Chapter 77: Accountant
Edgar looked at the young woman for a few seconds before glancing around the Fortress.
Quite frankly, he didn’t have many things that needed Hera’s help.
The girl was best at making potions, something no one in the Fortress could do.
But Edgar didn’t have many materials used in potion creation. All he could do now was wait.
’Though it would be nice if I could groom her into my own personal potion master.’
After thinking for some time, Edgar looked at the girl and asked, "Can you read and write?"
The girl slightly nodded her head. "I was taught by private tutors."
"Can you do mathematics?"
"Yes."
He quickly threw a question at the girl. "What’s six added to seven times nine?"
The girl answered in a split second. "Sixty-nine."
’Nice!’
"Follow me."
Without another word, Edgar began walking, and Hera quietly followed behind him.
A few minutes later, they entered his temporary shelter in Oswald’s house.
Edgar pulled out several pieces of parchment and placed them on the table along with ink and a quill.
"I need records for all the items that are being used and brought into the Fortress."
Hera tilted her head. "...Records?"
He picked up a piece of parchment and drew several straight lines across it.
"From how much food we are harvesting to how much we are consuming, Nightmare Stones collected, people assigned to each building. I want all of it written down."
Hera silently watched as the blank parchment was divided into neat columns.
She picked up the quill and the parchment and replied, "...I understand."
Edgar nodded his head and began walking out of the place once again.
"Follow me. I will let you inside the warehouse so you can count all the things we already have."
The young girl thought it was necessary, so she didn’t object to his commands.
The two of them walked side by side with neither of them saying anything.
When they were close to the warehouse, Edgar stopped at the site where the group of artisans were working.
The silently working group of three turned to look at Edgar and stood up.
"My lord."
They spoke in unison.
Edgar gave a nod of acknowledgment and asked, "How are things going?"
"It’s much easier to create, even though it sounded impossible when we first heard it."
The one to reply was a middle-aged man with short grey hair and a long beard. He was named Virgo, the one leading the group.
"We have already started working on the base, and it might be over in a few days."
Edgar walked toward the neatly woven vines of elastic wood that were as large as house mats.
He crouched down and pressed a hand against one of them.
The vines bent slightly beneath the pressure before springing back into shape.
’Perfect.’
It was exactly the flexibility he had been hoping for.
Virgo watched him with a curious expression.
"I still don’t understand how these are going to work."
"You will understand soon enough." Edgar replied cryptically.
"Just make sure it’s sturdy enough. My life depends on it."
Virgo chuckled softly and nodded his head.
"Don’t worry about it."
Edgar turned to look at the girl, who had a very curious look on her face.
She couldn’t help herself from asking,
"What are they making?"
’Oh, Madam Goth here is still concerned with the things ordinary men are doing?’
Edgar thought to himself as he looked at the girl with a small smile. "They are making a big basket."
Hera frowned, unable to understand.
"A basket?" she asked. "Why would you need a basket?"
Edgar wasn’t about to reveal his plans to satisfy someone else’s curiosity. All he did was smile.
Hera didn’t probe anymore as they reached the warehouse.
Edgar opened it with his hand, which worked like a locking system.
The heavy wooden door slowly creaked open.
A faint scent of dried wood, grain, and herbs drifted out.
Hera instinctively widened her eyes.
"..."
The warehouse was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Neatly stacked shelves stretched from one end of the room to the other.
Items like Nightmare Stones, Shards, and materials were placed neatly as well.
She felt rather overwhelmed looking at all the things that she needed to record.
Edgar turned around and walked out of the warehouse. "Start working."
After assigning the task to the freeloader, he shifted his focus back to the other things.
’We should have our first harvest by the end of the day...’
Edgar thought, looking at the Agricultural House, which was now brimming with crops.
He then shifted his gaze toward the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩, which was lit up, a sign of ongoing refinement.
’Man, I hope we get some good items from the ape-like Nightmares.’
Edgar thought, rubbing the back of his neck.
Having nothing else to do, he returned to his house and decided to take a short nap.
It took him only a few minutes to fall into a deep slumber.
---
When Edgar woke up, it was already around three o’clock in the afternoon.
After taking a bath and freshening up, he walked out of the house.
Just as Edgar was about to continue walking, Harbin came jogging toward him.
"My lord!"
The old farmer’s weathered face was flushed with excitement.
Edgar raised an eyebrow. "The harvest?"
Harbin nodded so vigorously that his beard shook. "It’s ready!"
Without another word, Edgar followed the old man toward the ⟨Agricultural House⟩.
The moment they stepped inside, Edgar stopped in his tracks.
The first floor had transformed.
Rows of potato plants had already been harvested.
Large baskets overflowed with fresh potatoes.
Nearby, onions, garlic, beans, radishes, and several unfamiliar herbs had all been neatly sorted into separate piles.
The earthy scent of fresh crops filled the room.
Harbin couldn’t stop grinning.
"I’ve been farming for over forty years... I’ve never seen anything grow this fast."
Edgar walked toward one of the baskets and picked up a potato.
It was firm, large, beautiful, and without any signs of disease.
’The Agricultural House is even better than I expected.’
That made him even more curious about how the soil worked without a sun.
Edgar looked around and noticed the veteran knight wasn’t here.
"Where is Gordon?" Edgar asked in confusion.
"He hasn’t come back from his expedition." One of the soldiers who was with them replied.
"..."
A concerned look appeared on Edgar’s face.
’It’s already quite late.’ His eyes drifted toward the murky grey-black fog. ’...What happened to him?’