The Worrying Letter

Bon wrapped his fingers around the large blacksmith hammer, tensing and priming the muscles in his left arm. He bellowed while raising the heavy hammer, before dropping it to the floor. He clenched his fingers into a fist, trying to dispel the pain and the accompanying weakness.

"What the heck are you doing? It's only three days after the fight. You want to drop dead from a heart attack?"

Chu chided. The blacksmith had received an arrow plum on the chest, nearly kissing this world goodbye. If not for the padded armor reinforced with beast skin leather, he might have died on the spot. His companion who tried to rush him to the Medical bay ended up much worse having a poison arrow lodge deep in his unprotected back.

"I'm just checking my improvements every day. Facing death gives a man some perspective."

Bon chuckled. He gave a thankful look towards the boy.

That day, the first barb of the arrow had pierced his chest. The rapid response and treatment he received left his family in awe. His wife had participated as an assistant in the Medical Station and never stopped spouting how lucky they were to find such a good home.

At first, she had screamed upon seeing Bon brought in with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Knowing that the goblins had a sick preference for poison, she braced herself, thinking her husband would kick the bucket. The following actions shocked her, while at the same time placed her mind at ease.

The substitute healers had checked his response and then poured both a healing potion and an antidote down his throat without hesitation. Sherry had ripped through his armor using shears and Sakura had slowly removed the arrow. They cleaned the wound, staunched the bleeding and then applied a tight dressing.

Bon soon recovered his senses only to find himself on a single bunk bed, with his wife weeping at the side. His companion who received the arrow in his back had it much worse. The goblins used an iron arrowhead that had numerous small barbs. Removing an embedded arrow not only required some skill but also needed the healer to cut the flesh.

The process entailed a steady hand and included some serious bloodletting before the wound could be closed. To help stymie the bleeding, they used a heated knife to cauterize the wound.

What comforted Bon's wife the most was that this person who had received such a serious injury, worked with Clod in the fields. No matter the standing on this farm, everyone was entitled to the same treatment. Even if Bon retired as a blacksmith, he never had to worry about his Patron discarding him because of being useless.

Seeing was believing, especially when witnessing Sakura force the guy to swallow two healing potions one after the next.

Where in this world could a normal farm worker guzzle two healing potions worth 1 gold each?

Currently, the injured man and Doug remained warded in the Medical Station. Both had undergone treatment for critical wounds and remained under observation. Bon did not think those two would complain, since not only did they receive first class service; with expensive potions and the like, but they had good-looking girls nursing them.

He sighed at how good it was to be young.

"What, you want to go back? Big Sis is no longer there, but your wife is now assisting Sakura. If you want I can recommend to you."

Bon grimaced as the boy read his thoughts.

"What do you want anyway?"

He grumbled.

"Jim has broken down the lodges and secured the lumber. He needs you to send someone over to help with the new construction. I also need an update on the Multishots."

Chu asked.

The Multishots had been instrumental in whittling down the enemies. However, Chu decided to work on increasing the range of weapons. He also wanted to increase his holdings. The last battle had opened his eyes.

In close combat during a skirmish, casualties became normal. Even between ranged attacks, death might occur. The only way to avoid this from happening during a large-scale war would be to stop the battle or finish it before it even began.

Since he could not create something earth shattering like a cannon in this age, the Multishot weapon had to suffice. He wanted enough so as to bombard the field as long as an enemy moved within range. Having fewer enemies with low moral to battle in close combat, meaning less risk.

"Halter has taken over the assembly line as you call it. The idea is not bad, but the quick manufacture leads to defects as we experienced. The short-term plan is to keep some parts and supplies handy during the next battle."

Chu welcomed the idea. If the goblins had decided on the second wave of attack, the farm might have been wiped out. He went across the smithy to the smelting section.

"The repeating crossbows worked excellently. I just came from the medical Station. Doug testified that if he had some more of them, the archers would have posed no problem."

Chu complemented.

For over a year, he had provided Dareck with the basic information to build both the leghold trap and copy the Zhuge crossbow. With both of these in action that night, the battle though full of flaws was easily won. With the proof of success with the repeating crossbows, Chu prepared to take it to the next level.

Mass Production.

At least for his farm alone. Sure he shared the Multishot with the Military faction of the Empire, but the repeating crossbow remained his hidden trump card. With a range of about sixty to seventy feet and bolts tipped with poison courtesy of Jim, they proved an effective defensive weapon.

If he could set up the weaponry of the farm, with the artillery wiping out any long-range attackers, while the remnants being dropped by the poison darts. The pressure on the fighters would lessen.

The scenes of bolts flying around like tracers would soon cover the entire farm.

"Thanks, Boss. I worked really hard with Toll to get it functioning right."

Dareck beamed. The crossbows and leg trap had been nurtured by himself in secret. He did not participate much in the inventions sold to the visiting nobles but had to concentrate on these inventions in secret. Gaining the gratitude and appreciation of the Boss, more than made up for any loss.

"If you need help, get Bon. I want enough repeating crossbows and bolts to defend the entire farm."

***

Chu walked into the training field holding onto his baggage. He glanced at Miki practicing her crossbow skills and went up to Rose who spectated nearby.

"How is the leg?"

He questioned, his eyes glancing at the used crutch on the side. He wasn't expecting his crutches to find a new owner so soon.

"It's not bad, Sakura checked it this morning and I should be fine after another week or so."

She answered.

Chu found a seat, admiring the neat bandage dressing on her leg. Thankfully the goblin had stabbed her while holding the knife vertically. If she had received a horizontal slash, her injuries might have healed leaving her with a limp. He had not done an in-depth study of the effect of potions.

Miki joined them, wiping away the beads of sweat dripping from her smooth skin.

"The repeating crossbows are great, but I have trouble holding and firing them. No wonder you placed them on those wooden stands. Those cogs are amazing since I can spin and swivel it in all directions while shooting nonstop."

"Dareck will soon have them mounted on more platforms around the fence. Tonight, I want you to take Rose and walk around the outside wall, once it's quiet. Take this rope, and measure outwards from the walls. Within that circle, I want to know if there are any obstacles, and how easy it is to see something in the darkness."

Chu instructed.

He had experienced two nights of battles. The first one, under the moonlit night, had him easily spotting the approaching goblin raiders. The second raid progressed the same, but he ended up relying on Lucy for assistance and confirmation. This became more apparent when the archers attacked.

His initial plan was to retreat to the barn tower to give directions, but that idea proved unfeasible. Under the yells and screams, the higher position would lead to chaos and slow communication among the different groups.

Goblins and wolves required different strategies. He could lure the wolves and attack them from behind the walls. Doing the same to the goblins required him to section out the surrounding land into zones. The main purpose is to keep them at arm's length while he killed them.

Keep them at arm's length...

Chu spent some time walking around the towers and ramparts while recalling the problems they faced. Communication, a general and specific plan for the groups and teams involved, along with logistics like starting the fire before the battle began-- by the time the bonfires truly blazed, the damn battle was over.

This military aspect of his House needed some serious thought input. And this only dealt with defense, he still had to structure and bring his company layout to the masses.

"Don't forget to meet later to practice at the model. We have some new additions to make. Tonight we will conduct a dry run and begin polishing our command structure from there. You also need to work on your chess."

Chu said while leaving her staring oddly at her chest.

Was building a Clan this hard?

***

Ming shoveled the dirt back into the shallow trench running in a line under where the lodge houses once stood. Nearby, the sounds of hammering filled the air, as Jim and a few others dismantled the wooden planks that had been nailed together in a reinforced arch. This half tube had laid covered with earth in the trench that connected the buildings.

"Man, this is hard work. Do you know how uncomfortable it was to remain motionless and quiet under that wooden floor for nearly half the night?"

He complained while wiping the sweat from his brows.

"For you, I'm sure it was difficult. Your mouth must have found it really tough."

Clod replied uninterested. His casual remark incited snickers from those nearby. Near the temporary corral, they had a storage shed for delivering the bales of grass. The tunnel exit was located here.

Twice a day, Clod transported cut grass and food for the guards. At dusk, before the guest finished their dinner in the workshop, grass and children left the wagon, crawling in a line like ants towards their targeted floors. Everyone silently scurried under the small tunnel towards their goal.

Later that night, Clod drove the wagon, clearing and cleaning the dining table set for the guards, and then made one last check on the horses.

No one would suspect that out in the frontier, such an elaborate spy method had been constructed.

***

"Why are we ordering so many barrels of wine?"

"I need it for an experiment."

"No."

Chu negotiated to have two barrels of wine ordered from the Trading Post. He had decided to conduct some research during the cold winter months. Even though he made enough money to live a life of luxury, he at least wanted some form of modern-day luxury.

The preparation of the large workshop to receive and coat the bales of cloth with the diluted rubber mixture had to come on stream. Further experiments into the use of the slime from the Barrel Worms had to be done. He needed to build large tubs and sealed barrels to store the formula.

He did not want to wait until Merchant Windit sent his convoy and then end up in a bind. The goblins and their expected raid weighed on his mind and slowed his progress. At the moment he could only wait until the war machinery production ground to a halt. Defense of the farm took priority.

In the evening, Chu rocked on the swing near the barn. He was deep in thought when Jill called out to him. Chu handed over the little toddler, snoozing in his lap to Yin who sat reading at the side. Jill had gone into the village with Clod and returned with a letter.

"Boss, my Elder Brother in Karst sent me a message. He said the information is worth its weight in gold."

"Oh, had it over then."

Chu said.

"Ahmm, Boss, I don't think you heard me right. Elder Brother Bob said that the letter is worth its weight in gold. More specifically two gold coins."

"What?!"

Chu stifled a cough and thumped his chest in silence so as to not wake the sleeping child. He pulled Jill over to the side.

"What weight in gold, if the damn parchment paper wasn't so thick, that letter might not even cost two coppers."

The boy realized that he had strayed from the main point.

"Let's see it, you can collect the money from Amanda only if the contents are worth it."

Chu received the folded parchment and opened it to scan the contents. His eyebrows perked up while his mouth twisted into a frown as he read. When he finished, his face had turned red from literally fuming in anger.

"Your Brother Bob took my idea to heart and decided to set himself up to sell valuable information. But he had the gall to charge me first? Two Gold coins my ass. He should be providing this information for free..."

Chu ranted.

"Boss, Boss, but what about the letter? What did it say?"

Jill interrupted. She only opened the other letter Bob had sent to her, and quickly brought this one over. She waited while the boy composed himself. He stopped waving the letter in anger and handed it over to her. Jill browsed through it, while the boy paced nearby.

"Hmph! As if the goblins aren't enough, we have to worry about some greedy noble."

Chu remarked. Just when he had made enough money to secure his livelihood and begin sourcing and creating furnishings to live a life of luxury, he found himself the victim of a vicious underhanded move. Chu twisted his mouth in frustration at how soon these nobles acted in their vindictive pursuits.

His major problem stemmed from the fact that the nobles chose to act when he found himself tied up with the goblins at the moment.

"Why the heck don't they leave me alone. This Prickus family and those worrisome goblins should just up and kill each other..."

Chu paused his words, his body rigid by a booming thought.

After a few minutes, he turned a stiff neck towards Jill, his face beaming with a smile, that stretched from ear to ear. Jill shuddered on the sight, knowing by now that this appearance didn't bode well for others. She nearly did not hear the soft gentle words coming from the little devil.

"I say, Jill. What do you know about how these Nobles send messages to each other. How do they know if it's not a forgery?"