《Past life Remembered》 Chapter 1 Remember Chapter 1 System has been unlocked Past Life Memories have been unlocked You have been reincarnated, and have reached the age of majority for ths world Your past life has accrued free stat, and skill points Your new life has accrued free stat and skill points Skills based on your current life¡¯s actions have been unlocked Skills unlocked Gardening level 1 House Keeping level 1 Wood Cutting level 3 Herbalist level 1 Carving level 1 Current Stats Name Mark Race Human Gender Male Age 12 Level 1 Strength 5 Stamina 5 Mind 3 past life modification applied 25 Charisma 5 Constitution 2 New Skill acquired pain tolerance level 1 ¡®ugh¡¯ The pain in my head was intense, I could barely pay attention to the system notification. Father came into the room with a smile on his face. ¡°Oh, you already unlocked the system huh? Hold on, are you in pain? It shouldn¡¯t hurt. Maybe I should call a healer!¡± He said with some concern. ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just my past life merging with this life I think.¡± I replied without thinking. ¡®Oh Crap, I probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡¯ Father looked at me thoughtfully. ¡°On the one hand, that sounds preposterous, but at the same time, you sound much more adult, and you¡¯re not panicking about the pain, but simply enduring it. Yesterday you¡¯d have whined about a blister.¡± ¡°Oh thank God the pain went away!¡± I sat on my bed panting with relief. ¡°So about this past life you mentioned.¡± Father asked with an undecipherable look on his face. ¡°First, I haven¡¯t replaced your Son, it¡¯s still me in here, I just regained old memories of a previous life. I don¡¯t know why, I didn¡¯t even believe in reincarnation till the system just popped into my head telling me that¡¯s what happened. Maybe some being of power decided to mess with me, but according to the system, my past life is giving me benefits now. I was over fifty years old when I died before, and left behind family. So if anything remembering them will be quite painful for some time. Also my relationship with you and Mom will be somewhat strained for a while, since past me overshadows current me, but current me¡¯s emotions are no less valid. Just need to give it time.¡± I tried to reassure my Father. ¡°Mom, is that what you called your past life¡¯s Mother?¡± Father asked. ¡°Well yes, and also no. See Mom, and Dad for that matter, are special terms that individuals give to people who care for them and are a guiding light in their life. Doesn¡¯t require blood relation, and you can have several. While Mother and Father are about the people who are directly responsible for your life starting.¡± Father had a thoughtful expression. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting custom, I quite like it actually. So I would get the tile Dad in this case?¡± I nodded at his question. ¡°I would be tempted to hide this from your Mother, but the change is so drastic, there¡¯s just no way you could fake it, she¡¯ll know right away. I¡¯ll tell her myself first, then send her to talk with you.¡± He left my room. ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t call for a priest or something.¡¯ I went to where I kept my coins. Just over a hundred coppers. Slightly more than a silver in total. I¡¯m sure father didn¡¯t know I had been planning to join the quester¡¯s guild, and probably wouldn¡¯t have approved. For good reason, even though I had the money to register, I couldn¡¯t get a weapon. Kid didn¡¯t think that far ahead, but I knew a thing or two that would help. Martial arts for one. ¡®Hmmm¡¯ I performed a pattern dance, the simplest one I knew. New skill acquired Unarmed Combat level 1 past life modification Kung Fu knowledge applied Skill name altered Kung Fu level 35 ¡®Holy Crap!¡¯ I grinned like a Madman, and turned to see Mother standing with utter shock in the door way. ¡°Mom, or I guess Mother, unless Dad told you what that meant. Is something wrong?¡± I asked. She slumped against the wall dazed. ¡°You can fight? Better than anyone I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. You¡¯ve never been trained, nor had any chance to practice in secret. This isn¡¯t a game is it?!¡± She asked almost depressed. ¡°Sorry Mom, but it¡¯s not a game, or a prank. Honestly if that little shit was able to even think of this as a prank, I¡¯d kick his ass myself, and I AM him!¡± Mother flinched at my foul language. ¡°Sorry, Grown Up me had a foul tongue. I¡¯ll try to behave as much as I can. Still I need to apply my free stat points the System awarded me for my previous life. Skill points too. I also need to cook something. I think I can unlock that skill, and it will level decently from my past life, since my Kung Fu training crossed over.¡± I gave my Mother a squeeze, as I went to see what was available to cook in the kitchen. Mother hadn¡¯t gone shopping for the day yet, so there wasn¡¯t much, but noticing a Potato plant out in the yard I grinned. Grabbing a pitch fork off the side of the barn, and proceeded to dig up the Potatoes. Putting the seed potatoes to the side, and only taking in larger ones. I cleaned them, sliced them, getting knife skill to unlock, and placed them into the oven over the smoldering coals. The oven was still plenty hot, and in less than fifteen minutes they were fully cooked. I pulled them out, and sure enough Cooking skill unlocked. Opening my menu to see how many free points I had, I was dumbstruck. Free Stat Points This Life 12 Past Life 638 Total available 650 Free Skill points This life 3 Past Life 727 Total 730 So adding 45 each to Strength Charisma and Stamina and 48 to constitution then 25 to mind to make everything fifty. Leave me with 442 400 divided by 5 is 80 so adding 80 to each stat brings them from 50 to 130 then 42 divided by five is 8 with a remainder of 2 But I think I¡¯ll min max from her onward. So I¡¯ll just put 21 each into strength and stamina making them 151 each. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Current Stats Name Mark Race Human Gender Male Age 12 Level 1 Strength 151 Stamina 151 Mind 130 Constitution 130 Charisma 130 Skills unlocked Gardening level 1 House Keeping level 1 Wood Cutting level 3 Herbalist level 1 Carving level 1 Kung Fu level 35 Knife Skills Level 1 past life modification level 3 Cooking level one Past life modification level 15 Cooking and Knife skills are important, so making them level one hundred makes sense, same with Kung Fu. 95 Skill points used for cooking 97 for knife skills and65 for Kung Fu. Leaving me with 543 Carving might come in handy, so add 19 to that, 524 Wood cutting 17 to that 507 throw those seven points into House keeping, actually nine, cause I¡¯m making gardening and herbalist level twenty also. Leaving me with 460 that I¡¯ll save for anything that comes up. Skills unlocked Gardening level 20 House Keeping level 10 Wood Cutting level 20 Herbalist level 20 Carving level 20 Kung Fu level 100 Knife Skills Level 100 Cooking level 100 As I was standing there potholder in hand I thought I should put it away, and it vanished from my hand. New skill acquired Sub Dimensional Storage Level 1 Current Capacity 10 pounds. With this startling turn of events, I thought of another old trope. Looking at my freshly baked potato slices, I willed myself to know more. New Skill acquired Analysis Level 1 Perceive the names of items. I immediately dumped 99 points into each skill leaving me with 262 points. Checking the Analysis skill I discovered that I can know pretty much anything about a targeted item. Yup over powered. Then my storage capacity went up to ten tons. That¡¯s decent, but not gonna take long to fill it up with hunted animals. Dumping another 200 into it, I saw the capacity was over a million tons. Not unlimited, but may as well be. I¡¯ll save the rest, all 62 points for future skills. I pulled the potholder bake out of my inventory, and placed it on its holder peg. Then I served the potatoes onto three plates, and sprinkled them with Herbs for flavor, not having salt, or pepper to use. Mom and Dad were sitting together outside trying to come to grips with my change, and I gave them each a plate. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Mother asked. ¡°I just realized, you don¡¯t even know Potatoes are food, you always had me pull them, and throw them away. Seriously these will blow your mind. They¡¯re so versatile. Soups, Stews, boil and mash them with a roux over the top, bake them fry them, grind them and dry them into powder, or if you¡¯re desperate, use them to make alcohol, though I¡¯d not suggest that. Make it too strong, and it can blind someone.¡± Father hesitantly took a bite, only for his eyes to widen in delight. Mother followed his example, and was equally surprised. ¡°Well now I hope you didn¡¯t cook them all, we need to plant them now, and finding them in the forest would be a challenge.¡± I smiled as I responded. ¡°I kept all the small ones, they can be cut into four pieces, and each piece can grow a whole new plant. There¡¯s plenty of seed potatoes to plant a whole field of them. I can teach Dad how to grow them later today. I¡¯ll be joining the Quester¡¯s Guild Though probably only for fetch quests at first. Herb gathering, and the like. My stats are so insane at this point, probably a level twenty couldn¡¯t stand against me. I also have 62 free skill points sitting idle for whenever I get new skills that I want to boost.¡± Father looked at me sternly. ¡°Just how high do you consider Insane huh? Questing isn¡¯t a safe life you know.¡± I grinned. ¡°Strength, and Stamina 151 everything else 130.¡± Mom and Dad¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Son, that¡¯s incredible, not even a level 40 could boast a single stat at 130, let alone 151, and you have everything that high!¡± I nodded. ¡°Fifty years of hard work, and sacrifice, I didn¡¯t even get to have my own family, even my niece¡¯s and nephews died ahead of me, so I was the last of my Family there. Too much work, no socializing. It¡¯s means I don¡¯t have to waste my life here, but taking advantage of it through the questing guild will let me capitalize on it, and make enough money to buy my own land, and live a peaceful life, with enough stored for emergencies.¡± Just then Mother got a splinter from the table. I instantly went to help her remove the Splinter, because of the cedar wood, I knew she¡¯d get an infection if we didn¡¯t act quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly Son, it¡¯s just a splinter.¡± I looked at her. ¡°NO, it¡¯s a CEDAR splinter, we have to remove it promptly, and thoroughly clean the area to remove all the Cedar oil, or you¡¯ll get an infection. Now hold still while I work, we don¡¯t want to miss any.¡± Mother¡¯s eyes widened at this revelation. In no time at all, I had the splinter out, and the wound was bleeding freely. Mother excused herself to clean the wound before bandaging it. New Skill acquired Fisrst Aide Level 1 Past life modification Level 40 Outside of lost limbs, or extreme poisoning, you can handle most situations better than any non magical healer. ¡®Well that¡¯s convenient.¡¯ Father looked at my expression, and spoke. ¡°You look pleased, what did you get?¡± Grinning like a fool, I replied. ¡°First Aide, and my past life experience leveled it up to 40 in one go, I can handle most things aside from extreme poisoning, lost limbs, and I presume un curable illnesses. Only healing magic can improve it now.¡± Father¡¯s eye¡¯s bulged once again. ¡°You had an interesting life before it would seem.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Not really, but our standards of society were higher, no magic, no system, but fantastic machines let us do far more than is possible currently here. We also taught literally everyone to read, write, and do mathematics.¡± I quickly jotted down a math problem, and solved it, and sure enough. New Skill unlocked Calculation Level 1 past life modification level 60 ¡°I just got Calculation at level 60, that¡¯s sure to help.¡± Dad just shook his head, exasperated by how easily I was getting skill levels. Meanwhile having another idea, I stood up, grabbed a nearby stone of decent size, and placed it near a stump we were trying to remove, and then got a large branch that looked sturdy, waiting to be chopped into fire wood. I used the branch as a lever, and with relative ease lifted the stump out of what remained of its hole. New Skill unlocked Scientific Principal level 1 past life modification level 80 New skill unlocked Engineering level 1 past life modification level 40 ¡°A two for, Scientific Principal, and Engineering, sweet!¡± Dad was thunderstruck at how easily I had remove the stump. We have been working for over a month in our spare time, and anticipated at least another month before the thing would be fully dug up, yet there it lay. ¡°Ahem, I suppose I can get Daren¡¯s Mule to haul the stump away early.¡± Father seemed a little dejected, about how I seemed to be smarter than him. We spent the rest of the day prepping the field for the Potatoes, and getting them cut, and planted. I taught him the whole process for growing, and harvesting potatoes, having spent a couple years on a Farm as a young twenty something in Idaho, I knew the whole process, and even managed to convey several of the issues to watch out for. I also taught Mom all the recipe¡¯s I knew involving Potatoes, and she went crazy with the ones I had left, cooking them in every way I mentioned in order to have some practice, and Dad thoroughly enjoyed the experiments, as did I. Mom was quite skilled at making food taste good, with little seasonings. The next morning I left the Farm to register at the Guild. Chapter 2 Guild Chapter 2 Guild It took me a little over two hours to walk to the Quester¡¯s Guild, and as I entered, I saw several lines of people in front of receptionists, while one had nobody in it. Big surprise, it was the only one with a Man at the desk. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to register please.¡± After taking my money, and providing the information form for me to fill out, the Receptionist basically ignored me until I was finished. Then he led me to a testing court, where a mid ranked Quester was on duty to test new recruits. ¡°Well kid, you¡¯re old enough, let¡¯s see if you can handle yourself. Just come at me, and if you knock me down, I¡¯ll approve you for a higher entry rank.¡± He laughed at his joke, but the humor left his face as he found himself already on his back. ¡°Huh?¡± I smirked at him. ¡°I know that one doesn¡¯t count, since you were grossly underestimating me based upon my appearance, a bad habit for any Quester. Shall we go for real now?¡± I offered my hand to help him up. ¡°Yeah, sorry for not taking you serious, ok let¡¯s do this for real. Pearson, will you call the start?¡± Pearson, the receptionist while still looking shocked, nodded, and momentarily called ¡°Begin.¡± The test administrator moved, but it didn¡¯t help, he found himself on his back in under two seconds, without landing a blow. I then noticed a boulder that was clearly just too big for them to have moved, and they gave up trying to break it. While both people looked on, I proceeded to kick the boulder, and to all our surprise, it shattered under my single blow. ¡°You understand why I¡¯d rather not hit you yeah?¡± Both nodded frantically. ¡°I¡¯d love to get you started at A rank, but best you can test into is the same as me, as I¡¯m a C rank, you can¡¯t test higher, unless I can get someone higher to test you, and there¡¯s no B, or A ranked people here currently. Only the Guild master could test you to A rank, and that won¡¯t happen till you¡¯ve earned enough quest points.¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°Let¡¯s keep this from being spread out if possible. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get noticed soon enough, just don¡¯t go telling everyone and their Dog about me please.¡± I went to the Quest board after getting my Guild Card. I found several herb gathering posts, and some small game posts, and took all the ones I thought would be in the same location. It was surprisingly not too far from the Farm, so I simply went towards home. Passing by the Farm, I entered the woods to begin harvesting. My Analysis skill was super helpful, in finding all the medical herbs, as well as some Alchemist materials, and particular poisons. Then also food herbs, and mushrooms. As I continued, by hunting the small game, I was attacked by some Goblins, not too unusual, and the blood should have attracted them, but the Hob Goblin, and Shaman, were a great surprise. Then an Ogre showed itself, and if I hadn¡¯t been strong enough, there¡¯d have been no way for me to beat it. Ogres don¡¯t belong here, but perhaps I could have called it a One Off, but having killed over ten of them, I began to be concerned. At this point I needed to go back, and report this. I decided speed was absolutely required for this situation, so I ran at full speed, putting my Stamina to full effect. It had only been four hours since I had left the Guild, and I returned straight back to my Receptionist from the morning. ¡°I need a Private Room, and the Guild Master should attend. This is important, and it¡¯s my ass, not yours if I¡¯m wrong.¡± Knowing my abilities, he simply accepted my words, leading me to a room, and leaving to get the Guild Master. Soon after he returned with a tall, muscular woman, with a Stern Face. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± I bowed respectfully, automatically understanding that the Woman was in fact the Guild Master, or Mistress as it were. ¡°First I want to explain that I have a unique skill, it¡¯s one I don¡¯t want to advertise, but this is important. I went to this area, in order to do some minor fetch quests, which I have completed, though not turned in, because of what happened while I was out there. The Skill allows me to carry anything I want, in a sort of invisible pocket, and not suffer from the weight. Nobody can steal from me either. With that being said, I¡¯m going to drop all the things that attacked me.¡± I dumped all the goblins, forty of them, three hob goblins, and the Shaman, then the ten Ogres. The Guild Master held out a crystal ball. ¡°Put your hand on this, and swear to me you¡¯ve told the truth about where all of these were located, and that it was you, and nobody else who killed them all.¡± I did exactly as I was instructed, and a green glow came from the crystal. ¡°Thanks for telling us this. That¡¯s definitely unusual for any hobs or shamans to be there, and unheard of for even a single ogre, let alone ten of the buggers. You seem new, but there¡¯s no way fresh meat can handle any of this alone, even in a group of five, and ogre would make short work of new questers. What did you test out as?¡± I smiled at her. ¡°I tested into C rank, because that¡¯s the highest I can test into without your direct testing, or so I was told.¡± She smiled back at me. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m making an exception for you, let¡¯s go to the testing court now, and I¡¯ll administer a rank up test, if you can impress me, you¡¯ll be at A rank, and if you manage to knock me down even once, I can even authorize S rank, at least locally, you¡¯d need to get tested at the capitol in order to have full guild recognition as S rank.¡± We went to the Testing Court, where my earlier tester had just finished with a new recruit. ¡°Clear away, this guy¡¯s getting tested for rank up.¡± Everyone moved out of the court, and their wide eyes watched on as we were signaled by Pearson to start the bout. It lasted all of twenty seconds, but the Guild master¡¯s surprised face was staring up at me from the ground, and I hadn¡¯t thrown a punch, only blocks, and the eventual throw. I then pointed to the remains of the boulder. When she saw what I had pointed at, her eyes snapped back at me. ¡°That was you that broke that pesky rock?! You get local S rank, and Guild A rank officially, and well deserved!¡± I held my hand to help her up. ¡°Thankyou very much Guild Master, I look forward to questing for you for some time. I¡¯m in no rush for the Guild wide S Rank title, so I¡¯ll be building up funds and getting my own land as soon as possible.¡± She smirked at me. ¡°Kid, you can buy a house, even a farm today, after your rewards are calculated and paid, in fact there¡¯s a farm laying empty out near where you were questing today, do you know it? That farm was confiscated by the guild for a debt incurred, and not paid. It will make things much easier on us, if you¡¯ll accept that as part of your pay. We simply don¡¯t have enough platinum on hand to pay you for everything, but with that farm, we can manage one Platinum, and twenty gold, about fifty silver, and twenty five copper, without getting into dangerous levels for paying out everyone else¡¯s quests.¡± I stood shocked for a moment at the fortune I was being offered. ¡°Keep the Platinum, and half the Gold on account for me, maybe I can get some gear later.¡± She positively beamed at this suggestion. ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯ll give you a credit voucher on your card, the guild armory can provide what you need, and that helps us even more, so you¡¯re taking that land then?¡± I nodded happily. ¡°As it happens, my Father owns the Farm next to that, so it¡¯s perfect for us too, basically doubling the farm land, and giving me my own house into the bargain. Can¡¯t wait to tell my Parents now.¡± We returned to the main hall, where my A rank, local S rank card was handed over to me, along with a hefty sack of coins, and the deed to that farm. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you. I need to visit the Alchemist shop, and I have some cooking herbs too, though I don¡¯t know who¡¯s buying those.¡± The guild master looked at me, and grinned. ¡°The prancing stag would buy the herbs I suspect, and they¡¯re on good terms with the guild too. Put up with a lot of crap if you ask me. Maybe you can do them a favor, and sell at low cost, I¡¯ll add a little extra to your guild card if you will.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I will, but don¡¯t worry about the money, clearly I had everything I truly need covered already, and it¡¯s only day one.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Leaving the guild, I went to the Alchemist, not far away, nothing was that far away in this Podunk village of ours. Frank was sitting behind his counter, with his drawers labeled behind him, and he was instantly concerned seeing me. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Tell me the symptoms, I can only hope you can afford whatever remedy is needed.¡± I held my hands up in a double stop gesture. ¡°WHOA, hold on! Nobody is sick, I have ingredients for you to examine, and possibly take off my hands at reduced price, cause it¡¯s you, and you¡¯ve saved us on more times than I can count.¡± So saying, I held a sack which I had previously filled with all the alchemical ingredients I had found, separated into individual smaller pouches to keep them from contaminating each other. ¡°These are all excellent quality, perfectly harvested. Your herbalist skill has come a long way! Sadly I can only offer six gold for all, and that¡¯s less than a tenth of its value.¡± I smiled, ¡°Then split that in half, I¡¯ll take three gold, cause I got a pretty big payday from the Quester¡¯s Guild today, including this.¡± I held the deed for him to see, and his eyes sparkled with joy. ¡°My boy that¡¯s wonderful! But only three Gold is just too little!¡± ¡°Tell you what Frank, just keep the balance as a credit for when my family need remedies. That way you can charge cost only, and not labor yeah?¡± He stuck his hand out smiling broadly. ¡°DEAL!¡± I took my three gold, and the now empty sacks, that I secretly filled again with all the cooking ingredients I had found. Walking to the Prancing Stag. Rather than going to the main door, I went around back to the kitchen entrance. ¡°Excuse me! Is the lead cook available?¡± A woman in her thirties smiles exhaustedly. ¡°That¡¯d be me, just about break time, hope this¡¯ll be quick, whatever you need.¡± I handed over the bag. ¡°Cooking Herbs, and Edible Mushrooms. What¡¯s your lowest estimate of their value please?¡± She checked through the sack, eyes twinkling. ¡°I¡¯d love to buy all this, surely, but even at its lowest value, that¡¯d be twelve gold, and I can¡¯t pay more than six with my budget.¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯m only asking two Gold for the lot, and I won¡¯t accept a copper more. Who knows, as a Quester, I might need your help with something later.¡± Her eyes bulged, and she couldn¡¯t move her hands fast enough to get the two Gold, and shake my hand to seal the deal. ¡°That¡¯s a deal, we¡¯ve shaken on it, and you can¡¯t change it now!¡± I laughed, and pulled her into a hug, which surprised her. ¡°I¡¯m a local boy, we¡¯re like Family right? No way would I offer what I didn¡¯t mean. I gathered all that today, and got paid a good amount for what I was actually doing at the time. By the way, you posted for small game meat, I almost forgot I needed to turn that in here.¡± I took out the game bag I had been given with the quest paper, without it being noticed by the woman. ¡°I¡¯m Mark by the way.¡± She took the bag, and found all the small game perfectly butchered, with the pelts on the side. She signed the quest notice as completed, and handed it back to me. ¡°Blanche dear, you just come by anytime. With these herbs my cooking is sure to improve even more. Skills are great, but flavors can¡¯t change without seasoning.¡± I left Blanch with a wave, and headed to the trapper¡¯s hut. Knowing the man often had to brew poisons to kill more dangerous beasts, I took all the poisonous items I had gathered to him. ¡°Herbert, you in? Got some stuff for you.¡± Herbert came out from behind the shack with a cursous gaze on me. ¡°Mark lad, not too common for you to darken my work space, usually only see you in the market, or out in the woods if we get lucky.¡± I laughed. ¡°Well, I found some poisonous stuff, and figured you could use it for trapping. I won¡¯t take a copper from you either, I consider you an essential person of this town, and you¡¯re to only person I trust with Poison.¡± He took the bag from me, and seeing its contents grinned that particularly evil grin of someone who intends to cause great pain to his foe. ¡°This will help a lot in my next brew, and I got a nasty bugger I¡¯m after too. Really needed these, and had no idea any were around.¡± ¡°Send that Nasty Bugger to the underworld, but make sure it hurts for a while yeah!¡± We both chuckled as I waved, and walked away. Crossing through town, back towards home once again, I went through the central market area, and noticed a slave dealer arguing with the town bully. Jarreth was trying to under value a particular slave girl. Looking at the girl, I got chills, because she reminded me heavily of my Sister from my past life. I knew it wasn¡¯t her, I looked nothing like my old self, but still I couldn¡¯t help myself, as I slammed one Gold onto the wagon. ¡°I¡¯ll take her for one Gold¡± Jarreth looked daggers at me. ¡°I¡¯m buying this Slave!¡± I sneered. ¡°Not with your puny allowance your not. I can keep going, but you, probably only trying to lower her price cause you can¡¯t afford her. Not that you deserve her anyway.¡± The idiot tried to punch me then, and unsurprisingly he ended up on his back, with my foot on his neck before he could blink. ¡°I¡¯m a local S rank Quester, and you only pick on weaklings. Guess what, I¡¯m going to hound you till you confess to your Father about every time you bulled ANYONE in town, and you¡¯re GOING to be locked in your room for the next half year.¡± My gaze pierced his very soul with the sheer level of contempt I had for him. He ran away quicker than anyone but I could follow. Straight home as it turned out. I chuckled as I turned back to the slave dealer. ¡°Sorry for that, he¡¯s the town bully, I plan to put him properly in his place from now on. One Gold is that acceptable?¡± He had the biggest grin ever. ¡°For you certainly, she¡¯s actually worth a tad more, but after that idiot getting a gold, and seeing the punk chased of I¡¯ll take the minor loss.¡± Within moments she was signed over to me, contract magic and all. She followed meekly after me. ¡°Well this is going to be fun!¡± I commented with extreme sarcasm. ¡°Master?¡± Looking back at her I smiled. ¡°I left home today with barely a silver to my name, and am coming home with my own deed for property, a hefty coin purse, AND a slave girl. I couldn¡¯t let that Pig lay a finger on you, but My Parents are going to instantly jump to the conclusion that I intend lewd things to happen. I don¡¯t. Even though I know you aren¡¯t her, you remind me of someone who was precious to me, an Elder Sister as it happens. So despite that damned collar, from now on, I want you to think of me like your Brother. Name¡¯s Mark by the way.¡± ¡°Master Mark, do you mean that? I¡¯m prepared to share my Master¡¯s bed, it¡¯s almost expected.¡± ¡°I know what¡¯s typical, but in my book, legal or otherwise, that¡¯s Rape. If a woman doesn¡¯t want it, even if she goes through the motions, he¡¯s still a Rapist, and I won¡¯t go there. If my partner isn¡¯t fully on board, then I can¡¯t enjoy myself either. It¡¯s bad enough if I can¡¯t perform to her needs, it¡¯s totally different if she doesn¡¯t even want me to. So yeah, you can call me by name, or even Brother if you want. Feel free to call me an idiot if you think I deserve it. Your collar won¡¯t let you smack me upside the head, but I¡¯d let you if I could. You¡¯re as safe with me as possible, and free to be yourself. I own your time, and effort, not your heart, or body.¡± ¡°Brother Mark then, my name is Maria. If you¡¯re being honest with me, then I look forward to a happy life with you.¡± Chapter 3 Lecture of the Innocent Chapter 3 Lecture of the innocent We arrived at the Farm slightly before dinner, and the smell of many potato dishes wafted through the air, making me smile. Clearly Mom was trying to perfect her cooking skills with Potatoes. She spotted me through the window, smiled, then frowned in confused concern. ¡®Oh boy, here it comes!¡¯ I thought to myself. The front door opened shortly after, framing both of my parents in all their disapproving glory. ¡°I¡¯d have thought we raised you better than this! To think our Son would buy a Slave just because he wants a little comfort. Whoever your future wife will be, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll approve of this.¡± Father said, and mother wasn¡¯t far behind. ¡°Honestly how could you? You were meant to be joining the Quester¡¯s Guild, not wasting your savings on a Slave you can¡¯t possibly afford to keep!¡± She stated emphatically. I groaned in exasperation. ¡°What did I tell you? Instant conclusion. I mean yeah, I know it looks bad, but at least ask the questions first. For starters, you might have been attached to the Guild coming for confirmation of my age, or something similar. Then they also assumed I used my ONE SILVER to buy you, like there¡¯s ANY WAY a slave, let alone one who looks so amazing, could ever be sold for a single silver. I may have seen this coming, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m any less disappointed in your snap judgment.¡± I glared at them, and was gratified with a sheepish smile, while Marie blushed at my compliment about her looks. ¡°First, that idiot of the Mayor was harassing the Slave dealer, that¡¯s what drew my attention, second once I saw her, it was like a shot to the heart, because she looks exactly like my older sister when she was her age. Between those two factors, I couldn¡¯t leave her to fate, even if the moron didn¡¯t have a chance in buying her, no way would I let anyone get their disgusting hands on her! I paid a GOLD for her, and thought it a cheap price. Also look at this.¡± I shoved the deed into father¡¯s hand so he could read it. ¡°That¡¯s only a small part of what I got today. I could have gone straight to that house, but I doubt there¡¯s much of any use there, even if it¡¯s still weather proof, which I doubt, that land¡¯s been uninhabited for quite some time after all. No joke, I have over a Platinum on account with the guild, and a hefty sum on hand as well. I even sold other things before the whole slave dealer thing happened, which reminds me, you have an account at the Alchemist shop. Sold him some high grade ingredients, and he couldn¡¯t afford to pay for all of them, so I had the account setup instead.¡± Mother¡¯s eyes were as large as dinner plates, and her mouth was inviting any flying bug to setup house it was hanging so far open. ¡°That having been said, I had no chance to get Marie anything she¡¯s going to need, including anything to sleep in. Mom would you mind lending her a night gown for tonight? We¡¯ll need to get her cleaned as well, I don¡¯t think that slave merchant has any real business sense, he¡¯d be better off selling second hand knives, then he¡¯d understand presentation, and caring for your goods.¡± ¡°Sure, she can borrow a night gown, we¡¯ll get that sorted after dinner. I made plenty thanks to you introducing a whole new food. I¡¯m sorry for jumping to conclusions, I never even thought about your sisters, and that she could remind you so heavily of her. Marie, welcome home, please don¡¯t mind what I said earlier, I¡¯m happy to have you here, honestly, and if he¡¯s taking you as his sister, then that makes you my daughter now ok?¡± Marie smiled widely. ¡°Brother Mark did say as much, and he foretold your reaction to seeing me just as we left the town. With how casually he spent a Gold to get me, I assumed I was going to a large Manor house somewhere, not a Farm. I couldn¡¯t be happier that I was wrong, cause I¡¯m a Farm Girl myself, so this feels much better to me. As to being my Mother, I,¡­I could really use a Mother¡¯s Hug, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Tears were brimming in her eyes, as my Mother rushed to embrace her precious daughter. Marie burst into whole body sobs, as the relief of finally being safe once more overwhelmed her. I awkwardly slipped past them to ensure Mother¡¯s hard work in the Kitchen didn¡¯t go to waste, and Father followed me. ¡°I¡¯m shocked Son, you leave with barely anything, and return with your own land, and wealth I can¡¯t even imagine, and it¡¯s only been a day! What are your plans for the Farm?¡± I kept myself busy finishing up the Dinner, and serving up food as I responded. ¡°Well, I figure you¡¯d expand that way, as much as your comfortable with anyway. While I arrange for the buildings to be refurbished, or replaced entirely depending on what I find. Also, before I forget, weird things are happening around the Farm. That¡¯s where I was questing today. I started out at C rank by the way. But the job I took, was only herb gathering, and small game requests. I was attacked first by goblins, forty of them, then three hobs, and a shaman, after that ten Ogres. I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you that such Monsters don¡¯t belong here, aside from the goblins themselves, but not in those numbers. Make sure to keep close to Mom for a while, till I get the all clear from the Guild. Just glad I¡¯m here, I got ranked up to A rank, and local S rank right after I got back with all my kills. I knew I was strong, but the Guild Master says I can get true S Rank if I go to the Capitol.¡± Dad¡¯s eyes were as wide as Mom¡¯s had been earlier. ¡°That¡¯s amazing about your rank, and equally horrible about those Monsters being here, so close to the Farm. Thanks for letting me know, I assume the Guild wants to keep it quiet.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I looked at Father and nodded. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything, but I assume she doesn¡¯t want a Panic, she knows I¡¯m here, in perfect position to handle whatever comes out here, and she¡¯ll organize a survey mission I imagine, while giving me any BS quest that will keep me here, and hide my rank from the general public. Since I don¡¯t want to be famous around here, just want a decent income, and the quest guild made sense. Can you use any kind of weapon Dad?¡± He grimaced. ¡°I could swing a Club I suppose, maybe a spear if I had one.¡± I nodded my head again. ¡°I¡¯ll pick up a couple spears, so Mom can have one, and you too. A mace too, not that I want you guys fighting, but there¡¯s a famous line from an entertainment from before. Those who don¡¯t live by the sword, can still die on one. Rather you have them, and not need them, than the other way around.¡± Dad nodded too. ¡°Makes sense, I¡¯ll be sure to keep the Mace, and Spear handy no matter where I am on the Farm, and your Mother¡¯s spear can sit by the door I suppose.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No way, she¡¯s going to take it with her everywhere on the Farm till I know it¡¯s safe, or at least as safe as it usually is. I¡¯ll talk to her about it.¡± Naturally, as if on cue, mother had overheard the comment about talking to her about it, and chimed in. ¡°Talk to me about what?¡± I jumped a little, startled at her sudden interruption. ¡°Ah, sorry Mom, you startled me. I was just telling Dad, that Monsters that don¡¯t belong here, have been sighted in concerning numbers right near our Farm, so I¡¯m going to pick up a Spear for you tomorrow. I don¡¯t want you fighting, obviously, but I¡¯d rather you be able to stick a goblin if push cam to shove, so please, until the all clear is given by the Guild, just keep the spear with you while you¡¯re out and about. Afterwards, we can have a mount by the front door, so it can be handy, but not in the way.¡± Mother looked shocked, but then thought about what I said. ¡°Alright, I can agree to that, I don¡¯t know how to fight, but I think I can manage to stick one of the beasties if it comes at me. I may not like the idea, but at least until the danger is back to normal, I can carry the stupid thing around. What about Marie though?¡± I appraised Marie, and almost did a double take. I smiled ear to ear. ¡°She¡¯s getting some interesting weapons. If I had been the kind of scum to deliberately buy a slave for Combat, I couldn¡¯t have gotten a better one that Marie. She has the inherent skills of an Assassin. I however think I can force a Class Change to something interesting, specifically a Ranger. They use all the assassin skills, but also bow and arrow, and hand to hand combat. I¡¯ll have to get a special bow constructed, but a short bow will work for training. With everything I know, she¡¯s going to be a force to be reckoned with by the time I¡¯m done training her. Hope I can get a Sax knife to go with a bundle of throwing knives.¡± Maries eyes widened in shock. ¡°How,¡­how did you know my Family were assassins?!¡± I looked at here. ¡°Family secret here, I¡¯m a reincarnated soul, with past life memories. It was my Sister from that life that you remind me of, anyway, I gained a massive boost to stat, and abilities, and my past life lessons carried over into levels in skills, once I unlock them, they instantly level. One skill I have, is analysis, and that¡¯s leveled up enough for me to see some of your skills, and stats. So it¡¯s not what I know about your blood family, but just about your natural abilities. I can¡¯t read your mind, or divine your past, I can only see what you have, and I only checked to decide on your weapons.¡± Marie took a moment to process my words. Then as she truly understood her eyes bulged. ¡°So, if you lived before, how old would you be? Combined.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I was 53 before I died in my past life, but my memories were locked until the system unlocked. So that¡¯s still my mental age, but I also have the twelve year old memories and emotions too. Guess you could say my personality did a major change on my birthday. Kind of rough on Mom and Dad I think, cause I both AM, and AM NOT their son. While I know two sets of blood parents, and love both sets equally. So welcome home Sis, to the craziness that is my life, or second life I suppose. According to the System I didn¡¯t make this happen, I was chosen to have this happen, and I had nothing to do with it. Given the choice at the time, I bet I¡¯d have chosen oblivion, rather than risk losing everyone I cared about again, but I am here, and I do care, and I¡¯m happy, so that would have been a major mistake.¡± Marie broke past her last barrier with me, and hugged me tight. ¡°Thank you Brother, for bringing me into your life.¡± That was all she needed to say. We soon sat down to dinner, and Marie though skeptical about the Potatoes, soon was eating with gusto, and I could tell when she reached that just uncomfortable enough stage. She kept looking at all the food, wishing she had more room to eat, but knowing she didn¡¯t. ¡°Mom, can you go shopping with Marie tomorrow? I¡¯d let her go herself, but I¡¯m afraid the damned collar would force her to spend the absolute minimum, instead of getting quality. So I¡¯d rather someone else go with her. I¡¯ll give you plenty of coin. Not that I wouldn¡¯t do it myself, but not only do I know nothing of what a Women needs, but I have zero sense of style. Besides, isn¡¯t it every Mom¡¯s dream to play dress up with her daughter? Just remember that we want practical, with style. Not frills with no function. IF God forbid I ever end up taking her to some formal event, you can buy her the pretty dress then, not that she can¡¯t have a couple sun dresses or whatever for when we aren¡¯t questing, but focus on needs over wants for this trip.¡± I took over a hundred silver out of my storage, and placed them on the table. ¡°I think that should cover literally anything reasonable, but you don¡¯t have to try and spend it all. I imagine I¡¯ll need to buy plenty for my house later.¡± Mother just beamed as she slipped the silver into her own purse. Chapter 4 seeming innovation Chapter 4 Seeming innovation In the Morning, I went to town with Marie, and Mom, and parted with them once we arrived in the market. I excused myself to head to the town blacksmith. Having been an avid bow hunter, obsessed with my compound bow, I had meticulously maintained, and repaired my own bow. Never once did I rely on a shop. I even built bows myself for friends, and even one cousin. So I had spent some time in the night to draw out all the parts to size for the bow I wanted to make. I laid all the papers onto a counter, and wighted each corner with a silver coin, gaining the instant undivided attention of the Smith. ¡°Well now young Mark, what have you brought me? Some plans of some sort?¡± As he looked at the plans, his eyes sparkled in delight. ¡°These are very precisely drawn lad, I can definitely build these for the four silvers you¡¯ve given. I assume that¡¯s the point of using them to weight the corners.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Naturally, but I also need some other items. I need two sax knives, two braces of throwing knives, with two extra knives. Two double scabbards to sheath one Sax, and one throwing knife each. Try to give them a little girly flair, but nothing to over the top. Just think what you¡¯d like to see on a cute girl, who was about to end someone¡¯s life. Then two spears, and a mace for my folks. I¡¯d like some gauntlets, or something for hand to hand combat, as that¡¯s my specialty. I¡¯ll stick with leather for armor, but I¡¯d appreciate the suggestion of which tanner to visit for that.¡± ¡°Jeffry¡¯s Tanner is best for our town. Barry is just as good, but charges too much. Too much pride I think. I can provide everything you want, though the scabbards will take time. All in all, in addition to the our silver, I¡¯ll need two gold. Take me till tomorrow for the scabbards, and probably a week on your other project.¡± Without waiting a beat I dropped the two gold, plus a couple extra. ¡°Forgot about needing an archer¡¯s guard. If you happen to have a short bow on hand, I¡¯ll take that for now. How much more for that?¡± Donald¡¯s old spark flecked face lit with avarice as he snatched the Gold coins. ¡°That¡¯s plenty for all lad, and as it happens, I did get a short bow in trade just yesterday. Just clutter for me, but if it¡¯ll help you in the short term, do my heart good you taking it. I¡¯ll just round everything up. Who¡¯s going to use the spears and mace if you don¡¯t mind me asking. Noticed you getting that Slave Girl yesterday. Guessing the rest is for her.¡± I answered as he moved gathering my equipment. ¡°Mom gets one spear for emergencies, Dad gets the other spear, and the mace. Something is weird around the Farm just now, and I¡¯m hopefully being over cautious.¡± He grunted at that. ¡°Mom, and Dad you say? Never heard those terms before, I assume that¡¯s referring to your Parents then. No such thing as over caution in my opinion. It¡¯s always just enough, or you¡¯re dead. Good on you getting them equipped. Your girl will have to make due with standard scabbards till the custom set is done. Made sure it all matches, girls like that sort of thing. Same with the spears, so you Mother can match your Father.¡± I thanked him, and shook his hand warmly. I equipped my gauntlets, and packed up everything else. Then once out of sight of everyone. I stored my haul. My business at the Tanners was dealt with even quicker with no small talk. Promising to return soon for another set of gear for my partner, I left the shop and headed for the Guild Hall. Pearson spotted me, and waved me over. ¡°Guild Master pre selected your quests for today, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve guessed why.¡± I nodded, and simply accepted the quests. Pretty much same as yesterday. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep my eyes open, and my fists ready. Can we have tomorrow¡¯s quests ready when I come back. That way I can just head out in the morning.¡± Pearson thought for a Moment, then nodded. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Basically it¡¯s make work, that keeps you right out there. We¡¯re concerned, and no mistake. Only having you out there makes it less of an emergency, and nobody else even knows how strong you are. She¡¯d send you out to solve the issue yourself, if she knew where to send you. So we¡¯re just waiting on the survey team to report on the problem before we throw the proverbial stick and say go fetch.¡± He Chuckled at his own wit, and I indulgently smiled as I accepted the quest posts. I spent well over half the day wandering the boarders of the woods near the Farm, collecting everything on my postings, and massive numbers of corpses. I had reduced the Goblin population by no less than one hundred, not counting the twenty hobs, five shamans, and even one general. Ogres were much more numerous as well. Fifty all told. Then a single lesser dire wolf. It was the wrong color, so that hopefully meant it really was a lone wolf. Returning to the guild, I signaled Pearson, and we went to a Private room again. I handed over all the quest materials, including yesterdays small game quest from the Inn. Then I suggested we head to the processing area for carcasses, needing a large space to dump everything. Once everything was totaled, my funds grew by more than two Platinum coins, keeping most on account, I only took fifty gold for the day. ¡°I have no idea what I can use that money for, aside from my new land at least. Maybe I¡¯ll build some sort of Manor House out there. More about having tons of rooms, rather than looking like a mansion. Maybe I can adopt some Orphans, and get a large crew for the Farm that way.¡± I chuckled, but Pearson looked earnestly in my eyes. ¡°If that¡¯s even a possibility, then I¡¯d say do it. Specifically the Orphanage in the next town over. I came from there, and even in my Day, most, if not all of the girls typically end up as slaves. The guild there has more access to funding though, so your guild card can get access to funding there much easier than here, and you can get Local S rank status there too. That¡¯s two places for you to quest from at your proper rank. Once this mess is over that is.¡± I was dazed, but then I simply nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, once I have the new house built, and furnished.¡± In a rare display of true emotion, he hugged me. Leaving was a delight after that, and I headed home. Marie was clearly happy with her new attire, and she looked stunning. ¡°Wow Mom, you did good. How you can get basic clothes to look that good is beyond my comprehension. You look amazing Marie!¡± I took the spears and mace out of my storage, handing one spear each to Mom, and Dad, and the Mace to Dad as well. ¡°I honestly hope you won¡¯t need these, but with the numbers I took in today, that¡¯s looking far less likely. In only half a day, I killed a hundred normal goblins, and quite a few more.¡± Mom gasped, and I handed the Sax Knives, and throwing knives over to Marie, along with the short bow, quiver, and archer¡¯s guard. Get that stuff equipped, and let¡¯s go out back, and start your training. Dad, you should mark Mom¡¯s spear, so she knows where to put her hands. Improper placement means poor effect after all.¡± There was no hesitation for Marie, she was eager to start training. The bow was unexpected to her, but she didn¡¯t argue. Having had some training before becoming a slave, she de rusted quickly, and the bow was almost no effort to pick up. It wasn¡¯t too different from throwing knives, and even less difficult movement wise. Almost five hours later, just before Dinner was going to be ready, Marie gasped in utter shock. ¡°Brother Mark, my class just changed, it¡­.it says Ranger now!¡± I shouted in triumph. ¡°YES! I knew it would work. Now we just need to get your armor, and a special cloak, and you¡¯ll be almost unstoppable.¡± Marie¡¯s confusion turned to elation as the full meaning of my words sunk in. She hadn¡¯t lost assassin, it had become more. All her old skills were still there, but more that came with the hunter class were also present. She even got bonus points because of her throwing knife training from before synergizing with archery aiming. Her archery improved by a huge leap immediately after that. We enjoyed out dinner, and went to sleep. Marie stopped me as I was going to lay on the couch. ¡°Brother Mark, I won¡¯t stand for you sleeping on the Couch. You¡¯re coming to bed. Surely Siblings can sleep in the same bed even when they aren¡¯t the same gender. Last night you were working and I couldn¡¯t stay awake long enough to insist, but tonight, I¡¯m awake still, and you¡¯re coming to bed.¡± Mom looked thoughtful, but then nodded. ¡°She¡¯s right Mark, you can manage sharing the bed. Besides, she has proper attire, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯s wanting your approval.¡± She giggled knowingly, as I was dragged into my room. Needless to say, sleep was hard to obtain, even though I behaved myself. Next day Marie and I went together, and I picked up a grey cloak with a hood for her, having it died with a camouflaged pattern, which was set pretty quickly. They thought it odd, but coin was coin. Then we went to Frederick¡¯s Tannery, and bought Marie¡¯s armor. Which she equipped in a side room. The whole time I was holding her dyed cloak so it could dry. Getting some strange looks. Still when we reached the Smithy, that problem solved itself. Since the old Man had an iron heated already, he obligingly used it to finish drying the cloak, while Marie switched scabbards to the double scabbards I had commissioned. ¡°Your other project was much easier than I expected, I¡¯ve to everything but the cable already built. I can finish it up now if you want. Probably half an hour, less if you help with the braiding.¡± Surprised, but delighted, we all got to work on the cable, and in roughly ten minutes it was done, and another five minutes to assemble everything. ¡°Marie, take off the short bow, and use this instead.¡± She looked quizzically at me, and the Smith was quite skeptical, but seeing there was an archer¡¯s target, Marie simply took a test shot. The arrow flew true, and with more power than even a long bow could provide. Both of them were dumbstruck at the sight. ¡°Brother Mark, this makes no sense, it has a lighter draw than the short bow, but the power is immense!¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Chuckling once again, I answered her unspoken question. ¡°That is a compound bow, it uses springs to provide the power, and since the cable goes over the Pulleys multiple times, it amplifies the power. I¡¯m not sure the exact ratio, but I know that¡¯s what¡¯s happening.¡± The Smith coughed, ¡°Lad, if that bow is so powerful, what if we enchant it too? Maybe a noise cancelling enchantment so the sound can¡¯t draw unwanted attention. People would look closer than where you were not expecting a bow to have such range. Could add that in a jiffy. Ahem, for twelve coppers that is.¡± I didn¡¯t even argue, I simply put two silver on the palm of his hand. ¡°Can you add an enchantment that puts a red dot where the arrow will hit, only visible to the shooter?¡± I laughed at my joke, only to see him think honestly about the question. ¡°I think I can at that, never even tried that before. Those silver will cover the attempt. Just a moment.¡± He took out his engraving tools and in moments Marie¡¯s new Compound bow was fully realized. ¡°Check the sight enchant before you go, If that works, I¡¯ll want to know it. Can I sell this type of Bow, or would that be an issue for you?¡± Marie quickly tested her Bow once again, and to her delight the sound wasn¡¯t nearly as loud, and the arrow hit the mark that the dot had indicated. ¡°Don¡¯t include those enchantments on anyone else¡¯s bow, and I have no problems. That should be her special thing. Doubt I¡¯ll ever have her targeting people mind, but just the same, I¡¯d rather not have anyone else with a targeting reticule like that.¡± He nodded sagely. ¡°Wise now I think on it. Assassins are too crafty as is, don¡¯t need to give them something like that do we?¡± Marie retrieved her arrows, and we left the smithy, stopping by the Guild, since my quests hadn¡¯t been ready as I had expected the day before. Too much paperwork apparently to accommodate it that day. Plus I needed to register Marie. Pearson didn¡¯t even bat an eye, seeing Marie¡¯s collar, he simply added her onto my card same as a tamed familiar would be added to a beast tamer¡¯s card. ¡°You¡¯re responsible for her actions, so she doesn¡¯t get her own card. You have to turn in and accept quests, but her abilities will be ranked. Just need to test her so I can record it on your card.¡± Marie¡¯s test went rather well. She easily tested into C rank, though it took her about ten minutes to win, due to her lack of cheat level stats. ¡°Excellent luck on getting this girl to be a combat slave under you. I don¡¯t care how you managed it, but having her by your side makes me rather happy. You might be S rank yourself, but having a ranged backup at C rank is nothing to sneeze at. I know I don¡¯t have to order her to do this, but I hope she will take good care of you, and not let anyone or thing sneak up on you.¡± Marie hugged me from the side, surprising Pearson. ¡°Brother Mark took me as his sister, saving me from a fate worse than death, and even showed me how to alter my natural class into an evolved class that I never knew existed. I would die a thousand times to keep Brother Mark safe. Rest assured, nothing will escape my notice!¡± Pearson smiled. ¡°Even better, she genuinely loves you, maybe not as a Man, but still it¡¯s true and strong. Typically I don¡¯t agree with slaves in the guild but in her case, I can¡¯t be happier.¡± Marie blushed a bit, as did I for some reason, no doubt because of being in the same be the night prior. The sheer volume of corpses dwarfed the day prior. A hundred and fifty Goblins, twenty five hobs, fifteen shamans, five generals, forty ogres, a whole pack of lesser dire wolves twelve in all, including the alpha, and completely out of common sense a mobile Mandrake. Slow moving though it was, it¡¯s piercing scream would have caused me trouble, if Marie¡¯s arrow hadn¡¯t been true, and killed it prior to it managing to scream. ¡°Just what¡¯s going on out there?! At this rate, we¡¯ll owe you the town¡¯s treasury, if you weren¡¯t willing to work on credit, we¡¯d be in real trouble. As of now, with all you were already owed, and today¡¯s remarkable haul, you are currently owed twelve platinum, seven hundred and fifty Gold, Ninety silver, and a fair chunk of coppers. Will you need any today?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Are there any crafters that owe the guild money? People who could build my new estate house? I want enough rooms for each of those Orphan Girls to have their own rooms, as well as ample room for my own children some day.¡± Marie looked questioningly, and Pearson was thoughtful. Yes actually, I could have the structure built, and remove five Platinum from the Debt the Guild owes all in the Bargain. I¡¯ll let you see some designed tomorrow, and once you pick something, I¡¯ll get the work started. Everything can be furnished with debts to the Guild too. All the beds, Dishes, Dressers, Wardrobes, Pots, Pans, Mugs, everything needed for a hundred people, with a nursery included, having multiple cribs, and toddler beds included, in case any of the Orphans you get are that young.¡± I shook his hand, and thanked him. ¡°Brother Mark, what Orphans are you talking about?¡± She was concerned, clearly worried. ¡°Well, you know how I couldn¡¯t stand the thought of you being a sex slave? As it turns out the Orphanage in the town just North of us, is so under funded, that the Girls usually end up as slaves. I don¡¯t like the idea of sitting idle when I can adopt all of them, and house them, and teach them how to farm. Girls can do everything on a farm that boys can do, and I¡¯m sure our hearts are big enough to love them all. Won¡¯t be till after the house is built, and this mess with the local monster population is settled. Something really nasty must have driven all these annoyances out of their original territories.¡± After a moment of shock, Marie smiled at the thought of so many sisters to love and teach. Still, she was clearly worried about the volume of work involved. ¡°That¡¯s going to take a lot of work. Providing enough food, and clothing for all those girls at once, as well as training in whatever skills they can employ. I love the idea, but I don¡¯t want to fall short in providing everything they actually need. I¡¯m sure we have the money, but hiring staff is something else again.¡± I looked at her in confusion. ¡°We¡¯ll be adopting experts already. Some of the girls are bound to be twelve years old, so they¡¯re technically adults, so they already know how to tend to all the girls we¡¯ll be bringing. Might even have Mom and Dad adopt them, just so they can have Auntie as their title, instead of Sissy.¡± Marie¡¯s smile went ear to ear. Blanche waved happily at us, as we passed by. ¡°My profits are up thanks to you Mark, those herbs, and all the meat really upped my cooking, and the profits show it clearly. Don¡¯t be a stranger!¡± Just as I was about to turn away, another girl slightly older than Marie and I spoke out as well. ¡°Thank you so much for helping my Mother, I¡¯ve not seen her this happy, and ready to work the Kitchen in ages!¡± ¡°You¡¯re both welcome, I was just doing my job. Would you be interested in running your own kitchen in the near future? Eyes wide in excitement. ¡°Yes, I hope to some day. Probably not for a while, Jobs are scarce here about.¡± I laughed. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m thinking of setting up a professional kitchen in my house, as there will be MANY mouths to feed. I just have to wait for the building itself to be constructed, but I will want someone to run the Kitchen for me, not cause I can¡¯t cook, but rather because I have to quest to bring in the money to pay for the food so it can be cooked. The people who need to eat will be busy with the Farming, and other work, though some will need to learn in the Kitchen too Everyone needs to take a turn, so if I hire you, you¡¯d be teaching as well as cooking. Making sure they understand the proper way to clean things also. Lots of work, but lots of hands too. Sound like something you¡¯d be interested in. Wouldn¡¯t have to leave town, or even Home if you didn¡¯t want to.¡± Blanche responded first. ¡°If you¡¯re wanting to hire her, she¡¯s wanting the job. PERIOD! My other Daughters can help from time to time as well, but that¡¯s a perfect sounding job for my little genius chef here. She¡¯s done even more with all those herbs than I have. I can¡¯t wait to learn what she does with her own kitchen, and access to such a good provider.¡± The girl nodded fiercely. ¡°Well, I will need your name, I¡¯m Mark by the way, and this is Marie.¡± ¡°Theresa if it please you sir!¡± ¡°Theresa, well met. Consider yourself hired, as soon as it¡¯s ready. Also don¡¯t be afraid to ask advice, either from me, or your Mother, your sisters, I don¡¯t care actually, as long as you trust them. Don¡¯t make decisions without all the information you can get. I value those who ask question, rather than out of pride, let their own ignorance destroy their plans.¡± I waved at the two, and walked off with Marie. ¡°That seems fortunate Brother Mark. It¡¯s almost like someone is orchestrating all of this, just for you.¡± I laughed. ¡°I doubt that, the system hasn¡¯t given me any diving revelations or anything, no major mission to defeat the demon horde or anything. I¡¯m just living my life as best I can, abusing all my abilities, and knowledge as best I can.¡± Marie laughed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true Brother Mark, but things do seem to line up around you. For everyone that deserves it at least.¡± We continued on to the Farm and home. Chapter 5 Discussing the house Chapter 5 Discussing the house When we were in sight of the Farm Marie spoke up. ¡°Brother Mark, you should probably discuss this intention of acquiring the Orphan Girls with your parents now, rather than surprising them with a bunch of new daughters out of nowhere. They¡¯d probably think you¡¯d gone total bestial otherwise. Surrendering fully to carnal desires, and with no limit on age, and all. They were quick to jump to that conclusion when they met me after all.¡± I groaned, and drew my hands across my face. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Sad to say, I know some men actually do target girls who are too young to even think about such things, let alone actually want them. Besides that, it¡¯s a good idea to get their input anyway. Sure Mom would help teaching household chores, and Dad would want to help teaching Farming. Still two people who have their own duties won¡¯t be enough to teach multiple girls at once. Maybe they can give me some more ideas for sourcing staff.¡± Mom saw us coming, as she was in the front garden, tending to the cabbages. ¡°Welcome back you two. Mark I have to thank you for that Spear. May not have been your intention, but it does quite nice at stabbing a rogue fox. Never had a Fox attack me like that before.¡± She pointed to the body of the Fox, and I could still see blood and tissue stuck to her spear blade. ¡°Mom, did you see any froth from its nose, or mouth? That¡¯s really a worrying act for a Fox. Did it scratch you at all, any bite?¡± She shook her head. ¡°It didn¡¯t get the chance, and I don¡¯t think there was any froth. What would that mean anyway?¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°That would have been a sign of a particularly nasty disease called Rabies. That disease can be spread to any living creature through a bite, or scratch. Once it takes hold, the creature can¡¯t tell friend from foe, is light sensitive, and afraid of water. That last part is probably the only saving grace about it, cause it means the creature will die quicker without being able to drink water.¡± Mom¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°That¡¯s a terrifying thing! Is there anyway to tell now it¡¯s dead?¡± I slapped my forehead in self disgust. Then I cast Analysis on the corpse of the Fox. Fox Male 12 years old Status deceased, Rabid ¡°Good thinking Mom, my skill worked, and it was indeed Rabid. Don¡¯t touch it, I¡¯ll burn it later, and let me clean your spear, I don¡¯t want to risk even a little of that blood getting in contact with you. If you nicked yourself while cleaning it, it could easily infect you.¡± Mom¡¯s face paled. I picked up her spear, and stabbed it into the Fox¡¯s corpse and took it over to a large flat stone we used for burning trash. Tossing the body on top of the current pile, I pulled the spear free. ¡°Brother Mark, I¡¯ll tend to the fire, you tend to the spear. Let¡¯s get everything sorted as quick as possible.¡± I nodded in thanks to Marie, and went a decent way downhill from anywhere we grew plants, taking a bucket of water along. I splashed water across the blade till no traces remained, then went back to the house, got a cauldron deep enough for the whole blade to be submerged, filled it with water, and set it to boil in the fire Marie had started under the Fox¡¯s body. Once the water was boiling, I put the spear blade into the water to sterilize it from any remaining trace of the virus. Dad came up at this point, having noticed the smoke. ¡°Why,¡­are you burning a Fox, and boiling your Mother¡¯s spear?!¡± I looked at Dad with a very serious expression. ¡°Welcome back Father, as it happens, Mother had a VERY close call today, which that Spear saved her from. She was attacked by that Fox, which only happened, because that Fox was diseased. That particular disease can effect anything that comes in contact with its blood, so I¡¯m burning the corpse, and boiling any trace of its blood off her spear tip so there¡¯s no chance of it still killing her later when cleaning the blade herself. Wasn¡¯t going to take the chance.¡± Dad¡¯s face panicked, and he ran to check on Mom, leaving me to the mundane task. I let the water boil till the fire had burnt itself out. Only then did I extract the blade, and polish it clean. I went into the house then, where everyone was waiting. ¡°Here¡¯s you Spear back Mom, all clean and ready for whatever.¡± She gripped the spear with a white knuckle grip, the narrowness of her escape causing her some distress. Marie had finished cooking dinner, since Mom was in too much shock, and Dad wasn¡¯t any help either at that moment. We sat down together and started to eat. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll be looking at plans for a new house to be built on my land. It¡¯s going to be BIG. I have the intention of adopting all the girls from the Orphanage in the next town over. So non of them will end up slaves in some pig¡¯s pen. I already have a cook lined up to teach them how to work in a professional kitchen, and I¡¯ll need some suggestions for other people who can work out of the house, while teaching the girls. I know you two will be happy to help where you can, but that¡¯s got to be limited, since you have this Farm and House to tend to already. I¡¯d also like input on the house plans if you don¡¯t mind. Then there¡¯s the thought of you adopting any of the girls who are twelve years old, so they¡¯d technically be my sisters, instead of daughters, and could call themselves aunts to the younger girls. My coin though, for everything.¡± This particular shock managed to override that of the Rabid Fox earlier, since that was over and done with, while this was new and looming in the future. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°What makes you think they¡¯ll end up as slaves?¡± Mom asked. ¡°That orphanage is under funded. So they can¡¯t afford to teach any skills, and when the girls reach twelve years old, they typically have nothing to earn a living. That ends up with them either in a Brothel, or as a slave. Neither one of which is acceptable in my book.¡± They both considered my words carefully. ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯ll provide all needed funding, not only for their adoption, but also going forward? Us adopting the oldest girls is only to give them sibling status to you, rather than having daughters the same age as you. That part makes sense, but I¡¯d say that should apply all the way to age ten. Still we don¡¯t even know how many we¡¯re talking about yet.¡± Father was definitely on board with the concept. ¡°I approve of this idea. It is a huge expense you¡¯re talking about, but at the same time, you¡¯re setting them up to support themselves on both our farms. The older ones can take over our farms as our daughters, and the younger ones your farm, and eventually you¡¯ll be the head of the family.¡± My shoulders sagged in relief that they were both willing to step up as family to this as yet unknown number of daughters. Father spoke out again. ¡°I think it would be wise to include your own small forge. Shoeing animals, making nails and the like would be much easier, and if the neighbors know you have a forge, they¡¯ll be quick to come to your farm to help out, in order to have access to your forge when they need it. Right now, nobody in our area has their own forge, and we all have to go into town. I expect you already know someone to talk to about that, judging my Marie¡¯s new Bow. Never seen the like of that before, and it¡¯s powerful.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Makes sense Dad, and yeah, I¡¯m sure he can help to get a small forge setup out here, especially if I have him as the instructor for the work. Take a good chunk of work off him at his shop, while technically being his apprentices, so any commission partially goes to him.¡± Dad¡¯s eyes sparkled, knowing that the old smith would love that arrangement. ¡°You know, Melissa¡¯s daughter Christy is pretty advanced at their laundry service, but Melissa is nowhere near able to retire herself yet. Having her setup as the Laundry Teacher would work nicely for the both of them. Gives her control of her own business while she waits for her Mother to retire, and take over the main shop later. I¡¯ll pop over there tomorrow, need to get some laundry done there anyway. We¡¯ll be needing the Winter Blankets before too long, best get them cleaned now, rather than later when it¡¯s rushed for everyone else.¡± I smiled. ¡°Thanks Mom, I appreciate the suggestion. Let¡¯s try to keep it a mostly female staff too. Doesn¡¯t Henry the Grounds Keeper at the Mayor¡¯s Manor have a Daughter too? Might not interest her to actually be a grounds keeper, but teaching it might work as a short term job. What was her name again, Vivian?¡± Mother laughed, ¡°No silly, Veronica, at least you got the first sound right, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be heart broken if she knew you forgot her name so easily.¡± I groaned. ¡°You call having fifty years of past life memories suddenly popping into a twelve year old brain easy?! Honestly though, looking back on our interactions now, I think you might have a point. You think she¡¯s really interested? Not that I have time just now to even consider that.¡± Dad chimed in. ¡°I have to take some produce to the Mayor¡¯s Manor tomorrow, I¡¯ll talk to Henry about it, and see if she might be interested. It¡¯s good you¡¯re thinking ahead for this. Lots of things to consider.¡± I snapped my fingers. In excitement. ¡°I just thought about irrigation, a pond, and a grain mill. The stream along the north side of the farm could be altered to flow down along the west side, and we could install a mill pond, just after that little bluff right on the boarder between the two farms, and then branch off there into irrigation canals, that will ultimately lead into a return stream that can connect into the creek that usually dries out in summer. That would also provide a source of fish in the pond too. I¡¯ll have to draw everything out, and design the Sluce gates to control the water flow. If we can mill our own grain, we can sell it at a higher price. Can also charge for others to mill their grain too.¡± Shock on Dad, and Mom¡¯s face, was mirrored in Marie¡¯s face. ¡°Brother Mark, how does a stream mill grain, I don¡¯t understand.¡± I looked at everyone. ¡°Non of you have even heard of a water driven grain mill? It¡¯s all hand mills at home? Just how far behind IS this world?¡± They looked at each other. ¡°Does that mean Son, that your old world did it that way?¡± I tilted my hand side to side. ¡°Not anymore, we advanced to machines driven by electricity, with all kinds of fancy gadgets to make everything simple. A few hundred years before my death though, that was one of the two main methods, the other being similar, only using wind. Water mills are more reliable, because wind isn¡¯t constant.¡± I was dumbfounded at this revelation. Such a simple concept had eluded my new world. It gave a new sense of respect to the current miller¡¯s family, who spent all day churning their hand mills. ¡°Wait, Penelope hardly ever gets to work does she? Not enough Querns I suppose, I bet she¡¯d love the chance to pioneer a new method of milling, yet her dear ol dad will just assume I¡¯m having her mill for the kids, which I will, but she¡¯ll be teaching the process once I show her the literal ropes of how the mill operates. Yet another thing to draft so it can be constructed.¡± I excused myself from the table, so I could get started drafting everything. Marie once again had to drag me to bed, or I¡¯d have crashed on the couch. I was still uncomfortable sleeping next to her, and it didn¡¯t help when she threw an arm over me, and hugged me tight as she dozed off. Chapter 6 Plans and Agreements Chapter 6 Plans, and agreements The next morning, Marie and I want out on our patrol. We spent six hours running through the forest picking up materials, and massacring monsters as quick as we found them. The volume of Goblins was staggering. How five hundred goblins, sixty hobs, twenty shamans, and four generals could possibly be in this small of an area was so far beyond my ability to understand. Then there was a full hundred Ogres, and even an Ogre Chief, and three whole packs of actual Dire Wolves. I just hoped whatever the cause was found soon. Things were much too far out of hand for anyone else but us to handle. The experience was so far out of norm, that Marie had gained sufficient levels that I debated having her tested into A rank along with me. Even I gained a few levels purely off volume. Current Stats Name Mark Race Human Gender Male Age 12 Level 12 Strength 151 Stamina 151 Mind 140 Constitution 145 Charisma 135 Bonus for reaching level 10 Free Stat points 20 Verified point allocation 10 Mind 5 constitution 5 Charisma No skill gains during the trip, but fairly decent progress on stats. Only Charisma was under 150 at this point, and a few levels would most likely sort that out. As things tend to split randomly between the lowest stats on the automatically allocated points. So theoretically ten levels would catch those two up, and thirteen to match everything at 151, but sometimes things go out of the expectations, so no certainty. Upon reaching the Guild, I asked for the Guild Master to be there when I unloaded my catch today. ¡°Well Mark, why did I need to be here this time?¡± Her slight irritation was wiped out when I unloaded all the corpses. ¡°I figure seeing is believing with these numbers. I can tell you the numbers if you want, but the fact that actual dire wolves, and an Ogre Chief are in the mix is more alarming. PLEASE tell me we¡¯ve got a lead on the trouble!¡± With a firm slap to her face, and an almost inaudible self instruction to ¡°Get it together¡± the Guild Master replied. ¡°As a matter of fact, yes. I was going to wait till tomorrow, but you¡¯re already here, and with these numbers displaced, the sooner you can move the better. Did you have your folks moved into town by any chance?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I got them weapons, and Mom¡¯s spear already saved her life, though not from a Goblin.¡± Looking curious at me, she continued. ¡°As to the problem, the scouting team has spotted a damned wyvern and all the lesser threats are fleeing their normal haunts. I¡¯ve marked a map for you already.¡± The guild master handed me the scroll with a newly drawn map on it. ¡°That¡¯s not far at all. Is there any relatively common weakness I should try and exploit? Also, I think Marie is ready for her rank up. Even as a Slave, she should have her actual rank reflected on my card I imagine.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll test her, but as to a weakness, best I can suggest is the eyes.¡± Marie brightened up. ¡°With the Bow Brother Mark had made for me, I should be able to deal with eye shots, if the opportunity presents itself. Strongest bow I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡± I chuckled, ¡°Accurate too, and thanks to some special circumstances, it doesn¡¯t even make noise when fired. Might be able to get the first eye without alerting it first. Second eye will be the pain. Ok, let¡¯s not waste any time. Get her ranked up real quick, then we¡¯ll literally run for the location.¡± The Guild master was pinned to the wall before she could move a step. Four more arrows locked her in place by her other arm, and both legs. She didn¡¯t even see it coming. Marie was acknowledged as A rank, and local S rank status in her own right. ¡°Ranger is such a great class Brother Mark! I¡¯m so glad you forced the evolution to happen.¡± Upon hearing that, the guild master laughed hysterically. Only after she got herself under control did she manage to speak again. ¡°Should have known you¡¯d pull of something that was thought impossible. I happen to know a VERY old text that described Ranger as a class, but nobody in over a century prior to that book being written had it, and it was barely holding together at the time. Nearly five hundred years old it was, and now at least seven hundred and twenty years later, you make it appear for your Slave! Enough of that, off you run, we can talk about her class later, and we WILL talk about it. Wyvern first, we want our forest life back.¡± We gave a one sideways wave as we had already turned, and started off. Pearson had already updated my card to show Marie¡¯s new rank, and the massive amount of credit was added too. Three hours of quick travel brought us to within range of the target area. Another fifteen minutes of slower travel to get Marie into mid range for her Bow, and in line with the target. It was sleeping, so getting aimed was easy. I snuck closer behind a boulder, and shortly after Marie¡¯s first arrow hit its mark. It shattered through the lids of the eye, and buried itself all the way to the fletching. The Wyvern woke with a scream of rage and pain. Head thrashing as it tried in vein to dislodge the arrow that had blinded its one eye. I used my gauntleted hand to make a noise against the boulder, and it snapped its remaining eye onto the spot. A torrent of flames boiled past the boulder, but that was all the chance Marie needed to slam a second arrow into the other eye. The flame stopped as it roared in pain again, fully blinded. I ducked out from the other side of the boulder, and rushed at the left front leg. Hearing my approach, it tried to bite at me, which is exactly what I had wanted. A spinning roundhouse slammed into its head causing it to plow into the soil. It also smashed into a sapling, though that had done little damage on its own. It did put the head in perfect position for me to do a jumping downward fist onto the exact spot I had kicked before. I heard an audible crack as the bones shattered, and two more arrows joined the first ones in rapid succession. The roar was insane at such close proximity, but the head injury kept it from moving its head enough to dodge another powerful kick, and punch again on the same spot. This time, my fist punched through the skull, and deep into the brain. With one final whimper, the beast lay still. Level up Level up Level up Level up Level up Five levels with one kill. Must have been insane. ¡°Marie, how¡¯d you do? I got five levels myself.¡± I didn¡¯t hear an answer right away, so I turned to see Marie somewhat dazed. After analysis told me she had gotten ten levels, I think I understood. To much too quick, and she was processing as quickly as she could. Bonus free stat points awarded for over leveled kill. 5 Bonus free skill points awarded for over leveled kill 3 Wasn¡¯t complaining about that at all. After seeing that the auto allocated points had indeed gone into Con and Char, I added the other points to make them both 150. ¡°Brother Mark, that was intense. That monster would normally take an entire team to bring down with many injuries, and probably some deaths, and we took it out alone, and didn¡¯t even get hurt. If you couldn¡¯t bring the corpse back, nobody would believe this. Those levels really knocked me out, still a little dizzy. Mind if I lean on you for a while?¡± I stored the corpse, then swept Marie into my arms. ¡°You get the Princess carry for now. I want to move while my new stamina lasts. At one fifty on everything now, it should last a while. I¡¯ll let you down when you aren¡¯t dizzy anymore.¡± Blushing mightily, she hugged my neck as I ran full speed back towards town. As it happened, I ran much faster than Marie could, and we were in sight of town in only two hours. I let Marie down, while we were still out of sight of the city guards, and we both ran into town. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As we arrived outside the guild, the town bully and his father were arguing with the Guild Master outside the guild where everyone was watching. ¡°That maniac insulted my Son! I want him brought here at once, I don¡¯t believe for a second he¡¯s an S ranker, or even A rank, he lied! Bring him at once!¡± I coughed loudly, causing both him, and his son to spin, ready to lay into me, only to freeze in horror at the sight of the Wyvern corpse I had dropped onto the street. As the townsfolk noticed it, screams of fright, and disgust were audible from everyone. ¡°Took care of the little issue in the western forest, hope you don¡¯t mine me dropping it here, rather than trying to cram it into the processing room. Though I could move it outside the gates if that¡¯s more convenient. Mr. Mayor, I do hope you haven¡¯t forgotten the fact that all questionable results are tested with a truth verification stone. Guild Master if you would? ¡° Smirking, the Guild Master pulled the very same magical device out of her pocket, and had us place our hands onto the crystal. ¡°Did the two of you kill this Wyvern? Was there anyone else helping you? Are you in fact A rank and our local S rank?¡± Smiling broadly we both replied. ¡°Yes we killed it, No we had no help aside from the Map that was given to us by yourself, and Yes we are official A rank, and Local S Rank¡± The stone verified our words, then I continued. ¡°The Mayor¡¯s Son was harassing the Slave Merchant, claiming that due to his Father¡¯s Position, he should be allowed to buy a slave for less than four Silver, I paid a gold to buy her, and he had the nerve to attack me, which is a criminal assault, and must be publicly punished by his father, RIGHT NOW!¡± The stone verified my words, and the crowd gasped. Everyone knew he was a Bully accept his own Father, who was now publicly confronted with irrefutable proof of his Son¡¯s lies, and cruelty. ¡°Personally Mayor, the best option I can think of, would be to strip him of his inheritance, and banish him from town. As he¡¯s publicly humiliated your entire family, on multiple occasions. He¡¯s proven himself to be a criminal in every sense of the word, and in your position you can¡¯t afford to offer second chances.¡± My hand had never left the crystal, and once again my words were verified as truth. ¡°My apologies young Mark, I¡¯ve apparently been blind to my Son¡¯s behavior. As you suggest, I¡¯ll do just that, he¡¯s no longer my son. The paperwork will be filed today, along with his banishment from this town. He¡¯ll have only ten silvers to his name when he leaves, and that¡¯s the absolute maximum. He won¡¯t even have his finery to wear, he¡¯ll have to use one of the guards old training outfits instead, and that¡¯s being generous.¡± The guards now took the Mayor¡¯s former son into custody and lead him away as he screamed vitriol at everyone. ¡°He sadly had a brain defect that made him think he was the only important person in the world, and could do no wrong. He¡¯d have gotten you all killed if any member of the Royal Family had ever interacted with him. Speaking of, you should send them letters explaining his disownment, and the reasons for it. Otherwise you risk him potentially crying injustice and bringing down trouble anyway. I know it¡¯s embarrassing, but I think it¡¯s required in this case.¡± The crystal still verified my words, then I removed my hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take your advice, a Brain issue huh? Any idea what caused it?¡± ¡°Mr. Mayor, that question is one of life¡¯s mysteries. Though it is more common the closer the blood ties between married couples. It can still happen in literally any family. They love only themselves, and everyone else is just a toll to them, and completely unimportant if they lose their usefulness.¡± With that the Mayor left, and the crowd focused on the Wyvern instead. The Master and I went inside, and Pearson met us with a stack of papers. ¡°What¡¯s this Pearson?¡± Asked the master. ¡°Mark wants a new structure built on his new property, and I spoke with the builders that owed the guild, to see if we can settle their debts, at the same time as filling our debt to Mark. These are some ideas of what could be built fitting his needs.¡± We all gathered around, and after a few moments, I picked the most simplistic version that would suit my needs. Adding that I wanted a smithy, and the Water Mill building that I designed, and then I thought to ask about Pottery, and if there was a local Kiln for Pots in town, hearing that there wasn¡¯t, and knowing that both Bricks, and other clay work was a staple product in any society, I added that as well. Using a spare piece of parchment to quickly draw up the plan. ¡°I think what we¡¯re owed will only just cover the main house, but we can use your pay to cover the rest, and you¡¯ll still be owed a good sum, especially after today. Your irrigation trenches, and sluce gates will be handled too. How are you going to make the pond you want?¡± I grinned. ¡°The Alchemist can help with that. Might take a little to figure out the portions, but I know something that will make that pond in a single day. I¡¯ll head there in a bit, need to make another stop first.¡± Having set things in motion, and knowing that it would be less than a month for the house, with everyone rushing to clear their debts, and only two more weeks for everything else, I knew I needed to establish my contacts for workers quickly. Marie and I left the building, and cheers greeted us. Waiving casually, we made our way through the crowd, and finally got on our way. When we reached the Miller¡¯s Shop, Penelope, and her Mother were at the counter, everyone else operating the Querns as could clearly be heard. ¡°Just the people I wanted to see. Penolope, how would you like to work with your own mill? Not just asking either, this is a serious offer, and it comes with a Gold advance if you accept. The Job isn¡¯t available yet, the Mill itself needs to be built, and it will be a LOT of work. Not only milling the Grain grown on the Farm, but also teaching the process to several girls, all of which will be either my adopted sisters, or daughters depending on their ages. Under ten will be daughters, over ten sisters. Mom and Dad came up with that part. I doubt any competition in this town is possible, this is just about teaching the trade, so maybe they can marry into milling families elsewhere when they¡¯re older.¡± Penelope was in shock, and her Mother wasn¡¯t much better. ¡°Mark dear, did you say a Gold signing bonus if she accepts, and no competition against us?¡± I nodded. ¡°Oh the Mill might be able to outperform you, but that just would mean the whole family would start working out of my Mill, instead of here, and this would end up being a pick up location, and only grinding small amounts. You¡¯ll understand once it¡¯s done, and Penelope here has been shown the ropes. We¡¯ll do a test run of ten sacks of grain, and she¡¯ll time how long it takes her alone, then when she reports back, you¡¯ll know if you need to come look or not.¡± An avaricious sparkle shone in the older woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh Ho! So if this Mill is better than what we have, we¡¯ll be allowed to take it over, and that¡¯s why there¡¯s be no competition, very nice touch that. Very well, I think we can agree to that. Very least our Penelope will have a mill to use, and lots of friends to teach. Isn¡¯t that right Penelope?¡± ¡°Yes, please let me have the Job, I never get a chance to work the Quern here, but I know everything about the process!¡± I handed the Gold Coin over. Then wrote up a conditional contract of employment, which I signed along with Penelope. Her keeping it as proof so I couldn¡¯t pretend otherwise later. The Alchemist only needed five attempts to get Gun Powder, and it only took a couple more hours to make all the explosives I¡¯d need. I didn¡¯t fool around either, these were Stick and a Half at least. It was well and truly dark by the time Marie and I made it home. We relayed the days events, including the Mayor¡¯s Son being disowned, and banished, as we ate our Dinner. We washed up, and went to sleep, with Marie once again snuggling tightly to my back with her arm, and this time a leg slung over my body. The awkwardness didn¡¯t stop me from sleeping however, because I was that exhausted. Chapter 7 Unexpected Perk and a Joyous Secret Chapter 7 Unexpected perk, a Joyous secret In the Morning, I went to my new land, bringing a post hole digger, and the Dynamite I had acquired. Reaching the location where I intended to make my mill pond, I proceeded to dig the holes deep into the soil, in the rough outline of where I wanted the Pond to be. I then ever so carefully lowered the sticks into their prospective holes, and connected all the fuses together, so I could light it from safety and wait. I had insisted on everyone staying well away for this. The explosion rocked the surroundings, and scared off countless creatures. The pit left behind was practically perfect. No trace of the explosives were left behind. As people so often do however, not only my family, Marie included, but some of the neighbors came to investigate. ¡°Sorry for the noise, there was no way I could have explained this ahead of time. Words wouldn¡¯t have done it justice I think. Shouldn¡¯t ever need to do that again. One massive pit is all I needed.¡± I looked abashedly at the neighbors. Mom and Dad were non too pleased either, but admitted that no words could have truly warned them. Having no frame of reference for such explosions. Having finished scaring everyone in the area half to death. I returned in order to get geared up for hunting. ¡°Marie, you know you don¡¯t have to come with me right? I love your company, don¡¯t get me wrong, I just don¡¯t want you thinking I¡¯m forcing you to quest with me. If you need a day to rest, or anything, just say so, seriously!¡± Marie shook her head adamantly. ¡°I enjoy questing, and besides, the Monster counts probably haven¡¯t gone down yet, I¡¯d rather make sure you¡¯re safe. You Parents are great, but if anything did happen to you, what¡¯s to happen to me huh? Unless you write a Will for me, handing me over to your folks upon your death, I¡¯d end up in a slave caravan again. I¡¯m not risking it, if you want me to take a break, you will too!¡± Her gaze was fierce, causing me to hold my hands in defense. ¡°I got it, just checking.¡± She nodded satisfied I had taken the point. She really was like a Sister now, not afraid to put me in my place. If only I could get rid of that damned Collar, it¡¯d be perfect. We went out to patrol the area as per usual, but aside from gathering ingredients, we encountered only three Goblins, and another lesser dire wolf that was pure white, no doubt an outcast. This relieved me on so many counts. Upon handing over my meager findings for the day, the Guild Master showed up. ¡°Marie, I need your Master alone for a moment. Not that I don¡¯t trust you, but some things are better with fewer ears. Won¡¯t take but a moment.¡± I was equally annoyed, and concerned by this separation. ¡°Sorry Mark, but I didn¡¯t want her to hear this, in case you didn¡¯t like it. You know that slaves can¡¯t be freed except after performing a meritorious act, and even then only with the Slave owners approval, and a witness to the act in question right?¡± I nodded confused now. ¡°Mark, though you made it look easy, even just fighting a Wyvern in defense of a town, let alone being one of the ones who actually damaged it, counts as a Meritorious deed, knowing how you seem to act towards Marie, like she¡¯s family and all, I took the liberty of writing a letter of witness for her, and surprisingly so did the Mayor. If you want to free her, you¡¯ve got the funds, and you¡¯ll only need to take her to the Capitol to get the Spell broken, and that Collar off.¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself, I hugged the Guild Master in pure Joy. ¡°Thank you so much for this, I wanted to avoid the Capitol, but for her, I¡¯m make an exception!¡± She smiled, as I schooled my expression to one of reluctance returning to Marie. ¡°Seems we¡¯re going to have to go to the Capitol for a bit. Maybe we can double up, and take an excort quest.¡± Marie sighed, the thought of an escort quest clearly not a fond notion. We did indeed find an escort quest, and it was scheduled for three hours from now. ¡°We¡¯ll have enough time for you to run back, and tell Mom and Dad, while I buy supplies for the journey. I can¡¯t waste time on that end. Do you mind?¡± She shook her head, and waved at me as she ran to the Farm. I meanwhile did as I said, and purchased food, bed rolls, and other needed things for the two of us. I also noticed a bracelet that I thought would look great on Marie, so I bought it and hid the evidence. Luckily she wouldn¡¯t see it until I wanted her to with my storage being the way it was. Marie met me with the Clients and not a moment too soon. ¡°Your Parents are quite emotional it seems. They repeatedly told me to make sure you¡¯re careful. Got to love them huh?¡± We both chuckled at that. The escort itself was a standard Merchant¡¯s Caravan, and they had lost two escorts on their last leg, due to romantic entanglement, which apparently led to some prison time for offending a lord. Like really, both of them managed to offend a Lord. The trip was entirely uneventful. I felt that the quest didn¡¯t even deserve a reward what with nothing happening. I had always been told the roads were dangerous, but not even a badger troubled us. The rest of the escorts just went on as if nothing was strange at all. Twelve days of travel, and not a single creature, or bandit to speak of. Though bandits should have had enough sense to avoid a major caravan anyway. ¡°We¡¯re going back on our own, no escorting for us. Too boring, we could have been her days ago!¡± Marie nodded emphatically to this statement. ¡°I fully agree, so what¡¯s the quest here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say it here, we just need to go to a certain office to finish up. We¡¯d be able to leave today, most likely.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It took almost two hours for me to locate the office in question, and once I did, I handed both letters over to the person in charge. He took out a crystal verifier, and had me testify that the contents of the letters were genuine, and that I not only agreed with the event described, but that I intended to pay the fee involved. Clearly he had picked up on Marie not knowing what was happening, and was playing along. I had gotten four platinum coins from the guild here for this purpose, and handed them over. He nodded, and held his hand to Marie¡¯s collar, and without wasting any time spoke an invocation in a language I didn¡¯t understand at all, and as Marie¡¯s eyes widened in shock, her collar fell apart. ¡°Congratulations my dear, due to an act of Heroism, and the consent, and payment of your former master, the witnesses in the personages of the local guild master, and Mayor of the town protected, YOU are a free Woman.¡± He then handed me a form to sign. ¡°Present this form to the local Guild here, in order to get her a card of her own, and removed from yours. It¡¯s so very rare that I get to perform my duties, I couldn¡¯t be happier!¡± I dragged the still stunned Marie out the door of the office. I then took the Bracelet from Storage. ¡°Marie, will you accept this Bracelet, as a token that you will remain my sister, by my side? Free now to smack me upside the head when I deserve it?¡± Tear of happiness trailed down her cheeks, as she flung herself into my arms. ¡°Yes Mark, a thousand times YES!¡± Once she managed to pull herself off me, I placed the bracelet onto her wrist. The silver shone, and the tiny crystals embedded into its surface twinkled a myriad of colors. We then went to the Guild, and I insisted in two platinum worth be credited onto her card. ¡°Mark no, that¡¯s too much!¡± I looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ve earned far more than that, if I didn¡¯t need to have access to funding for the construction, and adopting the Orphans, I¡¯d have done an even split. Be as frugal as you want with it, but it¡¯s staying on your new card. We¡¯re splitting any profits from now though.¡± She gave out an exasperated gasp, and turned to pout, but I still caught the twinkle in her eye. ¡°Now you can even get some dresses, since it¡¯ll be truly your choice now, and not Mom playing dress up.¡± I grinned at her. ¡°Just don¡¯t go thinking you¡¯re going to drag me into the store, I¡¯ll wait outside, to be surprised in your choices. I never thought I¡¯d be able to do this you know. That Wyvern is what did it by the way, and the Mayor being so embarrassed about his Son didn¡¯t hurt either.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you wasted four Platinum coins just to free me, I¡¯m happy, truly happy, especially since you want me to stay still, but that¡¯s a fortune most people can¡¯t just drop like that!¡± I shrugged. ¡°I had the money, and it wasn¡¯t just the right thing to do, it¡¯s the best thing I ever wanted to do. I wanted to rip that damned thing off your neck the second I paid for you, if the curse wouldn¡¯t have killed you, I would have. Now it¡¯s gone, and we don¡¯t have to worry. I still have plenty, and the Wyvern Corpse is still being processed, so that¡¯s going to add more. Let¡¯s spend a little time shopping here, before we go home.¡± Just before we could leave the building, someone called out from behind us. ¡°Quester Mark, Quester Marie, would you come with me please?¡± We turned to see the local guild master. He led us to the testing area. ¡°Clear the field, rank up test for two A rankers testing up to S officially.¡± I groaned, I didn¡¯t want this to happen. ¡°Sir that isn¡¯t necessary, we¡¯re fine listed as Local S Rank, there¡¯s no need to make it official.¡± He just Glared at me. I sighed in resignation ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t even want to come to the Capitol, still, it¡¯s worth it.¡± Twenty minutes later, a thoroughly embarrassed Guild Master had been defeated, not once, but twice, forcing him to rank us to double S rank officially. We were equal to him according to Rank, and that would bring issues later down the line I was sure. My own fight had only lasted five minutes, while Marie needed more time due to her fighting style. Neither one of us took even one single blow, surprising the entire assembly. ¡°I should make an appointment with the King so you can accept triple S rank.¡± Said the Guild Master, I turned on him, and Marie joined me in a deathly glare at the stupid man. ¡°Don¡¯t YOU DARE! You want to keep breathing, then WE don¡¯t exist.¡± He nodded sullenly. We left, in even more desperate need of some retail therapy. We ate at a decent street side shop, not wanting to deal with the stuffiness of an enclosed restaurant. Spent a good amount of time for Marie to get things she wanted to wear, though she avoided jewelry. I asked her about that, and she almost glared at me. ¡°There¡¯s only two pieces of jewelry I¡¯ll ever want to add to this Bracelet. One requires someone else to give it to me, and the other would mean I already got the first. Figure it out on your own if you must.¡± So not a jewelry fan, but clearly wanting to get a Ring, and if she¡¯d need that for the other one, I almost smacked myself when I remembered that Lockets were a thing, and a Married Woman with children, might want a Locket with either their pictures, or else their baby hair. I could see that, at some point, though it was hard to picture her husband. Deciding to spend at least one night in the Capitol, we found an Inn that had hot baths. A luxury to be sure, but a night in a bed, after a warm bath sounded like bliss. Before I could specify two rooms, Marie beat me to it, requesting a single room with a double sized bed. I was too stunned to resist as the coins changed hands, and I was dragged off to bed. Chapter 8 Unexpectedly moving up my plans Chapter 8 Unexpectedly moving up my plans When the morning came, we quickly checked out of the Inn, having a bad feeling about the Local Guild Master meddling. So we immediately started for the gates, and home. Having the ability to run would certainly reduce our travel time, while the Caravan Escort had forced us to basically crawl at the speed of the horse drawn carriages. I had taken all the money I¡¯d need for the Orphanage, figuring it would be too difficult later on. We were just about out of earshot, when I faintly heard someone trying to get our attention. It took only a glance, and we started moving much faster, and once out of sight, we ran full speed. Deciding to slow any time an ambush looked possible, and as a result, on our third slow stretch, we were attacked by thirty bandits. They weren¡¯t even a challenge, and we were able to tie them into a line, and force march them behind us. Luckily for them, or perhaps unluckily, we had been only a few miles from town by that point. The Guards at the gate looked questioningly at us, until they saw our Guild Cards. ¡°Can we leave these idiots with you? Not worried about bounties, you can do whatever you want with them.¡± The Guard Captain grinned evilly as he accepted the rope. ¡°I would appreciate a new length of rope though.¡± His lieutenant didn¡¯t even wait for an order, but ran off to grab the rope. ¡°Not a problem, much easier than untying them, only to retie them after, just trade ropes as it were. Thank you for your service.¡± We nodded, and waved, then ran around the town, as we had no business there. The next group of bandits wasn¡¯t quite so lucky, as we had only just left the town before finding their ambush location. Unfortunately for us, either we had to return, or else crawl at their walking speed all the way to the next town. The agonizingly slow trip took all the remaining daylight, but did end with us in the town where I intended to adopt the girls from the Orphanage. After handing over the new string, and collecting a new rope as before, we headed for the Inn, only to discover that they had no vacancy. ¡°Where shall we sleep Mark?¡± I had only one idea, and headed for the Orphanage itself. ¡°We might be able to sleep at the Orphanage, especially after donating some coin. With my intention to adopt all but the oldest girls, I think they¡¯ll be more inclined to offer a roof.¡± When we arrived at the Orphanage, it was very late, and presumably the children would all be asleep. I knocked gently on the door, and waited. The door creaked open, and a woman in her mid thirties stood looking out at us. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I smiled. ¡°Sorry for the extreme lateness of our arrival, we intended to visit tomorrow, but the Inn is full. Is the Head Mistress still awake? Could I perhaps talk with her before she retires for the evening?¡± She smiled, before responding. ¡°As it happens, I am the Head Mistress. Come on in, I was just brewing some tea so I could stay awake for a while longer. Trying to find the coin to pay next months bills.¡± She led us into her office, and indicated some chairs for us to sit in. ¡°What is it you need me for?¡± Taking in a deep breath, I prepared to answer her, only for Marie to beat me to it. ¡°We intend to adopt all the girls under the age of ten, PLUS our parents intend to adopt all the rest, even the ones that are nearly thirteen, who you simply haven¡¯t been forced to kick out yet. To that end, we intend to leave a decent donation for the Orphanage, as well as paying the full adoption fees now for all of them. We are building a large house, so big that even with all the girls having their own rooms, there will still be empty rooms open for the future. All the doors will have latches on the inside for their privacy, we¡¯ve already hired a cook, not only to prepare meals, but teach the girls too. The house is on a Farm, so there¡¯s plenty of work in that aspect, but we¡¯re also putting in a Mill for flour, and a Forge, as well as a Pottery Shed, though we still need to find a Potter to teach the girls who want to know, and there¡¯s a fishery coming along too. I won¡¯t say they¡¯re going to have an easy life, but it won¡¯t be slavery, or a brothel, and the boys here will have a better life too.¡± The Head Mistress was understandably shocked at this statement, and with its length she was clearly still processing. ¡°You do understand that the donation fee for that many children, even girls is nearly fifty gold.¡± I simply placed the fifty gold onto her desk, along with two platinum coins, and another hundred Gold coins. ¡°The local quester¡¯s guild should be able to handle exchanging one Platinum when you need it. The Hundred Gold is for right now, in order to pay bills, and perhaps get some repairs, or even upgrades. Also, I have a design for a different type of bed, that seemingly nobody else knows exists, or is even possible. They¡¯re called Bunk Beds, and allow for up to three people to have their own beds in the same space. It will allow you to put more kids asleep in one room than you currently can. If the room is tall enough, I¡¯ll make the triple bunks, otherwise it¡¯s double bunks. They stack on top of each other, and there¡¯s a ladder at one end for the kids to climb to the upper bunk. Oldest kids at the top, youngest at the bottom. They need more time to get to the outhouse than the older ones would.¡± Her eyes bulged. ¡°You¡¯d make those for us?!¡± I nodded. ¡°How many Boys are currently here? I¡¯ll make enough for all the Boys that are here now, and the local carpenter will have one set of pieces to copy in the future. That will also be a donation. I¡¯ll also need to see how tall the rooms are, so I know if it¡¯s double, or triple bunks. We can be quiet, and just peek in one room, assuming they¡¯re all the same, and if there¡¯s shorter ones upstairs, we¡¯ll assume they¡¯d be double bunks.¡± She quickly agreed, and we snuck into one of the boys dormitory rooms. I smiled as I realized that I could do triple bunks. With proper hard wood, I might even pull off a Quadruple, but only if I attached it to the ceiling of the room, and I didn¡¯t want to bother with that. There¡¯s cheap, and then there¡¯s just plain stupid. We returned to the office. ¡°I can make the triples in rooms that height, if you need to use the Attic, I can make some doubles, or at least the first set for doubles, so they can be copied. That¡¯s only the frames though, so you¡¯d still need mattresses. The ones you have will suffice for now, but they¡¯ll need to be replaced before too long. Now as I mentioned, the Inn is full, and we were wondering if there was space we could sleep tonight. We¡¯d rather not setup a tent in the dark, but we have bed rolls, and our own blankets, so any free corner will work, and we can help with breakfast in the morning too.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I think I can manage that, and the help in the Morning will be greatly appreciated. If it was just you, I¡¯d probably say no, you understand, but with her too, that makes me feel comfortable enough to allow it. I¡¯ll just lock the door then, and you can set out your bed rolls in the dining hall. I¡¯ll wake you in the morning to make breakfast. That way you don¡¯t get swamped by the kiddos first thing. Want to set that Father/Mother/Elder Brother/Sister persona right away. I like that your Parents are adopting the older ones, makes them Aunties to the others.¡± She giggled. ¡°Yeah, that was the idea, I had only thought the Twelve year olds, but Mother and Father said anyone over ten should become a Sister to me instead. Not entirely sure why.¡± Marie laughed quietly. ¡°Father is probably thinking that one of the older girls would have wanted to become your wife, and starting as your daughter would spoil everything in the eyes of others.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I looked at Marie incredulously. ¡°You seriously think he was picturing that outcome?!¡± She beamed at me. ¡°Well they didn¡¯t know I¡¯d be getting my Collar off now did they? Now you can Bet your Mother will be trying to ¡°Help¡± me to get the Wife position¡­not that I¡¯d mind too much.¡± She whispered the last words under her breath so I couldn¡¯t hear, but the headmistress had caught it, and the word Collar too. ¡°Wait, so you were a Slave, and your Collar has been removed?! That means you did something amazing right? Then from what you said, he¡¯s your former master?¡± Marie nodded. ¡°Yes, but he insisted I called him Brother Mark, instead of Master, and he¡¯s always treated me like Family, rather than property. (leaning in close she whispered)He never touched me as a Woman either. I always have to drag him into the Bed, or he¡¯ll insist on sleeping on the couch, and getting a crick in his neck. Drives me crazy, I¡¯ve wanted him to take me from day one, even though he said he never would because he thought of it as rape.¡± The Head Mistress blushed at this insight into our relationship. ¡°What are you whispering about?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing you need to hear Mark. Oh, we haven¡¯t even gotten your name yet! I¡¯m Marie by the way, it¡¯s very nice to meet you, and you will have to come visit when you get the chance. We¡¯re in the next town to the south of here, so even with kids along, should only be a day, and we¡¯d be happy to let the boys get some training in, any time you make the trip.¡± I nodded at that. ¡°I completely agree, and do bring any more girls. Seriously, we¡¯ll adopt them all, as long as we can afford the fees, and provide for them. We don¡¯t want any of them to be forced into either of the common ends for Orphan Girls. As you heard, I¡¯m Mark, and it is a true pleasure to meet you.¡± She was stunned for a moment, to have a continuous home for girls moving forward was amazing, and it made her very happy. ¡°I¡¯m Jessica, Head Mistress, and former Orphan here. I was very much one of the lucky ones. This is going to give those girls the best chance at a happy future they could ever get. They might even find husbands this way. There¡¯s a difference between an Orphan, and an adopted Orphan. It¡¯s assumed that if they get adopted, they must somehow be better than the rest, instead of just lucky. So You¡¯ll be coming back to pick them up once the house is finished I assume?¡± I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the idea yes. I¡¯ll only take them, if I feel it¡¯s safer for some reason, though I can¡¯t possibly imagine why it would be. Anyway, we should get some sleep, so we can be of help in the Morning.¡± She left us in the Dining Hall, and went to find her own bed. Some time in the middle of the night, alarm bells started to ring, and we jolted awake. We got up, and readied our combat gear in short order. Jessica came running in. ¡°We have to wake up the kids, there¡¯s a Monster Swarm stampeding right for the Orphanage.¡± I paused. ¡°Right for it, not just we¡¯re in the general path, but actually right at us?¡± She nodded. ¡°Let the kids sleep, Marie patrol the grounds, look for anything that doesn¡¯t belong. I¡¯ll deal with the Monsters. I have a suspicion, that someone is baiting them to swarm us, though I don¡¯t know why anyone would.¡± We both ran outside to begin our work. The monsters weren¡¯t a threat, even with their numbers. As I started decimating the Monsters numbers, I heard an all too familiar voice. ¡°You can¡¯t save them MARK! I heard about your plan to adopt all the girls from this place, and since you took everything from me, I¡¯m going to take everything from you, even if it kills me.¡± Sure enough, it was the Mayor¡¯s Son Jarreth. ¡°Think again Jarreth!¡± With that, and arrow slammed into his shoulder, causing him to drop the bottle of monster bait. He had been standing on the roof, and only my insane dexterity allowed me to catch the bottle before it could shatter. I then threw the bottle out into the horde causing them to change direction back onto themselves, where they started to attack one another. ¡°Ha, so you stupid bitch, you kill yourself by harming me, whatever, he still loses you!¡± She laughed at him. ¡°Take another look Asshole, no Collar! You on the other hand, committed a crime, in the sight of not one, but two double S rank Questers. There¡¯s no escape for you, disowned, and a criminal. You¡¯re going to be the slave now, wonder where they¡¯ll put you? Maybe the salt mines, I hear the lead boss out there, likes to take boys like you into his hut at night, then maybe you¡¯ll actually learn some humility.¡± She sneered at the dawning look of horror on his face, as I leapt up to the roof top, without touching anything. I landed on the slate tiles, gave a light chop to his neck to render him unconscious, then jumped down with him in my arms. Marie tied him up, and then the two of us went to finish off the monsters. The Guards arrived to find us killing off the last four monsters, and saw the big puddle of monster bait. They quickly disabled the potion with a powder they carried. ¡°Would you explain what happened sir?!¡± He was stern, but bordering on respectful, or not. First I showed him my card, as did Marie. His eyes bulged. ¡°That idiot over there, named Jarreth, got himself disowned by his Father the Mayor of the town just south, and banished. He somehow discovered I was going to adopt some Orphans from here, and thought in his delusional pea brain, that bringing a horde of Monsters here would destroy me, or at least break my heart with the deaths of the Orphans. Moron didn¡¯t even notice that Marie is no longer wearing a Slave Collar, and didn¡¯t think she could attack him. We only knocked him out, cause this deserves far worse than death. If you don¡¯t mind taking him away, putting a Slave Collar on him, and do try to sell him to the Salt Mine, in fact, I¡¯ll buy him for the Salt Mine myself. There¡¯s plenty of Monster Corpses for me to take into the Guild so it¡¯s basically him buying himself for them right?!¡± They looked at each other, then at Jarreth, then they all got the Nasty Grin on their faces, knowing that his fate would likely be worse than simply mining Salt. ¡°We¡¯ll be Glad to, and his purchase price will only be twelve silver, since you¡¯re buying him as a gift, and including his transport and all.¡± I handed over fifteen silver. ¡°Do make sure he arrives alive, and able to perform, but ONLY JUST!¡± The Guard captain took a look at the ropes, and handed me a coil to replace what Marie had used. Then they all left hauling the unconscious soon to be slave away. I took a moment to store all the corpses, and then we returned inside. ¡°Is it over?!¡± We nodded. ¡°Yes, the situation is completely resolved, but now I¡¯m afraid to leave the girls here. I¡¯ll hire some carriages tomorrow, and buy as many tents as I can, some of the older girls can sleep at my folks place, and I might be able to find some others to house a few short term, since I¡¯m hiring their daughters to help teaching the girls and all. We¡¯ll manage. Can I take the papers for my Parents, and send them back once they¡¯re signed?¡± She thought about it for a Moment. ¡°No, but if you don¡¯t mind hosting everyone, I¡¯ll just come with you, and do the papers for the older girls there. I can get some of the repairs done while we go.¡± I smiled. ¡°Sure thing, we can do the younger girls paperwork in the morning after breakfast, then you can make your arrangements for the work to get done, I¡¯ll build the new bed frames, and make the example sets for the carpenters, and hire the carriages after. For now, let¡¯s try to get back to sleep. Morning is even closer now.¡± Chapter 9 Are they crazy, or am I? Chapter 9 Are they crazy, or am I? Jessica woke us in the morning, we tidied up our gear, and stowed it. Rather, I carried our packs out of the way, then stored them. After which I brought a fair amount of food, saying it was in my pack. With my addition, there would be ample for everyone. The kids all started to pile into the Dining hall, very much inattentive, as their food was dished up. Slight surprise was detected at the amount, but they were otherwise oblivious. About ten or so minutes into the eating, one of the younger ones finally noticed Marie, and after that, a second child noticed me. After that, it was pandemonium. Jessica tried to calm them all down, as Marie and I just beamed with pleasure at their pure joy at seeing new people. Taking pity on Jessica I called out in the best impression of a Military Parade Voice. ¡°SILENCE!¡± A ripple of shocked silence traveled across the hall. ¡°Now, I know you¡¯re all excited, but things have to be said. You can¡¯t hear anything while you¡¯re all trying to talk over each other. So LISTEN. When Questions are allowed, raise your hand, and wait to be called. Your questions will be answered, and if someone else asks your question, lower your hand, until you come up with another question. We¡¯re dealing with big issues only, cause we have a lot to get done today. Head Mistress, if you will give the announcements.¡± ¡°Thank you Mark. Big news. First, Mark, and Marie here, are adopting all the girls under ten years old.¡± Excited screaming from all the girls in the range who understood what that meant, while the older girls, and all the boys were a little depressed. ¡°All the older girls, will be adopted by Mark¡¯s Parents, making him, and by extension Marie, your siblings. You will all be their sisters, and Aunts to their daughters.¡± Gasps of Joy from the four oldest girls were easily audible. ¡°This has come with a donation to the Orphanage, and though Money isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve ever let you worry about, in this case it means some repairs and things will happen. As such, we will be taking a trip leaving most likely tomorrow, and going to Mark¡¯s Parents Farm, and his as well. The paperwork for the older girls adoptions will be done there, while all the younger girls will be done here before we leave. The boys will all be staying with the Orphanage, but we will be making regular visits to the farms, because you can learn trade skills there. So you¡¯ll have that to look forward to, and being able to visit with the girls too.¡± The Boys did look a little happy they weren¡¯t being left out entirely. I spoke up. ¡°Now, I have some things to get done today. The Boys all need new bed frames. These will be special types of bed frames, that will make you all happy I think. I also need to rent carriages for all of us to travel in. Marie will be spending time with you all, while the Head Mistress and I get things arranged. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, so don¡¯t rush.¡± Jessica smiled at me. ¡°So are there any big questions?¡± One of the older boys had raised his hand. ¡°Yes Frank, what¡¯s your question?¡± He looked at me. ¡°Why only the girls?¡± I knew the question was going to come, but it was still going to be awkward to answer. ¡°Well, the Boys have much better chances of having a good life, even if they don¡¯t get adopted. Girls on the other hand, have only two options as a rule, and both are bad. I don¡¯t like that, and knowing how hard it is to get funding for this Orphanage, and that girls often get sent away early as a result, I decided to adopt all of them. Those bad options are VERY bad, for them. My Parents agreed with my plan, and insisted they adopt all the girls above age ten, so they¡¯d be my sisters, and have the authority of Aunts to my daughters. You Boys have a much higher chance of being adopted, and if not, getting good work, which I will help with.¡± That seemed to satisfy Frank, he gave a sad smile, then sat down. Jessica pointed at another child, an eight year old girl this time. ¡°Would you adopt my brother too?¡± That one stung, but then I saw Frank looking at her. I smiled. ¡°Would Frank be your Brother?¡± She nodded. ¡°Tell you what, Frank is almost Twelve, I think My Dad will be glad to Adopt him, even though that would make him your Uncle, can you handle that?¡± She Grimaced at the thought of him being her Uncle, so I had to push the idea a little. ¡°Just think about it, what other girl gets to boss her Uncle around?¡± I grinned at her, and she giggled happily. I simply took the adoption fee for Frank out, and handed it over to Jessica, who smiled, a tear twinkling in her eye at the gesture of keeping them together. Nobody else seemed to have questions, so we finished our breakfast, and I went out into the Yard, and started making the Bed Frames. I had all the wood I needed in my Storage already, and the tools as well. Took a few hours to build everything. These stats really make things go quicker. Once they were ready, I called some of the older boys to carry the sections into the best repaired rooms. By the time we were done, all the boys could fit into four rooms instead of the twelve they had needed earlier. They all really liked the new beds, and how more of them could sleep in the same rooms. After the beds were finished, I went to the Guild, and turned in all the Monster Corpses. It was a tidy sum of coin too. I overheard that the Guards had been talking about the incident, and although if irritated them to have it happen, they were happy about so many creatures being culled at once. Jarreth had done something incredibly stupid, and malicious, yet it was turned into something good. The whole town would feel safer after this. I talked with the Local Master, and informed him of my location should he have something difficult to deal with, but to not spread it around. I didn¡¯t want to be bothered at every turn, just because of my Rank. He agreed, and I took the seventy gold, and went to hire the carriages, and deliver the Bed Frame design to the local Carpentry shop. They were stunned at their own stupidity, for not having thought of anything even remotely similar themselves. When I mentioned that slightly larger versions would be snapped up by military for their Barracks, they were absolutely overjoyed at the thought of the income that would come from this. It was an obvious scramble as I was walking away for them to make the first adult bunk for the Guard Station as a sample. Deciding to help, since it would take some time before the purchase would be approved, I gave over enough to cover ten bunks for the Barracks as a Sample. ¡°It¡¯s a Gift, just remember to charge your best price to the Orphanage ok.¡± They nodded happily. After making the arrangements for the Carriages, I returned to the Orphanage. The time was still pretty early when I arrived, and I took a gander in the Kitchen to see what was available for Lunch, and it wasn¡¯t much. Since nobody had noticed me yet, I left again, and headed to the Market Place. Buying plenty of food, and upon passing the area where animal feeds were sold, I found Potatoes for sale, and grinned at the luck. Someone was trying to sell them as pig food, not knowing they were edible for people. There wasn¡¯t a lot of them, about sixty pounds worth, but that was plenty for me. I bought them all for three coppers, and the seller was overjoyed. I kept my cool, and simply walked away with my spoils. Reaching the Orphanage Kitchen I started cooking. Scalloped potatoes, Pork Stew, Green Beans, and I even managed to make a Custard, which I knew would blow the kid¡¯s minds. Seeing tomatoes growing wild, I snatched a good few, and made some Ketchup for the kids to put onto the Potatoes if they wanted, and I had just finished off the last of it, when Jessica came in frazzled clearly thinking she was behind with making lunch. She froze as her brain finally registered the smells wafting around the Kitchen. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What?!¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Good timing, Lunch is ready, and it¡¯s time to serve. The things in the cups are a sweet for after the food is finished. If you¡¯d grab one of the Trays, I¡¯l carry the Stew Pot.¡± So saying, I carried the Stew out of the Kitchen, and into the Dining hall, followed by a still bewildered Jessica. A couple more trips to get everything setup, and ready to serve, and Marie came in with the kids in tow. She must have a sixth sense to have timed it so perfectly, and seeing the freshly washed hands, and faces on all the kids was priceless. Jessica timidly took a bite of the Potatoes, and even though her eyes had widened from that, they damned near exploded in shock when she tried the Ketchup. ¡°This is amazing, what is it?¡± Marie and I chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Believe it or not, that¡¯s sliced Potatoes, and the red sauce is made from the Tomatoes that are growing wild out in the yard. No surprise you didn¡¯t know you could eat those. They are similar in shape to Night Shade, but Tomatoes are edible, not poisonous. Potatoes on the other hand, are only Toxic if they¡¯re green. Not wise to eat them Raw, but even then it won¡¯t kill you, just make you very uncomfortable. Cooking them solves that. You can bake them, fry them, Boil them, or Steam them. All depending on what dish you¡¯re making. I put some in the Stew as well. They grow easily, and are so versatile, you can have them at every meal, and nobody will complain cause you can make them differently every time. Great filler for many a meal. Currently nobody knows they¡¯re food. Bought sixty pounds from an animal feed seller, who thought it was pig food, and only paid three coppers, and he thought he was robbing me.¡± I laughed at that, while Jessica¡¯s eyes were full of wonder at this inexpensive food source I had just introduced her to. ¡°Can the Tomatoes be used in any other way?¡± I explained all the uses I knew for tomatoes, and she marveled at how something she thought of as a weed could help fill her charges bellies. ¡°You¡¯ve got to teach me how to use the Potatoes, and the Tomatoes too. Anything else I can use for food would be great also!¡± I nodded at her. When the custards were served there was reluctance in everyone¡¯s faces, including Marie¡¯s since I hadn¡¯t made anything similar for her, but when I took a big spoonful, and held it in my mouth with joy before swallowing, one of the kids bravely followed suit, and it didn¡¯t take long for her squeal of happiness to convince the rest to follow suit. Joyous energy filled the hall as the Sugar Rush hit them all. We released the kids into the courtyard to burn off the sugar, and got to work cleaning up the dishes. Some of the older girls decided to help with that task, mostly the ones who knew they had a close call due to their own ages. Four twelve, nearly thirteen year olds dug into washing dishes, and only needed minor corrections here and there, and everything got dried, and put away before too long. After that, Jessica and I went around the grounds, and I pointed out herbs, and other edible that simply grew wild around the place. Even some Brussel Sprouts were growing, and explaining how they were a dense bitter cabbage like vegetable, that she would most likely enjoy, but the kids not so much, she was intrigued. I showed her how to harvest them, and then took them to the Kitchen in order to prepare them for Dinner. The Kids were far more energetic than they were accustomed to, and I had two thoughts strike me at once. The Girls would all need clothes, since what they had were barely even rags by this point, and everyone would need access to a tent, until the house was done. ¡°Jessica, are you finished with your errands before leaving?¡± She nodded happily. ¡°In that case, we should round up everyone, and go shopping. The Girls all need some new clothes, what they¡¯re wearing will fall apart within a week on the Farm, and I want to get Tents, and Bedrolls for all of them. Packs too, and a Belt Knife for all the ones old enough to carry one.¡± Jessica¡¯s eyes popped. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought about needing things for the girls. But if you take the Boys they¡¯re going to want things too, I hope you¡¯re prepared for their puppy dog eyes, and whining, among other tricks.¡± She grinned thinking I couldn¡¯t possibly handle that sort of begging. ¡°I intend to simply get everyone clothes, and all the older kids Knives, even if they aren¡¯t going home with me. I¡¯ve got the Coin, don¡¯t worry about that. Packs first, then the second hand clothes store, everyone gets three sets of good quality clothes, I bet I can get the Bedrolls, and Tents at the same place as the packs. After they all have that, you can take the younger ones back, while the older ones say eight and up, come with Marie and I to get their belt knives. Maybe hatchets too.¡± ¡°Wow Mark, that¡¯s a lot. I mean I appreciate it, but that¡¯s got to be several Gold at that point. Are you sure!?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure, the Coin is only a tool to do what I want, and this is what I want. Heck, I probably got enough Gold last night to cover everything I spend. We¡¯re losing time, let¡¯s get things started.¡± It was quite Chaotic hauling all the kids around town to get everything, but it was worth it. The huge smiles on the girls faces from getting the new clothes alone, and the shoes and stockings too. I noticed Marie buying things for the girls as accessories too. Simple hair pins and the like, little things that made them all smile big. I looked at Frank when we were at the Smithy to get the knives, and hatchets. Analysis of his stats indicated he was a Club Man, and wanting him to be Armed on the Farm, I bought him a Mace very similar to Dad¡¯s, and he couldn¡¯t contain his overjoyed shock at holding this simple weapon in his hands, and then knowing it was his. ¡°I¡¯ll do some training with you when we get settled at my Parent¡¯s Place, maybe even get you out hunting a bit for some experience. Need to get your first Kill, so you won¡¯t freeze up if it¡¯s an emergency. Just don¡¯t go swinging it around for no reason, and especially if you¡¯re mad, and can¡¯t see straight, you might end up doing something you¡¯ll regret if you do. Some things simply can¡¯t be undone.¡± Dinner was simple, but as filling as I could manage. They all went to bed stuffed, and Jessica absolutely loved the sprouts. Then we went to bed for the night, only to wake up in the early morning again to fix breakfast. Two hours after that, and everyone, with their packs was loaded onto the rented carriages. Six hours of carriage ride, with frequent rest stops, either for the kids, or the horses, and we finally arrived at the Farm. I was stunned to see that the irrigation ditches, and gates had been installed, including for future fields on Dad¡¯s Farm. Being that so much had changed where I hadn¡¯t expected it, I had the Carriages drive past the location of my House, to see it already completed, and the water mill merrily spinning away, the Forge, and Pottery Shed were almost finished as well. I was stunned. We hadn¡¯t been gone nearly as long as it was expected for the construction to take. ¡°What happened? They said it would take over six weeks for everything, but it looks like almost everything is finished now, even stuff I had planned for years, or months later in the irrigation ditches!¡± Marie looked just as surprised as I was. The carriages stopped at Dad¡¯s Farm House, and we disembarked. Chapter 10 Scramble Chapter 10 Scramble ¡°Welcome Home Mark!¡± Called my Mother. She hugged both myself, and Marie tightly, but froze a second after embracing Marie, then her hug seemed to tighten, and her smile stretched with joy. ¡°Your Collar is gone!¡± The two hopped with joy, and twirled around with excitement for a moment before they separated. ¡°I guess it wasn¡¯t as expensive as I had feared, I figured that killing that Wyvern would count as an act of Merit, but I thought the cost was still prohibitive.¡± I chuckled. ¡°With only the two of us involved in that, the reward was massive. The four Platinum coins is nothing compared to that. Besides, I¡¯d have paid twenty times that, and still thought it cheap. Her freedom is literally priceless.¡± Mom stuttered as she repeated the four platinum amount. ¡°I know how you feel Mom, I couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d waste that much money either. He didn¡¯t even tell me that¡¯s why we needed to go to the Capitol, the escort was only a ruse, and it slowed us down a lot. Took twelve days to get there, but only one for us to return to the town where the Orphanage is. We even caught two troops of bandits on the way home. Then Jarreth did something idiotic, used monster lure to try and destroy the orphanage, if we hadn¡¯t been there at the time, I shudder to think what would have happened. At least I got to put an arrow into his shoulder, and now he¡¯s been sent as a slave to the salt mine, I¡¯m sure you know the one I mean, with that one supervisor.¡± She winked at Mom, and her face paled a little knowing exactly which supervisor she was talking about. Apparently he was quite infamous. Dad showed up, and instantly saw the more time pressing issue. ¡°I guess it¡¯s good that all the construction went faster than expected, they even have all the beds and other furniture installed into your house, just need bedding, and to get your kitchen setup and such. I take it that this is the Head Mistress of the Orphanage?¡± I smiled at Dad, and gave him a bear hug in greeting. ¡°Yes, this is Jessica the Head Mistress of the Orphanage, and only staff currently. I don¡¯t know how she managed up to this point. She¡¯s got the paperwork for all the older girls, and one of the boys, Frank over there, with the Mace, is the blood brother of one of my new daughters, so I thought you¡¯d be fine with that.¡± Nodding, Dad pried Mom away from Marie, so they could sign papers. ¡°Absolutely, we aren¡¯t separating two siblings, when we have the space, and love to go around. Frank, can you gather up all the older girls, the ones I¡¯m signing for. I want to start getting to know my new daughters.¡± Frank nodded happily, and went to do his new father¡¯s bidding. ¡°I think I¡¯ll leave you to it, and have Marie mind the kids, while I run into town to get our chef, and miller. Might even look into some others to help in general. I have a lot of daughters after all.¡± I laughed, and Marie smiled as she went to tend the kids. Meanwhile, I was running full tilt towards town. I arrived at the Inn where Blanche and her daughter worked, and upon seeing me Blanche quickly came out smiling. ¡°Welcome home Mark, how was your trip?¡± I chuckled somewhat. ¡°More eventful than I expected. The house is already finished, which is good, because all my adopted daughters, and sisters, as well as one brother, and all the other boys from the orphanage are here. As is the Head Mistress, who needed to get the kids out to do repairs and since the paperwork for my adoptive siblings also needed to be done, it was brought here, with the kids. SO, I¡¯m gonna need your daughter to come as soon as she can manage, and I¡¯ll give you money so all the kitchen equipment can be purchased. As well as food naturally. How¡¯s ten Gold sound, should that buy everything she needs to cook, and serve to let¡¯s call it a hundred places. There aren¡¯t that many people, but having extra seems like a good idea. Plates, Bowls, Cups, Table Ware. Pots, Pans, Knives, literally everything.¡± Blanche froze for a second, then did some mental math, and nodded to herself. ¡°I think Ten Gold should just cover all that, and she has the signing bonus if it doesn¡¯t.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it twelve, that should cover a wagon to take everything out to the house. Ok, I have to see someone else too, get her out there A.S.A.P. I know Veronica has been approached by my Father to teach Grounds Keeping, but she can wait for a bit. Going to the Millers so their daughter can start managing my Grain Mill. Then I hope to find someone who can make Bricks, or Pottery. Need to get moving to get back in time to help with the kids.¡± Blanche reached out to stop me running off. ¡°If it¡¯s Pottery and Bricks you¡¯re after, there¡¯s a Slave Merchant traveling through town, and one person with them, is an indentured servant. I happened to talk to her myself, and was disappointed to learn that Pottery was her only skill, but if you buy her bond, then at least that conversation paid off.¡± I smiled widely. ¡°On it, thanks!¡± I ran off towards the market square, and quickly spotted the Slave Merchant. ¡°Excuse me, I understand you have a Potter¡¯s Daughter as an indentured servant who¡¯s bond is for sale? Can I speak with her?¡± The Merchant smiled widely. ¡°Indeed I do, and indeed you may. Harmony dear, someone is interested in your Bond.¡± A woman seemingly in her twenties approached, her brunette hair was kept neatly tied behind her head, clearly out of habit. ¡°I¡¯m Harmony sir, why would you be interested in my Bond?¡± ¡°I understand your main skill is Pottery, or Brick Making, hopefully both.¡± She nodded. ¡°Both sir, do you really need me for what I¡¯m trained for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of it, and what your Bond would cover. Aside from your Bond¡¯s requirements though, I¡¯d also be hiring you separately as a teacher, and part of the care providers for my Adopted Daughters, and siblings. AND sometimes Orphans from the next town¡¯s orphanage. Those things pay separately from your Bond, and you¡¯d get the coin in hand, with the choice of applying it to pay your bond sooner, or buying things you want above what your Bond would cover. If all that is fine, and three sets of clothes per year, one pair of work shoes, room and board are all fine for your Bond, then I¡¯ll buy it right now, and we can leave immediately. I need to get the Miller¡¯s Daughter to come too, so I¡¯m in a bit of a time crunch.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Harmony was stunned for a moment, then eventually responded. ¡°How many adopted children, and siblings are we talking about?¡± I laughed heartily. ¡°I honestly haven¡¯t counted. I adopted every girl under age nine, and my parents adopted all the girls ten and up, and one boy who happens to be the blood sibling of one of my daughters. The entire Orphanage is visiting right now too, so it¡¯s going to be a bit of a mad house for a few days. Well lets face it, it¡¯s always going to be a bit of a mad house, and it¡¯s more so right now. My Parents own the Farm next door, and will also be helping out teaching things. I¡¯ll need more care takers as well, but I want to get as many trades as possible represented by my Care takers. That¡¯s unimportant to you though. Do you accept the offer?¡± With a look of Wonder at my intentions, she nodded. ¡°Certainly sir, it seems like you are my fastest way to pay off my Bond, and you¡¯re asking first, instead of treating me like one of the slaves.¡± I turned to the Merchant. ¡°What¡¯s the Bond Price?¡± With the typical grin of the greedy Merchant, he responded. ¡°It happens to be one Gold sir.¡± I almost stopped. ¡°One Gold,¡­that¡¯s it?!! That¡¯s what I offer as a Signing Bonus. Which means,¡­Harmony, here¡¯s your one Gold signing Bonus, it¡¯s yours to do with as you please, which includes paying your own Bond. So I can Pay your Bond, then you pay me, or you can pay your Bond now, and just be my employee from the start, whichever is easier paper work wise.¡± Both the Merchant, and Harmony were stunned. Then Harmony handed the Gold coin to the Merchant. ¡°I believe I¡¯ll pay my own Bond then, since I have an Employer.¡± Shaking his head, the Merchant wrote up the receipt for Harmony¡¯s Bond being paid in full, and we left together. ¡°Harmony, can you come on your own tomorrow to get any supplies I failed to get for the Pottery Barn? If not, I¡¯ll come with you, unless you¡¯d prefer my Mother, she knows her way around town too. Either Way, I¡¯ll give you the coin for purchasing the equipment, and any supplies, such as Glazes.¡± She looked at me strangely. ¡°Glazes, what are those?¡± I looked back at her. ¡°Really, you don¡¯t know about Glazes? They¡¯re mixtures which when you paint them onto already fired Clay, and fire it again, will make it shiny, water proofed, and give it colors. You can make a bowl of fruits from clay, and paint them with glazes in order to make them look like the real fruits, aside from the shininess that is. Luckily I remember how to blend glazes, so I can teach you all that. It¡¯s really an extra step, but greatly expands your artistic options.¡± Harmony was new excited for learning something new about her own craft from her new employer. ¡°There¡¯s currently no brick makers, or potters here, so you¡¯ll be able to earn quite a lot here I think. Ah, here we are, shouldn¡¯t take long to get her on her way. She knows where to go, just didn¡¯t know her Mill was ready yet.¡± I spotted Penelope immediately, and she smiled happily to see me. ¡°Good news, the Mill is finished, and you can come as soon as you¡¯re ready. Though I¡¯ll need to get you some grain to grind. My Farm still needs planting after all. Dad hasn¡¯t harvested yet, but I¡¯m sure one of the neighbors has a few bags that haven¡¯t been brought in yet. They tend to plant a lot of Grain there, and too much for even four wagons to bring in. I¡¯m sure you know who I mean. Maybe I¡¯ll buy an entire Wagon load, so you can grind a lot, and I¡¯ll have plenty for planting too.¡± She laughed excitedly. ¡°I know exactly who you mean, and um¡­I was wondering if I could maybe live on sight somewhere? I¡¯d like more time to actually work.¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°That would make things even better, I have all my adopted daughters now, so the more supervision the better. Extra pay for that too. Say ten silver a Month for helping with general care of the girls?¡± Penelope¡¯s smile stretched if that was possible. ¡°I only need ten minutes to get my things. Mom already agreed that I should move if it was possible. Can you wait, so I can walk with you two? Also who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Please, forgive me for the late introduction. Penelope, this is Harmony. She¡¯s agreed to teach Pottery, and help with the Girls as well. I hope you¡¯ll be great friends going forward, though all that¡¯s required is respect naturally.¡± ¡°Harmony, it¡¯s very nice to meet you, how did this come about, I don¡¯t remember anyone doing pottery here about.¡± ¡°Miss Penelope, it truly is nice to meet you as well. I was a Bond Servant, until Mark¡¯s Signing bonus allowed me to pay off my Bond today, so I¡¯m staying for at least a year, though seeing as how there¡¯s a Kiln to use, and Mark seems to know things, and no competition, I probably won¡¯t move. More likely I¡¯ll just buy a small piece of land from Mark later to build my own little house, if for no other reason than to have one place to not be surrounded by the little ones. I love kids, but it sounds like over half an Orphanage is always going to be there, and the other half visiting some times.¡± ¡°That sounds great, maybe I¡¯ll do that too.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No need, the Mill is too dangerous to risk leaving it unattended, so there¡¯s built in housing for the Mill, and for similar reasons, the Pottery Barn also has a Lodging built in. Can you imagine a kid touching the hot Kiln, and nobody there to respond to their screaming and take care of them. Kids aren¡¯t exactly stupid, but they don¡¯t know what¡¯s too risky without being told you know. I didn¡¯t want to risk any of the kids with the more dangerous crafting buildings, so I planned ahead.¡± They both looked shocked again. ¡°So, we each have our own housing automatically because our crafts can be dangerous to the kids if not overseen?¡± I nodded, and both girls lunged at me for a hug. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re happy with me, I understand, but we still have to get moving. Marie and the Head Mistress are probably close to pulling their hair out by now. The Kids are understandably excited about being somewhere new. Penelope get your stuff, and let¡¯s get going.¡± They let me go, both a little flushed, and Penelope¡¯s mother, having only just heard enough to not get upset nodded approvingly at my quick insistence that we get back to it. ¡°Mark Dear, do let me know if anything more,¡­Personal develops in the future. I¡¯d rather start planning right away. I approve if things end up going that way you know, and frankly, so does my husband, her Brother¡¯s not so much, but they¡¯ll come around.¡± Penelope¡¯s flush turned into a major blush, and she practically screamed in impotent rage as she ran to get her things Chapter 11 Scramble some more Chapter 11 Scramble some more Once Penelope rejoined us, I hefted her things myself, which shocked both of them. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make you carry anything, when I have strength for days, and stamina to last for a full speed run to the Capitol in a single day. That¡¯s not a Joke, I can really do that. Let¡¯s go, I expect you¡¯ll want to have your parents visit the new Mill today, or tomorrow at the latest. We need to stop by that grain farm before we hit home.¡± So saying we left at a decent enough speed. Harmony and Penelope seemed a little like they were struggling with the speed, but didn¡¯t want me to slow down, understanding our urgency to get to the kids sooner. I however spotted Veronica in the distance, and she looked a little torn, at first happy to see me, then not so happy I wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Hello Mark, I was told by my Father you were interested in me, but now I see tow other Women with you. What¡¯s going on?!¡± She had a somewhat Icy smile on her face. ¡°Let me guess, you heard the word interested, and ran out without hearing what I was interested in.¡± I smirked. Veronica¡¯s face flushed, and it deepened when Penelope chimed in. ¡°Mom basically told Mark that She and my Father both agree to me being Mark¡¯s wife. I have never been so embarrassed in my life, even if the idea itself is a good one. Be so much easier if Mark was willing to have more than one wife, that would solve everything.¡± Lightning struck my spine. ¡°UM,¡­not sure I¡¯m ready for marriage at all just yet, but what do you mean IF I was willing to take multiple wives? Isn¡¯t it usually the women who don¡¯t want to share?¡± All three girls looked at me like I was an idiot. ¡°Mark women everywhere dream of sharing a Man, it¡¯s Men who only want a single wife. Where have you been living?¡± Veronica said baffling me. Harmony then spoke. ¡°Truly Mark, I¡¯d marry you too, if you were willing to take more than one wife. Seriously, you¡¯ve already proven to be a very honest, and genuinely caring man. These two clearly want a wife position, and I¡¯d love sharing with them if it were an option.¡± I truly felt like an asteroid had slammed into my very soul at this revelation. ¡°You girls aren¡¯t just messing with me are you? You¡¯d seriously want to share me, with each other, and anyone else who came along?!¡± All three nodded with a slight twinkle in their eyes. ¡°Ok, I need to let you three in on a Family secret. It might surprise you to learn this, it truly shocked my parents, but,¡­I¡¯m a reincarnated soul, with memories of my past life.¡± All three looked at me with utter shock. ¡°Now that in itself is shocking enough, but the life I lived before, things are kind of the other way around. Men dream about having a Harem of loving Women, but it wasn¡¯t allowed at all, and most Women wouldn¡¯t have stood for it. So if you were planning on fighting over me, don¡¯t. Just agree to share, and when I¡¯m ready for Marriage, which isn¡¯t right now, we can make it official then ok, assuming you still like the idea.¡± I was plastered with three eager hugs. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can wait in that case. We have enough daughters to deal with already. That¡¯s why Mom was so supportive of me moving onto your land, and this works great, though I suppose I¡¯ll have to get someone to stay in the Mill when I want to sleep in your bed.¡± Harmony chuckled. ¡°Guess the same is true for me and the Pottery Shed, I agree about needing someone to keep the little ones from playing where they shouldn¡¯t Don¡¯t want anything happening to my future daughters, or sisters after all.¡± Veronica piped up again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear you bought a Slave Girl a while back? That she¡¯s been in your house for a while now?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, but her Collar is gone now. I left to the Capitol for that purpose, and ended up adopting the Orphans on the way back, and bringing them home early because the Orphanage was attacked by Jarreth while we were there. Moron used Monster Bait to try and destroy the place, just to try and hurt me emotionally. Now he¡¯s a Slave on his way to the Salt Mine, you know the one.¡± Harmony was clueless, but both Penelope, and Veronica paled, and giggled. ¡°Serves him right!¡± They both replied, as we all moved onwards. Harmony had to ask. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the Salt Mine, I know that¡¯s a rough life, but something tells me there¡¯s more to it than that.¡± We chuckled with evil mirth. ¡°The supervisor at this particular salt mine, like taking young boys into his room at night, if you get the idea. Jarreth isn¡¯t going to enjoy one second of his new life, and he brought it all on himself. Karma is a real Bitch.¡± All three looked curious at me, and Penelope asked. ¡°What¡¯s Karma?¡± I looked stunned. ¡°Ok, first, it¡¯s a superstition, no basis in fact, but the idea is that what goes around, comes around. If you¡¯re mean to someone, then someone will be mean to you. Even if they¡¯re unrelated to what you did. The original myth, is that there¡¯s a deity involved, named Karma, and she makes everything balance out. You do something bad, you get it back ten fold, do something good, and get that back a hundred fold. Don¡¯t put too much stock in it, but it makes for a good saying.¡± Stunned disbelief at the thought of a deity who¡¯s sole duty is to balance the world. ¡°¡±¡±I don¡¯t believe in Karma¡±¡±¡± All three spoke at once. I laughed. ¡°Nor should you, but at times like that, it¡¯s almost plausible when the evil doing person gets exactly what they deserved seemingly from nowhere.¡± At this point, we had reached the neighbor¡¯s Farm, and I saw a fully loaded wagon of Grain Sacks. Also an irate Farmer¡¯s Wife scolding her husband for wasted effort. ¡°There¡¯s no way they can handle another wagon this soon! The Boys could have done almost anything else, and been more productive. Honestly what are you thinking?¡± I coughed loudly to get both their attention. ¡°Sorry Mrs Daniels, but as it happens, he¡¯s fortunate to have that Wagon already loaded with grain. I assume it¡¯s mostly wheat?¡± Stanley nodded. ¡°Yes, with four sacks of Corn, and one of Rye why do you ask?¡± I smiled huge. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, I need some Corn for a food I¡¯m going to make, and that¡¯s the right amount, I¡¯m also going to try planting some of the Wheat myself, as I suspect my new land will grow it better, then I¡¯m going to need to do business with you, if that pans out. The rest, I¡¯m going to use as test batches for my new Mill, if I made it right, then it will be where you¡¯ll take all your grain for milling in future, and if my fields are better for wheat to grow, then I¡¯ll basically trade fields. You¡¯ll grow the wheat on what is technically my land, while I use your fields for stuff that will grow better here, and say ten percent of the crops goes to the land owner, while the rest is the growers?¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Scratching his chin in contemplation, he eventually nodded. ¡°I can accept that, if I get better yields using your land, plus ten percent of what you grow on mine, I think we¡¯ll both come out ahead in that situation. A little odd why one piece of land would do better than another, but maybe some truth to it. As to the wagon of grain, I can¡¯t let you take it for less than a Gold, I know it¡¯s a lot, but Farming isn¡¯t cheap.¡± I handed him two gold, stunning his wife. ¡°The second Gold is to have you bring it over to my place. You know the old abandoned farm next to my Father¡¯s? I own that now, and it¡¯s been rebuilt, and has irrigation canals, and that is why I think it will grow wheat better, among some other details that we can discuss later. Having an easy, and equal method to water the entire crop will make a huge difference, since you won¡¯t rely solely on rain.¡± Now he had an understanding of at least one reason I thought I could do better with wheat than him, but that sparked another question. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then what could grow better here, than there?¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking Sugar Beets, you know, the kind you can¡¯t eat, because of how woody they are.¡± Now he was befuddled. ¡°What good do those do?¡± ¡°They¡¯re called sugar beets for a reason, making crystallized sugar from them is much easier than you¡¯d imagine. If you have any growing around, I could make a small batch with like ten beets, just as a test.¡± His wife eager for this info, piped up. ¡°I just pulled about twenty today, and they¡¯re just sitting beside the trash pile, hadn¡¯t tossed them in just yet. What do we need to test?¡± We spent almost an hour to grind the beets, boil out the sugar, and set the trays to cool, and evaporate. ¡°I¡¯ll come back later to see how you like the sugar, and teach you some recipes that use it. Every other house will be jealous when they find out about this.¡± The girls and I went on to the Farm, followed by Mr. Daniels on his wagon. As we approached, I could tell something seemed off. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked as soon as I came into talking range. ¡°We signed adoption papers for one more daughter than we count here, and we¡¯re not understanding the mistake.¡± The headmistress looked equally confused. I hadn¡¯t appraised any of the other kids, so I quickly scanned all my new daughters, and realized the problem, one of what I thought was a daughter, was actually a sister, and she wasn¡¯t human. I smiled widely, knowing I was going to shock her. ¡°Rose, would you mind coming here?¡± The girl in question came over, just as energetic as she should be. ¡°So, dear Sister, how did a Gnome end up in a Human orphanage hmmm?¡± Her eyes bulged in shock. Everyone was stunned. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, I left race blank, and you¡¯re my Brother now, you can¡¯t take it back!¡± She was clearly panicked. ¡°Calm down Sis, I¡¯m not mad, I¡¯m sure the Headmistress was just too overworked to see your age on the paper when you were taken in. I also understand wanting to hide from certain types of Men, I imagine those kinds, who would take you because of how you look, that being specifically looking like a child even though you¡¯re actually older than almost everyone here, wouldn¡¯t be the kind of Men you want anywhere near you.¡± She looked a little sheepish at this. ¡°How did you know I was a Gnome?¡± I smiled as I gave her a side hug. ¡°Appraisal skill, and pretty high. Mom and Dad were in a Panic because they didn¡¯t know you were adopted by them, and thought you were included with my daughters instead. You¡¯re home, no matter if you want to stay with the younger ones, or stay with my folks.¡± Marie came up, looking suspiciously at the three girls who had come home with me. ¡°You all look particularly happy with yourselves, mind telling us why?¡± Instead of an instant answer, the three simply gave her a joint bear hug. Penelope then whispered into her ear, and Marie looked at me, determined. ¡°Me too, and no arguments.¡± I was stunned. ¡°Am I THAT oblivious?!¡± She grinned at me. ¡°Duh, stupid head, I haven¡¯t been subtle about it at night you know. The more the merrier, if I knew you¡¯d go for it, I wouldn¡¯t have waited.¡± With that, she planted her lips on mine in a rather passionate kiss, surprising my parents, and myself. ¡°Wait, Son, are you seriously taking all of them? I¡¯m not complaining, but SERIOUSLY?!¡± I laughed, as I saw Mom with a prideful tearing eye. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be happier, well unless your Father was willing to take a few more wives that is. Have you set a Limit, or just seeing who wants in, and can fit with who you¡¯ve already agreed to take?¡± Shaking my head in befuddlement I answered. ¡°Mom, in my other life, Men dreamed of this, I never thought I COULD have it, let alone would. So I¡¯ll let the current people choose if they want someone else to join, that way I won¡¯t have any trouble at home later.¡± Having failed to notice another wagon coming in I was startled when Blanche¡¯s daughter spoke out, from behind me. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, me too please!¡± I turned in shock, and before I could even process what she had said, the four who had chosen this all said in unison. ¡°¡±¡±¡±OF COURSE!¡±¡±¡±¡± (I¡¯m doomed) ¡°Wow¡±, was all I could say, at my now fifth betrothed woman. Blanch on the other hand couldn¡¯t have been happier. ¡°Now I know my Baby girl has a bright future, what about her Sisters? They¡¯re not much older, and rather pretty?¡± ¡°NO SIBLINGS! Sorry, that¡¯s just too weird, and it begs for trouble with children maybe falling for their half siblings later on. That would be TOO close, bad things can happen that way. Better to spread things out more, and that¡¯s assuming any more come into the picture. Here I thought I was just hiring experts who happened to be Women, to protect my girls from any potentially unwanted interactions in life.¡± *Sigh* Chapter 12 Disconnect with past statements Chapter 12 Disconnects with past statements ¡°Hold on,¡­Mom,¡­When I came home with Marie, you said my future wife wouldn¡¯t like it, assuming I meant to be intimate with her, so WHY?,¡­is it all of a sudden fine that I¡¯m going to have currently five wives, if one wouldn¡¯t like me having taken Marie that way?¡± All of the Women looked at me like a Moron, and Maries answered instead. ¡°Because Dummy, she assumed you¡¯d stop once you got married, leaving me alone cause you had a wife. In that scenario your Wife would have been upset I was being left out, just because of her.¡± I placed my hands on my face. ¡°This world is SO DIFFERENT from my old world. Jessica having caught my wording had to ask. ¡°Old world, what does that mean?¡± Rose, Blanch, and Theresa were all looking intensely at me. ¡°Ah, (chuckle) Guess I let that slip, oops. Well, as it turns out, reincarnation is a thing, and for whatever reason, I got my past life memories back. SO,¡­all my old skills, and knowledge are boosting my stats, and skill levels in this life. Probably the best mathematician you¡¯re likely to meet in your lifetime, and I wasn¡¯t even that good.¡± Dad spoke out. ¡°It¡¯s true, when his system unlocked, he suffered intense headaches due to the past life memories fusing into his current ones, and his attitude became much more adult. You can¡¯t fake that.¡± Marie piped up. ¡°That¡¯s where the Bunk Beds, and knowing Tomatoes are food came from, among other things. I¡¯m a Ranger, first one in almost a Millennium, and that¡¯s because he thought it could happen with a little training in something I didn¡¯t know. He was right, and the cloak I wear is patterned by his specifications. I had him wear the cloak so I could see what it did. I couldn¡¯t see him before too long, it¡¯s almost magic, and coupled with my stealth skills, nobody can see me if I don¡¯t want them to.¡± ¡°OKAY, I guess I¡¯ll buy the whole reincarnation thing, but what¡¯s this about Tomatoes?¡± Theresa had focused on what was important, namely food. I simply snagged one off a nearby bush, and bit into it, then handed it to her. She smirked at the indirect kiss I had offered, but didn¡¯t hesitate to bite into the juicy fruit ¡°People think they¡¯re poisonous because the plant looks similar to Nightshade. Yet they aren¡¯t actually poisonous, and are in fact both very good for you to eat, and versatile. Jessica, you remember the red sauce for the potatoes? That was made from Tomatoes. It¡¯s called Ketchup, and is just puree of Tomato with vinegar, and typically salt, but I need to make salt sometime.¡± Everyone snapped attention to me. ¡°What do you mean, Make Salt?!¡± (oh boy) ¡°Couple ways, either dig up rock salt, and refine it, get some sea water, and evaporate it, or else I can do it with blood, but it will have a taste.¡± I was then bodily dragged to the butchers in town to acquire the blood to make a batch of salt. It wasn¡¯t a difficult project, but it would take some time. First using a centrifuge to separate the blood from the plasma, then scooping off the plasma to dehydrate. It took some time to get everything done, but it didn¡¯t cost much, and after the time had finished, we had nearly a pound of salt crystals, even if they were an off yellow in color, and a taste similar to the meat it came from. ¡°How does it work with Sea Water?¡± Theresa was very happy with the blood salt, but as I had mentioned, it did have the taste, so its uses were limited. ¡°Pretty much the same actually. You can use a filter instead of spinning the buckets around though. You only want the salt water, not anything that¡¯s in it. It¡¯s a slow process in big batches. Rather lucrative business in some places.¡± She gave me a well duh look. ¡°Well I assume the salt we made, even at its low quality would sell for a fortune, but salt back in that world, I could buy a ten pound bag of salt, and only spend about a half hours pay to get it.¡± Shock and incredulity were apparent on Theresa¡¯s face. ¡°Ok, too many surprises for today, I have a Kitchen to finish setting up, and a small army of angels to feed. Get out of here already, I¡¯ll see you soon enough.¡± I almost went out right then, but stopped. ¡°Is that a genuine leave, or the test to see if I¡¯m insensitive?!¡± I smirked at her. Blushing, she came up to me, and planted a kiss on my lips. ¡°Test passed, now really get out. As much as I¡¯d like to keep you here, you really will be in the way till I get things put where I want them, and I don¡¯t have time to learn any new recipes from you, so I¡¯ll need all the time I have to cook enough for those babies of ours.¡± She then shoved me out the door. This was going to take some getting used to. I had barely gotten out of the Kitchen, when I heard some commotion outside the front of the new house. Upon investigating I saw Mr. Daniels daughter walking in with a Sack of grain slung across her shoulders. ¡°Hello there, Grace right?¡± She beamed at me knowing her name. ¡°Dad said you were setting up a new mill, AND had taken more than one wife, well betrothed I guess. I thought, MAYBE, since we¡¯d maybe be growing grains here, that you might add me too. I know all about growing wheat, and I brought a bag of buckwheat with me too, cause there wasn¡¯t any on that wagon. Dad said it was fine, considering what I wanted.¡± Theresa leaned out the Kitchen having overheard. ¡°It¡¯s a yes from me, you said it was our choice, so ask the others, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a yes from them too, but I suppose asking is polite.¡± She was grinning fit to burst at my flustered face. (Weird, this world is weird, not complaining, but wow) ¡°Well, like she said, gonna have to ask the others. Seems like they want a BIG family though, so I won¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s a yes all around.¡± I chuckled a little as we maneuvered our way through the kids to the mill. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Oh hey Mark, oh, and Grace too, is that more grain to mill?!¡± Penelope was positively giddy at the new mill. ¡°You know I¡¯m already done with the ten bags, and it would have taken almost all day, with everyone back at my folks place. *sniff sniff* Buckwheat, haven¡¯t gotten to try it on buckwheat yet. Gimme!¡± Snatching the bag from Grace¡¯s shoulder and immediately feeding it through the hopper, and marveling as the free spinning stone grinder effortlessly ground the Buckwheat into flour, then after winnowing out the chaff, she bagged it again in its original sack. ¡°Oh the corn meal is over there, you said that was for you personally right?¡± I nodded, and rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°Yeah, it is, but um, This is awkward for me to even bring up, but Grace here, well she didn¡¯t just come because of the Buckwheat.¡± ¡°Figured as much, it¡¯s a yes from me, I love Grace, always have.¡± Grace hugged Penelope giggling. ¡°Wow, this is what I expected, but still wow! So having trouble processing this whole Women dreaming of sharing a Man thing.¡± Grace looked weirdly at me. ¡°It¡¯ll make sense later, when he can tell you his secret. It¡¯s not bad, just,¡­weird, amazing even. If I didn¡¯t know it was true based upon certain things he¡¯s said, and done, I wouldn¡¯t believe it myself. What¡¯s the plan for the Buckwheat by the way?¡± I chuckled, Penelope had her priorities straight I guess. ¡°Take it, and the corn meal, at maybe three normal wheat to the Kitchen, we can take the other seven wheat to show your folks, and let you brag about how fast your mill is.¡± She beamed, then with a sad look, pulled the levers to release the tension from the Grind stone, stopping the mill. We then heard a mighty splash from the Mill Pond, and in a Panic I ran out to see who had fallen in, only to stop dead in place, at the sight of a shimmering blue translucent, and very nude form in the pond. ¡°Greetings human! Are you responsible for this lovely pond?! The water flowing down the stream drew me here, it¡¯s so fresh, and strong. I¡¯m used to nearly dying this time of year. I hope you won¡¯t mind me living in this pond, I¡¯ve always been stuck in that little trickle till now.¡± Slapping my face fiercely to get my brain functioning again, I attempted to ignore her figure. ¡°That depends, I know little of your kind, all from fake stories, told by people who never met any of your kind. So forgive me if this is rude, I don¡¯t intend it so, just making sure the fake stories are exactly that, fake. In some stories, your kind like to lure people to their deaths, and trap their bodies in the stream, stealing their power as it were. I assume that¡¯s just old superstition to explain accidental drowning though. I still have to ask, I have a lot of kids to protect.¡± She gasped. ¡°That¡¯s so horrid, I¡¯m glad you know it¡¯s not true, even if you¡¯re asking. I suppose we do lure men, looking as we do, but we always make sure they survive the encounter. I¡¯d never let anyone drown if I was around to stop it, especially little ones! If you hadn¡¯t made it clear you didn¡¯t actually believe it, I¡¯d have been angry. I¡¯m Wripple by the way, or at least that¡¯s as close as you humans can get to saying my name.¡± Grace smacked me upside the head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d even ask that, sure their kind is rare around here, but still, they are people, not monsters!¡± Wripple giggled at the byplay. ¡°Hey, you aren¡¯t officially a betrothed yet, at least wait for the rest to say yes before you start exorcising wifely discipline rights.¡± I chuckled, and Grace blushed. ¡°Hey, anyone can discipline you for that one, and besides, you already know it¡¯s just a formality.¡± Marie giggled behind me. ¡°She¡¯s right you know, I welcome another wife. Harmony likely will too, and Veronica was only ever mad, thinking she¡¯d be left out, as soon as she knew you were accepting of multiple wives, she¡¯s been the absolute happiest¡­.well, aside from me that is. As to you Wripple, I¡¯m very pleased to have an Undine living in our Mill Pond, also you should be able to navigate all the way to the other river, using the irrigation channels, just make sure to close the gates behind you, so we don¡¯t flood the crops.¡± ¡°Next thing you know, I¡¯m gonna have a Fox girl, and Cat girl joining in.¡± Grace and Marie looked at me. ¡°Are you willing, like seriously you¡¯d let us include non humans?!¡± I looked stunned like a deer in headlights. ¡°Seriously, I could have them?¡± Grace and Marie smiled overflowing with joy. ¡°You know how rare Undine are, it¡¯s cause they don¡¯t produce males, they have to lure men just for a chance at a child, they basically milk any man they can trip into their stream, just for a chance to have a daughter, but she¡¯d be much happier with a man who came willingly to play with her. You should include Wripple, and anyone from the other stream too. We need more Undine, they¡¯re vital for the land to thrive long term.¡± ¡°¡±Yes¡±¡± was shouted from both the Mill, and Kitchen door. Grace was just nodding her head, and wripple looked shocked, and overjoyed at the prospect of having me as a husband to share. ¡°Truly girls, you¡¯ll welcome me as a Wife?¡± Harmony and Veronica came walking over just then. ¡°You bet we will, and I¡¯m guessing you want in too, um?¡± Asked Harmony, only for Veronica to continue. ¡°Grace you¡¯re joining, YAY! Plus miss Undine, as an actual wife, perfect.¡± I busted out laughing. ¡°Seven betrothed, and I haven¡¯t even tried, plus plans on snagging the first example of Non human girls that come our way, this is crazy for me to even contemplate.¡± ¡°Can I have a Kiss then future husband?¡± Wripple smiled impishly. ¡°Only a Kiss, I¡¯m not quite ready to do more adult things just now. Too much work ahead. I still haven¡¯t properly met all my new daughters, and sisters. Adopting half an Orphanage at once is kinda crazy when I think on it.¡± Wripple gasped. ¡°You mean all these angels will be mine too?!¡± Just then, one of the littlest girls, having tried getting too close to see wripple, fell into the Pond, and Wripple seemed to teleport lifting the little sweetheart up out of the water, and into Grace¡¯s waiting arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one to get dry, so glad to have you here Wripple, knowing the kiddos are safe, and who better to teach them to swim?¡± She leaned over, and gave Wripple a peck on the cheek, before walking off with the squiggling child. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to wait a little to meet Katy there.¡± Chapter 13 startling revelations of profound stupidity Chapter 13 startling revelations of profound stupidity Dad came running up, with Mom not far behind. They had heard through the child grape vine that someone fell into the Mill Pond, and hadn¡¯t listened to the part where everything is fine. They were panting heavily out of breath, thus were unable to make inquiries. ¡°Calm down, everything is fine, little Katy took a dip, but Wripple here had her back out before she even knew she was wet. Grace is tending to her right now.¡± The relief on their faces was palpable. ¡°Huff huff, don¡¯t tell me, the girls took Grace on as well? I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to manage.¡± I chuckled at that. ¡°Even the one time it took to get you was enough mess for me to handle, you¡¯re braver than I am.¡± I froze, looking incredulous at my Father. ¡°WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU SAYING?! Are you telling me, you honestly believe that happens every time? You never did it again with Mom, like EVER?!¡± Everyone of the adults were shocked at my outburst. ¡°No man takes the same woman twice, if they can¡¯t get pregnant, they take another wife, till they finally get lucky.¡± I slapped my hands over my face. ¡°Women are born with a Hymen, the first time anyone enters her, it tears, that¡¯s where the blood comes from, it never heals, it¡¯s a ONE TIME THING!!!!!¡± Also, it¡¯s not a garuntee to get Pregnant every time, you KEEP TRYING till it sticks. Mom is fertile, MAKE ME A SIBLING already! No matter how many wives I get, they will all get ME multiple times, as often as I can manage. I will love, and treasure all of them equally. You can expect a whole bunch more grandkids the natural way, with currently seven future wives, and most likely more to come. I can¡¯t believe nobody ever told you this, good God that¡¯s in standard Sex Education in like sixth grade!¡± All my girls looked at me like I was a God at this point. Wriple piped up from the Pond. ¡°Dear one, does that mean you¡¯ll willingly give me more than one daughter?!¡± Having promised her a Kiss already, I knelt down to give it to her. ¡°Wripple, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you have twelve daughters by me, not knowing how fast your kind gestate, and give birth. But I will enjoy repeat visits if you¡¯ll have me.¡± She wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. ¡°I want to start now, it¡¯s so hard waiting, but I¡¯ll be good.¡± Rose was in utter shock at this revelation. ¡°Ummm, you could prove that with me,¡­if you wanted. A man, well you know, but it didn¡¯t take, and I thought I¡¯d just be some guys plaything all the time, that¡¯s why I went to the Orphanage. People always would mistake me for a child, but,¡­if, if what you say is true, and I could maybe have a child. Please, take me too, look past my appearance, and take me as a wife too!¡± Mom got an evil look on her face, and grabbed Dad by the arm, hauling him off to prove my words. Dad was panicked, but helpless, and Frank having overheard the lesson on biology was stupefied. ¡°I thought my Dad was just gross, cause my Sister and I have the same Mother, he never got Married to anyone else, so everybody looked at us strange, then I heard about the mess from someone else¡¯s Dad, and I well, it just made sense why they acted like that, so I thought they were right. Now, maybe Dad isn¡¯t actually Gross after all.¡± The girls were all busy comforting Rose. I took a deep breath, and answered her. ¡°If when that guy did that to you, it didn¡¯t hurt terribly bad, and you aren¡¯t afraid of the idea, I won¡¯t say no, just ask the girls first.¡± All of them looked at me with the ultimate are you serious look. ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±OF COURSE!!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡± (Oh boy, that¡¯s eight already, and as awesome as Rose is, there¡¯s going to be lots of looks till everyone knows she¡¯s a Gnome.) ¡°Rose needs to be introduced all around town, so everyone knows she¡¯s a Gnome, BEFORE they know she¡¯s my betrothed. I don¡¯t want anyone thinking I touch children you know. Wait a minute, that¡¯s why you all looked confused when I said Brothel, even Pierson didn¡¯t know what I meant, he only knows about Slaves, not Sex Workers!¡± ¡°What¡¯s a sex worker?¡± Asked Marie clearly speaking for everyone. ¡°A Sex worker, is a woman who has Sex for Money, that never happened here, because the Men are Idiots. Likewise, most Slaves won¡¯t have to worry about that, aside from Jarreth that is.¡± Marie, and the others who knew Jarreth giggled with evil delight thinking on what he¡¯s suffering. ¡°Guess the Ass just wanted something pretty to look at and not to touch. Still, I¡¯d never have let him get you.¡± Marie hugged me, and gave me a fierce kiss in response. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I agree with Wripple, waiting is going to be hard, I¡¯ll be good, to a point at least, I¡¯m sleeping Naked whenever I can though, I want your touch, as much as I can get.¡± All the girls nodded at that. Then from the pond, came another splash, only this one came with a groan of pain. ¡°Ouch, I¡¯ve never been ripped into so many pieces before.¡± Wripple gasped in shock, and we focused on the Pond to see a second Undine. ¡°Spashtar!¡± Wripple lunged at the new Undine hugging her, as she herself had shocked joy filled eyes. ¡°Wripple! I haven¡¯t seen you in YEARS What happened?!¡± Returning the hug with overwhelming joy at friends reunited. ¡°I got washed into a side stream during a heavy flood season, and I was stuck ever since, till my future husband there made this Pond, I¡¯m so sorry you got torn apart by that thing, it must have hurt a bunch.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, if I get to see you again, it¡¯s worth it, but what¡¯s this Husband nonsense you¡¯re spouting?¡± I coughed, causing Spashtar to look at me, her eyes widening. ¡°That would be me. Wripple has agreed to join with my other betrothed, and bear children for me. Are you sisters, or friends?¡± Spashtar¡¯s face seemed to darken slightly, getting more intensly blue. ¡°Um, it¡¯s sort of both, we weren¡¯t born of the same mother, and our sires were different, but all Undine are like Sisters if they ever shared a body of water. Are you really willing to give Wripple a daughter?¡± I smiled broadly. ¡°Unlike every other Man you¡¯re likely to meet, I actually know I can have the same Woman multiple times, and I expect to give Wripple many daughters, not just one.¡± Spashtar¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of her head formation. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m going to have to make a dock here, so I can be at surface level for Wripple when the time comes, though keeping the young ones away will be a challenge.¡± Spashtar was stunned at my statement, but then a look of concern crossed her face, as she looked back upstream. ¡°Um, am I stuck here now, I¡¯m happy to see Wripple, but there¡¯s others who will be worried about me, if they don¡¯t sense me soon. Who knows how many Undine might get trapped here!¡± Maries spoke out. ¡°Not to worry, I¡¯ll guide both ove you through the irrigation system. You can get around the mill that way, no need to go over it again. Just keep the gates closed behind you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Wripple was confused. ¡°Yes love, but I¡¯m sure you have others who will be happy to sense you after so long.¡± Wripple looked at me, realizing what I was saying and feeling ashamed she hadn¡¯t rushed off for that very reason already. ¡°Now, can we go now?!¡± ¡°Um, if I can come and go, could maybe, you know?¡± A chorus of yes¡¯ from eight voices, with me sheepishly keeping silent. *Then there were nine) I shook my head as I walked off to get some work done. Making the dock wasn¡¯t something to trust with crafters from town, as they would undoubtedly avoid the place knowing about the Undine. That, and I knew what I was doing. My carving and knife skills made short work of the process, and in less than an hour I was back at the pond pounding the posts into the bottom, and getting ready to assemble the platform, and steps. The rest of the day was spent installing the dock, and once again, I had failed to properly introduce myself to my daughters, and sisters. Though I did sneak a forehead kiss on little Katy¡¯s head, even a minor accident like that was still concerning, and I had to check on her. When I came to bed, not only was Marie naked as she promised, but also Veronica. They giggled at my shocked expression, and drug me into the room, and stripped me down to my drawers. Leaving that little bit of modesty for me, they then pulled me onto the bed between them. Grace came in from the Privy a moment later, and hung up the night dress she had worn expressly to visit the Privy, and climbed in with the rest of us. Sleep was hard won, especially hearing Mom¡¯s moans and Dad¡¯s grunts in the other room. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be a big brother before too long.¡± The girls joined in with my giggling. Chapter 14 Emotionally torn, Quest to feed, or Time to bond Chapter 14 Emotionally torn, Quest to feed, Time to bond. Waking in the morning cuddled by three nude women, not at all unpleasant, if a little awkward still. I moved slowly, trying to not wake the girls, but with so many hands, and legs it was a vein effort. ¡°Do we HAVE to get up already?!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Well, we do need to feed a small army of young, and in order to keep doing that, Marie and I at least need to keep questing, at least for part of the day.¡± Groans from three women, all beautiful, and they all stretched luxuriously, making me want desperately to dive back into the bed, and ignore my good intentions to wait. Still we got dressed, and went to the Kitchen, where unsurprisingly Theresa was already awake, and sluggishly moving to try and make a Breakfast for all of us. ¡°Nothing¡¯s ready yet, you¡¯ll have to wait.¡± ¡°No waiting for us Love.¡± I kissed her cheek fondly. ¡°We¡¯re here to help, just tell us what you need us to do. I assume you need water, perhaps I can start hauling that for you.¡± Theresa blushed a little, but returned my cheek kiss, and pointed to the water barrel in the corner. ¡°Fill that to the top then, that will help for the whole day. I¡¯ll have the girls help with other things. Thanks loves, it really helps even with just carrying stuff.¡± I yawned mightily. ¡°Hard to sleep with Mom and Dad going at it. Wonder how the kids handled that. If they¡¯re so loud we can hear them all the way in our room,¡­they never went home did they?¡± The girls all gasped. Penelope came in just then. ¡°Hey Penelope, I think my Folks stayed here last night, could you run up, and check the older kids, just make sure they aren¡¯t worried about anything, and maybe send them here, we¡¯ll make more food here for them. Maybe Jessica stayed up there, can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t even think to figure out where everyone was sleeping.¡± She gave me a quick hug, and a peck on the cheek, then walked briskly off to do a check, while I continued with my task. As I finished with the final trip carrying water, I went to see if anything else needed done for Breakfast. ¡°Anything else I can do?¡± Theresa shook her head. ¡°No, we have everything well in hand now, maybe you could start waking the kids, food is almost done as it is. You girls should go help with that, I¡¯ve got this.¡± However at that moment four of my new Sisters came in. ¡°Brother Mark, can we help at all?¡± ¡°Well I was going to go wake the girls, you can help with that, but first, I don¡¯t think any of you four ever introduced yourselves yet. I know the little ones names technically because I signed their papers, but that trick doesn¡¯t work for you older ones, aside from Zack, and Rose, I don¡¯t know any of your names yet. I feel like a Bad Brother not knowing my cute Sister¡¯s names.¡± My betrothed, all four of them in the room smiled indulgently, no doubt thinking they were looking at at least one new wife, though I had no intention of crossing that boundary with them, but what did I know. ¡°I¡¯m Tina, I¡¯m twelve years old, an adult for over a month now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ginger, we¡¯re all Twelve, my Mother thought it was funny calling me Ginger cause my Father was a Red Head, even though I¡¯m not.¡± I smiled at that. ¡°That¡¯s cute, even if I can understand if it drove you crazy growing up.¡± Ginger smiled., and a Blonde spoke next. ¡°I¡¯m Carrie, Mother tried to insist she called me that cause I liked to be carried everywhere, but all babies need to be carried right?¡± I nodded ¡°Moms like to tease their daughters, so I could see that happening.¡± The last of the four, funnily enough, was a red head. ¡°I¡¯m Kora, I don¡¯t actually remember my parents, I¡¯ve lived at the Orphanage as long as I can remember. I¡¯m really thankful you adopted us,¡­can,¡­can I perhaps have a hug? I¡¯ve never had a sibling to hug before.¡± ¡°Well, now you have a bunch of family to hug, Sisters, Brothers, Nieces, and even Parents. Hugs are free, as is the love that comes with them. You never have to worry about asking for a Hug, just as long as it¡¯s safe right then. If we¡¯re doing something potentially dangerous, like working in the Forge, maybe wait till it¡¯s safe for us to take a break, and come hug you then.¡± We all, including the other girls gave Kora a Hug, giving her the confirmation of the love she desperately needs. ¡°All right everyone, lets get our little ones up, and fed.¡± With that, after wiping a couple tears from young faces, we went off to wake the herd of over eager angels ready to eat, and play. Breakfast was a hectic affair, but everyone got fed, and just before they all bolted I spoke out. ¡°Listen up! I¡¯m going to point fingers, and whoever I point at, you¡¯re helping Theresa carry the dishes today. You¡¯re all taking turns doing a little work here and there, nobody gets away without doing chores.¡± There were a few groans, but Jessica was stunned. ¡°I¡¯ve never had the children help with anything.¡± I pointed my finger at the six girls I wanted to help, and two of the boys since they were here too. ¡°Chores are not just work, they¡¯re lessons, skills to improve their lives as they grow up. The more they do, the better off they are when their system unlocks.¡± I then put some kids on wood carrying duty, and a few of the older ones were set to chopping more wood. I spotted Katy running around at one point, and scooped her up into my arms. With her squiggling in my arms, I tickled her a little on her ribs, as I went to the Pond. Walking down the steps onto the Dock. Wripple, and Spashtar were both there. Katy started happily reaching out to them. ¡°Not so fast little one, we need to get you out of that dress first. Can¡¯t learn to swim when you have a dress.¡± I placed her down, and the lifted her arms over her head. I pulled off her dress, leaving only her underpants. ¡°Shoes, and stocking too, they would pull you down, making it hard to swim.¡± She plopped onto her bottom, and pulled them off herself. ¡°Good job, now listen to Mother Wripple, and Mother Spashta, they¡¯ll teach you how to swim, and give you lots of love too, won¡¯t you?¡± Two beaming watery faces were all the answer I needed. ¡°Of Course, She will be a regular little tadpole before you know it!¡± Five other children came over, clearly jealous of Katy getting so much attention. ¡°Dora, if you want to swim too, you can ask Spashta if she has time right now. As for you boys, I don¡¯t know your names yet. I only know Dora¡¯s name, because I signed her papers, So tell me your names please.¡± One of the boys with scruffy brown hair, clearly wearing the oldest pants he had to his name spoke. ¡°I¡¯m Jerry, he¡¯s Kent, he doesn¡¯t talk much, but he¡¯s my best friend.¡± I smiled, and pulled them both into a Hug ¡°Kent will talk, when he wants to. Those who are safe, and make him feel safe, will get the treat of hearing him speak, the rest don¡¯t need to hear it.¡± A little whisper came from Kent. ¡°Thank you¡± I almost couldn¡¯t hear it. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Harmony came up just then, as I was getting the boys into the water for a Swimming lesson. ¡°Morning Mark, I¡¯m surprised Katy is so eager to swim after falling in yesterday.¡± I smiled, and handed her the Towel. ¡°I noticed, she was so eager to get to Wripple yesterday, the fall, and water didn¡¯t scare her at all, and she wasn¡¯t hurt, but she was MAD when Grace took her off to dry. Now though, she¡¯s practically naked, and I handed her directly to them. I¡¯m forgiven so to speak, Mother Grace is probably the Bad Guy still, cause of being the one to take her away.¡± We Giggled. ¡°Maybe I should be the one to take her back then. Don¡¯t want Father to be the Bad Guy if we can avoid it.¡± I sighed. ¡°Honestly I¡¯d love to just hang out, and get to know them more, but Marie and I need to do some Questing. If you could watch over the tadpoles so they get properly dried, and dressed again, that would probably be best. Then I can go get Marie, and head out to the Guild.¡± ¡°Hmmm, ok, but one condition.¡± I turned. ¡°Oh, and what condition would that be?¡± The smiled. ¡°I want a proper Kiss, and, well, maybe your hands could, maybe.¡± I took her lips, and gave her the proper kiss she wanted, and groped her properly. Once I came up for breath, she pushed me away. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted, but if I let you go anymore, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to make me wait like you want me to. So go do your questing already.¡± Kissing my cheek as I turned in her arms. I chuckled as I went off to find Marie. Marie and I headed into town to visit the Guild, and see if any quests were worth taking today. As we entered the hall, Pearson saw us, and waved us over. ¡°The Master needs to see you. I¡¯ll take you right up.¡± I was somewhat pensive, hoping there wasn¡¯t anything troubling. ¡°They¡¯ve come Master.¡± He opened the door to the Master¡¯s office, and we entered. ¡°Welcome home you two. Sorry to drag you in here right off, but we¡¯ve got something,¡­irritating. One of the beasts that was displaced by that stupid Wyvern never went back. It¡¯s a Giant Spiny backed boar. It¡¯s not coming any closer, but it¡¯s made getting certain herbs and the like too dangerous, and it¡¯s gotten to a point where either I have to deal with it, or our own S rank Questers. SO, logically I need to send you, cause this mountain of paperwork isn¡¯t going anywhere, and will only grow if I don¡¯t stay here.¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m just glad it isn¡¯t something annoying. Like a message from the Capitol branch or something. You could have just left a message with Pearson, we¡¯ll always take a quest like that.¡± ¡°Why would the Capitol branch be sending a message?¡± I shook my head. ¡°As we were leaving town, I barely noticed that someone was trying to call out to us. I assume they either had a Quest, or else they were trying to drag us to the King, and make use Double, or Triple S, which as you know would make us Nobles, which we DO NOT WANT!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, they don¡¯t know where you¡¯re based out of yet, but it¡¯s only a matter of time, especially after the Orphanage attack. That will probably take a couple weeks to trickle up, and get noticed, but it will, and then maybe a month before they lock in on this as your base of operations. They¡¯ll find you eventually I¡¯m afraid.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Just don¡¯t make it easy, ok. Don¡¯t lie, but don¡¯t volunteer anything. We¡¯re off to take out this boar., back as quick as we can, also Pearson, can you grab us the list of herbs to collect, not as a quest itself, just so we can grab what we see while taking on the Boar.¡± Pearson darted off to scribble out the list for us, and by the time we reached his counter he was able to hand it over. ¡°Thanks, see you when we get back.¡± ¡°Hey Mark, you know this is going to pay out a TON when we turn the whole carcass in. Nobody else can do that, it¡¯s just your weird storage thingy that allows us the luxury. We could even keep some of the Meat, and I bet we still get over a Platinum in reward, not counting the base reward on the quest ticket. That¡¯s two Platinum itself, not counting materials, aside from the tusks, and two spines as proof.¡± I thought about her words. ¡°You¡¯re right, another decent payday, but these sorts of quests should die down, now the Wyvern is gone. So we¡¯ll still want to do something almost every day, if we can, just to keep our funds up.¡± She nodded. ¡°True, but you could take a day, or two after this, even if you want me to do gather quests close by, we need to take time to bond with the little ones. Katy is the only one who really has you wrapped around her finger, and that¡¯s mainly because of Wripple, and Spashta. That girl loves the water, I can tell.¡± I chuckled. ¡°That she does, and I couldn¡¯t be happier, and you¡¯re right. Maybe we can take turns on simple stuff for a week or more after this. It¡¯s bound to put us well enough in the green as it were to not really worry about feeding our minis for quite some time, I just like to have and not need, rather than need and not have. I never want any of our kids, present, or future to go hungry, even for a day.¡± Marie stopped me, and pulled me in for a long Kiss. ¡°I love that about you! Genuine love, and care for all those girls, and I can already tell you love all your women. I saw what Harmony got, and when I¡¯m not geared up, I want that too, especially in bed, when I can feel it all. Grrr, why are we waiting again? Aside from the Boar just now that is.¡± I stroked her hair. ¡°I guess I still have a hard time accepting that you¡¯re considered adult at twelve. We¡¯ve got so much life ahead, and in that other life you weren¡¯t an adult till eighteen. Even if it was for practical reasons of education, it still sticks into your brain as a Moral thing. If you keep doing things the way you have though, all you girls are making it VERY had to wait. Probably won¡¯t be long till I can get out of my own way on this. Just a little more patients, at least as much as you¡¯ve shown, and I think you¡¯ll all get what you want soon.¡± She positively simpered at that. ¡°Boar now, and herbs I guess.¡± So saying she gave herself a double hand slap on the face, and I adjusted myself for comfort. Chapter 15 Bacon Chapter 15 Bacon It took no time at all to find the Boar¡¯s trail, a Blind person with no tracking ability could still track this thing. Uprooted trees, not saplings, actual trees clearly marked the trail. We gathered all examples of the Herbs that were in the torn up earth as we traveled through the area. When we finally found the Boar, the size of its wallow was impressive. It was six times longer than I was tall. Marie leapt up into a tree, and took aim. Somehow we managed to not alert it at all, and a well placed Arrow put the creature down. ¡°Well this is anti climactic. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but I was basically useless this trip.¡± An overjoyed Maries leapt into my arms. ¡°I leveled up! I match you in levels now!¡± I checked her status, and she was correct. Even if her stats were lower, the modifiers for her class made up a lot of ground. ¡°Nice, I think you might be able to take me out in a fight, provided you could keep the range open most of the time.¡± Shock crossed her face. ¡°I would never!¡± I kissed her. ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t, but the ability is there, that¡¯s all I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that!¡± I smiled as I stroked her hair. ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t say things like that anymore, but it wasn¡¯t a joke, or a fear. It was just a statement of fact. Your war potential is rather high compared to the average quester.¡± Somewhat mollified, she smiled back, and returned my kiss. ¡°MMMM! You¡¯re not making things easy Mark. You want me to be a good girl, and wait, but your kisses.¡± I chuckled a little, and pulled away. Slapping my own face, I turned and faced the boar. ¡°Like you said, Boar First.¡± Purely because of the size of the creature, it took over an hour to process the carcass. I had brought a barrel, and used it to collect the fresh blood. ¡°Looks like we can make a decent batch of salt with this.¡± ¡°Theresa will be happy about that.¡± Marie commented as we started walking back, with all the spoils in my storage. I inspected the trees as we went, and stored all the fallen trees that would either make good lumber, or firewood. ¡°We¡¯ll keep the firewood for ourselves, but take the lumber trees to the lumberjack camp so they can get materials from them.¡± We angled our return track to pass by the Lumberjack Camp, and were well received when we offloaded all the trees we had brought. They were even happier when we showed off the tusks of the Boar, knowing the woods were as sage as they were before. Walking into the Guild hall some time later, and handing in our proof, as well as the hide, and a good chunk of the meat, we didn¡¯t QUITE manage to leave before the Master caught ut. ¡°Well done you two, but we still need to talk about Marie¡¯s class. I have time now, if you¡¯d please come into my office for a moment.¡± Shaking my head a little, we followed her into the room. ¡°SO,.. how did you do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier than you¡¯d think. Marie already had the Assassin class from her family line. From there, it¡¯s just adding Bow Skills. They comment each other, so her knife throwing skill upgraded her Bow Skills the second they unlocked.¡± The Master looked at me. ¡°That¡¯s it? An Epic class, lost for a Millennium, and it¡¯s just one additional skill from Assassin? I know her Bow is unlike anything else, but you had that designed so it didn¡¯t cause her evolution, she had that before you got her the bow. Used a hunter¡¯s bow as I understand it. Why does so many of the groundbreaking discoveries you make come off as something we should have already known!¡± I laughed at that. ¡°Oh that¡¯s nothing, My Father didn¡¯t know that a Woman only bleeds the first time she has sex, now I¡¯ve explained how it ACTUALLY works, he and Mom are going at it hammer and tongs. I expect to have a blood sibling before long. Doubt it will even take a year. Going to have to sterilize that room before I forget too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She looked at me shocked. ¡°It¡¯s true master, we heard them last night. They were at it repeatedly for hours. I think they¡¯re both enjoying the experience now. I saw him shortly after breakfast, and he was glowing, and somewhat smug about things. Rather funny.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°I wish I was younger, I might have asked to join in with you, I never tried to marry, because I thought having it once, and never again sounded cruel. This is going to change the world as we all know it. Probably for the better. Hmmm, your Mother is actually a good friend of mine.¡± I held up my hand. ¡°Stop right there, whatever you do, don¡¯t tell ME about it! That¡¯s between you, and them.¡± She smiled sheepishly. ¡°Well, I guess I can respect that boundary. You don¡¯t mind me trying though?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to hear about any of it, except when, and if, it¡¯s official. That¡¯s all. I¡¯ll welcome you as a Mom, I kind of think of you like one, but I don¡¯t want details.¡± Marie smirked at me. ¡°Maybe we should go now, before your head explodes in embarrassment. You know, you¡¯re less embarrassed about having multiple future lovers than of the thought of your Parents being active again. Even though it¡¯s your fault they are active again.¡± She giggled at me. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m happy for them, but it¡¯s just not Kosher to know about your own parents activities. It¡¯s also weird that Mom was proud of me for having multiple future wives. That reminds me, I need to visit a silver smith. Not that I can¡¯t afford Gold, but I think silver looks better.¡± We went to the Market, and picked up a ring for every girl, including the two Undines, but I also bought a few extras in different sizes. I spotted Rose going around town, introducing herself, and making it clear she was a Gnome, not a Human, and fully adult. After that we went to Blanche¡¯s Tavern. ¡°Oh Mark Dear,¡­is there anything you want to tell me? Hmmm?¡± I laughed. ¡°Yes actually Future Mother in law.¡± I smirked at her. ¡°What, you haven¡¯t tried yet? What¡¯s taking so long, are you waiting for Marie, so see if she¡¯s pregnant or not?!¡± Marie and I both shook our heads. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t matter either way. I haven¡¯t touched any of them yet, but currently I have nine future wives, Theresa included. Also, don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting away with just a few grandkids from us, I imagine Theresa will have at least three, if not more.¡± Now Blanche was smirking. ¡°Oh Ho, you expect you¡¯re so special you¡¯ll make Triplets with her?¡± Marie laughed. ¡°No Blanche, we all have it wrong about how that works. You only bleed the first time, AND it¡¯s about the time of month if you get pregnant or not. SO, get busy with your Man again, maybe Blanch can have a blood sibling, instead of a half. How¡¯d you luck into a man that would make three children like that?¡± Blanche¡¯s mouth hung open, fit to catch hummingbirds, or even frogs. ¡°That¡¯s not the main reason we stopped by, though it was important. We hunted a Great Spiny Boar, so I have a Ton of Meat. How much can you use? I¡¯m taking a bit home for my adopted children and siblings, as well as my Future Wives naturally, and I know Theresa will make good use of what I bring her, but you can undoubtedly use a fair chunk here too.¡± Just then two slightly older girls came up behind Blanche. ¡°Mother Blanche, who is this?¡± ¡°Ah Debra, and Margret, THIS fine young man, is marrying your Sister, she¡¯s already living with him, and he¡¯s got meat for us. A great spiny boar no less.¡± Their eyes bulged at the news, both of their Sister getting a Man, and the Meat. Margret piped up. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s more important, the Man, or the Meat!?¡± Debra who had spoken first. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to say Man, we have to cook that Meat first. He¡¯s not going anywhere right. Maybe, he¡¯ll.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Sorry girls, I can¡¯t handle siblings. Just not a line I¡¯m willing to cross, it¡¯s a Morals thing, and not something I can break so easily. Also it¡¯s about keeping any future children safe. If people who are too closely related by blood make a child, they can have problems because of it.¡± The two were clearly sad, but accepting of my reason. ¡°You can come visit anytime though, even stay the night as long as there¡¯s space, and with the huge house I had built that shouldn¡¯t ever be a problem. In fact, I expect she¡¯d like you two to stay for at least a week right now. We have all my adopted girls, both the daughters nine and under, and the sisters ten and up, as well as the Orphan boys who are staying for a while so the Orphanage can be upgraded without putting them at risk.¡± Blanche was surprised. ¡°Just how many are we talking about?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I scratched my head. ¡°Well as to sisters, there¡¯s a total of seven. Five adults, though one is Rose the Gnome, and had been hiding with the younger ones at the Orphanage to avoid creeps like the man who took her unwillingly. Ass thought she was an actual child, and when he realized she wasn¡¯t he left her in a bloody mess afraid to even look at a Man for a bit. If I ever catch that sicko,¡­it won¡¯t be pretty. Then one at eleven, and one at ten. For my daughters, that¡¯s eleven,¡­I think? Zack is the only boy that was Adopted, because he¡¯s blood related to one of my daughters. Sasha if I¡¯m not mistaken. Then another twenty boys all ages.¡± ¡°Goodness, that¡¯s a small army, and twice as energetic I expect. If you girls want to help your Sister for a Week, I¡¯ll manage here, at least once we get that Boar meat sorted. I could use around forty pounds of that.¡± I want to the meat processing counter, and dropped a large chunk of the hind leg. ¡°That do, or would you like a different cut, that¡¯s a bit of the hind shoulder there.¡± She smiled at my courtesy. ¡°That¡¯s perfect actually. If I had the time, I¡¯d deal with the tripe, but Theresa knows all about that, and her sister¡¯s can help too.¡± I snapped my fingers. ¡°Almost forgot, Theresa sent some of the salt I made for you.¡± I took a small pouch out, and handed it to her. ¡°Made, what do you mean?¡± She opened the pouch seeing the crystals. ¡°It¡¯s actually processed animal blood, tastes a little like the animal it came from, but otherwise it¡¯s just salt with some extra good stuff. Need to take the taste into account when using it, but it¡¯s cheap.¡± She took a small pinch, and tasted it, her eyes lighting up. ¡°I can use it, not as good as some I¡¯ve had, but if it¡¯s cheap, and steady as you make it sound, it¡¯ll be a blessing for the whole town!¡± She gave me a motherly embrace. Debra, and Margret also gave a hug. ¡°We¡¯ll be out as soon as we¡¯re done here.¡± Marie and I hugged them all in return. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I thought to have a Smoke House built, cause I¡¯m gonna need it with this Boar.¡± Confused looks greeted my statement. ¡°Seriously, you haven¡¯t heard about Smoke Houses,¡­You are going to LOVE me when I bring your first portion of Bacon then. Sausages too. You have no idea what you¡¯ve been missing with smoked foods.¡± I grinned at them impishly. Marie just sighed while shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to this, he¡¯ll say something like it should be obvious, but we¡¯ve never known anything about it, and yet, he¡¯s always right, or close enough it just takes a little work to figure out how he went wrong, and fix it.¡± With that, we headed back to the farm, and couldn¡¯t help but spot Penelope and her family at the mill. Eight wives, seven brothers, her father, and her. She was standing with a proud expression on her face, as their dumbfounded expressions were priceless to behold. ¡°What did I tell you? No more hand grinding flour or meal huh?¡± They all looked at me dazed. ¡°This is insane, how did you even come up with this. That mill will grind an entire year¡¯s worth of grain in a week compared to hand grinding it!¡± Penelope¡¯s father was almost outraged at my Mill being so much better than what he had. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, be happy, Now you can take turns working one day at a time, and do the same amount of work, or more, with plenty of idle time. Meaning perhaps you can gain some other sources of income as well. I told Penelope¡¯s Mother that there¡¯d be no competition, because you¡¯d take charge of this mill, and only use the old shop as a pick up location.¡± He was stunned now. ¡°She didn¡¯t mention that part.¡± ¡°Bet she did, and you tuned her out. I¡¯m guessing you tune them out quite often actually.¡± All eight women nodded in unison, and he upon seeing this looked sheepish. ¡°Maybe I need to work on that.¡± I slapped him on the shoulders. ¡°NOW, let Penelope teach you the literal ropes, so you can all get some practice working the Mill here, then start planning on where to expand. What other communities can support a proper mill like this, and where do you Son¡¯s want to move eventually.¡± The young men looked at one another, then they all got a somewhat evil grin. ¡°I like the way you think Mark, we can each make a killing with a Mill like this in another town.¡± The oldest of the Brothers had spoken. ¡°What¡¯s family for, if not to lift each other up.¡± ¡°Family?¡± Penelope looked even prouder. ¡°Yup, he¡¯s accepted me as a future wife. I already have eight sister wives to share him with too!¡± The brothers looked around at the fields, all clearly planted, and the huge house, the pottery shed, the smithy, and the mill itself, then the smiling women, and happy children everywhere, then in unison nodded. ¡°We can accept that. She¡¯s clearly happy, and it hasn¡¯t even happened yet.¡± They all clapped me on the back in solidarity, as did their father. ¡°Got my eight son after all, even if a little different than I expected. This is still great!¡± The men all went off with Penelope to learn the Mill¡¯s operations. While the Women all gave me a motherly hug of acceptance. Marie smirked at the exchange. Next stop was the Kitchen, to hand over a good chunk of Boar Meat. ¡°Hey beautiful, do you think anyone can handle making blood salt? I have a Barrel of Boar Blood to get processed, but I can do it myself once I setup something else if I need to. Also how much Boar Meat do you want right now, and when do you want the Tripe, and what other organ meat do you need?¡± Theresa was stunned momentarily, then went into executive mode. She told me to put all the organ meat into a specific bucket she had on hand, which I did, then to place a sixty pound chunk of shoulder on the counter, while she setup the oldest girls to make the salt. They all greeted me warmly, and eagerly took to learning how to make the salt. I then setup to make Bacon in the Smoke House, and once the fire was going, and all the Bacon hung, and salted, I went inside to make some sausages. I had kept the intestines for that purpose, and Theresa watched me like a hawk as I worked. One of the things I had made for the Kitchen was a meat grinder which is something nobody else knew about. Watching it pulverize the previously useless tough chunks of meat into ground meat was like Christmas for her, I then mixed in seasonings to the meat, including some of the salt, and stuffed the cleaned intestines making links to hang in the smoker. The volume of links was massive due to the size of the Boar, and even then there was still sausage meat without skins. I hung the links along side the Bacon, and quickly exited the smoke filled enclosure. I tended the fire to ensure it wouldn¡¯t stop smoking, or cool down too quickly, then went to see who was about. Chapter 16 a little more bonding Chapter 16 a little more bonding As I was tending the Smoke House, some of my older daughters came up asking what I was doing. Including Sasha. ¡°So, you girls are interested in what I¡¯m doing huh? Well, I need to keep the fire going, but not too hot. It¡¯s the smoke I¡¯m after, not the heat. It has to be special wood too. Usually fruit wood, luckily there was plenty of old fruit trees here, and they all had to be pruned back, and I have all the branches. The smoke goes inside that little shed, and inside the shed, is meat. It¡¯s hanging up, so the smoke hits all sides. What this does, is flavors the meat, but also keeps it from spoiling. It dries it out, and if it¡¯s stored correctly, it will still be ok to eat months from now, and if I make jerky, it can last for years.¡± Before too long, all of them knew exactly how to tend the smoker. ¡°Um,¡­Father?¡± I looked at Sasha. ¡°What is it Sasha?¡± Looking like she was worried I¡¯d say no, she took a deep breath, and spoke. ¡°Can Zack learn this too?¡± I pulled her in for a Hug. ¡°Zack can learn anything he wants to learn, and a few things he doesn¡¯t, but needs to know. Never worry if I¡¯ll teach him something, you just tell him what you learned about, and he¡¯ll come to learn too, I bet on it.¡± Smiling broadly, she hugged me back. ¡°Also, call me Dad ok, I didn¡¯t make you happen, that¡¯s the man who was your Father, a Truly amazing person in my book, cause he let me have you!¡± She scrunched her face a little. ¡°Everyone teased me because of my Father, they said he was Gross. Why did they say that?¡± I sighed. ¡°You Father found out a secret that nobody else knew. They thought something gross happened in order for you to live, but they were wrong. Even if they were right about the Gross thing, that doesn¡¯t make you any less perfect, in fact you¡¯d be even more of a miracle if the Gross thing was true. It wasn¡¯t though, and My Father can verify that what I just said is true. Your Father wasn¡¯t Gross, he was Smart.¡± The other girls were surprised I defended her Father, because they always had heard he was Gross too, but they believed my words, because they knew I wouldn¡¯t lie. They had good food, good clothes, warm beds in rooms that were all theirs, exactly as I had promised. Little Gina spoke up next. ¡°Um, I know what the Gross thing was supposed to be. Um, what happens that¡¯s different?¡± I didn¡¯t want to answer, but if she knew the Gross part, she needed to know. ¡°First, whisper into my ear what the Gross thing was, if you¡¯re right, then I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s different.¡± She did as I asked, and she was correct. I then whispered back what she wanted to know, and she tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t the rest gross though?¡± I laughed. ¡°One day, not too long from now, you¡¯ll want to do that, and it won¡¯t be Gross then, as long as you think it¡¯s gross, don¡¯t do it ok?¡± She nodded. ¡°Sort of hard to think that won¡¯t be gross some day, but I won¡¯t do it.¡± I chuckled as they went off. Terra, Sasha, and Rachel confused about what Gina knew that they didn¡¯t. They¡¯re all just so cute. I went over to the pond, to visit the Undine sisters. ¡°Wripple, Spashta, how¡¯d the swimming lessons go?¡± They smiled widely. ¡°They¡¯re all naturals, especially little Katy, she¡¯s so precious. She really didn¡¯t want to leave the water though, was very upset when Grace took her off to get lunch.¡± They both came for a hug, and kiss. ¡°Why do we have to wait again?¡± Spashta whined. ¡°Ugh, just give me a little time. I¡¯m basically in my own way at this point, it probably won¡¯t last near as long as I intended it to. My mind says I should wait till eighteen, but it¡¯s getting harder to stick to that.¡± She rubbed my cheek with her hand leaving pleasant wet traces behind. ¡°If you just let us have you, we might have a daughter of our own tomorrow.¡± My mind screeched to a halt. ¡°Tomorrow,¡­?¡± She giggled. ¡°We¡¯re water spirits, we don¡¯t need months like you fleshy creatures do, if we get lucky, we¡¯ll have a daughter tomorrow. You could have two little Undine babies to pamper. Not that there¡¯s much pampering for a water spirit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, but there¡¯s something I want to do before bed tonight, and it will need all of you. So I hope you can hang for a little past our Dinner. Speaking of, what do you need for food?¡± ¡°Silly Mark, we don¡¯t need food, the sun gives us all we need, our job is to infuse the land itself with life energy. Your crops will grow better than most, even without the irrigation canals you made, but with them, you¡¯ll see explosive growth at any time of year. Well assuming the pond doesn¡¯t freeze over at least. When it freezes our powers are locked too.¡± I thought for a moment, then looked at the fireplace I had installed near the pond, and with the Chimney going through stream above the Water Wheel. ¡°That over there will heat the water as it comes into the pond in winter, at least if we can keep the fire going.¡± Thinking a moment, I snapped my Fingers. ¡°Black Obsidian! I can line that section of the stream with Black obsidian, and it will absorb more heat from the sun, that should help keep the pond from freezing over too. I¡¯ll figure it out, one way or another.¡± I excused myself after that, kissing each one before I left. Their bemused expressions about methods of keeping the pond from freezing were adorable. Dinner was rather Chaotic, all the kids were overwhelmed with the array of food displayed, and Theresa¡¯s sisters had indeed showed up to help with the cooking, and serving. The younger children were eventually put to bed, only leaving those who were technically adults behind. Noting that Zack was the only boy still awake, or at least not in bed, and the older girls were clearly claiming his attention with a singular exception. Kora seemed to be focused more on me and my betrothed. I had all seven of the land bound ones around me for the first time all day. ¡°Girls, I want you all to come out to the pond with me. Something for everyone.¡± We arrived shortly after, and unbeknownst to me, Kora had followed. I then gave each one of my future wives a ring, including the Undine sisters. ¡°These are a tradition from my old world. Engagement Rings, I¡¯ll add a second ring with a stone set into it when we officially become married, this is sort of a place holder for the real thing, but you add the other ring over the top. They connect, to represent our lives twining together.¡± All nine of them were overjoyed, and wrapped me in passionate hugs, including passionate kisses. I was a little damp, and somewhat breathless when a timid voice spoke up. Kora was standing there, blushing fit to burst, but determined to make her wishes known. ¡°I want to be your wife too!¡± Hardly more than a whisper, yet striking straight to my core. I panicked for a second until my nine¡¯s unified gazes told me in no uncertain terms that I was saying yes. ¡°Are you sure, you¡¯re not going to want another Man later? I want you to be happy, and not to rush your choice.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want YOU, no other man truly cared about me, even Father only signed the papers, it¡¯s you who made it all happen. I don¡¯t¡¯ ever want to lose you from my life, and that won¡¯t change because some other Man walk by. I want you!¡± I was defeated, and I knew it, but I tried to give her the chance to rethink. My only answer after that, was to place one of the rings I still had on her finger. ¡°It¡¯s not right now, you¡¯ll need to be patient, but I accept, as they all do.¡± Nine heads nodded with beaming smiles, and everyone who could hugged Kora tight. Mother and Father chose that moment to arrive, having witnessed the giving of rings, and adding Kora at the last. ¡°I still think you¡¯re a little crazy Son, even if I was an idiot before. Ten women at once, isn¡¯t that going to be a challenge?¡± Mother smacked him upside the head. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, and besides I still want another wife. Now you know how much fun we¡¯ve been missing, I don¡¯t want anymore arguments about that.¡± I groaned. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to hear about any potential additions, until and unless they actually happen. Decisions and method of approach have nothing to do with me. I already got enough of that from the Quest guild master after she found out about you two going at it again. She didn¡¯t want to marry, because she didn¡¯t want it only once. Now though, she¡¯s probably going to come knocking on your door to see if she can make things happen here.¡± Mom¡¯s happy squeal was rather priceless, and Dad seemed resigned. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t turn her down with that motivation, I know they love each other, they¡¯ve been friends since before I ever met your Mother. She¡¯s taking care of you at the Guild too, so having even more reason to make sure you¡¯re not in trouble is a good thing.¡± I face palmed. ¡°Don¡¯t rationalize it, follow your heart!¡± With a sheepish chuckle they excused themselves to go to their house this time. ¡°Kora dear, I assume you¡¯re just going to sleep with Mark and the others tonight.¡± She nodded while blushing. ¡°Sweet dreams then, see you later!¡± Harmony and Penelope looked a touch sad. ¡°Hey Grace, Veronica, maybe you two could swap out for Harmony and Penelope tonight.¡± They looked at the two dejected girls, and sympathy did the rest. ¡°¡±Sure, as much as I¡¯d prefer sleeping naked in Mark¡¯s arms again, it¡¯s only fair, and Theresa needs to get her run too, I guess she was too busy last night to come to bed.¡± Theresa blushed, ¡°I was actually, fell asleep at one of the kitchen counters, so having a night actually in a bed would be lovely.¡± Margret and Debra came up just then. ¡°I know we can¡¯t join in, but we¡¯re here too, we can watch over Harmony and Penelope¡¯s work spaces tonight, then you can all be in bed with your man, except for Wripple and Spashta here, they¡¯re stuck in the water unfortunately.¡± I slapped my head. ¡°I can¡¯t change them being stuck in the water, but I can make it so there¡¯s water flowing though our bedroom, enough space for the both of them to join us when they want.¡± That got their attention. ¡°When?!¡± they both asked. I laughed at their eagerness. ¡°Let me think on it a while, I don¡¯t want to risk damage, or mold, so I need to think carefully about it, but I SHOULD be able to come up with something in a couple days, and make it work within the week I hope.¡± Thanks to Debra and Margret I had a very crowded bed, and the only clothes worn were my under bottoms. However, someone wasn¡¯t satisfied with that, and before I knew what was happening, Rose had impaled herself on me while the other girls kept me from stopping her, and watched enviously as she effortlessly took a ride. When she was done, and not a drop of blood was to be seen anywhere, she crawled up to kiss my lips. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t wait to prove you right, and I love you more than I already did!¡± I couldn¡¯t be mad, not a chance, nor could I stop the gentle caresses from the other girls exploring the thing they so wanted. ¡°I was planning to give you all your first times alone, but I guess this works. Oddly I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m spent, even though I know I just did. Wonder what that¡¯s about.¡± Just then a notification went off. Skill unlocked sexual technique level 1, past life modification increase to level 50 Milestone reached in Sexual technique Certain Impregnation unlocked All sexual interaction produce offspring. Secondary Milestone reached in sexual technique, Impregnation toggle, choose if you wish to be fertile or not, must choose prior to activity, or previous settings are in place. Currently toggled on. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Holy Crap! I just got Sexual technique at level 50 with two perks, the first perk make it certain to get pregnant, unless I use the second perk to not get pregnant. I¡¯m turning pregnancy off for now, but I suspect that¡¯s not going to help Rose, I think you just forced a baby into the world. How many kids would you have to make before getting that second perk I wonder. I bet I¡¯m the only man to get past level one, let alone fifty!¡± Rose looked shocked for an instant, as did everyone else, but then tears of joy started streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m really pregnant, just like that?!¡± I held up my hand. ¡°Not sure, I¡¯m guessing so, but I didn¡¯t get that first perk till afterwards, so maybe it didn¡¯t take that time. Does it scare you to be pregnant already, or do you want me to turn pregnancy back on, and go again just to be sure?¡± She hugged and kisses me, before answering. ¡°I want to be sure, turn it back on, and I want another round right now!¡± I did as instructed, and was utterly shocked to find myself emptying another batch of seed into her in less than five minutes. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible, everything I know says I should be stuck waiting for an hour before I could actually go again, but I think this skill upgrade does a lot more for a man than I originally thought.¡± I quickly turned pregnancy off again. ¡°Mark, if you can¡¯t get use Pregnant on accident now, then why wait anymore?¡± Marie asked, clearly impatient, and after Rose, I couldn¡¯t justify waiting anymore either. ¡°Well we don¡¯t want any blood transfer, so whoever would go first would need to be totally cleaned up afterwards, as would I. Laying thick towels underneath to catch the blood helps keep things under control. Like you said though, why wait now, pregnancy is off again, so it¡¯s just fun, and sharing love at this point.¡± They scrambled to fetch enough to cover everyone in the room, and it was a very fun night. No more under bottoms for me. Every girl had a turn, and every girl got a full load as well which still surprised me. We awoke in a tangled heap of flesh intertwined, and for a second I was worried about Rose, but she was safely laying across the top of everyone. Now I had to hurry up on the water feature for the room, as it wasn¡¯t fair to the Undine sisters to not sleep with the rest of us. I nudged Theresa awake, as well as Penelope, and Harmony so they could relieve Theresa¡¯s sisters to help with breakfast. Quick kisses all around before they got dressed for the day. Grace took the mess of towels, and went off to launder them, and everyone else slowly roused themselves. I gave them all kisses after I got dressed being certain I wouldn¡¯t get out if I didn¡¯t dress first. I then went outside only to be greeted by my Father coming up to me with some concern. ¡°I just got a Skill level in sexual technique. Level 2, nobody I¡¯ve ever known has reached level two.¡± I laughed. ¡°Well Rose kinda got things started last night, and thanks to my past life, I¡¯m at level fifty. Two perks from getting certain levels along the way. First one make the second one almost impossible to get normally though, unless the guy is a masochist or something. First one is Certain Impregnation, then who knows how many levels till Pregnancy can be toggled on or off. Anyway, all the girls took their turn after that, except for Wripple and Spashta because they¡¯re currently stuck in the pond. Going to fix that as soon as I can get some things together. Rose though is definitely pregnant, that¡¯s one blood grandchild on the way.¡± Dad was standing mouth agape, but Mom who had followed him figuring there was something he didn¡¯t want her to know squealed in excitement. ¡°If you get the first perk, stick with one woman, and go hells to leather all the way till the baby is about to be born to try and unlock the second perk. That second perk is a miracle, and worth getting if you get the first one. I don¡¯t care how chapped you get!¡± Mom had rushed in to find her daughter in law for a fierce hug. I shook my head again, feeling like I had been doing a lot of that, clapped Dad on his shoulder, and walked off. I ran into town to the smithy, and commissioned some pipes, and a large enameled cast iron tub that I could put into the floor of my room. ¡°By the way, I built a Forge on my Farm, but I don¡¯t have anyone to give proper instruction to my adopted sisters, and daughters. I was hoping you could handle that, make it a sort of apprentice workshop under your banner so the small stuff like nails, and horse shoes that fill up so much of your time, but not so much your pockets can be done out there, and you could focus on the money work here. Plus you could do this project out of that smithy. I¡¯m fairly confident I designed it properly if you¡¯d care to look.¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, you couldn¡¯t have asked about this at a better time. Me own daughter is perfect for that work, teaching and doing this project of yours. Plus as it happens I wasn¡¯t intending on working today, and she wasn¡¯t best pleased about the idea, as she loves to forge. Can¡¯t get her to take a break, unless I put my foot down, and close the whole smithy. Maybe you can keep her from overworking, if you get my drift.¡± I laughed hard. ¡°And then there were eleven.¡± ¡°Father! You said the shop was closed today, why are you talking with a customer if the shop¡¯s closed?!¡± She came storming in full of righteous indignation, and gorgeous as could be. ¡°Well for starters, he¡¯s not going to do my project, YOU ARE! Secondly, he just indicated that since I had my own Smithy on my Farm, and nobody to work it, and LOTS of kids to teach, You might just be interested in taking me as your Man to take possession of that Smithy for yourself.¡± She stopped still for about twenty seconds. ¡°IF THIS IS SOME STUPID JOKE, I¡¯LL KILL THE BOTH OF YOU!!!¡± I smirked. ¡°Is that a yes, or a what the hell are we waiting for show me my damned smithy you asshole?!¡± She startled at my options, then responded with a little more joviality. ¡°The second one Asshole! Will I be your first wife then?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nope, number eleven, but you have to get the other ten¡¯s approval, but considering you¡¯re a catkin, that¡¯s a done deal already.¡± Ears twitching, and tail flicking merrily behind her she lunged at me. ¡°Eleven sister wives, and you said kids already, then why take me too, don¡¯t lie!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not an idiot that¡¯s why. Here¡¯s a little something nobody else outside my family seems to know. You only bleed the first time, never after. Aside from monthly flow that is. Also you can have more than one child, with me, it¡¯s literally as many as you want to bear, you¡¯ll just let me know when you want another one, and I¡¯ll start it for you. That¡¯s not a boast, I have a Perk that lets me toggle if I can make you pregnant or not, and another that if pregnancy is on makes it so you will get pregnant the first time, regardless of the time of month.¡± The Smith looked at me incredulous. ¡°Are you serious, not just about the bleeding thing, I¡¯ll take your word on that, maybe make Marina here a sibling, that being the case. But where¡¯d you get those perks?¡± Grinning like an idiot. ¡°Well for reasons only family get to know, I somehow have Sexual Technique at level fifty, I don¡¯t even know for sure what levels those perks unlock at, but the certain pregnancy came first, so if you end up unlocking that one, I¡¯d suggest you go hammer and tongs till the second one unlocks, otherwise you¡¯ll have way more kids than you can manage.¡± ¡°Fifty! Guess you¡¯d have to know a thing or two at that level.¡± Marina, eyes sparkling grabbed the plans for the project off the table, then looked at me. ¡°Do you have the supplies?¡± I nodded. ¡°Then what are we waiting for, I have a forge to break in today, and you¡¯ve got something else to break in tonight. Off we go loverboy,¡­wait what¡¯s your name anyway?¡± Grinning at the eager kitten I replied. ¡°Mark¡¯s the name, S class Quester, owner of my own farm, with half an orphanage worth of kids I adopted, and the other half staying for a few days while the Orphanage is being renovated.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Half an orphanage adopted, and the other half there? How many kids we talking about, and how can you leave them alone even for this long?¡± ¡°It¡¯s around forty total kids there, but with ten wives, plus my folks, and the Orphanage director who¡¯s used to be alone with all of them, it¡¯s working out fine. Still having you there will make me much happier when it comes to those angels of ours. I want them learning everything they can, and we can handle the nails, and horse shoes and all the simples that need doing for the outlying farms, so they don¡¯t need to come into town, once they know you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait another minute to get to my new babies, or my forge, let¡¯s go already!¡± So saying she stormed out the door, only to stop, look back at me with a raised eyebrow clearly asking without words, ¡®which way asshole¡¯. Instead of pointing a direction for Marina, I simply picked her up in a Princess carry, causing her to yelp in surprise, then scream in fright, followed by delight as I ran full speed whipping her hair, and even her tail behind me as we ran. With her cackling with laughter as I sprinted right to her new forge. Her Father would likely catch up, knowing the way already. Marie, and Grace were just looking for me to join them for breakfast. ¡°Marina? OH MY GOD, This is perfect! You¡¯re taking her as a wife yes? You better say yes, I¡¯ll be furious if you don¡¯t say yes!¡± Said Grace. ¡°Calm your tits Grace, our man isn¡¯t that stupid, right! Course he¡¯s taking me, or rather, I¡¯m taking him, seems the way things go raound here. Eleven of ya, and how many has he already bedded? Is he as active as he says he is?¡± Grace hugged us both fiercely. ¡°Better than he says, if anything he¡¯s modest about it. Only reason he hasn¡¯t bedded all of us, si because tow of us are Undines, and can¡¯t leave the water, so he¡¯s making a place in the room for them to come when they want. Hasn¡¯t said how yet.¡± Marina held up the plans. ¡°You daft sweetheart Mark! That¡¯s what these plans are for. Brilliant, I get to play with my new Forge on an epic project that¡¯s actually interesting, AND it¡¯s for my sister wives! I don¡¯t know what I want more right now, the Forge, the Kids, or the Man!¡± Hearing that Marie spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d say kids first, it¡¯s breakfast time after all, then you can pick some of the likely ones to help with the forge after that. I¡¯m Marie by the way, welcome home sister wife.¡± So saying she gave Marina a kiss on the cheek, or tried to, as with Grace giggling behind her, Marina stole Marie¡¯s lips. ¡°Sorry, not sorry, I like Girls too. Hope you don¡¯t mind kisses from me, not gonna be able to resist with you being my Sister wives an all. MAYBE I can resist the other stuff, you know, but that¡¯s a hard maybe.¡± Marie smiled, and pulled the kitten in for another kiss, doing it my way causing Marina¡¯s eyes to pop open in surprise. ¡°If you¡¯re going to kiss me, do it right, and you¡¯re welcome to the other stuff too, I think Mark will like watching when he¡¯s otherwise occupied. Also Mark sweetheart, you¡¯re stopped now, you can put her down I think. I know you¡¯re muscles are stupid insane, so I imagine you simply forgot you¡¯re holding her.¡± Grinning impishly, I placed Marina on her feet, while she was still stunned at Marie¡¯s kiss a moment ago, and then Grace followed suit plunging her tongue into Marina¡¯s mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you actually liked girls, I¡¯d have been frisking with you ages ago if I had, same with you Marie, I know we haven¡¯t known each other that long, hardly at all really, but you never even hinted at all last night, and we were all taking our turns with Mark then, would have thought I¡¯d have caught you looking at least once.¡± Maries blushed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know till Marina¡¯s lips touched mine, then it just fit is all I can say, I caught you looking plenty, and I enjoyed the looks, but I thought that was it, till right now.¡± Her voice was cut off as Grace took her lips too. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to play together, and see just how much fun we want to have together.¡± Marie nodded, and I grinned at how loving these three would be together from now Chapter 17 Smith up a Storm Chapter 17 Smith up a storm As we walked in, the others all noticed Marina, then looked at her finger, then at me, raised their brows expectantly. ¡°I can¡¯t just put a ring on her finger, at least most of you need to witness that, give me a break here!¡± Marina looked at me, eyebrows raised. ¡°SO, you have a special ring to show I¡¯m one of yours huh? You knew they were going to say yes, you said as much. Well I suppose I approve of having them witness, that is kind of sweet after all.¡± She held up her right hand. I shook my head, and grabbed her left hand, and went to place my ring on her finger. ¡°Will you accept this ring, to show the world that you are mine, and I am yours?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I slipped the ring on her finger, and all the others came in for a group hug. Seeing the little ones, Marina kept herself under control, not wanting to embarrass any of the others. We ate breakfast together, and Marina picked a few of the older girls to come and help. Once we entered the Smithy, Marina¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°I thought you had a SMALL Smithy, this is HUGE! What¡¯s that thing in the corner?¡± I went over to the massive mechanical hammer, and pulled a lever to tighten the cable on the pulley causing the massive hammer to rapidly raise and fall. Marina got even more excited at this. Looking over to the other side she noticed massive oven doors. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Curing Enamel, good thing I thought to make it big enough to handle anything I could reasonably think of I guess, cause we¡¯ll need it for the tub. Pipes too, and we¡¯ll be able to do decent sized batches with that.¡± Not caring about the kids we had brought along, she flung herself into my arms and kissed me passionately. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, I¡¯m gonna get so much work done here!¡± I showed her the blast furnace next, and how it worked without need for clay for the plug, but instead had a heavy gate on a lever. The molds for ingots, and the mold making station for unique forms. The kids and I helped her to setup the processed for making the giant tub I had designed. Hours went by before we finally had the tub itself cast, and cooling in the mold. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can manage enough for the pipes today, but I can make the mold on my own, so we can poor them all tomorrow. Come back in about three hours, and the tub should be cool enough to break the mold.¡± She kissed me again ignoring all the soot, and sent us all away. Her father though, took that moment to arrive, mouth agape at the sight of his daughter¡¯s new smithy. ¡°You said it was a SMALL smithy lad!¡± He had a spring in his step until he saw the place, and his daughter had seen it. ¡°So, you gave Mother a surprise I take it?¡± He laughed then. ¡°That I did my girl, and she was mighty happy with it too! Now, show me this workshop of yours. Maybe I can copy some stuff, and maybe I¡¯ll be harassing you more than I intended.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder, and left with the kids. Then I got them all washed up, and shoed them off to the Kitchen to get fed, as we had clearly missed actual lunch already. Approaching the Mill Pond, I saw little Katy merrily splashing around with the Undines, and she waved at me, face aglow in pure joy of a natural swimmer. ¡°How¡¯s my little tadpole huh?¡± She paddled up to the dock, climbed out, and hurtled herself into my arms, planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re the bestest Father EVER! I love Mother Wripple, and Mother Spashta too!¡± I stroked her wet hair. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you only love them and me! What about Mother Grace, who made sure you didn¡¯t get sick, so you could come back and swim?!¡± She thought about that. ¡°Ok I guess I love her too. I really like swimming, and I don¡¯t want to stop, but if stopping means I can do it again, that¡¯s not so bad.¡± I kissed her forehead, as Veronica giggled behind me. ¡°Careful love, or she¡¯ll want to be Daddy¡¯s girl later!¡± I play scowled at her. ¡°She¡¯s one of my Precious angels, I only have so long to spoil her you know!¡± Veronica came up, and kisses Katy¡¯s cheek, then my lips. ¡°I know, but you know I¡¯m right too. She loves you a lot already, it¡¯s not like you have to try or anything. Not in this life.¡± She was clearly right, and the thought wasn¡¯t pleasant, not in the least. ¡°She¡¯ll grow up, and find a Man for herself, or she won¡¯t. Either way, she¡¯s my angel, and that won¡¯t change!¡± Katy wiggled to get down, clearly wanting back in the water. ¡°Hold on, let¡¯s do something fun.¡± I turned her away from me, facing the water, and lifted her up higher. Then I moved one hand under a foot, and made her lean back against me while I got my other hand under a foot. ¡°Now put your hands over your head, pointed straight up, then tilt into the pond, hopping off at the last moment.¡± She started to do as I had said, hesitated for a moment, then followed through diving for the first time, and soon came up all smiles. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a diving block soon ok?¡± She nodded as the Undines snuggled her in the water. ¡°Have you gotten an idea for us to join you indoors love?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes I have, and it¡¯s under way, largest piece is half way done, and should be on the other half tonight. Might get done in a couple days or so. Then you can join us at night. Katy, don¡¯t make a fuss when it¡¯s time for dinner, and then bed. Sick girls can¡¯t swim.¡± She waved with an OKAY shouted over her shoulder as she returned to her swimming. ¡°That girl should have been an Undine herself, she¡¯d have preferred it I think.¡± Said Veronica. I couldn¡¯t agree more. ¡°You should sneak out here tonight, after dinner, but before bed. You¡¯ll take Marina tonight I expect, but those two deserve to be first, and let them have their daughters. Katy would have to water friends that way. The others aren¡¯t as obsessed with swimming as she is. Dora only swims for maybe an hour, but Katy wouldn¡¯t come out if we didn¡¯t make her. Going to be hard to keep her dressed at this rate too. I worry about winter, she¡¯ll be so upset not being able to swim.¡± The proverbial light bulb went off in my head. ¡°A greenhouse! I¡¯ll need to build a glass manufacturing facility, and source silica sand, but we can do it. The space is there, and it¡¯ll be money in the bank later on. I¡¯ll have to check with the Guild about getting a crew to build it though, and the frame for the structure too. Building it over the pond will be a trick, but worth it.¡± Veronica looked quizzically at me. ¡°What¡¯s glass? Also a Greenhouse?¡± Yet another face palm moment. ¡°Glass is melted sand that¡¯s slowly cooled. Depending on the type of sand, it can be different colors. What I want is the white sand, to make clear glass. Glad I know how to design the facility, and the process at least for the clear glass. This is going to take some doing, but I think I can cover the pond in clear glass before winter. That will trap the heat inside, so the air isn¡¯t freezing, and with some other things, I should be able to keep the water warm enough to swim all year. Don¡¯t want to promise anything to Katy till it¡¯s done though.¡± ¡°And the Greenhouse?¡± Chuckling I replied. ¡°That¡¯s the structure I want to put over the pond. It¡¯s called a green house, because plants can grow inside all year. Provided they have good soil, and plenty of water. Once we have this one made as a sort of prototype, serving as a Pool House instead, we can make some over a few fields for growing crops that will sell really well in winter.¡± Her eyes bulged. ¡°Growing crops in winter, that¡¯s amazing, and I can work with the land around the pond, so it¡¯s pretty, and then seeds from those plants can help when it¡¯s time to plant elsewhere.¡± An excited hug and kiss were my reward for this new revelation. The Guild Master, and my Parents could be seen coming to meet us. ¡°Something up Guild Master, or is it what you tried talking about before?¡± She blushed mightily. ¡°Both actually, as you guessed, I¡¯m now one of your mothers, and oddly enough, my Body Sense ability can tell me when I¡¯m pregnant, SO, yeah, you get to be big brother from me for sure, not certain about your Mother though, I can¡¯t use it on others sadly.¡± I smiled, and gave her a welcoming hug. ¡°Are you moving in, or staying where you are for now? It going to be a commute if you stay here, but I imagine you¡¯ll enjoy it more. Also I have a Gnomling on the way, so they¡¯ll grow up together.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m definitely moving in! The other thing I needed you for though, it¡¯s annoying! Someone somewhere talked about you, so the King has already sent a summons.¡± I Groaned. ¡°I did not want this recognition!¡± She hugged me again. ¡°I know, I know, but at least Marie is going with you. I¡¯ll handle anything you want done. We have plenty of coin at the guild to cover your projects. Just give me documents, and I¡¯ll see it done before you get back. A hefty reward was forwarded too, because of two bands of bandits you turned in as criminal slaves. That¡¯s good work there, and you even tried to not take the credit. The local guard captain wouldn¡¯t hear of it, in either town, especially after what happened at the Orphanage. Jarreth¡¯s situation has also pleased the King to no end, but it clearly leaves a gap for the next Mayor. I¡¯m thinking he intends you to fill that gap. Your fault and all, taking responsibility for it. However he¡¯s going to make you a multi S rank, mark my words on that.¡± I groaned again. ¡°I don¡¯t want a Noble Title, even if I get to stay out here, it¡¯s still a hassle I don¡¯t want. UGH!¡± ¡°I know Mark, you made that very clear, and I tried my best, but loose lips and all. There¡¯s no avoiding it now.¡± I broke away from the embrace, and slapped my face to regain my focus. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to my study. I¡¯ll draft up the structures I need built, and write up the list of supplies I need, in quantity. Then I¡¯ll read that Summons, and figure out what I need to do before I actually show up. I won¡¯t leave till tomorrow most likely. Later if I can manage. I have things I need to do here after all.¡± So saying that¡¯s what we did, while Mom and Dad went off to do their own chores. Once I read the summons I groaned again. She had been exactly right. I was being made a Noble Knight of the Realm, and assigned the Mayor duties for this town, but also for the town with the Orphanage. ¡°How the Heck am I supposed to do Mayor duties in two towns at the same time?!¡± Clearly they had given me a decent amount of time to arrive in the original order, but delay in travel made it so I¡¯d have to leave the day after tomorrow. ¡°I¡¯ll see this done, just get Marie filled in, and get some decent clothes for your audience. You know it can¡¯t be helped, so just get on with it.¡± I sighed, and left on my errands. There was still a couple hours before dinner, so Marie and I were able to run into town, and get our shopping done, in which I included the gold bands to add to the silver ones they all wore. When we returned home, having stored the clothing, I ducked into the Smithy, and helped break the mold for the tub, and position the pipe mold for use tomorrow. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I only get two nights with you, and you¡¯re leaving for the damned capitol, such unfair timing!¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. I took Marina in for a fierce kiss. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more, but honestly any timing is bad timing for this. I don¡¯t want anything to do with Nobility. Much rather stay here, and build our home into something to be truly proud of. It¡¯s dinner time though, so let¡¯s get cleaned up, and go eat.¡± I used the hoist on the tub, so it could easily be loaded into the oven after the enamel was applied, demonstrating another part of her new smithy to marvel at. ¡°I was wondering what that was for, that¡¯s ingenious, I thought I was going to need you to muscle it into the oven, this is so much better. Now I know what it is, I can do it myself!¡± Dinner was a little somber at the adults table, knowing I was going to be leaving with Marie in the near future, nobody was very happy, least of all Marie and I. As was suggested, I visited Wripple, and Spashta after dinner. ¡°I was going to give you children tonight, but I have to leave day after tomorrow, and I don¡¯t like the idea of missing the first days of my daughters. Do you want the pleasure side of things, or should we just wait till I¡¯m back?¡± They looked at each other, then back at me. ¡°Stupid question, get undressed, and get in here! If you have control over us having a child right now, that¡¯s fine, next time like you said, our babies need their father if they can have him.¡± Wripple said, and Spashta nodded in happy agreement. The experience was rather odd, but enjoyable, and they embraced me tenderly afterwards. ¡°Undine don¡¯t get to do this you know. Normally as soon as it¡¯s done, the Men just run away. Having you stay with us willingly like this, I feel like the Luckiest Undine to ever live.¡± Spashta said. ¡°True, I¡¯ve never had a Man at all before now, but I¡¯ve seen it a few times, and they always fled in terror. I don¡¯t know why though, you seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.¡± I smiled. ¡°No seeming about it, I did enjoy myself thoroughly, and if I hadn¡¯t kept pregnancy off, you¡¯d both have little ones already.¡± They looked at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I hadn¡¯t told them about my Perks yet. ¡°Well due to being level fifty in Sexual Technique, I have two perks. One is certain pregnancy, meaning if I lay with any women she will always get pregnant, regardless of her own fertility status at the time. The other one, lets me toggle if I can or can¡¯t impregnate my partner. So as long as I keep it off, never a Pregnancy, but the instant it¡¯s on, always pregnancy. I said you could have twelve daughters, well technically that¡¯s an understatement. You decide on the speed of babies instead. Just tell me first if you want it on.¡± Wonder, and joy on both their faces. ¡°Dear one, it takes but a week for an Undine child to reach maturity. So we could make a new child every week, and they wouldn¡¯t be upset about it. They¡¯ll be leaving to find their own water bodies after ten days anyway. They¡¯ll avoid you for making children, it¡¯s instinctive for us, but they¡¯ll be looking for their own mates from then on. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll visit, often though. It¡¯s such an unusual situation, they¡¯ll be bragging about you to any Undine they meet, and those Undine will want to meet you too. Though they probably won¡¯t want to stay, too crowded. It¡¯s just right for us two, but any more would not be fun.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I better get out before I catch a cold. The sun¡¯s already down, and besides, Marina wants he turn. But first.¡± I slipped the gold ring on their fingers. ¡°You¡¯re officially my wives now. We don¡¯t need a fancy ceremony or anything. With these rings I thee wed as my lawful wives until death do us part.¡± Another kiss from each, and fond caresses, and I was allowed out of the water. I dried off, and dressed as much as I felt I needed, since I was going to join the girls in bed. Theresa¡¯s sisters had taken the duty of guarding the dangerous places at night, so I knew all of my women were awaiting me. My time with Marina was bitter sweet, knowing it was all too soon before I would leave. Still she enjoyed the whole experience even the initial pain didn¡¯t discourage her, and after cleaning up from the first round, she wanted another. Before that though, I put the Gold ring on all their fingers, as by law they were all mine already, no sense waiting on the ring at this point. We were a panting heap of flesh before too long, with a Cat Tail flicking merrily among the lot. Surprising to me, was that it turned out all my women were Bi, as Marina tested every woman as the opportunity arose. ¡°Well at least you can take care of each other while I¡¯m unavailable, that makes me happy.¡± They all blushed as they panted for breath, though since they were already flushed, it was hard to see. Once Breakfast was done, Marina and I along with her chosen Smiths for the day were off to the Smithy. The kids were in charge of painting the Enamel onto the tub so it would be ready for the oven, while Marina and I tended the oven itself, and the furnace. We poured the mold before the kids were ready with the Tub, then we pushed it into the Oven to cure. Slamming the doors, and barring them, Marina then took the kids, and taught them how to make Nails. A very tedious process, but with four kids working together, they made a game out of it. We had full buckets before we knew it, and then it was time to break open the pipe mold, and hang all the pipes up to cool. The kids were sent off to play after that, and we went outside to wait. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I only get one more night before you have to go. It¡¯s not fair I tell you!¡± I laughed. ¡°You took the words right out of my own damned mouth Marina! I¡¯m trying my best not to whine, but I feel the exact same way.¡± She pulled me off towards a set of stairs in the back. She had clearly had the time to explore at some point, and knew there was a room there. ¡°I want another round please!¡± Wasn¡¯t going to argue with a wife now was I? Rose caught on to what we were up to, and followed us up the stairs. ¡°Great idea!¡± She said happily, making Marina jump in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re too good at sneaking love!¡± Newlywed fever was still strong with everyone, and lacking the consequences we just couldn¡¯t hold back. We were thoroughly satisfied with ourselves by the time we needed to pull the tub out of the Oven, and the Kids had clearly come back at some point, and enameled the Pipes for us, so we stoked the Oven Fire, and swapped the Tub for the Pipes. ¡°Still won¡¯t be ready to install tonight. ¡° Marina clapped me on the Back. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing, even with the wood work. I know where to put the pipes to carry the water and all as well. You planned it all out, I¡¯ll get it done before you¡¯re back. I love those two as well you know. Strange how quick our bonds formed, maybe it¡¯s the whole Ring Thing, nobody else does that. You never told me where that came from did you?¡± I slapped my face in disgust with myself. ¡°I totally forgot you didn¡¯t know yet. You fit so naturally it¡¯s like you¡¯ve always been there! While that¡¯s a good thing, it totally made me forget that you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t know. I¡¯m a reincarnated soul from another world. Wedding Rings are from my old life, but I thought it appropriate here, since it is a visible declaration that I acknowledge you all as mine, and me as yours.¡± Marina was stunned for a moment. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re level fifty in Sexual Technique? You had past life experiences, and it helps you now?¡± I grinned. ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, and it applies to anything I knew from my old life, and use in this one. So guess what¡¯s going to happen when I make something this world has never made before. The Glass I¡¯m going to make is completely alien to this world, and I¡¯ll be a Master almost instantly, as I had a LOT of experience. I can even blow glass, just not color it. However, I bet I¡¯ll instinctively know once the skill unlocks. I¡¯ll be able to produce colored glass, and even sculptures. I can even make special glass wares for the King and Queens to drink wine out of, each one etched to make it clear who it belongs to.¡± ¡°You have to teach me this Glass Working, sounds like something I¡¯d enjoy even more than Smith Work. I love the metal, but not the boring jobs. Glass though, sounds like once I get the basics, there¡¯s more artistic pursuits involved. That¡¯s why I always want to work on odd jobs like yours, it¡¯s something different, and the enamel process made it artistic too, though not too much, as we had limitations on colors. Still I think it came out lovely, and I¡¯ll be proud to have that in our room.¡± I hugged her. ¡°Sure thing, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s reasonable to run both Glass work, and Metal work at the same time anyway. Why not just have you take charge of both, once you¡¯re trained?¡± She thought for a second. ¡°As long as I can manage it, then yes, that sounds perfect, and Father can take the Smithy if we need to work both at once for any reason. With this Smithy, he can do much more work than his. He¡¯s so jealous right now.¡± She kissed me, and Rose came up and hugged my leg, while stroking me. ¡°Sure we can¡¯t sneak in a couple more rounds?¡± She asked playfully. I grinned at her. ¡°Is this normal for Gnomes do you think? Getting Pregnant and trying to get more love as a result?¡± She thought about it. ¡°Maybe, I heard tell my Mother was quite the nuisance when she was pregnant with me. Wonder how many siblings I¡¯d have had if you were the father.¡± She grinned right back at me. Chapter 18 Royal annoyances Chapter 18 Royal annoyances. We retired that day, much as before. Then Marie and I left Having decided to run all out, rather than waste time, so as to be able to change prior to our audience. With no annoying bandit attacks, it was less than a day to arrive at the capitol¡¯s main gate. We kept the lowest profile we could as we went to the nearest inn. More expensive than we¡¯d like, but at least they had baths. We spent a less than enjoyable night without the others, and not being comfortable making too much noise in an Inn. Once we arrived at the Palace gates, dressed in our finery, I held the summons up as we approached the gate. ¡°Get out of here Peasant!¡± Shouted one of the guards, and he attacked me. I slammed him into the wall before he knew what was happening. ¡°Are you perhaps a Blind Fool?! Attacking someone with a ROYAL SUMMONS! In Sight of other Guards?!¡± I smiled as he squirmed dangling from his neck. ¡°I THINK, you should probably strip this man of his armor, and confine him, until he can be properly disciplined by your Commander. I expect even if he¡¯s here right now, he won¡¯t have the time to properly deal with him for some time. Paperwork is undoubtedly piled up.¡± The commander barked a laugh as he had indeed been near. ¡°Too right I am swamped with Paperwork, HE can wait.¡± With a Snap of his Fingers, the other Guards took him away, and filled in his spot. ¡°I must ask to verify your Summons, despite this unpleasantness.¡± I showed him the scroll, and he touched it with a finger. It flashed green momentarily, and he removed the finger. ¡°My thanks, verification is protocol, NOT attacking, assuming it¡¯s faked.¡± His glare could strip steel. I smirked. We walked through the Palace halls lead by a Butler, and entered a small room. ¡°If you will please wait here, until you are called. There is Tea, and some light foods available, please help yourself.¡± Waiting was irritating. I wasn¡¯t so much nervous, and just plain annoyed. Finally we were lead into the Court. ¡°Adventurer Mark, and his companion Adventurer Marie!¡± The announcement was just like I had expected from movies in my past life. I kept my eye on a seneschal standing on my left. He noticed my gaze, and understood I was watching for a Cue as to when to stop walking. He slightly raised his hand at the right moment, and I stopped walking, and gave a proper bow, with Marie a step behind me and to the right. ¡°As decreed, we have arrived.¡± I said no more, making it plain with my simple statement that I did NOT want to be there. ¡°Raise your heads. We understand that you have acquired S rank, at such a young age, and further that the Capitol¡¯s Guild Master suggested you to be tested for Multi S rank. Yet you did not come to us, why is that?¡± I gritted my teeth for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I answered. ¡°Your Majesty, I am satisfied with my current situation, in fact, my S rank test was forced upon me, I had no intention of gaining true S rank status, as I had local S rank Status in my own town. I tend to have plenty of opportunities to use my skills as it is. Beyond that, I have my own land to tend, and many projects to manage. Further, I have no desire for Noble Titles.¡± The gathered nobles were stunned, now instead of an upstart taking what he didn¡¯t deserve, they saw a victim being put upon by those who should leave well enough alone. ¡°Additionally, I had requested the Capitol Guild Master to keep my business private. NOBODY was meant to inform you.¡± Gasps could be heard at that. At the side of the hall, I saw the Guild master in question flinch. ¡°IS THIS TRUE?!¡± The King glared daggers at the man. ¡°Yes your Majesty, but clearly he¡¯s worthy of so much more!¡± The Man simpered like a dog that thought he could avoid a punishment. ¡°Because of your meddling, I have written a decree to test this man, AND make him a Noble, even assigning two towns into his control, yet HE never wanted any of this! I was vexed that he did not come immediately, but now I understand he had left as quickly as possible to AVOID this very scene. Now you have vexed us both! My decree is Final, I must give him the Test, and he must take the title which he does not want.¡± The King snapped his fingers, and two guards took the guild master out of the court. ¡°If the man wasn¡¯t good at his job under normal circumstances, I¡¯d strip him of the position for that. Come you two, let¡¯s dispense with any pageantry from now on. We¡¯ll do the test, and give you your Title,¡­why does she have two rings on one finger? They look entwined somehow.¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Marie is one of my Wives, and those rings are a symbol of that fact.¡± A gasp went through the crowd. ¡°One of your wives, so you have two then?¡± I laughed. ¡°Apologies your Majesty, but I found that rather comical since the truth is rather more ridiculous. Marie is one of currently eleven wives. They intend to acquire more for me if the right candidates show up.¡± More gasps amongst the nobles, and a raised eyebrow from the King. ¡°Oh, and what would constitute a good candidate?¡± Marie answered that. ¡°If it pleases your Majesty, we want to find a Fox Girl, I think an Elf would be nice, we have a Gnome already, so maybe a Dwarf, oh, and a Harpy, I think they¡¯re cute!¡± Now the King was outright stunned at that. Then a smile. ¡°Well, then as compensation, at least for your wives sake, maybe my third daughter, she happens to be a Fox Girl herself. It would please me to let her live a quiet life out in the country with plenty of chances to raise a child. Wasn¡¯t there something about an Orphanage?¡± ¡°Yes your Majesty, I adopted all the girls from a particular Orphanage which is now being renovated, so even the boys are currently in my house. I love them all, but it¡¯s a madhouse at present. However, as much as I like the idea, it¡¯s up to the women involved, and though I can be certain that my wives all approve already, as Marie can vouch. However, I need her clear, willing consent to the idea, without any pressure being placed upon her.¡± A fox girl with a thin golden circlet came out from a side room, without anyone having called out to her. ¡°As I have heard this conversation with my own, rather too sensitive ears, I¡¯ll admit I was Vexed when father just offered me like that, but you, that¡¯s the nicest thing I¡¯ve ever heard. You like the idea, but want me willing or not at all?¡± I nodded once. ¡°Exactly so, also if you can hear what I¡¯m about to whisper, it¡¯s all true.¡± I then whispered under my breath how bleeding only happens the first time, and that I would take her as many times as she wanted. She looked wide eyed at Marie, who smirked, and nodded guessing what I had told her. ¡°YES, a Million times Yes. I don¡¯t care if you have a title or not, take me away!¡± The noble chatter was even more intense now. ¡°Truly, my daughter is this happy with the notion, excellent! Now off to deal with the stupid test. At least it¡¯s simple., all you need do, is place your hands upon this stone. It will read your power, and state what rank your power qualifies as.¡± With a Shrug, first I, then Marie placed our hands on the stone. It read clearly my class, Martial Artist, and not three, but four S across the stone. Marie read Ranger, obtaining even more gasps, and a few pale faces, and her own two S rating. ¡°Marvelous, Four S on your status, that¡¯s never been heard of in the Kingdom, or even on this continent. Then to see an honest Ranger in my halls, and to have my daughter married into the same household,¡­what about my other daughters, would you take them too?¡± I shook my head, as did Marie, and the Fox girl was fiercely shaking her head as well, with a bristling tail. ¡°No your Majesty, I don¡¯t take siblings, as the bloodlines would be too close, and potentially lead to breeding between too close family members, without knowing, and THAT leads to birth defects.¡± Stunned silence rippled through the hall. ¡°Birth defects because the parents are too closely related? Is this true?¡± I nodded. ¡°Some birth defects can happen no matter what, but the big ones, are typically caused because brothers breed with sisters, or fathers and their own daughters, which could happen, if the Father didn¡¯t raise the daughter, and met her thinking she was not his own. It might be rare to happen, but is CAN happen. Either way, I won¡¯t risk my children who are yet to even be born.¡± The King nodded at that. ¡°Sensible, I can accept that, and will ensure that each of my remaining daughters gets their own husbands, rather than sharing one. Very well, no need for the ceremony I think, here¡¯s your writ of office. Then both of you have the title of Knight in your own rights, though Marie does not have any land of her own to take charge of. I think I shall not keep you any longer, you should tend to your new wife to be, and collect what things she wishes to take.¡± ¡°One question your Majesty.¡± He looked at me. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°May I know the name of this newest, and precious wife of mine?¡± He laughed, and she giggled. ¡°Well asked! May I introduce my third daughter, princess Alian. May you two be very happy together.¡± I reached out to shake his hand, surprising him, but he grasped my hand, and felt the paper I had tucked into my palm. He returned to his seat, and just before I had left the room, I heard him call out. ¡°Is this true?!¡± I grinned, and nodded. ¡°My wives will bless you for years to come for informing me of this.¡± The three of us left the court, and moved to the Princess personal rooms. Alian looked around her chambers, and focused on her book shelf. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to leave those behind, honestly those books are all I think I want. My gowns, will be useless outside the Capitol, I¡¯d be better wearing my riding close I expect, and buying something,¡­more normal when we get to our towns.¡± I went over to her book shelf, and willed them all into my storage. She gasped at the sight. ¡°What happened?!¡± Marie giggled. ¡°Sister, he can store much in a different space, and nobody can steal from it. I don¡¯t know how he does it, but it¡¯s very useful to gather our prey.¡± She looked at Marie, then back to me, then Marie again. She lunged at me, and kissed my cheek. ¡°This is amazing, I can teach our children to read with those! To think, Children, not Child. This is going to change so much. I expect that was what you wrote on that paper you gave father.¡± I nodded again. We heard happy squeals from a distant room. ¡°I think the queens just found out.¡± We all giggled at this. ¡°I think I¡¯ll change into my riding clothes. Marie can you help me with my gown, normally the servants would do that, but I¡¯d rather not call one, I¡¯d only have to say goodbye to her afterwards.¡± I started to turn away, only for Alian to grab my arm, and look fiercely at me. ¡°My husband shouldn¡¯t turn from my body, now should he?¡± I snapped my finger, and produced her silver ring, and slipped it on her finger. She beamed at me, and took my lips for a quick peck. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The girls didn¡¯t waste time getting her undressed, and Alian was easily able to dress herself in the riding clothes, though she was a little clumsy due to lack of practice. No sooner had she finished dressing again, than an older fox woman came in, smiling fit to burst. Instead of embracing her daughter as I had expected, she instead embraced me. ¡°Thank you son, not only for telling my husband about this startling truth, but for taking my baby, over all the rest. Also for refusing to take her siblings, they¡¯re good girls, but they always teased Alian. I know you had better reasons, but that reason is what truly counts for me. Take care of my girl, and I want to hear about a grandchild within the year, then you can take a break for a couple years if you need to.¡± I laughed. ¡°Well your Grace, I¡¯ll take a break from making children for a couple years, but not from your daughter. Once she heals from giving birth, maybe three months at the outside, and she¡¯s allowed to be active again. I have a perk though, that makes it impossible to make her Pregnant on accident, but makes it certain when we want a child. No accidents.¡± Both of them were standing jaws agape, and Alian turned to Marie to see her nodding. ¡°It¡¯s true, and his Father already impregnated his second wife, the local guild master as it happens. He was surprised to have Sexual Technique level up as I recall. Then Mark told him what HIS sexual technique is. It¡¯s a family secret how, but he has level fifty. That¡¯s where those perks came from.¡± ¡°Does that effect how it feels?¡± Marie nodded her head. ¡°Rose is the only one of use who got to experience the difference, but she said the second time was MUCH better.¡± The queen was shaking her head. ¡°I thought my King Husband had a high level in that, at level five, but that¡¯s with all of the queens. It takes a LOT of women to make certain of an heir,¡­at least it did, before your information that is. The Princes will have a much easier time producing heirs, and having more fun too.¡± The queen hugged her daughter. ¡°You should all leave as soon as you can, otherwise you¡¯ll be swarmed with nosey nobles trying to drag you into the politics.¡± We nodded and made to leave. ¡°I love you Mother, and I¡¯ll miss you. I hope you can come to visit sometime.¡± The queen smiled at her. It was a look that clearly said, she couldn¡¯t do what they both wanted. She was stuck in the palace, while her daughter was allowed to escape. The queen¡¯s insight proved correct, as we had barely gotten out of sight of the room¡¯s door, when we overheard a group of Nobles arguing about who gets to talk with us first. We sped up our walk, and managed to just slip past the gates of the palace without anyone cornering us. Once we returned to our Inn room, we change back into our normal gear, and then returned the room key, and paid a few extra coins. Once we were well out of the main gates, I picked up Alian, and Marie and I started sprinting. Alian squeaked in surprise, then had a wide smile at how fast we were running. She shouted in my ear, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to catch us, if you can keep this up for even a few minutes.¡± I grinned, and sped up more, with Marie a step behind. We managed to reach the first of our towns well before dark, and as much as I wanted to ignore it, we went to the Mayor¡¯s house. We were greeted by a rather old gentlemen. His old eyes bulged when he saw the writ of office. ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t understand, what does this mean?¡± I sighed. ¡°It means, we¡¯re both screwed. Tonight, all you need to do, is find us a bed, tomorrow we¡¯re going to the other town I am now in charge of, the next one south. I¡¯m counting on you to keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing for as long as you can manage. Tell me when you need help though. I don¡¯t know how else I¡¯m supposed to manage two towns, when I can¡¯t be in both at once. If you have a homing pigeon or something for me to take, so I can communicate with you, and you with me, then I can literally run here in less than two hours, providing I can break away.¡± I could see the relief on his face, knowing I¡¯m not expecting him to leave his only home. ¡°I can do that sir, here is a stone of message, I have the link. Should I need aide, I¡¯ll inform you though that. As to a room for the night, I have plenty, there are extra rooms for visiting dignitaries, though I¡¯ve never needed them. I¡¯ll assign one for you, whenever you need to stay over night. It will be kept clean, and fresh for you.¡± His maid came in, and after getting instructions, she bowed to us, and led us to a room. We simply slept that night, though the girls both clung to me. The surprise on the Guild Master¡¯s face the next day, when Marie and I walked in, with Alian in tow was priceless. ¡°Mark, how is the third Princess here?¡­OH, I see the silver ring. Why am I not surprised?!¡± She had a grin on her face, but she was clearly proud to have me as a Son now. Pearson though started at the word Son. ¡°Did, ahem, I could have sworn you just said Son Guild Master, and third Princess?¡± ¡°Indeed sir, I am third Princess Alian, and most recent wife of Mark here, and that¡¯s Sir Mark now, he and Marie have been knighted after all. Not that they, or even I really care.¡± She giggled at that, and Pearson paled. ¡°Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness.¡± Alian giggled. ¡°What rudeness, ignorance isn¡¯t rude.¡± Pearson excused himself. ¡°I have all your materials ordered, but no work has started yet, that will be tomorrow most likely.¡± I thanked her, and gave her a quick hug, as did Marie, and a little more hesitantly Alian. ¡°Welcome Home Alian, and welcome to the family.¡± Alian shyly smiled, as we left the office, and the Guild hall. I then went to the Mayor¡¯s mansion. I chuckled a bit to myself. ¡°Rather a splendid mansion for such a remote area.¡± Alian commented, and I burst out laughing. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?!¡± Alian asked with a pout. ¡°Alian, the house Mark had built is MASSIVE! It makes this place look like a popper¡¯s hovel. It¡¯s not fancy, but it¡¯s plenty large.¡± Alian¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Truly?¡± Marie and I nodded. ¡°I laughed, because I had just thought how funny it was that my house was bigger, before I became the Mayor myself.¡± The two women smirked at that. ¡°Honestly it was just the timing that made me laugh so loud.¡± The mayor looked horrible as he was basically drug in by his Butler. Clearly he wasn¡¯t taking care of himself. ¡°Mark, and Marie too, I can¡¯t apologize enough for what Jarreth did, but still he was my Son. I¡¯m afraid I just don¡¯t know how to deal with the situation anymore. I only ever married his mother, and the thought of trying to find more wives just to try and get an heir, well, I¡¯m comfortable with my wife,¡­I just wish, but then you didn¡¯t come here to listen to an old man, what brings you here?¡± He only then noticed Alian, and his eyes widened. ¡°First, you don¡¯t actually need an heir anymore. You and your wife¡¯s positions in this house are secure, as I have been named Mayor by his Majesty the King, upon being knighted. I¡¯ve also been named Mayor of the town to the North, I¡¯ll have to give the towns names, otherwise it will be confusing. We¡¯ll think on that later. Also, if you want more children, your current wife is all you need. The blood and pain only happens the first time, it¡¯s all fun and games afterward, and more children will come in time, like it or not. As you see, Princess Alian is here, and as evident by her silver ring, she is my betrothed, and will be officially my wife very soon, probably tonight, unless we¡¯re just too busy, and fall asleep instead, but I doubt any of my wives will allow that.¡± He looked at Marie, seeing the gold band, and Alian only having the silver, then back to Marie. ¡°Is everything he just said true?¡± She nodded with a big grin. ¡°Love your Wife, and be true to her, if that¡¯s what makes you happy. Make more kids, you¡¯ve got a Knight as their God Parent if you want it. Also, though I¡¯m not landed myself, I¡¯ve also been knighted. Doesn¡¯t matter to us though, just act normal otherwise. If you need some more personal time, let us know, we¡¯ll get assistants for the day to day work so it¡¯s more convenient, and besides, it¡¯s Mark that needs to sign papers now.¡± I groaned. ¡°Paperwork, I forgot about the damned paperwork!¡± A genuine smile, if faint crossed the man¡¯s lips. ¡°Is that a message stone? Let me link mine to it, so I can message you as well.¡± I proffered the device, and a moment later he had returned it. ¡°Should I need you urgently I¡¯ll message you, otherwise, if you could visit once a month, I can manage the rest I think. I¡¯ll be fine now, you¡¯ve lightened this old man¡¯s burdens greatly. I think my wife will be pleasantly surprised tonight.¡± He chuckled, as we excused ourselves. We then made our way home, to a stampede of both wives, and children to the utter astonishment of Alian, all the children instantly started hugging her, and excitedly talking about anything and everything. She laughed merrily at the horde of little love bundles that had swarmed her. ¡°Husband, who are all these angels?¡± I smiled. ¡°Your children, even if by adoption. Well not the boys, but still, may as well be, since as Mayor of the town their Orphanage is in, I¡¯m their ultimate guardian anyway, and you are a Princess of this nation, so yeah, even the Boys can be considered your children in a way.¡± She then started fiercely hugging every child she could catch, and they giggled and squirmed in happiness at the attention. All the wives showed up, aside from the Undines, and as typical, one was holding a nearly naked, wet, and squirming Katy in her arms, who only stopped squirming when she saw me, then an instant later she was squirming again, trying to reach me. Theresa let her down, and the quickly slammed into me as I spread my arms for her attack of affection, which triggered a wave of little huggers from all sides. Marie didn¡¯t get left out either. ¡°I missed you! Why were you gone so long?¡± Katy was accusatory. ¡°Couldn¡¯t be helped little one, adults have to do things they don¡¯t want to sometimes, and this was one of them for Marie and I.¡± I started thinking in my head about how I could build an indoor, filtered, and heated swimming pool for Katy, and those who were interested. Filtering itself wasn¡¯t much of an issue, but moving the water through the filter, in the absence of traditional pumps, and heating it were the issue. Maybe one of the books Alian had would give me some inspiration. The water wheel¡¯s constant spinning caught my attention, and I almost face palmed, that could easily power a water pump, and setup the filter in a tower. Pump the water up, filter it, and let gravity return it into the pool. Two problems solved already, only the heating aspect to deal with now. Eventually the tide of affection died down, and everyone went about their business. Either playing, or doing chores they had either chosen to take on, or been assigned. All the older children had taken to the notion of working to learn for their futures, so they would have choices. Marina had a decent folowing of future smiths already, and Harmony had many a Clay worker. She had even glazed some bricks, which she was simultaneously proud, and ashamed of, thinking there would be no use for them. I on the other hand, was thinking about the Pool I now wanted to build. Those bricks would be perfect to line the pool, and I knew how t seal them once in place too. Looked like more sketching was in my immediate future. Chapter 19 Nostalgic Meal Chapter 19 Nostalgic meal. I was in the mood for Pasta. Never noticed how I hadn¡¯t had any in my whole life until now, but once the thought crossed my mind, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. I grabbed Theresa, and called out to the older girls. ¡°Who wants to get really messy making food?!¡± With a glance, the trio of my sisters who had decided to stay sisters, giggled and came funning after us, while Theresa almost had a panicked look on her face. I opened all the pasta racks I had installed on the Kitchen walls, then demonstrated the Pasta making process. I entrusted Theresa with the cutting of the pasta itself, and showed the tallest girl how to hang the finished strips so they could dry. Then I started grinding meat. There was quite a decent amount of trim to be ground, so there would be plenty. Once the meat was ground, I popped out to grab a few armloads of Tomatoes, a hefty amount of Onion, Celery, Garlic, Bell Peppers of various colors, as well as fresh Basil, and Oregano which luckily the former land owners had growing, and it was simply wild at this point. I quickly started the Tomatoes stewing, and cut up all the other veggies. Once I had the Tomato Sauce at the right consistency, I moved onto frying the Meat. Once all the meat was fully cooked, and the veggies had been added, properly seasoned with the herbs, and some pepper, I poured the sauce into the pan. The process was more difficult due to using fire, instead of the cook tops of my old world, but I managed. Then I put a large pot of water on to boil. I had a special basked that would just fit inside the water pot, and when the water was fully boiling, I put the basket in, and collected a batch of pasta to cook. All in all, it was twelve batches of pasta, so there was plenty to feed everyone. This wasn¡¯t a fancy restaurant, so I just mixed all the Pasta into the Spaghetti sauce I had made. Theresa looked at her Kitchen, smelled the aroma of the food, sighed in acceptance of the mess level, and then got busy cleaning first the girls, and then with my help, the Kitchen itself. The first bite was all it took for everyone in the dining hall to instantly decide that this was the best thing they had EVER eaten. There were Green beans served on the side, but all the kids just mixed them in with the pasta, in order to hide them from their taste buds. I smirked, having expected that very thing, but who cares, the food was being eaten. ¡°Husband, what is this?¡± Alian was amazed, both at the flavor, and the fact she had never seen Pasta in her life. I smiled as I replied. ¡°This is a Pasta dish. Pasta is the boiled strips of simple dough, there are different names for the Pasta depending on their shape, this is technically Fettuccine, as it¡¯s a strand type, but flat. The dish itself is commonly called Spaghetti, however the Spaghetti pasta is a round strand, and there¡¯s angel hair, which is the same, only very fine. The dish¡¯s name changes based on the sauce used, and its presentation. I might try and do an Alfredo next. That¡¯s a cr¨¨me based sauce.¡± Theresa, and Alian both had eager eyes, no doubt for different reasons, but they both wanted me to make more dishes like this. ¡°Now once I figure out how to safely dry the pasta and store it, we can make huge batches of dried pastas to have on hand for quick use. Making the Pasta fresh is simple, but rather time consuming if you¡¯re in a rush to feed all these kids.¡± It was then my new Mother finally managed to arrive to eat. Clearly something had held her up, so she was only just now getting away. Her eyebrow raised at the new food, but she didn¡¯t hesitate a second once she had her own plate in front of her. ¡°Mark, if you had told me about this, I¡¯d have been here an hour ago, paperwork be damned!¡± I laughed at that. ¡°Then I suppose it¡¯s good you didn¡¯t know, cause now that pesky paperwork is already done.¡± She nodded agreeably. ¡°Suppose you¡¯re right at that, and this is a fine reward for my effort too.¡± Dad gave her a side hug, and a kiss on the cheek, making several of the boys giggle, and the girls moon at the sight, wanting their own Man someday. She pulled a quest note from her breast pocket. ¡°Almost forgot, can you deal with this?¡± I took the paper once it was handed to me along the length of the head table. It was a quest to subjugate a pack of true dire wolves, right smack in between my two towns. Apparently their alpha had decided that people were food. ¡°Yeah, I should have this cleared up tonight, even if Marie isn¡¯t ready to go out.¡± She just looked at me. ¡°What, I didn¡¯t say you weren¡¯t ready, I just said even if!¡± She shrugged. ¡°I supposed I can allow that, but if you¡¯re hunting, so am I.¡± Marina spoke out then. ¡°Mark, mind if I tag along? I don¡¯t do much questing, like my forge n all, but getting some more strength couldn¡¯t hurt, and I am registered at the guild.¡± I looked at her, and Analyzed her stats. Marina Age 16 Level 8 Strength 40 Constitution 35 Dexterity 15 Endurance 50 Speed 20 I stopped looking after that, but I did notice her class. Battle master, it was a powerful class, but not as powerful as it could be. It meant she could use most weapons equally well. But I suspected that there was another better class. War master, would need her to have use of all weapons, IF it existed. ¡°First, come with Marie and I to the training yard, I want to test something.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Once we finished eating, Marie, Marina and I met at the training field. ¡°Ok, I know you have no skill with this, but please just do what I ask. I want you to borrow Marie¡¯s Bow, and try shooting the target.¡± Marie having an idea of what I was attempting, even if she didn¡¯t know the specifics, handed her bow over, and let Marina use her archer¡¯s guard, and then handed her arrows. Within five attempts, she had hit the target, and her eyes popped open in utter shock. ¡°My class, it evolved, never even heard of War master before! I¡¯ve got Archery as a skill, and it¡¯s already at level 30, how is that possible?!¡± Marie laughed. ¡°Because you¡¯ve practiced with throwing knives. Same thing happened to me.¡± She looked at Marie, still shocked. ¡°What class are you then?¡± I answered for her. ¡°Ranger, combination of Assassin and Forester. With that out of the way, all your weapon skills should have had a tweak of some kind, maybe decent, maybe a single level, depend on how Archery effects and synergizes with the rest.¡± She looked at her status, and then spoke. ¡°Aye, several have gone up, and I even got a Perk off Archery, increases my speed and dexterity by half, the dex is really nice, I¡¯ll be able to do more detailed work in the Smithy now. Be faster while I¡¯m about it as well.¡± I loved that instead of seeing the war potential, she saw her crafting applications. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go kill us a Wolf Pack. I¡¯ll be carrying you again, at least till we¡¯re close enough to stalk the pack.¡± She returned Marie¡¯s Bow, and the arrows she had fired, and went to get geared up. Unsurprisingly, her weapon of choice, was a massive war hammer. Which since her class evolution, she was able to swing around like it was a feather. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d say this, but I need a bigger hammer! Not complaining though, just means I get to hit harder, when I have to anyway.¡± I scooped her into my arms, and just before sprinting off, gave her a quick kiss while she had her arms, and hammer wrapped around my neck for support. We took off at a dash, and the scenery blurred as Marina¡¯s tail whipped my legs. Once we got to the area we were aiming for, I slowed, and stopped letting Marina down. ¡°No fair, why didn¡¯t you kiss me before we started running?¡± I smirked at her. ¡°Cause I wanted to have a reward for safely carrying your Sister wife here.¡± This caused Marie to pause, then blush, and accept my embrace, and a passionate kiss. ¡°Hey now, my kiss wasn¡¯t that good!¡± I chuckled with desire as I tried to equal the passion between them, which actually worked in our favor, as standing there, seemingly oblivious, had lured the pack in question. Marina wasn¡¯t oblivious either, and as the first wolf attempted to catch her from behind, she casually flicked her Hammer, slamming the wolf into a nearby boulder, cracking the boulder in the process, while the spine of the wolf clearly snapped. The rest of the wolves attempted to turn and flea, aside from the Alpha who had already committed to leaping at me. My uppercut smashed through his ribs, and pulverized his heart, and lungs, and Marie¡¯s arrows flew fast, and straight. ¡°Rather lacking aren¡¯t they? Maybe we should track them back to their den, make sure it¡¯s the whole pack gone. Something doesn¡¯t smell right.¡± The girls nodded, and I stored the wolves he had killed so far. Marie took point as she was the best at tracking, and moving silently. It took over an hour to find the den, but when we did, there was a roughly humanoid creature, green and covered in pustules, and the wolf pups, and the Alpha female were clearly being held as hostage against the rest of the now dead pack. Whatever it was, it must have beast tamer skills, and was using them to cause trouble for the people of this area. I signaled Marie, who took careful aim, and dropped the creature instantly. The alpha female didn¡¯t hesitate to rip the thing¡¯s throat out to ensure it was dead. She then menaced me, as I slowly approached. I touched the corpse, and it vanished, startling the she wolf who backed away to defend her pups. I noticed a small item on the ground. Picking it up, I started hearing words in my head. ¡°I will not let you harm my pups, leave!¡± I looked at the she wolf. ¡°So this THING didn¡¯t even have skill to control you, just this damned trinket huh? You and your pups are safe, but sadly the pack is dead. It would be wise to move your pups as soon as you can, find a new den before less honest hunters show up here. I¡¯ll give you meat so you and your pups can be strong for the trip.¡± So saying I dropped a carcass from a previous hunt, I hadn¡¯t ever gotten around to processing it, but the storage had kept it as fresh as when I killed it. Still warm and everything. The she wolf sniffed the carcass, then grabbed it with her teeth, and pulled it into the den. ¡°You killed the pack, but the pack was trying to kill you, it is the way of things, I will kill you if I see you again, but for now leave.¡± We did as she said, though her threat was non existent, and she knew it. This is troubling. There was an intent here, and whatever this thing is, I¡¯ve never seen one. Hopefully Mother Ruth will know something, otherwise it will be another trip to the Capitol for information.¡± Marie, and Marina sighed in resignation. ¡°At least I leveled, twice actually, that Wolf I killed was actually decent experience. Level ten now.¡± I smiled at that, and then scooped her into my arms again. ¡°You¡¯ll need to work on your speed, so you can run along side us.¡± She pouted a little. ¡°But I like when you carry me like this.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I can always carry you when the mood is right, regardless of if you can run yourself. However, I¡¯d rather you be able to flea from anything honestly troubling, and who knows when running to save a child will be needed.¡± She grinned. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll do some running, try and get faster, saving the little ones is a good reason, and besides, then you can¡¯t escape me so easy when it¡¯s my turn right?¡± The two giggled at that, and I joined in. We sprinted home at top speed, much to Marina¡¯s delight. Chapter 20 dealing with surprises Chapter 20 Dealing with surprises Upon returning to the farm, I tracked down Mother Ruth. ¡°Excuse me, can you come outside for a bit, there¡¯s something you need to see, and you Kids stay INSIDE, no peeking, I¡¯m serious!¡± Mom and Dad looked at me, but seeing how serious I was, decided to keep vigil on the kids, to ensure they wouldn¡¯t peek. ¡°Sure Mark, anything you need,¡­within reason at least.¡± She giggled at her statement, and I groaned. Once we got outside, and to a point where the kids wouldn¡¯t be able to see, I removed the creature¡¯s corpse. ¡°I have no idea what this is, but it was controlling the Wolves. Got a nifty trinket that lets me talk to the wolves out of it, no telling if it works on anything else, but still, not a bad find. This guy was keeping the Alpha female and her pups hostage, while making the wolves attack people. I let the Mother and the Pups alone, and told them to find a new den, but I have all the rest. This thing though, I don¡¯t know exactly what to make of it, aside from trouble.¡± Ruth was serious in her expression. ¡°Trouble is right, but just how much is the question. How long will this last in your storage?¡± My answer was immediate. ¡°It won¡¯t rot at all, it¡¯s still as warm as it was when I stored it. Can¡¯t store living things, aside from some plants, but any corpse just stops aging in there.¡± She nodded once. ¡°Store it again, and I¡¯ll send word first thing in the morning. Hopefully they can send an expert from the capitol, if not,¡­well you can guess, this is too important to leave to chance.¡± I sighed, and stored the thing away. ¡°Any idea what that is?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t want to assume anything, and even if I get the name right, I don¡¯t know anything aside from the fact they come from far away. So it being here, as you said, means trouble.¡± I humfed in disappointment. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s all we can do for now. Guess I should go to Bed, should probably do some patrols or something, see if I can spot anything else unusual.¡± She grasped my shoulder with a tight squeeze. ¡°Good idea, but focus on your family for now, and making it GROW, especially with the Princess, if you can. She was never supposed to be able to have a child, if you really have a perk that can get around that, use it tonight, for her sake.¡± I was absolutely stunned. This was huge news, and even more reason why Alian was clearly meant to be mine. She adored children, but she was supposed to be infertile. I knew what I needed to do, just as much as Ruth did. ¡°Thanks Mom, that¡¯s good advice, and I¡¯ll take it.¡± We returned inside, and Dad asked a question. ¡°Was it really all that bad?¡± Ruth just nodded grimly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if you had thrown up, if you went to have a look. Not worth what could have happened letting the kids see it. Besides that, it¡¯s a confidential security matter. Mark was right not to let anyone else see it. There¡¯s four people total who know what he showed me, myself, and the three who took it down, and that¡¯s two more than needed, but at least we¡¯re all family, and under the guild control, so we¡¯re safe from any cover up reprisals that might have otherwise come down. Best not even ask anymore.¡± Dad was shocked at Ruth¡¯s statement, but accepted it as fact. I decided on a whim to analyze Mom, and though most of it I ignored, I noted under status anomalies, that the Pregnant state was showing. ¡°MOM! YOU¡¯RE PREGNANT!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shout. Everyone was startled at my outburst, but soon enough, the meaning reached her, and she gasped. ¡°Are you sure? How can you tell?¡± She asked excitedly. ¡°I just used my Analyze skill, and Pregnancy is considered a Status Anomaly, like being poisoned. I guess it makes sense, but still it¡¯s weird to be there. I didn¡¯t think it would actually work, but this means I can tell the instant any of you girls gets pregnant.¡± Gasps all around, and happy voices from everyone, even the children. Another baby on the way makes everyone happy. Dad was stunned still, having just realized he had two babies on the way at one time. Then a grin looking like the cat that got the cream crossed his face. It took some time to calm the kids enough to get them to sleep, but eventually we managed it. Then all the girls and I went off to bed, Theresa¡¯s sisters still watching over the danger spots for us, I had the luxury of my whole family being in my bed at once, with two exceptions, but to my surprised delight, Marina had finished the tub, and installed it in the room already. Wripple and Spashta were both there, smiling fit to burst at being indoors for the first time ever. ¡°Welcome home Mark!¡± They both called out. I immediately toggled pregnancy on, and stripped out of my clothes, to Alian¡¯s stunned surprise. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind Alian, but these two have been waiting for a while now. I need to tend to them tonight, before anything else can delay their first daughters.¡± She smiled, kissed me, and then approached the Undine girls. ¡°It¡¯s very nice to make your acquaintance, I¡¯m your newest Sister Wife, Third Pincess Alian. I look forward to helping with your little ones, as much as I¡¯m able anyway.¡± They both smiled at her, and reached their arms up for a hug, which she gave them, a tad embarrassed. ¡°Welcome home Alian, and Well Met. Perhaps you could join us in the tub at some point. I think you¡¯d enjoy it, our power is amplified in such a small body of water.¡± Alian smiled, and kissed each one on the cheek in greeting. ¡°Perhaps I shall, I like water after all.¡± I tended to my Undine wives, and instantly it was obvious to everyone that the pregnancy had taken root, as there is a visible glow from their womb region. I then came out of the water, and everyone was nude, Alian a little nervous as she awkwardly sat on the bed with towels underneath her. ¡°What are the towels for?¡± The girls giggled at her. ¡°The first time causes bleeding, it¡¯s nothing serious, and Mark will make it hurt as little as possible, he¡¯s quite good at that. I hardly even felt it when it was my turn.¡± Veronica stated proudly. ¡°OH!¡± She knew about the bleeding, but the simple precaution of a Towel or two to catch the mess was a novel idea. My perks worked on Alian the same as on anyone else, once I had implanted her with my seed, I analyzed her at once, and she was already shown as Pregnant. ¡°It worked, my Certain Pregnancy perk bypassed your infertility trait. In fact, that trait seems to have been forcibly removed by my perk. You Pregnant Alian.¡± Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. ¡°If,¡­if you¡¯re lying.¡± I placed my finger on her lips. ¡°I would never be that cruel to one of my wives. Will you wear this ring as proof that we are wed, never to part till death forces us?¡± So saying I took her gold ring out of my storage. ¡°Yes!¡± She wrapped her bonded arms around my neck and kissed me again and again. I almost forgot to toggle pregnancy off. ¡°Mark, are you going to let us all have children tonight?¡± Marie asked. I shook my head. ¡°No, the Princess needs an heir, and the Undines will have their children grown very quickly. We can wait a little longer for more babies I think. That¡¯s Rose, Wripple, and Spashta, and now Alian expecting all at once, then both my Moms are expecting, that¡¯s a minimum of Six babies coming.¡± Grace piped up. ¡°What do you mean a minimum of six?¡± I shook my head at the social ignorance of this world. ¡°Anyone of you could have twins, triplets, or even more, there¡¯s no telling. I¡¯ve seen proof of Dectuplets, that¡¯s ten babies born from one time.¡± Stunned eyes all around, even Wripple and Spashta seemed a little pensive now. ¡°Mind you, I¡¯m not sure how non humans work precisely. Undines are pure water spirit, no flesh, then Marina, and Alian aren¡¯t standard Human, anymore than Rose is, so things might be different in that regard, but for human anything goes.¡± I was grateful that magical healers existed, or I¡¯d be more worried about my girls being pregnant. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The next morning, after breakfast was finished, I was made aware that someone had come. As it turned out, it was a construction crew which Ruth had arranged to begin building the Glass facility. Once I had gotten them setup on the location I had selected, near the other Hot Buildings as I had taken to calling them, I then went into my study, and drafted out everything I wanted for the Pool House. I even found a solution for the inline water heater in one of the Books that Alian had me bring. Once everything was properly designed, including a method for Wripple and Spashta to enter the pool themselves, I then told Harmony exactly how many glazed bricks I wanted, in the shapes and sizes I needed them. Including the method of making special water proof mortar and grout to secure everything. Marina started making the Pipes I¡¯d need, as well as pump pieces. She also suggested a marchant to acquire the more exotic materials I needed for the heater. I had also designed an indoor plumbing system, and an enamel toilet. Making the Schematics for the eventual bathroom, and including my Parent¡¯s house on the water, and sewer grid I was designing. Kicking myself for a fool, I realized once I had my own system setup, I¡¯d have to build one for each of my towns. With that realization, I sketched out new schematics for the town¡¯s water, and sewer system, including a new water wheel to run the pump to provide the water for the system. I calculated the piping needed to make the public lines, as well as installing a public bath house, and laundry service building. Men¡¯s bath on one side of the laundry, Women¡¯s on the other. I had done that thinking of the old world¡¯s reasoning, then realized it would be the reverse. Instead of women hiding from peeping toms, it would be men hiding from peeping Tanya. I laughed at that. Everything seemed on track, and I checked with the construction crew about building the pool house frame, as well as the greenhouse over the mill pond. They were hesitant to accept the structure over the Mill pond, until Wripple and Spashta both called out loud enough to hear, that I was the only man they wanted, or needed, as they held our daughters over the edge of the water. The men looked at me in shock, and what women were there looked at the babies with jealous eyes. They agreed to build everything I had designed, and I agreed on the price, and gave them a note to acquire the payment at the guild. I told them I¡¯d have a public works job in the near future when all my work was completed. After all this, I went into town to locate the Merchant that was suggested to me. ¡°Hello there, how can I help you?¡± Asked a rather pretty sales girl, except I noticed something a little odd. She was tall, and very thin, too tall for her chest to be nearly flat, and I was almost sorry for her, until I noticed the ears. My eyes nearly popped out of my head, she was an elf. ¡°What¡¯s got your tongue? Never seen an Elf before? Must be a local boy I expect. Name¡¯s Fiora by the way, only just arrived myself. My uncle needed some help so I came out, now he doesn¡¯t really need the help he says, so I¡¯m stuck running the counter just cause I¡¯ve got nothing to really do now. Enough about my troubles though, what can I do for you handsome?¡± I blinked, then again, and slapped my face. ¡°Not to be rude or anything, but am I correct in assuming you¡¯re older than the fifteen years you appear to be?¡± She beamed at me. ¡°Quite a bit, but I won¡¯t say how much, UNLESS!¡± I grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your actual age, just the older part. Also on the Unless you just mentioned, I¡¯m amenable, providing my wives agree. I did kinda want an Elf Wife, but then again, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡± I placed my list on the counter. ¡°Can you perhaps acquire these materials in the quantities needed, or more?¡± Studying the list for a moment, while taking quick glances at me, she eventually answered. ¡°We¡¯ve got JUST enough to cover this much, and it won¡¯t be cheap. You want more though, for what?¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s a secret, UNLESS!¡± I teased back, and she smiled widely, then her face fell. ¡°I¡¯d really like that, but I¡¯m infertile. Best Elven healers couldn¡¯t fix me, and I expect that¡¯s why my Uncle doesn¡¯t want me helping. He thinks I might give my curse onto his own daughter, so no man would want them.¡± That took all the tease out of me, and I simply grabbed her left hand, and slipped the silver ring onto her finger. ¡°God must have sent you to me, I have a perk, so if you want a child, just say when. You¡¯re mine now, that ring is proof. My wives won¡¯t even blink, just say you¡¯re infertile when we get home, and they¡¯ll just smile and welcome you home. You¡¯ll have as many babies as you want to bear, and there¡¯s a bunch of little angels to tend already, since I adopted half an Orphanage already, all the girls at least.¡± The shock, and befuddlement on her face was palpable. She looked at the ring, then me, back at the ring, and tears started to leak from her eyes. ¡°Fiora, what are you wasting time with now?!¡± Said a gruff male voice. I immediately didn¡¯t like the man, but I needed to get my supplies. ¡°My newest wife here, has just sold a good chunk of your stock to me, that¡¯s what she¡¯s doing, and I¡¯ll be taking her home straight after our business is concluded. As you apparently don¡¯t actually need her anyway. I¡¯ve got plenty of work for her.¡± I placed a Platinum coin on the counter, and the greedy old fart, snapped it up, looked at the list, and grudgingly gave me back two gold coins change. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch this lot, Fiona, you fetch your stuff, sooner you¡¯re out, the better I¡¯ll feel.¡± I was livid, but Fiona just darted off to fetch her things. She was back before the old man had everything assembled, only one pack on her shoulders. She smiled at me timidly, as she spoke. ¡°Never felt welcome, so I never unpacked. Been living out of this pack since I got here.¡± I just pulled her into a tight hug. ¡°You¡¯re home now.¡± The old man scoffed. ¡°Here¡¯s your stuff, pleasure doing business with you.¡± His smile was as fake as fake could get. When the supplies simply vanished in front of his eyes, they bulged in surprise. I then swept Fiona into my arms, making her squeal in shock, turned, and left the place. I wanted her as far away from that jerk as possible. Chapter 21 the reaction Chapter 21 the Reaction Fiona and I arrived at the house, with her gasping for breath, due to the screaming she had done the whole way. As a result of that, all my Wives, aside from Spashta and Wripple were assembled in front of the house, with a throng of children also curious. Even little Katy dripping wet, and practically naked had come running to find out what was up, so she could report back to her favorite Mothers, and their daughters. They all saw the Elf girls ears first, then noted the silver ring, and the pack on her back. Veronica spoke out, first. ¡°Well this is a surprise!¡± Alian continued. ¡°Indeed, especially when he insisted on confirmation even for me, though admittedly by proxy for everyone else through Marie, but still, Husband this isn¡¯t like you, why the sudden aggressive move? Not that I¡¯m upset, I couldn¡¯t be happier, it¡¯s just odd for you.¡± Having caught her breath, Fiona answered instead of me. ¡°He said all I had to say was infertile, and you¡¯d understand.¡± Eyes sparkling Alian pulled the elf girl into a hug. ¡°Well that certainly explains it, I was infertile too, but thanks to our husband, that¡¯s no longer on my status, and according to his analyze skill, Pregnancy is a Status Anomaly. I am Pregnant! Do,¡­do you want to be pregnant with Rose and I, or are you willing to wait. Mark doesn¡¯t want to overload us with children all at once, but,¡­¡± Fiona looked at me in wonder. ¡°It¡¯s true, you can give me a child, even though the healers?¡­¡± I simply nodded smirking. She smiled ear to ear, her golden hair ruffling in the breeze. ¡°Ahem,¡­I¡¯m happy too, especially having an elf in the family now, but dearest, can we get an introduction?!¡± Asked Harmony somewhat impatiently. The introductions, and welcomes took a while, but eventually even Spashta and Wripple had their turn greeting Fiona. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to have Undines living on this land, I wondered why it felt so lively here, and two at that, with their newborn daughters! Can I join you in the water?¡± The four Undines smiled eagerly, but Wripple spoke up. ¡°Although we¡¯d love that, Mark says you have to take off as much clothing as possible when swimming. Little Katy wears her underpants only, though why she needs them in the water I¡¯m not exactly sure of.¡± I overheard the last part as I was coming to check on them. ¡°Technically she doesn¡¯t, but I prefer that region of a girl only be shown to those whom she¡¯s eventually intimate with. An adult I suppose can choose to go natural if she wishes but not wanting other men to see what only I should see. It¡¯s just a Moral thing from before. Not like I¡¯ll get made at accidents, just how Modesty was taught to me. However the less you wear in the water, the easier it is to swim. That¡¯s the main point. I really need to make some swim suits for the kids, so they have something thin, light weight, but covers everything important.¡± Having heard my reasoning, and not having any reason to hide herself in her opinion, she didn¡¯t even hesitate to strip down to nothing. ¡°Am,¡­am I ok? I know I¡¯m not like other women, you know, up here, but,¡­¡± I pulled her against me, and kissed her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter in the slightest, it¡¯s you, not the body I accepted. Besides, trust me, you¡¯ve got plenty in the body as it is.¡± I squeezed her rear, causing her to giggle and grin. Once I let her go, she jumped into the water, and played with the Undines, and little Katy too. After I had drunk in the sight of my waterborn family frolicking, I went off to find Marina. We made a mold for the pool¡¯s water heater, as well as one for the Bathroom I had designed. I also set out how many pipe segments we¡¯d need, and she almost balked. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of material Mark, just what are you making?¡± I took a Platinum coin and handed it to her. ¡°That¡¯s a secret, talk to the old man, and see if he¡¯s willing to get a wholesale lot of Iron Ore for us, and include his own order into the mix, get the biggest bulk discount he can for it. I¡¯ve got plans, but let¡¯s get these tanks poured, and cooling. Have to coat them in enamel later.¡± This project was going to need a foundry, what the Smithy could produce just wasn¡¯t enough. More sketching, had to be done. Snapping my fingers, I realized that I hadn¡¯t actually turned in the quest paper from the wolf subjugation yet. I sketched out the foundry design, then took it, and dashed off to the Guild. Pearson was free as always when I arrived, though he wasn¡¯t alone. Of all people, a Harpy was at his side, trying desperately to write with her wing fingers, but not having any luck. ¡°Ahem, perhaps we should get her a type writer for dealing with paperwork. She wouldn¡¯t be as quick as someone with humanlike hands, but a lot quicker, and more legible that how it¡¯s going right now.¡± They looked at me blankly. ¡°What¡¯s a type writer Mark, I¡¯ve never heard of that. If it could help Miss Vera here, it would be a welcome addition. She¡¯s been tossed from one guild to another trying to find a place she¡¯d fit, but lack of writing skill doesn¡¯t help at all dealing with any sort of paperwork. This is quite frankly her last hope to work at the receptionist position of the guild.¡± Vera looked down obviously depressed. ¡°Miss Vera is it, just to be clear, this is what you genuinely WANT to do, not just all you can think of right? I¡¯m sure I could find plenty of jobs for you on my land, if you¡¯re not actually set on guild receptionist, but if it¡¯s what you want, then I¡¯ll get you setup. Least I can do for a member of my communities. I do need to act as a Knight of this territory sometimes after all.¡± She lifted her head in shock. ¡°Lord¡± She stuttered, ¡°Please excuse my ignorance, I hadn¡¯t realized who I was talking to!¡± She was clearly flustered, and her feathers were fluffed in response to her Panic. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ve only just become Lord of this community, WHICH I had come up with a name for. As I only have two towns under my influence, and I wish them to be Havens for the people under my protection, I¡¯m naming this community South Haven, and the one to the North, you guessed it, North Haven. Pearson, can you get the Guild¡¯s Sign altered to say South Haven¡¯s Branch of the Quester¡¯s Guild?¡± He nodded. ¡°Honestly, with how things are going, especially since I know at least some of my Wives want a Harpy, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you ended up as my Wife too, assuming you were interested that is. So the sooner you can calm down, and act casual around me, the better yeah?¡± Marie all geared up, had chosen that instant to arrive, and seeing the Harpy girl I was talking to, absolutely drooled. She snuck up behind me, wrapped her arms around my body, and spoke out. ¡°PLEASE tell me you¡¯re bringing her home!¡± Vera¡¯s shock had only grown. ¡°This is one of my wives, and also part of my Questing party, as well as being Knighted at the same instant I was. Her neme is Marie, Marie, this is Miss Vera, and as you¡¯ve clearly noticed, a Harpy, exactly as you mentioned you wanted.¡± Marie¡¯s eyes were almost predatory, and I think slightly intimidated Vera, but she took in her breath, and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a very great pleasure to meet you both,¡­and honestly,¡­I don¡¯t know what I want more now, this job, and that type writer thing you mentioned, or just you, cause having a Man in my life would make me the happiest I could ever be, but I also want to feel useful, then not being fertile with non harpies, well I doubt you¡¯d actually want me that way.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on the not fertile thing, question, do you lay eggs regardless of if they¡¯re fertilized?¡± She nodded. ¡°How often?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Once a year, and I¡¯m almost ready to lay again, why?¡± I leaned in to whisper in her ear, so other women wouldn¡¯t hear us. ¡°I have a perk that makes it certain that the women I lay with get pregnant, it even bypasses born infertility. If you want to try this year, we can. I don¡¯t know if it bypasses species barriers, but I¡¯ll be able to tell right off, even before you can, with my analyze skill.¡± ¡°Take me as your wife then, please I¡¯d love that. I,¡­don¡¯t like Harpy Men, so I just assumed, well if children are in my future with you, then I¡¯ll be very Happy!¡± Marie Grinned. ¡°Excellent! Welcome to the family! Can¡¯t wait to see the little fluffy bundle of joy.¡± She then leaned in to whisper, ¡°And your baby too.¡± Vera¡¯s eyes widened, understanding that at least one of my wives wanted access to her. I smirked, letting Vera know that I knew, and approved. When she realized that, her eyes sparkled in anticipation. I took a silver ring out of my storage, and thought it wouldn¡¯t fit on her wing finger, but to my surprise, if nobody else¡¯s it expanded to fit perfectly. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She was puzzled at first, then noticed a similar silver ring on Marie¡¯s finger, coupled with the gold one on the outside. ¡°What about the gold one?¡± We both smirked. ¡°That¡¯s for after.¡± That was all we needed to say, and Vera smiled at that. ¡°So everyone knows now that you are going to take me, and they¡¯ll know you have when I wear the Gold one?¡± We nodded, and the women in the hall all gasped, seeing the gold rings on all my other wives they had met, and realizing now what it meant, they looked at me hungrily. ¡°I¡¯ll get that Type writer made as soon as possible, let the master know I¡¯m seeing to it, so Vera can work, but she¡¯ll be taking a break until it¡¯s ready. As to why I actually came, it¡¯s to turn in the urgent quest the Master hand delivered the other night.¡± Pearson processed the claim, and accepted the corpses of the wolves, though I was keeping the strange creature that Ruth had refused to identify, both to avoid panic, but also to keep it fresh for proper identification. The reward was six platinum coins as it was an urgent quest, and I had returned with all the material spoils unlike typical people would. The processors always loved getting my kills, as they were always fresh. Vera was astounded at the storage magic, and overwhelmed at the sheer volume of coin I was owed. I handed Pearson the sketch for the foundry. ¡°Is there a piece of land where this could be constructed, somewhere between my land, and the old man¡¯s smithy? This will serve both of us when we need it, and even the crown at need. I¡¯ll take the land, and construction of this facility over any coins.¡± Pearson took the sketch, and then pulled out the deeds to lands the guild owned. Finding a perfect location, right next to the river, he brought the deed to me. This land should be perfect, the Guild has owned it so long, any structures that were there have already rotted away. Why nobody else ever thinks to ask the Guild about land I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll get this project started right away, is there anything else?¡± I told him to add a water wheel, like the one on the mill, but not to worry about what it would eventually do, I¡¯d build the rest later. He agreed, and amended the build papers. As we left the processing plant, and Pearson returned to his station, Marie went to look at the quest papers. ¡°Going out on a hunt?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not exactly, well maybe, I followed you after gearing up, not realizing you weren¡¯t geared up yourself. All you intended to do was turn in the wolf quest, and I thought you were leaving me behind while you went to hunt. Sorry for jumping to conclusions there. Just a little sensitive about you out on your own I guess. Anyway, since I¡¯m here, and geared up, figured I¡¯d see if there was anything. Maybe a gathering quest I could fill on my own. Unless you want to gear up yourself, and we can hunt for real?¡± I smiled widely. ¡°Why not both? You know we can carry anything needed back, so see what¡¯s in a same general location. I¡¯m going to stop at the old man¡¯s smithy and get Vera¡¯s type writer ordered, that will take a while, then I¡¯ll escort her back home, and gear up, maybe Marina wants to come too?¡± Marie nodded happily, knowing I wanted her with me, as much as she wanted me with her. ¡°Hurry back then!¡± I kissed her, and Vera feeling a little bolder now, followed my lead, and kissed her as well, though her aim was for the cheek, Marie was having non of it, and stole her lips to Vera¡¯s surprise, embarrassment, and clearly happiness. ¡°Naughty Marie, Mark hasn¡¯t even done that yet.¡± She giggled, and Marie grinned. The old man was in utter shock at the sheer volume of fine detailed schematics I had drawn out. I was just glad I knew how to actually draft out every part needed to make a mechanical type writer. My hand was slightly cramping when I was done, and I shook it out. ¡°I know this is detailed work, so I imagine despite the smaller amount of material, that it will take considerably longer to craft. What¡¯s your best guess on a time line, so I don¡¯t bug you ahead of that.¡± He considered for a while before answering that it would be a Month at minimum for such work. I placed a Platinum on the counter, and he balked. ¡°I know it¡¯s way too much for the materials, but the labor on this one will include making jigs, and forms that you will use again. Once this becomes known, it will go EVERYWHERE! You¡¯re going to be swamped with requests before too long, I know it. Also, if Marina hasn¡¯t told you yet, I¡¯m ordering a massive amount of Ore, and doing it through you, so as to get the biggest bulk purchase discount we can, so just increase the order with anything you think is excess.¡± Grunting, he accepted the coin, and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re a might better Son than I thought. I knew you were good, especially after, well you know, and now you¡¯ve given Marina a Harpy to love on too. I know Marina is really fond of Harpies, always has been, not sure why, but still.¡± At that instant an older Cat woman came out of the back. ¡°Is this my son in law?! Please tell me you¡¯ve gotten my baby to work on her levels, at least a little! I¡¯m always worried she¡¯ll get hurt because she¡¯s too weak. What was your name again, Matt?¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s Mark, and it¡¯s very nice to meet you Mom. As it happens, she¡¯s up to level ten now.¡± Both their eyes widened in surprise, then the woman frowned. ¡°What¡¯s this Mom thing you called me?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Mom is a special term, given to any woman older than I am, who represents family, and Motherly power, or a guiding light in my life. Being as you¡¯re the Mother of one of my wives, that makes you Mom, well one of many at this point, and I haven¡¯t even met all of them yet.¡± Her eyes softened at that, and the pulled me in for a hug. Her tail swaying contentedly behind her. I decided to do a quick analyze on her, and grinned at the old man. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got another bun in this oven, don¡¯t forget to send a message the instant she starts labor, I know Marina will want to be there.¡± They both looked confused. ¡°Analyze, it counts pregnancy as a Status Anomaly.¡± Their eye¡¯s opened wide in shock, and delight. ¡°So that¡¯s what you meant by a bun in the oven huh? You¡¯re sure?¡± I nodded at him, and wise wife hugged me even tighter. ¡°Here I thought you just made it so we could have fun, I didn¡¯t know I could get another baby again!¡± I pulled away after a while, and Vera timidly came in to replace me in the hug. ¡°Congratulations on being pregnant. I can¡¯t wait to see the little one, I¡¯m due to lay an egg soon, and Mark says he might be able to make it hatch, though we won¡¯t know till after we, well as you said, have fun?¡± The two clearly were happy about the thought of little ones so soon. ¡°Well, we should probably get going. Marie is waiting for me to gear up so we can go hunting, and sketching all that out, well it took a while.¡± Once we got outside, and I told Vera where we were going, she leapt into the air. ¡°I¡¯ll follow this way, walking is painful to be honest, and I¡¯d slow you down otherwise.¡± I smiled, and nodded. Vera was shocked at my running pace, having expected to have to circle around to keep me in sight, but instead having to push herself a little to keep up. When she landed though, she was met with screams of pure excitement by first a horde of children, and second a scattering of overjoyed sister wives. The explanation of why she was also a wife, came from Vera herself. Allowing me to get geared up, and off to meet Marie. Marina had elected not to join on the hunt this time, as she felt the project was more important. Marie had found a few game requests that would be easy enough, and several herb collecting quests, as well as one subjugation request for of all things, a greater badger. That would prove to be nasty for most local questers, and the materials would fetch a premium due to alchemists needing several components. With Marie, it was anticlimactic as expected. Every shot was instant kill, and we had collected everything needed, including the Badger in under an hour. I didn¡¯t kill anything, so paltry as it was, all the experience went to Marie. ¡°Still no level, but a couple skill ups, so that¡¯s good. Thanks for letting me have all the fun, it¡¯s almost like a proper date this way.¡± She smiled widely at me. We kissed, and embraced for a while, until a loud rustling, and crashing came up on us. Whipping around, a great bear was charging at us, but it wasn¡¯t normal at all, its eyes were glowing red, Marie and I leapt up onto a branch, and I quickly analyzed the thing. It was being controlled by a spell. ¡°It¡¯s being controlled, this is an attack. Take it down, and let¡¯s hunt the thing that¡¯s controlling it!¡± Marie nodded, and we were moving. The bear dropped instantly with a shot through its eye, and as we landed back on the ground, I dumped it into my inventory. We dashed through the forest dropping creature after creature with glowing red eyes. Cougars, Boar, Wolves, it didn¡¯t matter, they died quickly, and got stored as we followed the trail back. It was another green creature like before, and we didn¡¯t hesitate. The thing was just about to send a Fox after us, when my fist cracked its skull. The Fox was able to break free, and it bolted off into the forest. I stored the corpse of this second creature, and we turned to head back. ¡°Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, if it happens again, it¡¯s a pattern. Have to let Ruth know about this second incident.¡± Marie nodded. We ran back to the hall, and were greeted by a merry Pearson. Chapter 22 Discussing Concerns Chapter 22 Discussing concerns ¡°Hi Pearson, we need to see the Master urgent. Again!¡± His face blanched, and he immediately led us to a private room, where Ruth soon joined us. ¡°Mark Dear, we sure do tend to meet far too often for a Second Mother, and Son, not that I¡¯m complaining.¡± She giggled. ¡°Sorry Mom, but things are,¡­troubling again.¡± So saying, I dumped the second strange creature out on the examination table. ¡°This one is different, it used some magic control to make Beasts attack us. They all had Glowing eyes, colored red. Once is a Fluke, Twice is a coincidence, if this happens a third time, it¡¯s a pattern. Twice now, some creature that has no business here, has actively used local beasts to attack my territory. If it¡¯s just us, that stinks of treason, and jealousy, if it¡¯s happening elsewhere in the Nation, then it¡¯s an invasion. Either way, we need to inform the right people soonest.¡± Ruth¡¯s face was now grim, she nodded once. ¡°You inform the former Mayors. You have a message stone, they¡¯ll keep things calm while we investigate. I¡¯ll send a message to the other guilds, both in North Haven, and the Capitol so they can have more vigilance. Sadly, I think this means you¡¯ve got to take those things direct to the Capitol. I¡¯ll inform you where to take it soon as I get a response. For now though, store that, and drop the beasts. Need to make it look simply odd for now.¡± I did exactly as instructed. ¡°We¡¯ll head out then, I think I¡¯m going to be keeping the boys for a while longer. Easier to protect them here. Which means, the laundry is going to be a problem. I¡¯ll need to find a helper or two for that.¡± Ruth¡¯s expression perked up at that. ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to be more inclusive of non human wives,..(Grinning like a cat she continued) as it happens, there¡¯s a rather lovely demon girl, bout your age, who¡¯s become a Bond servant for whatever reason. Her specialty is being a laundress, which usually means no sale. OH, and I believe there¡¯s another laundress too, she¡¯s probably much older, but hard to tell with her type, she¡¯s a scale kin. They live for a LONG time, and are fiercely protective of little ones. I think that should be your direction, even if you don¡¯t take them as wives.¡± Grinning at me the whole time, we walked out of the hall, one and a half Platinum richer. As much as I didn¡¯t like her approach, I knew she was right. Two laundresses as indentured servants especially with how things have been going, just plain made sense. I found the traveling slave merchant that was currently in town. He was different than the previous one, but the same company. ¡°Excuse me, I understand you have two Laundress bonds currently.¡± He was much less greedy in his actions than previous merchants, but still, he wasn¡¯t going to give me slack. ¡°Indeed we do, do you have a preference?¡± I grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not going to simply drop coin, and not talk to them. Also, I need to know their individual bond prices.¡± Nodding, he stepped inside the wagon, and returned with both women. ¡°This Demon Lass is Senna, her bond is at 50 silvers. While Mona the Scalekin is set at 60 silvers.¡± Inwardly I chuckled. ¡°Well ladies, if you accept to sign on with me, as with all my employees, you get a gold piece as signing bonus, which I will provide prior to your bond being sold. Further, I¡¯m a bit weird, providing all my current wives agree, which Marie can attest, they most likely will, you can also become wives. That¡¯s up to you naturally. There¡¯s a bunch of children, and entire orphanage, plus two of my own though their both undines, and thus have no clothes. The rest though, are a massive laundry amount, and we desperately need the help, not only to do the work, but teaching the children to do it correctly as well.¡± Both eyes sparkling, they immediately said yes collectively. ¡°Is that yes to hiring on, or yes to both?¡± They simply both said ¡°Yes¡± again. Grinning, I handed each one a Gold, which they used to buy their own bonds, the merchant flustered certified the bonds as paid, and returned their change. ¡°Looks like a busy night tonight.¡± Marie said. Mona and Senna blushed, in Senna¡¯s case, she turned a darker purple, and her tail whipped in embarrassment, while Mona¡¯s scales seemed to glisten instead, and her tail smashed the ground. ¡°Is that the scale kin version of blushing? The Glistening?¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a hold over defense mechanism, or so it¡¯s believed. Makes us harder to hold onto. So is two women a busy night?¡± I laughed. ¡°Two, for starters, you¡¯d be three and four in terms of new wives today. Second, I intend to please all my wives, like always. Including my two Undine wives, who can now join us in the bedroom. Their daughters look around twelve now, and can sleep alone, though I am working on placing a special roof over the pond, it¡¯s a ways off.¡± ¡°Um,¡­¡± A somewhat timid Senna spoke out. ¡°How many wives do you already have? I¡¯ll admit, I was more focused on the fact there were children to care for already. I can¡¯t wait to meet them! Still, I am curious how many sisters I¡¯ll have now.¡± Maries spoke out instead of me. ¡°WELL, there¡¯s Me, Veronica, Harmony, Penelopy, Theresa, Wripple, Spashta, Grace,Kora, Rose, Marina, Then the new ones, Vera the Harpy, and Fiona the Elf, and I can¡¯t forget Alian, she¡¯s a lovely fox kin, and the third princess also, soon the two of you will be official. Silver rings till after, then the Gold rings like this. SO, all in all, that¡¯s 17 counting the two of you. Trust me though, you¡¯ll love the whole thing. You¡¯ll be exhausted tonight, by the time our Mark is done with you. Same with all of us, though admittedly, I and now Marina take the longest. I¡¯m a double S Quester, and Marina could be soon I expect. Higher endurance for both of us, but we can¡¯t hold a candle to Mark.¡± Mona, and Senna were both stunned. ¡°¡±17!¡±¡± I grinned sheepishly. ¡°To be fair, I love them all, and I¡¯m sure I will love you also.¡± Unsurprisingly, all the women simple said ¡°YES!¡± Thus with my traditional line, I placed a Silver Ring on each of their fingers, and they promptly stole their first kisses. Grace came up then, ¡°Hey, can I get some of that too?¡± Senna and Mona backed away, thinking she was wanting me, but she shook her head. ¡°I mean from you two, unless that¡¯s not something you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± The four newcomers all looked at me. ¡°Hey, they¡¯re your lips, and bodies. I truly enjoy having you myself, but playing with your fellow wives is your choice to make, not mine. Your happiness is what matters on that front, though I¡¯ll openly admit, I love seeing it with those who like it.¡± The next thing I knew, there was a make out session between all my wives, aside from Spashta, and Wripple who were stuck in the pond, but little Katy had come out to see, and then immediately turned around to tell her favorite moms, with a happy giggle. ¡°Sometimes, I worry for my girl¡¯s expectations in the future.¡± Zack came up to me then. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much Mark, the truth about how breeding actually works, is going to spread like wildfire soon enough. She¡¯ll find a Man who will treat her like you do yours. I¡¯m certain of it. Heck, she¡¯s got a big brother now who¡¯s an example, and I think the older boys from the Orphanage are also learning to be like you. As to that, maybe we can get some Combat instructor out here, so everyone can get a few levels stored up. Let the younger ones take the final hit when we can, but train them up to protect themselves, and their future wives.¡± I nodded. ¡°I can do that!¡± Mona spoke out. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯d rather protect our children myself, but I understand teaching them to defend themselves is still me protecting them. So, I can teach combat. I used to be a C rank Quester myself, even if I don¡¯t hold a candle to you, and Marie, I know a thing or two.¡± I smiled, picked her up with a fierce kiss, and swung her around happily. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, especially when it comes to laundry. If you¡¯re their combat instructor, there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll ignore you when you tell them to get busy with the wash!¡± She eagerly returned my previous kiss. ¡°Consider it done Mark, husband.¡± She was proud, and unafraid to state her claim, and I loved it. ¡°Let me know what you want for weapons, either Marina, or her Dad can make just about anything.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. We eventually got to bed, and with much exertion, everyone had their first time, and both Vera, and Fiona were certified Pregnant that night to their excitement, and delight. Even if they lacked the energy to truly celebrate. ¡°Mark?¡± Mona asked. I hummed at her to continue. ¡°You said you knew they¡¯re pregnant, but,¡­Vera is a Harpy, that¡¯s impossible isn¡¯t it? I hope it¡¯s true, because I wanted children of my own too, and being scale kin, I am also an egg layer, so maybe this egg can be fertile?¡± I smiled, and pulled her back onto me, toggling the pregnancy back on, I used my hands to move her body. She truly enjoyed the experience, and didn¡¯t complain as I unloaded into her again. Sure enough, she was tagged as Pregnant. I toggled it back off, and told her. ¡°It¡¯s done now. You¡¯ll have your own little one as soon as that egg of yours hatches. I have a Perk for that, certain pregnancy, it ignores species boundaries, and even outright infertility. Then I have another one, that lets me turn it off completely till I want it on again.¡± Being a combatant, she had a self evaluation, and was able to confirm my words, her teary eyes, and beaming smile were followed by another fierce kiss, and we all embraced together, on my Massive bed. Glad I had planned ahead, and made a bed larger than any I had ever seen in my life. It literally was a BED ROOM. It was built higher than the rest of the house, and the entire floor was solid mattress. There was a massive fitted sheet for it, but all the rest of the bedding was just normal blankets, and sheets used individually, with the Tub for the Undines in a corner that had actually been added onto the outside of the room. Fiona had spent quite some time with the Undines during the day, and tonight, she had taken some experiences with them as well. The next morning, before I was even out of bed, the message stone went off. Ruth had just gotten the reply from above, and unsurprisingly, they decided it was too urgent to wait, so I was to take the corpses immediately to meet with the researcher chosen by the Royal Family for this purpose, and luckily he was connected to the Guild, so we could simply meet in the Capitol¡¯s Guild Branch. I nudged Marie, and Marina. ¡°We¡¯ve got to run to the Capitol. I¡¯m taking you with me Marina, because you need to take a Rank up test. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re B, or maybe A now, we¡¯ll see, but the test can¡¯t be done here, due to our familial connection with Ruth. Let¡¯s sneak out, and help Theresa and her sisters with breakfast, eat real quick, and head out. If we¡¯re fast enough, maybe we can be back tomorrow mid day.¡± Marina grumbled a little, but agreed. Slipping out of the pile of flesh, and getting cleaned, and dressed to help with cooking. We managed, barely to eat, and leave prior to anyone else getting up. Theresa, and her sisters waving us off, we passed by Ruth, who nodded, silently telling me she¡¯d look after everyone while I was out, and explain the urgency of the issue, even if they couldn¡¯t know details. Marina happily leapt into my arms for a high speed princess carry. ¡°Glad I leveled up, I can handle this a lot better now, hope my tail doesn¡¯t bruise your legs by the time we¡¯re there.¡± She giggled, and I noticed she wasn¡¯t wearing anything under her skirt, because I could see it plainly. Marie noticed too, and was torn between a smirk, at her lewdness, and a pout for not being the one in her position. ¡°On the way back, I want a full naked princess carry,¡­at least for a half mile.¡± I grinned. ¡°Well why don¡¯t you give a kiss to seal the deal?¡± I indicated with my eyes that it wasn¡¯t me she should kiss, and she clearly got the hint, kissing Marina, where she wasn¡¯t expecting to be Kissed causing a squeak of surprise, then a grin. ¡°Fair I guess, if that¡¯s how you¡¯re paying for it.¡± The two giggled in naughty mirth. It was early evening by the time we reached the capitol, to the absolute consternation of the man we were meant to see. ¡°I honestly expected you tomorrow, or even the next day, that remote town isn¡¯t close by any stretch.¡± We smiled with our wind ruffled appearances. ¡°We run VERY fast. Multi S Questers here. We need a Private Room to unload our cargo.¡± He was confused as to where our Cargo was, but unquestioning as he brought us to the private room. The two corpses dropped onto the table. ¡°Can you take it from here? Marina needs her rank up test while we¡¯re here.¡± The stunned man simply nodded. Just before we left the room though. ¡°Sir Knight, I¡¯ll inform you directly if there seems to be any issue with your land specifically, or if it¡¯s a national threat. Kind¡¯s orders either way.¡± I nodded back. Marina¡¯s rank up test was a little more dragged out than ours was, but in the end, the Tester confirmed she was a Solid A rank, and possibly S though the Master was too busy at the moment. We nodded, and left happy with our errands completed. We found an eatery and had a rather bland if filling meal, and then went to the Inn we had used previously. We only played lightly that night, wanting the girls to be well rested for the return trip. We didn¡¯t waste any time as we made our escape from the Capitol, and any troubles they might wasn¡¯t to stick us with, but not fast enough. The Master caught us, and insisted on testing Marina himself. ¡°Seriously?! After the last time you upset the King, you¡¯re meddling again?¡± He blanched a little, not expecting I was still upset at him. ¡°To be clear, this is also my Wife, and thus she already has enough BS about nobility. IF YOU EVEN THINK of suggesting the King test her too, I¡¯ll demand your removal, consequences be damned!¡± Marina did manage to acquire S rank status, but only barely, avoiding the Royal involvement. Shaking our heads in disgust at his meddling, we left at once, and got well out of sight before Marie called a halt. I was confused for all of two seconds, as she immediately began stripping. Marina giggled, and stood on her own feet. ¡°I¡¯ll keep up as best I can for the Mile.¡± She took Marie¡¯s clothes, and Marie leapt into my arms. Grinning like a fool, I moved on, not quite as fast, but Marina had improved her speed quite a lot. The Mile wasn¡¯t even all that long, only about a Minute. Marie was grinning, and embarrassed at herself, but still kissed me while still in my arms, and Marina retaliated on the Kiss from the day prior, causing Marie to squeak in surprise. Once she stood on her own feet, she kissed Marina properly, then got dressed. Such thirsty girls I had, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. With the changing of the wives, we moved on at full speed. Arriving back home at lunch time. I noticed in passing that there was a Sign proudly declaring North Haven on the one town, and South Haven when we got home. The Names were accepted readily enough. Work on the Glass Manufacture building had clearly completed. I was stunned, apparently having the status of a Local Lord, who actually gave a damn, and worked for a living just like them, paid dividends. Wagons of supplies had already been delivered, and I took some time before Lunch to sort everything. Then after lunch, Marina and I, along with Harmony fired up the facility. We had enough sheets to make the greenhouse roof over the pond by the time Dinner came around, and only had to wait for them to slowly cool. After dinner, we move the cooled sheets of glass out, and put in another batch, enough to complete the structure entirely once cooled. Another night of newlywed passion, and I was up after breakfast placing the glass onto the roof of the greenhouse structure. The pool house structure had also been completed up to the point the crafters were capable. Harmony and I spent the rest of that day laying the glazed bricks in the pattern I had envisioned. It took another day and a half to complete the work on the pool house, and pipes, adding the water heaters with the materials that finally showed up, and the water tower filter. Everything was finally completed. I even designed a diving board with proper bounce for the pool. It took another four days to fill the pool all the way. Marina didn¡¯t waste any time either, making glass for all the windows in the house. Soon all the oiled hides had been exchanged for actual glass windows. Everyone loved the new bathing facilities, as well as the toilet, and the sinks in the restroom, and kitchen, as well as the laundry room which I had altered to include the large wash sinks, as well as the cauldrons typically employed. Mona and Senna were overjoyed at the convenience of the additions, and the kids, boys and girls alike, and even my parents, all three of them were ecstatic about the method of showering in hot water to clean off, and the bath for soaking when you had the time. Things were shaping up quite nicely on the home front, and thus it was high time to begin on the Foundry, and public water/sewer projects. That, or for the other shoe to drop. Chapter 23 Planting, and Alfredo In the morning, Marie and I geared up, ate breakfast with everyone, and went on a Patrol around the entirety of South Haven. Nothing seems out of place thus far, and we were able to catch plenty of small game, as well as various medicinal, and edible herbs. We even found a decent patch of edible mushrooms. So much easier to harvest mushrooms safely with an analyze skill. Instead of going straight back to town, we stopped by the farm, and more specifically the smoke house. I took out all the Bacon, and Sausages, storing a good portion for Blanch to use in her Inn, while taking the rest into the Kitchen for Theresa to Store away. I also handed over a good portion of the small game we had caught, and half the Mushrooms, and edible Herbs. After which we headed into town to drop the remaining food at the Inn. "Mark dear, you shouldn''t have! I appreciate it naturally, but I didn''t even post a quest today." Marie answered in my stead. "Mother Blanch, please don''t think on it, we harvested these while doing other things, and kept most of it for the kids, though we did bring the Smoked Meats as well." She smelled the Sausages, and just about drooled, and the Bacon was nearly enough to make her bite into it raw. "You need to fry the Bacon still, and the Sausages either need to be fried, grilled, or else boiled to finish cooking them. As long as you keep them cool though, they won''t spoil nearly as fast as unsmoked meats. Slice off a thin piece of the Bacon, and give it a quick fry, should be nice a crispy, also the Fat is great to cook other things in, and will last for a good while before spoiling. Sausages are also great sliced, and added to a Soup." When the first piece of Bacon hit her tongue, her eyes lit up, as did Marie who had also taken a test bite. "It''s amazing! I can think of so many applications for this!" I just smirked at her. "Told you!" I gave her a hug, and just because I thought she might have ambushed her Husband, along with her Sister Wives, I analyzed her, sure enough she was Pregnant. "Congrats on the baby coming, I really need to meet your Sister Wives, and check them sometime too." Blanche froze in shock. "Analyze counts Pregnancy as a Status Anomaly, so I can tell." A tear slipped from her eyes, and she hugged me tightly. "Thankyou! Now off with you, I suspect you have other business to attend to." We ran to North Haven to patrol around there, again finding nothing of note, but catching plenty of game. We swung by the Orphanage to check on the progress, to see things nearing completion. The construction workers estimated another two days till it would be finished, and furnished with the newly commissioned furniture. We stopped by the guild branch, and I was able to find suitable land for the Public Works projects I had envisioned, and made arrangements for the structures I needed to be built. Another two hours of running and we were back on the farm. We ate lunch, and then noticed Grace''s father arriving with his boys, and his wives. "Welcome, I''m guessing you''re here to plant some grain." Stanley nodded in affirmation. "Right you are lad, nearly harvest time for this crop, so perfect time to plant the next." While planting went smoothly, I decided I needed to treat Grace''s family to a meal, and what better time to make Alfredo, then with extended family. I excused myself to help with Dinner, with enough time to prepare everything, washed up, and joined Theresa in the Kitchen, with her Sisters, and the kids on cooking duty for the day. With happy flour covered kids making Pasta dough, and the Sisters cutting, and hanging the pasta, I myself worked on the Sauce. Theresa had prepared Peas for the side for that evening, but I noted some slightly old bread, so I quickly sliced it all, and covered it with butter, and minced garlic. Wouldn''t be quite the same as I remembered, but it would still be great. When the rest of the family came in for dinner, everyone was surprised at the new dishes. Peas were well known, but neither the Pasta, nor the Garlic bread had been seen prior to this. "This all looks amazing Mark, but what exactly is this dish with all the white?" Stanley was naturally skeptical, but the kids, having experiences Spaghetti didn''t even hesitate to mix in their Peas, and dig in, making me chuckle. "Well, I had told everyone that I would try my hand at making Alfredo Sauce, to serve on the Pasta. That''s the strips of dough, and the Alfredo is the white. It''s a cream based sauce, thick, and savory. Coats the Pasta quite well, so it''ll be a burst of flavor, and since the Pasta is made with flour milled from your wheat, what better dish could I have served when you were planting wheat all day?" His second wife took a tentative bite, only to throw all manners out the window as she eagerly started shoveling the food into her mouth. "I think MAYBE she needs something in the food. Let me just analyze her real quick." Sure enough, she was pregnant too. "Nice, you''ve got another baby on the way, just curious, which one of you is Grace''s Mother?" The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The woman I had just analyzed raised her own hand, a little embarrassed about her behavior. "That would be me Mark, I''m Allison by the way, but what do you mean we''ve got another baby on the way? I know you''re the one who told Stanley he could play with us, without getting messy anymore, but does that mean we can really have more babies?" Smiling broadly, Grace hugged her mother tight. "Not only can you have more babies Mother, but you ARE having another one. Mark can check someone''s status, and it shows if a woman is pregnant, the same as if you were poisoned, or cursed. Anything that isn''t your normal state of being, is counted as an anomaly, so YOU are pregnant, though that doesn''t mean the others aren''t." Stanley''s other wives looked at me with sparkling eyes. After analyzing them all, I shook my head. "Not yet, but just keep going, and I''m sure you''ll all have another one on the way soon enough." Stanley grinned fit to burst, and Allison had tears in her eyes. "What''s on the toast?" Harmony had just taken her first bite off the toast, and wasn''t expecting the extra flavor. "Garlic, and butter, I applied it before toasting it, makes old bread taste great when you toast it up." "Oh yeah, before I forget Stanley, I''m assuming your Sexual Technique skill levelled up. Just so you''re all aware, at some point, you''ll unlock a Perk that makes it certain to impregnate whatever woman you lie with, regardless of time of month, or her own fertility stat, or even if there''s normally a species barrier. If you get that perk, you need to keep going as often as you can, with your already pregnant wives, until you get the next perk that will let you choose if you will get them pregnant. Seriously I don''t care how exhausted you get, or even if you''re sore, just keep going till you get that second perk." A look of horror crossed his face. "Yeah, I would love a couple more kids, but not every single time we play. I''ll power through if that happens, you can count on that." All his wives giggled in anticipation. It was at this point, that a long overdue system notification went off. Skill unlocked Glass Working level 1, past life experience modifier level 99 Master Craftsman. Marina gasped, having clearly gotten a similar notification. "Let me guess, Glass Worker finally came out?" She happily nodded. "It says I''m level twenty, how can I be level twenty, we only just make those flat pieces." I chuckled. "I told you it was an Alien Concept, the system probably took that into consideration, but also, those aren''t just normal panes of glass, every single one we made is tempered glass, which is an order of magnitude higher than standard glass. Mine is already at Master Craftsman level, which isn''t too surprising considering it''s a new skill all together, and I know more than I''ve shown so far. I bet your head is swimming with new knowledge too, about blowing glass, among other things. I wonder if it''s going to effect magic in any way." "Why would it effect magic Mark?", asked Alian. "Well, Glass blowing requires Meditation, so it stands to reason, that anything that can benefit from meditation, such as Mana Regeneration, would synergize with the Glass blowing skill. Both skills would feed off each other, bringing regeneration up, as well as breath control for glass blowing." The princess nodded in understanding. New Synergy detected Meditation level increased, level 60. Breath control increase level 80. Mana regeneration increased when meditating level 70. "Speak of the thing, and it appears. Nice boosts to Meditation, Breath control, and Regeneration. I''m guessing it''s been quite a while since the System had to deal with something wholly new, so it took much more time to update our Status. Only things I use Mana on are my storage, and analyze, so not sure how much good it will do me." Alian spoke up again. "There are a few magic tomes in my collection of books, you should attempt to cast some magics, I assume with two skills boosting meditation, and already using some Mana for your storage, and analyze skills, that magic shouldn''t be too hard to unlock, and with whatever it is that Mother Ruth is being so quiet about, I''d feel much better knowing you had more than just physical prowess to deal with it." Her impassioned plea made sense, even if it did tug at my heart strings to hear her so desperate. "I''ll try, it makes sense, you don''t need the puppy dog eyes to get me to do something that makes perfect sense, and thanks for suggesting it." She smiled relieved that I took her suggestion so readily. Chapter 24 Curious about night life I decided to go to town, as I had recalled that Melisa the Laundress in town, also had a daughter who might help with the laundry. In all the scramble to get everything situated, I had forgotten all about her, and I didn''t want to leave her out, assuming she was interested in the job. Upon reaching the laundry, I saw a Racoon kin scrubbing away, with a big smile on her face. "ahem." I coughed to get her attention. "Oh, hello there, can I help you with something?" She asked me with a head tilt. I smiled at her. "I assume you''re Melisa''s daughter?" She nodded her head, still smiling. "That I am, is there something you needed with my Mother then?" I smiled back at her. "Actually, my mother came to talk to Melisa about a potential job for you, I''m Mark, and I''m the one you''d be working for, assuming you''re interested. I did get two Laundresses who were bond servants, though my signing bonus allowed them to pay their own bonds, so that''s a non issue, and then they both got accepted as wives, so that negates everything anyway. Still you were offered the job, and there''s plenty of work to warrant me hiring you, assuming you were interested." Her tail twitched in surprise. "You got two laundresses already, and still need me?! Also, you accepted them as wives, have you had no luck getting someone pregnant yet?! I''d love that opportunity as well!" I chuckled. "That opportunity only needs my current wives approval, but so far, they haven''t refused anyone who''s asked, and God knows I never will. As long as you''ll get along with the others, I''m always happy to have another woman to love, and pamper. That and I''ve got a LOT of daughters, and sisters to take care of. Counting the boys from the Orphanage, and my own two daughters, Undines, that''s currently 42 kids at my place. I feel like a bad dad to some extent, I never have had the time to really get to know them all, too much real life stuff making me run all over the place, but their mothers are doing great so far, nobody is unhappy at least." She was confused, but also obviously hopeful. "So, let me get this straight,...you''ve already got two daughters,...AND you adopted a bunch of Orphans,...but you''d still let me join, how many wives do you have now?" I chuckled again. "As of this moment, Wripple, Spashta, Marina, Marie, Theresa, Veronica, Rose, Vera, Harmony, Penelope, Grace, Kora, Fiona, Senna, Mona, and lastly, Alian. So that''s, 17, and to be clear, I do love them all, and i spend as much adult fun time with them as I can. Everyone goes to sleep, panting, and sweaty, pretty much every night." This bit of intelligence made her eyes seem to pop out of their sockets, and onto the ground. "You do it more than once?!" She was eager at this point. "Yeah, the pain, and blood only happen the first time, so all the guys who are avoiding their wives due to the mess, well they''re just missing out." Melisa came up just then, and, like most mothers, she had the perfect timing to hear what she needed to hear. "Is that true Mark, about the mess?" I nodded. "Indeed Melisa, and both Mother, and Ruth the Quest guild master are Pregnant by my Father now." Melisa, and her Daughter''s jaws hung wide open, but Melisa was the first to recover. "Christy dear, you are going to take that Job, and do your best to convince the others to accept you as a Wife. I''ve heard some of the things Mark has been up to, and how much wealth he already has, plus he, and one of his wives are knights now, and he''s our Mayor too, as well as North Haven''s Mayor." Christy''s eyes, as impossible as I thought it was, seemed to widen further. "You''re a Knight?!" I groaned. "Please don''t remind me! I don''t take any stock in that Title, even if it does come with duties, I never asked for. I''ve left both Mayors in their places, even if they''re deputy Mayors now, they still do what they always did, but call me for anything that needs a signature, or is too big an issue for them to deal with, as I''m also their Lord now. Anyway, I wouldn''t be surprised if they all just said welcome home right from the start. They seriously haven''t ever said no, but just in case, here''s your Gold signing bonus, that''s yours anyway, shall I pick you up in a bit, or will you hire a wagon to take you and your stuff out later?" With hands trembling in shock, and an abundance of joy, she took the Gold coin. "I''ll hire a Wagon, and get my things loaded, and be there before dinner. I need to pack, and I still have a little work here." Melisa bodily picked her up. "Nonsense, you get packing now, you know letting you work was only ever out of kindness, not need. Get yourself to your new home soonest,...besides your Mothers and I need to attack our husband tonight, and try for some siblings for you." Christy''s face flushed, and in an almost panic she fled to start packing. "How soon do you think I can expect Grandchildren hmm?" I laughed. "Literally nine months after she askes me to start one, cause I have control of exactly when it starts, even if the gender is random, perks of having Sexual Technique at level fifty, well fifty three now. There''s two perks, certain pregnancy comes first, no clue what level, but that even removes infertility status, so if your husband gets that, keep going till you unlock the fertility toggle, I don''t care how sore, or tired he is, just keep at it." Melisa giggled, as I gave her a side wave, and started back to the farm. As I was passing through the town square, I noticed a person with leathery wings, crouched down, and huddled under their wings. Though they reminded me of my Demoness'' wings, they seemed more,.. natural, more like a bats. I approached her, and realized she was a batkin. her ears reminded me in proportion to what was called a Flying Fox on Earth. At every loud sound, she flinched, clearly the bustling town was too much for her sensitive ears. As I was wearing a cloak against the slight chill in the air, I spread it out to further muffle the sounds, which she instantly noticed. Her head came out from under her wings to try and get a look at me. "What''s a batkin doing here, and in the middle of the day no less?" I whispered to her, knowing that full volume would be very painful to her. "Trying to find a man to be my husband, but it''s too loud, and too bright in the day, but that''s the only time your kind is awake. If only there were some Undines here, the sound would be muffled by their presence." I smirked. "Why not come to my farm then, I have two Undine wives, as well as two Undine daughters, even if you don''t become my wife, I have quite a few Orphan boys at my place so maybe one of them will suit your fancy." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I kept whispering for her. "I can''t even move due to the noise, but I do want to." I nodded, clicking my tongue so she''d sense my nodding with her ears, instead of her eyes. "Wrap yourself tight in your wings, and I''ll carry you then." I whispered again, and nodding she ducked into her wings. I picked her up gently, and smoothly, but quickly carried her home. We went straight to the greenhouse over the mill pond, as it was not only where Wripple and Sphashtar were, but protected even more from sound. As I approached the Greenhouse, the Batkin girl had poked her head out from her wings, and clicked her tongue so see what''s ahead. "That''s strange, my eyes see empty air, but my ears see a solid wall. What''s that thing ahead?" Still keeping my voice low, but no longer at a whisper I answered. "That''s a Glass covered house. Glass is melted sand, and this sand when it cools, is perfectly clear, so much so we need to worry about birds hitting it on accident, the Undines are inside there, so hopefully you''ll find the space restful at least for now." The poor girl sagged in relief as we entered the structure, and the doors closed behind us. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. I never would have thought a Human would willing let Undines stay with him." One of my daughters giggled, while Katy climbed out to take another dive. My other daughter spoke out though. "Our daddy''s not silly like most men, he''s going to make us sisters later, but we''ll move out to other waters before that. I''m Raindrop by the way, or at least that''s the best you fleshy''s can do in saying my name, my Sister here is Waterfall mist, and the human swimmer is Katy." "Nice to meet you!" Said Waterfall Mist. Katy merrily waved from the pond, as Wripple, and Spashtar came closer to talk. "Welcome home Mark, and greeting to you young Batkin, I am Spashtar, and beside me is my Sister wife Wripple." "It''s a very great pleasure to meet all of you, I''m Eavena, I don''t suppose you''d let me join you as a Wife, I really don''t want to go back to that Town to find a man, it''s too noisy! Plus I should be asleep right now, too bright." Wripple answered. "As long as everyone else agrees, and I don''t see any problems with that. Still you need to ask everyone." Katy had climbed out of the pond again, and this time ran up the stairs, and instead of slamming into my leg, as I had expected, she instead tackled Eavena with a soppy wet bearhug, much to my amusement. "Oh, I should have realized you had another wife, what with this cutie here." She hugged Katy back "If you ladies will excuse me, I need to do something, it will take a little time, but I should have it finished before dinner, I''m assuming you''ll be welcomed, but I''ll wait for the good news." I bowed out, and went to the Glassworks building, where Marina was practicing some of the things I had taught her. I found a couple pieces from a broken pane so the correct size, and began to cut, and shape the glass, then polished it until is was clear, at which point I then smoked the glass, in order to get a thick layer of carbon embedded in the glass, tinting it, and then made wire frames to house them. Marina was intrigued, and watched closely. Once I was done, she questioned me. "Why is it shaped like that. Those are meant to go over someone''s eyes right?" I nodded. "Exactly right, but the person''s ears are different than mine, or yours, closer to Alians. You should have a set for yourself, so you can look into the bloom without risk, I should too for that matter, but the person I made these for needs them more. Her name is Eavena, and she''s a Batkin, who came specifically to find a Husband, so you should meet her." She shook her head, in exasperation. "Why do you do that, you know we''re always going to say yes, sure it''s nice making things official and all, but there''s no chance anyone is going to say no, like ever. If you decided to invite all the unmarried women in town to be your wives, we''d still say yes,... though it would be really crowded in that bed, massive as it is, it''s not THAT big." She chuckled. "Besides, she''s the reason you made those eye covers, so for me, that''s a big plus, the fact I get to see something new, and learn to craft them because of her, only makes me love her more." "This world really is weird, I figured you''d all say yes, oh, and Christy the Laundress'' daughter is coming to work at least, though she too wants to be a wife, so there''s that." "Seriously, just put the stupid ring on her finger, and kiss her already, no point in pretending we won''t be happy, it''s another woman to love, what''s to be upset about?!" Shaking my head, I left the Glassworks building, and returned to the pond. The sun was getting painful to me, so Christy must really be suffering. I came up behind her, knowing she was fully aware of me, I slipped the sunglasses over her eyes, and fixed them to her ears, I had designed the ear pieces to go around her ears fully, like rings, rather than the traditional hooks. Her ears twitched as I positioned the shades, but she turned, and embraced me tightly as soon as I had removed my hands. "Thank You! These are amazing! I might actually be able to function in the day with these, it''s still a tad bright right now, but only like a full moon night!" I chuckled. "You''re very welcome Christy, I hope they serve you well, regardless of anything else that may, or may not happen. Marina is fully in support, and seems to be of the opinion that nobody will ever say no to anyone, but still." "She''s right you know, even if you wanted to take siblings, we''d still all say yes. Alian''s not withstanding, as they''ve been rather rude to her growing up from what I understand, otherwise though, we still would say yes, even if it was your own actual sister, though I know you''d never even think of that, we still wouldn''t object." "Well I still find it weird that my wives are so accepting of adding more wives. When Christy gets here, she''ll be asking to join as well. She''s a Racoonkin, and another laundress, which will help a lot." I pulled Eavena along, and went to the dining hall, with a very damp Katy in her arms. Penelope was holding a towel, and a robe for Katy to wear, having given up on clothes in general. "Another cute wife I see." All of my wives just smirked at me, as if to say, ''why isn''t a ring on her finger already?'' however, Christy entered behind us just then. The smirk on their faces grew, and they stared intently at me. "I assume your collective glare means get on with the rings already so we can eat?" Synchronized nods were my answer. Smiling I turned to the two women, and placed a silver ring on each of them. "These rings symbolize that you are mine, and I am yours, and the Gold rings are for after we''ve bedded, which I assume will be tonight, but that''s up to you." With my current wives chuckling as they shook their heads, my two new women hugged me tightly. Chapter 25 Afternoon arrival My new women enjoyed both dinner, and our night activities, and their Gold rings were place upon their fingers. After breakfast, I went out near the mill pond, specifically to the section of the bluff that was yet untouched, there I attempted using Earth Magic to make a cave structure, pushing the dirt to the sides, and condensing it into rock. The fact it left no seem where anything joined was quite surprising. I dug deep into the earth, and fashioned a decent sized room, in which I placed a bed, and a set of drawers, as well as a wardrobe for hanging clothes. Once done with that, I installed six different doors, all sound proofed. When I had completed that, I carried Eavena into the cave, still sleeping, and placed her into the bed. Then I left the room, taking the light with me, as I knew she really didn''t need it, and closed all six doors. My project for Eavena had taken me till lunch time, and I went to the dining hall, but on my way, an issue was brought to my attention. "Mark husband, I have an issue." I smiled encouragingly at her. "I''m all ears, hopefully I can help." She smiled back, though I noticed a little shimmer on her scales. "Well I laid my egg, which is good, but the thing is, well, my milk comes in right away, and I need someone to keep it flowing till the baby hatches!" She said in an embarrassed rush, and I stood stunned for a moment. "Well, I have no issue helping you with that, though I expect my attention alone won''t be enough. Surely all the other girls will help with this." Taking a deep breath she calmed a little. "Can you drink some now? I realize it might embarrass you to drink from me while everyone watches, but I really need the help." Rather than answer, I just pulled her into the hall, and sat her on my lap in front of everyone. She attempted to only lift her top a little, but I pulled her shirt clean off, and hung it over the seat, then proceeded to drink deeply from both her breasts. She couldn''t help but moan slightly, as she had clearly put it off for a tad too long already. "Mona dear, are you nursing?!" Asked my mother. "Yes, I am, my milk comes in almost as soon as I lay the egg, but if I don''t get milked frequently from then till the egg hatches, my milk can dry up." Marina nodded. "I heard about that, same thing for Harpies, though it starts a little later. I definitely don''t mind getting some of that action." Just then, a knock came from the door. Harmony answered the door, confused as to who might be calling. Upon opening the door, a strange man was standing there, holding a new born, perhaps only three days old, and crying fiercely. "Is the head mistress of North Haven''s Orphanage here?!" Jessica stood up, and approached the man. "Yes, I''m the Head Mistress, my name is Jessica." The man thrust his baby rabbitkin girl into her arms. "Please take my daughter, her Mother died, and I have no way to raise her. She can''t take animal milk, she just throws it up, and if I can''t feed her, she''ll die. I''ve got no chance of raising her right, the only way she can have any life is if I leave her with you!" I stood up at this point, and took the baby myself, and brought her over to Mona, who put her to her breast without a moments hesitation, smiling tenderly at the little bundle who latched like a champ and drank for all of two minutes before she fell asleep. "Oh no you don''t little one!" I said, and gently spanked her bottom to wake her up again. Everyone was stunned at my actions, and naturally the little one cried for a moment, before she latched back onto Mona''s nipple to continue drinking. "What did you do that for?!" Asked a very irate Mona, and even mother looked askance at me. "She''s too hungry, and weak to keep nursing on her own. She''s finally getting what she needs, and she fell asleep too fast, the poor girl is starving, we''ve got no choice but to keep waking her up till we know she''s properly fed. I don''t like doing it either, but if we don''t she might not make it." Mona calmed down, as did everyone else, including the baby''s father. "As to the future of the baby, I''ll be taking her, not only can Jessica not feed her, but I''ve already pledged to adopt all the girls to come to the Orphanage going forward. That way she won''t ever become a slave. Best part for you sir, is you can visit her when you have the time, you know where she''s going to be living after all. This would break my heart, even knowing it was the right choice, so you have my sympathies. This doesn''t change that you are her father, but rather than being a parent, you''ll be an elder friend who sometimes comes to see her, at least I hope you will." I extended my hand to the man, and he took it in a double hand shake, tears dripping onto my hands from his bowed head. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I''ll move to this town, so I can be close to her, I just hope my next wife won''t be as unlucky. The healers said there was nothing they could do." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Probably a blood incompatibility. There''s multiple types of blood, and the baby can take after any of its blood grandparents. SO, if the baby''s blood was incompatible with the mother''s blood, either one, or both could die as a result. So sorry for your loss!" He nodded his head. "At least you gave an answer, the healers couldn''t even do that much. Was,... was there anything that could have been done?!" He asked with a sob. I waffled my hand side to side. "Yes, and no. There is a method of doing it, but I don''t actually know what it is. The place that does it, is too far away to get help from, and I don''t know the specifics, aside from it being an injectable medication. Something like an Alchemist Potion, but refined to a point that it''s perfectly clear, and can be put directly into the blood stream through a special needle called a Hyper dermic Syringe, which I can make, but without the medications, there''s not much point." Anther sob, "So, if we had been in that far away land, I could have saved my wife, and had my family intact?" I nodded, "Providing you had medical insurance, or else enough money to pay for the treatment. Honestly, they think of children as an investment in the country''s future, so they make plenty of resources available to ensure they survive to adulthood, and have proper education, and skills to help them gain employment. Not that you care too much about that now." The man nodded again. "I think I need to leave now, have to get my head straight. Take care of her will you?" I squeezed his shoulder. "You have my word, my name is Mark, and aside from my Mother, and Jessica, all the rest of these women are my wives, so this little one will have plenty of love, rest assured of that. May I know your name, and hers as well?" He chuckled at himself. "Damon, but I never named her, my heart wasn''t in the right place to do it, you should name her." I nodded at him. "Hope then, as it is our hope that she will be the vision of her mother so she can carry on in her stead." "Hope, I like that, be well my Hope!" He waved his hand at his child, then basically fled due to his emotions. "Not exactly the most pleasant way to get a baby, but then it never is when someone has to leave their own flesh and blood behind." Jessica had a somewhat depressed look on her face after her statement. Everyone nodded. "I wish I could just stay here, instead of going back to the Orphanage, maybe even be Mark''s wife too, but I don''t have anyone I could leave the Orphanage to, but honestly I don''t know how many more scenes like that I can handle. It just breaks my heart you know?!" All the kids near her crushed her in a group hug, and she smiled slightly. Theresa''s sisters both chimed in. "I''ll do it!" They looked at each other, and laughed. Theresa piped up. "Are you sure?! It''s in North Haven, and you''d have all the boys to take care of, except for one." They smiled. "Mark will make sure we get proper funding, and there''s two of us, so it''s already going to be easier for us than Jessica, besides Mom doesn''t need us at the Inn, she never has. You''ll take it over when she''s ready to retire, the Genius Chef, and getting all Mark''s recipes out of him. It''s a stable job, and we''ll enjoy it. We''ll get to come visit here too, so that''s even better." "Ahem, well I appreciate the offer, but I think perhaps letting your mothers know of your plans would be a good idea." They smirked at me. "Mark, we each have an understanding with one of the older boys, not saying which, we''ll tell Jessica first, so she can release them early, then there''s no conflict. In other words, we''re getting a job, and working with our own husbands. None of them are going to object to us taking first wife position in our respective families, especially with men who you taught to be proper men." I just shook my head. "You should still tell them, it''s only polite, but then again, you''re adults, so it is ultimately your decision, assuming Jessica thinks you''re up to the task." Jessica just clung to the girls in question, no words were needed.