Negotiating with the Varshe
“Please handle this quickly.”
After Georges pushed that on me, I headed to the fort to meet Bale’s family and the Varshe.
The reason Georges reminded me so firmly was because he ended up taking care of all the Cocotte chicks.
He could ask the maids or attendants, but the method for raising Cocottes still has to be kept secret.
So the only option was to temporarily rely on Georges, who was already looking after two chicks.
If possible, I want Bale’s family and the Varshe to approve everything today—both securing a place to raise the chicks and building a fort.
Since the Varshe are here, we can’t bring workers inside to build a shed.
But once the shed is done, we can remove the wall and connect it to the Varshe’s fort.
The question is whether the Varshe will allow the milking magic tool.
“It’s been a while, Bale. Since there was no news, I assumed things were going smoothly, but is anything worrying you?”
“Nothing so far.”
“You haven’t been attacked transporting milk?”
“No. We’ve resumed delivering it ourselves, and nothing dangerous has happened.”
It’s only about forty minutes to the new town. Once more people start traveling there, the road will be even safer.
“As I mentioned in the letter, I brought the milking magic tool.”
“Do you think the Varshe will agree?”
Milking must have been tough for them too, so Bale’s family is probably anxious about how the Varshe will react.
When we went to meet the Varshe leader, he was soaking in the hot spring.
“It’s been a while. Anything troubling you?”
“We are living comfortably.” That was Atre interpreting.
I explained the milking tool and suggested letting them try it once.
“I dislike attaching machines.”
“I think it’ll make things easier since it shortens milking time tremendously.”
The leader thought for a while, then called the other Varshe.
They agreed to try it once.
The leader let us attach the magic tool first.
It has adjustable speeds, so we started at the slowest and increased gradually while checking with him.
It finished in about one-fourth the usual time.
The Varshe and Bale’s family were stunned.
We rinsed the tool with water magic and repeated the process until all the Varshe had tried it.
When we asked for their thoughts, they said the tool felt unpleasant to attach, but the shorter milking time was welcome, so they agreed to use it.
However, with only one tool it would take too long in rotation, so they wanted more prepared.
“I can prepare more tools. There’s one more thing we want to discuss.”
I explained that we wanted to raise the Cocotte chicks here.
They refused, saying they didn’t want Cocottes wandering around.
I explained the chicks would stay inside a dedicated shed and would be moved elsewhere once grown.
However, bandits might show up to steal the chicks.
They said bandits didn’t matter—they could use the exercise.
So fighting bandits is exercise for them…
Once the talk with the Varshe ended, we discussed the details with Bale’s family.
“You want to hatch Cocotte eggs and raise the chicks?”
“Yes. Eggs and chicks must be kept somewhere with stable warmth.”
“You plan to use the hot spring heat?”
“Using magic tools would cost too much, and we want to raise them in large numbers. And the area must stay clean at all times.”
“So this is the only place that works.”
“The new town was an option, but this place is safe thanks to the Varshe.”
“Please let us do it.”
Bale’s younger brother suddenly spoke up.
He explained that if Bale married someday, he might have to leave this place, and he was worried whether he could find new work.
Our household pays well, so finding another job on the same level would be hard.
“Bale, do you have someone you’re planning to marry?”
“No, not yet…”
With the Varshe’s milking time decreasing, their workload will shrink, meaning the younger brother might have to leave.
Combined with the possibility of Bale marrying, his anxiety must have grown.
But if a new job—hatching and raising Cocottes—appears, that problem disappears.
“For the Varshe milking tool, you must always wash it before attaching it. Otherwise you risk disease or infection. Anyone who can use water magic is essential here.”
Bale’s family agreed to raise the chicks, so Hamilton, Kamuela, and five earth mages started building the fort for the Cocotte shed.
Since the young Cocottes will stay here for a while, we made a wide area so they can move around.
If we don’t finish today, we’ll stay overnight at the new town mansion and continue tomorrow.
While they built the fort, I planted Dodorin branches.
If I plant them now, they’ll grow just in time for the shed’s completion.
“No ‘grow bigger’ this time.”
At this level, people will just think they grew quickly because I have the Plant Goddess’s blessing.
It’s hard to control, but I’d rather avoid unnecessary trouble.
Next, Bale’s family will need hay or grass to raise the chicks and young Cocottes.
But straw is hard to get because we use it for straw paper.
So we’ll need grass near the fort—but they have no wind mages, meaning they’ll need a grass-cutting magic tool.
I want to keep costs as low as possible.
If Cocottes become too expensive, the whole operation becomes pointless.
We also need warm stones from the Great Forest.
There’s so much to do…
What do you think about this chapter?
