Everything that happens in Elid doesn't affect dunirrs in Adrianopolis in the slightest. They probably don't even know about its existence since the settlement is too far away from them.
Currently, Adrian is in the main building dedicated to the council. Yes, it was completed. Thanks to the earth's magic, the construction speed showcased by dunirrs reached a new height. Once again, they managed to amaze him. At this point, their efficiency may surpass ants.
The main building is a four-storey circular-shaped building. There are more administrative buildings needed but the main one is done. So, Adrian can get the council up and running fairly quickly.
Inside, he is having a meeting with the members of the council assembled by Tombas. He put his trust in the former chief into selecting the member of the council.
In front of him, there are four people including Tombas. He has completed the task of recruiting the people to manage the department as he asked him before.
"Chief, let me introduce you to these three people. From the right is Sani. He's the most knowledgeable when it comes to forest vegetation and fruits. The hunting team often seeks his guidance whenever they find unknown or weird fruits. Now, he's retired and has taken the task to educate the youngsters in exchange for food. We ceremoniously decided that he would be a very suitable person to handle the food management."
"Nice to meet you, Chief," Sani greeted him. He is a man with well-toned muscles like one would expect from a hunting team. His face is slightly above average. He looks friendly and approachable.
"Nice to meet you too, Sani. By the way, why did you retire so early?" Adrian asked. From his perspective, the age of thirties is too early to think of retirement.
Sani casually replies, "I have been foraging the forest for nearly forty years. I want to take it easy since I am already 75 years old, Chief. You can say that I got bored and wish to change my career. Hahaha!!"
Seventy-five??!! Adrian was shocked. That is only a fourth of dunirrs average lifespan. Sani doesn't look like someone of that age. But still, his mind barely fathoms the concept of a long lifespan. Some perspective is hard to change.
Moving on, the next person is surprisingly a woman. He guesses dunirrs don't discriminate against women. Considering their situation, they do need cooperation from all people in the tribe to survive.
Age-wise, she appears to be a woman in her twenties with long wavy black hair and a curvy figure. Despite her appearance, she exudes a gentle and motherly aura. Anyone who sees her would have an impression of a graceful woman with a soft personality. The most Then again, she is probably a lot older.
"Why don't you introduce the next person to me, Tombas?"
"Her name is Anna. She's the most knowledgeable and perhaps the smartest person in the city. Let me tell you, she has read all the hundreds of parchments and records that you saw in my tent. She teaches a lot of children in our tribe. I could say, eight out of ten children receive her teaching. We believe she's right for the job."
"Fufufu~ What do you mean by 'perhaps', Tombas?" Anna glanced at the former chief. Her eyes then began to shift towards Adrian, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief. I heard from Tombas that you're a very smart person from another world. And I conclude you are since you singlehandedly discover the magic. You made me very curious about the knowledge you have~"
Adrian was caught off guard by Anna's affectionate stares. For some reason, he suddenly gets goosebumps and his sense of danger ticks off, "S-Same here, Anna. You seem to be very close to Tombas."
"Of course, we are~ Tombas is my older brother."
"Huh?" Adrian was stupefied. "Older brother like an actual brother?"
"Yes, you hear it right, Chief~ That's pretty unexpected, isn't it?"
"Well, that is unexpected." How can a sage-looking guy have such a stunning little sister? Furthermore, his sister seems to be bullying him. Adrian's respect toward Tombas drops by several points.
Tombas further confirms his doubt. "Technically, we're half-siblings. We had the same father but a different mother. Still, siblings are siblings."
"You're 110 years old, right? Then, how old is Anna?"
"Aren't you a bit rude, Chief?" Anna pouted.
"I-I am sorry. I can't help but be curious." Adrian shrugs. His question was left unanswered.
"She's 94 years old." Tombas butt in, revealing his sister's age. He also didn't forget to give his warning to Adrian. "Please don't be deceived by her youthful appearance, Chief. She's a seasoned and ruthless spear-wielding warrior. The last person you want to make an enemy with is her."
Anna's smile twitched slightly. She stomped her heel on Tombas' leg as a sign of retaliation to his statement.
Ignoring the quarrel between siblings, Adrian turns to the next member, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Yes, Chief! My name is Len and I am 50 years old this year. I was nominated to become the head department of Material Resources."
Adrian silently judged the man before him. Again, Len's appearance doesn't match his age thanks to dunirr's innate youth genes which drove humans crazy. Never in his life had he seen hair with a deep blue colour. He looks astute and reliable.
"What did you do before?"
Len explains to the new chief his recent experiences, "I am responsible for managing the manpower to procure materials for the city construction. I was personally involved in constructing the Admin Circle and the building we are in right now."
"Is that so? Then, I had no doubt about your capability."
Admin Circle is the name he gives for the elevated circular land around the big tree in the centre he previously ordered to build as an administration place, a nucleus of the city.
The last person to introduce himself is a tall and muscular man, much more than Sani. His gaze pierces straight into Adrian's soul. With that beard and stern face of his, he was far from being friendly. The scars on this arm are more than enough to intimidate Adrian.
"Let me introduce him to you, Chief." Tombas returned. "He is Yansa, 100 years old. I chose him to lead the military because of his vast experience. He is Haja's mentor and our top hunter. Sadly, he dumped everything on Haja and retired five years ago."
"Why?" If he is Haja's mentor, it means he is far more skilful than that monster.
"Because hunting is no more challenging to me, Chief," Yansa answered with his deep voice. "I rather passed it to Haja and let him build his experience and swords skill. However, I may think of joining one or two expeditions in the future to kill my boredom."
"Ehh!! You never told me about this, Yansa." Tombas exclaimed.
"Calm down, Tombas. It's not like I'll abandon my duties altogether. Just think of it as a hobby."
Adrian politely asked, "May I know why you are planning to be active again, Yansa?"
Yansa grinned, "Magic."