"It's pretty much the cold and food. They make every other challenge worse. The terrain is challenging but not insurmountable."

"I could handle cold and food for a small group."

"I would certainly appreciate a trek home. I also think you can do more total good in a larger city. But the fine people who took us in might have other requests, and I wouldn't presume to ask you to go without the community meeting they wish to hold- Nor to tell you not to go seeking, I suppose. It's not an easy question."

"I think I should certainly wait for the meeting! I don't wish to be ungrateful for the hospitality or encourage anyone to make decisions without consulting the usual process for that when it's not urgent."

"And in the meantime, we can repair these steam distributor boxes. Or rather, you can while I look for and mark pipe breaks."

"I can do that for sure."

This continues for several days. The old dreadnought comes to starkly better repair, and the available rooms get better. The onboard greenhouse section is a horrible mess, holes in the walls and everything, and it's not fully running yet- Though they're making progress. They make an effort to start teaching him English as he Mends. The boy with the prosthetic, Max, spends a lot of time out of doors. Longbow Lady- June- Makes another couple of halfhearted passes at him, seeming to enjoy discomfiting him, but not escalating, and eventually takes the hint. Some of the kids warm up to him. His Chess Buddy, Samuel Cooper, is happy to play a lot of chess.

Then the horn gives one short and one long blast. Everyone puts away what they're doing and hurries outside. "They're back! That's the signal for a returning party. Time to prepare a warm meal for them all and celebrate!"

"Are they more or less than ten minutes out?"

"Probably an hour or two!"

So he shouldn't start on the Creation of Food yet. Do they want more of the lots-of-oranges-and-most-of-the-rest-pies spread or will the hunters predictably want something else?

The people near him are too busy rushing around putting their heavy coats on and gathering and preparing tools to answer this. Everyone seems to know exactly what to do for When The Hunting Party Returns, but they forgot to explain his place in it.

He'll just sit and wait, till they're probably about ten minutes out, then.

Some of the elders and most of the children too young to usefully do light work are all gathered in the dining hall with him. A few are cooking up warm meals, and they tell him when to start casting, then supplement the results with stored meat. Then, a series of unkempt men and women troop into the dining hall, still partially covered in snow and talking loudly, a few nursing wounds.

"-I truly did not believe it when they told me, but by my eyes, that's an orange alright!" The one in front shouts. He's a big man and strongly muscled, with plenty of scars and wild hair. "Good work, all hunters! Time to rest and feast."

Then the big man approaches Blai and nods. "I'm Leon. Most capable hunter here. You're our miraculous guest, Blai Artigas?"

Nod nod.

"Good welcome and thank you deeply! In return for preserving the shelter of the Old Dreadnought for us, for giving us a burst of the nutrition we so sorely lack and a few more years' lease on life, for helping my family and my friends, I declare a debt of honor to you."

what does that even mean

(Confused blinking will have to stand in for this.)

"...You've helped us without demanding anything in return. Miraculous powers from a god or not- I don't understand that part, I think, the tales were rather confused- Anyway. So now I will help you with something you want, without demanding anything in return. Now or later. So long as it's within my ability and not awful in some way, I mean."

Oh. ...solemn nod.

Leon claps him on the shoulder heavily, then turns amd starts talking with the rest of the hunting party, who are really enjoying the fruit.

It's nice to be useful.

Blai awaits the meeting in his customary fashion, i.e. mending things people bring him or bring him to and playing chess.

The community meeting actually waits for the next day; All the hunters want a nice long sleep first, and everyone else is busy processing and rendering all their kills. They talk about their most daring feats and impressive hunts at the feast. Several say results matter more than daring, and doing something risky to 'prove your bravery' is just stupid, not brave. If Blai volunteers Worldwound stories he'll have a rapt audience.

The actual meeting takes place over breakfast the next day. It starts with Samuel Cooper (the New Londoner chess player), Leon (the hunter-in-chief), June (Longbow Lady), and Arnold, just Arnold (the engineer-in-chief) all discussing what is known about Blai and how many things he has done to help the community to everyone else. They also spread news of- Who's been injured or sick lately, what's been repaired recently (a lot of things) and how to use them all safely, please don't go into the still-sealed areas they are still sealed for a reason, how this person and that one have decided to marry next new moon, and that so-and-so's baby has survived a year and will get a name soon.

Then they ask Blai if he has any questions or things he wishes to say to the community. After that it'll be an open floor with everyone getting a chance to speak, if they want.

Blai can't actually deliver Worldwound stories to a rapt audience except through his translator - he has some functional English now but not enough to regale people with anecdotes - but he can describe demons and their defeats!

He would like to volunteer that he can cast Endure Elements and Create Food and would most likely be capable of seeing a small expedition safely to a vantage point from which they could see if there are other settlements worth visiting.

That sets off the discussion. Cooper and his little group VERY MUCH want to go on an expedition to find New London. It should be far off to the east. They think they recognize a mountain seen off to the east as one known to be west of New London, at least. People talk about how Frozen Forest, Hanging Rock, and Fishing Village have all been abandoned- But perhaps one could scout further afield. The sea of ice is visible from a mountain southwest of here, large and flat and perhaps they could look carefully for any landmarks or survivors. Terrain to the north is mostly unknown to them. Tesla Mountain is distant southeast.

Lots of people are afraid to lose what hope they've recently gotten, of 'losing' Blai and his Create Food and his Mending and things going back to the inevitable slow decay. A few days of Created food rich in vitamins has not fixed all their health woes, though it does seem to be helping already. The discussion splits into a faction who want to fortify and repair the Old Dreadnought and live off it and a faction who want to contact other settlements, if there are any, and trade, thinking isolation is death. Someone rants that if they're going to rely on a miracle-wielding man lost far from home, they may as well declare him Baron. It's clearly intended as an argument against 'rely on Blai'.

Blai is certainly willing to put off such an expedition indefinitely if they need more time spent eating fruit every day before they're up to it. Also he is absolutely not making a bid to be Baron and wants to be clear on that.

The discussion gets pretty heated. There's a small group that's vehement against ever contacting New London, saying the City is a violent and sinful place. One of them gets in the face of the New Londoners, practically shouting.