HC: Pacifist | Ch. 235 - Wooden Castle (Patreon)

“Greetings, esteemed fellow weaver. What a joy it is to have you in my humble shop!” Instead of the harsh tone the tailor had used to send off the female player earlier, Keith addressed Roth with the utmost politeness and respect.

It’s your first time meeting Keith. Charisma bonus activated.

Pleasantly surprised by his politeness, Roth shook hands with the NPC. “Hello, Keith. Nice to meet you.”

“I can tell by your handshake that you are a nature’s weaver. What an honor, sir. What an honor.”

“I’m looking for a quiet place to work. Ruth, from White Onyx Inc., recommended you.”

“I have to thank her later. It’s not every day that we get to host such an esteemed guest. I do have a few workshops in the back of my shop that I rent to traveling artisans. I usually charge five silvers a day, but in your case, I can do two.”

Roth gulped. Seeing how the NPC had taken the initiative to lower the price, it wouldn’t hurt to try reducing it even further. “What about just one? And… I can already pay for the whole week. What do you say?”

“Ha-ha! A negotiator! Deal, sir. Here, have my shop’s card. You can buy any supplies you require from me at a discount.”

You’ve received [Cloth of the Wadi’s Loyalty Card].

Cloth of the Wadi’s Loyalty Card (Rare)

Item description: You've proven to be someone this shop can count on and are worth nurturing.

Item effects: 15% discount on all purchases in this shop.

“T-thanks!”

Roth heard something fall, and turned around to see the girl from earlier collapsed on the ground, looking at him as if she was seeing a monster. Roth waved at her, embarrassed, but the girl seemed to be in shock. He couldn’t blame her. Keith really was going over the top with his hospitality.

Even though he had felt the benefits of having high charisma when he first visited Hilsford, it was much more noticeable now. Especially after getting the +50 charisma bonus from [Blessing of the Lion King], he could see how NPCs seemed to go out of their way to give him stuff. Ruth had given him [Heavenly Tea], the soldiers at the gardens had been super-friendly, and now Keith had given him his shop’s loyalty card in a heartbeat.

“Allow me to show you around,” Keith offered.

Roth followed the tailor through the curtains that hid the back of the shop. Seeing the central warehouse with racks stuffed with fabric and cloth and all the doors leading to side rooms, Roth felt he was back at the Crafting Hem. Keith opened one of the first doors to the left and invited Roth in.

It was a spacious room. There was a thick rug with a brown armchair close to a cozy hearth. There were mannequins of different sizes stuffed with pins, a sewing machine similar to Leanne’s, and a cutting table right in the middle of the room. Wherever he looked, there were measuring tapes, scissors, and cushions with pins.

“Feel free to use all of the supplies here. They are included in the rental. Whatever you need, just let me know.”

“I appreciate it, Keith!”

Keith closed the door, leaving Roth alone in what would be his base of operations. He sat for a moment in the armchair in front of the hearth. After crafting in Mario’s Lab, in the Palatial Clearing under a barrage from Pegasus’ players, and under the nose of a hideous alien Loki, this was a major upgrade. He wouldn’t mind spending some time here grinding.

Lin left Roth’s jacket and jumped onto the fluffy rug. The kitten stretched his muscles and yawned. Looking around, Lin headed toward the hearth, drawn to the warmth of the fire. It coiled up and prepared to sleep. Roth chuckled, seeing how quickly Lin had found a comfortable spot. He was reminded of his other pets and looked up at the ceiling. He wondered how the Leafies were doing in the greenhouse.

*

Memories. First, the oldest memories—memories not really his but inscribed on the inside of the shell of his queen's egg. The scent of freshly spun silk. The blue brightness of a river of energy flowing through the bark of a tree. The comfort of a tiny oak fruit. The rocking of the surf seen from a red living boat.

Then, his earliest memories. Memories of when he was just the queen. A giant hand offering sanctuary aboard a wooden castle. The joy of giving birth to the first larvae. The realization of deeper thoughts.

Then, his most recent memories. His castle buried in the forest. The joy of discovery and growth. Scavenging meat, foraging seeds, and harvesting fruit. The first full-fledged workers of the colony.

“Where. Am. I?”

His wooden castle remained unaltered, but something had changed in the air around him. Some of him could pick up the scent of potential and the freedom of a boundless world outside its wooden walls. The Lord of the Acorn strained its weak mind to decide but couldn’t. There was too much going on. Too little to think with. It stopped all non-essential activities to allot enough computing power to think.

He told the queen to stop laying eggs and the nanites around her to stop pampering the brood. He also told the construction team digging the new chamber to stop and the porters carrying the acorn shavings to halt. “Quiet.” There. That was better—some clarity. He focused and two thoughts came to him. “Hide. Forage. Hide. Forage.” That was it. That was the plan.

All the thoughts that happened next weren’t conscious decisions but more pre-programmed tasks, deeply ingrained in the Lord’s neurons’ instincts. The Lord of the Acorn somehow knew he had to reassign resources. He left half the nanites to guard the queen. Everything would be lost without her. She was the foundation of their dynasty, but she was hungry and tired. Over the last few days, she had to do something beneath a queen. Working. Babysitting. Feeding the larvae using her food reserves. All she had to snack on were the acorn shavings around her, but they hardly had any substance. No wonder the nanites were small and shriveled.

What she needed was something substantial. Those seeds they found in that enchanted forest had been so nutritious. The ten workers raised from that meal were much stronger and healthier. The grass seed and blueberry they had foraged was also packed with nutrients. They were being used to nurture the next generation of workers: 10 more healthy pupae who would be molting soon. After this, their queen could finally focus only on egg-laying and leave the work to the workers, as it should be.

The Lord waited for the ten nanites he had assigned to join the expedition to make the short trip from the Mother’s Chamber to the Oaken Gate. The construction team, comprised of 10 workers, was already waiting there. It was a shorter trip from the new nursery to here, and they were bigger, faster, and stronger.

After ensuring that the ten nanites left behind and the queen were sufficient to care for the growing brood, the Lord of the Acorn commanded the workers and nanites to open a tunnel. Just as well, their castle had landed on this new land with its gateway facing downward. The soil was moist and soft, and the Trash Chamber previously prepared for such an occasion was more than sufficient to accommodate the garbage. Everything had brought them to this moment.

The first nanite emerged from the ground. Remembering the commandments from their benefactor, the Lord only sent a tiny nanite. “Hide,” the benefactor had commanded. A discrete nanite was the best choice. If the enemy was on the lookout, a worker might draw too much attention, so the nanites would scout the perimeter first.

There was no smell of danger or food. For now, there was just the smell of home. The Lord sent two nanites this time. Nothing yet. It sent three more. Then four, and it waited. The Lord consulted each nanite. They were searching the area around the acorn.

“Food.” Finally came the message. The Lord focused on the mind of the nanites. It had found another acorn. Disappointing. They already had plenty of it in the castle. That wasn’t what they needed right now. They needed something meatier, something tastier, something nutritious.

Seeing that nothing bad had happened to the nanites, the Lord sent half the workers to join the nanites. They would cover the ground, and if there were something near their castle, they would find it. The rest of the squad would remain guarding the tunnel into their castle. Patience. The Lord waited.

“Food! Food!” came the message from one of the workers. The Lord hurried to see the food through the eyes of the worker. It was a long, feathery brown seed. The Lord knew this. They had tasted it before. It was a grass seed. The Lord told the five workers guarding the gate to widen the tunnel. The seed was too big to get through the cramped tunnel they had dug. The nanites were all ordered to return immediately to the castle and assist their brethren in the task. Two workers would be enough to carry the bounty home.

This seed was a valuable discovery. It would be enough to feed the existing population of the colony for a while. It was more nutritious than the acorn’s shavings and would give the colony strength to continue expanding. It was hardly enough, though. There were eggs to be laid, workers to be raised, and an army to be built.

The tunnel was widened, and the two workers tasked to bring the seed soon arrived. One would have been enough, but the Lord didn’t want to risk their cargo being intercepted. A gnawing discomfort bothered the Lord. The wider tunnel was a liability to their defenses. However, it was a risk they had to take. An open door allowed not only danger to get in, but precious resources too.

It was still too soon to end the expedition. The Lord arranged the scouts as before. Five workers at the gate, guarding the castle, and five workers and ten nanites exploring. The Lord waited for news. In the worst-case scenario, the five workers would seal the castle to protect the queen and brood in case overwhelming danger appeared. As long as the queen survived, the colony could be rebuilt.

After a few long moments, fortunately, came more good news. “Food! Food!” Another grass seed. Just as the Lord sent one worker to help the seed discovered and bring the food back to the colony, another message came from the opposite side of the perimeter. “Food! Food!” It was yet another grass seed.

The workers brought the two new seeds to the castle. If things kept going this well, he would have to commission a pantry soon. He couldn’t just keep hoarding the food next to the queen; it was in poor taste. As time passed, the expedition found eight more grass seeds in the immediate surroundings of the castle. Satisfied with the results, the Lord decisively commanded the expedition to return to the castle and seal the tunnel behind them.

Their benefactor was wise. He had planted their castle in an area filled with acorns. This was the perfect place to hide their fortress. With these eleven grass seeds, they had enough food to feed the colony until the next batch of workers came along. After taking stock of the new resources, the Lord had the queen lay ten more worker eggs.

The ten nanites were reassigned to the Mother’s chamber to help her care for the growing brood. He tasked them with cutting the seeds into small pieces and eating them so that they could regurgitate later and feed the queen and the larvae. The construction team was sent back to the nursery to finish the expansion. There was much work to do. Too much work.

Their benefactor had brought them to a rich land filled with resources. Finally, the Lord of the Acorn wouldn’t need to be bound to a castle. He was born to rule a kingdom. The foundation had been laid, and it was time to expand.

Ch. 234 - The Boss

INDEX

Ch. 236 - Leather