Chapter 196: I Have A Dream

Ren and Kael stood at the foot of the colossal tree, craning their necks back so far that Ren felt a crick forming in her spine.

From down here, the wooden structure nestled high in the branches looked extremely intimidating. It was impressively high. Dangerously high.

“Why does a fox have a den in the clouds?” Kael asked, squinting against the sunlight. “The trees are for the birds.”

“I thought it was weird too,” Ren agreed. “He abandoned it, though. So, technically, it’s ours now. Finders keepers.”

She was sort of lying. The house was definitely a rental, but Vex had fled underground to avoid the wrath of her two husbands. That counted as abandonment in Ren’s book.

“Cowardly fox,” Kael grunted. He scuffed his foot against a massive root. “I prefer huts on the ground. Where the earth is solid.”

’Agreed,’ Ren thought fervently. ’The ground is nice. If I fall, the worst I’ll get is a little scrape on the knee.’

She was only staring up there because of the Quest Reward. Five liters of cooking oil. One kilogram of sea salt. It was a treasure trove sitting just a few hundred feet of vertical terror away.

’I climbed it before,’ Ren told herself, trying to hype up her courage. ’I can do it again. Probably.’

“I am sorry,” Kael said suddenly, his voice low.

Ren looked at him. “For what?”

“For destroying the hut you made,” Kael admitted, looking guilty. “I smashed it.”

Ren smiled, reaching out to pat his arm. “It’s okay. You weren’t in your right mind. Besides, that hut was average. We can build a better one.”

She looked back up at the tree.

’Just get up there,’

Ren coached herself. ’Do it for the oil. Do it for the salt. Then never set foot in it again.’

She took a step toward the trunk.

Her legs wobbled.

The more she looked at the distant treehouse, the further away it seemed to get. The memory of her last visit—Vex saving her just before she could become a pavement pancake—flashed in her mind in high definition.

’If I slip this time, I die,’ Ren realized. ’I am risking my life for vegetable oil. Is fried pork worth a concussion? Is tempura worth a fractured spine?’

She stood there, frozen, sweating profusely despite the cool shade.

Kael noticed the tremors running through her body. He saw the way she tightly clenched her fists and the dread in her eyes.

“Ren,” Kael said softly.

He placed a large, warm hand on her head.

“The cave in the tree is good enough for me,” he told her gently. “We do not have to go up there if you are afraid. I do not like climbing either.”

Ren looked at him, she smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Kael had no idea what was at stake.

But then…

’Altair,’ Ren thought. ’He would be so useful right now.’

An insane, reckless plan began to form in her mind. ’If I was in danger, would he come rushing to save me?’

Kael poked her cheek.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked curiously.

Ren blinked, snapping back to reality. Her eyes sparkled.

“I was thinking,” Ren said, turning to him with a grin, “that I can do without the oil and salt for now. Who needs deep-frying? We can roast the pork!”

She grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the tree of doom.

“Listen, if we slow-roast it over an open fire, the fat will render out naturally,” Ren blabbered excitedly. “I can use the herbs Viper found for a crust. And if I find some wild garlic or onions—do you have onions here? I haven’t seen any, but maybe I can substitute…”

Kael looked down at her with a fond smile. He had absolutely no idea what she was saying. “Render”? “Crust”? “Onions”? It was all nonsense to him.

But she looked happy. She looked excited. And most importantly, she was walking away from the fox’s stinky treehouse.

Kael inhaled deeply. Even from this distance, the scent of Fox clinging to the bark was offensive to his sensitive nose.

“Come,” Kael said, leading her now. “I will take you to the water.”

They walked for a little while until the dense canopy opened up.

“Here,” Kael announced.

Ren gasped.

It was a beautiful, secluded clearing. In the center lay a patch of crystal-clear water—a natural spring-fed waterhole.

Ren walked to the edge, looking at her reflection.

“It’s perfect,” she whispered.

She looked around. The clearing was surrounded by trees, but they were smaller, more manageable than the ancient redwoods that dominated the rest of the forest.

’Lumber,’ Ren thought instantly.

’I could build something here,’ Ren envisioned. ’Right around the water. I could enclose it. Make a private bathhouse. Then, add a main wing for the bedroom. A separate kitchen so the smoke doesn’t get in the furs. A patio for grilling and contemplation.’

She narrowed her eyes, mentally placing windows and doors.

’A wooden mansion,’ she decided, nodding.

Then she looked at her own hands.

’Right. I am a chef.’

Building that one room in the Tiger Clan village had nearly given her a hernia. A mansion? She was dreaming.

’Are there carpenters in this world?’ Ren wondered.

Ren went through her options.

Kael lived in a cave with a boulder for a door. His interior design philosophy was “Is it dry? Good.”

Syris lived in a stunning obsidian palace with actual rooms, a kitchen, and even a bath. But it was all dark stone and gothic vibes.

’I doubt Syris built it himself,’ Ren mused. ’Besides, it’s a bit too “Dracula’s Summer Home” for my taste.’

Vex was out of the question. He probably knew the builder of the treehouse, but Ren was done making deals with that fox. He had a way of getting under her skin and onto her lips.

“Ren,” Kael said, breaking her reverie. “The village… it was completely destroyed.”

Ren bit her bottom lip. She had hesitated to bring up the White Tiger Clan earlier. It felt too soon, too raw.

“I know,” she said softly.

“We could move the Clan here,” Kael suggested, looking around the clearing with optimism. “This is good territory. Close to water. Defensible.”

He looked at her.

“They could help you,” Kael said. “They can help you build the new village. They are strong and capable.”

Ren’s eyes lit up.

’Labor force!’ she cheered. ’Beastmen are strong! They can lift logs like toothpicks! If I come up with the plans, they can do the heavy lifting!’

“Yes,” Ren nodded vigorously. “That is a great idea. We can go find them tomorrow.”

“But we must feed them,” she added wisely. “Hungry people are harder to deal with. Trust me, I know.”

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