Chapter 167. The Fawn

We made short work of getting all the Fairies into the cage. I felt a little bad for the creatures as they whined and tried to escape back to their spring. Dríade, however, didn't seem to care that much about them.

That changed when I brought out three bottles for the spring. These she handled with the utmost care, as if a stray thought would shatter the glass and spill the contents. She even ordered me to never take it out of my inventory until we were back on the farm and under her strict supervision.

I agreed, but that was because I still had no idea how to recreate the Fairy spring back at my farm anyway.

With bottles filled, we turned back to the track and started on our way home. I had taken it upon myself to carry the Fairies because I didn't trust Dríade. The little things complained nonstop now that they weren't bathing constantly, but Dríade assured me they were just fine out of their water.

Current quest: Remove the drain on the Ley line.

Reward: Transform into a bound Livestock species for an hour each day.

Status: incomplete

Just removing them hadn't completed the quest so hopefully it would by the time we got back. If not, I could always teleport here again now that I'd visited. Not that there was much left here anyway. The ground was a little damp, but Dríade had done her absolute best to gather as much of a spring water as she could.

Dríade set a faster pace for our return, so we made good time. Helped by the fact we couldn't sleep with the Fairies whining through the nights. I had given in and started drinking Zeldi's milk because sleeping was not something I could accomplish.

Due to the noise stealth wasn't an option, we were ambushed by a few different creatures, but Dríade showed off her skills in combat to devastating effectiveness.

"Don't be too impressed." She hissed after a pack of bears with bones on the outside of their body tried to follow the screaming Fairies. "Tarakona has already removed the more threatening creatures. These are small fry in comparison."

"Small fry or not, I doubt I would have done much." I returned, putting the corpses in my inventory. By this point it was well and truly full, and I'd had to make a few teleportation trips to Tarakona's room to make more space. My Dragon knew and had started snacking on the offered meal.

Dríade huffed as she inspected one of her tentacles. It had been bitten off in the last scuffle. "I'd say you should train more with Abelha, but you need some sort of skill with a weapon. Or another magic spell."

"Working on it. I'm still in debt with the last magic bookstore for the teleportation spell. Need an egg from Tarakona and a bit of Zeldi's milk. Then I can start buying some more." I groaned before taking another swig of said milk. We were almost home; I could feel it.

"Get something with range," Dríade demanded, setting off once again. "Your teleportation makes you an annoyance in a fight, but if you had some kind of ice lance or something similar as well? I might even say you're competent."

"Careful now, Dríade. That almost sounded like a compliment."

Dríade gave me a sly smile that was broken by the Fairies screaming again.

"Do they ever shut up?" I moaned, setting out in a jog.

"I hope so because it will be hard to think on the farm if they don't," Dríade remarked, matching my pace.

The sun was just starting to descend when we finally made it back. Dríade was quick to vanish back into her room the moment we entered the boundary line to start on the creation of a new body, leaving me with the screaming creatures.

I didn't get too much of a chance to recover, however, as we had a visitor. One I hadn't met before.

"She's not for sale. None of us are!" Zeldi stomped her hoof down towards the new arrival.

I had only a few seconds to take everything in as I arrived.Tilty was hiding behind Zeldi while Tarakona glared at the new arrival from beside my little mare in her Dragon form. Voras and Madu were there as well for support, as all of them threw different threats at the new arrival.

The new arrival was a Fawn, at least that is what I thought from his antlers. It was hard to make out from behind, though the suit he wore spoke of money and lots of it.

I almost tisked at the realization that Trespassing hadn't stopped him because he was technically a trader if he was asking to buy the girls. That was a bit of an oversight on my part.

"Miss Centaur, you must not fully understand the position you are in. Livestock are always for sale; there just has to be the right price." He said back, not even gracing Zeldi with his attention. That was reserved for Tarakona, and even without seeing his face, I could feel the greed flowing off him in waves.It was also all I really needed to hear to not like the guy.

"Well, that may be true, but I'm the one who has the choice." I raised my voice as I got closer. "And I second her stance. None of my livestock are for sale."

My entrance was only slightly ruined by the insistent screaming of the Fairies who were doing a remarkable job of not reading the room, but it did succeed in getting everyone's attention.The relief on Zeldi's face was almost a physical feeling as she let her shoulders fall.

"Come now, we can't be too hasty with decisions like that." He weasel still maintained a neutral face as he turned to me. "I could make you rather successful considering your... Current predicament."

I walked past him and gave the Fairies to Zeldi."Take these inside. They're driving me insane, and if you see Dríade tell her to plan where we're going to put them. They will need to be on the property and not her room but I don't want Tarakona to accidentally step on them."

She nodded before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. She threw one last glare at the male Fawn as she trotted off, taking Tilty with her.

Something just wasn't sitting right with me about this whole situation. This man is staring down a Dragon and a Gorgon without batting an eye, and he came alone... How confident do you have to be to do that?

"You're still here?" I hummed, turning back to him.

Voras had taken the opportunity to leave, but not because she wanted to. I could see her already spinning a few threads of silk and making her way towards the entrance I presumed he came from.

"Well, our negotiations haven't finished, so of course I wouldn't leave just yet." He swindled back.

I'd had plenty of people trying to make offers at my parents' farm before I came here, I wasn't too concerned. After all, I'm pretty sure you can't patent seeds in this world, so I can avoid that whole drama.

"I believe they have. My Livestock are not for sale. If you wish to put in an offer for any of their produced resources, then I am willing to hear you out. If not, kindly leave." I countered. This was further reinforced by Tarakona letting out a breath of frost from behind me that froze the ground and the tips of his suit.His ring, however,, lit up and the forming icicles all melted off him.

Interesting. Of course magic would be the answer.

"As one Deed owner to another, I'm sure we can come to a more... Profitable outcome than that. I can even give you a percentage of the sales they gain from my own farm. That should make it all the more enticing? You wouldn't have to lift a finger to make money; sounds like a dream come true, no?"

I counted the rings on his fingers and came to thirteen. So he had thirteen different magical rings that I had no idea what they did.

Didn't matter much if he wanted to start something. Both the girls and I were all invincible on my land. The only ones vulnerable were the Dryads and Fairies, I suppose. The worst he could do was destroy the house. I didn't want to test if the girls rooms all vanished with it.

"No," I said simply. "I much prefer my dream of being surrounded by Livestock. It's a much more pleasurable way to live. You did see Zeldi right?"

There was a faint flash of disgust at that, but he hid it well.

"Then how about I pay for your debt in exchange for any of your current Livestock?" He changed tactics.

"Wasn't aware I had any debt." I sassed back. "Mind explaining what it was for?"

Tarakona was growling behind me, but still this guy didn't flinch. He even looked Madu in the eyes. Granted, it wouldn't do much, as on the land she doesn't have her petrification, but he didn't know that.

"Oh, your land tax, of course. You can't expect to live on someone else's land and not have to pay for it." He explained in dramatic fashion while pulling a rolled-up piece of paper from inside his suit and handing it to me.

I didn't bother reading it properly and just looked at the figure at the bottom. If I'd ever planned on paying it, I might have balked at the number. Such a shame I wasn't going to.

"The price was determined by the previous owner, unfortunately, and since she didn't pay the debt, it has been transferred to you. With interest, of course." He calmly stated. "I can wipe it off, of course, if you are willing to part with one of them. I'll even let you decide which one."

"You do know I have a Dragon, right?" I asked, trying to understand this guy's reluctance to see the giant Frost lizard behind me that could crush him by accident.

"Why yes, she would make an excellent trade. I would even go so far as to say I would give you a little extra on top of the debt." He replied, ignoring the threat I had just made.

[I wish to kill him. No that would be to quick. I wish to freeze him and leave it as a warning to others that think they can demand things from us.]

You and me both, Tarakona, but that still doesn't explain why he's so calm.

He mentioned he was a Deed owner, but we need our Livestock's permission to be brought back. Unless he doesn't know that and just thinks he's immortal because he's the owner?

"Who's the debt to?" I asked trying to see if there was any truth to what he was saying. Killing him wouldn't solve the problem if another could just be sent. Not that the thought wasn't becoming more and more appealing the more he talked.

"Tilty didn't tell you? She should have. The debt is to her father, and she was the one who acted as the middleman for the transition."

Of course she was. Back when she was trying to get Zeldi to sell herself, raising a high tax would have been a great way. Would have been helpful if she had told me that when she joined us. Or at any point, really.

"And you really think I'm going to pay it?" I questioned. I didn't bother listening to his response. "Hey, Tarakona, could you pop over to wherever Tiltys father is and kindly tell him this land no longer belongs to him?"

[With pleasure.]

She must have extended her mind voice to include the Fawn because he visibly reacted.

"There's no need to get that hasty. I'm sure I could deliver that message for you." He stammered, though he was still remarkably put together.

"See that you do." I nodded, shooing him away. "I have a farm to run and a Dragon that has missed her meal today. If this debt still exists, then I'll have to see if she likes Fawn meat."

He gritted his teeth, seeming to believe this should have gone differently. I was still curious why. It's not like he had a reputation I knew about.

"Then I shall return with news as quickly as I can." He said with a bow before turning away.

Part of me wanted to spite him just for the sake of it, but if he was a Deed owner, then I could really use his Deed. Killing him might help, but a bit of reconnaissance first to get the Deed would help.

With that, I did amend Trespassing to no longer include traders. He was trying to buy Livestock, so that was the only way he was allowed in.

"Our egg?" I asked quickly.

[Safe, my love. I wouldn't let anyone near it without your permission.]

Good.

"Then all that's left is to deal with the screaming Fairies. Oh, and Kettu, have you seen her at all?"