It had taken a month to get everyone housed in passable shelters and would take many more before New Tariak was complete. With his experience playing Simulation Town 7, Kenji had been integral to planning out the new city, even if the building speed was infuriating slow to Kenji who liked to think and move at a demanding pace. But as Kenji strode through the masses of workmen, he'd have been lying if he didn't admit he was impressed by the progress they had made all the same, neat rows of housing rising up along freshly gravelled roads.
Satyr expended their excess energy and strength by hauling resources, huge logs, stone blocks and supplies still arriving in an endless stream from the Far King's domain. Far more than just helping re-build Tariak, upon Kenji's request, he had set up businesses too. Those without work now ran taverns, leatherworks, blacksmiths and weaving huts paid for by the Far King and sent a portion of their profit back in return.
As Kenji continued his walk he passed cartloads of food, Fauns helping to unload bales of hay and sacks of potatoes from reclaimed farms. So much of the farmland itself had been unaffected by the enemy armies passing that they could continue to feed themselves, while Fae Enchanters rapidly brought life back to those pastures picked clean to feed the Saytr horde.
And everywhere Kenji looked he found a source of the easy transition, Sun elves aplenty working hard to educate everyone on how to co-operate. They ran projects like the managers from Earth, listening to disputes and often settling many. Those that overwhelmed even the Sun Elve's ability to reason were then passed onto the new Lord of Tariak, not the random noble who had fled the instant the siege had lifted, but the Hero Guild itself.
Headed by Kenji, the Hero Guild was administered by a council that collectively made decisions in times of peace. Kenji himself had handed out as many hero grades as he could to form a new ranking system, and had spent an extensive amount of time with Almanac's Golden Goose Quil to figure out what exact requirements could best categories each ranking. Now, no matter whether Kenji was present, the council was able to award ranks to those deserving with enough accuracy to serve the Hero Guild's purpose of harmony between all peoples.
Together, Almanac of the Golden Goose Guild, Hartog of the Headless Hunters, Caster of Warden Company, and Violet who represented the other races, decided on how to resolve any matter that came before them. While it might take years for the suspicions to fade completely, these hasty resolutions of any arising disputes when paired with widespread knowledge of the Saytr's unwilling involvement in the war brought an uneasy peace.
Pinning the whole thing on Greenbeard had helped too, a strange tradition of using the Fae Lord's name as a curseword having sprouted even faster than the newly enchanted fields. Wherever the Lord was, Kenji hoped he knew what his plans had caused, even if Kenji still scoffed at the notion that the Far King hadn't had as deep involvement in the invasion as first thought.
Sounded too convenient to be believable, no matter how persuasive the Fae King had been.
People still lined down the streets to access the Fae Enchanter stations and have their PTSD slowly unravelled, but at Kenji's request, those stations would be remaining as long as necessary. Without the usual scarred mind after a war, the veteran fighters found it much easier to return to their labour than usual, and could similarly have their anger of the Saytr redirected towards that of the Church and Lord Greenbeard.
Speaking of the church, they were in a bit of a strange situation, even without the Inquisition having abandoned them on the eve before the Satyr war. When it had unravelled that the local Lord had been pushing Tariak's loggers deeper into Fae territory and sending soldiers in to steal magical resources at the Church's request to start a full-scale conflict, the population had gone from grumbling at the lack of Inquisitorial help to largely throwing their idols away overnight. In their place, Kenji had spread the twin handled sword of the Truthblade, who's angel had remained to convert those priests wishing to switch deities. Seeing as he presence filled the eyes of the townsfolk with hope, Kenji had told her she was free to stay as long as she liked.
Passing the new temple, Kenji admired its sturdy walls and steel bound wooden doors. In the event of another siege, this temple would become another place to stow away women and children, while in peacetime the god of Martial Honour had insisted through his new priests that those wishing to become adventurers, soldiers or mercenaries, come to make use of the [Martial Aura] permanently activated in the field behind to grow stronger.
Yet this new following, while strong, was also rather small. Many priests, especially the healers of the Silver Swan Knight Order, had prayed to their patron gods all their lives. The actions of the men were deemed not representative of the god's themselves, and as long as their blessings still worked, Kenji hadn't much of a problem with them.
Not to say he had none at all, each and every priest of the Three being as good as an enemy spy at this point. Not even to mention any future conflict with the Church was likely to see allied priests lose their powers, as the Three sought to flex their control.
Reaching the Golden Goose Guild, Kenji walked passed the long line of would be adventurers. While Kenji and the other heroes had defeated the enemy General and his elites, it was the common adventurer who was responsible for saving so many peoples lives. Tariak was awash with the stories of individual heroics, as small-time and veteran adventurers alike felled monsters and saved people by the drove. There was even talk of statues, although the common folk had fallen into a series of warring camps as to who should be immortalised in stone first.
Rising along the stairs, Kenji passed the now one-armed grey haired spearman embracing the catgirl receptionist. On her ringfinger was a shining copper band, a great applause eminating from the crowd below. Not wanting to take the spotlight away from the happy couple, Kenji hurried on by.
Arriving at the strategy room, Kenji finally found the one he had thrust all this responsibility upon. Violet worked with dark rings under her eyes, and endless messengers drifting in a room filled to the bursting with the smartest people in Tariak. Sun elves, human nobles, and Satyr war leaders shuffled around papers and grumbled to one another about every possible topic.
Through the mayhem Violet's sharp ears pulled free the good ideas, while rejecting those unhelpful thoughts before they could spread. The Sun Elves listened to her with absolute attention when she spoke, the satyr who had similarly begun to worship her after freeing them doing the same. Meanwhile the smitten nobles nodded along, or otherwise recognised the benefit of not upsetting her supporters.
"When are you coming with Tenko?" Tenko said, a great big backpack in her hands.
"Today, but later. I want to enjoy things here first, a short break before we head out to save your pack too," because for the moment Kenji just wanted to lay against the cool stone wall, watch the outcome of his labours, and rest.
Yet it didn't take long before the itch to continue onwards began to gnaw within him. Kenji unable to be sated with even such monumental accomplishments. For until he had clocked this world, and leveled to the max, there was simply far too many exciting things to do.
To many heroes to train.
To many people to set free.