Morning arrived beneath the sounds of construction.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The Industrial District never slept.
Mana-powered cranes lifted massive stone blocks into place.
Workers pushed carts overflowing with iron ore.
New furnaces roared with blue flames.
The air itself smelled of steel and burning coal.
George stood in the middle of it all.
His eyes sparkled.
"I've dreamed about this..."
"...since the day we arrived."
Doran crossed his arms.
"Stop staring."
"We have work to do."
George laughed.
"Right!"
"Everyone!"
"Back to work!"
The workers answered together.
"YES, CHIEF GEORGE!"
The district erupted with life once more.
---
Elsewhere...
Ben watched rows of soldiers training on the expanded Training Grounds.
"Shield Wall!"
CLANG!
Dozens of shields locked together.
"Spear Line!"
Kael stepped forward.
The newly formed Spear Corps lowered their frost-tipped spears in perfect unison.
"Thrust!"
WHOOSH!
The sound echoed across the grounds.
Ben smiled.
"They're improving."
Kael nodded.
"They'll be ready."
---
Near the Mage Hall...
Blue mana filled the air.
Zora walked between rows of young mages.
"Again."
A dozen fire spells ignited at once.
Some succeeded.
Others fizzled into smoke.
Zora smiled patiently.
"Control first."
"Power comes later."
The apprentices nodded and tried again.
---
High above the walls...
Leon observed the surrounding wilderness.
A scout landed beside him.
"Captain."
"Our eastern patrol has returned."
Leon accepted the report.
"What did they find?"
The scout unfolded a rough map.
"We confirmed the mana crystal vein."
"There are also signs of monster activity nearby."
Leon studied the report.
"What kind of monsters?"
"They haven't attacked."
"But..."
"They're protecting something."
Leon rolled up the map.
"Interesting."
"I'll report this to the Commander."
---
Inside the Command Hall...
Sam stood before the large territory map.
Colored markers now covered much of the surrounding region.
Resources.
Roads.
Monster territories.
Future settlements.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke.
Commander...
Base 101's growth has accelerated by twenty-three percent.
Sam smiled.
"The Industrial District is already making a difference."
Affirmative.
Another blue screen appeared.
---
Kingdom Alert
Unclaimed Resource Site Detected.
Resource Type:
Mana Crystal Vein
Distance:
Three Days Northeast.
Recommendation:
Claim Immediately.
---
Sam looked thoughtfully at the screen.
"A mana crystal vein..."
Before he could continue...
A knock echoed through the Command Hall.
"Commander."
Leon entered.
"I've just received a scout report."
Sam smiled.
"Let me guess."
"The mana crystal vein."
Leon's eyes widened slightly.
"You already know?"
Sam nodded.
"My System just informed me."
Leon placed the map on the table.
"My scouts believe monsters are guarding it."
"They aren't wandering."
"They're defending."
Ben folded his arms.
"So it's another expedition."
George immediately shook his head.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"We're finally building."
"If we send everyone out again..."
"Construction slows down."
Doran nodded.
"I agree."
Sam looked around the room.
Everyone had a point.
He thought quietly for a moment.
Then...
He smiled.
"We won't repeat old mistakes."
The room fell silent.
"We've grown."
"We don't need the entire leadership team every time we leave the walls."
Ben raised an eyebrow.
"What are you thinking?"
Sam pointed at the map.
"I'll lead a small strike team."
"The rest of you stay here."
"Continue building the kingdom."
Silence lingered for a heartbeat.
Then Ben grinned.
"...Now that's starting to sound like a real kingdom."
Everyone smiled.
Base 101 was changing.
Not because it had become stronger...
But because it no longer depended on one person to do everything.
Outside...
The hammers continued to ring.
Inside...
A kingdom had taken another step toward the future.