Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

"I'm so stupid, really." Dominic leaned under the haystacks, holding his crutches helplessly, watching the farmhands and craftsmen busy going back and forth. "I just knew that driving would be a little difficult, but I didn't expect that things would become so... Oops."

"Mr. Kraft must be angry. We'll just wait to farm in this land until we die. I hope he will think of something that can recycle the waste someday."

Field didn't dare to say anything and stuffed a wild berry into his mouth. This wasteland that no one had set foot on for a long time was dotted with sporadic little surprises arranged by nature. The orange-red skin was plump and warm, wrapped in a slightly astringent sweet juice, which was perfect.

Although he had different views on the current arrangement, it was best for him to keep a low profile while his companion was still angry.

After that accident, the two of them were quickly dispatched to the foot of the mountain, where they were responsible for directing farmhands and craftsmen to rebuild the monastery-annexed manor.

Brother Raymond, who was responsible for the communication, called this "a long-term task related to the future foundation of the Knights." It requires careful planning and preparation of staple food and supplementary food reserves, herbal cultivation, horse farms, workshops and other areas before the next sowing season. According to Water demand and pollution levels are assigned to upstream and downstream locations.

The draft of the detailed plan was several pages long and included several blank spaces that Kraft had specially designated to stay away from flowing water or production and living areas, without any additional markings.

At first glance, it seems that he is indeed shouldering a heavy responsibility, but when he actually took over, he found that this was not the case at all.

Currently they are still in the initial stages of repairing various infrastructure and reclaiming wasteland.

It is impossible for the locally recruited farm laborers to immediately give up the wheat fields that are about to be harvested and start working here, and most of the original facilities that have been abandoned for more than 20 years can only be rebuilt, and everything is too slow to make people worry.

As laymen, they can neither instruct locals how to farm nor provide technical guidance to professional craftsmen. Their daily work is to put it mildly to take charge of the overall situation and supervise the progress. To put it bluntly, they are the mascots of the construction site.

The two of them are so idle every day that it is unlikely that they will achieve anything.

"Actually, I think since Mr. Kraft still asks us to write a written report every three days, it means that he has no intention of marginalizing us." To be fair, Field felt that a person who is busy all day long would not be willing to take time to read every three days. Meaningless to report.

They were even specifically told that if there were any special situations, including personal issues, they could be conveyed verbally directly to someone on the same day without waiting.

To be honest, he was very confused about what could be dug out of the soil worth mentioning. During this period of time, besides being in a daze, he was racking his brains to think about how to put together a piece of report content and hand it back to the people who regularly went down the mountain to purchase.

While Dominic was still feeling sorry for himself, he had basically gotten used to rural life. If he didn't consider his future, staying here would actually be considered a mid-range option, as he could devote more energy to finding personal interests and hobbies.

After tasting another reddish berry, he sighed with satisfaction. It would be nice to live such a leisurely life for a few more days.

It would be better if there is sugar. The berry season is usually very short. Boiling it with sugar and making jam can bring back the taste in the winter when supplies are scarce.

Passing the wooden plate with fruits to the side, Dominic did not respond. Perhaps the impact of the accident had not subsided, and his originally not very active personality became quieter.

Occasionally, you can see him in a daze, seeming to be thinking about something, and he won't say anything when asked.

"Do you need to find some books to read? I brought a collection of stories that I copied. Are you interested?"

"What?" Dominic paused for a moment, and it took him a while to realize that he was being called, "Oh, no, I've seen those at least three times."

"What's wrong with you? Did you hurt your brain?" Looking at this, you can tell that he was distracted just now. I hope it's not the sequelae of the accident. That's too embarrassing.

But it’s not good to have nothing to do all the time. You should find some activities to help your friends recover as soon as possible.

"Want to take a walk?"

Dominic's vision suddenly went dark, blocking his erratic vision and thoughts.

He opened the thing on his face and found a straw hat full of burrs. It was woven from the most common broad-leaf wild grass, but the small thorns at the tip were removed, and the top was twisted into a strange pattern like a whirlpool.

The level is indeed average, but it is certainly not Field's skill.

"Where did it come from?"

"It was given by someone else." Field raised his chin towards the field and pointed. He could see a young-looking girl following a middle-aged woman collecting and bundling hay.

"Her father was not in good health, so I helped with some prayers. This was considered a gift in return."

Then the hat was casually placed on Dominic's face.

"You should treat believers' gifts more carefully. Whether it is a straw hat or a gold coin, they are all equal before the Lord." It is a professional instinct to establish a good relationship with believers in the jurisdiction, especially when receiving such blessings from such blessing sermons. In return, I have to wear it for a few days no matter what.

"I know, I know." Field waved his hands nonchalantly, stood up, patted the grass behind him, and stretched his arms.

Dominic's injured leg is in good condition these days, and Kraft also concluded that it is just a fracture at most, and it can bear a little force. It is not a big problem to walk two steps with a crutch.

"Speaking of which, is this the only one of their hats that is so weird, or..."

Or do they all look like this? Dominic looked at the workers, most of whom were wearing straw hats to protect themselves from the sun, and got the answer.

Indeed, perhaps it is a local feature, homemade hats all have a slightly bulky swirl, like the curled white foam on the surface of the water around the settlement after being stirred by oars or fish.

"Oh, I asked her too. She said this hat will protect and bless me. It's probably something like an amulet?"

"Really? The surrounding area has long been a parish. Shouldn't I wear a holy emblem for protection?"

"It's not surprising. The holy emblem can't be worn on the head. Every place has its own customs. There's no need to interfere." Field reached out to lend his companion a hand and helped him stand up. "According to their old people, this hat is similar in shape to a cloud. It will make something in the sky think that you are also a floating cloud, so it's safe."

"I haven't heard of it."

Field patted the thick grass swirl on the top of the hat. "I don't have it either, but it can at least block small stones, branches and other things that fall from the mountain. Maybe that's the reason."

"So do you want to go around? Go to the village, or go to the few gentler slopes I asked about."

"Good idea, I'm almost rusting to death." Dominic agreed readily. The days of excessive leisure make people feel almost panic. Some vague thoughts always pop up in a trance, sometimes touching the overly sensitive nerves.

It was time to move around and find something to do. Considering that the written records in the monastery were almost completely destroyed, perhaps a new overview of the surrounding environment and humanities would enrich the report and make Kraft look at them with new eyes.