I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 7 Small Village

At the edge of the forest, above the wooden house, wisps of white smoke rose and floated into the sky.

A gust of wind blew by, carrying away not only the smoke but also the rich aroma.

The boiling river water stewed the chopped chicken, and the scattered salt gravel floated in the pot, dissolving and melting in a moment, making the soup in the pot cake even more fragrant.

The crackling sound of charcoal came from the fireplace behind him, and Luc's knife was chopping green fruits and yellow mushrooms on the hinges.

At this time, it has been more than half a month since Luc entered the forest, and he has gradually adapted to life here.

The fireplace was ready for use a few days ago. Not only does he no longer have to worry about charcoal flying everywhere, but the warm room every night also allows Luc to sleep better.

Pour the chopped yellow mushrooms into the chicken soup, and place the cored green fruits on a wooden plate. After a while, a delicious breakfast with both meat and vegetables is ready.
Luke drank chicken soup and ate chicken legs with the sour and sweet green fruits, looking out of the house.

Since the wooden house was built, the housing problem was temporarily solved, and the thorny issue of food became the issue.

So what Luc did most during this period was to look for food:
Apart from using traps to catch rabbits and pheasants, Luc spread out six miles from the wooden house. When his footprints were all over the mountains and forests, he actually found some other useful food, green fruits and yellow mushrooms being just one of them.

At the same time, the cautious Luc still did not find any large carnivores, which made him suspect that the previous elk carcass might have been eaten by animals such as mice.

In addition, Luc went to the salt mountain and mined two salt stones and extracted some salt.

But none of this matters anymore. What matters is that Luke is going on a long journey today!
The reason why we eat such greasy food early in the morning is to prepare for the present.

Luc wasn't shortsighted, and wouldn't be fooled by the seemingly abundant food in the mountains. It was the season for all things to grow, so he had a temporary peace of mind. But once winter arrived, everything would wither, and without any food to store long-term, Luc would likely starve to death!
So Luc had two purposes for this long journey: one was to see if he could find better food, the best crops, such as wheat.

Second, observe whether there is really no one around this land!
No man is an island. Even mountain dwellers will walk out of the mountains from time to time to exchange some supplies with the villages where people live in groups.

Besides, this is also crucial to Luke's future plans!

After eating, Luc got up and dug a pit in a secluded place at the foot of the mountain and buried the mail armor in it. The trip would take at least two days, and Luc did not intend to carry such heavy armor.

After marking everything, Luke returned to the cabin, assembled the flint, put the cross sword on his waist, hid the knife in his trouser leg, then picked up the armed axe and walked out the door.

The deerskin had been successfully tanned and was slung across Luc's back along with a pile of food.

After bolting the wooden door and confirming it was secure, Luc turned and walked out of the mountain.
……

Four days later, in the southern valley, Luc, disheveled, stood on the mountainside, looking through the dense trees at the scattered thatched cottages below. Beneath his calm exterior, a turbulent sea surged. "There really is a village!"

Luc narrowed his eyes. Along the way, he climbed over two mountains, waded through a river, and cut through countless branches that blocked his way. Finally, he found this small village.
Why is it small? Because there are really not many families. Luc looked around and saw only seven thatched cottages. It is more like a manor than a village.

"But this is for the best."

Luc turned around and hid his armed axe. The place where he used to live was a village directly under the Baron. It was indeed large in scale, with a hundred households, but with it came more guards and the presence of the lord himself.
Luc has no intention of meeting any nobles yet, even though he has fabricated an identity as a troubadour.

Luc simply tidied his clothes, held the hilt of his sword and walked down the hillside.

It was afternoon, but dark clouds obscured the sun, preventing it from shining through. A serf in a coarse tunic was tilling the fields. As he looked up to wipe his sweat, he suddenly saw a tall man with a dagger appear in his sight. He froze in shock, and his scalp went numb.

"Oh my God! Bandits are coming!!"

Looking at the man who was so scared that he dropped his hoe and ran away, Luke opened his mouth to explain, but he didn't expect that the other party ran faster than a rabbit and rushed into the village in the blink of an eye.

It's no wonder the other party was afraid. In this day and age, carrying a dagger was considered an armed person, especially with Luc's burly figure and messy hair, he looked like a refugee bandit out for extortion.
After a while, because of the serfs' shouting, the entire village gathered together. Less than twenty people gathered like a bunch of frightened baby birds. Among these thin people, five "soldiers" holding pitchforks and sickles were gathered together, protecting the women and children behind them, and facing Luc timidly but bravely.

The two sides were about fifty yards apart. The village leader had gray hair. He was the village chief and the only veteran in the village who had participated in the Lord's War.
As a veteran, he was fortunate to be able to live in a peaceful village in his old age. Although the population was sparse, everyone was kind and benevolent. Because the population was too small and the location was barren, few lords liked this fiefdom. Only poor knights who were not favored would be rewarded here.

The village chief did not like the knight. Perhaps it was because he had been too poor in the past. After becoming the lord, he did his best to exploit the seven families, collecting miscellaneous taxes and levies in various ways. He took the money, but did not develop his own territory. Instead, he squandered it until one day he died in his own home due to improper drinking.

But at this moment, the village chief looked at the uninvited guest in the distance and missed the knight.
After all, no matter what, the knight has good swordsmanship.
The village chief's eyes were sharp, and he could tell that the man walking down the hill was definitely a murderer, perhaps even a skilled deserter. The young men around him...
Glancing at the slightly trembling people around him, the village chief gritted his teeth. Could these peasants, who had never seen blood, and his own frail body, really withstand the barbarians before him?
"My friends, you have misunderstood! I am a bard passing through here, not a bandit."

On the other side, Luke looked at the situation in front of him and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Did he look that scary?
".I just want to exchange something with you. I have no ill intentions. Put down your weapons and let's have a good talk!"

Luke's words drifted to the village chief's ears on the wind. He was about to cheer up the young men when his eyes suddenly lit up after hearing them, but then he said with caution:
"Troubadour?"

"Well, if you are truly a bard, and you are here to exchange something, then what would you like to exchange?"

His village was very small, and the village chief really didn't know what was worth exchanging.

"Nothing much, just some wheat seeds from your village."

Luke said calmly that as long as they could communicate, there would be no problem. However, he did not expect that as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the white-haired old man's face immediately flushed and he cursed:
"Damn you, you want some food seeds? And you dare to say you're not a bandit!!"

(End of this chapter)