In the empty room, only Water Stream and Kent remained.
It was evident that Water Stream was in a good mood, though Kent wasn't sure if it was because she had unexpectedly received a thousand gold coins.
However, Kent believed that Water Stream wasn't the type to be so materialistic. Since he met her, she hadn't shown much interest in material wealth, even though resources in this world weren't exactly abundant.
Then there was Water Stream's Blood Rose Adventure Team, which Kent found particularly intriguing. He still didn't know if the rumors were true—that the Blood Rose team was composed entirely of women.
In any era, women played an important role.
"We need to talk about the arrangement for your Blood Rose sisters," Kent said, looking at the owner of the lake-blue eyes. "As you can see, I really want to turn Spear Hunting Valley into a true territory. Right now, the biggest thing we're lacking is manpower."
Water Stream now looked very different from when Kent had rescued her from the Cave Tribe. Her black hair shone with a sleek luster, simply flowing over her shoulders. Her graceful, swan-like neck was adorned with a thin cord necklace, its charm shining even beneath the clouds.
Her soft, beast-skin attire was simple but fit her perfectly, accentuating her beautiful silhouette. The cloth strips that once wrapped around her legs were now gone, revealing smooth, flawless skin as white as jade, making Kent feel a sudden dizziness under the sunlight.
"If it's just a matter of needing more people…" Water Stream smiled, revealing her white teeth. "The Blood Rose team is all women. How can we help you?"
The message was clear—Water Stream had no objections to relocating the entire Blood Rose team to the valley. However, her pride required a reason to convince herself not only to relocate but also to integrate into the valley's development.
"Who says women can't help?" Kent's eyes widened, but Water Stream didn't seem to fall for the flattery. He laughed awkwardly and added, "Women can not only help, they can help in a big way."
Kent wasn't just saying this to flatter her; he truly believed it.
In recent days, the satisfaction level in the system regarding Water Stream had been steadily rising. This suggested that she was becoming more accustomed to life here. Kent began to eagerly anticipate the idea of Water Stream staying here, permanently by his side.
To achieve that goal, he had to consider the arrangement for the members of the Blood Rose Adventure Team.
Women had their unique advantages, like being detail-oriented and having nimble hands. Kent already had several tasks in mind that would be suitable for women. For example, he could form a medical unit, where he could teach them some of the healthcare techniques from his previous world. Battle nurses would not only tend to the wounded but also provide emotional support.
Another task Kent wanted to experiment with was the creation of magical scrolls. According to memories of the Wild Tribes, some of the larger tribes in the Highland Alliance would spend huge sums of money to purchase magical scrolls from outsiders. With his experience in rune crafting, Kent was sure that wizards created magical arrays on parchment using magical liquids made from the same materials used in runes.
If this magical scroll-making experiment proved successful, then the members of Water Stream's Blood Rose team would be the best candidates for this task. Their close bond with Kent meant there was no risk of information being leaked.
When Kent made his firm declaration, Water Stream hesitated.
As the only young woman in Kent's "camp," her life had been treated with special care. Even her bed, which was once just a piece of wood covered with a beast skin, had now been replaced with a large mattress made from sewn-together beast skins, with thick, dried soft grass in the middle.
Kent called it a "mat." It was a rather odd term.
It was odd, but that mattress was the most comfortable bed Water Stream had ever slept on. At first, when she lay on it, it felt like falling into a soft whirlpool, making her uneasy. But now, she had grown accustomed to and even depended on this feeling.
As for the food, it was no different from what Kent's subordinates ate, but she had never tasted anything quite like it before. The same wild bison meat, when boiled by Kent, had a rich, deep color and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Then there was the "rice powder" made from grinding rough rice. She couldn't figure out how it was made, but if it were left for the older sisters or young girls in Blood Rose to eat, they'd probably love it.
Honestly, the food, the living conditions, and the relationships between people had a huge appeal to her. If there were any obstacle to her decision, it was likely the relationship between her and Kent.
Kent had once mentioned that he could offer a wage to persuade her Blood Rose Adventure Team to move to the valley. But if that happened, what would her relationship with him become?
Should she call him her boss? Her leader? Or should she refer to him as… "boss" like the others?
None of these roles felt right.
"Hey, tell me, what do you want my sisters to do?"
"Of course, I want them to live with dignity," Kent replied. "I've told you before, I want to create a utopia."
Water Stream blinked her lake-blue eyes.
"You and your sisters came to the northern land because you were discriminated against by the Highland Tribes Alliance, right?" Kent met her gaze. The lake's surface was calm. "But this is the frontier wilderness. If danger comes…"
"Our camp is well-hidden," she replied softly.
"You see, you used the word 'hide,' which means you don't really like this life. You want to change it, don't you?" This was Kent's first time directly discussing these matters with her. In the past, he had been cautious, avoiding anything that might touch on her vulnerabilities. But today, he intended to dig deep into what she was trying to hide in her heart.
"You have sharp eyes. How come I never noticed before?" She didn't deny Kent's words, but the surface of the lake began to fog over.
"You're not wrong. Blood Rose isn't wrong. The world is what's wrong," Kent continued. "You and your sisters are living in the wilderness to survive with freedom and dignity. You're doing the right thing. In this goal, we are the same."
"No, you're from the Highland Tribes nobility. We're not the same kind of people."
Water Stream was still being stubborn.
But Kent's system kept showing increasing satisfaction levels for Water Stream.
She was a woman with a very strong sense of self-protection. Who knew what she had been through over the years?