"Let's see if he'll pull something," Walter said, as Henrik brought over a few loaded sacks of grain and a wooden board.
Walter attached the wooden board to the harness with a short rope and placed the grain on the board. The bison felt the new weight, turned to examine the load curiously, luckily it didn't pick up on the fact that the sacks were full of food.
"Come on then," Walter encouraged, starting to walk forward with a bit of grain in his outstretched hand.
The bison followed willingly, the load dragging smoothly behind it across the floor. The creature showed no sign of strain or discomfort, pulling the load as if it wasn't even there.
"He'll be able to handle the cart no problem," Henrik declared with a grin.
Lily worked with Henrik to position their single remaining cart near the pen entrance, its wooden frame and wheels showing some wear but still functionally sound. This would be the real test—whether the bison would accept being attached to the cart.
"Easy now," Walter murmured as they first let the bison investigate the cart. "This is just like the sack, but bigger."
The bison examined the cart with apparent curiosity, snuffing at the wooden boards and wheels before looking back at Walter's hand. They had the bison turn around then moved the cart into position and attached it to his harness.
When Walter began walking forwards with his handful of grain, the creature followed without issue, the cart rolling smoothly behind it.
"Well, that was easier than expected," Lily cheered, watching the bison pull the cart in wide circles around the pen. "I was prepared for a lot more resistance."
"Don't jinx it," Walter replied, but he was grinning. "We can put in the order for 3 more carts and harnesses, if the other bison are this cooperative we'll be able to seriously upgrade our transportation."
---
In the afternoon, the prisoners were escorted to the woods east of the settlement for their first material gathering expedition. The trees here were thick and plentiful, providing the timber Valentra needed for reconstruction.
The guards remained more alert than the task required, their hands never straying far from their weapons. Every snapping branch or rustling leaf drew immediate attention, the recent battle having left their nerves on edge.
"Cut the marked trees first," Thomas instructed, pointing to several he'd already identified as suitable. "We need planks and beams, so focus on straight trunks without major branches."
They worked hard without complaints, cutting down tree after tree, removing branches and cutting them down to a manageable size for carrying.
"Cart's ready," Henrik announced, leading the harnessed bison along the path from the settlement. The animal moved with steady confidence, pulling the empty cart through the woodland trail as if it had been doing this work for years.
Thomas examined the setup with obvious approval. "Perfect timing. Load it up with those cut logs, let's see how much timber we can move in one trip."
The bison proved capable of pulling impressive loads. Tree trunks that would have required multiple people to drag were loaded onto the cart and smoothly transported back towards the settlement.
The animal responded well to voice commands and Henrik's guidance, making the entire operation surprisingly efficient.
"This is a major upgrade," Thomas spoke with Walter as they watched the loaded cart disappear towards Valentra. "We can harvest materials much faster now."
---
The second day brought the beginning of the smithy reconstruction. Robert stood in the ruins of his workshop, examining what was left, most of his equipment was beyond repair, but some pieces could be salvaged and reworked.
"We'll need a new forge before anything else," he told AJ, who was helping with the rebuild. "This anvil's cracked but usable for now. Most of the tools will have to be remade from scratch."
AJ worked alongside Robert, absorbing the unusable metal and helping recreate the basic tools he needed.
AJ also produced a batch of materials, while he didn't mind producing materials it cost him a decent amount of mana every time. This had him thinking about longer-term solutions.
"Once I'm operational again, I'll need a steady supply of ore. I hope it's not too much trouble for you." Robert said, examining a newly-created hammer with satisfaction.
AJ paused for a moment, the mention of ore triggered a memory. "Actually," he said slowly, "I remember something in Sam's notebook about a rocky area we passed during our travels. There was a shimmering ore there..."
Robert's eyebrows rose with interest. "How far?"
"Northeast of here, maybe a day's travel. We encountered it after..." AJ paused, recalling the timeline. "After we first 'left' the settlement."
"It's far but if the ore is useful it would be good to make use of that instead, we can't rely on you forever," Robert said, setting down his hammer. "We should talk to the others about organising an expedition."
Within an hour, they'd gathered Maria, Victor, Ethan, and several others in the incomplete administrative building. AJ described what he remembered from Sam's notes—the swampy lowlands, the rocky terrain beyond, and the metallic veins they'd observed.
"The minerals were embedded in stone outcroppings," AJ explained. "We didn't have time to investigate properly then, but Sam noted that they seemed to be mana-infused."
Maria leaned forward with interest. "It's far but the value is undeniable. Construction needs stone, the smithy needs ore, and we could use the experience of venturing beyond our territory."
"What about security?" Victor asked. "We'd be taking people away from the settlement for several days."
"Things have been running smoothly, with no crisis on the horizon we can take some risks," Ethan replied. "My team could handle the expedition while Victor and the regular guards maintain settlement security."
They spent the next hour discussing logistics—team composition, supplies needed, and route planning. The consensus was clear: this expedition could provide resources they needed while demonstrating that Valentra was ready to expand its reach again.
---
The planning was interrupted by shouts from the eastern approach. Through the administrative building's windows, they could see people gathering near the settlement's edge. A River Pact caravan was approaching—the first of the trading groups to return.
Maria and the others hurried outside to greet the returning traders. Their carts were loaded with goods and their faces showing the joy of successful negotiations.
Captain Thessa, approached the lead wagon with obvious relief. "Thorne!" she called out to the trader directing the stoneback draught beasts. "Good to see you made it back safely."
Thorne jumped down from his wagon with a grin. "The river route proved profitable," he announced. "We found a settlement called Brightwater about four days upstream. Democratic leadership, about 150 people, and they were eager to trade."
The returning group had brought back bolts of woven fabric, some basic crafted tools, and preserved medicinal herbs. More importantly, they carried news of a thriving community that had established itself along the river's fertile banks.
"They're interested in regular trade," Thorne continued as his team began unloading. "Brightwater specialises in textiles and river fishing. They need metal tools and preserved foods—things we can provide."
Maria examined a sample of the fabric, noting its quality. "They could be our first reliable trading partner. What did they want in return for future agreements?"
"Standard trade goods—metal tools, weapons, preserved foods. They also mentioned something about the strange energy in the air, I'm not sure if they're testing what we know or genuinely asking about it."
The successful trade mission boosted morale throughout the settlement. People gathered around the wagons, examining the new goods and listening to stories of the journey.
The celebration was brief as people needed to get back to their regular duties. As the afternoon wore on, a second group appeared from the south, it was the smallest of the trade groups that were sent out.
They weren't as cheerful as the first group and continued to be vague about their goals and what they had done and been through, but it was good to see them return nonetheless.
Not as many people had gathered this time around and the settlement's various leaders only briefly passed by to check in on them.
The leader, a weathered woman with calculating eyes, approached Captain Thessa as the crowd dispersed. Her posture was different from the other traders—more formal and guarded.
"...information confirmed..." she spoke quietly, her voice barely carrying beyond Thessa's immediate vicinity. "...intrigued..." The conversation continued in hushed tones, punctuated by occasional nods from both women.
Captain Thessa's expression grew more serious as the exchange progressed. She glanced briefly towards Maria and the others before responding with equally quiet words. "...understood... next time..." could be heard before their voices dropped even lower.
The brief conference ended with a small nod. The leader of the caravan returned to help unload their supplies.
---
The third trading group arrived the following evening, their approach announced by the sound of heavily-loaded carts and the distinctive footsteps of stoneback draught beasts.
Despite not being the largest this group had clearly been the most successful in terms of gathering goods.
Daron, a middle-aged man, supervised the unloading while reporting to Captain Thessa and Maria. "We found two settlements to the south," he announced. "Valdoren and New Detroit, both smaller in size but established enough for regular trade."
"What's their leadership structure?" Victor asked.
"Valdoren is run by a council of elders—traditional hierarchy based on age and experience. Population of about 80 people, focused on woodworking and animal husbandry. New Detroit has maybe 60 residents under a single leader who makes most decisions. They specialise in scavenging."
Daron gestured towards his loaded wagons. "Valdoren was eager to trade, though the quality of their goods isn't anything special. We brought back leather, a few trinkets, and some interesting materials I haven't seen before."
"New Detroit however was more... cautious? They weren't hostile but weren't willing to engage in anything more than a symbolic trade."
The returned trading expeditions had accomplished more than anyone expected. 3 new settlements identified, successful trade had been conducted which could lead to long term trade relations, and some more-or-less valuable goods were acquired.