Sem is currently meditating beside the world tree and waiting for the signal of the king. He told the king to make sure that everyone got away from the central city and went as far as they could.
After that, he should tell his people to prepare themselves with their spiritual barriers to survive against the dark energy.
That would be a dangerous situation for everyone, but unfortunately, he would not be able to do anything to help them.
If you are wondering why he did not create any of those strongholds, unfortunately, he does not have anything with him right now. Also, he already gives those people enough resources that would be able to help them in this tough time.
After waiting like this for 5 hours, Sam finally gets the signal from the king. Well, for these 5 hours, he tries to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.