Peter began to observe the farmland.
Now that he had focused his attention on the village, he noticed that his field of vision was almost entirely comprised of farms, whether it was on the right or the left side, with the exception of the few occasional houses where he saw farmers were coming to and fro. He also saw a few other buildings a little further away. He wasn't sure what they were or what they were used for. As for the pasture behind Peter, he hadn't paid it any attention. He could see nothing but the farm animals and the shepherds anyway. If he needed anything in the pasture, he could go there next time. After all, that was the entrance to the village and it was just near the house of Richard and Peter. Right now, his interest lies in the buildings whose uses he has no idea about.
He just wants to satisfy his curiosity.
He passed by the farms and farmers to look at the area.
As he walked along the path, he noticed a patch of farmland on the side. He didn't see anything wrong with it. For Peter, who came from a family of farmers, he knew the reason. It was a farming technique. Farmers allow the soil to recover by not using the land for farming in one cycle. That way, the plants have enough nutrients to get the next time they are used for planting.
As he moved forward, he occasionally saw mothers, young women, and children outside their homes, busy with their respective tasks.
...
He arrived at the building that caught his attention the most.
Peter looked carefully at the open door of the building.
He had a feeling he knew what kind of place this is. Based on its position in the center of the village with its posh vibes, it was obvious how much the village valued it.
It's out of place in this very simple countryside.
When someone came out to greet him, his suspicion was confirmed.
"Hello, my child. I noticed you standing outside and seemed hesitant to come in so I couldn't help myself from going out to approach you. Come inside with me. Don't hesitate. The Goddess of Goodwill is fair to all. She values each and every one of her children." An elderly man invited him with a radiant smile, before that elder entered the building.
"I told you so." Peter said to himself with conviction. He followed the elderly man sporting a black liturgical vestment. As soon as he entered the building which is most likely a chapel, a smaller form of church, his eyes widened when he saw an image in the middle of the chapel. That was the goddess who gave him power and a chance at a second life.
When the priest arrived in the middle of the chapel, he faced Peter. The elderly priest smiled when he saw Peter's awed gaze at the statue of the Goddess of Goodwill. The priest choose to keep his mouth shut and hold back what he is about to say. He waited for Peter with a radiant smile.
"Sorry." Peter said to the priest shyly when he realized he had kept him waiting.
"No problem. I understand. Paying homage to our creator, the Goddess of Goodwill, is more important than just a lowly priest serving her," the priest said in a tranquil voice with a smile.
"My name is Peter. I just arrived here from the east," Peter introduced himself to the priest.
The priest inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"What's the problem, Peter?" he asked, catching the younger man staring.
Peter hesitated for a second before asking, "What should I call you, Father?"
The priest was surprised by the unexpected question of his identity, but he quickly regained his composure and answered.
"My name is not important. The important thing is that I am a priest from the order of the Goddess of Goodwill," said the priest.
"You mentioned you are a foreigner. Then you don't know the Goddess of Goodwill?" the priest asked curiously.
"Oh! You're wrong. I know her very well," said Peter.
"That means the people from the east know that the Goddess of Goodwill created them." the priest said happily.
Peter had no idea what to say in this situation. He's not an original resident of this world, after all. He knew there was only one thing to do in this kind of situation. To remain silent.
"How did you end up in front of our chapel?" questioned by the the priest.
"I just arrived here in the your village, father. In fact, I'm staying with brother Richard. One of the farmers in this area. I went here in Terragon Kingdom to try my luck in the field of trade. I'm currently touring the village to get to know the people here to see if they are open to any transaction," Peter explained.
"Is that so? It seems like I end up interrupting your work. Go ahead and do what you have to do. Continue your observation of our village," the priest said with a kind smile.
"Okay. Thank you very much, father." Peter nodded to the priest.
After excusing himself, he looked at the image of the Goddess of Goodwill. Peter silently thanked her for the opportunity she had given him.
The priest smiled at what he saw.
As Peter was about to leave the chapel, "just a moment, Peter," the elderly priest called him out.
The confused Peter turned around in surprise.
"Why did the priest stopped him?" Peter was asking this in his mind.
"Go to any place you want but not just the sole mansion in the village." the priest hesitantly said.
"Why?" Peter asked with a slight frown.
"That's the house of the village head, the lord. You wouldn't want to associate yourself with that person." The priest said in a barely audible voice in response to Peter's question. You can sense the caution in his words, as if he was afraid that someone might overhear what he was saying.
Peter smiled and answered.
"Thanks for the heads-up, father."
"Don't mention it, my child."
...
Peter wasted no time. He went to visit the buildings he saw one by one.
The sun was already setting when he finished observing the entire countryside.
Luckily, he was able to tour the vast village in just one day.
He also managed to interview some villagers. Peter breathed a sigh of relief when he realized how well they treated a stranger. They even welcomed him into their buildings.
He didn't waste the opportunity. He questioned them.
At the first building, upon entering and seeing what's inside, he immediately identify the place he was standing on. It was a smithy. Peter was filled in excitement. Unfortunately, it seemed like he had been doused with cold water when it didn't turn out as he expected. There were no swords or any other fighting weapons on display.
"You don't forged weapons here?" Peter asked the other person in disappointment.
The tone the smith used when he answered Peter's query and the way he look at him was funny.
"No one here will use weapons, why create them? Those with the skills to use them always go to other towns to become adventurers. What use would those weapons be to us? That's why I only forge farming tools. If you want weapons, you should go to a town to buy them." The blacksmith explained with a shrug, as he openly stare at Peter, as if he is a looking at a strange person.
Peter's attention was diverted to something said by the blacksmith along the line.
"They exist, huh? Adventurers." Peter whispered to himself with a smile.
Since he no longer needed anything from the forge, Peter didn't waste any more of his time or the blacksmith's. He left and headed for the next destination.
In the next building, he discovered a medieval pharmacy. The place was made entirely of light materials, with the majority of the materials used being wood, unlike modern pharmacies with railings and glass partitions. The medicines were kept in simple bottles. Otherwise, they were just wrapped in leaves. After talking to the owner of the medieval pharmacy for a while, he left. He didn't want to waste any more of his time. He had many more places he planned to explore.
He entered those places one by one if he's allowed to, and started pestering the busy villagers.
In the second to last building, he saw the granary where the village's produce was being stored.
Finally, there were the two windmills standing side by side. He headed toward them, his heart full of excitement.
He saved the windmills for last on purpose. In modern times, there are windmills too. Everybody from Earth know that modern windmills are solely used to generate electricity.
Peter's excitement stems from his anticipation of the use of old-fashioned windmills. In the retro farming RPG simulation game that Peter use to play before, he learn that windmills are used to grind corn for chicken feed. Now that he has discovered that no corn has been introduced here, he is excited to find out where they are used for. It didn't disappoint. He found out that the first windmill was being used as an irrigation system. Apparently, that windmill is used to supply water to the crops. That's why the people guarding it were taking extra care.
The second windmill is also important, but it cannot surpass the importance of the first windmill. The first one, if damaged, could cause the village's crops to die. If it did, they might as well die of hunger. Going back to the usage of the second windmill, it is for grinding barley and wheat which is used as the villagers staple food as well as the feed for their husbandry.
Peter also didn't forget to observe the village lord's mansion even from a distance. It was at the very end of the village. It was really spacious. It was also guarded. Next to the lord's mansion was a medium-sized forest. He was surprised when someone called his his name. When he looked around to see who it was, he clearly remembered that it was one of the people he had spoken to. It is one of the owners.
"Mr. Peter, why are you spying on the lord's manor?" he asked him with a hint of panic.
"I'm a little bit curious. The priest at the chapel told me not to go near there, so don't worry. I won't do anything to harm you guys," Peter assured the person he was talking to.
The villager took a deep breath and reminded Peter not to do anything stupid and then left.
Peter began to walk back to the direction of Richard's house.
Peter spent a few minutes relaxing and whistling along the path. He watched the setting sun in the west before he noticed something speedily dashing towards his direction.
Peter suddenly lost his balance, tripped and slid to the ground.
"Hiss!" Peter groaned as he hit the ground face first. He tasted blood in his mouth. He felt his lips on fire. He also felt the pain in his elbows and arms.
He looked at his left leg where he felt someone bump into him earlier, causing him to fall.
He heard an ear-piercing cry of a boy. When he followed the source of the voice, he saw the child who was now lying on the ground. The boy was holding his face.
"Are you okay, kid?" Peter asked worriedly.
At the sound of Peter speaking, the child's cries intensified.
Peter stood up from his accidental fall. He inhaled the cold air to ease the pain of his wounds.
He knelt in front of the child, panicking at the screaming.
He comforted him. Peter gently patted the boy's arm. He winced when he felt pain in his palm. He looked at it and saw that the palm he was using to comfort the child was scraped. He just shook his head and continued comforting the young boy who estimated to be around five.
"Hold on, kid. Where is your parents?" Peter asked the child calmly.
He sighed when he only responded by crying.
A little while later, a woman, panting and hysterical, approached, calling for her son.
"Alfred! What happened, my son?" the mother shouted as she ran towards him.
Following the mother is a young girl who is out of breath from running.
As soon as she reached him, she pulled him into a tight hug. When she finally stepped back to inspect his face, her worry deepened-- his skin was a bruised red, and a prominent lump had started to swell on his forehead.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. We had an accident." Peter frantically apologized to the mother of the young boy. He chose to apologize because he was older than the boy. The collision wouldn't have happened if he had been more alert.
Meanwhile, the woman, who could only see her son, was startled when somebody suddenly spoke to her. She turned sharply to Peter as the explanation registered in the mother's mind.
Peter was surprised by the mother's frown and subsequent outburst of anger.
"You shameless scoundrel did this to my son!" the mother said angrily, hitting Peter.
The surprised Peter could do nothing but prop up his wounded arms.
"Calm down, ma'am. It was just an accident," Peter shouted at the bewildered lady.
Fortunately, Peter was helped by the lady's young daughter.
"Mom! That's enough. Stop it! It was just an accident. That's enough." the little girl desperately pleaded with her mother.
The lady didn't seem to hear anything. She continued to hit Peter.
"You're shameless," she said repeatedly while hitting him. When Peter saw that even her daughter couldn't calm her down, Peter made a decision. He forcefully grabbed the hysterical woman's hands as they lashed out at him.
"That's enough. It was just an accident." Peter held back his irritation. He knew the woman was just being protective of her child, so he held back his anger. But her reaction was a bit too exaggerated.
When Peter caught the lady's hands, he was already badly injured. It was then that the mother noticed the bleeding wounds on Peter's arms and elbows
"Oh! Forgive me, sir. I was just carried away by my emotions." said the mother, bowing to ask for forgiveness.
Peter screamed in pain as the woman suddenly lunged forward; her forehead collided with his injured hands, scraping the raw skin even further
"I'm really sorry. I'm sorry," the children's mother said in panic.
Peter had learned his lesson. He let go of the lady's hand and distanced himself from her, shuddering. Being cautious was better than being hurt by her outburst.
"It's okay. I'm also at fault," Peter said, as he took another step back. His eyes wandered and fell on the boy he had bumped into, who had now stopped screeching.
"Are you okay, kid?" Peter's annoyance disappeared and was replaced by concern.
The kid's only response was a sniff.
"Alfred! Let's treat your lump," said the boy's mother.
"Mama!" the boy called, his voice trembling.
"It's okay." comforted little Alfred's mother, who was joined by the little girl.
"Sis, it hurts!" he complained, sniffling.
"That'll get better," said the little girl Gwen, blowing on her brother's face. She also gently caressed her brother to try to calm her down.
Peter just smiled at the beautiful sight of an affectionate family. Miraculously, the irritation that had built up in him because of the little boy's mother's overreaction disappeared.
He just waited for them to finish consoling the crying little boy.
"I'll go first." Peter said to the mother and her two children.
"What really happened, sir?" the children's mother asked hesitantly with a hint of redness in her face, clearly feeling the regret and shame of showing a disrespectful demeanor over an accident.
"This is what actually happened. I was on my way back to Mang Richard's house when the accident happen. I didn't notice your son. We collided. You must have seen that I'm covered in scratches." Peter showed his injured shoulders and elbows. He also held out his palms, which didn't have any serious wounds but were still scraped.
"I'm sorry for my behavior." the woman said, bowing. Admitting her wrongdoing.
"That's fine. It was an accident. Okay. I'll go ahead. I have to treat this wounds," Peter said.
"Oh! Sir, let me treat your wounds," the woman offered.
"Don't worry. It's fine. Tend to your son instead. I'm sorry that your child was hurt because of me." Peter offered his apology.
Alfred's mother nodded in acceptance.
Peter was about to walk away when the mother and her daughter simultaneously call him out.
"Sir!" the mother of two shouted.
"Older bother!" the girl called out as well.
Peter stopped. The girl grabbed him by the hem of his clothes. He stopped walking as he stiffened. He's trying to get away from here because he's a bit scared of the impulsive mother.
"Brother, my mother will feel guilty if she lets you go without treating you. Please agree to get treatment, brother." the girl said to Peter, almost pleading. The girl leave him no choice.
Outside the family of three's house, Peter and the two children sat on a long wooden bench. They are waiting for the mother of the two who left to buy medicine to dress his wounds.
"Brother!" the little boy, Alfred, who already calmed down called Peter's attention.
"What is it, Alfred?" Peter said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair.
"You're so weird." Peter was stunned by Alfred's unexpected rude words directed towards him.
Peter is rendered speechless and can only smile wryly.
"Alfred!" his big sister Gwen scolded him.
Peter smiled at the kindness of little Gwen.
Meanwhile, Peter's hand on Alfred's little head was slowly but surely tightening.
"Brother! It hurts!" complained Alfred.
"Sorry." Peter said smiling and patted the boy's head before letting go.
"What you're saying is wrong, Alfred." Gwen rebuked her younger brother.
"It's worse to lie, sister. Brother is really weird." Alfred's painful words pierced Peter's heart like sharp arrows.
"Alfred!" Gwen said angrily to her tactless brother.
"But it's true, sister. Look at what he's wearing. It's strange." he pointed in Peter's direction with conviction.
Peter was speechless. He can't argue with that statement. His outfit was indeed unique, after all it's from another world, but it isn't that weird, just unique.
"What's wrong with this mother and son? Is Gwen really related to them by blood? She's the only one who's normal among them," Peter complained to himself.
A little while later, Alfred and Gwen's mother returned. What was even more surprising was that she is accompanied by the owner of the apothecary whom he had just met a while ago.
"Peter!" Richmond, the owner of the medieval pharmacy or apothecary, called out to him.
"Richmond." Peter called out with a forced smile.
"I heard from Alice that a foreigner who had an accident and was wearing strange clothes because of her child had an accident. And I thought you were the only one she could possibly be referring to. So I looked into what happened, and it was indeed you," said Richmond.
At first he was confused about who Alice was, but when Alfred was mentioned as his son, Peter realized who Alice was.
"Thanks for your concern." Peter said to Richmond.
Peter was startled as Alice begun treating the wounds. He was surprised when the medicine Alice brought touched his face. He winced. He didn't immediately notice that he also had a wound on his face. Maybe it was just a small one?
After the treatment, Alice's entire family apologized once again.
Afterwards, Peter promised the two little ones that when he have time, he would pay them a visit to play with them.
He walked away from the place. Peter didn't realize that someone was following him. Peter jumped in surprise when his name was spoken out of nowhere-- it was Richmond.
"Can you forgive Alice? She's just very protective of her children. She wants to be as good a father as her late husband was to their children," said Richmond.
"That's nothing. I'm not the kind of person who harbor hatred," Peter said, patting Richmond on the shoulder. He was saddened to hear the family of three was in such a pitiful situation.
"That's a relief, then. I'll think of this as a favor. You will always be welcome at the pharmacy. I will give you a discount on your purchases." Richmond promised Peter with a bright smile.
"Is Alice your sister?" Peter asked Richmond as they walked together.
"Huh? No? Why do you ask?" Richmond asked.
"No? You like her, right?" Peter suddenly teased, nudging Richmond with his elbow.
"No! Alice and I are childhood friends. Of course I'm worried." Richmond's face turned a defensive shade of red; he looked at Peter with a mix of confusion and embarrassment, as if trying to figure out how the conversation had turned on him so quickly.
At first, Peter just wanted to make fun of Richmond, hoping to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"No way? I got it right?" Peter laughed. Seeing Richmond's intense reaction, he realized he had accidentally stumbled upon the man's secret.
...
"Brother Peter!" Alfred shouted happily, his eyes wide with disbelief at Peter's sudden appearance.
"Alfred! Gwen!" Peter greeted the siblings, offering them a weary but genuine smile despite the pain in his arms.
The siblings greeted Peter with smiles.
"Brother Peter, what are you doing here? It's still early in the morning," asked the older sibling among the two children.
"I'm just keeping the promise I made to Alfred yesterday-- that I'd play with you guys when I had the time," Peter explained.
He certainly had the time. He didn't need to worry about Ichiro; the wolf still had plenty of food left from yesterday's hunt. Meanwhile, the Regeneration Slime was practically vibrating with a desire to drink from the Magical Fountain of Life, and he had already assigned Peach to water the corn crops for the time being.
Peter had plenty of time to spare. He still had a few hours left on his own after releasing Ichiro from the Livelihood Dungeon!
But his promise wasn't the primary reason he had hurried back to play with the siblings. Yesterday, Richmond had revealed the truth: Alice was a widow, left to support Gwen and Alfred entirely on her own. By tradition, the heavy labor of the farm was reserved for men, while women managed the household. But with her husband gone, Alice had been forced to defy those norms. She had no choice; if she didn't work the fields herself, she and her children would starve.
"So it's the same here, huh? Just like Earth and its patriarchal mindset," Peter concluded with a weary sigh.
Because of what he found out, Peter was very worried about the pair of siblings who were left to their own devices. Yesterday, he noticed that no matter how much Alfred roared, no one in the village noticed. He realized the downside of having a small population in a vast land. No one would notice a person who had an accident when they were alone.
Alice had clearly developed the habit of constantly checking on her children, doing her absolute best to play the role of both father and mother. Because of this, Peter's irritation evaporated, replaced by a profound sense of admiration that caught him off guard.
Peter had spent the previous night on edge, his mind racing with the thought of those two children left alone in a house so far from help. He knew from experience that children are naturally accident-prone when left to their own devices, and in this vast, empty land, a simple mistake could easily turn into a disaster.
Upon realizing that the children's house was far from the farm where the men gathered, and that the houses were also far apart, Peter took it upon himself to look after the siblings.
"Brother, how are your wounds?" young Gwen asked, her eyes scanning him with a worry that seemed too heavy for someone her age.
"This is nothing. It's far from the intestines," Peter said, flexing his bandaged arm.
Peter couldn't help but pat Gwen's head. He can't help it. The girl was too adorable. She was mature for her age.
"Probably because of losing her father at an early age." Peter couldn't help but sigh at the thought.
"How old are you, Gwen?" Peter asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity. He watched her closely, wondering how many years it had taken for her to develop the steady, observant gaze of someone twice her size.
"Eleven, brother," Gwen replied, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. "Why do you ask?"
"What?" The word escaped Peter before he could filter it, his face a mask of pure disbelief.
"Why, brother?" the siblings asked worriedly.
"I thought you were only nine years old." Peter whispered in disbelief.
Peter had now experienced the shock of the medieval era. In medieval ages, it was common for young people to be smaller than their actual age. And that applied even more to the children of the poor peasants. They lacked food. They were grateful just to get through each day with at least some food in their aching stomachs.
Learning all of their hardships, Peter's gaze towards the siblings became even gentler.
"Brother, you said you came from another kingdom in the east. So you landed in Seaham, the Port Town?" uncharacteristically, Gwen's questioning eyes were shining. Her usual mature demeanor was nowhere to be found. Her gaze, intense.
"She's still a kid after all." Peter felt relieved at the realization.
"Yes?" Peter responded hesitantly.
"That's great!" Alfred commented from the side.
"Aren't you a merchant?" Gwen stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "Didn't you pay some adventurers to pass safely through the Gorge of Beginnings and the Eternal Forest?"
"Huh? Yes." Peter answered with unfocused eyes, his gaze wandering.
His heart almost jumped when he heard the word adventurer. For Peter, an isekai genre is incomplete without adventurers. Now, he made up his mind. He will go to the place called Seaham mentioned by Gwen next. Because there are adventurers there. If possible, he wanted to be an adventurer too. He look forward to going to the port town, Seaham. But for now, he needed to blend in here and establish himself as a merchant first.
In the isekai stories Peter knew, the major occupations were always adventurers or merchants. Until he confirmed the existence of adventurers, he had remained hesitant; after all, even on modern or medieval Earth, merchants were essential. It was entirely possible for a world to have merchants without ever having a single adventurer.
He need an alibi to enter towns that are surely more guarded compared to a village. The important occupation, merchant identity is his key.
Peter and Gwen talked on, their conversation punctuated by Alfred's occasional remarks
Based on Gwen's description, the Gorge of Beginnings corresponds to the one she was thrown into by the goddess, the Goddess of Goodwill, whose true name he had only learned the day before from one of her priests.
Meanwhile, he learned that the entire area he had been wandering was the outskirts of the Eternal Forest. According to Gwen's story, the Eternal Forest was extremely dangerous. It was inhabited by the spirit beasts, each of which could destroy an entire village on its own.
He suddenly remembered the gigantic bear he had encountered before. If that had been one of the spirit beasts Gwen mentioned, he had been walking a much thinner line between life and death than he realized.
"Brother! I want to be an adventurer," Alfred said from the side.
"That's a good dream to have, Alfred, but I'm curious: why did you choose that as your dream? In reality, being an adventurer is a dangerous job," Peter asked the boy seriously.
"The reason is simple, brother. I will avenge my father in the Eternal Forest." Alfred's playful aura vanished, replaced by a sudden, heavy seriousness.
A chill ran down Peter's spine at Alfred's revelation. The Eternal Forest was the thief that had claimed the lives of these two children's father. The previously lively atmosphere between the three became heavy and tense. Peter decided to remain there until the children's mother arrived; he expected to be here for the rest of the day.
After a few hours, the three of them began to talk cheerfully again, though they carefully skirted around the topics of spirit beasts and the Eternal Forest.
Peter didn't realize it was already lunchtime. He only noticed how late it had become when Alice returned home, looking quite surprised to find him there.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Peter?" Alice asked politely.
"I'm leaving now. I just visited them like I promised," Peter said as he stood up.
He was about to leave when he was invited to have lunch with the three of them. He could do nothing but accept, because his grumbling stomach didn't know how to behave. Just as he was about to decline the children's invitation, his stomach growled loudly.
After lunch, Peter headed to the outskirts of the Eternal Forest and entered his Livelihood Dungeon. Once inside, he took care of everything that needed to be done for the day.
...
Over the following days, he made it a point to return and keep watch over the siblings.
As the days passed, the vast difference between modern times and the Skylark Realm-- which could be likened to the medieval age-- really sank in for Peter.
Even with all his mental preparation, it was a different thing entirely to experience the crushing boredom of an age where every day was filled with monotonous tasks. His feelings weren't unusual; there was simply nothing he could do to change his circumstances. There were no entertainment options like the internet or even TV. For the natives of this world, their main pastime during the days was their respective jobs, with limited choices: either farming or craftsmanship. Luckily, he had the siblings, Alfred and Gwen, to play with; otherwise, he would probably have died of boredom.
Before Peter knew it, fifteen days had already passed.
...
In the heart of the dungeon, Peter surveyed the golden rows. With Peach, Ichiro, and the Slime watching on, he went through a quick warm-up routine.
It was time. He was about to begin the harvest.
He had initially estimated it would take four weeks for the crop to reach maturity. As it turned out, he had vastly underestimated the power of the water from the Magical Fountain of Life.
He's overjoyed about the great discovery.
He got a renewed opinion about how powerful the water from the Magical Fountain of Life.
The water accelerated the growth of the corn tremendously. Before he knew it, a four-week wait had been slashed to a mere half-month.
...