Chapter 150: Rebuilding Dawn
Morning arrived as the golden sunlight shone across Dawn. The aftermath of the celebration remained.
Empty cups.
Cold bonfire.
Children slept against Stone Guardians and one little Goblin was curled up against Mephistopheles’s tail.
The dragon slowly opened one eye. "I can’t move," he said.
Leon laughed. "Looks like you’ve been adopted," he said.
Arthur stretched. "Best celebration ever," he said.
Kong yawned. "Food," he said.
Athy landed on Arthur’s shoulder. "Work," she said.
Arthur sighed dramatically. "Reality has returned," he said.
Everyone laughed.
Everyone gradually gathered in the plaza.
For several moments nobody spoke and simply looked around them. The scars of the beast’s siege battle were everywhere.
Then Vedas slowly stepped forward in his golden armor and everyone instinctively looked at him.
He smiled. "Yesterday was a good celebration. But more than that, it was a well deserved reward for all of you who went above and beyond during the invasion."
Silence.
Vedas slowly lowered his head. "Thank you," he said.
Silence as nobody expected the King to bow first.
One Goblin Hunter hurriedly shook his head. "No," he said.
Another immediately spoke. "We should be thanking you," he said.
Soon more voices echoed out. "You helped guide us to the city of our ancestors."
"You gave us hope!"
"You became our King!"
"You gave us a future!"
Vedas quietly listened before he slowly turned, looking across the city, then beyond it toward the endless Southern Region. "When I named our Kingdom Utopia," he said, "I wasn’t talking about this city."
Everyone blinked.
"This city is Dawn," he said. "It is our capital and our beginning. But our Kingdom will become something much greater."
Silence filled the plaza.
One little Goblin child raised his hand. "Greater?"
Vedas nodded. "Yes, just like I mentioned before about the countless races coming together. But that was just a wish." He clenched his fist. "What I want is to build a Kingdom that is a home to us all, one where we can leave at any time... But always know what we can return to." A grin appeared on his face. "No! A home that no matter how far we go! No matter how long we are away! It will always remain standing when we come back! That’s the Kingdom I want us to build together!"
Nobody spoke.
Not because they had nothing to say but because for the first time they could actually picture it.
And it was the most beautiful thing they had ever imagined in their life.
Arthur quietly smiled. "Utopia really is the perfect name," he said.
And then the plaza erupted.
"UTOPIA!"
"UTOPIA!"
"UTOPIA!"
Even the Goblin children began shouting it. Several Builders pumped their fists. One laughed. "I like the sound of that!"
Another grinned. "Then let’s build a Kingdom worthy of it!"
The cheering echoed throughout Dawn.
The cheering slowly settled.
One Builder suddenly scratched his head. "...Your Majesty?"
Vedas looked over. "Yes?"
"...What will you be doing?"
Silence.
Vedas smiled. "Helping you all rebuild of course."
Before anyone could react, he calmly walked over, picked up a block of stone nearly as large as himself, and rested it on his shoulder.
Several Goblins blinked. "Our King is carrying rocks."
Another Builder immediately panicked. "Your Majesty! T-This stuff isn’t meant for you–"
Vedas laughed. "Of course, it’s. How can I not help out in rebuilding our new home?"
His words left the Goblin Builders stunned.
Arthur grinned. "See? I told you he’d fit right in."
The Builders exchanged glances and then all burst into laughter.
Vedas smiled before his expression became serious again. "The Breach comes first," he said.
Every Builder immediately nodded. "Our walls must stand."
Vedas looked toward the Stone Guardians. "You protected Dawn yesterday. Will you help us build Utopia today?"
One by one the Stone Guardians knelt. The ground gently trembled. Even several Goblin children gasped.
Vedas smiled warmly. "Thank you," he said.
He turned toward the Goblin Statues. "You remember Dawn better than anyone. Guide our Builders."
The Statues quietly lowered their heads, golden eyes shining.
Then he looked toward the Spectral Goblins. "You gave your lives protecting this Kingdom once. Help us build a future where your descendants never have to."
Every Spectral Warrior silently saluted.
Several living Goblins instinctively copied them.
Athena stepped forward carrying Halburn’s journal. "The walls weren’t built with ordinary stone," she said, opening the journal. "They were connected through reinforcement runes."
Goblin Mages immediately leaned closer.
One scratched his head. "I understand the mana, but not the writing," he said.
Mara smiled. "Then we’ll teach you," she said.
Several Goblin Historians stepped forward carrying copied notes. One elderly Historian smiled proudly. "For centuries our duty was preserving history," he said, gently closing one notebook. "Now our history will build our future."
Athena couldn’t stop smiling.
Soon Historians explained the ancient Dawn language.
Goblin Mages carefully copied every rune, testing them, improving them. One young Mage finally activated a glowing rune, and golden light spread across an unfinished wall. The Builders all cheered. "It worked!"
Arthur quietly looked around.
Stone Guardians carried walls while children followed behind asking questions. Mephistopheles lazily let several Goblin children slide down his tail. Even the Spectral Warriors had stopped feeling like ancient heroes.
They simply looked like citizens helping their home.
He smiled. "I can’t wait to see this city and everyone in a year... I bet the chances will be amazing."
Arthur quietly picked up a stone.
One Builder blinked. "Prophet?"
He smiled. "I’m helping," he said.
The Builder immediately panicked. "No! The Prophet shouldn’t carry rocks!"
Arthur already had three on one shoulder. "Too late," he said.
Soon Arthur, Sun, Kong, Leon, and Mephistopheles were all carrying something. Even Eden tried, proudly lifting one tiny pebble. "I got one!" she said.
Arthur immediately smiled. "Perfect," he said.
Several Goblin children cheered. "Eden’s helping! We’ll help too!"
Soon children began carrying tiny stones.
Arthur laughed. "Now that’s teamwork," he said.
While carrying another giant block, a notification appeared.
[Title Obtained]
[Rebuilder]
Given to one who rebuilds what others believed could never stand again.
Effect: Construction, restoration, and repair efforts led by you become more efficient. Allies working beside you experience reduced fatigue and naturally coordinate better during rebuilding projects.
Arthur blinked. "Seriously?" he said.
Sun looked over. "What now?"
Arthur chuckled. "Apparently I’m a Builder," he said.
One nearby Builder immediately pointed. "I knew it!"
Another nodded. "He carried rocks correctly."
Arthur blinked. "There’s a correct way?"
The Builders all nodded together. "There is."
Arthur decided not to question it.
Along the Outer Wall, Stone Guardians carried enormous blocks. Goblin Builders directed them. Goblin Mages carefully copied ancient runes from Halburn’s journal. Golden lines slowly spread through repaired sections.
One Builder beamed. "It works!"
Everyone cheered.
At the Children’s School, children watched excitedly. Builders asked, "What should we change?"
One little Goblin raised his hand. "Can we make it bigger?"
"Yes."
Another. "Can we have two training yards?"
"Yes."
Another. "Can we paint it?"
"Also yes."
The children exploded with excitement.
Arthur laughed. "They’re designing the school now," he said.
At the Houses, families helped rebuild their own homes. Stone Guardians gently lowered roofs into place. Goblin Statues carved decorations. One Elder quietly cried. "My house is prettier than before," he said.
At the Harvest Fields, the burned crops were cleared and fresh seeds planted. The glowing underground channels began feeding the soil again. Tiny green sprouts already appeared.
Athena smiled. "The land remembers," she said.
...
At the Forge, the Builders stared at the crystal-covered ruins.
One Builder sighed. "This is going to be awful," he said.
Another cracked his knuckles. "Let’s make it twice as big," he said.
One young Builder scratched his head. "...Do you think we’ll ever finish?"
An older Goblin Builder laughed. "Builders never finish."
The younger Goblin blinked. "...What?"
The old Builder proudly folded his arms. "When we’re done... We’ll think of something even better."
Everyone cheered.
Arthur immediately laughed. "I knew you’d say that," he said.
One Builder tore down a half-finished wall.
Arthur blinked. "Wasn’t that finished?"
"Yes," the Builder said.
"Then why destroy it?"
"I thought of something better."
Arthur just laughed. "Builders are terrifying too," he said.
...
A young Goblin Historian nervously read an ancient rune.
When nothing happened, he panicked.
An older Historian smiled. "Your activating it wrong. Remember you have to connect your mana into them in the correct order."
The Goblin Mage tried again and this time the wall glowed.
The Goblin Mage beside him gasped. "It worked."
The young Historian beamed. "I actually helped!" he said.
One elderly Historian quietly watched him and then tears slowly filled his eyes. "For centuries people said those who learn about history were useless..."
Another one nodded with a smile. "But now with our knowledge, we can help rebuild this beautiful city."
"And make it even stronger."
The younger Historians quietly straightened their backs.
A bit away were children with the Stone Guardians.
One child accidentally dropped a bucket and water spilled.
The child looked ready to cry. But then without anyone asking, one Stone Guardian quietly knelt, refilled the bucket, and handed it back.
The child blinked. "Thank you," he said.
The Stone Guardian gave the tiniest nod.
Nearby Raku noticed. "Did it just," he started.
Luka smiled. "They’re changing," she said. "I heard the Prophet mention something about changes happening... I didn’t think he meant them as well."
Raja nodded and said. "Maybe after completing their duties... The city gave them the reward of acting more like people of the city instead of just guardians."
"I hope so, they deserve it." Raku said softly, making Luka and Raja smile grow.
Another Guardian carefully lifted a crooked wall.
One Builder shouted, "A little left!"
The Guardian moved too far. "Too much! Back a little. Perfect."
The Builder gave a thumbs up. The Guardian copied it.
The Builder froze. "It learned," he said.
Soon children were teaching Stone Guardians hand signals. Even the Goblin Statues began copying them.
Those around burst into laughter.
...
The rebuilding continued across Dawn.
Stone Guardians carried enormous blocks of stone. Builders shouted directions. Goblin Mages carefully carved glowing runes into the repaired walls.
Arthur lowered another massive stone into place before wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Done," he said.
A nearby Builder gave him a thumbs up. "Perfect!"
Then a chorus of tiny voices echoed across the street. "Go, Prophet!"
Arthur blinked. "Hm?"
He turned to see nearly every Goblin child gathered together. Some stood on crates. Others waved little wooden flags they had made.
One little Goblin cupped both hands around his mouth. "Go Arthur! You can do it! Lift another one!"
High above them Eden floated happily in the air. She immediately joined in. "Go Arthur! You can do it too!"
The children giggled as they continued cheering.
Arthur couldn’t stop himself from laughing. "Thanks, everyone," he said.
The Goblin children immediately cheered even louder. "He thanked us! We’re helping!"
Arthur smiled warmly. "You are," he said. "Then I’ll just have to work even harder."
The children pumped their fists. "Yeah!"
Another Goblin pointed toward Mithra, who had just finished helping move another pile of stone. "Go Big Sister Mithra too!"
Mithra blinked before laughing. "Me too?"
The children all nodded enthusiastically. "Go! You can do it! We’re cheering for both of you!"
Mithra looked toward Arthur. The two couldn’t help smiling.
Arthur suddenly raised one fist toward the children. "Then don’t stop cheering!"
The children gasped before erupting into even louder cheers. "We won’t!"
Mithra laughed before raising her own fist. "We’re counting on you then!"
That only made the Goblin children cheer harder.
Nearby several Builders chuckled. "I think they’re working harder because of the children," one said.
Another Builder nodded. "Definitely."
Then a tiny white fox suddenly appeared beside the children. Melo, shrunk into her smallest form, nearly hidden behind a wooden sign she was struggling to hold above her head. On it, written in large crooked letters, GO!
Arthur stopped walking. "Melo?"
She proudly lifted the sign even higher. "Go!" she said.
The sign wobbled so much it nearly fell over.
Mithra covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "That’s adorable," she said.
Arthur nodded in complete agreement. "It really is," he said.
Melo happily swished her tails and continued holding up the sign with all her strength. The Goblin children quickly copied her. Soon more signs appeared. GO! YOU CAN DO IT! BUILD UTOPIA!
Arthur looked at the cheering children, at Eden happily waving her tiny arms, at Melo proudly holding her little sign, then toward Mithra. The two exchanged a smile.
"Let’s not disappoint them," Arthur said.
Mithra grinned. "Wouldn’t dream of it," she said.
The two immediately picked up another massive stone together. Behind them the cheers only grew louder.
Then Sun walked over carrying a bundle of timber on one shoulder. He looked between Arthur and the cheering children. "You’ve got your own fan club now," he said.
Arthur laughed. "Seems like it," he said.
Kong folded his arms proudly. "Hmph. They’ve got good taste," he said.
Arthur smiled. "I’ll take that as a compliment," he said.
Sun smirked. "Don’t let it get to your head," he said.
Arthur shrugged. "Too late," he said.
The Goblin children immediately shouted again. "GO ARTHUR!"
Sun slowly looked toward Kong. "Yeah," he said. "It’s definitely too late."
Kong burst into laughter. Even Mithra couldn’t stop herself from laughing as the cheerful voices continued echoing throughout the streets of Dawn.
By evening the city looked different.
The wall was partially restored.
Some homes were repaired.
The school framework already stood.
The forge had been cleared and the fields were green again. Children ran through the streets while those around smiled proudly.
Arthur quietly looked around. "We actually did it," he said. "Let’s keep it up."
Yesterday was the city’s celebration.
Today was Utopia taking its very first step.
And tomorrow will be even better.