"So, the reason why you're here is 'cause your brother-in-law's sister-in-law's aunt's niece, Kiana here, came and told you lot that if you come here, you'd be provided with food and work, as well as guaranteed protection from the thieves and bandts that have recently increased in the land huh?"
Tapping his finger on the table, Duncan began his questioning. He was initially confused about why the beastmen migrated to near here, but the immediate glance towards a certain silver-haired Wulfin girl told him his answers. Turns out the little bugger thought she was a complete nuisance and waste of space, so in order to prove her worth she travelled through the vast prairie to find her remaining family members for their sake.
Aww, it's so cute! But that little troublemaker deserves a spanking in her ass for all the trouble she's caused us...
Shaking his head once more, he contemplated the decision to include the beastmen into their space program. Don't get him wrong, more hands would mean less time to send them into the Moon, but the technological capabilities of the beastmen is questionable at best, fireball explosive at worst.
Holy shit, why did it have to be right before we left for Folicia of all times!? This has increased my headaches by one whole league!
Scratching his head for the umpteenth time (this time with a few strands of his beautiful, silky smooth hair), Duncan asked Gerrwul the 15th once more: "So, in exchange for food, safety and shelter, you're willing to help, no, work for us in our space program. Am I hearing it right?"
Sniffling, the wizened Wulfin archer scratched his scar-patched scalp once more. "Yer right. The yong-un' has told us of yer deeds (and the food), as well as yer strength. Sicne the bandid reds have gruwn stronger, we need safer places to live. And frankly..."
Shifting his eyes, Gerrwul inched closer to Duncan, covering his mouth as much as possible.
"Yer green friend looks very much the
Grey Knight."
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Coming out of the room, Duncan continually ruminated over what the old Wulfin had told him, his mind ever so fixated on who, or what, Titus was.
This whole shitshow of a mess began in Mithrador, and it's now continuing all the way to Grandem. I also have a very vague feeling that the bandit raids may be connected to this shitshow as well.
Looking at the skies, his mind wandered off once more.
What are you-
"Hey Duncs, we've managed to fix the Energy Reflectors onto the site of the factory. Though we only have four, Titus says it's enough for now. We'll get more once we expand our operations..."
Duncan turned around, his expression fuming. Seeing him like this, Lewis realised that he had come at a bad time, but he had important matters to discuss with Duncan. "Hey, come check these Statuses here. Through meticulous screenings from the past 3 days, we've managed to hone ourselves into 2 possible Spirit Summoners, both of whom will be responsible for the ovens used to bake the cakes. Here, take a look..."
Anger dissipating, he looked over the documents that Lewis handed over to him, intrigued:
Name: Gertrude
Race: Catnis
Age: 27
Strength: 97
Agility: 80
Intelligence: 156
Mana: 250
Stamina: 59
Skill: Loved By Fire
SkillRank: B
Occupation: Spirit Summoner
Tier: 2
Abilities: Foraging (25/25), Needlework (10/10), Bartering (3/35), Smooth Tongue (10/50), Camouflage (51/75), Basic White Magic (3/10), Spirit Summoning (5/30)
Titles: Survivor
Name: Caenis
Race: Wulfin
Age: 19
Strength: 132
Agility: 92
Intelligence: 83
Mana: 231
Stamina: 101
Skill: Loved By Wind
SkillRank: B
Occupation: Spirit Summoner
Tier: 2
Abilities: Foraging (25/25), Needlework (10/10), Bartering (3/35), Camouflage (51/75), Basic White Magic (2/10), Spirit Summoning (1/30)
Titles: Survivor
"Good work Lewis! Now, the first one's alright, but the second one needs training. You can ask Celone for help, and I'll also bring out some basic books on Summoning. Oh, and also try your best to start the factory by the time we come back - it'll take us approximately a month or two to finish our work. And don't worry, Titus has already done the shit that you can't do, and we do have a Dwarven artisan here to help us. So, good luck..."
All Lewis could do here was nod, even though he had countless other questions, for he knew that the quicker they went, the faster they'd come back. I sure hope nothing wrong happens there...
Taking a deep breath, he let his insecurities go slightly, before he began issuing orders. "Alright, now's the time for you to work for your stay! You, you, and you lot, come follow us..."
Seeing the disappearing group, Duncan let out a final breath, before turning his head towards the carriage near the house. Standing beside it was Titus, waiting patiently for Duncan to finish his tasks. "You finished?"
With a heavy nod, Duncan boarded the back, gazing one last time upon the disappearing house. Folicia, here we come...