Chapter 59 — Beneath the Floorboards
S.C. 1510 – August, Foosha Village
The morning sun slipped through Makino's window as Ren folded his bedding neatly. He didn't rush. He never rushed. His movements were quiet, deliberate… calculated.
Zemo lay curled beside his feet, tail flicking lazily, golden eyes watching Ren with a knowing calm.
"Come on," Ren whispered.
Zemo stretched, yawned, then hopped up with a soft thump.
Today wasn't a day for forest exploration or plant experiments.
Today… he would begin something far more important.
A place where no one — not villagers, not bandits, not nobles — could ever peek inside.
A place where he could work freely.
A place beneath the ground.
---
Ren stood beside the small storage shed behind Makino's bar.
It was an ordinary structure — so ordinary that no one ever paid attention to it.
Perfect.
Ren crouched down, running his fingers over the dirt floor.
"This is the only place where no one will look," he murmured.
Zemo tilted his head.
"Yeah, I know. It'll be cramped at first… but it's a start."
He inhaled deeply.
This was the beginning of his real journey — not the small tools, not the village chores, not the salt business.
This.
A hidden laboratory.
A place to build a future.
A place to stay safe.
---
Ren started with the simplest step: marking the ground.
He drew a square shape with a stick, measuring with his foot length.
"Seventy centimeters… by another seventy… That's enough for a descent passage later."
Zemo sniffed the dirt, then started digging with surprising enthusiasm.
Ren chuckled.
"Hey, careful. Not too fast. Someone might hear."
Zemo froze mid-scratch, ears perked, then slowly lowered his head.
Ren placed a hand on the fox's head.
"Good boy. Let's dig quietly."
---
Hours passed.
The small storage shed hid their work well — even the faint sound of soil shifting was swallowed by the wind outside.
The first layer came off easily.
The second… harder.
Ren's hands ached.
His fingers throbbed.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
But he kept going.
This wasn't physical labor.
This was freedom.
---
By noon, they had created a shallow pit.
Not deep — not yet.
But enough to start reinforcing it.
Ren examined the walls.
Loose. Crumbly. Dangerous.
"Clay," he whispered. "I need clay to stop collapse."
Conveniently, the riverbank nearby had plenty.
Ren covered the pit with a wooden plank, stacked some baskets on top — no one would suspect anything — and quietly slipped out with a small bucket.
---
At the riverbank
He scooped wet clay into the bucket.
Zemo sniffed the water, then flicked droplets with his paw.
"Stop making trouble," Ren said softly.
Zemo splashed him anyway.
Ren stared at him.
Zemo stared back.
Then Zemo wagged his tail.
Ren sighed.
"…Fine. One splash break."
He splashed a handful of water at Zemo.
Zemo yelped and ran in a circle, shaking like a wet cat.
Ren smiled — a rare, genuine smile.
Moments like this kept him sane.
But there was work to do.
---
Returning to the shed
Ren mixed:
clay
small pebbles
crushed dry grass
He remembered something from his old world — wattle and daub, an ancient method for reinforcing weak walls.
"This should help the soil stay together."
Carefully, he applied the mixture onto the pit walls, smoothing it with a wooden scrap.
The walls hardened slowly.
Stable.
Safe.
Perfect.
---
By evening, Ren climbed out of the pit and stretched.
His back ached.
His arms felt heavy.
But his heart… felt light.
Zemo curled beside the pit, tail covering his face.
Ren whispered, "Day one… complete."
He lowered the wooden plank back into place, covered it with baskets and old fishing nets.
To anyone else, it was just a messy corner.
But to Ren…
It was the first brick in the foundation of a hidden empire.
---
That night, as Ren lay in bed…
He didn't dream of riches.
He didn't dream of power.
He didn't dream of dominating the world.
He dreamed of a quiet place underground — filled with tools, books, metal, herbs, and possibilities — where no one could steal from him.
Where no one could control him.
Where he could change the world step-by-step.
Tomorrow, he would deepen the passage.
Tomorrow, he would start shaping the room.
Tomorrow, he would begin creating the future.
But for today…
He rested.
---
End of Chapter 59