Chapter 69 - 68: A Village Begins to Breathe (part 2)
He began counting on his fingers. "The wall was fifteen hundred."
"The blueprint was another thousand."
"And today’s construction..."
He slowly looked around at the beautiful neighborhood surrounding them.
"...was another one thousand five hundred and fifty?"
Benjamin gave a small nod.
"Three thousand, five hundred and fifty Gold in total."
Caleb stood frozen.
"...We’ve spent over three thousand Gold already?"
Henry folded his arms.
"Closer to three and a half thousand."
Caleb looked as though someone had physically stabbed him.
"...My heart."
Veronica couldn’t help smiling.
"It built an entire village."
"I know."
Caleb pressed a hand against his chest.
"...It still hurts."
The group laughed.
The tension eased almost immediately.
Benjamin continued studying the panel.
"The reclaimed resources helped."
Everyone looked toward him.
He pointed toward the construction log.
"The Village Center construction returned Wood and Stone from everything occupying the footprint."
Henry nodded.
"So the actual resource consumption was lower than the listed construction cost."
"Exactly."
Benjamin looked toward the surrounding forest.
"If future construction continues reclaiming trees and rocks inside the building area..."
"...our effective costs become lower."
Henry smiled faintly.
"Which means future planning shouldn’t only consider what we’ll spend."
"It should also consider what we’ll recover."
Benjamin nodded once.
"Proper budgeting starts with net cost."
Caleb scratched his head.
"...You two somehow made spending money sound exciting."
Henry chuckled.
"It isn’t."
"It’s necessary."
Caleb looked around the peaceful neighborhood again.
The broad stone roads.
The preserved trees.
The beautiful villas that already looked as though families had lived there for years.
He sighed.
"...I was saving my Gold."
Everyone looked toward him.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"...But I guess having an actual home is more important."
A familiar blue window appeared before him.
With a thought, several neatly stacked gold coins materialized in his hands.
He stepped forward and placed them into Iris’s hands.
"They’re for Velaris."
Before Iris could respond, another stack of coins appeared.
Henry silently held them out.
"Territory construction isn’t your responsibility alone."
His voice remained calm, steady as always.
"We all live here."
Benjamin withdrew his own contribution next.
"If we’re going to expand the village, then everyone should help build it."
Veronica smiled warmly as golden coins shimmered into existence above her palm.
"And a home should never be built by one person."
She gently added her contribution to the growing pile.
Iris froze.
The warm weight of the coins resting in her hands suddenly felt heavier than gold.
Not because of their value.
Because of what they meant.
Nobody had hesitated.
Nobody had expected her to shoulder the burden simply because she possessed the Lord Token.
Without warning, an old memory surfaced.
Not a clear picture.
Only a feeling.
The feeling of standing alone.
Of being remembered only when someone needed something.
Of carrying responsibilities that had never truly belonged to her.
That life...
Felt impossibly distant now.
She looked up.
Henry.
Benjamin.
Veronica.
Caleb.
Every one of them was looking at her.
Not as the Lord of Velaris.
Not as the person responsible for solving every problem.
Simply...
As family.
A warmth spread quietly through her chest.
Before she realized it, her vision had become slightly blurry.
"...Thank you."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Veronica stepped forward first.
Then Henry.
Benjamin followed.
A moment later, Iris found herself surrounded by a gentle family embrace.
For just a moment...
The weight she’d been carrying since arriving in Eldilon didn’t feel quite so heavy anymore.
Caleb looked at the group for several seconds before awkwardly scratching his cheek.
"...So..."
Everyone looked toward him.
"...Are we done being emotional?"
Iris immediately pulled away from the hug, her eyes still faintly red.
"...Shut up."
Benjamin smacked the back of Caleb’s head.
"Ow!"
Veronica burst into laughter.
Even Henry failed to hide his smile.
The peaceful sound drifted across the newly built streets of Velaris.
For the first time since humanity arrived in Eldilon...
The village didn’t merely look alive.
It finally felt like home.
The warmth lingered for a few quiet moments before life slowly returned to the village.
Caleb was the first to ruin the silence. "...Alright." He clapped his hands once and looked around dramatically. "If anyone cries again today, I’m charging emotional damages."
Benjamin glanced at him. "You cried first."
"No i didn’t."
"You wiped your eyes."
"Dust."
Marcus looked over. "Both eyes?"
Caleb hesitated. "...Very aggressive dust."
A few chuckles broke the silence, easing away the last traces of melancholy.
Henry looked around the valley before turning toward Iris.
"We’ve already gathered enough resources."
His voice carried the same calm steadiness it always had.
"You wanted to start construction today."
Iris nodded.
"Right."
She opened her System.
Naturally, nobody else noticed.
The familiar interface appeared before her vision.
[Buildings]
Her fingers moved without hesitation.
Administration.
Warehouse.
She had already decided long ago that this would be one of Velaris’ first buildings. Because of its storage, preservation, and organization functions.
They had spent weeks gathering supplies back on Earth because she believed an apocalypse was coming. Ironically, most of that stockpile should have been lost forever the moment they arrived in Eldilon.
Should have.
A faint smile crossed Iris’s lips before disappearing just as quickly.
Only she knew that wasn’t entirely true.
She pressed Construct.
The required resources disappeared from the territory reserves.
A low vibration rolled beneath everyone’s feet.
Caleb sighed dramatically. "There it is again."
"I was wondering how long it’d take."
The earth several dozen meters away slowly shifted.
Stone pushed upward from beneath the ground before timber beams locked themselves into place with impossible precision.
Nobody panicked this time.
Instead, they simply watched.
Compared to the Darkstone Wall, the warehouse rose quietly, almost methodically.
Large stone blocks settled together.
A reinforced roof followed.
Heavy wooden doors appeared last.
Within minutes, the tremors faded.
A sturdy stone warehouse stood overlooking the center of the valley.
Marcus slowly nodded.
"Simple."
Daniel folded his arms.
"Strong."
Victor examined one of the walls before resting his uninjured hand against the stone "Good."
Coming from Victor, that single word said more than an entire speech.
Iris smiled faintly before reopening the building menu.
One more.
Her fingers selected the next structure.
Armory.
Another confirmation.
Another tremor.
This time, the construction site appeared beside the warehouse.
Stone walls climbed steadily from the earth before reinforced wooden supports connected overhead. Wide double doors settled into place, while narrow windows lined the upper walls, allowing light inside without exposing too much of the interior.
Jin Taejin studied the completed structure quietly.
"It’ll be easier to defend."
Li Wei nodded in agreement.
"Having it close to the warehouse also makes transporting materials simpler."
Marcus looked toward Iris.
"A good location."
"I’m glad you think so."
Once the last tremor disappeared, Iris finally closed the System.
The valley grew quiet once more.
For a few moments, everyone simply looked around.
The Darkstone Wall enclosed the territory.
The garden villas stood nearby.
The Village center and the warehouse overlooked the open clearing.
The armory waited beside it.
It still wasn’t much.
But it no longer looked like an empty valley.
It looked...
Like the beginning of a village.
Benjamin was the first to break the silence.
"If we’re planning ahead..."
He pointed toward a relatively flat area closer to the entrance.
"A marketplace should probably go somewhere around there."
Marcus frowned slightly.
"Too close to the entrance."
Benjamin looked at him.
"If traders arrive one day, they’ll need easy access."
"They’ll also be the first thing attackers reach."
Henry considered both arguments before nodding slowly.
"What if it’s moved slightly farther in?"
He pointed several dozen meters deeper into the valley.
"Still accessible."
"But protected."
Marcus studied the area before giving a short nod.
"That works."
Veronica looked toward another open section.
"The clinic should stay somewhere central."
"If anyone gets injured, nobody should have to run across the entire village looking for it."
Claire immediately agreed.
"And away from the blacksmith."
Everyone looked at her.
She blinked.
"...Smoke."
Realization spread through the group.
Benjamin nodded.
"That actually makes sense."
Priscilla pointed toward another section closer to the stream.
"The farms could expand that way."
"There’ll be easier access to water."
"Good sunlight too," Evelina added.
Daniel scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"If we’re building a blacksmith later..."
He looked toward the newly completed armory.
"Keeping them close together would make transporting weapons easier."
Marcus nodded.
"I was thinking the same."
One suggestion gradually became another.
An inn.
A school.
Training grounds.
None of them were arguing over ownership.
None of them were demanding anything.
They were simply trying to imagine what their home might look like months from now.
Without realizing it, everyone had stopped talking about surviving.
They had started talking about living.
Eventually, Caleb let out an exaggerated groan before dropping onto the grass.
"My brain is melting."
Nobody responded.
"We’ve been planning this place all day."
Still nothing.
"I’m starving."
That finally earned a laugh.
Veronica smiled helplessly.
"You’ve been starving every two hours since we arrived."
"Exactly."
He pointed triumphantly.
"My schedule has been very consistent."
Benjamin shook his head.
"I’ll admit..."
He stretched his shoulders.
"I could use some food too."
Henry glanced toward the sky.
"The sun’s already beginning to set."
"We should eat before it gets dark."
Everyone seemed ready to move.
Then Caleb suddenly froze.
"...Wait."
The others looked back.
"If we’re hidden all the way inside this mountain valley..."
He slowly looked around at the towering cliffs surrounding Velaris.
"...How exactly is anybody supposed to find us?"