The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 431: It’s A Good Name

The elder called one of the Trolls over to speak with Dominic, who had to try hard not to laugh at the eager trot the mountain of a troll jogged over at.

He had a smile on his face like he had just won an award, and he eagerly shook Dominic’s much smaller hand in both of his own.

"Wavemates, I’m glad to meet you. The other trolls told me that you were good. Do you have work? You have work, right?" He asked.

"Indeed. I have work. I would like you and all your guard friends to come work for me at the Manor. You can be my personal guards, and help in the garden, and play with the goats." Dominic agreed.

The Elder laughed quietly as the troll clapped. Dominic knew just how to handle the Mountain Trolls.

They were a bit simple, but they loved nature, and had an odd affinity for mountain goats, who shared their home territory. The trolls were vegetarian, so the goats were neither a threat nor a food source, and they often became friends.

The troll was silent for a moment, making sure that he had understood Dominic’s words properly before he answered.

"Are they good goats?" He asked.

"Only the best. They grew up in the area, and they’ve got a Blink Cat watching over them, so they don’t get lost or injured." Dominic agreed.

That did sound like a good bunch of goats to the Troll.

"Alright, we will work for you as long as we can stay near the goats." The troll agreed.

"I will alter the barracks, so that it’s better for Trolls. It might be a bit small for fifty, but I can make it bigger."

That wasn’t a big concern. The trolls were happy to sleep outdoors, or in a cave. Any building with a roof was a good building.

Dominic turned his attention to the Elders. "Now, for the rest of you, how many farm families did you bring? How many shops will you need, and how many extended family compounds instead of individual houses?"

"I have a list here somewhere. Did you have dedicated people for assigning houses?" The Elder asked, rummaging through his things.

"I have the Castellan record where everyone lives, so there are no questions about property disputes. If it’s in the official record, that’s what we will use to settle arguments, so be sure that it keeps updated.

There is a mage sect in town, and a school. We haven’t made education mandatory, but it’s an unspoken agreement that everyone will send the kids at least until it’s time to start their apprenticeship." Dominic added.

The Elder nodded. "We have school teachers with us as well. A husband and wife. I will send them to your school to talk about joining the staff. Are all your teachers from the mage sect?"

Dominic nodded, and the Elder sighed. "Then it will be good to hire them. The mages see a much different world than the weak children with very little magic. Some of our people could have been mages, but others can only use magitech devices."

"That’s fine. If they can use magitech, they can keep up with the basics of daily life here. All the fireplaces and stoves are magitech, except some of the older farm houses. But we do manufacture magitech fireplace inserts here, so if they want to upgrade a farm house that was still burning wood, they can.

Anyone who cannot use magitech devices will have a hard time here, but that’s rare, even among the purest of human lineages. I see that doesn’t describe most of your people." Dominic explained.

The Elder nodded. "There was an incident, a few generations back. We don’t really speak of it, but almost everyone in the village has some level of magical cat in their bloodline."

That was not a phrase that Dominic had been expecting. Had a magical beast learned a transformation and went on a horny rampage? Or had someone been dabbling into the forbidden arts?

Not that it truly mattered. If the bloodline was magical, they would have enough talent that they could work in the factories, or even join the Duskblade Sect.

"Are we going to have an issue?" The Elder asked fearfully when Dominic didn’t respond.

"No, not at all. I was just wondering what sort of cat it was, to estimate how powerful their magic might be. The mages always appreciate recruits, and Wistover is a haven for mages. The more that we have, the better the services the Duchy can offer the world.

It might not seem like much to you now, but if they can become adventurers, medics or techno wizards, they have a bright future. Especially the troll blooded, who have healing magic. There are never enough healers in a city." He explained.

The old man smiled. "Unfortunately, our trolls are not the sort to become medics and doctors, but we do have some Priestesses. They have the trade skill cores for it, so they’ve got holy magic, like the Paladins that we’re told you have here."

Dominic nodded. "The Royal Guards are Paladins, but in a large battle they’re not enough, and they’re needed for combat. But more importantly, on a regular day, they have duties, and they’re not available for healing services.

If your people have the staff to set up a clinic, the townsfolk would appreciate it. So would our primary healer, a Troll that lives outside of town.

His wife is also a midwife, with a little one of her own. So, if you have need, you can send people to them.

I think that a lot of your concerns will sort themselves out once you are settled into new homes. Some businesses are bound to overlap existing ones, but Wistover is growing, and one of each is no longer enough.

Speaking of which, I really need to have someone set up a second Inn and Tavern. I got all distracted with new magic and got behind on tracking city amenities."

The old man laughed, and the troll chuckled, a rumbling noise like an idling truck.

"I get distracted too. Especially around the cats. They’re like goats, but won’t let you pet them." The troll agreed.

Dominic smiled at the big man. "It’s a never-ending challenge, my friend."