by A O Storm
Sweating, he woke up in the middle of the night and instinctively thought about hopping up to clean himself up in the bathroom before he remembered they didn’t have one. He sighed, laying back down, knowing that unless he invented plumbing, the lack would continue to plague him. He slept afterwards and come morning he threw himself into all the tasks around the inn and learning everything he could from Bertha.
A week went by in relative quiet as Kano learned a bit more about the village and learned how to manage the Inn. Outside in the village, Kano learned how to find Bill the Butcher’s place first. The butchery was located at the far end of the village, the opposite side of the sacred oak tree, and luckily for the village, too. The wind tended to blow towards the butchery, so until you got within thirty feet the coppery smell of animals being carved up would not be noticed. Paul was nice enough and allowed Kano to pay only part of the back due from Bob, in exchange for continuing to purchase from him all the meats the White Rabbit would require.
Kano agreed easily enough as he had no desire to learn how to make bacon from scratch. Seeing the mess inside Paul’s place was enough to admire the realism, and nearly lose his breakfast.
The other supplier, Victoria, was down the street from Thomas’s house and had the largest barn in the village. When Kano approached the first time, he noted how large and neat the fields of vegetables were beyond the barn. In the distance, he could see a water wheel on the river, and recalled she said they sold the inn both vegetables and grains. Must be where they make flour, Kano thought, waiting outside the barn and looking around for somebody to talk to. Minutes later, one of Victoria’s siblings, Geoff, returned from the field with a wheelbarrow full of vegetables freshly harvested.
He ran to get his sister, and Kano ended up paying the full bill Bob had left him from bread, grains to feed the chickens, and of course, the vegetable deliveries that had gone unused. Kano changed the order to ensure they would not waste extra and he told Victoria the same as Paul, once business picked up, he would increase the orders to a higher number. She smiled and shook his hand before leaving back to her home, not waiting around to chitchat.
Inside the White Rabbit, Bertha taught him about the record keeping system, animal care, the vegetable garden, what the cooking routines were, and a smattering of carpentry. There were more than a few items that had been neglected, some of which that could only be fixed with a hammer, nail or saw. The education gained him a new skill and points in existing ones.
Skill Acquired: Carpentry, current rank Ignorant, +10 skill points gained
“Good to see hard work pays off,” Kano muttered, pausing in his work when he got the notification.
Among the more physical projects he completed were yard weeding, chicken coop reroofing and stable shoveling. It seemed as if Bob had ignored every necessary chore. Kano was happy that his improved strength and constitution had helped with his ability to perform the manual work. By the end of the week, his hands were calloused and despite no change in his character sheet, he certainly felt stronger, like his endurance and stamina had increased somehow.
Thomas came and dropped off paperwork for The White Rabbit proper, taxes paid and everything. Kano stored them securely in the room he claimed as his own. When he reviewed the paperwork, other than the ownership documents for the inn, there was a piece of paper detailing what the mayor owed him from the mine in terms of the ore, Mananite.
Without knowing more, Kano believed the amount would be enough to complete a project, however, he still had no idea what to do with the ore once he had it. Another project for another time, Kano thought.
Thomas, the mayor, clearly had some amount of authority and autonomy within the local region, similar to a city-state in Italy in the eighteenth century. His writ extended as far as a horse could ride. There was an exception in this case, since the waterways that facilitated trade also facilitated control. This meant that the village would always owe a token amount to Boon Peak, as that was where their main export, herbs, was sold.
Boon Peak, Kano had learned, was the capital city and largest town within the country of Tropiana. Outside the city, the villages were all similar to Three Rivers. Kano pulled up the map to get a better sense of the locality he was working with, as well as the broader region.
When he had the map in the display he could see his inn, the village and the various buildings there. He noted again that, if the village were attacked at scale, it would be overrun quickly. Defenses were something he needed to talk with Thomas about.
Late in the evening, chores finished, Kano sat at the bar, thinking about the two men who attacked him on his return trip from Seven Ducats Mountain. He had no idea if they would return, or if they could. Most games allowed people to respawn, but if Carl had told the truth about his timing, the two men could have easily returned to the Three Rivers at least once, if not multiple times, since they died. Grimacing, Kano also acknowledged if he had ignored or refused Abnoba's offer to become a druid, he would have died during the encounter for certain.
Even if he it was Thomas and not himself running the village, he was obligated to help the community grow, as this would in turn provide a better opportunity for him to defend himself. "Strength in numbers," he said aloud as he took a sip of ale. Kano turned in early and had a peaceful night sleep, untroubled by nightmares of chores or unknown assailants giving chase.
After the repair work on the chicken coop, and with regular cleaning and feeding, the hens were producing more than enough. "If we don't start getting customers, I'll need to learn how to preserve eggs, otherwise, these will all go to waste." He wondered idly as he collected eggs for breakfast how he could automate some of the process, as he felt like he was spending hours, daily, in the yard next to the chicken coop, or working in the garden.
Back in the kitchen, he found an iron pan and then heated it over the hearth. When ready, he cracked the two eggs into the pan and then looked around for the bread he knew Bertha would have prepared. When he saw it, he smiled, seeing the seeds and nuts baked into the half eaten loaf.
“Mmm… that looks good," he said, slicing a few pieces and then setting them to the side of the hearth to warm while he flipped the eggs. A few minutes later, he sat at the table with a relatively modern continental breakfast of two over medium eggs, toast and bacon. The meat he found hanging off to the side of the hearth and he figured Bertha would not mind if he swiped it, since there weren’t customers yet to ask for food.
"Spices," he said aloud, mopping up one of the eggs with a piece of bread. He then chewed a thick strip of bacon and thought back to the meals he'd eaten since joining the New Lands Online world. So many details were so real, the food stood out as something extraordinary in how boring, even bland, most dishes had been. Today was the seventh time Kano cooked himself a fresh breakfast and he could tell; it was not a limitation in the game. As it had many times already, the task gained him a bump in his cooking skill.
Skill Improved: Cooking, +50 skill points gained
"Kano," Bertha called from the entrance to the kitchen, hesitant.
"Yes?" He was in between mouthfuls and was really hungry after all the physical labor, so, Kano looked up at her to acknowledge her presence and then went back to his breakfast. Clearing his mouth with a mug of water, he looked up again, seeing Bertha still standing there.
"I can't stand it anymore," she said, irritated, "You need to teach me some of these strange techniques you use in the kitchen." She paused, breathing deep and licking her lips. "It smells so good in here," she said, and then looked down at Kano's half finished plate. "I've also never seen eggs prepared that way."
"Over medium?" Kano ignored the temptation to grab another bite, trying to be courteous despite his hunger.
"What do you mean?" Bertha asked in confusion.
"There are a few different, standard ways to cook eggs," Kano said, pointing at his plate with a finger. “These are over medium. How do you cook eggs, Bertha?"
"Boil them a
nd then peel them, of course," she said, without hesitation. "That's the only way to ensure it gives you the proper amount of energy points from eating." She paused, breathing deep again. "Although, your eggs smell a whole lot better." She hesitated for a moment, twisting a hand in her apron. "Will you teach me how to do this?"
"Sure, just let me eat and teach, if you don't mind," Kano said amicably, scooping up another piece of egg with his bread. He bit off another piece of bacon and then wiped his hands on a cloth napkin.
A moment later, he fetched a few more eggs and started the pan reheating. Then he grabbed a plate and set up some bacon in the warming skillet he quickly sliced from the slab. He had never really thought about the differences in food between his life before and this new world, however, he could tell that it wasn't just his imagination. Bertha really appreciated his help in the kitchen.
When he finished cooking for Bertha, he'd already managed to slay the remainder on his own plate.
Skill Improved: Cooking, +50 skill points gained
Kano smiled happily at the skill points and realized it was increased due to the effort it took to teach somebody, rather than simply preparing the food. Appreciative of the insight, he quickly went to clearing up the dishes and used a rag wiped down everything with flakes of soap the kitchen used for cleaning. The standard, as Bertha had instructed him, was below what he would have expected. But, given the bit he knew about history, people had been filthy animals for a long time before learning how to wash their hands properly. Why some fools, even in the great plague of twenty-twenty, needed to be reminded to wash with hot water for twenty seconds.
Bertha, meanwhile, consumed her meal in relative silence. A few times, she expressed delight over how the bacon blended with the eggs, or how the bread, when wrapped around the two, produced a sensation unlike any she had known.
Just imagine if she knew how much better a McMuffin tastes, Kano chuckled, using a rough pad to scrub the final gunk off of the iron skillet. She might goad the other villagers into a full on French riot if I refused to teach them how to make one.
"Thank you," Bertha finally said, once Kano had conveniently cleaned everything in the kitchen except her plate. "That was skillfully prepared, and a wonderful lesson in cooking." She paused, running a finger around the plate and not looking up. "Would you mind teaching me more?"
Kano was surprised at how hesitant the woman was, especially since Kano knew his cooking skill was average in the real world. The sincere tone reminded him that, for a variety of reasons, most societies had never enjoyed the time to get creative with food.
They reached an agreement on the food, provided that it only take up a small amount of Kano's time, since he had already decided to start scheduling his day more aggressively. True, it was only ten days since his entrance into this world, but so far, he had seen enough violence to last many lifetimes.
"Tonight, let's see if you can adapt any of this to dinner," Kano said, smiling at the woman. "Tomorrow, we'll discuss a few other topics I want to investigate. I believe our quality of life could be much higher, and I intend to do whatever it takes to achieve that."
She nodded, smiling, a blush in her cheeks displaying warmth for the new owner of the White Rabbit. Kano bowed, satisfied that he had made her happy and more importantly, that the inn was on its way operating well, even if customers had yet to arrive.
Twenty-Three - Plans for the Future
The next morning, Kano made them both breakfast and suggested the next day, Bertha should try her hand at cooking for both of them. She readily agreed and the two ate in peace, until Kano zoned out for a minute, trying to come up with a way to promote the White Rabbit, since customers still weren’t coming.
"Are you okay?" Bertha asked, belching a moment later. "You checked out there for a minute."
"Yes, I'm fine."
After breakfast, Kano settled into a new routine. The first week had passed mainly focusing on the inn, where now that major repair work was all done, he could do a bit more with his day. Cooking with Bertha, learning the White Rabbit's many necessary routine tasks, studying combat, exercise and getting to know the local villagers. Thomas of course was as gregarious as usual and freely shared his goals for the modest enclave.
"We have the resources," he said, many times. "We just need to leverage them. I'm confident, with our contacts and ability to set prices, we can use the mine reopening to benefit trade for all of us."
Those conversations led to more and more detail, at which point, Kano knew somehow Thomas would need to get the ore sent to Boon Peak, or somewhere else, before anything really changed. The mayor claimed the mine was producing ore and would eventually have a shipment ready to send down the river but despite that, nothing changed and business in the Three Rivers stayed the same.
Curiosity got the better of Kano and after teaching Bertha cooking for a while, he wanted to see if he could learn from the villagers. Paul, who never asked for payment for the sword and sheath he’d given Kano on his way to the mine, taught him as much as he liked in how to work the smithy. This led to another skill, Smithing. Kano helped Paul enough the large smith saved time on his own work, and Kano no longer needed to pay for lessons, as he had the first few times he used the ores and tools in Paul’s forge.
Steve was kind enough to teach him how to make his own arrows, and after purchasing an average quality bow, Kano learned to shoot straight and hit a target within a day. Three days later, he’d pushed his new Archery skill to Initiate rank, and had over a hundred skill points.
The mayor was helpful as well, instructing Kano when he asked in the various laws of the land, including some rules in Tropiana that were very different than back home. Democracy, for one, was out the door as the kingdom had, of course, a king who sat the throne, similar to other governments, there were also nobles. A few sat on a council of sorts to advice the king but in truth, they were there to give the ignorant, as Thomas said, the idea power had a check or balance against it. Between those lessons and managing The White Rabbit with Bertha, Kano's routine was unlike his previous life, but comfortable.
The business financials were starting to improve as even without tourists, the eggs, ales, and baked goods Kano produced, with Bertha’s help, sold to the village residents. Kano appreciated the growing amount of copper coins, and few silvers, he now had stashed away in his room. Eventually he needed to think about something more secure but so far, crime seemed to be unheard of in the Three Rivers. Despite his lack of progress with plumbing, he made progress in building up many of his skills.
Skill
Current Rank
Next Rank
Current Points
Next Rank Points
Snowboarding
Expert
Master
1,000,000
10,000,000
Sword Fighting
Initiate
Novice
350
1,000
Hand to Hand Combat
Initiate
Novice
400
1,000
Business
Novice
Adept
1,030
10,000
Cooking
Novice
Adept
1,310
10,000
Running
Initiate
Novice
120
1,000
Public Speaking
Ignorant
Initiate
60
100
Dodge
Ignorant
Initiate
10
100
Acrobatics
Ignorant
Initiate
10
100
Botany
Initiate
Novice
100
1,000
Natural Recovery
Initiate
Novice
40
10
0
Knife Fighting
Initiate
Novice
100
1,000
Stealth
Initiate
Novice
100
1,000
Carpentry
Ignorant
Initiate
80
100
Smithing
Ignorant
Initiate
50
100
Fletching
Ignorant
Initiate
50