Cal saw the builders taking a break for the first time as he left the storage room. They were scarfing down patties as if it were the most delicious meal they had ever had. For all he knew, that could be the case. He knew Miren paid the builders well.

After smiling at the few that looked up at him, he walked up to Miren and greeted her with a smile. "Once again, Madame Miren, the speed at which you finish projects is impressive."

Cal admired the smithy. This was now the most impressive structure on the farm, with the house being a distant second. He was happy about that. If he spent ten guildmarks and the result was worse than the house, he would be furious.

The walls were over ten feet high, with the overall structure having a square shape that spanned thirty feet on each side. Half of it had a roof with slanted wooden shingles, soaked in something that gave it a high gloss. On the other half open to the sky, he could see an unfinished chimney peeking over the top.

Torin spoke up at the right time. "We're not finished yet, Apprentice Cal. We will finish by tonight, and if not then, tomorrow morning."

"That's still fast, Torin," Cal said with a chuckle.

Miren whispered to Torin, who then repeated the words. "While speed is important, we desire quality above all. Madame Miren sourced discounted Crystallized Clay that we embedded into the walls. You'll find that sound will be of no issue. At least until Orrin is within the Apprentice tier."

Cal blinked, surprised that Miren had gone out of her way to help him. He had specifically said to forgo creature comforts such as sound dampening in favor of allowing Orrin to have better access to what he needs to be a good blacksmith.

"Thank you," Cal said sincerely. "I owe you a favor."

Mirren shook her head like a rattle drum before whispering into Torin's ear. Cal was used to Torin acting as a middleman and waited for the relay.

"Madame Miren was returning a favor. You lent her your golem, and now she considers the matter as even."

Cal nodded slowly. He would have thought that he was getting a great deal, but that was before the higher powers taught him how extraordinary his traits were. If anything, this might be a loss for him.

He glanced at the motionless golem before letting it go. Whatever Miren gained from borrowing the seemingly unintelligent yet crafty thing was her luck. "As you say. So, before we discuss the new buildings, I was thinking of designating an area for what's going to be built now and what I might want to build in the future. Where do you think that should be?"

Miren didn't waste time and immediately pointed into the distance, right at the tree line. When he was about to voice his confusion, she also pointed behind the smithy, well into the northern wastes, and far from the farm.

Cal frowned and said, "The farm extends to the tree line. If anything has to be built there, the trees need to be cut down or that area of the farm needs to be repurposed. The latter I'm not willing to do."

Marin answered him by making a chopping motion with her arm.

Cal's frown grew more severe. He liked the tree line as it was and was loath to do anything that could change the clear separation of what belonged to him and what lay in the guild's control. It was more symbolic than anything, but he still didn't want to chop down those trees.

… unless I build a fence. The separation will no longer be symbolic. There will be an actual separation.

"Let's say that I'm willing to chop down some trees to have my buildings there. How much will it cost me to build a fence that blocks anyone from just entering my farm without my knowledge?" Cal had a simple idea at the start, but as he spoke, he realized it made more sense than it should.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Cal knew there were fences that did more than just mark where property ownership changed.

"Putting a fence around the farm is a simple task. In fact, we can throw that in for free. Now let's talk about how large an area you want. I would recommend—"

Cal cut Torin off. "I'm not talking about a wooden fence that keeps livestock within the bounds of a farm. I want a fence that would be a challenge for an Apprentice to cross without my permission."

"An Apprentice," Torin repeated, with a blank expression.

"Yes. An Apprentice. Someone like me." Cal had Maelor in mind as he spoke. He had been lax in the security around the farm, the protection from Nibbles and the pack leader contributing to that. But it was high time he looked to protect what was his and the people who lived here.

Miren and Torin shared a long look before the usual routine began. Cal waited for Torin to relay the words. He had idle thoughts about finding out why Miren insisted on using a middleman to communicate, but it was just that—an idle thought.

"It will be expensive," Torn warned.

Cal wanted to say that price was not a factor, but he remembered how he had boasted the same about the smithy, and Miren killed his pride by informing him that the best would cost him thousands of guildmarks.

"Expensive, as in I can afford it? Or it's something only an organization like a guild could pay for?" Cal asked.

"You should be able to afford it, Apprentice Cal, but only if you empty your savings and possibly some of what you earn in the future. Looking at the dimensions of your farm as it is right now, we estimate that the cost will be between fifty and a hundred guildmarks."

Cal felt faint and almost thought that he would collapse from shock, something even the most stressful situations in the sinkhole hadn't managed. The generosity the guild offered by waiving their cut of his harvest now felt like a piddling amount.

I still have to do it. There are too many treasures on the farm and people I care for money to stop me from saying yes… but do I really want to invest more into something that could be temporary?

He shoved that thought out of his mind. Tavia made a good point about how they should go make their decisions. She would deal with forming an escape plan if the situation turned dire enough. While he would pour all his efforts into the farm to make it as successful as it could be.

Cal was thankful that Miren and Torin waited patiently without interrupting his thought process. "I want that fence. It might take me some time to find that money, but I'll be able to get it."

"We can start reserving the materials needed, and it'll take us three to four weeks. We'll need payment in full at that time before we can move forward."

Cal winced but expected nothing else. He briefly thought of using the guild, but decided against it after several seconds. He wasn't above doing so, but not when he had an alternative. It was just that the alternative was extremely risky.

However, he needed to wean himself off the guild wherever possible, even if he took a risk as long as he wasn't being foolish.

I need to sell a rare-ranked tool without exposing myself. So much for hiding it until I'm strong enough.

"It's a deal. I'll have the money ready by then." Cal shook Turin's hand.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Apprentice Cal. Do you still want to speak about the buildings you wanted?"

"Of course," Cal nodded.

They discussed the details of what he wanted, but it was more of them showing him what designs were in play for the greenhouse and the secure structure. Given that he was already splurging to a point where he might as well factor in the funds from the sale of a rare-ranked tool, he chose the best of the best for the new buildings.

***

Tavia left Lumina with a strange look on her face. She had never been afraid of attention, though she never looked for it, but being nearly as mobbed the moment she entered the city was a shock.

She had been under the care of the Gane family, and she found it disconcerting because she didn't know how she got into that situation. That wasn't the complete truth, since Fintan had introduced himself as Cal's friend, and she found him charming in a silly, naive sort of way.

That had been Tavia's mistake. She underestimated him and quickly found herself feasting with some distant branch members of the Gane family that Fintan was friendly with.

She wasn't stupid and knew her recent popularity had something to do with their friendliness—other than Fintan, who genuinely liked her—but she couldn't find a reason to decline the gifts they offered, especially when it was exactly what she wanted.

If this branch of the Gane family wanted to use her popularity, then they were welcome to. It wasn't like they would dare use it for something outrageous.

Tavia's carriage rocked after rolled over a large rock, and she glanced behind to make sure the cart, and its contents, were unharmed. She eyed the stacks of tightly bound books and looked away with a smile.

I always wanted a library of my own. I'll ask Cal to add one to the house.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.