Chapter 104: The End of The Ritual
Around two days later, they finally finished repairing the damaged huts. They had also prepared clothes, blankets, and other daily necessities for every household.
Because of that, almost everyone in the Azuryn Tribe who was still sexually active and able to have children stayed inside their own huts. They probably wouldn’t come out again until the following week.
Maeve bit her thumb and lowered her head as she realized she would probably have to listen to a lot of strange noises for an entire week.
"Lior might have trouble sleeping since they’ll be... more active at night," she said in a low voice to her husbands.
Axan was the first to respond. "Oh, don’t worry about that," he said. "I’ll put up a barrier around our hut."
As soon as he finished speaking, Axan reached one hand out through the window. An invisible barrier immediately spread around the hut, forming a dome that blocked out the many strange noises coming from outside.
When she saw the barrier appear, Maeve blinked several times. "Oh... of course you can do that," she said.
She rested one hand against her cheek before adding, "With this barrier, that means our voices won’t be heard outside either, right?"
Axan looked at her in silence for a few moments before finally nodding. "Yes," he replied. "That’s true."
He seemed about to say something else, but his eyes suddenly landed on Lior, who was resting peacefully in Maeve’s arms.
"We can test it... someday," Axan said, turning his face slightly to the side.
Maeve let out a soft laugh. "Yes, we can test it someday."
Ikarus and Cerus, who were sitting behind her, seemed to be thinking the same thing, but they had to restrain themselves because they knew that taking all three of them at once would be too much for Maeve’s body.
For now, they would have to be patient. Maybe one day, when Maeve had grown stronger, they could finally try something like that.
The conversation ended with quiet smiles, and the three men silently agreed not to bring it up again for now.
===
Although Maeve had the urge to follow the others and take part in the tribe’s baby-making ritual—though she didn’t have to get pregnant for the time being—she ended up unable to do it.
It was because all of her husbands were extremely busy with work. As wild beasts began appearing throughout Lumivale Forest, the dangers they had to face increased every day.
Almost every day, another beast attacked the area around the settlement. Therefore, Cerus had to leave and fight them off, then spend time teaching the younger warriors how to defeat the beasts.
Axan was just as busy. Every two days, he had to repair the barrier because the wild beasts kept trying to break it. On top of that, he also had to protect the seeds in the forest by placing barriers around them, making sure they could grow safely.
Ikarus wasn’t any less busy than the other two. He didn’t have one specific role, but he was the one who made sure everything in the settlement ran smoothly.
He assigned work to everyone, kept track of what needed to be done, and made sure nothing was forgotten. Since most of the tribe stayed inside their huts during the ritual, he and the others had to work twice as hard.
They had to make sure the Clouds were always fed, go hunting, cook meals for everyone in the Azuryn Tribe, and deliver food to every single hut.
Whenever Axan wasn’t repairing the barrier, he would help Ikarus with those tasks. Cerus, however, couldn’t help much because he had to stay outside and guard the settlement at all times.
"We may need to think of a better way to protect the settlement," Maeve said as she helped Axan prepare food for everyone.
Today was the last day of the ritual, so she wanted to make sure the entire tribe enjoyed the best meal she could make.
"Do you think my barrier isn’t good enough?" Axan asked.
He didn’t sound upset. If anything, he sounded uncertain. Deep down, he was worried that Maeve thought his barrier wasn’t strong enough.
"What? No! That’s not what I meant!" Maeve quickly replied. "what if we stop relying on just one layer of defense?"
Axan tilted his head. "One layer?"
"Think about it," Maeve said as she stirred the pot over the fire. "Right now, if a wild beast reaches the barrier, it attacks it directly. But what if we make several defensive areas before they even get close to the settlement?"
Axan thought about it for a moment, nodding. "That’s make sense."
From the very beginning, the Azuryn Tribe had always relied on their own strength to protect their home. They had no other choice because they were too busy trying to survive the harsh land they lived in, and Axan had struggled just to create a barrier around the settlement.
But things were finally starting to change.
The tribe now had more natural resources than before, and it seemed they would no longer have to worry about finding enough food in the future. With their basic needs becoming more secure, they could finally start thinking beyond survival and focus on building stronger defenses to protect their home for years to come.
"Maybe... three layers," Maeve continued. "The barrier can still be the last and strongest defense. But outside of it, we could dig deep pits, place wooden stakes, or create other traps to slow the beasts down. Even if they don’t kill them, they’ll make it much harder for them to reach your barrier."
Cerus, who had just returned with a bundle of firewood, stopped walking. "Pits?" he asked.
Maeve nodded, turning her head toward him. "Yes. If the beasts have to cross one dangerous area after another, many of them will be exhausted or injured before they even touch the barrier."
Ikarus, who had just walked into the kitchen area with Lior sleeping peacefully in his arms, thought about it for a moment. "That would also give our warriors more time to react," he said. "Instead of rushing out the moment the barrier is attacked, we could intercept them while they’re trapped."
Axan looked toward the edge of the settlement, imagining the layout in his mind. "It would also reduce the pressure on the barrier," he said quietly.
Maeve smiled and nodded. "Exactly. Your barrier is already amazing, Axan. I just don’t want it to be our only line of defense."
A small smile appeared on Axan’s face. "I like that idea."
Before anyone could say another word, Pinky’s cheerful voice suddenly rang out in Maeve’s mind.
[Side Mission Triggered!]
[Mission: Build a Layered Defense!]
[Goals:
- Create an outer warning zone around the settlement. (0/1)
- Build a defensive trap line to slow down wild beasts. (0/1)
- Strengthen the inner barrier around the settlement. (0/1)]
[Rewards:
- 50,000 Coins
- 10 Barrier Reinforcement Crystals]
Maeve held her breath for a moment because the mission rewards were so incredible!
She had spent a lot of coins buying the seeds, but now that she was going to receive more coins, she could finally buy other things as well.
Well... the Black Market should have things I can use to build traps, right?
’Pinky,’ Maeve called inwardly, ’does the Black Market sell items for building defenses?’
[Of course, Host!] Pinky replied happily. [The Black Market sells all kinds of blueprints, tools, and materials. Some are ordinary, while others have special effects.]
Maeve’s eyes lit up. ’So we don’t have to make everything from scratch?’
[That’s right!] Pinky answered. [If Host has enough coins, you can buy blueprints for spike traps, hidden pit mechanisms, warning devices, reinforced walls, and many other useful things.]
Maeve couldn’t help smiling. ’Looks like we’ll be spending some coins again.’
"What are you smiling about?" Cerus asked curiously.
Maeve looked at the three brothers. "I think I can ask the Sky Mother for help to strengthen our defenses," she lied.
The three of them immediately turned to her.
"The Sky Mother?" Ikarus repeated.
Maeve nodded as naturally as she could. "She has helped us many times before. Maybe... if I pray to her again, she’ll guide us or give us something useful."
Cerus’ eyes lit up. "That’s great! If the Sky Mother helps us, building those defenses will be much easier."
Unlike Cerus, Axan lowered his gaze and fell silent for a moment.
"Wouldn’t that be asking too much of her?" he asked quietly. "She has already blessed our tribe more than we deserve."
Maeve smiled gently. "I won’t force her. I’ll only ask."
Ikarus looked at her for a few seconds before nodding. "If anyone can receive her guidance, it’s you."
Maeve laughed awkwardly, feeling a small pang of guilt. She knew she couldn’t tell them about Pinky or the System. At least, not yet.
"Then let’s finish today’s work first," Ikarus said. "After the ritual ends tonight, we can gather everyone and discuss how to build these new defenses."