Tavern.
It was a two-story house built of white stone, slightly larger than the other houses.
Under Mu En's instructions, the tavern has been transformed from a place for drinking and chatting into an important site for collecting work points from the villagers.
He knew perfectly well that only circulating currency could be called money.
The owner, whose skills were rudimentary, stepped down to work behind the scenes, taking charge of accounting and maintaining order.
Standing in front of the stove were now several farm women who had showcased their culinary skills at the previous celebratory banquet.
Or, as Mu En would call her, "The cafeteria auntie."
The aunties are naturally cooking up Blessed Crops, such as juicy grilled skewers, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes, and thick, fragrant vegetable porridge.
Of course, the most popular choice is a large glass of grape juice that is sweet but not cloying, with a refreshing fruity aroma.
What? You're asking why there's no alcohol in the tavern?
I'm sorry, the newly brewed fruit wine has only just been put into the cellar. If you want to drink it, you'll have to wait until the next spring's chilly season.
As for the price, it's naturally not cheap.
An ordinary farmer can earn about five centimeters a day for his work, which is enough to feed his family for several days.
In a tavern, ordering a few tortillas, a large bowl of mashed potatoes, and a glass of grape juice would cost most of your salary.
But this didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm.
The villagers, receiving their "wages" for the first time, had not yet developed the habit of saving. After a hard day's work, they earned a few hard little wooden pieces, and they felt uneasy if they didn't spend them.
In addition, the aunties were really good cooks; the food they made tasted almost exactly the same as what was served at the celebratory banquet.
So even though the prices are high, the tavern is still very popular.
The tavern was packed with people, filled with the sounds of conversation, chewing, and clinking glasses.
The Valley of the Wind a place of peace, abundance, and tranquility.
Nothing "major events" happen here, at least not before this imperial conscription.
But today, the villagers, who had only calmed down a few days earlier, are arguing endlessly about a "war" that just ended.
Here, everyone sees each other all the time, and news can easily spread unintentionally.
Of course, this is under normal circumstances; special circumstances are not included.
For example, on the day Mu En arrived, the disaster relief team worked hard all day and was exhausted.
After returning home, almost everyone slept until late the next day before leisurely heading out to work.
By the time the news spread, it was already afternoon.
This led to Beruto was not well-informed and had a stubborn personality, making a fool of himself in front of Nausicaä and Mu En.
Yesterday, before nightfall, the news that Princess Nausicaä had led troops to rescue the Pejite refugees became the talk of the town in the tavern.
Even now, on the evening of the second day, everyone is still enthusiastically discussing this matter.
"Have you heard? Princess Nausicaä..." a farmer started the conversation.
"I've heard! I've heard! Even Old Leisi, who lives in the mine, has heard! Now everyone's talking about whether we can beat those bandits!" someone said impatiently.
"Our men can't lose," a foreman interjected, swallowing hard the mashed potatoes in his mouth. "I went to deliver food the day before yesterday and saw Lord Yupa and his soldiers sparring with my own eyes. Their movements and swordsmanship were so fast I couldn't even see them!"
"Who can say for sure? I heard from Little Meili that those bandits have guns and cannons, they're terrifying." Opponents also expressed their opinions.
In the Valley of the Wind, where entertainment is scarce, any new thing is thoroughly discussed and analyzed by the villagers.
Everyone chimed in, and the argument grew louder.
The tavern owner leaned against the counter, wearing a sour expression.
Good business is a good thing, but too much noise is also a nuisance.
Just then, a boy rushed into the tavern, panting and his face flushed.
"Come quick, everyone!" shouted the child on guard duty. "Her Highness the Princess has returned victorious! She's already at the castle gate!"
The tavern fell silent instantly.
Then, with a whoosh, everyone stood up.
According to the elders, it's "off-get off work time" now.
Watching the excitement won't cost you work points; if not now, when?
Some people didn't even bother with the freshly served pancakes; they grabbed their grape juice and rushed out the door, leaving the tavern owner shouting helplessly, "Put the glass down!"
The crowd from the tavern spilled onto the street, and spurred on by these avid gossips, even more villagers who were eating indoors joined the throng.
The castle square was quickly packed with people.
Nausicaä and Yupa stood in the center of the square, with three Blessed Warrior standing guard beside them.
What first caught the attention of the villagers was the sight of one Horseclaw after another being led into the square.
"One, two, three... five, ten... how many horses are there?"
"I reckon there are at least twenty of them!"
What they didn't know was that these were just Horseclaw used to pull goods; the rest had already been moved to the original cattle shed.
Several dejected prisoners walked at the front of the procession, along with the "little Giant " who was placed separately on horseback.
Ohara was still unconscious, but his exaggeratedly large and menacing physique was enough to make the timid take two steps back.
"Is that the bandit leader? He looks just like ' Sidra ' from the story."
"His build is even bigger than that of a heavily armored Tolmekia soldier."
"Even if he was ruthless, he still got caught by our prince."
The buzzing of voices was loud, but soon the villagers' attention was drawn to something else.
Even more eye-catching are the spoils on the cart behind the Horseclaw —inside the Valley of the Wind, those "sleds" are of no use.
First and foremost, there are the weapons.
" Storm " assault rifles were neatly stacked, and several wooden crates were piled high with magazines.
There were also grenades, Ceramic Steel, cannonballs... and that Ceramic Steel cannon with a very "wasteland" and "I think" look.
The items were carried down one by one and placed in the square, and the villagers stared wide-eyed.
They had never seen so many weapons in their lives.
Then, more spoils were laid out before them.
Gold and silver coins were piled up like small mountains, reflecting the unique luster of precious metals; in addition, there were grains such as wheat, dried meat, and dehydrated vegetables, which were also piled up to more than a person's height.
Finally, the treasure chest, which was the grand finale, was placed down.
The large treasure chest, which took four people to lift together, had its lid opened, revealing the jewelry, gold and silver utensils inside, their glittering jewels gleaming in the air.
Piles of treasure, piles of coins, piles of food, piles of weapons...
Looking at the mountains of spoils, only one thought kept swirling in people's minds.
Your Highness, is she really going to fight off the bandits?
Instead of robbing some incredibly wealthy merchant caravan?