Chapter 229: Hoe Please

Ping!

===

Daily Quest #29 (complete)

Objective: Smelt some Ores

Time Limit: 5 Days (late)

1/1 Bronze Bar

1/1 Iron Bar

1/1 Steel Bar

1/1 Silver Bar

1/1 Gold Bar

Tutorial here.

Reward: Smithing Skill

Claim your reward here.

Penalty: Deduct 24 hours of sleep upon failure and [Curse of Overtime] until quest is forcefully completed.

===

Rino wasn't surprised to see that he was late to turn the quest in. It would be more surprising if the gods did not realise it. Nevertheless, it was time well spent. He felt accomplished doing something he could never have done in the previous world. While it wasn't perfect alchemy, Rino had a feeling he was starting to understand it better. Dark magic really was the missing component to making alchemy flourish.

Ping!

Without rest, the daily quest system pushed the newest quest to Rino who had no choice but to start looking through the requirements.

===

Daily Quest #30

Objective: Smith Some Metal Tools

Time Limit: 5 Days

0/1 Pickaxe

0/1 Axe

0/1 Shovel

0/1 Hoe

Tutorial here.

Reward: Blacksmithing Mastery

Penalty: Deduct 24 hours of sleep upon failure and [Curse of Overtime] until quest is forcefully completed.

===

Blacksmithing mastery? Was that a skill he even wanted? Rino had to question the motives of these gods.

Once again, the deadline was five days. If he had the bars, this should be simple. Rino understood the properties of various metals better now to decide what kind of material he wanted to smith the new tools out of.

Honestly, at the end of it all, the material mattered less because Rino was going to pile the same enchantments on these tools like how he did with the basic stone tools. It was just for the sake of formality.

However, this gave Rino a good chance to explore making new tools of different sizes to equip the newer villagers. Those tiny rabbit paws might not be able to hold the heavier stone pickaxes and the trolls could definitely carry a bigger shovel.

Most importantly, Rino just wanted to make some good hoes for the farmers of Zerg's village who used stone tools or even their hands to dig. That wasn't acceptable. Rino wasn't the kind of monarch who would mistreat his people.

Summoning Erika and Zerg to him, Rino explained the newest mission and told his trustworthy managers to do an inventory investigation and give him a list of tools needed by the end of the day so he could start producing the tools needed for every villager.

Every miner should have a pickaxe. Every lumberjack should have an axe. Every farmer should have a hoe. And shovels were assigned to those working in the clay mine and fields. Heck, Rino wondered if he should equip everyone with a hoe instead because it was multifunctional.

Now that he thought about it, the hoe was rather powerful. It had a sharp edge that could break tough ground and serve as a terrifying weapon. The blunt edges could function as a shovel to push and pull loosened dirt or scrap them to fill a hole. At the same time, the shovel with enchantments was capable of smashing rocks as a pickaxe would. Not to mention, a good swing of the enchanted hoe could wedge itself in between logs. Rino saw the hobgoblins using it to split firewood for the cookhouse ladies.

As odd as it sounded, Rino didn't feel like making specific metal tools. Instead, the idea of giving every citizen an enchanted hoe sounded very tempting.

"What do you think?" he asked Erika and Zerg who looked speechless at their lazy lord's justification for the hoe.

Unable to refute Rino's claim about what the hoe could do, they tried to reason with him. A hoe wasn't a one-stop solution and should not be made as such. However, the more reasons they gave, the more Rino was convinced that it was a fantastic solution. 

"The hoe does not have enough surface area," Zerg reasoned when RIno wanted to replace the shovel with it.

"I'll just expand the head," Rino countered.

Wringing her hands, Erika reminded the lich that the hoe might be too heavy for fairies. Instead of agreeing, Rino thought about it. Seeing a fairy with a hoe instead of a wand could be made into a normal occurrence in this world. Besides, a hoe did not need to be made out of metal entirely, parts of it could be wood. If anything, the head of the hoe could be carved from wood too.

Feeling lost, Erika looked back at Zerg in a silent plea for help before Rino decided to make everyone carry hoes at their hips.

In a last attempt to change Rino's mind, Zerg went all out and cast all politeness aside.

"The hoe isn't fashionable or intimidating enough for an undead civilisation."

His blunt comment made Rino pause for three seconds, then five. After a minute, Zerg started to regret saying those words when Rino failed to react. It was as if someone stole Rino's soul and left an empty skeleton behind.

His glowing purple eyes swirled consistently as Rino thought about it, staring at Zerg. If such a young villager felt that the hoe was not fashionable, it must be true.

"But a hoe is practical even if it is unfashionable… is it really that bad to be seen carrying a hoe around?"

Zerg and Erika shared a glance at Rino's concerns. Truthfully, it was just embarrassing to be seen with a hoe. However, if everyone was made to do it, maybe it would be a little less shameful to wear a peasant's tool by their side. Erika and Zerg did not mind the low-status symbol as they were from humble birth. However, not everyone would agree.

"What's wrong?"

Stepping up to explain the unique social status situation to Rino, Erika tried to put it nicely that there would be some who might be against the hoe as a work tool. Carrying a weapon or a staff was a symbol of importance. Carrying a hoe was the lowest kind of status a labourer could have.

"Oh? Then what kind of status would an axe, pickaxe and shovel represent?"

Stone workers were often associated with pickaxes, and according to his secretary, they were well respected. Stone was often required for building new places, and masons were paid decently.

The shovel was a little more shunned because they were often associated with grave diggers. Someone in the town was chosen to become that person everyone hated because he dug graves for a living, but he was also respected because the deceased in everyone's family was put to rest by him. It wasn't that bad because it played an important role.

Axes were associated with lumberjacks and woodcutters. They are well-liked because everyone needs wood from building and repairing to cooking and heating during cold winters. Town Zera might not have a need for firewood because the location did not allow snow to form even if the temperature falls.

Hunters were associated with bows, and nobody carried a sword because there was no war. In fact, Rino learned that nobody knew what a sword was. Only the dwarves had records about them, indicating that war and a weapon for killing was a foreign concept to these people. Erika associated daggers with hunting, and so did Zerg.

Hearing both their opinions out, Rino decided that it was time for a change in perspectives. He wanted the pen to be a symbol far superior to a sword. The hoe was also a tool that should be seen in a new light. Anyone who was awarded a hoe should be seen as a valuable member of society who contributed just as much to the success of Rino's kingdom compared to the ones who wielded a staff.

If there was a symbol of shame, Rino would think of that as walking around empty-handed. A non-contributor was the worst kind of person there was, and they should be ashamed of themselves. Every trade has its special tool. A seamstress had a needle. A cook had a spatula. A baker had a rolling pin. Only a bum would not have any tool.

"Anyone who works should be treated fairly in my kingdom. There is no such thing as a more important job. Every role is crucial for the success of this empire. Make the hoes and make them look good. We have silver and gold, don't let them lie around."

Eyes widening at Rino's conclusion, Erika and Zerg wondered why their lord would use the two most difficult metals to smelt to craft hoes. They were shiny and pretty, but there really wasn't a need to go so far as to popularise the hoes, right?

Rino did not bend, and the two district managers wisely retreated. If Rino wanted to make the hoes popular, they would find a way to make it a novelty item everyone wanted, no matter the prejudice. Unfortunately, neither of them were experts at swaying popular consensus.

"We need to find Rina for help," Zerg commented after they left Rino's study.

Wordlessly, Erika agreed. When she returned to Noir province, she had to talk to the extremely sociable fairy and ask for advice.