help you still got a potion, didn't you.— Cali said, still shaking a little from the laughter.
And yes, thanks to their help, today we managed to get a potion in one of the fights against the mounted goblins, I can't wait to tell Master Daime about everything we discovered just today compared to months ago.
After a peaceful walk, something very unusual since we would usually be on constant guard for attacks from some creature coming from the forest, but since the villagers began to surrender to the Ordeal and become stronger, animal attacks decreased even more.
According to master Daime, this is because almost all the villagers have been constantly strengthening themselves, increasing the Aether aura as a whole in the region. At the same time, the animals feel this change and unless they are either desperate with hunger or they Even though they can also use Aether, they tend to avoid more "dangerous" places.
Between conversations we finally returned to the village, and I could swear that every time we return from the Ordeal it changes as much as we do.
Before we only had a small cabin (a hovel, actually) for travelers and occasional peddlers and merchants (quite more rare), but now we have a three-story inn, the largest building in the region, apparently second to none in the area, including those in big cities. A small blacksmith shop that was just a rustic forge with a wooden and hay roof from old Mr. Thomas who only came in a few times a week to repair the farming tools and occasionally the few iron pans we had.
It was also upgraded to a workshop made of stones and logs reinforced with flame retardant resin and a living area behind it, now he doesn't need to go from one side to the other when he would have work, he has work every day so much so that he already counts with 3 apprentices, 2 from our village and 1 from the new immigrants.
The tavern isn't even mentioned, before it was just a slightly larger hut with cheap and bitter beer, now in addition to a good beer (not that I've ever tried either) it also serves a variety of wines and even liqueurs, although these have only been served 1 bottle a week for the last 2 months, which either Mrs. Mitsy and her husband make in their own tavern with the fruits of the Ordeal or it is bought from the merchants who now seem to come every 5 days instead of the 5 weeks before .
The tavern itself gained another floor, serving as a second inn just 5 minutes away from each other, even when someone is literally falling drunk they can still get to the inn easily and if they just pass out in the tavern they still have the second floor for him to sleep on, but he better have good money Mrs. Mitsy may be a 43 year old lady, but she can still kick the crap out of any smart guy who didn't pay or try to get into trouble.
Which unfortunately has been happening a little frequently, but thanks to the initial strengthening that our village had, we managed to put an end to several of these troublemakers.
This meant that our poor village made even more money by handing over these troublemakers to the guards in the nearest cities. Before the annual income of the entire village was around 10 real gold coins, now this has practically become the weekly income.
Even more so the tavern, before it was just a slightly larger hut with cheap and bitter beer, now in addition to a good beer (not that I've ever tried either) it also serves a variety of wines and even liqueurs, although these have only been served 1 bottle a week for the last 2 months, which either Mrs. Mitsy and her husband make in their own tavern with the fruits of the Ordeal or it is bought from the merchants who now seem to come every 5 days instead of the 5 weeks before .
The tavern itself gained another floor, serving as a second inn just 5 minutes away from each other, even when someone is literally falling drunk they can still get to the inn easily and if they just pass out in the tavern they still have the second floor for him to sleep on, but he better have good money Mrs. Mitsy may be a 43 year old lady, but she can still kick the crap out of any smart guy who didn't pay or try to get into trouble.
Which unfortunately has been happening a little frequently, but thanks to the initial strengthening that our village had, we managed to put an end to several of these troublemakers.
This meant that our poor village made even more money by handing over these troublemakers to the guards in the nearest cities. Before the annual income of the entire village was around 10 real gold coins, now this has practically become the weekly income.
As we walked and I felt a strange sense of nostalgia for something that was still happening, we approached the center of the village where there was a stone mural with the names of the first villagers who started it all. Obviously we used this place as the main landmark of the village and where the festivals were held and now the market was set up to sell the Ordeal items directly.
—Come, come, fresh fruits picked this morning, regain your strength from the first bite, come!!!
—Giant wolf fang daggers, great for defending yourself if you need to, only 10 silver coins on average!!!
—Skewer of giant, soft and juicy boar meat who will only want 10 small copper coins. We also have rolled meat with bread and soup to take away, just 5 small silver coins each!!!
—... No, not too expensive, let's go for 10 medium copper coins and add 3 wolf skins next time for 5 fangs...
—A strong boar's tusk for 5 small silver coins and additional 1 green demon dagger....
As we passed through the market full of people we heard shouts and excited voices selling and buying different products, most of these people made products that they had taken from Ordeal but a small part bought them from the newest building we had in the city.
A group of peddlers and small merchants met with the village chief last month and proposed creating a warehouse where villagers and visitors could sell and receive specific requests from these merchants to sell specific spoils, in exchange for villagers who had no intention of entering the Ordeal, they could also place orders for either loot of the Ordeal or for some personal work as long as that villager covered the hiring costs and paid a fee to the peddlers who in turn would share 10% of the profits with the village chief and the rest would be theirs as gross profits both in the form of gold that sometimes appeared and from these specific spoils to sell where they were most profitable.
They gave the name Union to this new building based on the commercial guilds that existed in port cities, capitals and some mining cities that were spread across the kingdom.
But as it had never been seen for a guild to create a base in a small border village and as they were free peddlers with no ties to any guild beyond the basics for transiting the kingdom's territory, they created an alternative version that would deal specifically with Ordeal items, according to what Anna had told me and what I had managed to understand (which were only 2 out of every 5 words she said).
Honestly I worry about how the guild lords will react when they find out about this, one thing that any village, even the most distant village, knows is that merchants are mostly smart, greedy people and that they know most things before anyone else, even before the king himself.
And if a group of peddlers (who can now be considered normal merchants at bare minimum) has already made enough profit to open an independent semi-guild, imagine what they will be able to do to enter or take control of this business.
However even though I'm beating myself up about it, I can't do anything, just as I can't help speed up Master Daime's recovery, but luckily I made a friend who can help protect the village and she also seems to like the village and the idea. of the Union, even more so her father who coincidentally is one of the richest merchants in the kingdom but is not president of any guild, just having an official position (whatever that means).