Spirit Game

That night, Druger and the others were resting when Rain approached him to discuss the future construction of the village.

"Druger, may I have a bit of your time? I want to talk about future expansions and the placement of roads and networks of pathways."

"Ah, come here then, lad. I have the blueprint right here. If you want some changes, let's go over it," Druger answered after taking a swig of his booze.

"You're the lord of the Port Town now. You should go slow with that booze," Rain commented.

Druger laughed heartily. "I need this more than ever. Becoming the lord of that town is nothing but a headache! The paperwork just keeps piling up every day. Coming here and constructing things is the only time I can unwind."

I guess building is in his blood, Rain thought.

"So, who's running the town while you're away?" Rain asked.

"Lyncon, of course. Aye, he should have been the lord, not me."

"Though Lyncon only pretended to serve Izu and allied with the seadwellers, the citizens still have their reservations after what he had done in the past. So, delegating that role to you was the right choice to ease the townsfolks worries."

Druger sighed. "I'm not cut out for this paperwork and governing stuff. Anyway, let's talk about your village."

Rain turned serious. "Right. I'm wondering if it's alright to preserve those two giant stones we used as temporary shelter as a monument at the center when we start constructing our square. I'm also planning to extend my territory up east to the ocean so we can build a port town."

"Aye, smart move. Your territory will keep expanding, and building a port town is a genius idea for boosting trade. As your domain evolves, we need to strategically plan the roads, water and sewage systems, and defenses now while we're still in the early stages."

Druger then pulled out more blueprints. "That's why construction will take place in different phases, but each plan will be interconnected. We might have to destroy some buildings in the future to make way for something major, but for now, providing shelter and food to your citizens should be our priority."

Rain nodded. The blueprints were all foreign to him except for the plan of his entire territory. Druger was indeed a master builder worthy of his name. Everything was organized and well thought out, even the water and sewage lines.

Now his only problem was the aquifer and the plants. He had plans for the latter, but the former was a bit tricky since he didn't know where to start searching for it.

"Don't worry about resources right now. I have plenty of Soul Elixirs to buy materials," Rain boasted. He felt like a billionaire with 100L of Soul Elixirs.

Who knew that forming alliances could yield so much EP and Soul Elixirs? With it, Rain was finally planning to buy a pod!

"Thank you so much, Druger," Rain said. "Without you, this wouldn't have happened."

Druger was silent for a moment before he smiled meaningfully.

"By the way, I happened to come by these orbs from the defeated Ebizo army," Rain said, showing the two small orbs in his hands. "They said that this could power up those two warships. If you don't mind, I want you to use them so you can patrol the coast and defend the town."

"You're giving it to me?" Druger's eyes widened.

"Uh, no. I'm letting you borrow it," Rain clarified. "Besides, the port town is our first line of defense in the east, so we have to protect it, right?"

Druger only stared at the orbs before he laughed. "Then I will borrow these and have someone patrol the coast."

"It's good that the Ebizo left their warships when they departed. I guess they didn't really need them since they could swim faster than those pieces of metals and wood."

"Ah, you're right. I guess Lord Izumi gifted you the ships and the keys."

"Right, he gifted them to me . . ." Rain paused, then his eyes bulged at Druger. "W-what I mean is, I . . .

I found them."

Druger patted Rain's shoulder, his face serious. "Rain, lad. I already know what really happened."

"Wait . . . did . . .

did Hana tell you?"

Druger shook his head. "So that kid knows too?"

Ah, crap! Rain thought. "T-then . . . did I give it away with the warships?"

Druger's serious face loosened a little. "No. I figured it out the moment we defeated the Ebizo soldiers. I knew firsthand how powerful they were even on land. That day, everything went smoothly for us. I had expected a lot of casualties before we could restrain Izu, but .

. . no one actually died or was seriously injured."

Rain hid his nervousness with a laugh. "I guess the Ebizos were bad actors after all."

"It's not just that. When Lord Izumi showed us a bit of his strength, I couldn't move. Right then and there, I knew that he could kill us and save his son and soldiers at the same time. I found it odd that he had surrendered just like that when he could have annihilated us where we stood.

"Then there are the Ebizo soldiers patrolling your village. I knew for a fact that Ebizo are fiercely loyal soldiers to their lord until the end. They would rather die than betray their lord, and shift sides, so I found it odd to see them here and give you respect like they showed Lord Izumi."

"I . . . I see . . ." Rain didn't know what to say.

Druger was indeed perceptive. Was it because of his old age?

Druger stared at Rain in the eyes. "I don't know what you did, but . . . it was you, right? You somehow convinced Lord Izumi to leave us alone in peace.

Even more so, to give you these gifts, you must have done something remarkable. You really are something, lad."

"Uh . . . b-but you know, you and the others contributed a lot to freeing your town. It's not all me," Rain stuttered, not knowing what to say. At a time like this, he didn't want Druger and the others to know and shatter their feelings of victory and confidence.

"Don't worry, lad. It's only I and Hana who know about this., and I want to keep it that way."

"I . . . I'm sorry," Rain said, feeling deflated. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that .

. ."

To Rain's surprise, Druger prostrated before him. "Thank you, Rain!"

"H-huh? W-why? You should be disappointed and angry at me."

"No, I understand why you did it. Because of you, we survived! You helped us from the shadows, restoring not only our safety but also the townsfolk's confidence and dignity. Such a debt can never be fully repaid. For that, we are eternally grateful. Stay connected via m_vl_em_p_yr

"From this day forth, the Port Town pledges its unwavering allegiance to you, now and forever!"

[CONGRATULATIONS! Lord Druger, of the Barren Wasteland Port Town, has pledged their allegiance to you!]

|| REWARDS! ||

10 L Soul Elixirs

30 000 EP

|| E N D ||