Building the walls

Rumors had begun spreading through Wilderness Village recently, and people had been discussing them in the tavern for almost a week.

Word had it that one or two enormous black bears often prowled around the area farther south of the village.

They never harmed anyone unfortunate enough to encounter them. Some villagers returning home after working late even found the black bears watching over them until they reached the village.

Some said these bears had been sent by the gods to protect kindhearted villagers like them.

Others said the bears actually wanted to attack Wilderness Village and were looking for an opportunity.

In short, the rumors grew increasingly outlandish. At first, Allen had not wanted to tell the villagers that Beorn's people were helping guard them.

After all, bears were ferocious beasts, and Allen had feared panicking some of the villagers. Now, despite his silence, they were panicking anyway.

Allen had no choice but to gather the villagers and tell them that the bears really were protecting them. They were good friends of Wilderness Village, and there was nothing to worry about.

After the villagers heard Allen's explanation, the rumors that the black bears were preparing to attack Wilderness Village disappeared.

Instead, the untold story of Allen and the black bears became an even hotter topic in the tavern. Even the three recovered Dwarves joined the discussion.

Yes, the three Dwarves had finally regained their health. After learning that the village now had a Dwarven blacksmith, Artimenner built a smithy near the Anduin River.

It was only an empty shell, however. Allen could provide bellows, an anvil, hammers, tongs, and even pig iron, but not fuel or furnaces. Frey's first task upon taking up his post was therefore to build various furnaces for smelting iron and burning charcoal.

Fortunately, Frey was an all-around expert in smithing, and none of this posed a challenge to him.

Furdin and the others also dismantled the large net woven with bright, silvery metal.

Frey told Allen that the metal mixed into it was mithril, the finest metal the Dwarves could find in Middle-earth. Once melted down, it amounted to a lump the size of two fists.

If Allen wished, Frey could use this mithril to make him a suit of mail. Using techniques unique to the Dwarves, he could produce armor that was not only extremely light but exceptionally strong.

After considering it for a while, Allen declined Frey's suggestion.

Allen had a vague feeling that this mithril might serve a greater purpose later.

He did not know why he felt that way. He kept sensing the faintest spark of inspiration, but could never quite grasp it.

Soon, other matters occupied most of Allen's time.

Ever since word spread that enormous black bears were protecting Wilderness Village, many Woodland Dwellers had come to confirm it for themselves and begun gravitating toward Allen's village.

A considerable number pledged their loyalty to Allen, hoping to gain his protection.

Others merely moved into the surrounding area and waited to see how things developed.

Even without counting the Woodland Dwellers who had settled nearby, Wilderness Village's population had now exceeded two thousand.

Allen learned from the newcomers that they all came from south of Wilderness Village-or, more precisely, from the southern reaches of Mirkwood.

The evil forces there were growing stronger. Many villagers frequently spotted unusually large spiders in the forest, something that had rarely happened before.

Some villagers also said that long ago, under the moonlight, they had seen a pale-skinned Half-orc riding a white wolf and leading Warg Riders across the wilderness. They did not know what the riders were searching for, but they had never entered the area Beorn patrolled.

Allen knew this was the evil power of Dol Guldur, and the pale Half-orc was probably Azog. He likely traveled frequently between Moria and Dol Guldur, managing his territory while currying favor with his master, Sauron.

Judging by the situation, however, Azog probably had no intention of attacking Wilderness Village anytime soon. Clearly, Sauron must have given him a more important task.

Allen's forces were far from weak now. If he called everyone up, he could muster more than six hundred warriors.

Although most were Woodland Dwellers with less-than-impressive weapons and equipment, they could fight reasonably well in ambushes or defensive battles.

Frey had also been using the spoils taken from the Half-orcs to forge simple weapons, but he could not equip everyone in such a short time. Armor was even further out of reach. It was slow to make at the best of times, and fine armor took longer still.

The other major problem was that Allen's village had practically no walls.

Although the wooden fence was constantly being reinforced and expanded, it was still only wood and offered no advantage of height. It would struggle to withstand an attack by large numbers of Half-orcs.

Nor would every Half-orc commander be as stupid as the last one.

Leaving race aside, Azog was a capable commander, more than able to lead an army of tens of thousands of Half-orcs.

Allen felt he could not afford to underestimate him. At the rate Wilderness Village was growing, he might have to fight Azog before the Battle of Five Armies.

Besides, Allen now had plenty of additional workers. He could not send them all out to reclaim wasteland, as that would make protecting the villagers far too difficult.

Allen felt it was time to build taller, thicker walls enclosing a larger area.

Everyone agreed with this proposal at the meeting in the lord's longhouse, but a problem stood before them all.

There was no stone around Wilderness Village. The Misty Mountains had plenty, but hauling stone from dozens or even hundreds of kilometers away to build walls would cost far more than Allen could afford, quite apart from the danger involved.

After they discussed the matter for a while, Artimenner proposed an alternative: wood.

Artimenner spoke confidently at the meeting, with the air of a man finally getting his chance to shine and certain that no one was better suited to the task.

"During my travels among the Nords, I discovered that many towns and castles in the Kingdom of the Nords used wooden walls. They buried logs five or six meters long side by side in the ground, then fastened them together on the inside with nails, planks, wire, and the like. They built two rows and packed earth between them. This is much faster than building with stone, and takes far less labor."

At this point, Artimenner turned to Allen.

Standing tall with his chest out, he said, "Lord Allen, I studied these methods in detail in the Kingdom of the Nords. Although I haven't been with you long, please trust my loyalty and ability. I will complete this work as quickly as possible."

Allen had never doubted Artimenner's loyalty or ability. He was simply considering one question: did they really have to obtain the wood from Mirkwood? Would the woodland Elves come looking for trouble? Then he reconsidered. Mirkwood had so many trees that using a few should not be a major problem, and he had never heard of Ents living there.

Allen also recalled a place called East Bight on the eastern side of southern Mirkwood. Humans had literally carved it out by felling trees. If they had been fine, would he not be fine too?

Allen sat in his seat, torn.

At that moment, Furdin, whom Allen had made an exception to invite, suddenly spoke. "You could actually use bricks. Wooden walls don't offer much protection, after all. Bricks would be no weaker than ordinary stone. As it happens, I know the craft, and there's no shortage of suitable clay around Wilderness Village. I would be delighted to help repay you for saving our lives."

Now Allen was even more torn. Both plans had their advantages and disadvantages.

Wood would be fast. Although it needed some treatment, its large size would certainly make construction quick. The drawback was that its defensive strength really could not compare with walls built from stone or brick.

Bricks would greatly improve the walls' strength, but construction would certainly be slower than with wood.

After considering it briefly, Allen decided to stop agonizing over the choice. He would have both.

Allen looked at Artimenner and said, "Artimenner, draw up the plans first. I need enough room for three to five thousand people to shelter inside the walls, with ample space to store supplies and water. As for construction, I think we can use both methods at once."

Allen then turned to Furdin and said politely, "Sorry for the trouble, but I'll leave firing the bricks to you. On behalf of everyone in Wilderness Village, thank you for your help."

Furdin hurriedly waved his hands. "Of course, of course. I'm happy to be of service."

Allen turned back to Artimenner. "I'll leave how to use these materials to you. I can currently give you seven hundred workers. You may build the walls as you see fit. Make a list of any tools you need, and I'll get them for you as soon as possible. I have only two requirements: work quickly, and don't treat the villagers too harshly."

Artimenner nodded excitedly. He believed that if he built these walls well, he would not only secure his place in Allen's team but might even leave his name in history. For an engineer like Artimenner, that was an enormous temptation.

Ymira rose beside them, looking troubled. "My lord, if you conscript that many people, we won't have enough food. We currently have enough for the original few hundred, since the villagers who arrived later have been feeding themselves. But if you call up another seven hundred people and put them to strenuous work, our food will soon run out."

Wilderness Village's original villagers and soldiers numbered only a little over five hundred. They had either arrived with nothing or had their villages destroyed by Half-orcs. Allen had always been responsible for feeding and clothing them, and that would continue until autumn.

The Woodland Dwellers who came to join Allen later ate their own stored food, which would be enough to last until the harvest festival in late September or early October.

With a great river to the west and a forest to the east, Wilderness Village's surroundings also made it easy for villagers to obtain extra food in summer.

Conscripting the villagers would change things. Allen would have to provide for at least twelve hundred to fifteen hundred people.

Allen carefully worked out the cost of buying enough food through the simulator to last until the harvest festival.

...It would actually take tens of thousands of denars (ten denars a day for fifty people meant nine thousand denars a month for fifteen hundred. There were at least four months left from summer to the end of autumn, so tens of thousands should be right).

Allen felt a headache coming on. He still had plenty of denars left-probably over ninety thousand. It looked like a lot, but he had never imagined it would disappear so quickly.

The walls have to be built. If I have to spend it, so be it. It's not as though I'm a miser like those Dwarves.

As he thought this, Allen stole a glance at Furdin, only to be caught looking.

Furdin wondered why the young leader was looking at him. He certainly could not obtain any food.

Having made up his mind, Allen told Ymira, "That's not a problem. I'll handle the food. Go and make your preparations. I want everyone to get moving tomorrow."

Then he looked around at the others. "Does anyone have any other questions?"

"Then the meeting is adjourned."

Everyone filed out of the lord's longhouse.

Lying in his bedroom, Allen felt he might be facing a financial crisis and began debating whether to run another simulation.

After resting for more than half a month, Allen felt his mental state had more or less recovered, but he feared that he had not recovered fully and might encounter further problems.

After agonizing over it for a long time, Allen gave up on the idea. He felt he still needed proper rest and should wait until he had recovered completely.

Lying in bed, Allen said wistfully, "Making choices is the hardest thing in life."

"My lord, do you need anything?"

Alayen, who slept next door, called out loudly.

"Nothing. Go to sleep."

After answering Alayen, Allen closed his eyes.

Following the last meeting, Wilderness Village entered an unprecedented period of activity.

Artimenner led the villagers in building roads. They could not transport all the timber by hand; they needed wagons to help.

Furdin was also preparing the brickmaking site and kilns.

Firentis and Bunduk grew even busier with guard duties, while Ymira did everything she could to manage logistics.

Even Jeremus brought his apprentices out to help. Villagers often suffered bumps and scrapes while working, resulting in minor injuries.

Klethi... Klethi was often off having fun, nowhere to be found.

Allen found himself idle again.

Everyone knew that since Allen had slept for nearly an entire day last time, his mental state had remained poor.

Although they did not know the reason, they were all very considerate of him. After all, no one in the village was more important than Allen.

If Allen collapsed without naming an heir, there was no telling what might happen to the village.

Under these circumstances, Allen did not want to look like an outsider either. He often brought Alayen along to visit the busy villagers.

He asked what they needed and whether they had encountered any problems in their work. Whenever there really was a problem, Allen addressed it immediately.

For instance, when some villagers said they were tired of eating nothing but vegetables and wanted meat, Allen arranged a meal with meat every few days.

Likewise, when some villagers said they wanted a drink after work to ease their fatigue, Allen bought some ale and let them drink when they had time. However, he strictly forbade drinking on the job or causing trouble while drunk.

Of course, Allen also frequently took Alayen to visit Beorn during this time and enjoy a little better living.

Beorn's home was taking proper shape and already resembled the beginnings of an estate. It was clearly a very comfortable place to live, and Allen felt a little envious.

Not everything was going well, however. Thanks to Beorn's help guarding the area, no Half-orcs appeared around Wilderness Village, but they were often spotted across the river.

They even appeared during the day, shooting arrows across the river in an attempt to kill the busy villagers and provoke Allen.

In Allen's eyes, they were simply asking to die.

Standing on his side of the river, Allen used his war bow to pick off quite a few of the Half-orcs who challenged him.

This continued for quite some time. Finally, after losing several hundred of their number and learning a bloody lesson, the Half-orcs grew wiser. They stopped appearing on the riverbank and instead hid in the dense forest to watch Wilderness Village.

Allen could do nothing about this and could only let them watch.

Time passed little by little. Construction of the walls steadily advanced, and Allen, who wandered around the village every day, gradually recovered his mental strength.

Life continued this way until one morning, when some unusual visitors arrived at the entrance to Wilderness Village: a party of Elves who claimed to be from the Woodland Realm.