It was not long until Luke and Oscar came back with bundles of sticks and vines. They dropped off their findings before taking a shovel and ax to go get a stump. They informed me that the stump they are getting happened to be relatively round which made me excited to put the parts together.
Old man Hus and I got to work placing sticks next to each other to measure out a good size for the wheelbarrow. I cut off the tops of some sticks in order to make a more uniform length as well as shave down the sides of some of the sticks making them more smooth. Old man Hus had different shaped stones for different uses and I was surprised with some of the hand tools he also made. He had made small knives for carving and made a sandpaper-like device by placing a really rough rock in a box made out of sticks. It looked like a whetstone of some sort but he told me that he uses the tool in order to shave down edges of branches or armor in order to make it more smooth.
After making sure all the branches were ready old man Hus started to weave the vines in between the tops and bottom of the branches. Although there were gaps in between the branches he told me that we can use mud to close the gaps and attach another layer of branches on top. While this addition will add more weight to the wheelbarrow since Howard or David have high strength they will most likely be the ones to move the dirt.
While old man Hus was connecting the sticks together I went to make a pile of mud as well as check on Gobi. As I walk past the gate to the far right next to the mountainside I see a small green creature shoveling away by itself. My chest tightens and I felt guilty. Looking at the scene was like looking at a bully victim. It didn't feel right when I saw Gobi shoveling dirt away. I quickly walk over to him and surprised him with a shout.
"AAAAHHH!!"
Gobi jumped in fright and I laughed out loud looking at his reaction.
"Gobi, I think you did enough digging. Come help me with a project."
I pull Gobi up from the hole he had made by digging and took some of the dirt and placed them in a woven basket with me to make mud. Gobi followed me back towards old man Hus. Old man Hus had finished connecting the last sticks together making the base of the wheelbarrow. It was squarish and about as long as two people standing close to each other. He had also made the sides of the wheelbarrow but they were still not attached. I asked Gobi to mix dirt and water together to make mud while I get two long sticks and place them diagonally across the base of the wheelbarrow. I held onto them tightly while old man Hus tied the middle together and the ends to the base. I flip it around and Gobi spread the mud on top making sure to even it out as much as possible. Right on cue Luke and Oscar had return carrying a large stump about the size of a watermelon.
Since there was no way to precisely cut out a smaller cylinder shape from the stump I had Gobi cut shave the bark off the side while I cut off any roots. Old man Hus went to get a spear since the hand drill he had made before was not going to be efficient in creating a hole through the stump. The spear he bought back had a smiler head and he had attached another stick near the end shaft connected by a vine. The vine wrapped around the spear and connected to both ends of the stick. It looked like a meter-tall version of a hand drill.
I asked Howard to come over and try to operate the spear drill and funnily enough it was working. It was slow but steady progress and the spearhead slowly descending into the stump.
While Howard was busy drilling, Gobi went to make more mud and I helped old man Hus connect the sides of the wheelbarrow together and attach the legs and arms. It took the whole day before the form of the wheelbarrow was completed and tomorrow Howard should be done with creating a hole through the stump to create the wheel. I asked Luke and Oscar to gather more thick sticks in order to create an axle and once night fell everyone including Gobi gathered by the fire.
"Today is the first day we have a new member of HavenFall. Gobi will be the leader of the goblins that come through the Goblin Hut and together all of us will create a prosperous place to live in. Right now we are like a small village, not even a town but together I can see a time where we will have rows of houses, streets and a multitude of races living together happily. That is what I envision HavenFall will be. A place where everyone belongs."
Everyone cheered including Gobi and with a lucky haul from Owen we had our fill on fish and vegetable soup. It was a good night with lots of laughter and cheering.
Morning soon came and everyone was back to work. Howard and David took turns drilling the spear into the stump to create a hole for the axle. Lucina and Robin slowly tiling the ground while Owen helped by mixing the soil from the forest into the field. Luke and Oscar took over the duty to forage for some food and large pieces of wood. While old man Hus, Gobi and I created another layer of mud on the wheelbarrow.
Right before it was time to log out David had successfully drilled through the stump and with the help of Gobi and Howard we were able to sand off the sides of the stump to make a smoother surface for the wheel. Old man Hus carefully slotted the axle in the hole and then tied the ends to the wheelbarrow and it was finally completed.
I pick up the arms of the wheelbarrow and lift the legs off the ground and with a push the wheelbarrow moves. The first one to scream with excitement was Gobi.
"W-W-WE DID IT!!"
Like a tsunami, everyone who contributed starts to shout and cheer. I push the wheelbarrow forwards curving it around and moving it backward testing the structure and it works. Everyone took turns in moving the wheelbarrow and with all the excitement Howard lifted old man Hus into it. Driving old man Hus around towards Lucina, Robin and Owen.
At that moment a blue screen appeared in front of me.
[ Congratulation on completing 3 technologies.]
[ You have unlocked the Technology Tree. ]
The message disappears and another blue screen appears afterward.
[ Technology Tree ]
[ Completed
- Archery
- The Wheel
- Masonry ]
[ Partial Completed
- Pottery ]
The screen displays a tree-like map where the 'Completed' were highlighted and the 'Partial Completed' were half highlighted. Both were in a shape of a rectangle with the name of the technology in the middle and a small icon symbolizing the technology next to it. Branching out of the rectangles were lines towards black rectangles. Between some black rectangles were vertical lines sectioning different parts of the tree.
It is a new screen and since Elves_or_Nothin and Scarlet Witch Sabrina did not mention it then it must mean they have not completed 3 technologies yet. However what defines completing a technology?
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on fre ew𝒆bnovel.com