Chapter 195 - Recruiting Fae Race

Gradually, the existence of the Twilight Guardian became familiar to the other gnolls, and once their fear subsided, the title of the Chief Engineer for the construction of the Dragon Oak Dragon Nest fell upon him, with Chester slowly retreating to a supportive role behind the scenes.Far from feeling lost, Chester was actually sincerely delighted, as it meant shedding a heavy burden.

After all, there was still Eagle Cliff Town waiting for him to construct and transform!

The Twilight Guardian enjoyed conveniences in the Dragon Oak Dragon Nest that ordinary people did not have.

It could make use of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree’s roots to come and go freely.

Being an ultra-heavy truck, the amount of earth and stone it dragged exceeded the combined efforts of over a hundred gnolls.

In the end, Gaven specially had three super freight wagons built for him, with scores of gnolls loading them while he was responsible for hauling.

The construction speed of the Dragon Oak Dragon Nest advanced to a new level.

But this is a story for later.

After handing over the Twilight Guardian to Chester, Gaven then detoured to Nectar Village at the Dragon Scale Oak.

The place was in complete disarray, with the Pikspirits searching everywhere for the Dragon Scale Rope thief.

One-third of the Dragon Scale Rope inventory in their warehouse had been spirited away.

"It must have been those Flower Spirits from Floral Speech Village on the right pole, only they could have moved so much Dragon Scale Rope in such a short time," Nicole declared indignantly, "Let’s go over to Floral Speech Village and take a look."

"Nicole, don’t be hasty, without any proof, how can you be sure it was the Flower Spirits? Moreover, why would they need so much Dragon Scale Rope when they can make it themselves?" Atwood stopped the impulsive Nicole.

"Mr. Gaven is here, he’s the cleverest, let him help us think of something." Nicole let out an excited squeal as she flew towards Gaven and the young dragon.

But as she approached Gaven, she suddenly started acting coy, her shyness tainted with a hint of embarrassment.

"What’s the matter? You’re not avoiding me this time?" Gaven couldn’t help but tease from afar upon seeing the Pikspirit girl’s awkward behavior.

Ever since the last time she got drunk, Nicole had been avoiding Gaven, probably feeling embarrassed and not wanting to face him.

Meanwhile, Gaven, wrapped up in a myriad of affairs, hadn’t found the time to untangle the situation in Nectar Village. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet

Yet, when she was teased, Nicole found it wasn’t so unbearable after all, and she chuckled sheepishly, "I’ll never drink again."

"You can drink if I allow it, but I bet you don’t remember last time, what happened. Fairy Dust got everywhere, in bowls, in the wine, flying all over. I almost floated away again with it. Oh, and do you remember what you said?"

It’s not terrifying to get drunk; what’s daunting is having someone remind you of what happened afterwards.

Especially when more than one person helps the Pikspirit girl recall it, prompting her to cover her ears and scream, "I don’t want to hear, I don’t want to hear, I don’t want to hear..."

Just hearing those ladies recalling her words had nearly mortified her with phrases like "you must like me, I like you too, I want to marry you"...

If Gaven, as one of the parties involved, were to remind her again, she’d surely explode on the spot.

"Alright, alright, let’s talk business. There’s no need to investigate the theft of the Dragon Scale Rope; I know what happened," Gaven addressed this to Village Chief Atwood.

Atwood replied with a beaming face, "Lord, if you know what happened, that’s great news."

"We just used Enlightenment Magic on the Twilight Guardian, and unexpectedly, once it gained intelligence, it became dissatisfied with its own physical structure and began searching for materials nearby to reshape its body. The Dragon Scale Rope from your warehouse suited its needs, and it took them without permission. Ultimately, this is our fault. Village Chief, estimate a price, and we will compensate at the original cost." Since it was hard to explain the source of his Enlightenment Magic, Gaven deliberately kept it vague with the term "we."

This "we" encompassed a wide scope; it might refer to the gnolls of his territory or to Lord Virginia. If it were the latter, then it made perfect sense, as after all, even if Gaven was a Mage, he was also the Lord of Spring Bud Forest, and it was only natural that he had such abilities.

Atwood didn’t dwell on any of these possibilities, instead he sighed in relief and said, "Lord, you are too modest. The Twilight Guardian is the protector of the Mother Tree, and it is the highest honor for our Nectar Village to have our Dragon Scale Rope used by him. How could we possibly take payment?"

"Alright, then I won’t be polite about this issue," Gaven knew the other party wouldn’t take the money.

To be more precise, these Pikspirits were not interested in money at all.

And this was precisely what Gaven found most troubling.

He would rather deal with greedy dragons than face a self-sufficient and satisfied race like the Pikspirits.

Because greed was the biggest weakness of the former; once he grasped that, they could be used for his ends.

The latter were like cheetahs biting on hedgehogs, with no way to get a grip.

This was why Gaven had yet to take action despite having a recruitment order from Lord Virginia.

In the past few days, he had been pondering what benefits he could possibly bring to the Fae Race.

Compared to emotions, benefits were eternal.

Up to now, Gaven had not yet identified an appropriate benefit.

Of course, this was also due to his lack of understanding of those mysterious mystical creatures.

Gaven decided to take an alternate route, setting aside benefits and loss, to thoroughly understand these Fae Race creatures before proceeding.

"Lord of the Village, I was wondering if you had some time," Gaven began, choosing to start with Nectar Village, which had a unique relationship with him. "I would like to understand some things from you."

"It would be my honor. Let’s head over to the guest plaza. I’ll have them prepare some tea and snacks, so we can chat while we eat," Atwood gladly accepted.

"Here’s the situation: The territory I rule is currently dominated by Gnolls, who are skilled in mining but not in farming. So, I negotiated a recruitment right with Lord Virginia to hire the Fae from Spring Bud Forest to help me develop and cultivate the land. However, my understanding of the Fae is rather limited, and I’ve heard they cherish freedom and have little interest in monetary compensation. I’m not sure how to hire them," said Gaven candidly, throwing his dilemma on the table and adopting a humble attitude, seeking advice.

He wanted to see if Atwood, also of the Fae Race, could offer some good suggestions.

Atwood furrowed his brow and replied, "Indeed, most of the Fae dislike restraints. Even with employment contracts, many Fae tend to grow impatient after a while!"

"That’s simple," Nicole interjected from the side. "If long-term employment is unbearable, why not short-term? Especially hiring for just a few days or a couple of tendays would be liked by most Fae. It’s like a different kind of vacation. I believe many Fae would be willing to experience such a life."

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional.

Gaven’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he had been enlightened.

He had always been using the mindset of a Material Plane merchant to measure the Fae of Fairy Wilderness.

Materially, the Fae didn’t need much, but spiritually, they had vast needs.

Many Fae were profoundly obsessed with music, singing, poetry, and storytelling and were even quite adept in these areas.

He could start from there.

With new ideas brewing, he nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, this is a very good method. The busy farming season lasts only for a few days. After that’s done, we don’t need that many hands. Short-term hiring is feasible. Do you have any villages you could recommend that are skilled at cultivating crops?"

"The Lord should visit Apple Ridge. Over there, the hills are covered with apple trees. The Fae there, whether they be Pikespirits, Flower Spirits, or Little Fairies, are all experts in managing apple trees and planting vegetables." Nicole was the one responding to Gaven, not Atwood.

Gaven had in fact spoken to the wrong person.

Atwood might indeed be the chief of Nectar Village, but his main attention was on managing the village, so his knowledge of Spring Bud Forest couldn’t compare to that of Nicole, who had once served as a maid at Spring Bud Fortress.

"Do you know the way to Apple Ridge?"

"Of course."

Gaven turned to Atwood and said, "It seems that I will need to borrow Miss Nicole for a while. I’ll need her to guide me to Apple Ridge."

Atwood didn’t directly answer Gaven but responded cautiously, "My Lord, I’m not familiar with human customs, but personally, I don’t think that would be appropriate."

"Oh? Let’s hear it," Gaven showed an interested expression.

"All Fae tend to avoid the world. As a stranger from the material dimension, even with Nicole guiding you, it would still be questionable if you can meet those Fae. And even if you did, they would not trust you, let alone accept your employment. Instead of going to so much trouble, why not directly negotiate with Lord Virginia to reach an agreement? I’m certain that with Lord Virginia personally handling the matter, the likelihood of success would be much greater."

Off course!

His thinking had been completely off track.

Why bother with recruitment rights when he could cling to a powerful patron like destiny’s gift of goodwill?

Where could his influence in Spring Bud Forest possibly exceed that of Lord Virginia?

All he needed to do was to maximize his favor with Lord Virginia. He wouldn’t need to run all over Spring Bud Forest.

Moreover, his action of seeking recruitment rights was the epitome of overstepping bounds.

Lucky for him that Fairy Wilderness had a relaxed central authority, and he was well acquainted with Lord Virginia.

Otherwise, at best, he’d be driven out with a stick, or at worst, hanged outright.

Gaven earnestly acknowledged Atwood’s advice, "The chief’s words are sensible. The problem lies with my approach. This is not a matter I should handle personally, but rather for Lord Virginia to deal with."

After a brief pause, he changed the subject, "Still, our cooperation between us doesn’t require intervention from Lord Virginia, right?"

Atwood, taken aback, replied, "Our cooperation? Our village of Nectar excels in beekeeping and honey harvesting, not in farming. How shall we cooperate?"

"Beekeeping and honey harvesting are also skilled work." Gaven had already concocted a plan, "Currently, the Rocklands are covered with wildflowers. So, I plan to build a batch of beehives to hang on trees or cliffs, places wild beasts can’t reach. When it’s time to harvest the honey, we’ll need both the right species of bees and some beekeeping techniques, all of which would require assistance from Nectar Village."

Honey was one of the main sources of sweeteners in Felen, fetching a good price.

If he could train a group of Gnoll beekeepers, they could be self-sufficient and also sell the honey as goods.

"Oh, that!" Atwood suddenly realized, "That’s easy. I’ll select a few dozen of our best beekeepers to support you, my Lord."

"I’ll go, pick me! I’m excellent at beekeeping too," Nicole volunteered eagerly, her face full of anticipation. She had yet to visit the Material Plane.

"This..." Atwood hesitated. After all, Nicole was his precious daughter. Being a maid at Spring Bud Fortress was one thing, but supporting the Rocklands was another.

"Chief, don’t worry. If Miss Nicole really does come to my place, I won’t let her leave Eagle Cliff Town. Even if she does, she must be with me. I won’t let her out of my sight," Gaven assured.

He indeed needed someone knowledgeable about the Fairy Wilderness who wasn’t too guarded, and without a doubt, Nicole was the perfect candidate.

Forget Stelina. She was the type to be sparing with words.