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Coveting What’s Not Theirs

“Others who will try to seize Stonefall Village?” Tom’s eyes widened. “Nobody has ever shown interest in this place before, Master Ryan.”

“I’m sure that there are people who already did… and with our current improvements, it’s only a matter of time before others will try to take things for themselves,” Ryan said.

“They won’t lay a hand on you, Ryan!” Chrysus declared. His claws latched onto the sofa like a cat’s and he frowned. “What’s yours is yours, and to covet what's yours is evil. We won’t let them get away with it.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Ryan agreed.

Tom stared at the human-dragon pair in front of him with awe.

‘If Master Ryan was able to get a dragon on his side and have all of the Kobolds be under his command, then maybe... maybe it’s not as terrible as it seems. Plus, nobody had visited Stonefall Village recently, so we’re safe. If Master Ryan wants to be cautious though, there’s nothing wrong with it.’ Tom thought.

“Alright, putting that out of the way for a second, we need to also think about the other points of concern in Stonefall Village. We'll be switching our main crop to the mana-infused oats whether or not Farmer Jonas has realized its benefits. It’s also great to add more variety into the available food for the people.” Ryan leaned back against his chair and stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “We’ll raise more rabbits and plant more vegetables too. The oats will also make an interesting beer… but what do you think of the wine, Tom?”

“I’ve never drank wine before, Master Ryan. It is far more expensive than beer.”

“Right. But that’s only because the price set by the merchants were raised to maximize their profits, and from what I presume is the labor-extensive method they follow to produce them.” Ryan thought about the current advancements of the village. “Right now, the people are in the process of milling the barley, right?”

“Yes, Master Ryan.”

“What tools do your people use?”

“We have a mill house, Master Ryan.”

“A mill house?” Ryan smiled. “Okay, that’s good. I do not see any immediate rivers in our vicinity and the Ironcross Mountains prevent large gusts of winds, so I infer that it’s powered by animals right?”

“Yes. Occasionally, we mill by hand too.” Tom explained.

“If you guys have those, then I don’t think it’ll be hard to construct a wine press then.” Ryan said. “Joan, can you pass me the book?”

“Here you go, Ryan,” Joan said as she carefully handed him the Grimoire.

“A-ah!” Tom jerked a little when he saw the maid appear out of nowhere. “When did she arrive?”

“She’s been here the whole time, Tom.” Ryan chuckled as he looked down at the Grimoire.

‘I wonder if I should tell Tom the truth as well. Joan already knows. Chrysus also knows too… nah, if I keep spilling my guts out to anyone, I’ll have no self restraint. It’s good to be honest, but it’s also great to be a showsman! A magician never reveals his secrets.’ Ryan thought. ‘I do not hope for any danger to come to my people, but in any case that Tom ever finds himself in trouble, he does not have the same skills as Joan or the powers of Chrysus. He might end up revealing my secrets if he gets captured.’

“You seem so serious right now, Master Ryan. But it’s good to also have yourself thinking about such things.” The Grimoire said.

‘I know.’

“Alright. Next course of action is the wine press, Tom. You saw the trees earlier, right?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, but aren't there only two trees? And one of them is so small?”

“We’ll grow ourselves a secret garden… That’ll be our next project!” Ryan said excitedly, before he cleared his throat. “Now, we’ll need someone to craft the wine press. A Carpenter or Blacksmith will solve the issue—of course, it’s not so bad to also do it in the old fashioned way, but we'd want to speed up the process too.”

“Old fashioned?” Tom looked at Ryan curiously.

“What comes to your mind when you hear the word wine, Tom?”

“Grapes?”

“Right. The old fashioned, er, traditional way of making wine is growing a vineyard of grapes and then storing the harvested fruits in a huge container like a wooden barrel or vat. Then people would stomp on the grapes until all their juice was extracted. This wooden barrel or vat tends to have a tap that you typically see in beer barrels, allowing the collection of the grape juice. The juice is then left in a separate container until it ferments into wine,” Ryan said.

‘I’d like to explain how yeast occurs, but it’s going to take a concept and a half… ah, we nobility typically have tutors, but the same can't be said for the commoners here. Now that I think of it, it would be good to build learning institutions or schools for those who wish to learn.’ Ryan thought. ‘But one step at a time, Ryan. There's not a lot of people around you who can work and make that come true at the moment. So back to grapes, wine press, and Tom.’

“Stomping on grapes sounds fun!” Chrysus suddenly declared in Ryan’s ears. “Do we have grapes? Can we do that with the apples too?”

“Slow down a little, Chrysus.” Ryan chuckled at the dragon’s enthusiasm. “I mean, it's possible for us to do it for fun… but it’s not fun to do it everyday, so it’s best to delegate and improve the method. The only other reason why we should do the traditional method is also…”

“What, Ryan?” Chrysus asked innocently.

“Ahaha.” Ryan laughed a little as his shoulders shook. The idea was funny at this time and era, but if this were a modern age… it would have sold very well.

‘I mean the chances of it also doing well right now is high. Humans are human no matter the time and age. I just have to learn how to market things better compared to how people ordinarily do it. Branding always works.’

“Do you have anyone that you like, Tom?” Ryan asked mischievously.

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