11: A Bold Plan

Some of the villagers were busy collecting the Village Hall's remnants which had been burnt down during the pirate's raid. Darius' heart wrenched upon seeing it. Although the black smoke had been long gone, the gloomy atmosphere still lingered in the air.

'If only I was stronger, none of this would happen!' Darius thought inwardly, gripping his Chieftain Staff.

Before the rage overtook his mind, Maria was already beside him, brushing his shoulder gently to put him at ease.

"It's okay, Darius." She said, reminding him to stay true to himself.

"Thanks, Maria."

Fredrik, the half-dwarf carpenter waddles toward the folks, signaling them that the Chief was present. They put down their wooden mallet as Darius approached.

"Good morning, Chief." Said one of the workers. He was the youngest carpenter who worked under Fredrik's wings.

"Morning, Anderson," Darius greeted him politely. "How are things doing here?"

"The main pillars are still intact, fortunately. However, we would need more wood, food, and water to rebuild the Village Hall to its former shape." Anderson replied.

Darius nodded. He understood that the workers needed more sustenance compared to other villagers due to the heavier physical labor they had to endure.

In Undine Village, although it was spring, the highest temperature during the day was about 4° C. It's still too cold for commoners like them to work under such harsh temperatures.

"Maria, gather the men. I have something to tell them."

"Right away, Chief!"

Maria immediately climbed the bell tower beside the Village Hall which miraculously was still standing even though the wooden wall was partly torched due to the fire. She then pulled the rope to ring the huge bell.

A few minutes later, 200 men were gathered in the courtyard. Each of them has their thoughts and sentiments upon seeing the ruined Village Hall.

Darius noticed that most of the men were eager to retaliate and storm Von Gill's Barony. However, Darius understands blind violence would not bring any merits but dooms.

"Thank you for abiding by my call," Darius said sincerely. "I do understand every one of you wanted me to avenge the death of our former Chief, Albert. However, before we go down that path, we need to rebuild our home first! True strength comes from within, not from rage or resentment."

The villagers remained silent, each of them having a hard slap from reality.

"Tell us what to do, Chief!"

"Yes, your words are our commands."

As their thoughts were unified, the Arcanium System chimed merrily in his mind, notifying the increasing Loyalty Points.

[You have received 2.000 LP]

[The villagers now acknowledge you as their Leader]

[Speech has been added to your Mastery Lists]

[Now you may choose the following rewards!]

[Level 2 Carpentry: 500 LP]

[Level 2 Metal Working: 500 LP]

Darius proceeded to spend his saved-up Loyalty Points to afford Level 1 and Level 2 Carpentry along with the Metal Working Mastery.

After that, the Library of Alexandria gave him the knowledge regarding the mastery that he affords.

With Level 2 Carpentry, Darius obtained various carpentry techniques and blueprints of various things that he could make from scratch.

Darius called Maria down from the tower to fetch him a tanned animal skin, ink, and a quill feather. Once she gathered everything that he asked, Darius drew a detailed sketch of a boat.

Maria and Fredrik were astonished to see how agile Darius' hands were as he drew every part of the boat in a very detailed manner.

"And… It's done!" Darius exclaimed, showing off his work high in the air with both hands.

The villagers were amazed upon seeing the realistic drawing as if being drawn by a seasoned artist that only could be found in a major city.

"I never knew Darius could draw such intricate drawings!" Said the carpenters behind him.

"Indeed! Does Magic Awakening open his mind or something?"

"Is he Darius that we know? He's also more handsome too."

"For real, Ahh… I wish my daughter could marry him in the future." Whispered the aunties on the side.

"Fredrik, what do you think? Can you build this kind of boat? If yes, our food shortage would be sorted in less than a month!"

"W-What is this Chief?"

"Karvi Boat!"

Fredrik who was in awe soon returned to himself, he shook his head in disbelief upon realizing how far advanced Darius' boat design was compared to what they currently have.

This longboat could be manned by 32 grown men and could withstand the high sea waves if it was built according to the scale.

"Y-Yes, Chief! But again, we don't have much material left to build this magnificent boat!"

"Ah, about that, you can use the Village Hall's pillars to make this boat. Food comes first. We can postpone the Village Hall renovation."

"And for the lacking materials, I will head to the forest to harvest more trees."

Maria snapped as she heard his plan.

"Darius, I do know you are quite a seasoned hunter, but the Snow Wolves are in their breeding season as we speak, they are far more ferocious. It's not a place for a human."

"I know… But we don't have any choice left. If we want to survive next winter, somebody has to do this." Darius said stoically.

Maria didn't expect him to speak in that manner. She wants to prevent him from going into danger, yet again she is powerless and would only cause him a bigger problem.

"Fine… But promise me you'll take me with you once I get stronger."

Darius simply nodded and replied, "Of course. But for now, I'll need you to stay here when I am gone."

"Farewell… Please return in one piece."

Thus, as Darius was preparing the horse that he borrowed from the former Chief's wife, Lady Revna.

"I am sorry for the hassle, Lady Revna," Darius said to the old lady.

"Ah, no need to fret about it. Just return safely, don't push yourself too hard."

"Hm." Darius nodded. "I am off."

"May Undine bless the two of you with a safe passage."

Just when Darius left the stable, two more horsemen showed up behind him. He turned his head toward the direction of the clip-clopping noises.

"Bjorn, Skallgar, you two are the strongest Warriors of this village. You two should stay here."

"And letting our young Chief into the wilderness alone?" Asked the burly and bald middle-aged man, Bjorn.

Though he was already in his forties, Bjorn's back was still straight as a pole, every muscle on his body screamed masculinity.

Skallgar, the tall and agile-looking man nodded in agreement. He was a mute, his tongue was cut off to its base for an unknown reason. Probably he was an ex-slave before arriving in the Undine Village.

However, his hearing sense was something that came from another world.

Legend has it, Skallgar the Mute could hear even the hell beneath the ground if he wanted to.

'Why are all the men in this village so stubborn!' Darius complained inwardly.

"Fine… but always abide by my command. If something happens to me, don't offer your help unless I ask you to."

"Yes, sir!" Bjorn replied.