Half an hour later, Aaron turned to Torvald and said, "Torvald, take the men and bring the supplies here."
Torvald glanced at the group of men, then replied with a thoughtful frown, "We can do it, Aaron. But it’ll take nearly all our manpower."
Aaron nodded, then looked at Khumba, "Talk to the villagers. We’ll need their help."
Khumba responded without hesitation, "Don’t worry, Lord Aaron. Leave it to me."
He turned to the crowd and called out, "Jumba, gather the men and take them to fetch the supplies."
Jumba hesitated, concern flickering in his eyes. "Old Chief... what if monsters attack while we’re gone?"
Aaron stepped forward, his voice firm and reassuring. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect everyone. You have nothing to fear."
Captain Monga added, "Lord Aaron, allow me to accompany them."
Aaron nodded in approval.
Then he turned to Kelly and said, "While they’re gone, speak with the women. Find out what skills they have, anything useful, from sewing to cooking. Write it all down and make a list."
Kelly nodded, "Understood, Lord Aaron. But I’ll need ink and paper."
Without a word, Aaron waved his hand. From his storage ring, he produced a stack of paper, a feathered pen, and a bottle of ink.
Kelly picked them up, eyes wide with curiosity, "Lord Aaron... don’t you need to chant your magic words again?"
Aaron, without missing a beat, replied smoothly, "Of course not. I’ve mastered silent casting."
Kelly blinked, unsure whether to believe him, then sighed and turned to begin her task.
Meanwhile, Aaron watched the line of villagers heading out. He drew his bow from the storage ring and stood guard, his eyes occasionally flicking to the map in his hand. No red dots within 3,000 meters. For now, all was calm.
Kelly approached a group of women, who looked at her with a mix of curiosity and caution.
She offered a warm smile and said, "Hello, everyone. Lord Aaron has asked me to record any skills you may have. If you know how to do something useful, please let me know."
One of the women raised her hand timidly, "What do you mean by ‘skills’?"
Kelly replied in a calm, composed tone, "Skills are things you’re good at, like sewing, tailoring, cooking, or anything that helps the village."
She paused, then added, "Of course, it should be something you’re confident in, something others can rely on."
The women began exchanging glances, some whispering, others nodding thoughtfully.
One of the women stepped forward, her voice slightly nervous. "Miss Kelly... I know how to make wooden baskets from leaves."
Kelly offered a warm smile, "What’s your name?"
"Lina," the woman replied softly.
Kelly nodded, still smiling. "Miss Lina."
She carefully wrote down the name and added beside it, "Can make wooden baskets from leaves."
After recording, she said gently, "Okay, Miss Lina. Please stand to the side. If you have other tasks to attend to, you’re free to go."
Lina nodded and asked, "Is there anything else I need to do now?"
Kelly shook her head, "Not for now. When we need your help, we’ll call you."
Lina breathed a quiet sigh of relief and stepped aside.
Seeing this, another woman hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and stepped forward.
Time passed. An hour later, Torvald returned, leading the men who carried the supplies on their backs and shoulders.
Jumba, ever meticulous, directed them to place the supplies one by one in a cleared area. The unloading took another hour.
Finally, Torvald approached Aaron and asked, "Aaron, what shall we do next?"
Aaron responded immediately, "Ask our people to set up camps. There’s plenty of space, right?"
Aaron leapt down from the tree, landing with quiet confidence. He turned to the group and said calmly, "Let’s go. Bring the prey back to camp."
Torvald glanced around and nodded, "Yes, I’ll handle it."
Aaron added, "Make sure to separate the men’s and women’s camps."
Torvald replied, "Understood. I know what to do."
He looked up at the sky, then checked the sundial in his hand. It was already 5 in the evening, just an hour before dusk.
Without wasting time, he hurried off to organize the tents.
Chief Khumba, seeing the activity, brought out unused tents to help.
Meanwhile, Aaron turned to Rumba. "Rumba, give your team orders to gather firewood."
Rumba scratched his head, looking conflicted. "Lord Aaron, it’s not that I don’t want to lead them... but my team was assigned to hunt. We were delayed while making salt, so I haven’t completed the task yet."
Aaron replied firmly, "You don’t need to worry about hunting. I’ll go myself. You’ll follow me. Take three people with you. The rest should gather firewood."
Rumba’s eyes widened in surprise, "Okay, Lord Aaron."
A few minutes later, Rumba returned with three hunters.
They wore leather armor, bows and quivers slung over their backs, and bone knives strapped to their waists.
Aaron nodded, "Let’s go." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⚑fire.net
Soon after, Aaron opened his map. He had already marked his target: elks, just 2,000 meters away. The map showed them clearly, level 1, marked in red dots.
Rumba followed behind, frowning. Aaron hadn’t inspected the terrain, hadn’t tracked any signs. It felt... reckless.
He was about to speak when Aaron suddenly whispered,
Under their stunned gaze, Aaron leapt onto a tree branch.
He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired, twice, in quick succession.
The hunters exchanged confused glances. Then, in the distance, they heard the unmistakable sounds: elk cries and pounding hooves.
One of the men whispered, "Did Lord Aaron... already hunt the target?"
Another replied, disbelief in his voice, "Impossible. He didn’t even track them. How could he know their location?"
The third added, "Elks are sensitive. If we get within 200 meters, they’ll flee. Normally, we need two people to flank them, and Captain Rumba strikes from the front."
Rumba said nothing. He simply stared at Aaron, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn’t yet explain.