Chapter 829 Chapter 828: Off To The Grottos
"Now in a mere three days, we have replenished your food stores, helped repair your primary housing locations, created a few work stations for stonecutting, woodworking, forging and leather working, harvested a large amount of resources... All in all, I would say this was a successful, bountiful three days, no?"
Satanya was looking around the hall with a satisfied expression, the red skinned Demoness smirking as she took in the way the hall changed over these last couple of days, with the most notable being the people themselves.
Now that they had secured a good amount of food for themselves, had better clothing and sleeping areas, and were no longer as worried about risking their lives each time they exited the city's walls, everyone looked far less gaunt then before, and their eyes had regained a certain luster that came from being safe.
Obviously, there was still the wary looks in their eyes as they observed us from afar, or the slight fear that came with it as the humans who accompanied us on hunts got to experience some of our strength first hand, but more often than not they were looking far more relaxed and happy then they were when we first showed up.
I imagine that meal security, warmth, and the looming threat of death being lifted from your shoulders would do that to most people.
"And we could never thank you enough, Miss Satanya. You have given us hope where there used to only be despair. Sincerely, thank you very much. All of you."
Mary bowed deeply, showing her gratitude in the most obvious way before looking back up as Satanya clicked her tongue, saying "Don't bow too deeply now, Custodian Ixan. You are the ruler of Custodia now, remember that."
She blinked a few times in surprise at Satanya's words, though a small smile wryly tugged at her lips as Satanya added "Besides, I dislike formalities. Far too time consuming to go through consistently. Now, let's not worry about the past few days, but instead focus on the days coming up. We are going to be heading up into the Terracotta Grottos now that the path is clear of monsters. With the hordes around the city thinned, and a large stockpile of materials and food inside the hall, I'm comfortable enough to leave you relatively on your own again."
Mary nodded, looking around the hall and taking in its repaired state with that smile still on her lips and relief in her eyes, though she returned to Satanya as the Demoness continued speaking, giving the Custodian a good idea on what was going to be happening over the next few days.
"A majority of us are going to be heading to the Grottos, but not all of us. I'm leaving behind two Beliali and two Cimeriesa Demons to continue helping you and your people, and to act as liaison's when the rest of our people begin to move out into Tragon. They'll be here to help hunt, repair, and cook until then. They will also listen to most of your orders, with the only exceptions being anything that brings them direct harm or causes harm to your people; the usual things that are in place just in case something warps your mind..."
Satanya trailed off as she studied Mary's face for a moment, before she looked back towards the rest of the humans around us as she added in a low, almost silent whisper, "They are also here to maintain watch over the rest of your people. I am not entirely convinced that any and all thoughts regarding your puritan ideals might still be in play, so... I don't want to risk having my hand bitten by those I feed."
Mary nodded again, her expression remaining the same despite the blatant threat spoken to her, and she replied "That's acceptable, Miss Satanya. What exactly are we to expect going forwards though? For this upcoming week, anyways. We discussed the arrival of your Clansmen and other members of the Empire in as much depth as we could manage, but we never touched on this excursion into the Grottos..?"
At that, Satanya glanced over at Jahi before returning her gaze to Mary, answering "We will return once to three times, depending on the loot we gather inside the Grottos. Each time we return, it will only be to deposit our loot and rest for a little before returning to the Grottos. We will be there for no longer than two weeks, but we will be there for at least a week, so you should have more than enough food to last that long. Going forwards, this is going to be primarily your leadership once again, with the addition of four Demons who can make hunting easier for you, should you believe a refresh of your food stores is required. Otherwise..."
"We won't be seeing much of you, Custodian Mary. After we depart today, we will see you at least twice - once to drop off our loot, and the second time to come back and collect it for a return to the Empire. Other than that, until the new occupational forces of the Empire come by, it will remain just you and your people."
The woman nodded as she took in Jahi's words, before letting out a sigh as she said "Even though we were nowhere near being friends, it will be a shame to lose your company. All of you. Ah, perhaps that's entirely selfish of me to say though; we never had a talented smith like yourself, Begum, nor a person capable of brewing potions like the two of you, Princess, Miss Ammit. And the food... It's been some of the best I've ever eaten, despite us lacking so many ingredients and spices, Miss Katherine. Thank you, all of you. I hope you'll return some time in the future? To see how Custodia has progressed?"
We all smiled at the human woman, nodding and giving her our best wishes before turning and loading ourselves into the carriages, preparing to set off towards the Terracotta Grottos, which had been our primary objective this entire time.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on fre(e)webnov(l).com