Chapter 22: The Settled Beorn Clan

The trees in the Noldor Elf Forest are truly too dense; even riding an Elf Horse, it is very difficult to run inside, let alone on an ordinary horse.

You entered the forest a day ago, and along the way, you did not arouse anyone's suspicion. Now, leading your horses, you have been trekking through the forest for a day. Freya tells you that this is already considered Elf territory, and you might run into an Elf Patrol very soon.

The young girl's mouth seems to have been blessed; the moment her words fell, an arrow shot to your feet. You know this is a warning, and you feel surprised by it because, in your memory, they were not this polite; they would have launched an attack directly, not even giving you the choice to run. You feel this situation might be because of Freya and the two others behind you.

Soon they walked out from their hiding spots. This was a small group of Scouts, consisting of one Elf Noble leading several Elven Rangers and a dozen or so Elf Warriors. Their equipment is extremely easy to recognize, as it differs greatly based on their rank.

Freya and the other two young girls ran up happily. You stood to the side with bows pointed at you, helplessly raising your hands, watching them chat endlessly. Soon, that noble Elf came before you, and the bows pointed at you were all lowered.

You thought they would let you leave directly, or tell you to hand over the Elf items in your possession before leaving, but they did not. This noble told you that she invites you to go to their castle; their lord wants to see you.

You saw Freya secretly wink at you, as if saying, "See? I can guarantee your safety." You began to guess Freya's identity.

Along the way, you were very quiet, with only a few young girls excitedly chattering away. Soon they grew tired too, and the whole group fell into silence.

You trekked through the forest for about a week. Apart from running into a few Elf Patrols, nothing else happened. You were curious why the patrols needed to patrol such a distant place. That noble Elf told you—oh, her name is Arandia, she is a Knight of the **** dier Family, and a noble.

She was very polite to you, quite polite. She told you that they need to ensure the integrity of the forest; if they did not come to patrol, the forest would soon be cut down by certain greedy Humans, and by then they would have nowhere to hide and would be directly exposed to the eyes of Humans.

Considering the long lives of Elves, it would indeed be "soon" cut down, and you expressed your affirmation of this.

You traveled through the forest like this until one day, you saw a large lake, and then you saw a city faintly glowing beside the large lake. That is Elaklai.

This simulation has ended; it has been saved.

Retaining the identity of the Prophecy Child of Pendor: "However, one day, the people of Pendor will live again under one Flag; the continent will no longer have war, no longer have racial divisions, and Pendor will welcome a new possibility."

You have obtained one Elf Horse, one Noldor Composite Bow, and half a quiver of Noldor Arrows. Please note: after redeeming the items, the Simulator will enter a cooldown, and you will lose these items in the simulation.

Received rewards: 1 point of Honor, 30 points of Renown, 3000 Dinar.

Can continue the simulation, Yes/No?

No.

Exhausted to the extreme, Allen fell into a deep sleep on his bed.

When Allen woke up, it was already the evening of the next day; he had slept for more than eighteen hours.

James, acting as both doctor and friend, came to see Allen once, but after hearing the steady and powerful snoring, he turned around and told the people guarding the door that this was just exhaustion, and that sleeping more would be fine; there was nothing wrong with his body.

In the evening, even after sleeping for so long, Allen still felt very poor in spirit when he woke up.

Allen speculated that it must be a problem with the Simulator; he had forced a simulation while in a state of extremely poor mental condition, which must have led to his mental exhaustion.

With a splitting headache, Allen lay on the bed, looking at the sky outside the window, and endured the physical discomfort as he climbed out of bed.

He then instructed Alayen, who was guarding the door, to call Fatis, Yamila, and James for a meeting.

Soon, the several main people in charge under Allen arrived at the meeting room.

Allen frowned, drinking the medicinal soup Yamila had brewed for him by hand, while asking about the condition of the wounded.

James sat on a chair and said, "The situation is good. They are lucky; there are no fatal wounds. After my treatment, they will be well soon. You must trust my medical skills, old friend. I am actually more worried about your body right now. Are you sure you are okay?"

Allen nodded, put down the still-full soup bowl in his hand, and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry, a bit more sleep will do."

James nodded and said nothing more.

Fatis spoke up at this moment, "Allen, your actions this time have already spread among the villagers. I believe that soon, you will have a reputation for benevolence and kindness. This is a good thing. I have always worried that as the burden on your shoulders grew heavier, you would change. It seems I thought too much; you will be a very good lord. It is just a pity that I did not participate in this battle."

Allen was stunned after hearing this, not expecting that the thick-browed and big-eyed Fatis would have such concerns. Allen looked at Fatis and said, "Fatis, if I change, I hope you can remind me in time, just like today, so that I don't end up doing things I will regret for the rest of my life."

At this time, Yamila looked at the still-full soup bowl and frowned her delicate brows, "My lord, I think you should pay more attention to your own body. You fall into long, deep sleeps at every turn; this is truly too worrying. You should rest well for a period of time and not go out again. Also, the medicine must be finished."

Allen hurriedly picked up the soup bowl in front of him and took a big gulp; it was very bitter.

Allen still swallowed it with a smile on his face, using his actions to show that he had already understood.

Seeing this, Yamila's brows relaxed, and she began to talk about the matters she was responsible for.

"Those injured villagers need to be given some compensation. They are lying in the hospital now, which affects their normal lives. We need to do a good job with the aftermath."

"No problem."

Allen promised, "I will be responsible for their food and clothing during their hospitalization."

"Okay."

Hearing this, Yamila nodded, indicating she had nothing else.

They had nothing, but Allen did. Allen knew that by snatching people back from Bolg this time, he had effectively offended the Orcish of Moria again; this could not be left unguarded.

"Fatis, tell Desaiwei to take people and scout more towards the south. This time, it might be another hornet's nest."

"Understood, I will go out and arrange it in a moment."

After arranging everything he was concerned about, Allen drank the medicinal soup in the bowl in one go, waved his hand to tell his friends that the meeting was adjourned.

The next morning, feeling a bit better in spirit, Allen sat up from his bed.

Allen decided to rest for a period of time; he would not simulate during this time.

During this period, it would be a good time to exchange feelings with Beorn and handle some other matters.

Sitting at the table, Allen also silently exhorted himself in his heart that if there were important matters to handle, it was better not to simulate, so as not to affect reality.

After thinking it through, Allen got ready and went out, only to run straight into Beorn who had come looking for him. The two walked together toward the Oak Forest that Allen had mentioned.

This Oak Forest is said to be not far from Wilderness Village, but in reality, it takes a long time to walk, and the path in between is not all flat ground; there are high hills everywhere.

After laboriously climbing the hills, one still has to enter the sweltering valley and then climb out again. The two walked for a full half-day before arriving at the Oak Forest in Allen's impression from Wilderness Village.

Even though he had been near Carrock for more than a month, Allen had never been here.

On one hand, a Maia lives in this direction, and this is a lesser deity; Allen had not yet figured out how to face him.

On the other hand, Allen's personality carries a trace—no, a lot—of "homebody" flavor; otherwise, how could he stay at home every day watching movies and playing Mount and Blade? He does not like going to places too far away.

Since arriving in this world, the threat of survival has been pushing Allen to keep moving forward. Besides being a homebody, his character also contains a trace of ambition to help the world, which is a common trait of homebodies, which is why he could do all those things in the past.

Beorn was very satisfied with this Oak Forest; he had already arrived here with his people yesterday.

The Oak Forest is a certain distance from Allen's Wilderness Village, but it is not considered too far. The road in between is very difficult for ordinary Humans to walk, but for his kind, this is not a problem.

Once a road is opened up in the future, it will only take an hour or two by horse. It will be very simple for Beorn to get together with Allen in the future. Beorn believes this is crucial for maintaining his friendship with Allen.

There is a large piece of flat land on the outskirts of the Oak Forest, connected to the forest, where some flowers and plants grow. Some wild bees and butterflies fly in the flower clusters. Seeing these busy little creatures, Beorn was very pleasantly surprised. He knew there must be several wild beehives nearby, and the forest was full of those tall, ancient oak trees, growing densely and lushly, providing convenience for Beorn and his people to build their home.

The first moment Beorn arrived here, he took a liking to this peaceful land.

He felt this place was very suitable for his kin, which made Beorn's gratitude toward Allen even more intense.

At this moment, he could never have imagined that in another possibility, this place was his fief, and even the territory of Wilderness Village was within his jurisdiction.

While chatting with Beorn, Allen admired the surrounding scenery; he could not show that he had never been here before, because nominally, this was a new home he had recommended to Beorn.

At this time, the people of the Beornings were busy, and their bodies had recovered a great deal under James's care.

But more credit should go to their constitution or their Magic; this was the secret of the Skin-changer race, and Allen did not want to pry into it.

Instead, Allen took off his cumbersome outer coat and joined the construction work of the Skin-changer race.

During the labor, Allen felt that his body had indeed undergone changes; after a slight estimation, it was just like in the Simulator, about one-third stronger.

Time spent being busy always passes quickly, and during the leisure of work, Allen and Beorn began to chat.

Allen felt that relying only on these few people of the Beornings to build a home was truly a bit slow.

"Beorn, how about I arrange for more people to help you? I guarantee that within a few days, we can help you build a beautiful manor."

Beorn smiled, shook his head, and refused: "Allen, our kin believe that our home should be built by our own hands to be lived in more comfortably. Besides, the people of Wilderness Village have already helped us too much; this is just a small matter, no need to trouble them."

Seeing Beorn insist, Allen knew they truly did not need help, so he stopped bringing up this topic and just chatted casually instead.

At this time, Beorn's wife, Marian, came over to invite the two to enjoy lunch.

The Skin-changer race are vegetarians; they mainly rely on herding and planting to satisfy their daily needs, which is to say they do not consume the flesh and blood of animals.

In terms of diet, their baking skills are extremely good, and they are very keen on making this type of food.

Beorn and his kin had just arrived here yesterday and had not had time to do anything, so they had first built a simple baking oven.

Today, Allen was fortunate enough to be able to taste the famous Honey Cake of the Beornings.

Even Allen, who had eaten some good things in his past life, had to praise the deliciousness of this pastry.

Ever since Allen came here, not to mention anything else, the quality of his diet had plummeted.

Although one can buy all the ingredients of Calradia, Calradia is also a culinary desert. Just take that salted fish specialty of the Nord Kingdom; it is simply like a rag soaked through with salt, tasting salty, bitter, and astringent—it is simply torture. Allen always felt that if he ate too much of this stuff, it might affect his lifespan.

Beorn's wife could tell that Allen liked this kind of pastry very much.

She hurriedly poured a cup of water for Allen and said with a smile: "Drink some water; it's easy to get thirsty after eating too much cake."

While devouring the pastry in front of him, Allen said vaguely: "Thank you, thank you. You could consider opening a pastry shop in Wilderness Village; with this skill, you could also earn a lot of money."

Beorn and his wife, Marian, looked at each other and laughed.

Beorn laughed while patting his thigh, saying: "What would we need so much money for? Money is something that doesn't have much use for our lives. If you like it, Marian knows how to make many other pastries. Allen, you are welcome to come visit anytime in the future."

"Mm-hmm-hmm."

Allen nodded while eating.

After a time of a full meal.

"Ah~~"

Having finished the water in the cup, Allen patted his stomach with satisfaction. He had eaten two whole large pieces of cake; it must be said that sweet things are very easy to make people feel happy.

Seeing that Allen was full, Beorn wore a serious expression on his face and said to Allen: "Allen, I want to discuss some things with you."

Looking at the serious-faced Beorn, Allen said somewhat strangely: "Hm? Beorn, if there is anything, just say it directly. We don't need to be so reserved between us."

Beorn said: "Allen, it's like this: from now on, we will settle down in this place. I think this piece of land should also belong to your fief. I know what kind of obligations and responsibilities one needs to bear living in your fief. Although we are friends, our kin never shirk responsibility."

Allen felt that Beorn was overthinking it and said: "Beorn, why say it like that? We are just neighbors; I never thought of making you my subordinate."

Beorn waved his hand and continued: "Don't be in a hurry to refuse, Allen. I don't mean to be your subordinate either; we are friends, aren't we? You and your subordinates have shown great kindness to me and my kin. These favors, I think we will be unable to repay clearly for a long time. I always need to do something to express my gratitude, don't I?"

Allen fell into thought, and Beorn continued: "Allen, I think I can help you in some areas. The vigilance in the direction of the south can be left to me and my friend Wulf to handle. Besides that, we also have many life skills that we can teach your villagers. Allen, just for the sake of our friendship, please accept this repayment of mine."

Hearing these words, Allen didn't know what to say. Very few people would directly tell Allen, "I am very grateful to you, I want to do something for you to repay you." This was a directness Allen had not experienced before.

The things Beorn mentioned were all things he needed.

He needed the powerful military support of the Beornings, as well as their knowledge in other areas.

Originally, he had planned to wait until they were familiar with each other to talk about it slowly; he hadn't expected Beorn to say it all himself at this time.

Allen thought for a long time, looked at Beorn, nodded solemnly, and said: "May our friendship last forever, my friend."

Seeing Allen accept his good intentions, Beorn smiled and said: "Allen, our friendship will definitely last forever."

After all the things that needed to be said were finished, Allen had to bid farewell to Beorn and leave.

As the leader, Allen leaving the village in the morning without saying a word was in itself a very willful and improper thing.

If he didn't go back before dark, there was no telling how many people would come out looking for him.

Beorn also understood these principles; he sent Allen to the edge of the grass, waved goodbye, and went back to being busy.

And it was already near evening when Allen returned to the village.

In fact, at this time, except for Alayen being particularly anxious, the others didn't even know where Allen had gone.

Usually, Allen didn't stay in one place either, wandering around blindly. Any problems with work were generally discussed in the Lord's Longhouse after dinner.

Alayen was different; he was Allen's Attendant and also in charge of Allen's personal guard.

In the morning, it was just during the time he went to the bathroom that Allen had gone out.

When Alayen returned, at first he thought Allen hadn't woken up yet. When it reached noon and he thought to ask if Allen wanted lunch, he opened the door—good heavens, there was simply no one inside.

This scared Alayen on the spot; he didn't dare to ask, and he didn't dare to speak.

If this matter were to spread, Yamila, Fatis, and the others would definitely blame him; that's not even mentioning that.

An Attendant, and a Captain of the Personal Guard at that, losing the lord he served and protected—if this were to spread, he might become the biggest laughingstock or sinner in Wilderness Village.

Alayen, who was sweating profusely with anxiety at the time, couldn't think of a good way, so he could only take his men and search the whole village for traces of Allen. People who didn't know would have thought he was on patrol.

In the afternoon, the long-awaiting Alayen finally saw Allen walking back from a distance at the village entrance.

Alayen ran directly toward Allen. After running to Allen, before he had even caught his breath, he asked: "My.. my lord, where.. where.. where did you go~?"

Allen looked at Alayen, whose face was covered in sweat, and felt a slight sense of guilt in his heart.

However, Allen did not want to show it, so he had to say: "Me? I went to visit the Beornings, did something happen?"

At this moment, Alayen finally calmed his breathing and said: "My Lord, there is nothing wrong in the village, but if you go out in the future, you must remember to tell me, okay? I am your Attendant, and also your Captain of the Personal Guard; you cannot just leave me at the door without a word!"

Allen felt slightly embarrassed, knowing that his actions today had caused trouble for Alayen.

He had no choice but to say: "Alright, alright, I know, I will definitely tell you next time, okay? Come, take this and go back to share it with everyone."

As Allen spoke, he handed the Honey Cake that Marian had prepared for him to Alayen.

As soon as Alayen took it, he smelled a rich, sweet aroma, and his mouth involuntarily secreted a large amount of saliva; he said: "My Lord, what is this?"

Allen quietly said to Alayen: "This is a pastry from the Beornings' home. I will visit them often in the future, and I will definitely take you with me then. Let's just leave today's matter at this, alright? Don't tell Yamila and the others."

Since Allen did not bring it up, Alayen naturally would not mention this matter either; after all, it was not exactly a glorious affair.

Alayen nodded and said: "Very well, My Lord, we should head back."

That evening, everyone eating in the Lord's Longhouse had the good fortune to taste the Honey Cake of the Beornings.

This sweet treat drew waves of praise.

As a girl, Yamila was the first to ask: "My Lord, where did these cakes come from?"

Allen briefly described his itinerary for the day.

However, he concealed the fact that he had left with Bëor without saying a word.

He did not want to bring this up, as it would easily cause dissatisfaction among Yamila, James, and Fatis; they would have a great deal of suggestions and advice, and since they were all out of concern, Allen felt it was better not to make them worry.

"In the future, we will often be able to eat such delicacies. Bëor will pass on this precious knowledge to us free of charge. Yamila, I will have to trouble you with this matter again. After some time, once the Beornings have settled down, you should arrange for some people to go over and learn this knowledge. If you like, you can go too. Also,"

Allen's expression suddenly turned serious, "issue a decree in Wilderness Village: without permission, no one is allowed to approach the place where the Beornings live, and hunting there is strictly forbidden. Violators will no longer receive my protection."

"Very well, My Lord, I will arrange it."

Yamila happily agreed; how did that saying go? Delicious sweets just make people happy.

Seeing that everyone was very happy, Allen took out his gem pouch, picked out the best one from it to give to Cress, and then picked out several others of good quality to give to the others as a reward for this battle.

Not to mention how happy everyone was after receiving the gems, Allen looked at his gem pouch, which had shrunk by half, and felt that he might need to change his method of rewarding people in the future.