Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Early the next morning.

Peter had just gotten up when he saw Bojina cooking mushroom soup in an iron pot over the campfire, while Pavlena was frying rabbit meat and bread slices on a stone slab.

It's so nice to have ladies at the camp; breakfast is served as soon as I wake up.

"Lord Peter, I must say, your knightly estate is even more shabby than my herb hut."

The old lady spoke frankly while cooking, making Peter, who got up to wash his face in the basin, feel embarrassed.

"I'm a wandering knight, and I've only been here for a week. It's already a blessing to have a camp here that shelters me from the wind and rain. But I promise you, things will change here soon."

Peter wiped the water off his face and kicked Tom and Jerry, who were still fast asleep, awake.

From now on, when there are ladies in the camp, you all need to be more alert, put away your old laziness, and don't embarrass yourselves.

Tom and Jerry, feeling resentful, got up groggily, yawned, splashed around in the water basin a couple of times, and then sat down by the campfire, their eyes fixed on the food.

Soon, breakfast was ready. Everyone gathered around the campfire, drinking soup from wooden bowls and spoons. Pavlina then handed out pieces of fried meat and black bread to everyone.

After a delicious breakfast, Peter began drawing pictures on the ground with a twig... oh no, I mean, he started drawing a future plan for the camp—here's a simple wooden hut, here's an alchemy hut, here's a storage room, here's a bow and arrow crafting station...

Peter concluded, "The situation is clear. If we work hard, we will have bread, we will have houses, we will have walls, and it's not all a dream."

Tom scratched his head: "Boss, leave the hunting to me. I feel like I'm an amazing archer, and I can even make bows and bowstrings. But cutting down trees... I'm really not good at it."

Jerry said with a wry smile, "We want to cut down trees, but we don't have the tools."

Peter silently handed him the battle axe he had seized from the Cumans, saying, "Now you have it."

Jerry's face fell even more. He took the axe with a pitiful expression. He just didn't want to do such hard work as logging. Why did the adults take it so seriously?

"Among our belongings from the move, we also have two axes and a shovel, but Lord Peter, if we want to start construction, we only have these few tools. It's not enough for just a few of us. I'm afraid we won't be able to finish the wooden cabin that shelters us from the wind and rain and the alchemy hut equipped with a stove and a blower until the fall. So we'd better recruit more people."

Bojina has seven years of experience in wilderness survival and has some insights into how to build a camp.

Peter nodded in agreement, saying, "It is indeed a bit difficult for just the few of us. Here's what we'll do: Ms. Bozhenna, you first gather herbs in the mountains and forests, then build a drying rack and prepare a stockpile of herbs. Once we've set up the alchemy table, we can quickly refine the potions."

Bozhenna nodded and said, "No problem. But building the alchemy platform will require a coal stove, a blower, wine, spirits, vegetable oil, a large number of ceramic medicine bottles, a still, and other equipment. My old blower and still can still be used, but you'll have to find the rest yourself."

"no problem."

Peter then turned to Tom and said, "Tom, you continue to be in charge of hunting and providing meat for the camp."

Upon hearing that he didn't need to cut down trees, Tom immediately patted his chest and said, "Yes, sir! My archery skills are now excellent; I guarantee I can shoot a deer every day!"

Peter then instructed, "Jerry, you're clever and quick-witted. Find out what other bandit camps are around. These people are pests that endanger the civilians of our territory. As a knight, I have a duty to protect the safety of the civilians and a responsibility to capture them and put them under labor reform!"

"Yes, sir! I, Jerry, am best at eavesdropping and gathering information. People call me Gray Rat. I'll definitely find all those pests around here for you."

Jerry gave the same confident assurance.

"And what about me? What about me?"

Seeing that everyone had a task, Pavlina asked excitedly.

"You're good at weaving baskets, so you must be very skillful. From now on, you'll be in charge of making all the baskets, backpacks, wooden bowls, plates, spoons, and tableware for the camp. If we find clay again in the future, we'll also need to fire pottery to make ceramics and pottery medicine bottles."

"Great! Great! From now on, I'll be the camp's master craftsman!"

Pavlina clapped her hands happily, while pondering where nearby branches were suitable for weaving, where trees were suitable for making bowls and plates, and where there was clay to fire pottery...

Peter then pointed to himself and said, "As for me, I need to go and buy axes, shovels, charcoal, nails, linen, and other supplies for everyone. It seems I must make a trip to the village under the lord's jurisdiction."

"The blacksmiths in Takhof Village are the best, the leatherworkers in Dravico Village are the closest to us, Semi Village has the most grain, Apolonia Village has the largest production of stone and clay bricks, and Troski Village, as the central village under the castle, is famous for its carpenters, grocers, tailors, apothecaries, and taverns. We can buy everything we want there, but it will cost some silver coins."

Pavlena was familiar with the local environment and knew exactly where to buy supplies.

"Money is not a problem. I have some ideas on how to make money. Since Pavlina is so familiar with the villages, and it would be inconvenient for me, an outsider, to go into the villages to buy things, why don't Pavlina use selling baskets as a cover and act as my guide, so we can go out shopping together?"

"Great, great. I often take these woven baskets to sell in different villages by myself, and I know almost everyone there. Mom, you think so too, right?"

A blush rose on Pavlina's face, her eyes brightened, and her voice was filled with indescribable joy.

Traveling alone with Lord Peter? This sounds like something out of an adventure story!

Bodina glanced at her daughter, then at Peter, her eyes scrutinizing, but ultimately softening into a helpless understanding. "The journey is long, be careful on the road. Pavlina, you must follow Lord Peter's instructions."

Peter patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Ms. Bodina, I guarantee with my... uh, knightly honor that I will bring Pavlena back safely!"

When Pavlina heard Peter confirm that he would take her, her heart rippled like a lake tossed with a pebble. Going out with Lord Peter! Not as a herbalist's daughter needing protection, but as… a companion? He thought of using my woven basket as cover; he trusts me!

After the tasks were assigned, everyone went about their own business.

Peter was dressed in full combat gear: a cast iron helmet, chainmail over scale armor, iron gauntlets, leather gloves, ugly stitched trousers, and leather boots. His weapons were a one-handed sword and a shield. He looked like a menacing figure.

Pavlina, on the other hand, wore a white headscarf, a long green linen dress with a cinched waist, and a cloth bag slung across her shoulder containing a water pouch and some herbs.

Then came the eight wicker baskets stacked up. Pavlyna was about to bend down to carry them when Peter beat her to it and picked them up first.

"Sir, how can you do such rough work? Let me do it. I often carry baskets to the village to sell my wares; it's quite tiring."

Pavlina, a little shy but also a little stubborn, bent her slightly muscular arm.

Peter didn't know if gentlemanly conduct was still valued in the Middle Ages, but he certainly wouldn't stand idly by while the lady did hard labor.

"Let me do it. This weight is just a matter of one hand for me."

Peter wasn't exaggerating. Eight baskets weighing just over 20 pounds were a piece of cake for his current normal load of 360 pounds. With the added benefit of being a "diligent youth," as long as he didn't exceed his normal load limit, he wouldn't expend extra stamina. He could carry them all day without getting tired.

"Sir, you are such a kind person. Just like the paladin in the bedtime stories I listened to when I was a child."

Well, here comes another "good guy" card.

Peter smiled and continued walking steadily.

Perhaps Pavlyna was not accepted by others since childhood, or perhaps she lived alone in the wilderness with her mother and had no peers to talk to. She finally met Peter, who was about the same age as her and was very kind to her. On the way to Takhov village, they kept looking for topics to talk about.

"My lord, do you know that we have two knights here, one is Sir Semi and the other is Sir Nebakov, but they are both very old, one with a face full of wrinkles and the other bald. They are nothing like the knights I imagined."

"What kind of knight do you think you are?"

"I think a knight should be like the one in my mother's bedtime stories: humble, honest, compassionate, brave, just, sacrificial, honorable, and pious. He should be polite to ladies and draw his sword against villains. Or like the bards in the tavern, riding a white horse, he should charge alone into the dragon's lair, fight for three days and three nights, and rescue the princess trapped inside."

"What you just described might be seen in the younger members of the Knights. But the older knights, having received honors and fiefs, haven't wielded their swords in a long time; they are now just rural landowners begging for a peaceful life. Perhaps their next generation will be different."

"I've met Sir Semi's son, young Semi. He's a kind young man, and I even saw him give coins to beggars, but he's too weak. I heard that the lord of Borgo's son stole his beloved girl, but he didn't dare to resist, and everyone in the tavern is secretly laughing at him. Sir Nebakov's daughter is married, his son is serving in a distant post, and a group of distant relatives want to seize his wooden castle."

"You mean the son of the Lord of Borgo?"

Peter asked with some surprise, as he hadn't noticed this character while playing the game.

"I heard it from my mother. Our Troskii territory originally belonged to Count Sedras, who lived in the big city of Prague and only came here briefly in the autumn to stay and hunt. His household was managed by his steward. Seven years ago, it was sold to Count Polgar, who also lives in Prague and rarely comes here. Sir, have you ever been to Prague? Why do nobles like to live in the city? Is it fun there?"

Pavlina's train of thought was so disjointed that it startled Peter, who was listening intently. Then, searching through the original owner's memories, he realized he was an illegitimate child, a slave-like beast of burden, and had never even been to Prague.