Chapter 92: Winter

The Furs went up over the crude earthen houses to block the biting wind, fox Beastmen hauled armload after armload of firewood into towering stacks, autumn’s harvest disappeared into storerooms, insurance against the lean months ahead.

They could still hunt in winter, but food was always scarce once the snow piled up, stockpiling early was the difference between comfort and hunger.

Ash directed the work, occasionally glancing north, Ethan’s group had been gone to the library for quite some time, they should have been back by now, yet there was no sign of them.

’I hope they make it before the heavy snow hits...’

"Village Chief! They’re back!"

Ash smiled and shook his head, he turned and called to Lyra, who was skipping past with a bag of Honey Sweet Potatoes clutched to her chest. "Go help them clean up their quarters."

"Okay!" Lyra set the bag down and bolted toward the village entrance.

In the distance, a cloud of dust billowed up, a handcart was barreling toward the village like a gust of wind.

Ash watched it approach, then glanced at the pile of iron ore set aside near the storehouse.

’The quality of this batch should satisfy Ethan.’

He turned and walked into the village.

"Ugh, I’m exhausted."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Even with Walter’s blood-red birds helping to pull the cart along the way, Zharok was spent. He rolled his shoulders and groaned while stretching his neck.

Ethan hopped off the cart and patted him on the back. "I know you worked hard. I’ll make something good when we get back."

"Now that’s more like it." Zharok cracked his neck.

"But... why is everyone so busy here?"

"They’re preparing for winter, meow."

True enough, the village was a flurry of motion in every direction. Ethan looked around and spotted Ash walking toward them, hands clasped behind his back.

He smiled. "We’re back, Village Chief."

"Welcome back, did you find what you needed in the library?"

"More or less." Ethan paused. "You guys seem very busy, are we getting in the way by coming back now?"

"Not at all. You can stay as long as you like." Ash tilted his head toward the center of the village.

"By the way, I had someone gather some iron ore. It’s all right here."

Good news. Ethan told Zharok to go rest, then followed Ash to the village square. There, a large pile of black iron ore sat heaped on the ground.

"Is this all pure iron ore?"

"That’s right. Heat it to the proper temperature, and you can extract pure iron, reaching that temperature, however, is no easy task."

"You don’t need to worry about that."

"Smelting metal is no easy—"

"Meow-meow! I know how to smelt metal, meow!" Pearl puffed out its chest from Ethan’s shoulder.

"With my knowledge and Ethan’s craftsmanship, there definitely won’t be a problem, meow!"

"You know how to smelt metal too?"

"I used to watch Lady Witch smelt all the time, meow, picked it right up, meow!"

With that, Ethan felt the last knot of worry loosen.

He knew a bit about smelting from Earth, but the techniques of this world were a different matter, having Pearl’s knowledge on hand made all the difference.

He scratched Pearl behind the ears, then looked at Ash. "When do you plan to leave?"

"We’ll rest today and leave tomorrow."

"Alright, I’ll have someone gather some higher-quality ore and give it all to you then."

’So Ash hasn’t finished collecting the best stuff yet.’ Ethan had hoped to take the ore back with them right away, but waiting a day was no hardship.

"I’d like to test the smelting techniques first, could you spare some average-quality ore? You should have some lying around."

"Of course, no problem."

"I’ll trade Honey Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Beets, and Vitality Cabbages for it."

"Then it’s a deal, go rest up first."

After bidding Ash farewell, Ethan headed back to the cabin they were staying in.

Zharok was inside playing with Lyra, the moment she spotted Ethan, she ran over with her furry tail wagging.

"You’re back?!"

"Yeah. Have you been well?" He patted her head and glanced around, the cabin was spotless, not a speck of dust anywhere, Lyra still held a broom in one hand and a rag in the other.

Ethan fished a Honey Sweet Potato from the handcart and held it out.

"Thank you!"

"You’re welcome. Thanks to you, we can get a proper rest."

"Hey, couldn’t you at least roast it first before giving it to her?" Zharok called from the bed.

"Lyra, want to stay for a meal?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I have hunting training right now!!"

To become a qualified beastman, one had to master all sorts of skills from a young age, Lyra might still be small, but she had to start learning the craft of a proper Fox Beastman warrior, since her training session was about to begin, she politely declined.

Ethan shrugged. "Alright, come play again next time."

"Okay~!!" Lyra waved her hand and darted out the door.

Zharok was sprawled across the bed, gnawing on a raw Honey Sweet Potato he had grabbed from the cart earlier, he liked them completely uncooked, apparently.

Ethan and Pearl settled down nearby, Walter spoke first.

"How is it? Is there a lot of iron ore? If possible, could you make something for me as well?"

The request caught Ethan off guard, Walter’s combat style relied on blood magic and those massive blood-red bird constructs of his, why would he need forged weapons?

"I want to equip my undead subordinates," Walter explained.

"Hmm... alright, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

"Better than fighting bare-handed."

"Why equip them now?"

"Ever since I occupied the forest entrance, other undead frequently come to harass us, I must hold that position to ensure the elves can pass through safely."

’That makes sense.’ Ethan filed the request away, once they got home, he would forge some weapons for Walter’s troops.

"Do you not need a weapon yourself?"

"I don’t, but, do you actually know how to smelt metal?"

"Pearl says it knows how."

"Oh, it knows that too?" Walter raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

"Then I’m relieved."

Ethan turned his attention to a more pressing matter. "What should we have for dinner..."

"Let’s make Spicy Boiled Fish, meow~"