The village council gathered that evening in the newly repaired longhouse, the fire burning steady and warm against the cool night air.
"With the new arrivals," Orin said, unrolling a rough count he'd kept over the past week, "our numbers have nearly doubled. That's good news for labor, for defense eventually. But it means our grain stores won't stretch as far as we hoped."
"How far will they stretch?" Kael asked.
"Three weeks, maybe four, if we're careful," Orin said. "Less if winter comes early."
High above, Ethan listened, already scrolling through what the interface offered him. His Faith Points had crept up steadily over the past weeks—nothing dramatic, but real, earned through the quiet, grinding work of people simply choosing to help each other.
[Faith Points: 31]
He found what he was looking for.
[Blessing of the Soil (Cost: 8 Faith Points)]
Effect: Minor fertility boost to cultivated land within a small radius.
Duration: One season.
