Build the Kingdom

Chapter 10: What Is the Most Important Thing in a Person's Life? (2)

He was a friend with a thick, scruffy black beard, brown eyes, and thick lips that resembled a catfish.

He looked like a fish, yet why did he love digging into the earth so much?

"It just grows well on its own."

"Ha, you bastard, disrespecting this fine land."

At Hu's words, the farming king FisherKing clicked his tongue.

"What's there to disrespect?"

What a lunatic.

We were already busy fighting off the swarms rushing toward us, and yet, even in the middle of all that, this guy was looking for a hoe to till the land.

Calling him normal would have been absurd.

"Just look at this land—it’s clearly good for rice farming."

Crazy bastard. Was this really the time for that?

"Hey, do you know what's the most important thing for people to live?"

FisherKing asked.

"No idea, you lunatic."

"You crazy whale bastard, having plenty to eat is what keeps the camp running."

Like I care.

First, you survive. Only then can you farm, fish, or hunt.

Survival comes first. You have to take down those trying to kill you before anything else.

"Think about it. If everyone had eaten well and grown strong, our forces would be sturdier now. Those bastards charging at us? Pfft, they wouldn’t stand a chance."

If you knew that, why didn’t you do it?

Why? Because just dealing with the endlessly changing situations was suffocating enough.

Hu was no different.

"Till the land. That's real power."

FisherKing said.

"Shit, tell me that after I survive, you crazy bastard."

"Yeah, you insane whale bastard."

Hu's words weren't wrong either.

Survival came first. What’s the point of talking if you’re already dead?

But why did his ear suddenly feel itchy?

Was someone whispering into it?

When Hu looked back at FisherKing, his face rippled like oil dropped on water and then scattered.

Ah, this must be a dream.

Hu opened his eyes.

"Lord Landowner."

It was an unpleasant experience.

A man who looked like a bandit, with sideburns nearly long enough to reach his waist, whispered into his ear to wake him up.

"...What?"

Hu pushed Rader's face away with his hand.

"It's all dug up, sir."

Seeing Rader, covered in clumps of dirt, Hu sat up.

It seemed that a short nap had turned into a full-on sleep.

"Does this mean no more sleeping outside?"

Hu glanced at the smirking Rader and stepped outside.

The field had doubled in size.

At its center stood the original small hill they had been given, with a solitary apple tree standing tall atop it.

And behind it, a new small hill had formed.

It was Rader’s handiwork, made by digging and piling the earth.

Yeah, this deserved recognition.

You did well, Rader.

Hu gave Rader a few instructions. Compact the earth firmly, press the inside tightly so it wouldn’t collapse, make the structure neat, and even dig a deeper tunnel inside.

Lacking any talent for construction, Rader solved everything through brute labor.

That’s why his arm muscles had become noticeably more defined than when Hu first met him.

"Good job, Rader."

Along with the praise, Hu inspected the tunnel Rader had dug.

The width was the same, but the inside had been packed tightly with a shovel, making it solid.

'Fluffy, Fluffy.'

Hu called the earth spirit in his mind.

After using the spirit tirelessly, his spirit power had grown enough to weave about twenty thin threads.

'Make it solid.'

Hu gave Fluffy his intent.

Though the spirit always seemed displeased when called, it moved nonetheless.

Rumble rumble.

A faint trembling of the earth followed.

Fluffy began working, seeping into the tunnel.

Without any talent for construction, the tunnel could easily collapse.

That wouldn’t do.

"Ah, is it collapsing?"

Terrified, Rader quickly backed away.

You idiot, how far back are you going, that I can hear your voice from that distance?

This guy clearly had no intention of protecting his lord.

It didn’t matter.

Hu examined the completed tunnel.

There was only one thing he asked of Fluffy: reinforcement to prevent collapse.

They had made the entrance a slope to minimize cave-ins, but no one could predict what might happen.

Soon, Fluffy responded.

Though invisible, the earth spirit strengthened the tunnel.

It compacted the loosened soil from the digging and reinforced the shaky ground, which had been weakened by removing stones.

Hu closed his eyes.

Beyond his closed eyelids, on a black backdrop, the four-legged earth spirit moved.

It was a moment of communion.

Woof.

Fluffy turned and barked.

Hu understood the meaning clearly.

Yeah, it won’t collapse.

Woof.

Fluffy barked again.

That feeling of dissatisfaction from before...

Just as Hu was about to grasp the source and meaning of that emotion, most of his thin spirit power was consumed.

Damn, now you’ve made me really curious.

But that wasn’t the priority right now.

When Hu opened his eyes and stepped deeper inside—

"Is it not collapsing?"

Rader poked his head in from above.

It was cold.

Hu could feel the temperature drop inside the tunnel with all five senses.

Goosebumps rose on his skin, and when he exhaled, his breath appeared clearly white.

"Man, it’s freezing."

Rader muttered with just his head peeking in.

"Come down."

At Hu’s command, Rader hesitantly descended.

"Yes, Lord Landowner."

"Cold, isn’t it?"

"Yes, how can anyone sleep here?"

Sleeping outside would probably be better.

But they didn’t dig this place to sleep in the first place.

"Gather all the cold air you need in here."

Hu said.

"Eh?"

"Rader, do you know what’s the most important thing for people to live?"

The cow-like advisor blinked.

Hu had learned something.

When a well-fed person fights someone starving, who wins?

The hungry spirit?

Bullshit.

The one who eats well, sleeps well, and rests well has the advantage.

It was the wisdom taught by farming and FisherKing.

It wasn’t like the first round, where he couldn’t act even though he knew better.

Now, Hu had the capability.

"People need to solve their basic survival first."

"Ah."

Rader let out a small exclamation, and in that moment, Hu climbed out of the tunnel.

He saw three serfs carefully harvesting wheat that had grown from the seeds they had planted.

'I need more fields.'

They had to plant potatoes. Storage was already taken care of.

The tunnel Rader dug was intentionally placed in a cold spot with Fluffy’s help—essentially, a refrigerator.

It was, to be exact, a cold storage cave.

"Lord Landowner."

Rader called out to Hu from behind.

Was he touched? Well, at least it meant they were all being fed well.

That could be the case...

"So, are we sleeping outdoors again?"

...Seriously, what was this guy’s deal?

"Sleep over there if you want."

Should I just shove him in there to freeze to death?

"I'm getting used to sleeping under the moon now."

Rader changed his tone.

Soon, he became aware of his role as an advisor and spoke accordingly.

"We need a field to plant potatoes."

They couldn't afford to reduce the wheat yield.

They still had to bake bread, trade with it, and eat it too.

But letting a new crop go to waste would be foolish. It would be inefficient.

"Of course, that’s right, Rader."

"Yes, sir."

Then, what do we need?

Hu asked Rader with his eyes.

Since it wasn't yet a time when currency circulated, everything was settled through bartering.

Even if they had money, they couldn't buy what wasn’t available.

In other words, even if they wanted to buy cattle, they couldn’t.

"...We need cattle."

An advisor was an advisor indeed. He spoke what was necessary at the moment.

It was different from when he had dragged along cluelessly in the beginning.

An advisor was the landowner’s closest companion. That meant he had to offer advice suited to the landowner’s style.

In this situation, the three serfs and the Baker were immovable labor.

And what, was the landowner supposed to cultivate the fields alone?

That was ridiculous.

So what was needed was cattle. They had already experienced this firsthand.

"Yeah, that’s the most efficient. Right, Rader?"

"...Yes, sir."

Rader accepted his fate.

Then they needed to get a plow.

How were they supposed to get one? Break down another hut to make it? There was no need for that.

"I baked it well-done today!"

The Baker appeared, pulling out freshly baked bread.

Hu’s eyes drifted toward the bread in the Baker’s hands and the rope Krurr had tossed aside after playing with it in the morning.

A jump rope.

Actually, it was a rope made by stripping and weaving tree bark thinly.

In other words, it was a crafted item.

At first, he thought it was a starter benefit he received when he began. But on closer inspection, it was clear.

It was just like the first plow Hu had made himself.

A crude wooden plow—Hu’s own creation.

Without crafting talent, it broke quickly, but with crafting talent, it would’ve been a different story.

That meant it was possible to create convincing, unobtrusive items.

Like that rope.

"Baker, pack me five loaves of bread."

Hu spoke.

The Baker gathered five loaves, keeping them warm, and tied them tightly in cloth.

Soon, it became a packed lunch of bread.

It was time to start a traveling sale.

Lota thought of her home.

Stockholm, the city of the midnight sun.

On the longest day of the year, they celebrated with festivals, staying up all night.

On the longest night, she would buy a bottle of beer, visit a friend’s house, and have a modest party.

Warm blankets, soft lighting, quilted duvets, embroidered handkerchiefs.

She missed it.

'It can't be helped.'

Lota quickly tossed aside the memories.

Rather than understanding, she needed to adapt—so she did just that.

Right after falling into this place, the advisor's help made it possible.

Alone, she wouldn’t have dared attempt it.

"Lord Landowner, here is some flour porridge."

That advisor approached her side.

Flour porridge—it tasted awful. A completely bland dryness, that was all.

But it was edible and bearable.

At least until she had tasted freshly baked bread.

"...I really don’t want to eat this."

"But you must eat, my lord."

The advisor was an old man with a white beard. If Hu had seen him, he would have recognized the traits of wisdom and patience right away.

Of course, Lota didn’t know that.

But she knew for sure that he was helpful, so relying on him came naturally.

"I want some bread, Grandpa."

Remembering the person who had taught her quilting, Lota called the advisor that way. Naturally, he didn’t bother correcting her.

"Then you’ll need to make a trade."

"I can’t sell any more serfs."

Farming required labor.

Lota was a slender, powerless girl, now nineteen years old.

Even in reality, she lacked the strength for manual labor, let alone farming.

'It’s impossible.'

It was a simple principle—anyone with half a brain would understand.

Without serfs, she’d have to do the work herself.

Then, if she couldn’t sell serfs, what about selling something else?

Lota started thinking.

She began experimenting.

She made a simple rope.

It was named ‘Crude Wooden Rope.’

It could probably be useful for something.

She took it and attempted to trade—and succeeded.

'So, what should I make next?'

She thought of the man who had sold her bread. His gaze was more ruthless than anyone she had encountered in the city.

"Such a landowner is dangerous."

The advisor even gave her advice.

"Someone who hides a knife behind their back is more dangerous than someone who shows open hostility."

"Serfs are both wealth and power. That landowner is gathering power alone."

"Trading serfs for bread is an unfair deal."

Indeed, the wise advisor only spoke what was necessary.

That soon became Lota’s guideline for action.

Avoid dangerous people.

So, even though she endured for a day after smelling that bread...

In the end, she couldn’t resist and sold a serf.

After that, she would even dream of the moment she bit into that bread, but Lota endured.

"Your talent is excellent, my lord. That’s why you must be more cautious. Some landowners even turn other landowners into their slaves."

A wise advisor was also a seer in another sense.

He had the talent to warn about what would happen next.

And he was right.

When the time came for invasions to be possible, such things could easily happen.

"Giving just the rope should be fine."

The trade would end there.

But right now, she really didn’t want to eat the flour porridge.

"Grandpa."

"Yes."

"Can’t we try making bread too?"

If it was crafting, she had confidence.

"Cooking and your crafting talent are on different paths, my lord. You can make tools, but whether you can actually bake that bread remains uncertain. I estimate about five hundred failed attempts."

As expected of a seer who could predict a step ahead.

He reached that conclusion through calculation.

'Five hundred times?'

Lota doubted whether the wheat harvest would ever be that successful.

The first harvest wasn’t even a quarter of what had been sown.

It was depressing.

'Let’s just imagine it smells savory.'

She tried to convince herself the flour porridge smelled like freshly baked bread.

When she did, it actually seemed to smell better.

Sniff sniff.

Her nostrils widened on their own.

"My lord, you have a visitor."

Just then, the wise advisor spoke.

When she looked up, she saw him through the fog.

The bakery owner.

That’s how Lota saw him.

The man approached, holding cloth in his hands, wearing the same smile as before.

"Aren’t you hungry?"

He asked.

Without realizing it, Lota threw the flour porridge aside.