Chapter 89 - 88: The Rules of Velaris
[Flashback]
By the time Iris and the others left the Village Center, the sun had climbed higher into the sky.
They had spent most of the morning exploring Velaris, and the territory already felt different from when they had first arrived. The buildings were no longer just structures they had constructed out of necessity. They were beginning to look like the foundation of something larger.
Something that would soon belong to more than just them.
Iris glanced toward the territory entrance as they walked.
The beacon had already done its job.
People would come.
They just didn’t know how many.
"We should make some rules."
Henry’s sudden statement made Caleb look at him.
"Rules?"
"Yes."
Caleb frowned.
"We’ve survived the apocalypse for this long without writing down rules."
Henry gave him a look.
"That’s because there were six of us."
"Five," Veronica corrected.
Caleb glanced at her.
"Six, if we’re counting Elias."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"I appreciate being remembered."
Iris smiled faintly before looking toward Henry.
"He’s right."
Caleb looked betrayed.
"You’re agreeing with him?"
"We’re about to have strangers entering Velaris."
That immediately changed the mood.
Caleb’s expression became more serious.
Until now, Velaris had belonged to them.
They had built the first houses themselves. They had gathered the resources. They had established the walls and defenses. Even the territory itself had been chosen by Iris.
But that was about to change.
The beacon was calling people toward them.
People they didn’t know.
People who might have different personalities, different values, and different ideas about what they could do once they entered a safe territory.
Benjamin folded his arms.
"He’s right. We can’t assume everyone who comes here will think the same way we do."
Veronica nodded.
"Some people might see the buildings and resources and think they’re free to take whatever they want."
"Exactly," Henry said.
Caleb sighed.
"So we’re making rules because we’re expecting thieves."
"Not just thieves," Iris said.
She looked toward the settlement.
"People who are desperate can do things they wouldn’t normally consider."
Nobody argued with that.
They had all seen enough of the new world to understand it.
Iris led them toward one of the quieter areas near the village. They eventually settled beneath the shade of a large tree, with Snow and Dog wandering nearby.
Elias leaned against the trunk while Benjamin sat on the grass.
Iris remained standing for a moment before sitting down with the others.
"Okay," she said. "Let’s start with the obvious ones."
"No fighting," Henry said immediately.
Iris nodded.
"No fighting inside Velaris."
Caleb raised a hand.
"Does that include friendly fighting?"
Henry stared at him.
"What is friendly fighting?"
"Training."
"That’s different."
"Then the rule should say that."
Iris considered it.
"Fine. No fighting that isn’t authorized."
Caleb nodded.
"That works."
Veronica looked thoughtful.
"No stealing."
Benjamin nodded.
"Definitely."
"That one should include resources belonging to the territory," Henry added. "Otherwise someone might argue that something sitting outside belongs to nobody."
Iris glanced at him.
"Good point."
She mentally adjusted the wording.
"Residents shouldn’t take things that belong to other people or the territory without permission."
Caleb leaned back.
"What about food?"
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
"You said things belonging to other people."
"Yes."
"So if someone leaves food unattended..."
"Caleb."
"I’m asking a legitimate question."
Veronica laughed.
"You’re making this harder than it needs to be."
"That’s what lawyers do."
"You’re not a lawyer."
"Details."
Iris shook her head, hiding a smile.
"No stealing. That should be simple enough."
Benjamin spoke next.
"No deliberately damaging another person’s property."
Iris nodded.
"Yes."
Henry added, "And the territory’s property."
"That too."
Elias glanced toward the buildings.
"Should there be a rule against damaging the buildings themselves?"
"That would fall under damaging territory property," Iris said.
She paused.
"But we can make it clear."
She didn’t want the rules to become unnecessarily complicated.
The System had already made it clear that more detailed rules would require more Gold. There was no reason to waste resources trying to account for every possible situation.
They needed basic rules.
Not a thousand-page law book.
Caleb raised his hand again.
Iris looked at him suspiciously.
"What?"
"Can I suggest one?"
"Go ahead."
"No throwing people into rivers."
Silence.
Iris stared at him.
Caleb looked completely serious.
"That’s a very specific rule."
"Exactly."
Henry rubbed his forehead.
"Why would anyone need that rule?"
"You don’t know what people are capable of."
Elias laughed.
"He’s technically making your point for you."
Veronica shook her head.
"We don’t need a rule for every ridiculous thing someone might do."
"Fine."
Caleb lowered his hand.
"But when someone gets thrown into the river, don’t say I didn’t warn you."
Iris smiled.
"Next."
Benjamin spoke more seriously.
"No deliberately harming another resident."
Henry nodded.
"Visitors too."
"Yes."
Iris looked around the group.
"No deliberately harming residents or visitors without justification."
Caleb tilted his head.
"What counts as justification?"
"Self-defense."
Henry answered before Iris could.
"If someone attacks you, you should be allowed to defend yourself."
Iris nodded.
"That’s reasonable."
She didn’t want the rules to become so strict that people couldn’t protect themselves.
The purpose was to maintain order, not make everyone helpless.
Veronica looked toward the distant buildings.
"What about causing disturbances?"
Iris looked at her.
"Explain."
"Someone might not fight or steal, but they could still cause problems. Start fires. Damage defenses. Deliberately create panic. Anything that puts everyone else in danger."
Henry nodded slowly.
"That should be covered."
Iris thought about it.
"No deliberately causing disturbances that threaten the safety of Velaris or its residents."
"That sounds good," Benjamin said.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Iris looked down at the grass.
Five rules.
It didn’t seem like much.
But perhaps that was exactly what they needed.
She didn’t want Velaris to become a place where every action was controlled by a long list of restrictions.
They were building a sanctuary.
Not a prison.
"We should keep it simple," Iris said.
Caleb nodded.
"Agreed."
"People need to understand the rules without having to study them."
"And if someone breaks one?" Veronica asked.
Iris looked toward the village.
"That’s what I want to figure out."
She stood and brushed the grass from her clothes.
The others followed.
"Let’s see what the System allows."
They returned to the Village Center.
Once inside, Iris approached one of the holographic interfaces and searched through the available functions.
After several selections, a new option appeared.
[Territory Rules]
Iris selected it.
A new panel appeared before her.
[Basic rules may be established by the Lord of the Territory.]
[Rules will apply to residents and visitors within the territory.]
Iris read the next line.
[Additional conditions and details may increase the required Gold.]
Her eyebrows lifted.
"So the more complicated the rule, the more expensive it becomes."
Benjamin looked at the display.
"That makes sense."
Iris nodded.
It also confirmed what she had already suspected.
The System wasn’t going to stop her from creating complicated regulations. It simply expected her to pay for the additional complexity.
She could write pages of conditions if she wanted.
But there was no reason to do that.
At least not now.
"Let’s keep them simple," Iris said.
She entered the first rule.
[No unauthorized fighting within Velaris.]
The System processed it.
[Rule accepted.]
She entered the second.
[No stealing.]
[Rule accepted.]
The third followed.
[Deliberately damaging the property of another person or the territory is prohibited.]
[Rule accepted.]
Then the fourth.
[Deliberately harming a resident or visitor without justification is prohibited.]
[Rule accepted.]
Finally, Iris entered the fifth.
[Deliberately causing disturbances that threaten the safety of Velaris or its residents is prohibited.]
The interface paused.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then another notification appeared.
[Rules have been successfully configured.]
Iris looked at the others.
"That’s it."
Caleb stared at the interface.
"That was easier than I expected."
Iris continued reading.
Another section had appeared beneath the rules.
[Rule Violations]
[The System will detect violations of established territory rules.]
[Alerts may be assigned to designated enforcement personnel.]
Iris frowned slightly.
"Enforcement personnel."
Henry stepped closer.
"So the System doesn’t expect you to handle every violation yourself."
"Apparently not."
That was useful.
Very useful.
If Velaris grew as quickly as they expected, Iris couldn’t personally deal with every argument, theft, or disturbance.
The System could detect the violation.
Someone else could respond.
But who?
Iris looked at the others.
"We need someone to handle these alerts eventually."
Caleb glanced around.
"One of the bodyguards?"
"Possibly."
Henry nodded.
"They already protect the territory. Giving them additional responsibilities would make sense."
"But there are only eight of them," Benjamin said.
"And the territory is going to grow."
Iris considered the problem.
They didn’t need to solve everything today.
The first survivors hadn’t even arrived yet.
"We’ll decide later," she said. "For now, I’ll handle the alerts until we have enough people to assign the responsibility properly."
Nobody objected.
Iris looked at the rules again.
They were simple.
Almost painfully simple.
Yet seeing them displayed by the System made something inside her shift.
Until now, Velaris had been a collection of buildings surrounded by walls.
A place they had created because they needed somewhere safe to survive.
Now it had rules.
Soon, it would have residents.
People who weren’t part of the Hale family.
People who didn’t know Iris.
People who might never know that she was the Lord standing behind the territory.
Iris slowly looked around the Village Center.
"We’re actually doing this."
Benjamin smiled.
"Doing what?"
"Building a community."
Henry looked toward the entrance.
"Looks like it."
Caleb stretched his arms.
"Well, as long as the community doesn’t start making ridiculous rules."
Veronica smiled.
"You’re the one who suggested banning river throwing."
"That was a serious concern."
Elias laughed.
Iris shook her head.
For a moment, the tension that had followed them since the apocalypse seemed lighter.
They had no idea who would arrive through the gates.
They didn’t know what those people would be like.
They didn’t know how large Velaris would become.
But they had taken the first step.
The rules were established.
The territory was ready.
And somewhere beyond the walls, survivors were still following the light in the sky.
Soon, Velaris would no longer belong only to them.