Chapter 475 - Buying information

Midday breaking, Eric synced in another task demanded by the Village's elder. The 50 big logs and many smaller took less than an hour to slice down, the only thing between this task taking additional time was picking the right trees.

Massacring the branches off the trunks took time too, but at least that labour picked the villagers to put work on, they used chipped and broken axes to do the job but it was nothing impossible.

But the next task isn't anything poor tools can do swimmingly, it requires the force of a Fire Blaster.

You can easily guess that this is another task for the sake of winning over information. 

...

"This is getting too difficult, I can't swing my arms if I lay on my chest." Eric complained, pointing out the insane working condition.

Pointing at the havoc of a winter aftermath, the Elder shook his words as he mumbled. "We need planks, those Houses can't be fixed with sturdy trunks."

Refusing to handle possibly 10 more logs like this, Eric stuck to his demand. "Okay but can't we at least place the logs over something higher so I can aim better? Making planks like this is brutal."

"Alright." The Elder finally budged and pointed at a few other villagers, ordering. "You, grab those branches there and nail them to the ground, forming an X. This way we can keep the logs above ground."

Respecting the sympathy coming from this sour old man, Eric just walked a few steps behind and uttered. "Thank you."

To shed light upon this task to the furthest extent, the village needs planks but they have no tool to make them.

A slicer power move can help, but of course it has a criteria in order for this method to help. The biggest of which is having a better aim, you can understand that from the previous debate.

Furthermore a horizontally launched slicer took a few resultless shots to put into motion, as it is mostly launched with the palms connecting and waving them from the top of the left shoulder to the bottom of the right hip.

But apparently the slicer can work as long as palms are connected and the hands are waving from one side to the other with the soul intent to launch a slicer.

And since the Slicer relies on its ability to cut more than its ability to burn, the planks won't come out damaged. Perfectly sliced is more like it.

Putting the Xs together, Sekun helped to lift the logs as it isn't an easy task.

Joining his palms, striking the air with a start from the left hip and rushing them towards the right hip, fire broke out mid swing and made its way towards the lumber.

SLEEEH!

Bursting through lumber from one end to the other, tips of the little support branches holding the whole lumber up, sliced off along with it. Little loss really, even if the Xs dismantle they can be easily replaced.

Liking such success, the Elder stated. "Alright you just need to slice through 5 more trees."

...

"Hold the plank straight." A fair haired middle aged man scolded, encouraged.

"It is straight." Eric yelled back, not appreciating the man's tone.

Insistent, the same villager let out his distress. "If it was straight I wouldn't tell you to hold it straight."

Pointing out the problem with no aims of joking about it, Eric yelled. "Ain't nobody's fault when you can't even hit a nail."

"Just hit the damn nail." Rash yelled out from a distance of 10 yards, uncoincidentally holding a plank straight himself.

Right now, these two fine men are bickering about a hut, or a house. Whatever you choose to call it, the building's intent is to hold people in and mother nature out.

Each of the Gang are putting in work on other houses, the Elder demanded this if you haven't yet figured that out.

However this might not take too long, they aren't building a hut from the ground up but just making some reinforcements on the old ones with a prime aim of making each little shack easier to live in.

Yes it has been made clear that the Elder is requesting wave after wave of free labour, but promises information as a reward.

...

"I can't believe we have to make them lunch too." Eric gave out a sharp whisper, laid on the ground and stalking a Juvenile Wild Boar.

"Shhh, shoot it already." Rash encouraged, laying belly first on the ground along with the young Electus.

HRSHHH!!!

A fireball broke out of his palms and raged across the air, forcing freshly grown weeds out of place, burning them and itself flying higher.

Rising 2 feet above the ground a hunch before reaching the Wild Boar, the Fireball punched through the prey's neck, almost escaping without causing damage.

The sudden pain knocked its prey unconscious, not giving it a second to holler in pain.

Falling to the ground with little to no fight, the 4th hunt of the day counted. This has been a tiresome day, it's nearly 3pm already and everyone has been up since early morning.

Standing up and bashing away what dirt he can from his clothes, Eric's tone projected parched as he complained. "I still don't like how we're doing all of this, could have just made them speak with fire burning under their chin."

Having it easy to express thoughts with a friend of value, Rash butchered as they started walking towards the Carcass. "As much as they are a pain in the ass to us now, they are too dumb to survive. They might not make it for a couple of winters further. Let that be their punishment, hunger and cold is a bitch."

...

Looking at the group of 4 sitting and enjoying a smoked pork meal, the Elder queried. "We've made you work a long day, sir Electus. How do you feel about it?"

Direct with his words either if talking to an enemy or a friend, Eric cited with a mouth full of pork. "I would kill all of you if you didn't have valuable information."

A bit nervous, although hoping for things to go for the best, the Elder added. "That's a little harsh, I have a hunch that you will kill us as soon as you get what you want."

Taking no advice from such sour old man for what's wrong and right, Eric contradicted as he spat out an unfiltered little bone. "I would have killed you if I had no dignity, we can try our luck to find the structure ourselves."

Pointing out what might keep this village away from a mass massacre, the Elder uttered. "Luck won't help you on this task, that place is heavily guarded nowadays."

Shocked, Eric hollered with no intent to hurt Ada and where she comes from. "By who? ill.u.s.tratios?"

At least sharing one thing in common with the Electus, the old man recited. "ill.u.s.tratios have no fancy towards monuments, they can't even pick a fly off their hat."

"Why would a fly be in a hat?" Puzzled Rash, not used to Ignite sayings and metaphors.

Hoping to start the journey this hour and roam as far away from this village as possible, Eric cut it short. "Nevermind that, who is guarding the place?"

"People that look like him, whatever they are." The elder firmly stated, pointing at Sekun as he held as firm as one old man can on a stick.

"You're saying that people who look exactly like Sekun are Guarding the monument?" Asked Eric, his enthusiasm arising as cooperation has become likely with those people.

Having a Calidum Lutum man [Sekun] on the team who can arrange a deal with the people Guarding the monument who too are prescribed to look like Sekun, is a blessing.

Although a blur regarding what Calidum Lutum men are doing out here, information might not be too tough to find.

But for now, Eric wants to squeeze this sort for every drop it has, directly demanding. "Do you know since when they're Guarding the monument?"

"Well over a decade now, I remember using that place as a landmark to find my village easier when I was in my 40s." Getting into deeper description about his life in order to prove a point, the Elder put pressure on a prime fact. "I walked past that monument a thousand times and I never saw these men before 10 years ago."

Now this is puzzling, one idea would be that a few men from Lan Zhe heard about the quest and rushed here to lend a hand, finding the monument but the Elder claims them as decade long inhabitants, time-wise this is a far shot.

Using the silence to his disposition, the Elder gave out a word of notice. "They have the attitude of a wild boar, highly territorial. To prove a point they slaughtered a man of our own who hiked through their land."