The Horse Ranch 2

"Haha! As expected of a genius! If I had known this mountain had no one in charge and was so free, I would have come up much earlier. With so much food, plus the supplies sent from the village, I should be set for the whole winter. But I still need to figure out how to get hay for the horses. Looks like there'll be no rest from now on!" Ryan chuckled. This past month, he had been so focused on eating and filling his belly that he had completely forgotten to prepare winter hay for the horses. Now, seeing them, he suddenly remembered and rushed to gather mushrooms and small fish for the journey.

"Dammit! I have horses but never ride them. I have to suffer on my own!" By the time Ryan made it back to the ranch, he slapped his forehead in realization. However, it was too late to regret. Over the past month, he had managed to learn to ride horses—well, at least he could stay on without falling off. The horses here were much gentler than those on Earth, more like lambs, though that didn't change the fact that Ryan fed them salt every day, which was a crucial task at the ranch.Ryan found the legendary sickle—a rusty iron blade attached to a wooden handle—and got to work. There was a simple wooden cabin near the base of the mountain, and it was quite large. His job was to gather hay, dry it out under the sun, and store it in the cabin where the horses would stay for the winter.Each day, Ryan woke up early, checked the creek, collected mushrooms, and dried them. He would then make mushroom and fish soup, nibble on some baked cornbread, and get to work gathering hay. As for practicing Qi Gong, he only bothered to adjust his posture before bed, falling into a deep sleep afterward, which he jokingly called "the way of nature." Still, Ryan could feel himself getting stronger, his body more muscular, and most importantly, no matter how tired he got, he always woke up refreshed the next day. Ryan couldn't explain it and didn't bother trying to understand. After all, the last time he was punished and had a bruised backside, it healed in just one day. If this had happened on Earth, the hospital would have charged him a fortune and kept him for a week. But since he was in a different world, he decided to accept the strange things that happened."Who would have thought the horse ranch had a holiday? I'm definitely going to the village today. The hay's all gathered, the horses are fattened up, and the winter food is set. Just need a woman now!" Ryan realized there was a custom at the ranch that in March, the workers got a day off to visit the village, with a silver coin as activity money. It was considered a break from the isolation, and even though it felt like a dull and hard job, Ryan found everything so new and exciting. Besides, being a recluse, he wasn't bothered by the lack of people.He double-checked his things, packed seven gold coins, leaving one behind, and hid them along with the unread book. Normally, the hay for the horses was harvested outside the fence, but Ryan had cleverly turned things around—he released the horses and gathered the hay inside the fence, and with the lead horse confined, the others wouldn't wander far.Ryan, dressed in a tattered outfit and wearing handwoven grass sandals—his own product after countless trials—set off down the mountain. His hair was roughly cut with the sickle, and he quickly descended, now much stronger and faster than when he first arrived."Hollman! I'm here for my money!" Ryan hurried down the mountain and arrived at the place where Hollman worked, a small room inside the big wooden house, looking a little nervous."Ryan, right? You're lucky. A circus just arrived in the village today, and they brought merchants with them. One silver coin can buy a lot, but no drinking. You'll need to return to the ranch tonight." Hollman looked at Ryan with a neutral expression, offering a lesson as he spoke."Yes, yes, all thanks to your excellent management. The ranch has added two new colts, both males," Ryan flattered, taking the silver coin from Hollman. After all, when you're under someone's roof, you have to show respect."Ah, that's good news. Here, take another silver coin," Hollman said, clearly delighted. After all, he hadn't had much success this year, and the two colts were worth much more than the income from the estate for the entire year."Thank you, sir. When the master returns, I'll know how to thank you. But..." Ryan quickly accepted the silver coin, knowing exactly how to respond but still hoping for more."But what?" Hollman asked curiously, eager to hear about Ryan's request, as this directly affected his reputation."The barn where the horses stay for the winter needs repairs. It needs some nails and tools. If we don't fix it, the cold might make it hard for the colts to survive the winter," Ryan said with an innocent look, switching to a worried expression, which made Hollman nod in agreement."Alright, I'll send someone with the materials tomorrow. But if the colts die, that's your responsibility," Hollman replied after some thought."Okay." Ryan didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded, secretly cursing the old man."Blaming me for the horses dying, and taking credit if they live. What kind of nonsense is this?" Ryan grumbled as he walked through the village, knowing that colts were the hardest to survive through winter, especially in this world without veterinarians, where even small illnesses could be deadly.Despite his complaints, Ryan was eager to finish his errands and return to the ranch. The village only had one street, about 200 meters long, with a large wooden house at one end and the road leading to the nearby city of Harry at the other. The street was lined with various stalls selling items from the traveling merchants, mostly tools, clothes, and salt. As he walked through the village, Ryan noticed how poorly everyone was dressed, though most kept themselves clean. When he saw the muscular men walking around, their legs exposed, he almost gagged—it reminded him of a high-cut dress, but with the women wearing makeshift skirts made of cloth wrapped around their waists. Ryan quickly looked away, as the women were big and rough, and he had no interest in looking any closer.Reaching the other end of the street, Ryan saw the circus tent, where he longingly stared, though he knew he had a task to do. He quickly scanned the street and discovered a single stall selling books, though it was empty, with no customers. This was exactly what Ryan had been looking for—a book, preferably one for beginners."Old man, can I take a look at your books?" Ryan asked, despite his status as a slave, since he didn't have any identifying marks, which was reserved for adults or slaves who had been traded. To others, he appeared like a regular villager."What kind of book are you looking for?" the old man asked, a little disdainfully. Books were considered a luxury, something for the upper class, not for common folk, who could barely afford food. However, seeing that Ryan was just a child, the old man didn't say much else, merely asking.

"Old man, I want to learn to read, can you...?" Ryan started but got stuck, unsure how to finish his request.

"Hmm, learn to read? The simplest way is to pay 100 gold coins for a beginner's magic scroll, which will teach you to read in no time. Alternatively, you can buy these leather-bound books for 10 silver coins each, though they require someone to teach you," the old man responded nonchalantly, but his expression irritated Ryan. However, Ryan quickly became stunned by the mention of "magic scrolls."

"Are you a magician, sir?" Ryan asked in surprise. Magic was something from Earth's myths, so to learn it truly existed here left him astonished.

"No, no, my teacher is a magician, and I'm just an apprentice. I only know enough to get by," the old man explained, his face reddening in embarrassment. In reality, the old man was a servant to a magician, knowing a little about magic but not much himself.

"Wow, you're amazing! Anyone connected to magic is something incredible," Ryan exclaimed, though inwardly, he figured that if the old man were really an apprentice, he wouldn't be reduced to selling books like this. Ryan suspected the old man might have stolen something valuable from a real magician.

"Uh, uh, don't shout so loud," the old man muttered, flattered by the praise, though he was embarrassed when people around them shot him disdainful looks.

"Magician, could you show me some magic to open my eyes? I've never seen anything like it!" Ryan said, his eyes full of admiration, but he was also checking the old man for any valuables. To his dismay, the old man was dressed in ragged clothes, and his shoes were so worn that his blackened toes showed. Ryan figured the old man was either a fraud or a scavenger, and doubted he could read much.

"Magic? Uh, well..." the old man stammered, his eyes flickering nervously.

"Alright, sir, I only have two silver coins, so I can't afford your books. I'd better go to the tavern for a drink and a steak, maybe pay for a dancer to cheer me up—then I'd still have a silver coin left," Ryan said, standing up as if to leave.

"Two silver coins?" The old man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had only found these items in the city and was selling them to rural folk, who were usually illiterate but loved to buy books. The old man originally thought Ryan had only a few copper coins, but now realizing the boy had two silver coins made him rethink his approach.

"Wait, wait! I'll sell it to you for cheaper!" the old man hurriedly called out, grabbing Ryan's arm.

"Old Blackhead, what do you think you're doing? Even a child sees through your scam!" A woman selling hats nearby shouted at the old man.

"Who says that? I have valuable things here!" the old man retorted, raising his voice.

"Magic books? You're going to show us a magic book? If it's a real magic book, it'd be worth dozens of gold coins, and you wouldn't be running around like this," the woman continued, revealing the old man's scheme.

"Look! Look! This is a magic book! And a pet egg!" the old man declared, pulling out a thick book and a small black cloth bag from under his seat.

"Oh, a pet egg! Don't try to fool me! Last time in Harry City, a real magician identified that pet egg as worthless—nobody even wants it. Even if it were alive, a grass sprite egg isn't worth much. You should go scam someone with more money, not a child," the woman said, exposing the old man's trickery.

"You... you... filthy woman," the old man fumed, his face turning red with anger. Seeing the crowd eyeing him as a fraud, he knew he had to leave quickly, or the city guards might catch him.

"Old Blackhead, these things aren't worth anything. I'll give you one silver coin for everything," Ryan said, seeing the old man packing up.

"Alright, fine! They're all found items anyway. One silver coin for my trouble will do," the old man replied, taking the coin and hurrying off before things got worse.

With the box full of books, Ryan felt conflicted. The books were old and damaged, but they were heavy, and he didn't really know how to read them. He decided to carry the box up the mountain, hoping to figure things out later. He tied the so-called pet egg to his belt—not because he wanted to keep it, but because he wanted to try its taste.

"That's strange. Why would Ryan buy books? Does he want to learn to read?" Holman, sitting in a chair, wondered aloud, while the captain of the guards, Tory, sat next to him.

"Books? What kind of books?" Tory asked, puzzled.

"Some old, torn books—picked up by an old man in the city. He's selling them to fool people here. I heard there are some pictures in them," a man replied, grinning suggestively.

"Haha! Ryan's 13 now, looks like he's interested in girls," Holman laughed.

"Yeah, haha," someone else in the room chuckled.

"Those idiots. If I hadn't been smart enough to ask someone else, Holman would have found out I went to the circus for fun. I'd probably have had my pay docked for the month. But hey, a kid buying books? I knew it couldn't be anything good," someone muttered as they exited the room.