Chapter 96: The Deer Village

Wu Qingsong once again led a team northward, searching near Elmons Mine for a suitable location to establish a wooden fortress.

For a transmigrator like him, the ideal choice would be a concrete and steel fortification. However, it was premature to discuss such ambitions, as he had yet to formally bring the area under his control.

As usual, the deerfolk spotted them from afar and hid themselves. Wu Qingsong quickly sent messengers to identify themselves and requested the village chief and Feya to come out alone.

“My Lord!” 

The village chief, as usual, knelt down trembling as soon as he saw Wu Qingsong, which made him somewhat uncomfortable. But he understood that some people were accustomed to kneeling; standing might feel unnatural to them.

“The weather is about to warm up, and more mercenary groups will re-enter this area,” Wu Qingsong told them. “Yours is the only village in dozens of miles and will surely attract everyone’s attention. What are your plans?”

The village chief had always been concerned about this. In their world, without strength or a patron, one was like a piece of meat that everyone wanted a slice of. Until order was restored, their village was virtually indistinguishable from hell.

Yet, they lacked the means to relocate to safer areas, so they lived day by day, uncertain of the future.

Upon hearing Wu Qingsong’s implied offer to take them in, the village chief immediately responded with joy, “Please, my Lord, have mercy and take us in!”

“Alright then,” Wu Qingsong didn’t bother with pretenses and nodded in agreement. “Pack your things and follow us to the Elmons Mine territory. I plan to build a wooden fort as a temporary camp. Once the area is completely secure, that place will serve as your new village.”

With their village’s survival secured, the chief thanked Wu Qingsong profusely and went back to inform the others. Feya, however, stayed behind.

“How are you doing?” Wu Qingsong asked.

Feya shook her head and said nothing, but it was clear that the relationship between her and the villagers could never return to how it was before the truth was revealed.

“I’m sorry,” Wu Qingsong said.

“It’s not your fault,” Feya replied, shaking her head again. “By the way, I haven’t formally apologized to you yet.”

“Let’s leave the past behind,” Wu Qingsong said dismissively.

It took the deer village an entire day to gather their belongings, reluctantly leaving behind their buried possessions, and followed the Thirteenth Mercenary Group to the Elmons Mine.

Wu Qingsong promised them a better future, but few believed it, as such fortune had never befallen them before. They spent the night on a small hill near the mine, which used to be a small village before most of its houses were destroyed in the ant tide.

The next morning, Wu Qingsong began directing the deerfolk to dismantle the damaged houses, salvaging any usable materials, and chopping suitable wood from the surrounding forest.

Now that everyone knew about Feya’s abilities, there was no need for secrecy. Wu Qingsong assigned the houndmen soldiers to guard the area from outsiders, while Feya transformed a large tree in the forest into a treant. It carried the felled trees back to the site and cleared the debris from the ruins.

Although treants were slow and vulnerable to fire and might not be great warriors, they proved incredibly useful for this task. 

Under Feiya’s command, the treant transported large stones, dug foundations, and erected pillars and beams, far surpassing the efficiency of the lifting equipment Wu Qingsong had initially prepared. What was planned as a half-month project to build a simple wooden wall, watchtowers, and sentry posts, took less than ten days with the treant’s assistance. The houses could be built gradually. For the cold-resistant beastfolk, just having wind-shielding walls and a place for warmth was enough for now.

The usefulness of magic in these tasks made Wu Qingsong even more eager to harness such power.

Wu Qingsong left Angus in charge of guarding and further developing the wooden fort, instructing him to salvage usable materials from the surrounding ruins before returning to base with half of his team.

Upon arrival, he was welcomed by a crowd including Ram, Ling, and Liuli. Ram seemed much more at ease, apparently having sorted out her feelings during the ten days apart.

They gathered in Wu Qingsong’s office as usual, briefly updating each other on their progress and discussing future plans. Then, Harold, with a sly grin, stood up and left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

This left Wu Qingsong and Ram in an awkward situation. Wu Qingsong, a bit helplessly, started to open the door, but Ram’s blush and expectant look made him change his mind and move towards her instead.

“You scoundrel,” Ram whispered softly. 

Wu Qingsong gently caressed her heated cheek and tenderly kissed her.

Their relationship finally seemed to normalize, at least in Wu Qingsong’s view. However, having never been in a relationship before, he was unsure of what normal couple behavior was, especially in this world.

Their daily routine remained as before, each handling their respective responsibilities in the mercenary group, meeting several times a day for updates and discussions, then returning to their tasks. Occasionally, when there was spare time, they would steal moments together in Wu Qingsong or Ram’s office. Meals were shared with Ling and Liuli, and the nightly story-telling tradition continued. After the young ones fell asleep, Wu Qingsong and Ram would relax together, setting aside thoughts of duty, obligation, and the future, to simply chat about things that interested them.

Wu Qingsong learned more about Ram. Her family had been vassals to the Silver Moon Wolf Clan for generations and were lords of the Seville Valley. After the elves conquered the Silver Moon Kingdom, they naturally chose to continue fighting alongside the resistance.

Ram and Nina grew up together, undergoing training from their elders, skipping classes to chase sheep across the meadows, and scouring the nearby valleys for tasty treats. Ram’s early life almost completely mirrored Nina’s, with even their fathers perishing in the same battle. It was from that day that they had to pick up their fathers’ banners and shoulder their responsibilities.

“You’ve been trained in swordsmanship too?” Wu Qingsong asked in surprise.

“Though not as skilled as Nina, I’m more than capable of handling you. Why? Do you want to test my prowess?” Ram retorted, slightly indignant.

“What I mean is, if you hadn’t wanted to that day, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against you, right?”

“You scoundrel!” Ram’s face flushed red again. 

Wu Qingsong found that she blushed easily in his presence, a trait that always stirred his heart and made it hard for him to control his emotions.