As if time had reversed, the middle-aged man transformed back into a pile of powder on the ground.
"What happened, Master? Did you fail?" Thomas's eyes reddened, his voice choked with emotion.
Alexander explained, "Just now, I used the power of basic soul summoning to create a new body for him, which wasn't too difficult for me."
"Then why did you cancel the spell?" Thomas, unable to comprehend, looked deeply disappointed.
Alexander sighed, "Your father wasn't an ordinary person; he was a master architect. With my current abilities, only mastering basic soul summoning, I can't yet resurrect someone of his stature."
"But we all saw, Thomas's father was already..." James interjected.
"No, that was just an illusion," Alexander clarified. "This isn't a simple matter. I wanted to awaken his residual memories and powers, but such power clearly exceeds my limit.
If I hadn't stopped and continued casting, I could only retain his abilities, but all his memories would be forever lost, turning him into a robot that knows only work, devoid of any emotions."
Thomas hesitated, then said, "Master, it's a crucial time for rebuilding the City of Hope. My father is an extremely skilled architect. For me, just seeing him again is enough, even if he forgets me, even without his emotions..."
"No, that would be too selfish," Alexander slowly responded. "Trust me, give me some time, and I'll give you a complete father."
Thomas's face lit up with joy, "Thank you, Master! Serving a master like you is my honor. I am willing to do anything for you!"
"Haha, you don't have to be so formal; I believe in your loyalty."
Alexander laughed heartily, then looked around at the other corpses in the arrow tower.
This half-built tower theoretically meant that most of the bodies present were construction workers.
To confirm his theory, Alexander performed a basic soul summoning on one of the corpses.
The process went smoothly, and soon, a young man appeared before them. Alexander received a notification:
"Ding, you have acquired an Apprentice Worker through basic soul summoning."
Information: Apprentice Worker
Name: Louis
Race: Human
Level: 3
Work Efficiency: 2 Productivity/Day
Trait: Growth (Can gain experience through continuous practice, gradually becoming a skilled craftsman.)
Loyalty: Never Betrays
Alexander nodded at Louis, then continued to perform basic soul summoning.
An hour later, Alexander had revived fifty apprentice workers like Louis. Though these apprentices were relatively less efficient, their youth meant they could accumulate experience and grow rapidly in their future work.
With hundreds of bodies still in the arrow tower, Alexander tested them all. These corpses were of elite workers or higher level.
The power of basic soul summoning was limited and couldn't resurrect such high-level individuals. Forcing a resurrection would cause irreversible damage to them.
With fifty apprentice workers, there were enough hands to start building basic infrastructure.
Utilizing his role as the lord of the city, Alexander opened the exclusive interface for the City of Hope, where he could see the construction requirements for various buildings.
However, he was utterly shocked when he saw the requirements for these buildings.
- City Wall: Requires 99,999,999 stones, 99,999,999 wood, 99,999,999 steel, 32,167 diamonds, 9,999 moonstones, Productivity: 999,999,999+.
- Moat: Requires 99,999,999 stones, 99,999,999 wood, 99,999,999 sand, 8,675,309 frost crystals, 9,999 springs of life, Productivity: 999,999,999+.
- Angel Temple: Requires 99,999,999 stones, 99,999,999 wood, 99,999,999 soul stones, 9,999 chaos stones, 9,999 tears of angels, Productivity: 999,999,999+.
- Castle: Requires 99,999,999 gems, 99,999,999 wood, 99,999,999 sapphires, 9,999 diamonds, 9,999 stardust stones, Productivity: 999,999,999+.
...
These astronomical figures left Alexander dizzy, unable to believe such vast resources were needed. This alone indicated the immense scale of the City of Hope.
The City of Hurricane occupied an area of 90 square kilometers, roughly half the size of Washington DC.
Alexander vividly remembered that constructing a wall in the City of Hurricane required only 10,000 units of stone.
"It's unbelievable, building the City of Hope is going to be a long journey."
Alexander sighed and continued to look for buildings with relatively lower resource demands.
- Barracks: Requires 30,000 stones, 30,000 wood, 300 iron, 10,000 gold, Productivity: 3,500.
- Archery Range: Requires 30,000 stones, 50,000 wood, 500 iron, 15,000 gold, Productivity: 4,500.
- Magic Temple (Level 1): Requires 5,000 stones, 5,000 wood, 1,000 gold coins, 1 crystal, 1 stardust stone, Productivity: 1,000.
- Blacksmith Shop: Requires 10,000 stones, 10,000 wood, 100 iron, 1,500 gold coins, Productivity: 1,000.
- Monument: Requires 5,000 stones, Productivity: 100.
With over 100,000 types of buildings in the City of Hope, Alexander's eyes tiredly scanned through them. Eventually, he found the only building he could construct was the Monument.
Alexander decided to build a Monument to commemorate the brave souls who had sacrificed themselves in defense of the City of Hope.
Having selected the construction site, it was time to start building.
Under Alexander's guidance, the apprentice workers began measuring and planning the foundation. They chose a solid bedrock to ensure the monument would stand firm.
Next, they excavated the soil and leveled the foundation, preparing it for the monument's construction.
Once the foundation was ready, the 50 apprentice workers started building the base of the monument.
They carried stones to the site, using lime and mortar to bind them tightly together. Louis even engraved exquisite reliefs on the stones, depicting the heroic deeds of warriors and intense battle scenes.
As the base neared completion, the apprentices began constructing the main body of the monument.
They stacked the same stones layer by layer, each precisely according to the blueprint's specifications.
After a day and a night of effort, the main body of the monument was finally complete.
"Ding, congratulations on successfully building the Monument. City of Hope Level +1."
"Ding, due to the City of Hope being situated on cursed land, a hidden storyline is triggered: Siege of Orcs."
Siege of Orcs: An Orc army will attack the City of Hope within a week. You must prepare defensive fortifications to resist the enemy's assault.
Mission Failure: The City of Hope will vanish completely, and the title of City Lord will be revoked.
First Phase Completion: Withstand the orc siege for over an hour, ensuring the monument is not destroyed. Meeting this condition completes the mission.
Second Phase Completion: Withstand the orc siege for over two hours, ensuring the monument is not destroyed. Exceeding this condition awards a B rating and a random resource reward.
Third Phase Completion: Withstand the orc siege for over three hours, ensuring the monument is not destroyed. Exceeding this condition awards an A rating and a random magic book reward.
Fourth Phase Completion: Withstand the orc siege for over three hours, ensuring the monument is not destroyed, and kill an Orc Commander. Exceeding this condition awards an A+ rating, City Level +1, and a free construction permit for a random building.
...
Countdown: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes 30 seconds.
With a week to prepare, Alexander felt uncertain, not knowing the scale of the orc attack.
As residents of the City of Hope, Thomas and the others were familiar with orcs. Learning of the impending orc siege, Thomas immediately shared his knowledge with Alexander.
"The orcs have struck some deal with the demons, willingly becoming their minions. Their attacks are quite regular, lasting only 12 hours each time. Initially, they send weaker orc infantry, but as time progresses, more and more elite orc troops join the fray."
Hearing this, Alexander felt somewhat relieved. If high-level troops weren't appearing initially, it might not be too difficult to handle.
With enough food, a week was sufficient for many preparations. During this time, Alexander could use soul summoning to revive many soldiers.
Meanwhile, the apprentice workers could build some defensive structures around the monument. With such preparations, holding out for an hour should be feasible.
With proper planning, achieving a higher rating was also possible.