Those around Orb stare at his words with mixed expressions on their face, some seem bothered, some seem annoyed, some seem intrigued, and some seem happy at the suggestion.
But a lot of people simply look around at those beside them to understand how to think about the current situation. And with her eyesight, Maple notices all those who are undecided.
And she shouts, "I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS!"
Turning to Aplos beside her, she says, "What about you guys?"
Soon, all of Aplos starts to chant in support of the project, which soon spreads to some of the other humans, and soon spreads to some of the beastkin. And now, as the momentum of the screams passes over those who are undecided, they join in and start cheering.
Hearing this, Orb says, "That's wonderful to hear. So now let me explain how this will go for everyone."
Orb snaps his finger, and then the Red branch knights throughout the area jet around each and every person, throwing a piece of cloth around their necks. All of the cloth share one of two colours, blue or silver.
"For this event, I have decided to turn it into a competition. Those of you with the blue cloth will form a team, and the same will be done for those of you with the silver cloth.
The blues will head to the field leftwards and the blues rightwards. Each of you will then work with each other the work the land over a seven-day period. Each day, Senán will increase the level of growth throughout the plants, allowing you to care for them at different time periods.
And the group that grows the healthiest plants will be allowed to have the pleasure of naming the capital city of Niflheim. So everyone break!"
AS Orb finishes talking, he activates Advent, and then generates two giant hands made of snow, then uses them to direct the two different groups to their destinations.
The people in the crowds say their goodbyes to their loved ones who are in different groups, and hype each other up on the future competition to come. Some are nervous walking into a group with those they don't know, but still, they each keep their heads raised high.
The humans who look at Orb place their trust and anxiety with him, and the beastkin who look at the sun above that can shine brightly through the area, as the snowstorm has dissipated, look with joy at their new futures.
-Break-
Blue team: Suzuka, Cyrus and Willow
Preparing the ground with a hoe, Willow starts to plough the ground, preparing it for a seed, and as he does, he breaks further and further into the ground.
"This really is super annoying, I don't know why people don't just hunt animals instead of doing nonsense like this. And Orb says this is how the majority of humanity has lived for centuries, no wonder they are bitter."
As he continues to plough the field, his stamina drains more and more, but then he grabs the piece of cloth wrapped around his neck, and as he does, he feels a warm and comfy energy flow through his body, reinvigorating him to keep moving.
Eventually swings his hoe so hard that he hits something, and as the vibrations swing back into his body, he stops for a moment, then gets on his knees and starts to dig the ground up.
As he digs with his hands, he breaks through the ground enough to see something that shocks him. Buried in the ground are Suzuka and Cyrus.
Seeing him, Suzuka screams, but then Willow flicks her in the forehead and says, "You're being too loud."
Instantly collapsing to his words, Suzuka says, "Sorry."
Willow pulls them out of the ground to the shock of those around, and then he gets them both to kneel in front of him and says, "Explain."
Suzuka looks to Cyrus and hides behind him, and then, putting on her mask, she says, "Why do I have to tell you anything?"
"I will tell my wife you are misbehaving if you don't tell me why this is happening."
She starts to panic and says, "No, anything but that."
"Then speak."
Suzuka turns to Cyrus, who says, "Y-You-."
But Willow shuts him down and says, "No, Suzuka, you speak. No, using Cyrus."
Trying her best, and taking off her mask, Suzuka lowers her head and says, "Too many people I don't know. And they keep seeing my tails and try to start a conversation with me thinking I am a beastkin, so dog beastkin have even tried to sniff my butt. I can't handle all of this conversation."
"Then why don't you sit this one out?"
"Because the thought of being the only one not contributing kills me. If everyone is working, I should as well. It is only fair, so I asked Cyrus to dig me under the ground so I can work where no one can see me."
"Isn't it scary to be under their?"
Smiling, she says, "I love tight places where no one can reach, makes me feel all warm and snuggly."
"I can see why Maple likes you, it seems she attracts Orb types wherever she goes."
Putting her hands against Willow's face, Maple says, "Did you just call me a pervert?"
"I think the doll you made of my wife already proved that. Pervert."
"I am not a pervert, you are!"
"Huh?"
"I see the way you lustfully stare at her like a beast. As her best friend, sister, and future eternal ***, I have a right to protect her from freaks like you."
Willow, with a condescending look, says, "Says the girl who can't even stand farming with a bunch of strangers. You know what, while you're here being scared, I am going to go touch up on my wife."
"No you don't, you bastard, she's mine!"
"Then you will have to defeat me first."
As Suzuka prepares to strike him, he throws a hoe at her and says, "Let's see who produces Maple likes more."
"We will see!"
Suzuka uses her tails to grab as many hoes as she can, then starts to rapidly and vigorously dig up the ground with Cyrus cheering her onwards from the sides.
Willow, seeing the speed at which she works, runs up to random beastkin and says, "I need you beautiful beasts to help me!"
"Huh?"
"If I lose my wife will be taken from me! As a married man, you must know how horrible that will be."
"How do you know I am married?"
"You have that look, the look only a man who has a wife who constantly says she is fine while something is bothering can only have. The feeling of someone who has never felt the warmth of a bedsheet in years, as his wife has hogged it for her internal body heat. The look of a man who has lost nearly every piece of clothing he has, yet doesn't feel bad about it!"
One by one, many men in the area, human or beastkin, soon flood Willow and start to throw him up into the air. Then, after grabbing him, they say, "Let's crush that little girl's dreams."
"Like true men do!" Willow says back.
-Break-
ΦAs everyone plays and talks, a single child runs around at full speed, watching everyone all at once, and quickly zoning in on any and all problems that could arise with a cold mind and focus demeanour, the boy races around.
But at the same time, he makes a great effort to set fires that surge everywhere around him. And soon the boy's eyes meet the eyes of a cat beastkin.
ΦLooking at all of the humans, and beastkin rushing around, I say, "What a pain in the butt."
It's so crowded that I can't even take a moment to relax, and I have no idea where all my friends are. I know we have to do this to make a bunch of food, but did we all need to be here? I am sure a few people could have handled this just fine.
Looking up, I say, "At the very least, it feels nice to see the sun. But I don't really have the spirit or mind to keep at this boringness, and besides, when I get home, I have to play with the kids again; they all just happened to be born high-energy animals, and I don't think my wife and I can keep up anymore."
Standing up, I say, "Guess I'll just have to skip like in school."
I take a few steps towards my right, but as I do, I notice a woman tripping and falling over towards me with the hoe in her hand, about to fly into my eye. So I quickly dodge, then catch her and say, "Are you alright?"
How did you trip you dumbass!
Looking at me, she says, "Sorry. I don't know how that happened. I was just trying to till the land, but then I felt something hit me on the back of my leg."
Looking at her, I say, "Are you ok? Your clothes have stains all over them."
She stares at her body while saying, "Ugh, really? And Suzuka just made these new clothes for us as well?"
Noticing the stain's colour, I say, "Babies vomit?"
Sighing, she says, "Yeah. My kids seem to be competing with each other on who can vomit on their mother's clothes the most, and their brand new as well."
"You could just ask the loving king to give you more."
"People have to work to make this. It kind of feels bad to just ask to get someone to make me new ones when everyone else can maintain them. But in all honesty, slik is so hard to maintain that I can barely clean it."
"Just use an alkaline material."
Confused, she says, "alkaline?"
"We have one here that we use for cleaning stains and removing odours. It's naturally occurring in Nialathrú and is often used in cleaning. We have even made some more potent ones using beast blood battle arts."
Grabbing me, she says, "Really!?"
"Yes, really. Saved my wife lots of hours of tears from having the clothes I bought for her turned into an infected mess."
The woman in front of me says, "Thanks for this, but I can't just let you help me without paying it back. But what could I give you?"
As I stare at her thinking, I say, "It isn't nesscessa-."
But then I hear, "Daddy!"
Turning around, I see my little children, a group of squirrel beastkin(I ate one too many squirrls), dashing towards me and soon the ieight of them jump on top of me holding me down, and start to chatter at speeds so fast that my eardrums struggle to keep up with their never-ending excitement.
But then the woman says, "I figured it out."
She quickly grabs my children one by one and then strikes them at a certain point on their necks, making them all fall unconscious.
Seeing this, I stand up and say, "What are you doing?"
"Kids go to sleep. A technique passed down in Aplos. It was founded on using certain points on a child's body to force them sleep. Though it doesn't work on fully developed humans."
"Are you a goddess?"
"My husband thinks I am. But don't worry, I will teach you."
"Thank you so much. Though I am surprised that someone like you who could do that couldn't use a hoe."
"Because I have never farmed in my life?"
"I thought humans had farms as well?"
"Oh, I was raised at the bottom of Fimbulwinter. We couldn't farm down there, so this is my first time wielding this weapon."
"You mean you people were raised in that snow?"
"Yeah, is it that surprising?"
"Kinda of. How did you live?"
Stopping for a moment, she says, "If you show me how to plough this ground, I'll tell you whatever you want."
"Deal."
As I walk over to her, I take a few moments to stare at the ground, and under my breath I mutter, "Is that some ice on the ground?"