Chapter 115. Seven Days

Carlos found Rowan beside the vegetable rows after leaving the kitchen.

Cosmic had already returned through the Domain Portal to search the market listings Mira needed.

"I need you for something else."

Rowan looked toward the kitchen with confusion. "Cooking?"

"Food. The part before it reaches the kitchen. Your expertise."

That made him takes things seriously.

Mira brought out the charcoal board from earlier that morning. The numbers were still written across it.

"90 meals for Ironroot. 9 for Cedric’s group. 80 for the four Lords buying food. 12 Slime Cores for the six Slimes."

Carlos pointed at the first number.

"I want seven days of food stored for everyone living here."

Mira wrote beneath it.

"Six hundred and thirty meals," she said.

The number looked worse when it was written down.

"The Cold Storage can hold them," Carlos said.

"It can," Mira agreed. "But we need to cook the food before it can get there"

Carlos remembered another part of the conquest reward and opened his inventory.

--

[Preserved Provisions x100]

[Basic Grade]

[Long-lasting food prepared for storage and travel]

--

"We already have one hundred," Carlos said.

Mira inspected the provisions before answering. Each one was packed as a separate portion. They were plain and did not provide the quality of her cooked meals, but they would feed someone.

"These should be the beginning of the reserve," she said. "Not today’s breakfast."

"Why?"

"Because they are already preserved and portioned. If the kitchen is damaged or we cannot cook for a day, these can still be handed out immediately. Fresh meals should be eaten first."

Carlos transferred the provisions into the Cold Storage.

The target was no longer completely empty. One hundred portions would feed Ironroot for a little more than one day. Five hundred and thirty were still missing.

"Keep them separate from normal food," Carlos said. "Nobody uses them unless you or I approve it."

Mira shook her head. "Kaia too. If Ironroot is attacked while both of us are away, she cannot wait for permission to feed everyone."

Carlos remembered returning from the conquest injured and exhausted.

"You, me or Kaia," he agreed.

One Hearthkeeper began carrying the provisions deeper into Cold Storage while Mira marked the first hundred portions on the board.

"We do not need to prepare all six hundred and thirty at once," she said. "We protect these, continue feeding everyone normally and add to the reserve whenever the kitchen has enough ingredients left."

It would take longer, but Carlos was trying to prevent a shortage. Creating one while building the reserve would be stupid.

Rowan looked through the kitchen doorway toward the ordinary fields.

"The wheat is healthy," he said. "The vegetable rows are healthy too. WE already get you the produce at a high pace but since the cultivation district has been added to the responsibilities, I have neglected increasing out outputs. We need more land cultivated for that."

"How much more land do we need?" Carlos asked.

"I do not know yet, my lord."

Carlos waited for him to answer and Rowan continued before he could ask again.

"The crops do not all mature together. Wheat, beans, cabbage and onions do not give the kitchen the same thing. Mira also uses meat, berries, salt and oil. If you want a proper reserve, we need to count what each field produces instead of calling all of it food."

Mira nodded. "I can stretch grain when I have meat or vegetables. Grain alone still feeds people, but it uses more of the same stored every day."

"So the kitchen is not the problem," Carlos said.

"I am never the problem," Mira replied with a pout.

Rowan ignored that. "The fields need to support the kitchen before the kitchen can support more people."

Carlos looked at the other numbers.

"We still deliver today’s eighty meals."

"They are already being prepared," Mira said.

The agreement would end at the next reset unless all parties renewed it. Carlos had liked that condition when Cosmic first arranged the trade. Now it meant Ironroot could change what it accepted without breaking a promise.

He opened the message panel.

--

[Carlos Goldwin] - Deliver today’s agreement normally.

[Carlos Goldwin] - Before renewing tomorrow, ask whether the four buyers can pay with usable food ingredients or Slime Cores instead of only wood and stone.

[Cosmic Merchant] - What kind of food ingredients?

--

Carlos looked at Mira.

"Grain, vegetables, cooking oil, salt or preserved meat," she said. "Nothing spoiled. Nothing unidentified."

Rowan added, "No seeds as payment unless I inspect them first."

Carlos sent both conditions.

--

[Cosmic Merchant] - So you want me to convince Lords who need food to pay you with food.

[Carlos Goldwin] - Ingredients are not cooked meals bro.

[Cosmic Merchant] - I know. I am making sure you understand how this sounds.

[Carlos Goldwin] - Can you do it?

[Cosmic Merchant] - Obviously.

--

Carlos closed the panel. Rowan took the charcoal from Mira and drew four short lines beneath the reserve number.

"I will count the standing crops and the grain already harvested," he said. "Mira counts what the kitchen and Cold Storage hold. Do not use the Clearwater Cucumbers in the calculation. They are not ready, and one vine is still unstable."

Mira assigned one Hearthkeeper to finish the trade meals and took the other toward the Cold Storage. Rowan called the seven Farmers together outside.

Carlos followed them for several minutes, then stopped.

There was nothing useful for him to do by standing over their shoulders. He went to the Slime Barrack instead.

The six Slimes were gathered inside the circular pool. One and Two were near the front, while the four newer Slimes moved around them.

Carlos opened the barrack storage.

The number of Slime Cores inside was nowhere near eighty-four.

He did not need to count twice to understand that.

"No more summons," he said.

One bounced once.

"I am not blaming you."

Two copied the bounce. Blue floated above the pool and looked at Carlos.

"They will eat," he told her. "I am just trying to fix it before it becomes a problem."

Blue slowly nodded. The food agreement completed near midday.

--

[Daily Food Agreement completed]

[Wood x120 obtained]

[Stone x120 obtained]

[All buyers have requested permission to renew the agreement]

--

Carlos did not accept the renewals.

He waited for Cosmic. The reply arrived while Rowan was still counting the vegetable rows.

--

[Cosmic Merchant] - One buyer has Slime Cores.

[Cosmic Merchant] - He will replace his part of tomorrow’s stone payment with them.

[Cosmic Merchant] - He wants a different number of meals, so do not accept anything until I send the full offer.

--

Carlos read the message and left every renewal waiting.

For once, obtaining more resources would not begin with opening a conquest portal.