It was noon when everyone finally began to wake. Zack was already out of bed and sitting in the courtyard alone. Everyone got up to see him missing from bed as they began searching for him. While searching the estate Kaya saw him through a window and gathered the others.
They all took their turns embracing Zack, and after he led them to a corner of the courtyard. They came across a small garden with a little tree growing. Zack had a sad smile on his face gazing at it. Yuki knew of only one person to give him that expression. He may have mentioned her name before, but never explained Lauren's identity to the others.
"When I was confused about my identity, and wandering alone I met a girl. She helped me control my abilities, and we slowly fell in love...This is where we said goodbye, and I wanted all of you to see it. It's why I try to fight alone because I can't do this again. I'm not sure how something like this works with more than one person." Zack said while turning around.
"My dad has several wives and we live just fine." Lilith smiled while hugging him.
"W-w-wi-wife? Who wants to be something st-stupid like that!" Kaya shouted as she stormed off.
"We already have a lot of kids so multiple mothers seem fitting." Yuki walked up to kiss him.
"Sharing is our way, but I go first," Yu smiled while trying to lead him away.
A slight fight abrupted over the order of things, but since Zack was still healing he managed to convince them to wait. Zack walked towards the core to check on Valan. The girls stayed back talking about a few ways to handle the situation.
When entering Zack noticed ten dolls standing behind Valan. He was about to begin work on a new one when he noticed the visitor.
"It's good to see you up, but you should take it easy. These are ready to get to work, and I also took a few off the cleaning duties. They are sitting by the forge for now waiting on your orders." Valan told Zack.
"Can you look at these?" Zack asked.
Zack retrieved his auction items from his ring, and when Valan saw the etching he promptly went to work. Not wanting to bother him Zack focused on the dolls and changing their functions. He dedicated half of the workforce to the mines, and the rest to the tailor.
Zack made sure to grab a remote for Destiny before leaving Valan to his work. Five of the dolls followed him as he traveled towards the gate to teach her how to use it. Destiny was barely getting started when Zack arrived. Tanya ran up embracing him the minute Zack cleared the door, and it was a few minutes before she let go.
"I'm sorry for scaring you so much," Zack said while patting her head.
"Karin is supposed to visit today, and I want her to start teaching me right away." Tanya wiped the tears from her face.
"I'm glad you stopped by. I need to take some measurements before getting started." Destiny smiled.
"I thought you only made women and kids clothing?" Zack asked.
"We only gift male clothing for someone special," Destiny averted her gaze.
"She means their fiance," Tanya smirked.
Destiny turned around promptly getting back to work without a word. Tanya kept smirking at Zack. She may be young, but already noticed the tension between the women this morning. Tanya wasn't sure who to root for so she just enjoyed the show.
Zack went over to show Destiny how to alter commands for the dolls. Then had his measurements taken before leaving.
"I'm gonna get you for that," Destiny smirked while cornering Tanya.
Tanya began giggling as she ran around the room. Zack was heading to the garden to look for Naomi. When he arrived he saw her talking with Eve. He approached the tree admiring the growth.
"You should be resting," Naomi stated.
"Thanks for saving me," Zack replied.
"Sure ignore my warnings, but don't thank me they took the risks," Naomi said while tending the garden.
"You've been pushing yourself again haven't you?" Zack examined the tree closely.
"You have no room to talk on that matter. Do you know what Yuki is doing right now?" Eve asked.
"No what?" Zack replied turning around.
"Cynthia offered to watch the kids so she could go train. What exactly happened this morning?" Eve smirked.
"I'll let you know when I find out," Zack replied as he walked away.
Zack went to the wall sitting down. He wanted to make this place more secure in his weakened state. His body felt weird with such little grace and needed more focus for magic. After focusing, and gathering mana for an hour he was ready.
The walls around the estate disappeared into the ground and reappeared a mile out in each direction besides north. The estate began to rumble as the walls began to rise, and thicken. His eyes opened as he gasped for breath. Altering so much exhausted most of his mana.
'This might be tougher than I thought.'
Once recovered Zack visited the core to adjust the mirage, and barrier accordingly. Knowing everyone was still busy with duties he snuck off to the bath. It was the best place for him to recover so long as he could avoid detection.
This was the first time Zack had a relaxing bath alone since Lilith joined. He didn't mind their company, but it made it difficult to focus. In order to get the most out of the water's effect, mediation was needed. After soaking for a half-hour, and feeling his meridians at ease Zack went to visit the forge.
When nearing it Zack could feel magic swelling. As he entered Valan was supervising Rolen as they tested the hammer. Zack witnessed the molten metal moving as if it was alive. It took the form of an open chest plate before hardening, and Thea watched closely captivated by the process.
"This is truly phenomenal. The metal bends to his will after a single strike, and it seems to be resonating with the forge as well. The enchanting tools seem to house unique magic but will take time for me to uncover. I must return to the library at once." Valan said before eagerly leaving the forge.
"It does more than bend to my will. I've used enough mithril for only a dagger yet it continues to stretch. That's not the craziest part either, observe." Rolen said while grabbing the dagger from his back.
Rolen struck the plate with force, but it held firmly. It was so thin but had the integrity of a thick wall. Thea was preparing another billet as Rolen etched enchantments inside the plate. When he finished the engravings he moved the plate near an anvil. Thea moved the billet over as Rolen struck it with the hammer. The molten metal began fusing with the armor igniting it once again.
'They only been partners for two days but are already in sync.' Zack smiled.
"At this rate, we could have a full set of armor by dinner. How did you get this exactly?" Rolen asked.
"It was during an auction. Here's you cut by the way." Zack lifted his hand.
On the ground dropped a few chests filled with gold. They never had a use for money, but Rolen knew it wasn't a small amount. During conflicts in the past, they would find treasure among humans but never touched it.
This was the most Rolen has ever seen in one place. Following that came more chest overflowing with magic crystals. Thea was still working, but couldn't help glancing at the bounty filling the room.
"I made those to thank you for your help. Even if you wanted to share something in return this is surely too much." Rolen replied.
"We made plenty, and it will help us all greatly. You wanted to help your people, and now you can. You earned this with your hard work, and I'll make sure it's known. Take these for storing your work," Zack said while handing him a few rings.
"That club you wanted is on the wall over there, but I didn't tell Ren yet for safety. Do you need me to work on anything else? " Rolen asked while returning to his work.
"Do you have anything you wanna work on next?" Zack inquired.
"We've just been testing the limits so far. With what you brought we no longer have to hold back in our experiments. Just get me a list, and I'll get to work." Rolen replied.
"I'll be back in a few hours," Zack said while grabbing the club.
It was slightly larger than Ren's old one but had spikes around it. Zack was amazed by the weight of it. Ren's was twice as heavy as this one, but smaller. With a blunt item, Ren's destruction is already substantial, and the thought of the spikes hitting him caused him to shiver.
Zack stored it in his ring as he turned to leave. He wanted to ask its uses, but Rolen was extremely focused on his work. While walking out he saw Vicente speaking with Yu.
"Told you he was here." Yu smiled as she lunged towards Zack.
"Didn't know you were looking for me." Zack smiled as he kissed her passionately.
They were walking towards the eastern wall while linked together. Yu heard his desire to extend the city and went searching for her troop. She knew her family could scout the mountains for liveable terrain. Not all species would wanna live inside normal houses after all.
Zack ordered the five dolls with him to begin gathering the fallen trees from the expansion. Seeing how fast they would plow fields he knew they had the strength for it.
"This place works so strangely. I thought we were under attack when the ground shook. These walls could surely wether a decent assault but still need work. You still need to establish ramparts along the wall and watchtowers." Vicente told Zack while pointing out the locations.
"You need stockpiles of spears, and arrows stationed on them at all times. Even with all this, you're lacking a crucial component. You have some mighty warriors here, but not enough for a large perimeter like this, and not everyone has wings you know. Have you considered the dolls for security?" Vicente suggested seeing them easily drag a large tree.
"I haven't, but I'll consult Valan about it. Glad you stuck around to give advice. You about to leave?" Zack asked.
"Not yet," Vicente replied glancing around.
They continued to examine the new perimeter while Zack marked Vicente's suggestions and after he constructed places for livestock. With that finished he started marking new areas for construction and planting new fields.
Along the way, Vicente showed him the ideal spots for barracks and guard posts within the city. They also narrowed their gates to only one. The southern wall by the river was the only entrance and for safety, he added a discrete escape path up the mountain. On their journey back around they saw Mero flagging them down from the lake.
"I saw you extending the walls so I scouted the waterways, and everything is clear. Who picks where the houses go?" Mero asked.
"I'm happy to hear you wanna move in officially. Shiro has a guest room for now, but start looking for a spot you like." Zack smiled.
Mero's face lit up as she dove back into the water. With the perimeter scouted out, they headed home. Ren was leaving the arena as Zack approached. When he showed her the new club she got excited. After giving him a slight back injury from hugging him Ren ran back into the arena.
'She truly is training hard.'